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Archives for: September 2008

What is MB365678?

by fredjc1 @ 28/09/2008 - 21:30:33

This may seem a daft question, but for a jeep owner it may also be a vexed one.
At the Hampshire Pageant this year I had my first encounter with "jeep police". The guys in question were less than happy with my description of my jeep as Willys and expressed their view that it was in fact a Hotchkiss M201. Now let's first state that I don't give a crap what anyone else's view of the jeep is, but I would like to set the record straight as I see it.

In finding out about my jeep I used the many clues it has and this excellent website:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jeep_Man/page5.htm

First clue - ITM Number on the right hand chassis rail

ITM Number

At the end of WW2 some 22,000 jeeps were procured by the French for their newly forming Army. Some were lend lease and some were bought as US Army surplus, many were scrap or close to it. The best of these jeeps went into service with the French Army, others were held in store or used for parts. When a jeep was accepted into the French Army it was given a number by 'Inspection Technique du Material' - the ITM Number. ITM 0017939 was issued in 1950. So my jeep was a wartime surplus 6 Volt MB taken into French service. ITM jeeps retained their original MB or GPW identity if they were in good enough condition. My jeep retined its designation of MB365678 right through to its demobilisation in 1990.

The French set up a facility near Paris to deal with war surplus jeeps - essentially a factory to re-furb old jeeps and make "new" ones from cannibalised ones. This was the ERGM (Etablissement de Réserve Générale du Matériel Automobile) at La Maltournée. Jeeps accepted into ERGM in the years 1946 - 1956 were all of wartime origin.

Willys Overland licensed all jeep parts and designs to Hotchkiss in 1955/56 and the French began to build their own jeep - the Hotchkiss M201. M201's had many analog Willys parts but were new build jeeps. All M201's were given French Army numbers at build. These were stamped on the rear chassis rail, my jeep does not have such a number on it.

Next Clue - MALT Plate, under right rear of chassis

MALT Plate

When jeeps (ITM or M201) were due for major refurbishment they were returned to ERGM for the work to be carried out. When a major refurb took place the jeep was assigned a factory line number - MALT number. My jeep has a MALT number corresponding to a refurb in 1967.

During the life of the ERGM many modifications were made to the French Army's jeeps. Some were converted from 6V to 12V and some upgraded to 24V or special duty jeeps. Also during this time Hotchkiss Willys Overland France (HWOF) produced many licensed parts including engines and body tubs which were fitted to French jeeps. But some jeeps remained with their original wartime identity, ITM number and 6V system.

Next Clue - HWOF Engine and Body tub

Engine Number 17808Block Type HWOF 801011958 Block Number
Engine Re-build Plate

The HWOF engine carries an ERGM plate date 1/12/1965, I assume that this engine was either fitted into the jeep in 1965 or fitted during the 1967 visit to La Maltournée. The engine itself has a 1958 block date, very much an early post war HWOF block. Perhaps the MB engine had given up the ghost by the time the jeep reached its 1967 refit - maybe it had long gone by then.

The body tub is also an early build by Hotchkiss Willys Overland France (Number 9847).

Tub Number

So, this jeep was MB365678 and continues to be MB365678 despite the fact it has a replacement body tub and engine. The engine is an exact copy of the L134 Go Devil, the body tub is as close to an MB one as any modern reproduction and was built with the same tooling as a WW2 one.

If your preference is for a matching numbers GPW or MB's then my jeep is not one of those, but it's also (IMHO) not an M201! ;)


 
 

Jacks and Crank

by fredjc1 @ 22/09/2008 - 17:07:15

First off here's two screw jacks to look at. The green one with the oblong base is the shape and configuration which is commonly (but not universally!) regarded as the "correct" one for WW2 jeeps. The black one with the square base is supposed to be a post war civilian type.

WW2 left post war rightWW2 left post war rightWW2 left post war right

They both have a round recess to fit the lug wrench and both lift the jeep nicely. The post war black one is a little taller when fully extended.
Opinions change on what's deemed correct and incorrect for the jeep, so I might find that one day they're both are worth a fortune ;)

I also gave my original (hoping no-one can argue with that!) hand crank a nice new coat of OD, great painting weather! Looks good. Toolkit now getting close to being "complete", will post an update when latest item arrives from USA.

