During 1941 to 1943 Willys and Ford manufactured their own bodies, slightly different from each other. for frames for the GPW after which Ford no longer used the Midland frames. produced frames to the Willys specification and wre used by both Willys and Ford. World War II Production of Military JeepsĪt the outset, all engines were produced by Willys but in 1942 Ford began to produce GPW engines to the Willys design. įind additional photos and hi-res versions of the Willys MB and Ford GPW World War II jeeps at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup. The often replaced, factory original MB tool box lid is flat while the GPW has an embossed ridge and circle design. Another small MB/GPW difference is in the lid of the rear fender tool boxes. Below are two close-up photos showing the difference.ġ943 Willys MB, with rounded, tubular front cross-member.ġ942 Ford GPW, with flat top, rectangular front cross-member.Ī visible sign is that GPWs with Ford frames, unlike MBs or GPWs with Willys frames, had holes in the front bumper in line with the frame rails and also had holes in the rear cross-member just out from the bumperettes (photo, above left). That cross-member is located behind the grill, at the base of the radiator so it usually cannot be seen in photos. The main chassis or body component that distinguished a Willys-Overland MB from the Ford-built GPW is the tubular front frame cross-member on the MB as opposed to the inverted U-shaped cross-member on the GPW with a flat top. The Army also insisted that both Willys and Ford drop the embossed company name from the jeep exterior.
Willys jeep serial number location frame full#
The Army wanted full parts interchangability and worked with Ford and Willys to get one standard design for both jeeps - the Ford idea for the grill was better, so Willys changed over to the stamped grill by April 1942. When Ford began producing the nearly identical GPW (with Ford embossed on the back panel) in January of 1942, they used the now-standard, less expensive stamped steel slotted jeep grill (photo above, left). The early production Willys MB jeeps, about 25,800 of them, had a grill made of vertical welded slats (called the "slat grill" type, photo right) and had "Willys" embossed in the back panel among other small differences. If you are with the jeep, you can see if it has the Ford script F embossed on the rear panel of the body tub or has the F stamped on most bolt heads.
There are many other details of the Willys MB or Ford GPW that are different. But, like all other parts, the engine may not be original. The engine has a stamped serial number, starting with MB or GPW which will tell you the origin of the engine. Unfortunately, the data plate is often missing or has been replaced by an unreliable replica. To discover the origin of a particular jeep, the original dataplate is the best source. As WW II went on, field maintenance facilities used whatever parts were at hand without regard to the original manufacturer of the part or the jeep.
Willys jeep serial number location frame install#
It was also common to install parts from Willys into a Ford jeep and vice versa. The Willys MB or Ford GPW jeep of World War II were externally visually the same but with many small differences in production details. Early Willys MB with slat grill, Australia, 1942.
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