@@tylerandersenandthegang it is sad. visiting kids call my truck a "classic" (?) to me 1975 wasnt that long ago. shucks I was in high school when it was made - lol in 6th grade I was super impressed riding in my teachers 46 jeep even more impressed when we were riding thru the field and teach told herbie to stick his head out and smell the fresh nature. he did & he got a face full of cow pie splatter :O [yup I laughed as I stayed inside] ;) and yeah the car models have changed a few time over the last few years -
@@tylerandersenandthegang Well, that's part of the beauty of this thing. They're were designed to be able to be serviced by -conscripts- draftees fresh out of basic training. Dealership mechanics at the very least are more knowledgeable than that, even if not by much.
His answer about longevity coming down to maintenance is the answer. Of the millions of jeeps produced, MOST did not make it to 80, and even this one has been restored. The bigger question is will anyone care to restore and keep a modern jeep for 80years, my answer, probably. There will be some modern jeeps that get restored and will be kicking around in 80 years.
It will be one hell of a uphill battle though. I foresee a lot of modules and computers being replaced with modified Raspberry Pi mini PC's or something similar with wiring harnesses being converted to USB most likely in order to replace the stock proprietary ones as the years go by.
the body on frame wrangler should be infinitely rebuildable if you are willing to swap in new engines and drivetrain components...in future decades the proprietary electronics, sensors and associated coding will be extremely limiting in keeping factory components functional.
Yes, but I imagine it must be a hell of a job to restore a car from today in 80 years. All these aging plastic parts, undocumented electronic components, deteriorating rubber, decomposing glue, crumbling hidden parts you never heard of ...
@@thomaswolf1771 This is one reason why repair shop level parts diagrams and lists need to be made available for general purchase. It's one of many reasons why good right to repair laws are essential.
What the mechanic isn’t saying is that the World War II Jeep could be assembled, from pulling the parts out of the crate to driving it away, by a crew of four in less than 15 minutes. And as far as maintenance went, they weren’t that finicky. A single private with the most basic instruction could fix it within within an hour, given the appropriate replacement parts.
So it's like a big lego set that you can drive away after you finish putting it together. I wish I could get my hands on one of those. Just keep it in the back of the garage for if my main car breaks down.
We were still using these General Purpose Wheeled vehicles when I joined the Army in the 1980's. The one that I got to drive was built in 1947 (post war) and was built by Ford. I was fortunate, because mine had a heater, which worked well even with open doors. Thanks for the memories guys.
And to move the clock back, these were used in my time in Viet Nam 1969-1970. The newer version was coming into service about this time. The circa 1970 jeeps cannot be sold to the public UNLESS they are cut in half! They are completely unsafe. spent a DAY in the motor pool re tooling the Ford made accelerator linkage. In short, the original routinely failed and left the engine at FULL throttle! For the benefit of these two kids knowledge; MANY of us WERE shot at while driving these things. On wheels or on foot, its NEVER a good day when someone is shooting at you!!
Ford didn’t build any Jeeps in 1947. Nor were any military Jeeps built in 1947. The last Jeeps like the one shown in this video were built in 1945, by both Ford and Willys. Civilian Willys CJ-2a Jeeps were coming off the line in ‘47, some may have been purchased for government use, but were not built as military vehicles and were never used as tactical (green) vehicles.
@@cobra935o They are cheaply made using bad quality materials. I've even seen them come apart because instead of actual filter media they use low quality cardboard, not even the quality stuff. The only Fram I would trust is a cartridge type where you can see the filter. Then they can't cheap out.
The grill went from 9 to 7 slots due to Ford actually changing the grill from the welded iron design called the Slat grill to the pressed grill in mid 42. The iron grill took way more man hours to build, Ford made it faster with the stamped grill. After the contract ended, Willys tried to continue the grill. Ford said no. So the 7 slot grill and large headlamps was adopted and patented.
This is kinda wrong the reason they went to 7 slots wad for the civilian dot regs to be able to fit bigger headlights the 9 slots where used on the ford gpw and the mb you are right about ford stamping the grilles tho
folks always forget 90% of driving is "severe" conditions, very few people actually drive the full 6,000 or even 10,000 miles straight highway every day, that's what those change intervals are for. After sending multiple tests to Blackstone Labs, you're never gonna hurt your car by doing 3,000mi changes, just use good judgement, maintenance is cheap compared to a new engine. it's that simple.
For a counter point-- you can just forget the oil changes and rah rah and save your money--and buy an Electrick Car. This writer does NOT miss all the service visits, the bad coffee and the 'money with gilded wings' that flew out of my checking account when the service guy tells you --you need new muffler bearings!!
@@Cloud300003-4000 is reasonable if you want to keep it forever. Do some research and you would know it's 6 months or 3-4000 miles. If you don't put 4000 miles on it in 6 months, it for sure has wicked enough moisture from the atmosphere that it has turned acidic, oxidation is starting. Ruining engine internals I've opened 1000s of engines. I can tell you what brand of oil a person was running by the color of the deposits left behind. I can tell if the oil was changed or not instant when I pull the oil cap. Do what you want. But don't make fun of people who want their car to actually last.
I love that my driving actually is 90% highway. My C-Max oil change reminder runs to about 16k miles. Blackstone Labs said the oil looks great and to try running it longer
Thanks again for bringing back the memories! Just went and saw my grandfather a few weeks ago and saw his slat grill Willys again. Absolutely love that thing!
My dad’s cousin has one. The thing has been going for a very long time, but it’s super fun to drive into town or to a car meet in it. That thing steals the show when it rolls up anywhere
Back 60 years ago ,when I was a Cub Scout, our Leader had an old army surplus jeep that he would take out to the mountain in.I loved that jeep ,and when I reached 20 I got a brand new 1972 jeep with a 258 straight six. I put over 100.000 off road miles on that jeep in the Southern Appalachians . I loved folding that windshield down . You couldn’t take a Hummer where a jeep will go in our Appalachians. I love that you have such a beauty.
I used to work for a Jeep dealer in Japan. Some old dude used to daily a CJ that was dressed up like this one. He'd come in once a month for a yarn with the boss and it was serviced there regularly. His CJ was made under license by Mitshubishi who was authorised by Willy's to make them. I believed they made them in one form or another up until the 90s?
@ProductofNZ yup Mitsubishi ended J series Jeep production in 98 I believe. Would love to get one of tbe imports to add to the garage next to the CJ2, YJ and XJ.
@@jeepinbanditrider Yep, the civilian version ended production in '98 and the JSDF variant (Mitsubishi Type 37) ended in '97 when they started producing a second generation based on the Mitsubishi Pajero's frame while keeping a Jeep-like appearance and is still being produced today. I used to visit Japan on and off for several months at a time when I was younger until finally permanantly moving here a little more than a decade ago and still remember my first time seeing a Mitsubishi branded Jeep around the late '90's and being so confused at first lol. At Tokyo Auto Salon in 2011 I became friends with a group of people that were pretty heavy into the offroading scene at the time and got the unique opportunity to purchase a '92 JSDF variant from one of them, I daily drove that thing pretty much year-round until two years ago when I sold it back to the guy I bought it from. Was an aboslute blast to drive, especially when I had any extended time off work and would drive all the way into Tokyo and drive it around, the reactions were always so much fun to see, especially from any foreigners. Replaced it with a GR Yaris since I needed something more practical now that I have a wife, two children and moved further into the countryside. Since we only had the Jeep and a Honda Jazz there were times when one of us would have the Jazz which left the only option to be driving the Jeep if we needed to get somewhere on top of it being impossible to take either baby/child in it and the fact that she absolutely hated driving the Jeep lol.
@@milescarter7803 I think Jeep missed the boat on that one. I would have scratched out a deal to sell Jeep badged Roxors on Jeep showrooms as "Throwback" offroad only CJs.
My grandfather had the opportunity to buy one of these when his unit returned from overseas, they were selling them for $50 otherwise they were just getting tossed off the boat, I really wish he had said yes.
It's nice to have a "good" mechanic near by... So many people get bad mechanics who BS every customer they get. I worked in a shop that forced me to find 3 things wrong with the car, even if there was nothing. Then I was forced to present this BS to the customer. I had to quit and worked as the only mechanic at a Gas station, and had a line down the street, waiting for me to work on their cars. I was trusted to work on a customers Ferrari.... but they wouldn't sell me any parts for it... lol. I needed a license for the parts for that car. The tune up parts would have cost about $15,000.00, and that is no typo. But it goes to show you, how much trust my customers had in my skill and knowledge. So finding a good mechanic is like finding gold. Love the videos/adventures, thanks for the great entertainment. Keep it up guys.
My grandfather has an all original 1942 willys MB in MINT condition and still has the original air compressor in the back. One day I hope to get it running. They look like alot of fun driving!
