About a month ago, I bought a “reference Jeep” in order to not only have a vehicle to look at as I build my brand new WWII Jeep from scratch, but also to pilfer a few parts off of. You see, even though the point of the project is to build the Jeep using almost entirely parts from eBay, there are some parts — specifically, the axles, transmission, and transfer case — that are so large and bulky that I did not expect to find them on eBay. But yesterday, I found out that I was wrong, because I just scored the motherhlode.
This is a big deal, because the value of this build is to demonstrate just how much of a WWII Jeep one can build using parts from eBay, and the axles, transmission, and transfer case are major components. Snagging those from the reference Jeep and not from eBay was a sacrifice I felt I had no choice but to make, as those heavy, non-reproduction components are rare to find sold online. Here’s my quote from my “reference Jeep” article in which I lament that I will have no chance to get the axles from eBay:
The goal, of course, is to buy as many parts from eBay as possible, and I already have the big things — the body and frame. I have a brand new engine coming in very soon, too (I cannot wait to show you that). But I know there are some parts that you’re just not likely to find anywhere online. Chief among those parts are axles. I know if I waited long enough, a set would pop up on eBay…
But yesterday, while surfing eBay, I noticed that someone had recently listed the motherlode of WWII Jeep parts stashes. Behold:
This is two front and two rear axles, plus a transmission and a transfer case!
I’m not sure who this “gpw9167” seller is, but they are cleary at total badass. Looking at the rest of their store; it’s full of complete gold:
It’s just an endless treasure trove of WWII Jeep stuff, and it’s become clear that I have to visit their Longview, Washington location. I have to pick up these axles, this transmission, and this transfer case. And then I need to pick up a bunch of other stuff that he has for sale so that I can focus less on parts acquisition, and more on spinning wrenches.
I have a reference vehicle, I have a new engine, and now I’m getting an entire drivetrain from eBay. Between the body, frame, powertrain, and drivetrain, I will truly have pretty much every major component from eBay, which is a testament to the power of the site, and its value to car enthusiasts around the globe.
Anyway, speaking of actually spinning wrenches, after I set up some shelving for parts storage, Jason and I spent a day earlier this week building my workbench, which is a must-have for anyone doing any major wrenching. (As I just moved into my house, I didn’t have one yet). Check it out:
I’m in the process of removing the engine from the reference Jeep, as I will put it and my new engine block side-by-side as I work to assemble the latter. Having an assembled Go-Devil engine should make putting together the fresh new one significantly easier.
That engine assembly will take place in December, when my good friend and fellow engineer Brandon (a true WWII Jeep expert) will fly out and we’ll wrench together like the good ol’ days when I lived in Michigan.
I’ve spent a good amount of time acquiring parts, and preparing The Autopian for my absence. The latter has been an incredibly hard thing to do, but with robust processes in place, reference documents that can guide decisions when I’m not there, and a great team, I believe we can get through it.
For the next 4 months, I’m stepping back from editing, and putting my heart, soul, and body into this WWII Jeep. Looks like I need to first get to the Portland area to pick up my motherlode from gpw9167, and to see what other goodies he has sitting around.
It’s only 16 hours one-way. Gulp! Good thing I have just the right truck for the job. Unfortunately, I just drove that truck from the Pacific Northwest, and its rear suspension bottoms out over expansion joints, so I’m going to have to install new leaf springs and shocks in the next [checks watch] day or two.
[Ed Note: David mentioned the idea of building a brand new WWII Jeep to the team at eBay, and they loved the idea so much they said, “How can we help?” Their financial support and David’s Jeep-obsession are the fuel behind this crazy build.]
My wife just showed me the Energi badge she bought me on eBay for our new Escape PHEV.
(Energi was Ford’s PHEV branding for the Fusion and delightfully goofy CMax PHEVs.)
I’d say she is a keeper. I was kind of bummed when they dropped the Energi branding with the C-Max and Fusion. Maybe I should get an Energi badge for my wife’s Escape PHEV. We’ve been quite happy with ours doing virtually all of our local driving on electrons and getting good MPG on road trips too, usually beating the numbers we got with our C-Maxes standard or Energi.
