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Todd Paisley View Drop Down
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    Posted: 11 July 2017 at 4:22am
Hi guys.  I could really use your help!  I am looking to get the Auburn test jeep back on the road.  

http://www.willys-overland.com/auburn.htm

One of the things that it really needs is frame work. Because of its historical significance, I want to get rid of the extra metal and damage some of the post war owners did to it to get it back to what it looked like in 1942 during the testing. I don't want to use reproduction parts. I prefer to use original ones. What I am looking for is a front part of a MB frame (could be most years). It needs to have nice frame horns and gussets. I am also looking for a rear part of a frame that would be from the rear intermediate cross member back (to include the rear cross member). That one I want to be a 1942 one. I am also looking for a set of nice springs.

Does anyone have (or know of anyone) who might have some junk MB frames around?  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!
Todd Paisley

1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule
1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep
1944 CJ2-12 - X36
1944 CJ2-16 - X40
1945 CJ2-37 - X61
1945 CJ2A
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ol' Unreliable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 2:55am
This is THE Auburn test jeep??  I'd love to read the story of how you came to acquire/ID it!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Paisley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 4:53am
Yes it is.  I actually stumbled upon it by accident.  It really involves another Jeep that I found on ebay.  This is MB-100063.

http://www.willys-overland.com/MB-100063.htm

This Jeep was one of the factory test mules.  All MBs had a Date of Delivery stamp except ones that were not sold to the government.  This particular Jeep was found not too far from Toledo.  It also has holes that match photos for an experimental tandem hitch and winter kit.  The most interesting part of this Jeep was the grille.  The grille matches the very early For GPW grille that doesn't have the notch in the center.  After examination of the grille, I noticed it doesn't have the F mark as usual.  The headlights are dated November 1, 1941 as would be expected for a real early MB (MB-100063 would have had a date of delivery around 11/17/1941).  It also had TR-20 marked headlight bolts and the clips for the wiring harness for the headlights used the primer consistent with an MB.  So it looks like it was a grille that had the headlights and wiring harness removed from the original slat grille and placed on an early GPW grille that wasn't stamped with an F.

While doing research at the National Archives, I was looking through the FTC complaint that was brought against Willys-Overland for claims that they invented the Jeep.  In the testimony they interviewed a person from Ford who testified that he personally delivered a prototype grille to Toledo for a proposal that Ford had to make the production of the grille less complicated.  Because Willys-Overland controlled any engineering changes to the Jeep design at that time, any suggestions that Ford would have to the change of the design needed to go through them.  He testified that they tested the grille and found it to be OK and the change was made for the production grille.  So I think MB-100063 actually has that prototype grille that Ford delivered to Toledo!

Anyways, a year after it was on ebay, someone posted about MB-100063 and what happened to it.  He hoped it was going to be restored as a military Jeep and not be modified as an off-road vehicle.  I posted that it wasn't going to be modified, but it was never served as a military Jeep.  It was a "conscientious objector" Jeep that stayed home during the war.  I explained how it was a factory test mule and the lack of date of delivery.

A guy I knew in Georgia contacted me and said he was into jeeps for many years and never saw another MB without a date of delivery except for one he had he picked up in Alabama.  I thought this was strange.  One of the keys to finding these prototype Jeep (including the CJ-2s) was that they didn't stray far from where they where tested.  So I was thinking what was going on in the south during that time frame.  The first thing I thought of was the Auburn test jeep that is described in many jeep history books.  I collected photos of the early test Jeeps and looked at photos of the Auburn test jeep.  I asked the person about details of the jeep (including whether it had holes here, etc.).  After several correspondences, he said "OK Todd.  You obviously know what this jeep is.  Fess up.  What do I have?"  I explained that he had the Auburn test jeep!  He restored it as a parade Jeep.  I asked him if he would sell it. He said that since I knew its historical significance, he would sell it to me.  We agreed on a price and I bought it.  I really haven't done anything to it since I bought it.  But now I want to get it road worthy so I can go on a tour in Michigan next year.  I'd like other people to get the opportunity to see it rather than have it just sit in my garage.
Todd Paisley

1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule
1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep
1944 CJ2-12 - X36
1944 CJ2-16 - X40
1945 CJ2-37 - X61
1945 CJ2A
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 48cj2a Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 5:00am
Todd,
 
Thanks for sharing such an interesting story.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ol' Unreliable Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 5:27am
Yeah, thanks for sharing.  It's a fantastic piece of history!  Also, that jeep and grille is an amazing find!  When I can, I'll dive deeply into your website.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Nick_ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 5:38am
Fate most definitely placed that Jeep into your hands. Even knowledgeable members of the community could have overlooked those details.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Paisley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 6:10am
Thanks.  It was a lot of luck!