The fact that you can legally drive these, yet Kei trucks are being banned for "safety concerns" is the definition of corruption. That being said, this was a great episode!
To be fair, driving this is like driving a moped; you are creating dangerous conditions by being on roads where you cannot keep up with the flow of traffic. Seeing this on the highway is more likely to get more vehicles banned than to have banned vehicles permitted.
It is essentially illegal to drive that Jeep on a highway like that, though. You are impeding traffic by not even being able to hit 40 when traffic is going 65+. A lot of people are unaware that you can be ticketed for going too slow, even if there isn't a posted minimum speed.
@@eli-bt4he There are plenty of other examples of equally dangerous vehicles that can go on the highway though. Like Volkswagen buses for instance, or any motorcycle ever. My point is many states are outlawing Kei trucks because they're "not safe", but then dont care about our safety in several other perfectly legal vehicles.
I knew a guy in Greece that had one (his father was in the military and snatched one on a military auction) and used to drive it in Athens with the windshield down and the left foot on the quarter panel. I think he saw it in an old WWII movie and believed it was cool
interesting fact the foot on the quarter panel thing was a real thing that soldiers of ww2 did... helped them get out faster if people started shooting also helped to keep you in the seat
9 Slot Military Grill: It actually had to do with a requirement from the military. According to the Willys-Overland Motor Company's own records, the US Army Quartermaster Corps requested the wider grill to fit a specialized fording kit. The 9 slot grill gave access to and provided the space for the fording kit, which was basically a snorkel system for the Willys MB Jeep. Primarily fitted for amphibious landings and river crossings, the snorkel extended out through the front grill, being attached to the Carburetor, and then up to the windshield where it was affixed to be above the water line. The Civilian Jeeps didn't require that extra feature or placement of the snorkel.
There's some inaccuracies there because the slot grill was invented by Ford not Willys and it was 9 slots from the very beginning. The Ford 9 slot grill was later adopted by Willys at unit 25,809 in the MB production. Before that the MB used a heavier slat grill. The reason for the CJ using 7 slots instead of 9 is simply because Ford still owned the rights to the 9 slot grille at the time. Source -Loyd White "The Evolution of the Willys-Overland MB Jeep Vol 1”
also remember that the WW2 jeeps were designed to have the windshields and seats fold down and then have the entire thing be packed into a crate loaded up into a cargo plane and then dropped out the back behind enemy lines with the paratroopers so theres really only so big you can make them, the shermans suffered the same problem where they could only be as wide as the flatbed railcars that were transporting them
I think it's kinda rude to ask that in the first place. They know he can't answer honestly without risking his job, no need to put him in that position.
They don’t make them like they used to, but they’re even tougher now than the original Willys, and that really says something. My grandad was an Army Motorpool Sergeant in Korea, and the 2 things he always went on about that he loved working with in the army were his Jeeps and his M1 Carbine. He bought my moms ‘95 Grand Cherokee and that was his last car before he passed, and he said even with it being a GC, it was the most fun of any vehicle he had because it reminded him of MB’s. I’ve had 2 JK Wranglers and both have saved my life. The first, a girl ran a stop sign in front of me on the highway and I hit her square in the drivers door of her Ford Fiesta at 60 mph. There was over a foot of intrusion into her passenger compartment and she had to be extricated and lifeflighted to a trauma center. It shortened my Jeep by about 5-6” and I walked away with only a fractured kneecap from hitting the dash. My other Wrangler, I hit a full size pine tree down across the highway at night doing 55. They had to replace the front axle and suspension and a few of the body pieces and windshield, but you’d never even know it was in that bad of a wreck if I didn’t tell you.
I have a 93 YJ. It was my wife's. We have had it for about 20 years. It was rear ended at least twice. Had two people back into the front at a light. Two people have hit the tire stop. And my wife backed into a person that past her while she was backing up. That jeep never saw a body shop except for getting fender flares. Sadly that jeep out lasted her. RIP Sue.
I had a 98 grand cherokee when I wooed my amazing wife over a decade ago. The grand cherokee had to go, but we have another one now 4.0 Inline 6 flavor this time instead of full time 4x4 (read tire and gas eating) 5.2 v8. We also have a 98 cherokee and a couple parts xjs. Love my jeeps with the inline 6.
I figured someone would mention this lol. Only thing I could find for WFTC is US Army Air Forces Western Flying Training Command which was apparently inactivated in 1945. They were based out of California though so it would line up with the year of the jeep and the fact it came out of California.
My father owned a garage for over 60 years and so I've always been suspicious of dealers but I have to say that you had a real good experience at your dealer.
I can recall seeing ads in magazine classifieds when I was a kid, selling brand new WWII surplus Jeeps, complete in crate, never assembled. The number that still sticks in my head was they were asking $250. This would have been late 50's, or very early 60's. All you had to do was put it together.
@@WorldWalker128 Used to see crate adds too when I was a kid about 20 years ago (oh god I'm turning 30!) but it was more like 5-10 grand. Haven't seen any in a while and I'd bet there more like 50 grand now.
I would have been excited to work on one of these if it came in the shop i worked at. The technician there, i can tell is a good one. He was taking his time and paid attention to details.
I’m by no means a jeep expert. Y’all probably know more than I do just by having one. But from everything Willys jeep enthusiasts have been telling me online, I’m not sure your vehicle is up to specs. You’re only getting 46 mph out if it? And it starts burning out after only a few miles at that speed? Everybody on all the forums I frequent tell me, if your 134 Go Devil, transmission, etc is set up right, (even without an overdrive) l, you should at least be able to get 50 to 55 easy and sustain it. Some even say as high as 65. (Many say 50-55 mph is kind of the safety threshold). 40-45 mph should be able to easily get you across the country without problems (as many enthusiasts do). Y’all might want to do some inquiries…and do a video about that. Great video and experience!
As a 23 yr service mechanic at Jeep dealers I have personally had the pleasure of fixing some wiring and other service work on a guys 1941 - it was pretty neat to work on - oldest one I’ve worked on is 1931 packard limo
Bantam designed the Jeep, but could produce the amount the Govt wanted. So Willys got the contract. Bantam got the contract to build the trailers. Willys could not keep up with war production so Ford was awarded a contract to build them. That why you have the Willys MB and the Ford GPW. So Henry Ford didn’t want to warranty any part that wasn’t his. So he had them put a “F” script on the majority of the parts, right down to the bolts.
@eovdubsvw8743 errr kinda. The majority was definitely Bantam, but they took design aspects from all of the designs submitted and made what we know as the MB/GPW. Ford and WO wanted to stamp their names on the tailgate and hood. War department said no. Ford went to stamp script Fs on everything. Ive found no information to backup anything having warranties around that time frame.
Some of the early production Jeeps had the manufacturer logo on the driver side rear of the Jeep. The old Cord Factory in Connersville, Indiana ended up building the bodies for both Willys and Ford and continued building Jeep bodies until 1948.
We had a Willys Jeep on the farm when I was a kid. I remember riding in it but not often. It was most often used by my older brothers and sister, all at least ten years older than me.
I was curious about the WFTC and looked it up. It is the Western Flying Training Command that operated from July 8th 1940 until it was inactivated on November 1st 1945.
Yet if the car is from 1945, it means it has seen a max of 9 months of active service. And if the 419 miles are indeed original... it's only been driven within the barracks and maybe to the next casino...
If I got handed this to work on I would need 10min to walk around screaming about how excited I am 😂. Nothing is hidden under plastic covers, like 9 wires to check, this would be the best day at work.
This jeep model was also produced by hotchkiss in France its an exact copy but with few amelioration like electric powered wipers, a reinforced clutch and a more powerful 24v battery, my grandpa had one that he had repaired himself as a mechanic, he were always taking my mom and my aunt for a ride in the woods and on dirt roads, he did the same for me, my sister and my cousins... Im the ony boy so i came with him hunting, fishing and cutting some firewood that we were loading in the original military trailer he had with, thats also the first vehicle we were taught to drive. Im glad my aunt and my uncle kept it when he passed away, his Hotchkiss m201 jeep has so much family related history
2:26 It was certainly faster than the M3 Lees, M4 Shermans, and M26 Pershings the armored divisions were using, as well as a lot of the trucks and halftracks we were had at the time, though apparently M18 Hellcats would beat these things in drag races every time. I'm still impressed that they managed to get those Hellcats doing 55 mph on paved roads, making them quite possibly the fastest tracked armored fighting vehicle ever made. Like, that's just impressive, especially for that time period
Hellcats were hella fast because they got rid of a /lot/ of the armor in 'armored vehicle'. Like the thinnest it was on a Sherman was half an inch, the /thickest/ the hellcat had was an inch.
@@JessicaKStarkThe Hellcat was a tank destroyer not a tank. It was designed to move the biggest gun it could as fast as possible to block a tank breakthrough. It was armored against small arms only and intended to fire and RUN before its opponents could return fire. The British equivalent had the gun pointed over the back of the vehicle for this reason.