That’s awesome that you could find everything on eBay after all! But good thing you have time to go drive up there and get it, shipping would be a killer otherwise.
I’ve been reading your articles about buying cars and parts and attempting to downsize your fleet for years, but instead of you being a cautionary tale, you’ve become inspiration for me, for better or worse. Just like you, I’ve realized how hard it is to find some parts for older vehicles and made some creative moves to pounce on some opportunities I’ve found.
Last month I bought an ’81 Ford Durango project car from a friend that’s a bit rough and has been sitting for 15+ years. It was a 16 hour round drip drive to get it. It’s gonna need a lot of work to resurrect, and long story short, I’ve decided that it would be easier and smarter for me in the end to swap the unique Durango bed, tailgate, etc. into a cleaner Fairmont body if I could find one.
I found a pretty clean and cheap Fairmont for sale locally. Amazingly the ad had been up for 4 years but the car was still for sale and the seller responded, but then stopped responding, so I had to play CSI agent researching for a month to find the guy’s phone # and call him. I learned he has to move next month so we made a deal and I am literally saving it from the crusher. I’m bringing it home tomorrow, thankfully only an hour away. The goal is to get that car running and registered in stock condition first, then I’ll eventually do a Mustang V8 engine swap.
I also want to swap a Fox LTD front clip onto the Durango. I’ve seen this done on Fairmonts and it looks really cool. These cars are now 40+ years old and no longer in the junkyard and don’t pop up for sale often, so when I found a rolling LTD shell for sale in Yuma (about 3 hours away) for $500, I jumped on it. Only problem is I don’t have a place to store it now that I’ll have the Durango and Fairmont at home, but thankfully a friend of mine has a place not far from there in southeastern CA with an empty parking space and he’s letting me store it there for a while.
So in the span of less than a month I’ve gone from taking on an unexpected project that I had no intention to own, to buying 3 parts cars which will eventually become one running car. Last week I had to buy and assemble a shed to store all the parts I already have, and that’s before I start pulling any of the cars apart. Oh, and the Durango came with a set of old wheels that I didn’t need and immediately put up for sale, but instead of them turning into some cash and more space for me, I ended up trading my wheels plus cash for some brand new wheels that I was already eyeing, and the seller made me an offer I simply couldn’t refuse. So now I have ANOTHER set of wheels and less money. Lord help me.
I am thankful to have an incredibly tolerant wife!
What a find! I’m really looking forward to seeing how this project moves forward.
I’ve only personally known one other car guy who bought a parts/reference car while doing a rebuild…he ended up restoring that car too. 🙂
I bought a “Reference Jeep” that’s just code words for an excuse to acquire another vehicle.
So that makes my ex my “reference wife”? Checks out.
You keep your ex around still!?
Too expensive to maintain.
“I’m not sure who this “gpw9167” seller is…”
We all know who he is. He’s the guy who will soon have 0 Jeep parts left to sell 🙂
…and a new kidney.
I have to wonder (not implying anything nefarious here) if it’s someone who’s been sitting on a bunch of parts then found out about DT’s project and listed them. I mean, I know I would…
You should stop at the In n Out in Ridgefield that’s right before Longview. The drive thru line appears to be about 2/3 of a mile long and I’d like to see reporting on how absurd it is.
I was holding out for ‘beaded seat cover’ membership, but dammit this is important so now I’m ‘cloth’.
Hold out for lunch and go to the Lone Fir in Kelso. But be advised there’s no place to put a trailer there.
Would “beaded seat cover” be the senior discount level of membership?
if you’re thinking the AARP ‘discounts’ level, I am here for it.
Matt H constantly teases about having a new lower tier.
I love these guys at the Autopian, and actually know Fred Williams when we were all young and living in Portland and sharing shop space.
But what pushed me over the edge is David going up to my old stomping grounds in the Kelso/Longview area.
I had to at least try to get David to eat local at great place with a great owner.
Am I sad I no longer have to deal with those full screen scroll ads that made me launch my phone across the room? FOLKS, I AM NOT.
