Ford GPW 14284

Feb, 1942 - GPW1 thru end of first contract, April, 1942 - GPW15000 NO EBAY or COMMERCIAL SALES.
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signsup
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Location: Winston, GA

Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by signsup » Tue Dec 31, 2013 4:02 pm

Hey Bob,
It's a small world. I live in Atlanta, GA and just finished a frame off restoration of GPW 14280, just 4 jeeps earlier than yours. Ours was built in the Chester, PA plant and came with no data plates, so we estimated DOD at April 13, 1942. Rather than a factry restoration, we restored what we had. Early tombstone blackout light, trailer socket and eye bolts, torque reaction spring, no first aid kit or bracket. Ours had the remnants of a winterization kit. so lots of capstan caps for the insullation blankets, a hole in the hood for the engine gas heater, a hole in the tub for the engine hater fuel line going to the passenger side step, no rifle mount, and lots of extra knobs on the dash for the prime pump and engine heater and passenger cabin heater mounted under the dash by the drivers side. It had a jerry can hodler on it, so we left it.

And, my name is Bob as well.

Yours looks great!
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Robert Brough
Winston, GA
2018 MVPA Honor Service Award
President, GA MVPA


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bobassel
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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by bobassel » Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:17 am

Hi Bob,
Indeed, small world!
Nice to hear that my GPW 14284 has a brother in the States 8)
And, you are correct concerning the Chester plant.
My friend and instruction plate specialist, Robert de Ruijter, told me so.
My GPW still had its original data plate, and the date of delivery is: April the 9th 1942.
I hope you have the same fun with your GPW as I have with mine.
Yours looks great!, is it possible to place some more pics ?

My greatest passion is my Ford GPA :D
Infortunately it is hard to get info and frame numbers from USA GPA's.
I have a privat data base where I keep this info (not for placing on the internet).
Like the GPW list, I like to make this so complete as possible, so any info is welcome :wink:
Greetings from "Dutch" Bob.
Ford GPA 12350 DOD: april 4th 1943
Willys MD M38A1, A13817 1952

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signsup
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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by signsup » Wed Jan 01, 2014 7:06 am

Bob, certainly don't mean to hijack your thread. So, I'll PM you some additional photos of where I am right now. Have repo tub her right now while original script tub is being restored. Original hood and fenders also awaiting welding class.
But her heart is still GPW Script 14280.
And the DOD we stamped on the repo data plate was based on an image we found for a GPW within 20 numbers of ours and it was the 9th of April. So we are all on the same page with the DOD.

Interesting that one made it overseas.

It has been discussed in our local MVPA that most G503s that were shipped overseas were later years as the early versions were used for ttraining here in the states and you would not ship a used vehicle when new ones were coming off the line at the rate of almost 2,000 a day.

My wife's mother and aunt worked for the US Army in WWII and represent to her that there has to be a way to research records for each vehicle by serial number and registration number as to where they went every step of the way while in Army hands. It's on her bucket list to find those records through the purchasing and quartermaster files. Interesting to learn how mine ended up in GA and your ended up over there.
Robert Brough
Winston, GA
2018 MVPA Honor Service Award
President, GA MVPA

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Chuck Lutz
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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by Chuck Lutz » Fri Jan 03, 2014 7:54 am

If she's trying to trace vehicles, I believe she would be tracking the USA numbers as that is how the military kept track of vehicles....not with the mfger serial number. That makes it even tougher even if she was able to find some records...which by most accounts were destroyed decades ago.

Given that jeeps with very LOW serial numbers (EARLY) are found with a "BRT" stamp on the data plate and that the jeeps with Russian Cyrillic data plates are often found with LOW serial numbers......I would not be so sure that the government was more interested in supporting training in the USA than fighting the Germans overseas....that statement does not hold water.

GPW 17580 - Wellington, NZ
GPW 17963 - California, US
GPW 17974 - Perth, Aus.
GPW 17975 - Indiana, US

Jeeps might have been produced at a rate of 200-300 per day at Willys, but at Ford they might have produced 120 or so per day per factory....who said we produced 2,000 jeeps per day? The government determined how many to make every day and the factories could certainly have made more if requested.
Chuck Lutz

GPW 17963 4/24/42 Chester, PA. USA 20113473 (USA est./Tom W.)
Bantam T3-C 1947

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signsup
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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by signsup » Fri Jan 03, 2014 8:35 am

Chuck,

You win.
Robert Brough
Winston, GA
2018 MVPA Honor Service Award
President, GA MVPA

jag
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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by jag » Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:31 am

Bob, congratulations on pulling together a very smart looking VEP GPW and trailer combo! Have you traced the plant this was manufactured/assembled in? My GPW is close 14077 from Dearborn.

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Re: Ford GPW 14284

Post by jag » Sun Jan 12, 2014 3:44 am

Interesting comment from Chuck re the "BRT" marked plates. I have found in Australia 3 MB "BRT" plates all marked with the same date - my birthday plus 10 years 6.2.42. What are the odds ? There is further confusion added by the reconditioning programme. My GPW 14077 dod 4.8.42 was reconditioned in Houston Texas on 3.16.45 and ended up in Aust. I have to date traced a total of 9 jeeps (GPWs and MBs) mostly early ones, that have the same reconditioning plate and a reconditioning date within a 3 week window, suggesting a batch of reconditioned jeeps was taken from the company (C Jim Stewart & Stevenson, Houston Texas) and shipped to Australia for US and/or Aust army use. These almost certainly must have been jeeps used Stateside for training and other purposes.


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