Oh the memories. I had one of these, drove it over the mountains from CA to NV on the highway in middle of winter snowstorm. That amazing top speed, the traction of the Gravedigger tire tread, not to mention the visibility all those lights provided for other drivers to see me. How I didn't get rear ended during that insanity is still a mystery.
What a fun video, and kudos to Johnson Auto Plaza and Jackson for taking the time and playing along to do this. Very cool! It looks like Jackson enjoyed it. Be safe!
23:20 Dude tried so hard to not admit that modern jeeps aren't built as well. "Yeah they got more power" That wasn't the question my man. Also there's no way a modern jeep will work 50 years down the road, because the electrical componentry ages and nowadays you have "unfixable" control modules along with manufacturer-only software.
@@sailordave1000 one module dies & the entire machine dies. Maybe in 50 years DIYers will have made mini pcs with raspberry pi's to replace the comical amount of modules on modern jeeps, but if not nah, no way. Plus plastic tends to age far less kindly than metal
I agree with you % 100 percent , The Dealership was very nice to them but they know their modern products are poor products They have horrible reliability !
in the '50s and '60s cheap WW II surplus, including Jeeps, were everywhere. One mothballed air base had mothballed Jeeps from barely used to those cannabilized for parts. They were lined in rows on the tarmac, hundreds of them. They were $25 each, but you had to buy 4 of them. The staff chose the next 4 Jeeps in line, no cherry-picking. Supposedly out of 4 a buyer could get enough good parts to get one, even two, running, driving Jeeps out of the $100 deal.
RE: 7 Slots 7 Continents. When the CJ2A was first sold in July 1945 (with 7 slots), Jeep had not made it to Antarctica. When Willys Overland change to larger headlight that are flush mounted to the outside, they eliminated two slots. Tim
had a ride in a military jeep thru the highlands of New Guinea. It had such a brake fluid leak they were filling it with water when going down hill. Later (much later) I had cj-2a's in both New Jersey and Oregon. I then was told my CJs had needle bearings in the trans and the military had bushings. As 6 vt - the New Jersey suffered starting in the winter. Thanks for the memories.
The return hose from the radiator to the vacuum side of the water pump is prone to collapse if it doesn’t have a spring installed. Water flow slows and you overheat.
Since the WWII finished in 1945. The left over/surplus military jeeps had been sold by the former horse-drawn driver turned mechanic by the name of Leonardo Sarao and this is how the oldest vehicle manufacturer in the Philippines was founded in the year 1953 (71 years ago)
Hold up, if you were in the Army in 1979, It would have been an M-151 not a WWII Jeep. Very different beast. Four cylinder OHV engine. Fully independent suspension. Very different from the OG Jeep's flathead and straight axles.
I live in Alaska and I change my oil at 3,000 miles. This is because of the cold weather and it helps protect the engine from excess wear from cold starting the engine.
Fun thing about those, people used to hot rod them by replacing the four cylinder with a Studebaker Champion flathead six, which I've been told is pretty much a bolt in.
Back in 1960-63 my grandpa got drafted into the military and sent to Colorado, where he would drive in these with 50 cals mounted on the back. He also told me that he drove from Colorado to Washington and it took him over a week to get there, as these jeeps didn’t go very fast.
"Well we can't work on this because it comes from a time when Jeeps didn't suck" Figuring out who would have used this reminds me of the MASH episode where they're bring BJ to the unit and get a flat. They come under fire and radar tries to grab the jack. "But this is a general's jack!" "so salute it and get in!" I had a 91 Escort station wagon that lasted 320,000 miles, the body/frame rusted out before the engine quit. Really hated working on it because the thing was so rusty if you bumped something you'd likely start a leak
After WW2 the French Army took over 22000 Willys MB and Ford GP. Around half of them where usable. They started to repair the rest. When spare parts got scarse Hotchkiss first started to make new Parts and from 1955 till 1966 they build new ones called Hotchkiss M201. They were in service untill the nineten eigthy's.
15:47 "7" is the callsign for unit commander. Or at least was for a long time. Most units switched to 9. Calling for "2-9" would be a message for 2nd Platoon's PL.
"The enemy couldn't look at the tread and tell which way you're going" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day lol. It was so they'd be completely universal. If you got a flat in a combat zone, you could grab any spare and toss it on without worrying about if it's facing the correct direction.
4:08 - seat belts? Imagine being strapped to the seat and having a rollover with this car. I'd prefer to be thrown out - chances to survive are higher for sure!
I don’t thing these go fast enough to throw you in a roll over, more like you fall out as it tips horizontal. I also think these are tough to roll over, since all the weight is down low and since it doesn’t go fast enough to get the momentum to catch the tire and pivot over it. It’s more like an ATV on a hill, where you need to be ready when the jeep is at an extreme angle on terrain and jump out of it the second it tips.
not jeep related but I 100% agree with the "if you take care of it it will last" statement. I had a 1995 dodge ram with almost 800k on the original motor. body looked like absolute crap, I wont even sugar coat that. changed my oil religiously, if 3000 miles hit while i was on a country road, i was pulling over, poppin the tool box open and changing my oil on the side of that old back road. went through my fair share of fuel pumps, oil pumps and water pumps but that truck was probably gonna exist well past me, until a drunk driver broadsided it and folded the frame like a lawnchair. I was so mad cause I was trying to join the million mile club.
If that guy was in the military in 1979, the “jeep” he would have driven would have actually been an M151, probably the A2 variant by that time. Most soldiers never knew the difference, the M151 looked very similar but had fully independent suspension and the most visible difference was horizontal grill bars instead of vertical. That’s assuming he was in the U.S. military of course. I believe certain countries, like France, continued to use the GPW until the late 1970s or even early 1980s. That’s not meant as a cut on this guy, I drive my 1966 M151 to old car shows and Vietnam vets love it, but the only ones who really know the difference are motorpool guys.
@@canonet17 to make things even more confusing, the military used a smattering of M38’s in the 1950s and 60s which was essentially the civilian CJ-5. And while the HMMWV officially replaced the M151 in 1985, I’ve been told they recalled and used a few M151s during the Gulf War because they found the HMMWV was too wide to go down some of the city streets in that region.
One big thing learned during WW2 were that a quiet engine is meaningless if it has spark plugs. The reason why is that as the spark forms it also creates a lot of broad band RF noise. This noise can somewhat trivially be picked up from many miles away. Its a bit like radar, but the target emits its own signal. (Now actual radar systems are way more picky about what part of the spectrum they operate on, as to not be bothered by such interference.) And tracking enemy movement by listening to the spark plugs has been used during the later half of the war. The US knew a magic trick that Japan just didn't understand. This is why practically all military vehicles use diesel engines these days. A fuel that ignites under pressure is not creating such electrical noise. And this is also why backup generators tends to run on diesel. Partly since there has existed regulations about re-purposing them for military use in case of war and that is why one really can't find a larger (10+ kW) non diesel generator on the market, even if other fuels have far better shelf life. (personally I think methane (bio/natural gas) is the best option for backup generators, since the inherently high pressure to store it makes the need for a fuel pump somewhat irrelevant, thereby increasing reliability, and it has better shelf life than the tank it is contained within.) I wouldn't be surprised if after WW2 that the US military decided to sell all its non diesel vehicles, since all one really needs is an AM radio (oftentimes it needs to be slightly modified to tune into the right part of the spectrum) and a decent directional antenna to listen to spark plugs and locate in what direction they are located in. It didn't take long for other nations to realize this. The RF noise from spark plugs is about as clear and obvious as riding around constantly shooting fireworks. That isn't a good idea during a war. And why most nations after WW2 started taking RF noise far more seriously.
I wish they would just make something like that a courtesy car option. My local garage has some old Peugeot 205 hatchbacks for that purpose and it always brightens my day getting do drive something a bit more interesting like that.
This is awesome I work for that software company and I remember getting a help button on this exact Jeep. Johnson Auto Plaza is definitely a great service department and always fun to work with.
I enlisted in the Army in 1980 The Willis M38A1 Jeep was Not in the Army inventory. It was the Ford M151A1 which also has no physical resemblance to the Willis M38A1. HOWEVER, The Army did have in inventory for Generals command staff AMC CJ 5 and 7 Civilian Jeeps painted and liveried with Army unit identification. But those were rare and used only at Tradoc Army Bases.
Well at least here in Germany, there is a "Toyota Classic" museum right next to the German HQ, and they even have a "Classic Parts" section. Though specific parts for a certain model might be hard to get, stuff like oil filters, gaskets etc. should never be a real problem. Funniest thing that happened to my Toyota from 1999 at my favorite non-Toyota garage was that someone wrote "Watch display" on the oil tag to indicate when I have to change the oil next time. - It doesn't have a display/timer function for that :D. (It's the good-old once a year or 9000 miles thingy :)
As for the windshield topic, I talked to a cop in my area in Kansas and he said it is the same as a motorcycle for here. Eye protection is all that’s required so he said no reason to not fold it 😁
The Willy's Jeep wasn't designed to drive on a paved road. It was designed to drive over all kinds of war destroyed terrain, from mud to the rubble of blown-up buildings. So of course today's cars can go faster ands ride smoother. You gotta remember what conditions it was built for.