And of course Burgerville is better than in-n-out. And there’s a Burgerville in Kelso. Go to the Lone Fir instead,
I’ve told people the shirt alone is worth most of the cost of membership.
As for the beaded seat cover, I’ve only seen them used by two groups of people; senior citizens and taxi drivers. I could only make a decent quip out of one of them…
In n Out is overrated, and all over California. Burgerville is the homegrown chain from Vancouver Washington, with sweet potato fries and Walla Walla sweet onion rings
Been to in and out, just don’t get it.
Yeah Burgerville USA is the place to go in NW OR and SW WA, while David probably passes an In-N-Out or 3 whenever he goes more than a few blocks from home.
It is a source of great joy that Burgerville finally opened in Bend. this is the first Burgerville east of the Cascades.
Good to hear they are expanding beyond that Portland/Vancouver circle. I hope they keep expanding to the North and maybe reach the Seattle/Tacoma area.
I passed by there last Sunday evening and the lines were not as crazy as they were when it opened.
That Comanche is going to maxed out carrying the haul back home. The ride is going to be very uncomfortable, I think.
Yup, I would highly recommend renting a trailer and towing the loot back.
Or taking the sweet Silverado that he already has!
I’m installing new springs right before (or maybe during) the trip. The Comanche was designed to carry a literal ton in its bed!
(to be sure, mine is the standard truck, with a 1,425 lb payload rating).
New shocks too, I hope?
Absolutely!
The gas, food, lodging, risk, and the priceless, precious time (goes double for a family man)–ship the damn parts.
(I know, no need to reply, we’re speaking in different tongues.)
4 months?! Are y’all going to hire someone else that gets absolutely zero pop-culture references? Who am I going to shake my head at in disbelief?
While it is thematic, don’t put Longview by Green Day on heavy repeat, the song is a bit of a downer. Taking Highway 101 along the coast is more scenic but slower. Also the food is better, as long as you like seafood. I-5 has enough places worth stopping at but avoid Portland for $$ and traffic. Also beware of Banjos, and as mentioned you may need tire chains or traction tires. While I have been in Southern Oregon in the winter I was in a crossover with Blizzaks
Portland area? Can we get an Autopian meet up?
Word. I just moved back to the PNW and while not super close to Portland, would love to try and make a meetup of the opportunity arises.
Hey David… once this is built, are you planning on keeping this as a purely off-road vehicle or are you going to register it so it can be driven on-road?
And if you are registering it, where are you getting the VIN needed to register it?
Based on Google searches, a VIN can be requested from the CHP for home built vehicles. You’ll need receipts for all your parts, a “Statement of Construction” Form and they will issue a VIN after an inspection of the vehicle and the documentation.
I’m sure this will be the subject of an article once that time comes.
David: To avoid disaster and extreme disappointment, please attach at least one diagonal brace across the back of that janky work bench. Or it will inevitably, as my uncle used to say, “collapse like a two dollar suitcase”.
It’s already in the plans. Thing is ready to rhombus!
From a professional rasslin’ announcer:
“LET’S GET READY TO RHO-O-O-OMBU-U-U-SSSSSS!!
This made me look to see if there were any Rockwell top loaders for sale, out of curiosity. There was nothing complete for the OG Monster Truck axle, but plenty of parts and even mods…
…needless to say the advertising might be working.
1) Have you considered using Fastenall or even Greyhound for stuff like this? Some friends have used it here and there for large car parts and the prices have been pretty reasonable.
2) Borrow or rent a reliable and comfortable late model pickup with enough room for your wife and baby to make a vacation out of it. Take your time with a slower-paced and enjoyable drive back down the coast. It’ll give you even more fodder to write about as a bonus. You’ll appreciate looking back on these trips when you’re old like me.
An unlimited mileage pickup truck rental would almost certainly be worth it from a comfort standpoint and the fuel economy difference would probably cover half the cost.
That applies whether he wants to do the drive alone, with his family, or whatever. And if a one way rental isn’t crazy a cheap plane ticket up may make the whole thing a lot easier.
These are both excellent ideas/points
Agree. I was thinking, fly up there and a get a one-way rental for the trip home. It’s easy for me to spend other peoples money but it would be quite the time saver. Then again some people love a good road trip. I’m one of them.
