Value of 1943 Willys MB?

hwcurtice · Jan 21, 2013

Looks fairly stock and complete. Has tow bar on bumper :-/ Even has the shovel and axe. Runs. Needs brake work.

Round figure for value?

Not mine. Saw it elsewhere. Checking rust issues.

CARNAC · Jan 21, 2013

Original engine? trans? Bubbified? Yep, and would need to know the condition of the tub and if it is original. Are those combat rims in the back and if so, condition? History? Title?

$500 to maybe $3K just from the info and pictures provided.

hwcurtice · Jan 21, 2013

Description:

"1943 Willys MB. This jeep is fresh out of the barn. This jeep has all original equipment. It is packing, the one and only L134 go devil engine attached to the T84 trans and timeless dana 18 t case! The engine has an MB # on the boss.

This jeep even has the original shovel and axe on it still. This jeep runs great and drives pretty good for its age. This jeep does need some brake work however."

I don't know if he put the oversized tires on it or what. The picture with the shovel and axe shows the wheels I believe it was found with and are now in the back of the tub. I am trying to find out more info. As I don't know much about these, I think he has the engine name wrong?

hwcurtice · Jan 21, 2013

History: (from the current owner)

Yes there is a title, and a story. There is a little rust, but what do you expect... The lady (65 yo woman), said that her dad, bought the jeep from a friend a long time ago. Dad drove the jeep all over the place and it was his baby. I asked about his maintenance ethic, the lady said he took better care of the jeep than anything. He died 7 yrs ago. He set the keys down and the jeep went to sleep.

Rear Tub picture: In this picture you can see the only really big hole in the floor.Both tool boxes are rock solid, latches work!

Yes, the air cleaner and crossover tube are still there. Just removed for ease of work.

So, new estimate of value?

RodUSMC1962 · Jan 21, 2013

Go to the g503 site, lots of knowledge there!

hwcurtice · Jan 21, 2013

Yeah, someone wants $1200 for a rolling hulk!

I understand saving a bit of history, but sometimes, junk is junk...

Please don't let my wife hear that.

bikeman · Jan 21, 2013

I'd probably pay a couple grand for it. but part of that is I really want an MB... There's a title which is worth a few hundred. It's survivable, it's restore-able. I'd probably go in the neighborhood of $3000 as an absolute top. aim for $1500-2000

32r2 · Jan 22, 2013

Harold,sorry but sellers statement of all original eguipment is wrong.The engine compartment pic alone shows many mods.such as wrong voltage regulator,starter solenoid never used on WW2 jeeps and, yuck, plastic coated wires.The cylinder head on the engine is postwar,the WW2 heads do not have the raised ribs between the bolt holes.The wheel rims are not the 2 piece combat rims in any of your pics.The seller did get the engine name right ,Willys called it the Go-Devil L134.The dipstick handle on the engine is very early war variant,by 43 the cap was a twist on style with tabs for a handle,would be interested to know the MB engine # on the boss behind the oil filter.But just the same looks like a good restoration candidate.I would say between 2000 to 2500.

3dAngus · Jan 22, 2013

I would go $2K for the one with the larger and cleaner tires without asking any more questions or having to see it.

I'm not sure how much further I would take it, if any at all. You just cannot lose any money at $2K for that one. Somebody will buy it.
I place my bids on these MVs NOT based on their worth, but on how much financial risk I have in it upon the initial purchase. There is none. I would put on an air filter though before cranking it up again. Send us pictures upon the recovery, should you buy it. We all want to enjoy the trip home. Good luck.

hwcurtice · Jan 22, 2013

32r2 said:
Harold,sorry but sellers statement of all original eguipment is wrong.The engine compartment pic alone shows many mods.such as wrong voltage regulator,starter solenoid never used on WW2 jeeps and, yuck, plastic coated wires.The cylinder head on the engine is postwar,the WW2 heads do not have the raised ribs between the bolt holes.The wheel rims are not the 2 piece combat rims in any of your pics.The seller did get the engine name right ,Willys called it the Go-Devil L134.The dipstick handle on the engine is very early war variant,by 43 the cap was a twist on style with tabs for a handle,would be interested to know the MB engine # on the boss behind the oil filter.But just the same looks like a good restoration candidate.I would say between 2000 to 2500.