Much like our Land Rover that came five years later, both vehicles came from military conception and crossed over to civilian use in peace time. They were perfect for there applications, very basic but rugged and reliable/repairable.
@@mr_ozzio5095considering the Land Rover was just a clone of the Jeep. That makes sense. Down to the prototype being built on a Jeep Chassis. They updated a few things, and changed some minor flaws. Boom, Land Rover.
@@mr_ozzio5095The LR was originally designed for farming and industry, but the British army quickly decided "ooh these are cool, let's buy thousands of them". The original Jeep replacement was the Austin champ.
Enthusiasts will DIY solutions, same as enthusiasts do for cars like Ford Model As where OEM replacement parts are nearly impossible to find. A dedicated programmer could reproduce all the software required to make a 2020s car function using open source hardware well after OEM support for those modules has ceased. It's just a different skillset. That's not to say it will be easy.
@ElijahDecker I mean look at the new tablet style screen replacements that just came out for the 2019-2022 Silverados. They had to hack the trucks computer to do it since so much is done through the entertainment system. But they did it. Te same will be true 80 years from now except it will be so mundane a elementary school student will look at it the same way we look at an old radio. A bit complicated but easy enough to figure out.
Congrats. I have a 2006 TJ and none of the four local Dodge dealers will service it. "We only work on 2007 Jeeps and newer." is the answer I got from all of them.
I was thinking the same thing. Surprised these videos aren’t sponsored by Jeep at this point. Can’t tell you how many times my moms had her Jeep serviced for the dumbest things imaginable. Heck, the AC won’t even last a year.
@@Tyler-q3h I mean the model t was at the beginning of auto technology, the jeep came with refinements and further understandings not known when the T was designed
I think it was back in early 70's there were ads from a Govt Surplus Supply Depot for crate WWII jeeps in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine for $750 plus shipping. They were sold without any guaranty of running or warranty.
Actually, "G" meant government, and "P" meant 80" wheelbase. There is a lot of misinformation on this, even in books. Prior to the jeep entering service, other military vehicles were called "jeeps".
One change in what the old veteran told you, 6, like HQ6 would be the commander or OIC (officer in charge). HQ7 would be the NCOIC, noncommisioned office in charge, usually a First Sergeant (1SG) or Command Sergeant Major (CSM). The HQ6 and 7 would be right and left hands. The "6" would probably joke that the 7 was actuality the soldier in charge.
How lucky this jeep service mechanic and chief able to drive a old willie jeep, one of them is retired army veteran in 70's who had fond drive this back in his day of service before the Humvees
I was interested in your experience with servicing an old vehicle. I took my 1994 Jeep Wrangler to the local Jeep dealer for required work. I was told that their service manuals only went back ten years. This was about a year ago, so my Jeep is under thirty years old, but over ten years old. They would not work on my Jeep. Maybe I should take my Jeep to Johnson’s to get work done.
When dealers do this, it's usually because they don't want cars that they can't resell if you decide to trade it in to come rolling through there. People either see something that catches their eye while they're driving through the lot to the service bay or they're given bad news about their car and they figure it's easier to trade it in and get something new. They also don't get manufacturer support past a certain age, and parts are harder to get. So, they avoid it.
Excellent vehicle. In 1980 I purchased a 1943 GP which had been built by Ford. Had the Ford stencil on a cross bar in front of the radiator. Wish I still had it, even tho it had been civilianized.
We've got a 2011 Grand Cherokee with 573,000 mileage. Original battery and engine, with a refurbished transmission after we hit about 300,000. The vehicle will definitely last if you maintain it!
It's hard to say, I have an '08 Grand Cherokee with 200k on it, runs top, little to no rust. It's my winter vehicle and only has minor electrical issues (door window switches need replaced).
HQ means its a headquarters Jeep - so could be driven by a senior ranking officer - but the 7 just refers to the Jeep number - so HQ has at least 7 jeeps (it could have more) the naming convention is UNIT and number of vehicle (staring at 1 and onwards)
That Jeep survived worse than war, it survived bored soldiers at home.
I'm amazed that survived the service at this Mopar dealership where the techs didn't know the difference between challengers and chargers...
@@tylerandersenandthegang it is sad.
visiting kids call my truck a "classic" (?)
to me 1975 wasnt that long ago.
shucks I was in high school when it was made - lol
in 6th grade I was super impressed riding in my teachers 46 jeep
even more impressed when we were riding thru the field and teach told herbie to stick his head out and smell the
fresh nature.
he did & he got a face full of cow pie splatter :O
[yup I laughed as I stayed inside] ;)
and yeah the car models have changed a few time over the last few years -
@@tylerandersenandthegang
Well, that's part of the beauty of this thing. They're were designed to be able to be serviced by -conscripts- draftees fresh out of basic training. Dealership mechanics at the very least are more knowledgeable than that, even if not by much.
@@bellyacres7846 Bor, I was born in 91 and 75's things were already old at that time. Funny is to hear 2000's things are already old xD
Ehh, it's a 45. It never saw war lol
The smile on the mechanics face while driving was great.
*Mercedes won't even change the brake pads on my 2018 Benz.*
On a scale of one to ten an old Jeep has a grin factor of about eleven point five.......
You could tell that he truly has a deep appreciation for Jeeps.
His answer about longevity coming down to maintenance is the answer. Of the millions of jeeps produced, MOST did not make it to 80, and even this one has been restored. The bigger question is will anyone care to restore and keep a modern jeep for 80years, my answer, probably. There will be some modern jeeps that get restored and will be kicking around in 80 years.
It will be one hell of a uphill battle though. I foresee a lot of modules and computers being replaced with modified Raspberry Pi mini PC's or something similar with wiring harnesses being converted to USB most likely in order to replace the stock proprietary ones as the years go by.
Exactly. Maintenance is key. However, maintaining a newer, more technologically advanced car will be more difficult, expensive and time consuming.
the body on frame wrangler should be infinitely rebuildable if you are willing to swap in new engines and drivetrain components...in future decades the proprietary electronics, sensors and associated coding will be extremely limiting in keeping factory components functional.
Yes, but I imagine it must be a hell of a job to restore a car from today in 80 years. All these aging plastic parts, undocumented electronic components, deteriorating rubber, decomposing glue, crumbling hidden parts you never heard of ...
@@thomaswolf1771 This is one reason why repair shop level parts diagrams and lists need to be made available for general purchase. It's one of many reasons why good right to repair laws are essential.
What the mechanic isn’t saying is that the World War II Jeep could be assembled, from pulling the parts out of the crate to driving it away, by a crew of four in less than 15 minutes. And as far as maintenance went, they weren’t that finicky. A single private with the most basic instruction could fix it within within an hour, given the appropriate replacement parts.
I don’t think he knows this. Remember the jeep was designed for military use.
They have full contests at shows to disassemble and reassemble these as fast as possible.
I may be wrong, but I think some teams do it in sub 10mins.
So it's like a big lego set that you can drive away after you finish putting it together. I wish I could get my hands on one of those. Just keep it in the back of the garage for if my main car breaks down.
@@victoria19853 The Jeep wasn't different from regular cars of the time, except simpler.
We were still using these General Purpose Wheeled vehicles when I joined the Army in the 1980's. The one that I got to drive was built in 1947 (post war) and was built by Ford. I was fortunate, because mine had a heater, which worked well even with open doors. Thanks for the memories guys.
And to move the clock back, these were used in my time in Viet Nam 1969-1970. The newer version was coming into service about this time. The circa 1970 jeeps cannot be sold to the public UNLESS they are cut in half! They are completely unsafe. spent a DAY in the motor pool re tooling the Ford made accelerator linkage. In short, the original routinely failed and left the engine at FULL throttle! For the benefit of these two kids knowledge; MANY of us WERE shot at while driving these things. On wheels or on foot, its NEVER a good day when someone is shooting at you!!
@@harriettanthony7352 Never underestimate army contractors to cut costs i guess... damn!
Thank you for your service.
Ford didn’t build any Jeeps in 1947. Nor were any military Jeeps built in 1947. The last Jeeps like the one shown in this video were built in 1945, by both Ford and Willys. Civilian Willys CJ-2a Jeeps were coming off the line in ‘47, some may have been purchased for government use, but were not built as military vehicles and were never used as tactical (green) vehicles.
