1945 Ford GPW Jeep - Jalopnik Comments

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

athodyd — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 19:26:26 EDT

I was tooling around Oahu in a rented Wrangler on a business trip and came across a CJ that not only had the flop-forward windshield and no roll bars but a (presumably) fake M1919 with a belt of ammo mounted in the back. I thought about stopping to ask the owner if he knew how to unpeel the top on my Wrangler.

athodyd

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there! — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:05:46 EDT

Mork and Mindy would look so much more hardcore in this than their CJ.... Mork calling Orsan, 10-4 Good Buddy....

Rust-MyEnemy is stll out there!

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Yurikaze — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:56:33 EDT

@MURILEEMARTIN:

My comment was just a reference to the Pixar movie CARS, in which the VW Transporter and Willy's Jeep lived next door to one antother.
Perhaps Radiator Springs in the movie is based on Alameda and not a Route 66 ghost town afterall....

Yurikaze

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

mcguirev10 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:29:59 EDT

@Bret: LOL, excellent, Sarge.

Helpful tip of the day: My little brother, who is an old-Jeep fanatic and a trucker, wishes to inform everyone that you shouldn't EVER use the phrase "good buddy" on the CB unless you want a new "friend" at the next stop.

mcguirev10

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

dmarcus48 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:56:44 EDT

It's in amazing shape. Definitely nice. The oldest cars you see around NJ is about 10-15 years, although the other day I was behind a 70's Leman's, huge thing.

Dave

dmarcus48

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Euromobile — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:53:19 EDT

That's magnificent. The modifications have been quite tastefully done and are certainly in the right spirit. You still see loads of these kicking around parts of France.

Euromobile

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Bret — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:46:47 EDT

Nothing says prepared quite as effectively as having a shovel securely mounted on your vehicle. If I had this, I'd commute in it and make everyone call me 'Sarge'.

Bret

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

TPSreports — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:45:34 EDT

That's AMERICAN!

TPSreports

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

The Stig's Fat American Cousin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:35:54 EDT

Must be nice to live in the BEST EVAR part of the world for old cars. Something like that would have to be garaged up here in the Seattle area... We don't get to see a lot of old cars "down the street". :-(

The Stig's Fat American Cousin

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

brandegee — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:09:24 EDT

@danio3834: If it's street driven I hope for the driver's sake it's got something more refined than the stock Go Devil 4 and gearbox. My family has a '46 CJ-2A with very few modifications (in original red) and it's a scary beast on the road with a top end of about 50mph. Off-road it's a mini tank.

You can't quite see it in this photo but the starter button's on the floor.

brandegee

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

MurileeMartin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:55:57 EDT

@T-Comm: They are literally German army gas cans, complete with Bundeswehr insignia. I prefer "Hun" to "Jerry", anyway.

MurileeMartin

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

MurileeMartin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:48:13 EDT

@jeremyc: He probably knows the Pinzgauer Guy; they live about 3 blocks from each other.

MurileeMartin

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

MurileeMartin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:47:37 EDT

@Yurikaze: You want me to shoot 60s Transporters? Hell, I can think of at least a half-dozen of them in Alameda; like 60s Type 1s and 6-banger Mustangs I haven't really bothered to photograph them for DOTS.

MurileeMartin

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

jeremyc — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:46:18 EDT

That is so m-f'in cool. Maybe he can go climb some mountains with the guy who owns the Pinzgauer.

jeremyc

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Yurikaze — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:41:07 EDT

Wow.
A WWII Willys living next door to a 60's VW transporter?
Please tell me you have pics of Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson too!

Yurikaze

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

MurileeMartin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:40:51 EDT

@bzr: Alameda is the ideal combination of urban density (more inhabitants per square mile than San Francisco) and small-town/island mentality for folks to just keep their old cars as transportation (although the 900-horsepower Orange Chevy doesn't normally park on the street; I just happened to catch it when the owner was getting ready to take it for a weekend spin). Combine that with non-rusty weather (it doesn't even rain here between April and October) and garageless houses built in the pre-car era and you get a ton of old cars parked on the street. It'll be quite a while before I run out of DOTS cars.

MurileeMartin

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

aaron x — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:38:17 EDT

The Jerry cans are period correct (unlike the semi-tragic tires). G.I.'s grabbed Wehrmacht-issue cans wherever they could find 'em.

Unlike U.S. ones (until we started copying the German ones) and, particularly, British ones, they didn't leak.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Lucas made the Limey ones, considering their reputation.

aaron x

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

bzr — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:09:59 EDT

What the hell kind of cars do you have just sitting on the streets in Alameda? I thought the old Detroit iron was rare, then the 50s glam was even more so. I even thought the bright orange Chevy could have been a common sight by some crazy nutter who all the schoolkids talk about in revered/terrified hushes. But this, that's just way too far. What's next, a Bugatti Royale on cinderblocks next to a GM Firebird III concept or something? Man, I hate my crummy neighborhood.

bzr

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Bumblebee — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:08:01 EDT

@Adidac425: Better watch out: That's Hound.