Even better, Mercedes always seems to be able to snag incredible pickups from manufacturers for reviews/her insane RV adventures. Why not use some of that Autopian clout to get one of those; and some website content out of it?
Greyhound shipping closed down around the time of the pandemic. A bummer for sure.
I’m pretty sure with Fastenall you have to bring the stuff to one of their stores and it needs to be shipping ready, ie already crated or secured to a pallet. Of course he might find some readers that could help with that.
You crazy? This seller’s house seems like Disneyland to folks like David.
I was with you on the first point but “road trip with the baby” is not a vacation.
A friend of mine use to make a very clear distinction between “vacation” and “travel with children”. Not the same.
As someone who has done multiple road trips with two babies, I can confirm this.
Not to poop on your experiences of traveling with your kids, but we took our kids everywhere on every road trip. My daughter was about 6 months old when we took a trip from Detroit to New Jersey for a week (for my job). We packed all our stuff in to my 98 Neon R/T and drove the Lincoln Highway. We’ve driven from Detroit to California several times (for fun) in various cars with our kids at various ages. Our kids, now 25 and 17 respectively, are solid road warriors to this day.
I grew up traveling the country from the back seat of our various Chrysler products, starting with my first trip to California in the back of a station wagon. A vacation without you kids is just a memory they don’t get to share. I hate that, in the very near future, my son will no longer travel with us (my daughter is married and making her own memories).
If I could have all of those years back and afford to travel even more places with them, I would do it over and over again.
This post is reminding me to make a page to list my excess of w126 parts.
While you are getting stuff. Buy the back up, breakable/ fail prone stuff you MAY need on the moab adventure.
You could always check the rates for a 1 way U-haul van rental, it might be better than driving both ways.
Also, if you drive the route, keep an eye on the weather and highway travel sites like tripcheck.com and Cal trans, especially between Redding and Medford. You’ll probably need to have chains in your truck.
No “probably” they are required by law to be carried this time of year in those passes on I-5 (or the 5) even though it is very rare that conditions require chains on 4x4s as they will usually close the roads instead.
Yeah I couldn’t remember if it changed on conditions or a mandatory seasonal rule. I remember going north through Redding and the highway patrol was checking every car to make sure they had chains with them and if they didn’t, they had to get off the highway to buy some.
Yeah the reality is that unless it is snowing and they have some level of restriction in place they aren’t checking for chains or handing out fines. However to be safe I certainly follow the law and drag my chains along just like I did last week even though there was essentially zero chance of snow.
Definitely Penske trucks, rent commercial.
Uhaul will find a way to cost you more money every time, and they never respond to complaints.
Why not fly to PDX and rent a moving truck for the trip back?
Because flying and renting will cost more than gas and hotel on the way up and more for gas or diesel on the way back.
You’re sponsored by a tech juggernaut and you don’t have the budget to put together a palletized LTL freight shipment? Seriously: fly to Longview, spend a day sorting it out, fly back. The WA/OR/CA corridor is one of the easiest to ship along, and it may actually save you money and time (with your family).
Yeah but going to get it all yourself is the funnier story
I don’t see any significant savings in fly and ship vs drive. The best quote I found for a single standard pallet weighing 600 lbs, with no top stack, liftgate pickup from a residential address with delivery to a dock at a commercial address is just under $400 and from a known and trusted carrier, is just over $450. The reality is that it will probably cost more than that since I don’t know if he can keep the axles in that foot print and I’m probably light on the weight.
Plus he would need to get the ~50 mi from the airport to Longview, scrounge a pallet and stuff to secure the items to it.
Some of us locals up here in Portland could help with that. I’d pick David up from the airport.
As long as you sign David’s wife’s “I won’t kill or harvest organs” contract.
But yes I’m sure there are some locals that would be willing to help though I’m still not seeing any $$ saved vs just driving the vehicle he already owns who’s purpose is to haul things like auto parts.
I’d have to have my lawyer review it first, but I’m not opposed to signing that type of agreement, in principle.
Exactly, lawyers need to first resolve important grey areas. “kill or harvest” is not allowed, but it sounds like “kill AND harvest organs” may be okay.