They weren't purchasing Willys MBs when you were in the Army. You may have driven left over inventory but they had long moved on to the M38
@harriettanthony7352 this is BS. The M38 was absolutely sold to the public. It's called the CJ 5
By the way, Jackson the mechanic is top notch. Great demeanor and a natural on camera. Great employee!
we have that filter on the shelf! hahaha. No we had to order it. got a good laugh out of that one!
It was a FRAM oil filter. lol, they should of had it in stock.
@@markthompson4885 The new one was a WIX. The Jeep's filter housing just said Fram on it.
@@markthompson4885 Fram is lower quality
@@Yogi_Bear69 Says who, and what problems have you ever had with a Fram?
@@cobra935o They are cheaply made using bad quality materials. I've even seen them come apart because instead of actual filter media they use low quality cardboard, not even the quality stuff. The only Fram I would trust is a cartridge type where you can see the filter. Then they can't cheap out.
The grill went from 9 to 7 slots due to Ford actually changing the grill from the welded iron design called the Slat grill to the pressed grill in mid 42. The iron grill took way more man hours to build, Ford made it faster with the stamped grill. After the contract ended, Willys tried to continue the grill. Ford said no. So the 7 slot grill and large headlamps was adopted and patented.
This is kinda wrong the reason they went to 7 slots wad for the civilian dot regs to be able to fit bigger headlights the 9 slots where used on the ford gpw and the mb you are right about ford stamping the grilles tho
That may have happened, but it doesn't explain WHY they went from 9 to 7.
@@rockymountboy Easier to stamp with the larger 7 slots, small long stampings are hard to get right.
I have heard about the use of 7 to be able to trademark it as they could not trademark the 9 since Fords had 9 as well
@@dainwilson4523 Either way Ford created the iconic Jeep grille haha, most people wouldnt know that.
The bumper number ending in "7" would indicate it belongs to the senior enlisted. A number ending in "6" would indicate an officer/ commander.
yes
i think it may have changed at some point, some of the older vets i work with remember "7" being the commander's number, as opposed to "6"
Why would they use a higher number for a senior enlisted than for an officer? I think you're wrong.
@@Michael_HuntI WW2 E-7 was the highest enlisted pay grade. The 6 for Officers could be in Reference to the O-6 pay grade for full bird Colonels.
@@Michael_Hunt”6” is a unit commander and 7 is the senior NCO. 9 is the BN CSM and above in airborne units.
I'm a retired aircraft mechanic. What your service rep stated is spot on! That is a first!
folks always forget 90% of driving is "severe" conditions, very few people actually drive the full 6,000 or even 10,000 miles straight highway every day, that's what those change intervals are for. After sending multiple tests to Blackstone Labs, you're never gonna hurt your car by doing 3,000mi changes, just use good judgement, maintenance is cheap compared to a new engine. it's that simple.
Even better, use 1,000 mile oil changes, and the oil will still be practically new so your engine barely deals with worn oil.
For a counter point-- you can just forget the oil changes and rah rah and save your money--and buy an Electrick Car. This writer does NOT miss all the service visits, the bad coffee and the 'money with gilded wings' that flew out of my checking account when the service guy tells you --you need new muffler bearings!!
@@Cloud300003-4000 is reasonable if you want to keep it forever. Do some research and you would know it's 6 months or 3-4000 miles.
If you don't put 4000 miles on it in 6 months, it for sure has wicked enough moisture from the atmosphere that it has turned acidic, oxidation is starting. Ruining engine internals
I've opened 1000s of engines. I can tell you what brand of oil a person was running by the color of the deposits left behind. I can tell if the oil was changed or not instant when I pull the oil cap. Do what you want. But don't make fun of people who want their car to actually last.
I love that my driving actually is 90% highway. My C-Max oil change reminder runs to about 16k miles. Blackstone Labs said the oil looks great and to try running it longer
@@harriettanthony7352 Don't forget that most electric cars still need oil and coolant changes, just much less frequently.
That mechanic takes pride in his work and clearly enjoys what he does. Its good to see.
Bringing a vintage Jeep to a dealership is like bringing a cute cat, bring smiles to everyone.
Thanks again for bringing back the memories! Just went and saw my grandfather a few weeks ago and saw his slat grill Willys again. Absolutely love that thing!
Our pleasure!
My dad’s cousin has one. The thing has been going for a very long time, but it’s super fun to drive into town or to a car meet in it. That thing steals the show when it rolls up anywhere
Back 60 years ago ,when I was a Cub Scout, our Leader had an old army surplus jeep that he would take out to the mountain in.I loved that jeep ,and when I reached 20 I got a brand new 1972 jeep with a 258 straight six. I put over 100.000 off road miles on that jeep in the Southern Appalachians . I loved folding that windshield down . You couldn’t take a Hummer where a jeep will go in our Appalachians. I love that you have such a beauty.
I used to work for a Jeep dealer in Japan. Some old dude used to daily a CJ that was dressed up like this one. He'd come in once a month for a yarn with the boss and it was serviced there regularly. His CJ was made under license by Mitshubishi who was authorised by Willy's to make them. I believed they made them in one form or another up until the 90s?
@ProductofNZ yup Mitsubishi ended J series Jeep production in 98 I believe. Would love to get one of tbe imports to add to the garage next to the CJ2, YJ and XJ.
@@jeepinbanditrider Yep, the civilian version ended production in '98 and the JSDF variant (Mitsubishi Type 37) ended in '97 when they started producing a second generation based on the Mitsubishi Pajero's frame while keeping a Jeep-like appearance and is still being produced today.
I used to visit Japan on and off for several months at a time when I was younger until finally permanantly moving here a little more than a decade ago and still remember my first time seeing a Mitsubishi branded Jeep around the late '90's and being so confused at first lol.
At Tokyo Auto Salon in 2011 I became friends with a group of people that were pretty heavy into the offroading scene at the time and got the unique opportunity to purchase a '92 JSDF variant from one of them, I daily drove that thing pretty much year-round until two years ago when I sold it back to the guy I bought it from. Was an aboslute blast to drive, especially when I had any extended time off work and would drive all the way into Tokyo and drive it around, the reactions were always so much fun to see, especially from any foreigners.
Replaced it with a GR Yaris since I needed something more practical now that I have a wife, two children and moved further into the countryside. Since we only had the Jeep and a Honda Jazz there were times when one of us would have the Jazz which left the only option to be driving the Jeep if we needed to get somewhere on top of it being impossible to take either baby/child in it and the fact that she absolutely hated driving the Jeep lol.
Crazy the only people making a jeep anymore are Mahindra, and it's sold as a side-by-side
@@milescarter7803 I think Jeep missed the boat on that one. I would have scratched out a deal to sell Jeep badged Roxors on Jeep showrooms as "Throwback" offroad only CJs.
@@jeepinbanditrider Mahindra
It's really cool how the dealership not only allowed you to film inside but also allowed you into the bay area so you could see the work in progress
My grandfather had the opportunity to buy one of these when his unit returned from overseas, they were selling them for $50 otherwise they were just getting tossed off the boat, I really wish he had said yes.
It's nice to have a "good" mechanic near by... So many people get bad mechanics who BS every customer they get. I worked in a shop that forced me to find 3 things wrong with the car, even if there was nothing. Then I was forced to present this BS to the customer. I had to quit and worked as the only mechanic at a Gas station, and had a line down the street, waiting for me to work on their cars. I was trusted to work on a customers Ferrari.... but they wouldn't sell me any parts for it... lol. I needed a license for the parts for that car. The tune up parts would have cost about $15,000.00, and that is no typo. But it goes to show you, how much trust my customers had in my skill and knowledge. So finding a good mechanic is like finding gold.
Love the videos/adventures, thanks for the great entertainment. Keep it up guys.
Respect to Jeep for having that on the system & doing the service, so cool. Great educator that mechanic too.
Tommy and Case has become the new A teams at TFL. Yall 2 have been killing it with exciting content for a while now. Keep up the great work.
Perfect advertising for that place. “No matter the year, get it serviced here”
My grandfather has an all original 1942 willys MB in MINT condition and still has the original air compressor in the back. One day I hope to get it running. They look like alot of fun driving!
If you do that make sure you buy a neck brace lol
The fact that these are still running as Passenger transport albeit heavily modified is marvelous.
The fact that you can legally drive these, yet Kei trucks are being banned for "safety concerns" is the definition of corruption. That being said, this was a great episode!
To be fair, driving this is like driving a moped; you are creating dangerous conditions by being on roads where you cannot keep up with the flow of traffic.
Seeing this on the highway is more likely to get more vehicles banned than to have banned vehicles permitted.
It is essentially illegal to drive that Jeep on a highway like that, though. You are impeding traffic by not even being able to hit 40 when traffic is going 65+. A lot of people are unaware that you can be ticketed for going too slow, even if there isn't a posted minimum speed.
