As I recently announced: I have a massive project ahead of me. In a span of only seven months, I’m going to attempt to build a World War II Jeep from scratch using parts I’m buying from eBay. Yes, you read that right: from scratch. While I’ll get into the particulars of the build in my upcoming “build plan” article, today I want to show you where this project is actually going to take place: in my driveway.
Take a look at the footage under the reel below and you’ll see the Willys Overland factory in Toledo, Ohio, where an American icon is being built by hardworking men and women working as a team, using overhead hoists, spray booths, a moving assembly line, and all sorts of other specialized equipment to get allied soldiers the rough-and-tumble runabout they needed to fight for freedom.
At its peak, the Willys Overland factory was cranking out General Purpose (GP, from which the name “Jeep” is derived) vehicles at a rate of one every 5-ish minutes. By 1945, Willys Overland had produced over 350,000 “MBs,” while Ford — the other company contracted to build the Jeep, whose basic architecture had actually been developed by the small Butler, Pennsylvania-based company Bantam (which in the early 1940s was building British Austin 7s under license) — built 280,000 “GPWs.”
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That’s right: Between 1941 and 1945, two companies cranked out roughly 650,000 MBs and GPWs, which were the designations for World War II Jeeps built by Willys-Overland and Ford, respectively, though they were largely identical. That’s around a Jeep every three minutes between the two companies. That haste builds upon American Bantam’s shockingly quick development period of just 49 days to design and build the first prototype.
So if a tiny Butler, PA-based company can develop an icon in only 49 days, and Willys and Ford could crank out a Jeep every 3 minutes, then surely I can build one in seven months, right?
I’m not so sure. You see, not only do I not have the personnel or specialized equipment, I also don’t have a factory. I have this driveway:
It’s skinny for the first 60 or so feet, then it widens a bit:
I’m grateful to have a driveway here in LA; it’s awesome, but it’s not a car factory by any stretch. It’s a fairly tight driveway that gets blisteringly hot pretty much year-round, and as far as equipment… I have a cherry picker and some hand tools.
I’m in the process of erecting a few sheds on my property, and I do have a giant one already in my driveway. I need to find a way to organize the hundreds of parts that will be rolling in from all over the world via eBay Motors (you can see the frame in the photo, as well as the body). With so many items coming in from various vendors, I could see this getting out of hand if I don’t have a solid system in place.
Though I do need space for the assembly, I may keep that giant shed that’s in my driveway solely for this project; it’s about 10 feet by 12 feet, and should fit everything I need. It’s currently filled with all sorts of junk:
I’ll buy some shelves, break out my labeling device, and break all the parts down into subsystems according to the official Chrysler designation, BICEEPR, which means:
- Body
- Interior
- Chassis
- Electrical
- Engine systems
- Powertrain
I’ll ignore the “R” for restraints, because the WWII Jeep didn’t have any.
I need to install some kind of sun shade above, so this is bearable, and I’ll need some lighting. This isn’t going to be like a typical car-media build — it’s not going to be in a fancy shop with a hydraulic lift and a bunch of expert technicians — it will be a dad and his friends in a driveway. Maybe I’ll tow the Jeep to a friend’s shop every now and then, but for the most part, it’s happening just outside my kitchen, in the blistering heat, between me changing my baby’s diaper and trying to edit blogs.
It’s a daunting one, and I welcome any input you, dear readers, may have on how I can best organize this driveway to handle the Jeep onslaught that lies ahead.
I like this. Unlike some of your past projects this seems totally reasonable. Assembling all new clean parts in your backyard as time allows won’t destroy your house and yard and shouldn’t piss off your wife too much.
So, you like sheds? You must be married…
https://youtu.be/20B0A4sFRo4?si=uScykwB66DhnpckL
I love this, I want to do it myself.
Three questions:
There is a group that ‘assembles’ a Jeep in like 4 minutes. It’s a simple build, looking g fwd to following !!!
This is exactly the type of content that got me to start reading the old lighting site and follow over here to this mecca of motoring. I am very excited to see how this goes. Good luck.
Hi David. You’re going to do just fine! I’m looking forward to following this build! When I helped my dad restore his Willys Jeep we bought a few dozen stackable, open plastic crates (sort of like milk-crates) and stored the various parts in them. We stacked the crates against the walls of a wooden tool shed that we erected for the task. The nice thing about the open plastic crates was that, even when they were stacked, we could still mostly see what was inside each crate. Sure, it was sometimes a bit of schlep to unstack the crates to get to a part, but the system worked quite well, and nothing was left lying around.
I’ve been working on my Travelall out in the driveway with no lift for three years now. (My circa 1925 garage isn’t big enough to fit it and only has a dirt floor). I live on the Main Street in my town, so I can’t leave my tools out overnight. Some suggestions:
I learned this in the 1970s (“General Purpose (GP, from which the name “Jeep” is derived)” although heard it as General Personnel back then) and was amused by the CJ moniker that was also used. So a Jeep CJ 7, for example, is a “General Purpose Civilian General Purpose 7.”
Anyway, yeah, this should be a dawdle to build. The systems are so compact and so few that ASSUMING all the parts fit properly, I guess one person or so could do this all in 7 weeks. The issue will be scrambling to replace a missing or improper part.
I am definitely looking forward to a series of articles on this goomer.
Some VEVOR pop-up tents for shade, then start bolting things together.
As my mentor said when showing me all the parts laid out to rebuild a DT466e,
“It’s all just nuts and bolts. There’s an order, but they’re all just nuts and bolts.”
So, assemble everything mechanical you can, then fish the wiring through and connect it to stuff.