What I am hoping to find is either someone who might have a junk MB frame I can cut pieces off of, or is a master welder to accurately match the original parts of the frame.  The frame has had a hard life!  I want to try and retain as much of the original frame as I can.
Todd Paisley

1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule
1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep
1944 CJ2-12 - X36
1944 CJ2-16 - X40
1945 CJ2-37 - X61
1945 CJ2A
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unkamonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 11:07am
Neat story. I think of my old MB all of the time.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oilleaker1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 1:06pm
Jeep treasure ! Thanks for sharing the story. Finding the right stuff is also fun. "The hunt". Fred Caldwell's stories are similar.  Thumbs Up  John
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote eestes1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 2:43pm

Congratulations! And thank you very much for sharing the story and for saving and restoring this important Jeep!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rocnroll Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 2:55pm
War Eagle !!      

   (sorry, just had to)


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Stev Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 2:57pm
Todd, 

Remarkable story.  Even more remarkable with the wide spread trend to make everything an MB that it could have survived not being MBed.

Keep us posted and let us know when you will have it in Michigan.  If the timing works I would love to see it.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bruce W Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 5:15pm
Todd,
  Great story! I love reading/hearing this stuff. I've completely worn out a copy of Fred Coldwell's Preproduction Civilian Jeeps, and can talk with Fred for hours.
  In your research, have you found out how many "test mules" there may have been? Were they built prior to the recognized MB production start-up date of November 18?  Evidently, serious MB production did not begin with serial #100001? I have MB slat-grill #100161, and would love to learn more about its history. I've been telling people that it may have been built on that first day of production. This makes that even more likely!
  Sorry, I didn't mean to de-rail your thread. Continue!    BW
It is NOT a Jeep Willys! It is a Willys jeep.

Happy Trails! Good-bye, Good Luck, and May the Good Lord Take a Likin' to You!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Paisley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 6:22pm
Not sure how many test mules there were.  There are pictures of them being used around the factory.  Nothing really has surfaced that lists these out.  Congrats on MB-100161.  I owned MB-100212 briefly until I traded it in a deal to get CJ2-37. 

MB-100063 has axle assembly dates of 10-31-41!

It has a lot of early features.  But it has a real late MB engine in it.  I am thinking before they sold the jeep they put a fresh engine in it.

The Auburn jeep also has a late MB engine in it as well.  But I was able to track down an engine in the right range in Australia.

http://www.willys-overland.com/Auburn%20-%20Engine.htm

Last year I track down a transmission with the right date code.


Going to rebuild these and go through the axles to make sure it is ready for the road!

Todd Paisley

1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule
1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep
1944 CJ2-12 - X36
1944 CJ2-16 - X40
1945 CJ2-37 - X61
1945 CJ2A
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote rocnroll Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 8:00pm
Originally posted by rocnroll rocnroll wrote:

War Eagle !!      

   (sorry, just had to)





Todd, all kidding aside......seems I remember running across some pictures (thinking maybe at the Patton Museum) of a wartime Jeep with the Auburn football 'War Eagle' battlecry painted on (if memory serves correctly) the cowl (?)

Did you run across any such documentation? (not trying to muddy the puddle, just curious)

Very interesting the histories you have ended up with.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Todd Paisley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 July 2017 at 9:42pm
No I haven't seen a photo like this.  I do know that the Auburn jeep did have a Auburn University key chain with it.  It was restored as a parade vehicle prior to me buying it.  So I haven't done anything with the paint.