@@eli-bt4he There are plenty of other examples of equally dangerous vehicles that can go on the highway though. Like Volkswagen buses for instance, or any motorcycle ever. My point is many states are outlawing Kei trucks because they're "not safe", but then dont care about our safety in several other perfectly legal vehicles.
@@eli-bt4he kei vehicles CAN go 60 on the highway though lmao. I see it all the time.
Where Leo trucks are unsafe is in passing.#1 you can't see approaching traffic, #2 not a lot of jam to pass, so longer time of exposure
I knew a guy in Greece that had one (his father was in the military and snatched one on a military auction) and used to drive it in Athens with the windshield down and the left foot on the quarter panel. I think he saw it in an old WWII movie and believed it was cool
interesting fact the foot on the quarter panel thing was a real thing that soldiers of ww2 did... helped them get out faster if people started shooting also helped to keep you in the seat
That mechanic is awesome. Loved his input and watching him get to drive it at the end was cathartic.
Y’all are awesome.
9 Slot Military Grill: It actually had to do with a requirement from the military. According to the Willys-Overland Motor Company's own records, the US Army Quartermaster Corps requested the wider grill to fit a specialized fording kit. The 9 slot grill gave access to and provided the space for the fording kit, which was basically a snorkel system for the Willys MB Jeep. Primarily fitted for amphibious landings and river crossings, the snorkel extended out through the front grill, being attached to the Carburetor, and then up to the windshield where it was affixed to be above the water line. The Civilian Jeeps didn't require that extra feature or placement of the snorkel.
There's some inaccuracies there because the slot grill was invented by Ford not Willys and it was 9 slots from the very beginning. The Ford 9 slot grill was later adopted by Willys at unit 25,809 in the MB production. Before that the MB used a heavier slat grill. The reason for the CJ using 7 slots instead of 9 is simply because Ford still owned the rights to the 9 slot grille at the time. Source -Loyd White "The Evolution of the Willys-Overland MB Jeep Vol 1”
also remember that the WW2 jeeps were designed to have the windshields and seats fold down and then have the entire thing be packed into a crate loaded up into a cargo plane and then dropped out the back behind enemy lines with the paratroopers so theres really only so big you can make them, the shermans suffered the same problem where they could only be as wide as the flatbed railcars that were transporting them
I dont think they dropped them but used gliders instead
That mechanic was so diplomatic 😂
company man
struggled a bit, Buut knows where his paycheck comes from.
Like how he didn't actually answer the question, there's no way any of the modern jeeps would last 79+ years even with constant maintenance.
I think it's kinda rude to ask that in the first place. They know he can't answer honestly without risking his job, no need to put him in that position.
Smack talking modern vehicles when you work at a dealership is a good way to get fired. Especially if its in front of a camera
They don’t make them like they used to, but they’re even tougher now than the original Willys, and that really says something.
My grandad was an Army Motorpool Sergeant in Korea, and the 2 things he always went on about that he loved working with in the army were his Jeeps and his M1 Carbine. He bought my moms ‘95 Grand Cherokee and that was his last car before he passed, and he said even with it being a GC, it was the most fun of any vehicle he had because it reminded him of MB’s.
I’ve had 2 JK Wranglers and both have saved my life. The first, a girl ran a stop sign in front of me on the highway and I hit her square in the drivers door of her Ford Fiesta at 60 mph. There was over a foot of intrusion into her passenger compartment and she had to be extricated and lifeflighted to a trauma center. It shortened my Jeep by about 5-6” and I walked away with only a fractured kneecap from hitting the dash. My other Wrangler, I hit a full size pine tree down across the highway at night doing 55. They had to replace the front axle and suspension and a few of the body pieces and windshield, but you’d never even know it was in that bad of a wreck if I didn’t tell you.
I have a 93 YJ. It was my wife's. We have had it for about 20 years. It was rear ended at least twice. Had two people back into the front at a light. Two people have hit the tire stop. And my wife backed into a person that past her while she was backing up. That jeep never saw a body shop except for getting fender flares. Sadly that jeep out lasted her. RIP Sue.
I had a 98 grand cherokee when I wooed my amazing wife over a decade ago. The grand cherokee had to go, but we have another one now 4.0 Inline 6 flavor this time instead of full time 4x4 (read tire and gas eating) 5.2 v8. We also have a 98 cherokee and a couple parts xjs. Love my jeeps with the inline 6.
7 is for the 1SG or CSM (senior NCO) 6 is for the CDR (CPT, LTC or COL)
HQ 7 has to be a CSM. A, B, C or HHC would precede the 7 for 1SG
I figured someone would mention this lol. Only thing I could find for WFTC is US Army Air Forces Western Flying Training Command which was apparently inactivated in 1945. They were based out of California though so it would line up with the year of the jeep and the fact it came out of California.
Kudos to the dealership and service dept. for allowing filming of this video ! Great mechanic !Great PR for them also. 👍👍👍 I love these videos !
My father owned a garage for over 60 years and so I've always been suspicious of dealers but I have to say that you had a real good experience at your dealer.
I can recall seeing ads in magazine classifieds when I was a kid, selling brand new WWII surplus Jeeps, complete in crate, never assembled. The number that still sticks in my head was they were asking $250. This would have been late 50's, or very early 60's. All you had to do was put it together.
Think I could still get one? It could be fun to do, and how many people alive today can say they built a car from parts?
@@WorldWalker128 Used to see crate adds too when I was a kid about 20 years ago (oh god I'm turning 30!) but it was more like 5-10 grand. Haven't seen any in a while and I'd bet there more like 50 grand now.
You guys are driving a way cooler car then the modern jeeps.
I would have been excited to work on one of these if it came in the shop i worked at. The technician there, i can tell is a good one. He was taking his time and paid attention to details.
I’m by no means a jeep expert. Y’all probably know more than I do just by having one. But from everything Willys jeep enthusiasts have been telling me online, I’m not sure your vehicle is up to specs. You’re only getting 46 mph out if it? And it starts burning out after only a few miles at that speed?
Everybody on all the forums I frequent tell me, if your 134 Go Devil, transmission, etc is set up right, (even without an overdrive) l, you should at least be able to get 50 to 55 easy and sustain it. Some even say as high as 65. (Many say 50-55 mph is kind of the safety threshold). 40-45 mph should be able to easily get you across the country without problems (as many enthusiasts do).
Y’all might want to do some inquiries…and do a video about that.
Great video and experience!
AFAIK they're in a high elevation area so power will be limited.
@@eDoc2020 that may be. But in their original jeep video they were in Los Angeles and going on the freeway appearing to have the same limitations
As a 23 yr service mechanic at Jeep dealers I have personally had the pleasure of fixing some wiring and other service work on a guys 1941 - it was pretty neat to work on - oldest one I’ve worked on is 1931 packard limo
Bantam designed the Jeep, but could produce the amount the Govt wanted. So Willys got the contract. Bantam got the contract to build the trailers. Willys could not keep up with war production so Ford was awarded a contract to build them. That why you have the Willys MB and the Ford GPW.
So Henry Ford didn’t want to warranty any part that wasn’t his. So he had them put a “F” script on the majority of the parts, right down to the bolts.
@eovdubsvw8743 errr kinda. The majority was definitely Bantam, but they took design aspects from all of the designs submitted and made what we know as the MB/GPW. Ford and WO wanted to stamp their names on the tailgate and hood. War department said no. Ford went to stamp script Fs on everything. Ive found no information to backup anything having warranties around that time frame.
I would like to see someone put Bantam on the hood instead of Willys. Or Ford. Lol
That & he ❤Adolf's vibe too. It took FDR to visit Henry in person, to forcefully persuade the swastika loving eugenics "human being"
Some of the early production Jeeps had the manufacturer logo on the driver side rear of the Jeep. The old Cord Factory in Connersville, Indiana ended up building the bodies for both Willys and Ford and continued building Jeep bodies until 1948.
We had a Willys Jeep on the farm when I was a kid. I remember riding in it but not often. It was most often used by my older brothers and sister, all at least ten years older than me.
I was curious about the WFTC and looked it up. It is the Western Flying Training Command that operated from July 8th 1940 until it was inactivated on November 1st 1945.
Yet if the car is from 1945, it means it has seen a max of 9 months of active service. And if the 419 miles are indeed original... it's only been driven within the barracks and maybe to the next casino...
If I got handed this to work on I would need 10min to walk around screaming about how excited I am 😂. Nothing is hidden under plastic covers, like 9 wires to check, this would be the best day at work.