Original Willys Crank ex Phillipines

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

For all your Jeep and Dodge needs:

http://dallasautoparts.com/index.htm

Dunlap Wrench Set

by fredjc1 @ 14/09/2008 - 20:44:13

I got this really good little set of tools from the USA this week. Not a "correct" set for the jeep but a brilliant set of tools with most of the sizes needed for working on the jeep. They're made by Dunlap and are marked "DUNLAP" on one side and "Forged in USA" on the other. The sizes are:

5/16th - 13/32nd
7/16th - 3/8th
1/2 - 9/16th
5/8th - 11/16th
7/8th - 3/4

I'm not sure what age these tools are but they look very much like the tools of the 30' and 40's. Great tools to use everyday on the jeep so that the expensive "correct" original tools can be kept safe. Wonderful thing eBay :)

Dunlap wrenchesDunlap wrenches

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

For all your Jeep and Dodge needs:

http://dallasautoparts.com/index.htm

Finishing The Pintle Hook & Half Door Snaps

by fredjc1 @ 11/09/2008 - 19:42:46

Finishing off entailed painting the OD on top of the primed chassis, shim plate and the bolts. This done and all dried it was a matter of fitting. No problem with that! Result is a nice looking original hook  :D
03 Parts Painted in OD04 Chassis OD05 Original hook in place06 Original hook in place07 Original hook in place

Back in March I gave my canvas half doors to Worthing Canvas to be fitted with a set of original style snaps. These would match up with the original buttons which I had fitted in the last refit. Well these things are rare and it wasn't until August that I got them back. They were worth waiting for though!

10 Half Door Original Snaps11 Front of Snap Push Button12 Back of Snap

The new snaps have a push button release feature which is quite sophisticated, the ones I had before were simple popper studs. So now I can put them back on - nice for the cooler weather, keeps the wind off your kidneys a bit :)

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

For all your Jeep and Dodge needs:

http://dallasautoparts.com/index.htm

Pintle Hook Progress & New Marker Lights

by fredjc1 @ 07/09/2008 - 12:53:46

Progress on the Pintle hook - Despite not having bought a trailer :( I decided to set up to fit the new hook anyway. I removed the existing M201 unit with ease, it's in great shape, looks hardly used. The ring bolts, plain bolts and shim plate will all be used in fitting the original.
Ring bolts + shim + bolts
The shim plate was sanded clean and treated with "Rustol" (another Owatrol product) as were the plain bolts. The ring bolts were already quite clean so I just treated them with Rustol. I also sanded the area on the chassis where the hook fits and Rustol treated it. I then primed up the shim plate and chassis with Hammerite Metal primer.
Plate primed Bolts + RustolPintle fitting area primedChassis reverse pintle fitting
When the primer is 2-3 days old I'll overcoat it with Matt Olive Drab and fit the whole lot. I included a pic of the reverse of the chassis where the hook fits, nice 'n clean and pretty rust free. Hook will soon be on!

Whilst all that was ongoing I received my new original blackout marker lights from USA. The BO marker lights are the little ones set in the front grill. They have a prismatic lens in them which shines only directly forward. They're used to keep a set distance from the vehicle in front when night driving in convoy. The prismatic lens prevents light straying upwards so the vehicle is less likely to give away its position - clever!

The lights are from different manufacturers - Yankee and Corcoran Brown
Corcoran Brown + Yankee Marker LightsCorcoran Brown 1Yankee 1
M Lights 2M Lights 3 IM Lights 4

They will require a fair bit of cleaning up, should be fun to find out whats inside them.

The current marker lights are French M201 types made by Marchal. Some pics of how they're fitted and a close up for contrast with the US ones. When I work out how to take them out it'll be interesting to see how they compare internally.

RH Marker Light LH Marker LightFrench Marker Light Marchal

Only bad news is - I couldn't drive the jeep all week! Working away and rotten weather to blame >:(

Hopefully things will improve....

More photos at:

http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=498

For all your Jeep and Dodge needs:

http://dallasautoparts.com/index.htm


 
 

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