> Now, for the good stuff. Willys MB 130555 was manufactured in the
> transition of Very Early Production to Early Production. The differences
> are few, but obvious. The very Early production MB's are most easily
> recognized by their "slat grill" wrought iron grill. the Early production
> one's were the first to have a pressed steel grill. The early production
> MB's also introduced the glove box, combat wheels and keyed ignition. They
> still didn't have a spare gas tank or trailer light connection. The very
> early production and early production represent about 14% of all the Jeeps
> built.
My MB 130555 has the pressed steel grill, has a glove box and has keyed ignition (also used for the two tool boxes in the rear fenders). It does have a spare gas tank and trailer light
connection. I assume these were build to it later during the war or at the restauration.
I'm not sure about the combat wheels. I don't know the difference.
>
> For anyone who owns or restores Jeeps, I would recommend getting two books
> from Ray Cowdery, the "All American Wonder" vols. 1 and 2. these books
> contain lots of valuable information about the Jeep, such as all the
> differences between an MB and GPW, there are a lot. It also contains good
> information about the production and delivery of them too, like the
> contract and registration numbers. These books aren't easy to find, but
> last time I checked, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association was
> still selling them in their Supply Line magazine. You might check at
> http://www.mvpa.org.
These books can also be obtained at:
Chris Evans books, Birmingham, B31 1BR, England
Phone of fax: 0121-477 6700
For the USA:
Portrayal Press, P.O. Box 1190, Andover, New Jersey 07821, USA (201)
597-5781
Regards,
Maurice Geraets