I just have been rather fortunate and a lot of luck.  For CJ2-12, it was luck as well.  I contacted the previous owner of CJ2-09 (prior to Fred purchasing it) about a "Willys World" article about it.  In the article he mentioned that he used a 1945 CJ2A as a parts Jeep for the restoration.  He said he still had it and said most of the parts were still on it.  So I negotiate with him to buy it.  While I was down there to pick it up, he asked if I wanted to see CJ2-09 and I said sure.  When I saw it I thought it was cool.  I said maybe someday I will find one of those.  He said "This is the only one that is known to exist."  I said hopefully others will surface.  Literally a few weeks later I am at a military vehicle show in Aberdeen, MD and a guy I know locally has a tent with a box labeled "MB and CJ2A Parts".  I go through the box looking for the little things you need for a restoration.  I come across a frame tag.  I keep going through the box.  When I go through it all, I start back over to make sure I saw everything.  I come across the frame tag again.  Curious as to what year MB it was for, I take it outside the tent to the sunlight to make out the numbers.  When I see the numbers I am blown away.  It says "CJ2-12".  I couldn't believe it!  My friend asked me if I wanted it.  I said yes.  He said I could I have it.  I asked what happened to the rest of the jeep?  Him knowing I was interested in the CJ2As, he said I wouldn't really be interested in it.  It was a combination military/civilian jeep.  I said that is exactly what it was!  I explained the CJ-2 Agrijeeps.  He shook his head saying he thought that number was too small and the references he looked up said the numbers started at 10001.  What was cool was that he sold me all the parts he had for it.  All the other parts he sold to the local military vehicle club members agreed to sell the parts they bought off of him to me so I can have a mostly complete vehicle. Some things I didn't bother buying back like the engine it had when he parted it out was a M38 one.  But I was now the proud owner of the second known CJ-2 to exist.  I contacted the guy who owned CJ2-09 and he was surprised.  I went down several times to Virginia to take detailed photos and measurements of the things that were missing on CJ2-12.

http://www.willys-overland.com/CJ2-12.htm

For CJ2-16, it was found by the late John Barton in New York.  He bought the Jeep for the solid rims on it.  The jeep is in rather poor condition.  He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with it.  He was more into the MBs and GPWs.  I hounded him for awhile to sell it to me.  I made a deal where I traded him some nice solid rims, some slat grille MB top bow hardware and a GPW engine block (along with some cash).  So I had my second CJ-2 that I can use as a pattern for CJ2-12. 

http://www.willys-overland.com/CJ2-16.htm

For CJ2-37, a guy on the internet contacted me and said he thinks he might have a CJ-2.  He took a bunch of photos and sent them to me.  When they arrived in the mail, I knew right away that it was one of the later stamped "JEEP" CJ-2s.  I told him what he had and it was indeed a CJ-2.  In his photos, I noticed he didn't have one of his side top bow brackets.  I was in the middle of fabricating a set for CJ2-12 and I made another for him and I sent it to him.  When he got it, he called and thanked me for sending it to him.  I said the CJ-2 ones are different from the production CJ-2As and unless he had access to another CJ-2, it would be hard to fabricate.  He asked me how much did I owe him.  I said nothing.  I just didn't want his CJ-2 to have the wrong bracket.

Fast forward a few years, he calls me up and says he is thinning out his collection of vehicles and CJ2-37 is something he wants to sell.  He said because I was so nice to him, he would give me the first opportunity to buy it.  Not understanding exactly what I did, I ask him what he wants for it.  I thought it was a fair deal and I said I would take it.  When I went out to pick it up, I asked him what exactly did I do that he thought was so nice.  He said the top bow bracket. So that single act of fabricating the bracket allowed me to buy CJ2-37!  So the concept of "paying it forward" really works.

http://www.willys-overland.com/CJ2-37.htm

Except for CJ2-37, the other ones I found (CJ2-06, CJ2-14) were all found before Fred's book.  No one other than a handful of people really understood what they were.  The rosetta stone of knowing that they didn't wander far from where they were tested and the 1945 Willys-Overland literature that explained where all the testing was done helped out a lot.  So it was a combination of being lucky, understanding where they were tested, and just being nice to people that allowed me to get the collection I have.

Todd Paisley

1941 MB-100063 - MB Factory Test Mule
1942 MB-123136 - Earliest Documented "Civilian" Test Jeep
1944 CJ2-12 - X36
1944 CJ2-16 - X40
1945 CJ2-37 - X61
1945 CJ2A
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rons2a Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 July 2017 at 12:46am
What a fantastic read! When I was a kid I learned to drive in a CJ2a. When I was 18 I bought a'43 MB. A mechanic friend fixed it up to a beautiful road worthy toy. The previous tune up was in Germany and a gun enthusiast friend determined the caliber of the bullet holes in it. Now I'm 62 and the Jeep fever is 100 times stronger. I love my column shift CJ2a but dream of having another MB. One day I hope to have the time to read more about you treasures. The history of what our troops went through and how these Jeeps helped them. God bless.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unkamonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 July 2017 at 1:10am
Nice Jeep. My first Jeep was a MB. Many days out playing with my Black Lab in a field.
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