Craig's 1943 GPW Rebuild

Craig recently inherited this 1943 GPW from his deceased father. His Honda Racing shop will be rebuilding this. The goal will be to keep it's original look. He plans to have it completed in two months and share some photos when completed.

Here is a list of items to be done:

Body (tub) removed and sandblasted Rust locations repaired and sealed Repair rear bumperettes Underbody and frame powder coat black color Body to be painted in either original OD green enamel or we may color match that and paint with acrylic The problem is we are not allowed to use enamel in our spray booth legally We will not have any decals except for a small one on the back which says "1943 Ford GPW".

Original nameplates on glovebox are being sent to a restorer. Right fender had a 6v siren on it, we may or may not put it back on

New fuel tank and housing tub replaced. Second fuel tank with changeover switch we will custom make to extend range in a hidden location yet to be determined

Conversion to 12volts New alternator, headlights, gauges that require 12v system Front/rear marker light housings utilized, but lighting will be high intensity LED We will return it to the non-keyed ignition (just off-on--start) but will have a wireless master kill system.

Engine compartment cleaned up and painted We have been checking engine with a borescope; it looks very good and runs well

We wish to keep the original look, but make some stealth improvements It will not be a collectors vehicle, but one to be driven

Target date for completion; 60 days, have a staff of three working on it part time from normal duties here at Honda Racing

9 Comments

Craig/VermontJune 15, 2015 at 11:32 AM
love it, just the way it is !!! it will never be 'original' again.
OscarJune 15, 2015 at 1:21 PM
I agree! Do a full mechanical restoration but leave it the way it looks today. Totally unique and cool. That's a wonderful jeep you have!
Joe in MesaJune 15, 2015 at 3:07 PM
Great project and some good ideas. Not sure I'd go with black when powder coating the frame. Can't a closer match to OD be found? I'd also recommend: 1. "Hide" that extra fuel tank in plain site by connecting up a spare fuel can (original military 5 gallon type) mounted on the back, to be a switch-able reserve tank. 2. Stencil your "1943" and "Ford GPW" on the left and right bumperettes, respectively, so as not to mar the new paint you plan to apply. Good Luck :-)
Craig in Antelope ValleyJune 15, 2015 at 4:40 PM
JOE IN MESA we like all of your ideas! Under the rear license plate you can see the original color, a light brown/sand. GPW was purchased as surplus in 1956 at Long Beach Navy Yard. Maybe this light brown color was USMC? Anyone have experience placing high intensity LED in the existing marker light housings?
Joe in MesaJune 15, 2015 at 6:00 PM
I installed non-LED standard flush-mount taillights in the original rear light housings for safety when finishing my 1942 GPW. The LED ones appeared to have the same form, fit, and function. Both are sold side-by-side at Walmart, very affordably. I don't know if they were an exact fit since the rear holes on mine had been welded over and the rear brackets already cut off by Bubba before I got it... but it APPEARED to be the same diameter opening when I re-cut them out. As for color, I always think of the USMC as more blue-green and the Army as more brown-green in their WWII "OD" paint.
Alaska PaulJune 15, 2015 at 10:31 PM
I replaced the original light bulbs on my Willys with LED replacements that had the same mounting base as the original bulbs. I was able to purchase some LED bulbs locally and the rest I bought on the internet. These replacement LED bulbs fit perfectly, work great and are reasonably low cost. I think I bought these bulbs from Super Bright LEDS but I can't find the paperwork right now.
JoeJune 16, 2015 at 1:16 PM
Just an opinion but this Jeep is worth way more in its current condition than having it rebuilt and modified. I would do as little as possible to preserve it and find another one to build.
Craig/VermontJune 16, 2015 at 1:37 PM
I agree with Joe's recent post...too nice to fool with.
Craig in Antelope ValleyJune 16, 2015 at 2:34 PM
Anyone interested, if you will email me directly I will send all photos. The problem is that the tub (body) has some severe rust and scaling in places. The fuel tank and housing are unusable due to rust. We have a large footlocker of parts, which includes two mechanics manuals, speedometer, 6v generator, siren, right side lift handles, and the 1963 front license plate. Our paint specialist said the same thing, to preserve the oxidized original paint with clear coat. I value your opinions, thank you. e-mail: kd6pn@yahoo.com