Love the jeep. I sold my 47 CJ2 to get my 1924 Model T. My son missed the Jeep so much he bought a 53 so the house is balanced now. 🙂
This jeep model was also produced by hotchkiss in France its an exact copy but with few amelioration like electric powered wipers, a reinforced clutch and a more powerful 24v battery, my grandpa had one that he had repaired himself as a mechanic, he were always taking my mom and my aunt for a ride in the woods and on dirt roads, he did the same for me, my sister and my cousins... Im the ony boy so i came with him hunting, fishing and cutting some firewood that we were loading in the original military trailer he had with, thats also the first vehicle we were taught to drive. Im glad my aunt and my uncle kept it when he passed away, his Hotchkiss m201 jeep has so much family related history
2:26 It was certainly faster than the M3 Lees, M4 Shermans, and M26 Pershings the armored divisions were using, as well as a lot of the trucks and halftracks we were had at the time, though apparently M18 Hellcats would beat these things in drag races every time. I'm still impressed that they managed to get those Hellcats doing 55 mph on paved roads, making them quite possibly the fastest tracked armored fighting vehicle ever made. Like, that's just impressive, especially for that time period
M1 Abrams can do 55. Not officially, but I've had one slightly over that
@@drewschumann1 Don't you have to remove the speed limiter for it to do that?
Hellcats were hella fast because they got rid of a /lot/ of the armor in 'armored vehicle'. Like the thinnest it was on a Sherman was half an inch, the /thickest/ the hellcat had was an inch.
@@JessicaKStark Very true, the M18 used the term "armored vehicle" very loosely
@@JessicaKStarkThe Hellcat was a tank destroyer not a tank.
It was designed to move the biggest gun it could as fast as possible to block a tank breakthrough. It was armored against small arms only and intended to fire and RUN before its opponents could return fire. The British equivalent had the gun pointed over the back of the vehicle for this reason.
Oh the memories. I had one of these, drove it over the mountains from CA to NV on the highway in middle of winter snowstorm. That amazing top speed, the traction of the Gravedigger tire tread, not to mention the visibility all those lights provided for other drivers to see me. How I didn't get rear ended during that insanity is still a mystery.
Tommy is Doc Brown in disguise.. he's turned a WW 2 Jeep into a time machine.
What a fun video, and kudos to Johnson Auto Plaza and Jackson for taking the time and playing along to do this. Very cool! It looks like Jackson enjoyed it. Be safe!
23:20
Dude tried so hard to not admit that modern jeeps aren't built as well.
"Yeah they got more power" That wasn't the question my man.
Also there's no way a modern jeep will work 50 years down the road, because the electrical componentry ages and nowadays you have "unfixable" control modules along with manufacturer-only software.
Well, replace the engine and transmission often enough and spend a fortune they might last that long
@@sailordave1000 one module dies & the entire machine dies.
Maybe in 50 years DIYers will have made mini pcs with raspberry pi's to replace the comical amount of modules on modern jeeps, but if not nah, no way. Plus plastic tends to age far less kindly than metal
I agree with you % 100 percent , The Dealership was very nice to them but they know their modern products are poor products They have horrible reliability !
in the '50s and '60s cheap WW II surplus, including Jeeps, were everywhere. One mothballed air base had mothballed Jeeps from barely used to those cannabilized for parts. They were lined in rows on the tarmac, hundreds of them. They were $25 each, but you had to buy 4 of them. The staff chose the next 4 Jeeps in line, no cherry-picking. Supposedly out of 4 a buyer could get enough good parts to get one, even two, running, driving Jeeps out of the $100 deal.
RE: 7 Slots 7 Continents. When the CJ2A was first sold in July 1945 (with 7 slots), Jeep had not made it to Antarctica. When Willys Overland change to larger headlight that are flush mounted to the outside, they eliminated two slots.
Tim
had a ride in a military jeep thru the highlands of New Guinea. It had such a brake fluid leak they were filling it with water when going down hill. Later (much later) I had cj-2a's in both New Jersey and Oregon. I then was told my CJs had needle bearings in the trans and the military had bushings. As 6 vt - the New Jersey suffered starting in the winter. Thanks for the memories.
forgot to say they all had a LOT of grease zerts. Every spring shackle, then the drive lines and every steering component.
The return hose from the radiator to the vacuum side of the water pump is prone to collapse if it doesn’t have a spring installed. Water flow slows and you overheat.
Since the WWII finished in 1945. The left over/surplus military jeeps had been sold by the former horse-drawn driver turned mechanic by the name of Leonardo Sarao and this is how the oldest vehicle manufacturer in the Philippines was founded in the year 1953 (71 years ago)
Hold up, if you were in the Army in 1979, It would have been an M-151 not a WWII Jeep. Very different beast. Four cylinder OHV engine. Fully independent suspension. Very different from the OG Jeep's flathead and straight axles.
Pretty honest mistake to make.
It was 45 years ago give the man a break, and lets be honest they both look similar and could easily confuse someone who's not a classic Jeep expert.
I live in Alaska and I change my oil at 3,000 miles. This is because of the cold weather and it helps protect the engine from excess wear from cold starting the engine.
Fun thing about those, people used to hot rod them by replacing the four cylinder with a Studebaker Champion flathead six, which I've been told is pretty much a bolt in.
Back in 1960-63 my grandpa got drafted into the military and sent to Colorado, where he would drive in these with 50 cals mounted on the back. He also told me that he drove from Colorado to Washington and it took him over a week to get there, as these jeeps didn’t go very fast.
"Well we can't work on this because it comes from a time when Jeeps didn't suck"
Figuring out who would have used this reminds me of the MASH episode where they're bring BJ to the unit and get a flat. They come under fire and radar tries to grab the jack.
"But this is a general's jack!"
"so salute it and get in!"
I had a 91 Escort station wagon that lasted 320,000 miles, the body/frame rusted out before the engine quit. Really hated working on it because the thing was so rusty if you bumped something you'd likely start a leak
After WW2 the French Army took over 22000 Willys MB and Ford GP. Around half of them where usable. They started to repair the rest. When spare parts got scarse Hotchkiss first started to make new Parts and from 1955 till 1966 they build new ones called Hotchkiss M201. They were in service untill the nineten eigthy's.
11:45 well done director kase. Your the best. Tommy magnificent job as well Andre we absolutely love you bud
I love old stuff from that era, I used to drive a 1957 Ford tractor on a farm when I was a kid. This stuff was built to last.
15:47 "7" is the callsign for unit commander. Or at least was for a long time. Most units switched to 9. Calling for "2-9" would be a message for 2nd Platoon's PL.
"The enemy couldn't look at the tread and tell which way you're going" is the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day lol. It was so they'd be completely universal. If you got a flat in a combat zone, you could grab any spare and toss it on without worrying about if it's facing the correct direction.
4:08 - seat belts? Imagine being strapped to the seat and having a rollover with this car. I'd prefer to be thrown out - chances to survive are higher for sure!
My father in law was crushed in a rollover in Korea. So much for fond memories.
I don’t thing these go fast enough to throw you in a roll over, more like you fall out as it tips horizontal. I also think these are tough to roll over, since all the weight is down low and since it doesn’t go fast enough to get the momentum to catch the tire and pivot over it.
It’s more like an ATV on a hill, where you need to be ready when the jeep is at an extreme angle on terrain and jump out of it the second it tips.
I would wear the seatbelts. Sure it might be a bad idea in a rollover but belts help in pretty much every other kind of crash.
I mean different uses tbh. In war you don't want to have a seatbelt but in a normal car you do for sure.
As long as you don't go forward. Solid steering column like a roman spear
I have a buddy who has one of these and it's in the process of being restored. This one is so pristine, wow.
I believe that was a Challenger and not a Charger, but awesome that they had the old Jeep available in their system to do maintenance!
not jeep related but I 100% agree with the "if you take care of it it will last" statement. I had a 1995 dodge ram with almost 800k on the original motor. body looked like absolute crap, I wont even sugar coat that. changed my oil religiously, if 3000 miles hit while i was on a country road, i was pulling over, poppin the tool box open and changing my oil on the side of that old back road. went through my fair share of fuel pumps, oil pumps and water pumps but that truck was probably gonna exist well past me, until a drunk driver broadsided it and folded the frame like a lawnchair. I was so mad cause I was trying to join the million mile club.
If that guy was in the military in 1979, the “jeep” he would have driven would have actually been an M151, probably the A2 variant by that time. Most soldiers never knew the difference, the M151 looked very similar but had fully independent suspension and the most visible difference was horizontal grill bars instead of vertical. That’s assuming he was in the U.S. military of course. I believe certain countries, like France, continued to use the GPW until the late 1970s or even early 1980s. That’s not meant as a cut on this guy, I drive my 1966 M151 to old car shows and Vietnam vets love it, but the only ones who really know the difference are motorpool guys.
I was wondering about that when hecl said the army had it in tbe 70s
@@canonet17 to make things even more confusing, the military used a smattering of M38’s in the 1950s and 60s which was essentially the civilian CJ-5. And while the HMMWV officially replaced the M151 in 1985, I’ve been told they recalled and used a few M151s during the Gulf War because they found the HMMWV was too wide to go down some of the city streets in that region.
@@sparkplug0000 M38 was a military version of a CJ-3A. The M38A1 was the military version of a CJ-5.
