WW II Purists beware.

Go4fun · March 05, 2014, 09:38:46 AM

So I've had this idea for a while for a nice little runabout for around town. Thrifty on fuel, room for two and a few groceries (Or model kits!

), and enough of a different looking vehicle to keep anyone from ever stealing it. Then a friend sent me this.

He came through with this WW II Jeep he had ..."laying around forever, and I'd like to see built but will probably never get to". To paraphrase a song "I love old Flatties and I can not lie"! Then there is the fact that I've had an idea for a runabout that involved getting a Drop tube front axle street rod chassis from a Nebraska hot rod/race car shop, getting all the reproduction replacement panels for the old Willy's body and putting a modern drive line under it, say a newer turbocharged 4 cylinder with an automatic transmission.

Being of an artistic (Or is that Autistic?) bent I couldn't help but play with the image on Windows Paint. And then the fact there were a Lot of 'extras in the box like a double hoop rollover bar, a surrey top and hinges for the tail gate? Yes it had the grill and everything to build a civilian version. So lots of thought went into 'My Runabout".
I can just hear the Jeep purist screaming now. Yes it Will be bright green with some 'Military' fittings, Army stencils on one side of the hood and Marines on the other. But I like the look with the white on it.

Weaver · March 05, 2014, 10:55:21 AM

Cool - what scale is it?

Also, you could keep the RCL but put a huge foam "safety" projectile in it, like a sort of recoilless Nerf gun....

jcf · March 05, 2014, 11:51:27 AM

It's the old MPC 1/25th MB kit, it was re-released in 2012.

As a side note, while stationed in the Phillipines at the end of WWII hot-rodder Wally Parks, NHRA founder, put
a Ford V8-60 (the small flattie) in a Jeep.

Edit: here be the man and his ride. Looks like a Bantam rather than Willys or Ford.

Hobbes · March 05, 2014, 12:36:34 PM

Nice idea

PR19_Kit · March 05, 2014, 02:41:08 PM

There used to be a drag racing Jeep in the UK which ran a blown Rover 3.5 V8, same as the Buick-Olds-Pontiac aluminium small block V8, that looked pretty ferocious. A street machine it was NOT!

Devilfish · March 06, 2014, 03:59:41 AM

Nice beauty rings!

Captain Canada · March 06, 2014, 04:18:58 AM

Nice idea !

Learned something new today too.... old v-8 powered jeeps ? Love it !

Devilfish · March 06, 2014, 06:06:53 AM

When I was in Kuwait with the RAF, I tried to convince the guys I worked with that we should repaint our Landy black with flames. They liked the idea, just not the repercussions......

Go4fun · March 06, 2014, 07:33:43 AM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on March 05, 2014, 11:51:27 AM
It's the old MPC 1/25th MB kit, it was re-released in 2012.

As a side note, while stationed in the Phillipines at the end of WWII hot-rodder Wally Parks, NHRA founder, put
a Ford V8-60 (the small flattie) in a Jeep.

Edit: here be the man and his ride. Looks like a Bantam rather than Willys or Ford.

Jon got the kit right on the money. A friend will send me a Ford Cosworth Turbo 4 out of a Mustang GTP car kit.
As a side story, my son said a friend of his got hold of one of these engines to stuff into a Mustang II, basically a re-skinned Ford Pinto. He de-tuned it all he could and it was still cranking out over 500 Horse Power!

"Oh you want to race my antique Willys with your 2013 V-6 Mustang Binky? How about putting a hundred dollars on it"?

Go4fun · March 07, 2014, 03:15:48 PM

Well I do have a V-8 60 from another kit that could be interesting to install. But I'm still getting the parts washed, picking out more parts from other kits and planing, planing, planing on a look that works.
I have this one...

... or maybe this.

But it will have a pale flat olive green floor and interior just for that authentic touch.

Go4fun · March 10, 2014, 08:22:38 AM

So I knew the base color would be a bright green and after washing with Dawn dish soap, a light scuffing and clean up, another bath I laid down some Rust-Oleum primer, another light wet sanding, another bath then some green.

So then it was on to masking off the sides so I could lay a coat of olive green on the floor and interior sides. I mean it must have a taste of the military to it somewhere. Then it was masking of the sides for the white, more sanding, more bathing and finally a remasking for the white. I used a semigloss white for the first coat just to make sure it 'bit' into the green and later will use some gloss white... maybe.

Go4fun · March 12, 2014, 08:58:54 AM

So after humming and hawwing about how to paint this I went with something traditional for me: A wedge-type paint job of bright green and white. Green is a "Happy color" as proved by lots of test and white is a nice contrast.

The Olive green interior? Just a touch of traditional flat fendered Willys jeep for flavor.

Captain Canada · March 12, 2014, 09:44:04 AM

Looking good ! I like the drab interior idea too.

zenrat · March 20, 2014, 09:17:35 PM

Looking good so far.

Go4fun · March 26, 2014, 07:53:59 AM

I had two people who said they thought they had Fourd-Cosworth Turbo fours and "Would get back to you".
They didn't.
So no more waiting around for Prince Charming. I found a Kurtis Kraft midget kit in my stash with a Ford V-8 60 in it. Heck, I wanted to stick a different engine in that Midget anyway! If a flathead 8 is good enough for Wally, it's good enough form me.
Of course I will paint the engine Olive Drab Green.