1943 Willys MB Halfcab

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
I ran across an ad yesterday for a "1943 Jeep Willy" with just one pic of the old title, which showed the VIN# starting with "GPW".

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I reached out and said I'd like to see it, showed up with cash in hand and was pleasantly surprised. From a distance it looks rough, but that's due to the multiple, shitty paint jobs that are peeling. There really isn't a ton of terrible rust and it's actually pretty straight. It's the cleanest Flatty I've ever bought!

It is a genuine MB (military) Willys with a killer, homebuilt half cab cut off an old pickup. It has some funny additions like the carb hump on the hood, the windshield visor, the KILLER bench seat (it's so comfortable!) and the perfectly fitted rear step bumper. It has all the MB features like the headlights that rotate into the engine compartment, the shovel mount and indents under the drivers door,the tool storage in the rear wheel wells and FULL FLOAT rear axles!! :cool: The door windows were plexiglass and mostly shattered. I love the dual Jerry can mounts and the Red triangle (made out of a Stop sign) for a slow moving vehicle! 😆


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The PO said it was last running and driving about 10 years ago and I believe it. It seems like it was well maintained, the PO used it for hunting.

I did my best to air up the tires, but a couple of them didn't want to hold air. It was work to get it loaded as my HF winch on the trailer didn't want to do anything either. I had to use a short come-along.

Once it was home, I filled a trash can with all the junk in the cab, in the bed, tool boxes, under the seats, etc. Then I got the hose out and went to town flushing out all the wasp nests and junk. I cleaned up the bench seat and compared to how it looked before, it turned out amazing! Pledge FTW!!

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The leaking tires were bothering me, I can't roll it around very well so I pulled the 265/75/16 BFG Muds and Black steel wheels off the CJ5 (it's not going anywhere) and bolted them on the MB... and holy shit, night & day difference. They barely fit, but look amazing! 😍

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Next up I need to get a battery, see if it'll turn over... then see about getting fresh gas in it, one way or another. And I'll go from there, see what it takes to get running.
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
I have no idea what engine it has, the PO didn't know either. It should have a Go Devil 134 Flathead if it were original, but it does not. I'm sure the current 4 cyl was put in as an upgrade, hence the hood bump to fit the carb and air cleaner. I need to do some research and see what I can find.

Does it look familiar to anyone?

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The_Lobbster

Well-Known Member
What is the purpose of the headlights rotating into the engine bay? Very interesting idea. And super cool little rig!!
 

The_Lobbster

Well-Known Member
Well, bad news... the engine is locked up solid. I've been trying to get it broke free for the last hour with no luck.

I'll keep trying to get it turning over to salvage the engine in the meantime. I would really love to see it running and driving.
Pull the spark plugs and fill with some diesel, or marvel and let it soak. Might be able to at least get it to break free.
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
I was chatting with my neighbor and his friend and they were asking about the hardtop, they were checking out the visor, doors, rear window, etc. We decided this top was cut off a pickup truck from the mid 40's to 50's and grafted into the MB. You can see the double bump-side on the corners and across the back and where the cab was cut to fit around the tub. I'm not sure exactly what make & model truck it was, but they thought it was a Willys truck. The doors are for sure homemade, which makes it that much more rad!

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Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
I was chatting with my neighbor and his friend and they were asking about the hardtop, they were checking out the visor, doors, rear window, etc. We decided this top was cut off a pickup truck from the mid 40's to 50's and grafted into the MB. You can see the double bump-side on the corners and across the back and where the cab was cut to fit around the tub. I'm not sure exactly what make & model truck it was, but they thought it was a Willys truck. The doors are for sure homemade, which makes it that much more rad!

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Oh man, you’re right. That belt line is a dead giveaway.
 

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Last night I want down an engine swap rabbit hole, I like the idea of a V6 but they don't fit great... even the Buick Oddfire V6 in my '48 CJ2A created fitment issues with the exhaust, steering, driveshaft etc. It wasn't easy to work on.

I was thinking about a more modern 4 cyl for simplicity, weight and ease of working on. I read about a GM 3.0l 181 cubic inch industrial engine, which is also used as a marine engine. It's based on the super common GM 153, but the 181 is a beast, for a 4 cyl. They produce 140 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 177 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. Not crazy power, but almost double the HP of the Hurricane engine that's in it.

Parts are plentiful, it has a standard GM bellhousing bolt pattern and I could bolt a SM465 to it, for a deep granny gear and much more robust transmission, compared to the weak T90. Of course, I'd need a $600 adapter to bolt the SM465 to the Dana 18 t-case.

I found a lightly used 181 near by for $500... 🤔
 
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