The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, so get the frame on the tallest stands you can find and start building.
My recommended order:
-frame
-suspension
-axles
-drivetrain
-brakes
-fuel system
-body
-wiring
Basically, build as much as you can sans-body, then drop the body on and lay wires.
Once it has a body and it runs, it’s just the finishing touches like lights and gauges.
I’ll add, maybe an outdoor two-post is in your future. You DO live in Cali, after all.
As someone who has always wanted a WWII Flat Fender driver, I’m following this project with interest.
Just wanted to wish you luck, you got this! Project POStal was twice as hard as this. How are you going to register it?
In my state I should be able to register one as a side-by-side. Another option would be to find one that’s rotting away and beyond saving and moving the VIN plate.
This is a great question. It is possible in california. They allow a couple hundred specially constructed vehicle registrations a year (SPCNS). Usually, it’s a replica speedster or cobra. I think it’s a lottery once a year.
Dave this will be random but-
The home depot 170gallon tote is awesome for outdoor storage. It has 8 clamp-locks to hold it shut, and is watertight. I moved and have been using it for about 2 months to hold my detailing supplies while my garage gets put in order. No problems with it outside, and we plan on using it for my wifes 12ft skelly once halloween passes. Super useful, and its on wheels to cart around.
As a bonus, I fit in it so I can hide when a box of jeep, mustang, or motorcycle parts shows up at the door.
What’s the big deal, especially for a gearhead like you, DT? Beats wrenching in the driveway in Troy. Seems many of the lower end “repair facilities “ in SoCal are open air. You’re good. Besides, it never rains in California……
and a Jeep? Easy peezy. Me thinks back to my teen years in the ‘70’s…. You could order everything to rebuild your Jeep from JC Whitney. In reality, maybe you should consider Amazon as a source.
All ebay. Ebay foots the bill, they see this as advertising. Getting things from other sources is no bueno.
As a fellow Californian with no garage shade and lighting are two critical things. If you are in the direct sun it’s miserable.
I would legit love to lend a hand next time I’m in LA. This whole concept has been on my mind for a jeep, a beetle, or a mini since I saw the jeep tubs and chassis available in a JC Whitney catalog when I was a kid
There goes the neighborhood. Best of luck with the build, but my money is on this one having to be completed at a different undisclosed location.
First things first get yourself a cheap 200.00 Walmart carport with roll up sides.that way you will have shade and protection from the rain second go online and find a used but good air compressor and impact wrench and ratchet get a good set of 4 jack stands
Mail order Jeep. That’s not a Willys. That’s a Wile E. Coyote.
I got my Acme catalog right here.
https://www.amazon.com/ACME-Catalog-Quality-Our-Dream/dp/081185115X?&linkCode=sl1&tag=laughingsquid-20&linkId=a9857e72a8b291980f3c1b686ad7078a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Last time I was in Pittsburgh I got to see American Bantam’s winning prototype in the Heinz museum. The placard text was only a little salty that Willys and Ford got the contracts to actually build it.
If Heinz built it, it would run on pickle juice and ketchup.
So will this new cat Jeep run on “cat”sup? Ha ha
depending on what the goal is for content/sponsors, seems like a better way would be to fly out SWG, Mercedes, and Torch for a week to thrash on it. Maybe get Fred Williamson to help for a couple days. shoot it in wide to livestream while having a couple of camera crews shoot close of all the assembly to edit together for posts and videos. better content for the sponsors
Fred, DF, and Pewe. These are the guys
This seems pretty simple premise, but time management is going to bite you in the ass. Babies are no joke, they are epic time sinks. I wish you luck!
I like that this checks every box on the ‘bad ideas’ project list
Here’s my major concern for you regarding trying to build this in your driveway:
Theft.
When I lived in West LA – people would jump on NextDoor to complain about their Mercedes and Lexus’ parked in the street and driveways – and having wheels, bumpers, mirrors, lighting stolen off the cars.
They were using their garages as ADUs/Storage facilities too.
I’d be clearing out that garage right now.
I’ve built a whole-ass plane in two weeks with some factory help and know many guys who have built planes alone in months to single digit years.
Something with the complexity of an overgrown go-cart is no problem in seven months, even with kid(s) and running a business.
Just touch it every day so you keep making progress.
“I’ve built a whole-ass plane in two weeks with some factory help and know many guys who have built planes alone in months to single digit years”
Oh yeah? I’ve built a whole ass plane in less than a minute! Sure it was built of balsa wood and it’s prop was powered by a rubber band but damnit that thing FLEW!
Oh yeah? Well, this guy ATE a whole-ass plane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Lotito
Michel Loito was truly the Greatest Of All Time.
He probably ate a goat or two.
Or perhaps not:
“In 2022, Madison Dapcevich of Snopes, a fact-checking website, investigated Lotito’s claim that he ate an entire airplane. She concluded that although there are many accounts of Lotito’s consumption of unusual objects and that he “very likely” consumed such objects on stage as a professional entertainer, she was unable to confirm that Lotito ate an entire airplane (or even part of one).”
“Just touch it every day so you keep making progress.”
This is huge, of course it may not be able to touch it every single day until it is done, but that said it is really easy for 1 day to become 2, 1 week to become 2 weeks and the next thing you know it is all over.
I spent a week just grinding on my floorboards 20 minutes at a time once per day. That was as long as the battery (and I) lasted, so it gave me a stop-point before I wore myself out and made mistakes. After a couple of weeks I finished grinding and was able to apply rust coating. Keep at it every day, even if it is a tiny bit, and even if it is to move a tool to where it belongs, just make it a routine.