Ford GPW in Italy (Ex-USN?)

[seriesonelandy]

Hi All,

I have posted below, a few pix of the Ford GPW that is for sale here in Italy. The seller claims it is a 1943 ex-USN. The markings on the vehicle were obviously done by a local painter. There are a few things on the jeep that do appear to be add-ons..... like the small lamp at the front - on the left fender and the tow hook, the rear tail lamps, etc. Also the black out lamp on the left fender appears to be moved further back from its original location... Did USN jeeps carry axe and shovel?

Will anyone let me know what else appears to be non-original on this jeep and if it indeed could be an ex-USN jeep? It will help me when I go to check it out soon.

Thanks!

 

[bikeman]

you are correct in the lighting. The 4 drilled holes in the rear bumperettes I have not seen before. They are installed upside down. There's no rear pintle hitch. Wiper motors. There's some sort of reflector above the front wheels, not original.

 

[Viper8]

You might also check with the G503 community (http://g503.com/) if you haven't already done so - lots of members there who have extensive knowledge of GPWs and can give you a good assessment of what they can see from the pictures.

 

[clinto]

g503.com is an excellent community for WWII Jeeps.

That being said....................

What I see:
The added lights on top of the front fenders are likely turn signals, added for safety or to meet safety regulations. They moved the blackout light on the drivers fender backwards to accommodate.
Added reflectors on the front fenders.
Original taillights have been replaced with more modern lights. I also can't see the openings in the tub for the original lights. Maybe they were filled in.
The rear hitch is incorrect
Don't know what the holes drilled in the bumperettes are for but they aren't correct
Wipers are incorrect
I think the outside rear view mirror is incorrect and the mounting arm looks long to me. The passenger side is added-no passenger side mirror from the factory.
Wheels are incorrect-these are early CJ rims and they should be combat rims. About $750 to buy a new set of repro combat rims I think.
They've added a civilian trailer connector on the rear crossmember. I'd be curios to find out if the Jeep is still 6V.
USN Jeeps would have been issued pioneer tools.


It's not a bad looking Jeep, but I'd budget about $2500USD to correct all the inaccuracies and of course, there's always the chances there are mechanical issues. When I see vehicles with such glaring shortcomings as incorrect rims, I naturally assume the "restorer" took other shortcuts as well. If you can't manage to get something simple like that correct, then you probably aren't doing world class sheetmetal repair...................................

Still, at the right price, I'd buy it and undo some of the amateur hour stuff on it and enjoy.