UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $20,000.
Looks nice. It is a no glove box MB.
“¼ ton 4 WD General Purpose Truck by Willys
LATER KNOWN AS A “JEEP”
Original, numbers matching 4 cylinder 60hp, 134ci L-head (Go-Devil) engine. Early SLAT GRILLS had no glove box, they had a round muffler, oil bath air cleaner and filter, rubber hood bumpers, solid wheels, three bolts spare tire carrier, no blackout driving lamps, no gas can holder, makers name was embossed on the rear panel and a slat grill on the Willys. As noted by the S/N the Jeep is an all original slat grill. The air filter is original to the jeep and is known as an oil bath air cleaner. The frame and body parts are all original (I have pictures available upon request).
The wheels are not “Combat Wheels”, but civilian wheels. Combat wheels were “Not of Issue” on prototype Jeeps. The reason being Willys also made cars prior to “¼ ton utility trucks” standards set by the US Government. To meet the demands of the government contract, they had to bid the entire Jeep under $400.00 a unit and in order to stay under budget; they sold themselves Willys automobile wheels in the very early production (VEP JEEP) versions.
Jeeps were notorious for not stopping very well, so I used 1954 Ford brake drums and pads to make them safer on the street and in parades.
I also converted the original voltage regulator/electrical system to a modern day 12 volt electronic ignition system for added dependability. The early Slat grill had no spare tire holder or exterior gas can.
Only 200 slat grills are estimated to have survived through 2006, according to Army Motors, the official magazine of the Military Vehicle Preservation Assoc.
The last Willys Slat Grill was S/N 125807, this is S/N 124833 and was delivered to the US Army on March 5, 1942. Full restoration was completed 2009 and she has appeared at hanger dances, parades, Veteran’s Day events, air shows, USO shows. It is a show vehicle, not a ramble through the brambles and the bushes jeep. It is “period correct” complete with 48 star flag, all canvas top, shovel and axe attached to side, and a copy of a M1 automatic carbine for the dash. I’d challenge any potential buyer to find another Jeep in such good shape, with all the parts present and as nice as this one. If it were perfect, it would sell in the neighborhood of $40,000 just like the Barrett-Jackson Jeep did last month.”