Bumblebee

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

T-Comm — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:05:56 EDT

one day when i have a pole barn to fill with big boy toys, i know of a certain willys that is due for a rebuild.

my god, the fun you could have with one of those and the hills of southern indiana. [hears banjos in the distance]

BTW, is "German Army gas cans" PC terminology for "Jerry Cans?"

T-Comm

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Mad_Science — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:59:36 EDT

Growing up, my neighbor had one of these. Might have inspired my future jeep habit.

Murilee, I'm sure you read the interesting Bantam Vs Willys Vs Ford boondoggle that took place...crazy story.

These things are awesome b/c even though they have kinda small tires and no locking diffs, they just continue to go, no matter where you point them. Just don't expect to get there quickly.

Generally don't like to see any of the really old ones (the Fords) modified...but this is true to spirit.

Mad_Science

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

netbanshee — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:46:46 EDT

My Father is restoring a 59 Willy's at the moment and it's quite an interesting specimen. It has a rare hardtop enclosure, hand operated wipers (will probably convert it to vacuum) and the original flat-four powerplant.

We've always been a bunch of V-dub heads (had and/or restored a 69, 66, 62 Type I and a 62 Single-cab Transporter), but the Jeep is certainly growing on us.

netbanshee

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

dozerslobber — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:22:08 EDT

@MeatFarley:
+1 It would get my vote, I would almost be willing to toss out the Ramboghini

dozerslobber

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Gavin082 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:52:30 EDT

Can you say Fantasy Garage?

Gavin082

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

sos10 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:49:56 EDT

In Holland, my father was given a military Jeep as a "thank you" gift just after the war. As he was about the only person around with a functioning car, his fellow citizens were rather jealous. Gas was scarse and when his Jeep run out of gas on one of the main town squares, bystanders were having fun. After a few minutes thinking and checking the gastank, he took some small metal tools and scrap he had in the back of the Jeep and started putting them inside the gastank....and the Jeep worked again! "He runs on metal!" was what people were shouting... but of course he only raised the level of remaining gas inside the uneven tank just enough so it could get to the engine. I have some nice pics of him and his Jeep, so proud!

sos10

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Meat Farley — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:46:12 EDT

I've been half expecting to see one of these in the JFG at some point.

Meat Farley

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Dr. Spaceman, Esq. — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:19:57 EDT

I think I saw some special forces guys driving this around Pakistan. Needs a couple machine guns on the roof though.

Dr. Spaceman, Esq.

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

elitza — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:16:40 EDT

I love it.

elitza

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

wookie1901 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:14:21 EDT

@bmoredlj: Thanks

wookie1901

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

bmoredlj — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:13:26 EDT

Chock, not chalk, but it is cool.

Why not build THESE for Egypt/Israel, and let the USDM have the diesel Jeep pickup?

bmoredlj

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

wookie1901 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:13:24 EDT

Sorry "Brake"

wookie1901

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

wookie1901 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:13:07 EDT

I had a friend I worked with one summer in New Mexico who had a '79 CJ5 (I'm pretty sure). It had a 30-whatever V8, and he would amuse us by doing wheelies, though not the most comfortable ride for going to Taos to catch a movie, what with the Plastic doors flapping away the whole time. That vehicle was awesome.

Did I mention it did not have a speedo or fuel guage. He kept a five gallon gas can in the back, and if the local constabulary thought he was going a tad fast, he would just turn off the paved road, turn off his lights and drive into the desert to lose them. I'm not kidding.

wookie1901

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

wookie1901 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:06:31 EDT

The front tire chalk is great.

What, no parking break?

wookie1901

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

danio3834 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:53:14 EDT

@combat chuck: Ugh that interior is seriously lacking, and it looks cheap.

3 thumbs down....

rofl

danio3834

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

jakay11 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:51:34 EDT

I esp. like the oil-catch tray under then engine, so there's no nasty drips to show where its been last parked :)

jakay11

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

danio3834 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:51:31 EDT

Very cool. Any idea on the power plant?

Old, Old school Jeeps are the baddest ass of all.

danio3834

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

2trips — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:46:44 EDT

Yeah, that custom diamond-plate hood is cool, but it needs a scoop to be taken really seriously.

2trips

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

rrhyne56 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:42:54 EDT

Nothing as sweet as a cool old Jeep!
There is a garage down the street from my house that is actually a way for the guys to make money for their bad off-road addiction. Every time I take my wife's car in I get to wander around and drool over all the old, old Jeeps, Broncos and Scouts. There is one ancient Jeep, has a PTO winch, Walmart swiveling boat seats and the floor is littered with shotgun shell hulls. Must be the dove hunting vehicle. It is awesomeness with it's patina of age, durability and utility.

rrhyne56

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

jeroen — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:40:12 EDT

Nice and rough!

jeroen

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

EJ from upstairs — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:36:39 EDT

GI Joe toy for adults. Bitchin' and badass at the same time.

EJ from upstairs

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

combat chuck — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:32:05 EDT

What, no iPod connector? Pfft.

Just kidding, this is awesome. I especially like the hood for some reason.

combat chuck

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Adidac425 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:23:10 EDT

I love this thing.

Adidac425

1945 Ford GPW Jeep

Buckster — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:15:47 EDT

Tis a thing of beauty

Buckster