If I find out the MB#, I'll let you know...

I'm sure some of the stuff done to it was to get it running after 7 years. I was under the impression these were 6 volt systems, but it looks 12 volt?

hwcurtice · Jan 22, 2013

MB56938

And this tells you...? And then me....?

32r2 · Jan 23, 2013

Harold,I believe that all engine # were six digits.I wonder if there should be a 1 between the MB and the 5.The only sure way to tell the engine date is to remove the oil pan and look for the engine machining date stamped on the bottom of the block towards the transmission end of the block.Also there are numbers cast on to the side of the block on the starter side of the engine just above the oil pan.The first numbers are the month and day the block was cast,example 4-4 638632 would be April 4th.All WW2 Willys blocks should have 638632 on the side.Hope this helps.

emmado22 · Jan 23, 2013

Go over to www.g503.com they can help you out with all sorts of info on it.

hwcurtice · Jan 23, 2013

emmado22 said:
Go over to www.g503.com they can help you out with all sorts of info on it.

Already been there. Which is why I asked about the MB number. It seemed short.

Yes, lost of info. Short on filtering out what is useful and what is just idle chatter....

Still negotiating with the owner. My son wants something he can modify to electric. I told him "Fine, but you need to add speakers so it sounds real."

Flame on!

Speedwoble · Jan 23, 2013

hwcurtice said:
My son wants something he can modify to electric.

THAT... Would be awesome. As others have mentioned, it is not original so it would not be a shame to cut up.
I have done 6 conversions myself, (2 Rangers, 1 Miata, 1 1936 Chevy, 1 VW, and 1 Minivan) if you have any questions. Here is a video of one of the conversions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqBDXxsmAPk

hwcurtice · Jan 23, 2013

Speedwoble said:
THAT... Would be awesome. As others have mentioned, it is not original so it would not be a shame to cut up.
I have done 6 conversions myself, (2 Rangers, 1 Miata, 1 1936 Chevy, 1 VW, and 1 Minivan) if you have any questions. Here is a video of one of the conversions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqBDXxsmAPk

I forwarded that to my son.

Just need to hear back from the current owner...

35 mile range? Hopefully, there's some way to make it go further.

Speedwoble · Jan 23, 2013

hwcurtice said:
I forwarded that to my son.

Just need to hear back from the current owner...

35 mile range? Hopefully, there's some way to make it go further.

Easily. That ranger was built to be maintenance free to replace a gas vehicle that drove 16 miles per day doing landscape maintenance for Santa Monica they had no need for more than 35 miles. Using flooded batteries over AGM's gave 50 mile range. The Mazda Miata had a 100 mile range with Lithium batteries.

zb39 · Feb 26, 2013

Why does your son want to convert to electric? For the cost of conversion, you can buy a lot of gas and not have to deal with any of the issues. I am puzzled. But I am willing to learn.

hwcurtice said:
Already been there. Which is why I asked about the MB number. It seemed short.

Yes, lost of info. Short on filtering out what is useful and what is just idle chatter....

Still negotiating with the owner. My son wants something he can modify to electric. I told him "Fine, but you need to add speakers so it sounds real."

Flame on!

hwcurtice · Feb 26, 2013

My son is big on doing something electric. His dream car is a Tesla.

Anyway he had thought that finding something like this would be a great conversion project. Bad thing is the guy thinks its made of carbon I.e. diamonds.

zb39 · Mar 11, 2013

It might be a little heavy for electric. How about a honda civic?

Value of 1943 Willys MB?

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