/I assure you all I’m not a psychopath.
This. Leverage the Autopian community! If David were flying into SeaTac, I’d help out.
Yea. LTL is only worth it if you have access to a commercial account with an 80% discount. Seeing the massive deductions on the invoices is hilarious.
Yup if you have a commercial account that does enough volume the discounts can be significant. To be fair those numbers would be lower dock to dock.
And Galpin doesn’t have a commercial acct?
There are brokers and logistics groups that handle everything from pickups to heavy semis.
Cost savings (or not) is incidental to the bigger point.
Which is????
He bought the Comanche to haul stuff. He wants to haul this stuff. Part of the premise of ebay jeep is DIY, so he’s DIYing this shipping too.
Or something to that effect.
Exactly! Not sure why some are so against him using his truck to haul stuff himself, especially when it will be cheaper than many of the other options suggested.
There are often places with docks that will let you ship or pickup with dock only trucks for a nominal charge.
Then you need to get it to the dock.
When I did that without a truck, I think I palletized them at the dock.
I have located more than one drive on docks where you could even drive into a truck.
Most convenient ones are buildings removed that had docks.
The Amtrak from Portland to Longview costs less than the Uber between PDX and the train station, but will take about as long the flight.
For me, the knowledge I’ll gain from the parts suppliers/experts up there is just as valuable as the parts themselves.
In his plan you would still go there, just mostly by plane.
I recently flew up to the Seattle area for a couple of weeks from the Sacramento area. I regularly drive up there and it takes me about 11 hours +/-. After roughly adding up all the expenses for the flight between the actually fairly cheap ticket and long term parking, Uber, and how long all of that took, I think next time I will drive as while it will take more time it would be cheaper by a few hundred dollars, and I will always have a vehicle to use.
Fantastic price and great haul!
David, I know the Comanche is your passion truck, but if you still the the GMT400 it would probably be better suited for this drive TBH. It has a higher payload and more power than the Comanche.
Actually, the Jeep’s power:weight ratio is significantly higher, its payload is about the same, it has almost a foot-longer bed, and it gets 20% better fuel economy. It’s a great truck for this job!
I’m surprised by this actually.
Assuming the Comanche is both lower-power and lower-weight, I wonder what payload value would cause the power:weight ratio to become equal between the two trucks. After all, the more payload you add, the less (relatively) significant the base weight of the truck will be.
I reckon the delta in curb weights is too high for that to ever really be the case.
I said it.
DT, you can’t wrench like the good old days with a wife and a baby. I’m worried for you.
This is his job and he needs that with a wife and baby. He claims he will be stepping away from editing to make the time for wrenching and if he actually does that then no additional time away from family is needed.
It’s one thing to cut back on hobbies for a few years when you have a kid. But this is a work trip. Would not bother me as the parent staying home.
Making the trip in cheapest, most time-consuming way possible on the other hand … I would have some feedback on that idea.
Always up for a DT Jeep build. But CA has helped, because:
The new and improved David Tracy Build – Smaller chance of trenchfoot.
*twrenchfoot
Or, rather, their financial support are the gallons of reclaimed vintage Jeep fuel & motor oil dumped onto the raging inferno that is David’s obsession.
David, I don’t know how many fellow Autopians are in the neighborhood but if you want company for a meal or beverage, let us know.
I would LOVE THAT!
You’d have to go through some kind of “prove to my wife that you’re not a murderer”process, but after that, sure!
Maybe you can reuse the “I promise not to harvest your organs” process that was put in place for the Detroit party. I’m pretty sure it’s legally binding. 🙂
But the real treasure is the friends we made along the way.
The friends we made out of all the organs and other parts we harvested? Totally!
(Puts hand over heart)
“I solemnly swear that I am not up to no good.”
Please assure your wife that I have never yet been convicted of murder while using this name in this country.
The bad guys though– they look just like us.
proof of non-cereal killer status sent via email.
So what you are saying is you are not Matthew Lillard from Hackers?
That’d be kinda neat, I am just about 45 minutes north of Longview. I just got my old Comanche back after a decade too!