Drove one in Korea and Vietnam. The best I can say about them was they usually got you from Point A to Point B.
My great grandfather drove these during WW2. He drove around the high ranking guys during the war.
One big thing learned during WW2 were that a quiet engine is meaningless if it has spark plugs.
The reason why is that as the spark forms it also creates a lot of broad band RF noise. This noise can somewhat trivially be picked up from many miles away. Its a bit like radar, but the target emits its own signal. (Now actual radar systems are way more picky about what part of the spectrum they operate on, as to not be bothered by such interference.) And tracking enemy movement by listening to the spark plugs has been used during the later half of the war. The US knew a magic trick that Japan just didn't understand.
This is why practically all military vehicles use diesel engines these days. A fuel that ignites under pressure is not creating such electrical noise.
And this is also why backup generators tends to run on diesel. Partly since there has existed regulations about re-purposing them for military use in case of war and that is why one really can't find a larger (10+ kW) non diesel generator on the market, even if other fuels have far better shelf life. (personally I think methane (bio/natural gas) is the best option for backup generators, since the inherently high pressure to store it makes the need for a fuel pump somewhat irrelevant, thereby increasing reliability, and it has better shelf life than the tank it is contained within.)
I wouldn't be surprised if after WW2 that the US military decided to sell all its non diesel vehicles, since all one really needs is an AM radio (oftentimes it needs to be slightly modified to tune into the right part of the spectrum) and a decent directional antenna to listen to spark plugs and locate in what direction they are located in. It didn't take long for other nations to realize this.
The RF noise from spark plugs is about as clear and obvious as riding around constantly shooting fireworks. That isn't a good idea during a war. And why most nations after WW2 started taking RF noise far more seriously.
I wish they would just make something like that a courtesy car option. My local garage has some old Peugeot 205 hatchbacks for that purpose and it always brightens my day getting do drive something a bit more interesting like that.
This is awesome I work for that software company and I remember getting a help button on this exact Jeep. Johnson Auto Plaza is definitely a great service department and always fun to work with.
That was not a full service! He forget the 22 grease fittings!
I enlisted in the Army in 1980 The Willis M38A1 Jeep was Not in the Army inventory. It was the Ford M151A1 which also has no physical resemblance to the Willis M38A1.
HOWEVER, The Army did have in inventory for Generals command staff AMC CJ 5 and 7 Civilian Jeeps painted and liveried with Army unit identification. But those were rare and used only at Tradoc Army Bases.
I've always been tempted to take my heavily modified 1970's Toyota Corolla to my local Toyota service centre
Well at least here in Germany, there is a "Toyota Classic" museum right next to the German HQ, and they even have a "Classic Parts" section. Though specific parts for a certain model might be hard to get, stuff like oil filters, gaskets etc. should never be a real problem.
Funniest thing that happened to my Toyota from 1999 at my favorite non-Toyota garage was that someone wrote "Watch display" on the oil tag to indicate when I have to change the oil next time. - It doesn't have a display/timer function for that :D. (It's the good-old once a year or 9000 miles thingy :)
As for the windshield topic, I talked to a cop in my area in Kansas and he said it is the same as a motorcycle for here. Eye protection is all that’s required so he said no reason to not fold it 😁
The Willy's Jeep wasn't designed to drive on a paved road. It was designed to drive over all kinds of war destroyed terrain, from mud to the rubble of blown-up buildings. So of course today's cars can go faster ands ride smoother. You gotta remember what conditions it was built for.
Much like our Land Rover that came five years later, both vehicles came from military conception and crossed over to civilian use in peace time.
They were perfect for there applications, very basic but rugged and reliable/repairable.
@@mr_ozzio5095considering the Land Rover was just a clone of the Jeep. That makes sense. Down to the prototype being built on a Jeep Chassis. They updated a few things, and changed some minor flaws. Boom, Land Rover.
@@mr_ozzio5095The LR was originally designed for farming and industry, but the British army quickly decided "ooh these are cool, let's buy thousands of them". The original Jeep replacement was the Austin champ.
I Rebuilt the transmission and transfer case on a 1953 Willys at 20 years old.
Mile High Jeep had all the parts
I needed .
New vehicles won't last 80 years. The tech will change so rapidly and parts will not be available.
Enthusiasts will DIY solutions, same as enthusiasts do for cars like Ford Model As where OEM replacement parts are nearly impossible to find. A dedicated programmer could reproduce all the software required to make a 2020s car function using open source hardware well after OEM support for those modules has ceased. It's just a different skillset. That's not to say it will be easy.
@ElijahDecker I mean look at the new tablet style screen replacements that just came out for the 2019-2022 Silverados. They had to hack the trucks computer to do it since so much is done through the entertainment system. But they did it. Te same will be true 80 years from now except it will be so mundane a elementary school student will look at it the same way we look at an old radio. A bit complicated but easy enough to figure out.
...after a EMP the old JEEP & Model T will B the Only cars of Tommy's running...
Congrats. I have a 2006 TJ and none of the four local Dodge dealers will service it. "We only work on 2007 Jeeps and newer." is the answer I got from all of them.
Of course the mechanic is going to say those things on camera
I was thinking the same thing. Surprised these videos aren’t sponsored by Jeep at this point. Can’t tell you how many times my moms had her Jeep serviced for the dumbest things imaginable. Heck, the AC won’t even last a year.
Back in around 1975 I had a CJ2A 1948 found it in an old barn drove it around in fields It was great
You guys need to drag race the model T and the jeep
This thing would destroy a model t, 20ish years of auto development
Can’t believe something could improve so Mutch over 20 years, that’s crazy.
@@Tyler-q3h I mean the model t was at the beginning of auto technology, the jeep came with refinements and further understandings not known when the T was designed
I think it was back in early 70's there were ads from a Govt Surplus Supply Depot for crate WWII jeeps in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine for $750 plus shipping. They were sold without any guaranty of running or warranty.
I believe GP was "General Purpose". GP sounded like Jeep, a character from a 1936 Popeye cartoon.
Actually, "G" meant government, and "P" meant 80" wheelbase. There is a lot of misinformation on this, even in books. Prior to the jeep entering service, other military vehicles were called "jeeps".
One change in what the old veteran told you, 6, like HQ6 would be the commander or OIC (officer in charge). HQ7 would be the NCOIC, noncommisioned office in charge, usually a First Sergeant (1SG) or Command Sergeant Major (CSM). The HQ6 and 7 would be right and left hands. The "6" would probably joke that the 7 was actuality the soldier in charge.
You need to bring a Series 1 to a Land Rover dealership now
No doubt they would be chased away!
How lucky this jeep service mechanic and chief able to drive a old willie jeep, one of them is retired army veteran in 70's who had fond drive this back in his day of service before the Humvees
I was interested in your experience with servicing an old vehicle. I took my 1994 Jeep Wrangler to the local Jeep dealer for required work. I was told that their service manuals only went back ten years. This was about a year ago, so my Jeep is under thirty years old, but over ten years old. They would not work on my Jeep. Maybe I should take my Jeep to Johnson’s to get work done.
When dealers do this, it's usually because they don't want cars that they can't resell if you decide to trade it in to come rolling through there. People either see something that catches their eye while they're driving through the lot to the service bay or they're given bad news about their car and they figure it's easier to trade it in and get something new. They also don't get manufacturer support past a certain age, and parts are harder to get. So, they avoid it.
Excellent vehicle. In 1980 I purchased a 1943 GP which had been built by Ford. Had the Ford stencil on a cross bar in front of the radiator. Wish I still had it, even tho it had been civilianized.
You guys need to stop and have some MRE's for lunch while driving this JEEP around!
We've got a 2011 Grand Cherokee with 573,000 mileage. Original battery and engine, with a refurbished transmission after we hit about 300,000. The vehicle will definitely last if you maintain it!
24:45 - kinda of down plays how pentastars continually eat cam shafts. Like it's no big deal.
I enjoy watching the oil change for that old Jeep and all the information you explain, Thanks and keep making more videos.
I have a '19 JL Sport S. I doubt it will last 80 years, today nothings built to last 10 years let alone 80 sadly.
You’d be lucky to get 80 months out of new Chrysler/Fiat products
It's hard to say, I have an '08 Grand Cherokee with 200k on it, runs top, little to no rust. It's my winter vehicle and only has minor electrical issues (door window switches need replaced).
@@killerkip1 The plastic will be gone in 30 years
If you keep the painted/clear coated, UV radiation won't hurt them as fast. But I'd be pretty happy if I get another 20-30 years out of it.
HQ means its a headquarters Jeep - so could be driven by a senior ranking officer - but the 7 just refers to the Jeep number - so HQ has at least 7 jeeps (it could have more) the naming convention is UNIT and number of vehicle (staring at 1 and onwards)
Best Jeeps ever made.