This whole discussion really tickles me. I think it's gotten a little
out of hand, though. Let me throw in an analogy/anecdote instead of $.02:
I'm a Mustang enthusiast, as well. I have a 1970 convertible that has *a
few* good options. As I was restoring it I had to do some serious
soul-searching. You see, the *correct* color was Pastel Blue and it
originally came with Sport Wheel Covers. For those of you in Rio Linda,
that's about the WORST combination Ford could've possibly thought of for
such a car. So what do I do - reluctantly paint the car an ugly color
and proclaim myself to be a "purist" or do I paint it candyapple red -
the color ALL convertibles SHOULD be (at least in my mind) - and throw a
set of styled steel wheels on it? (both options could be found on a
Mustang in 1970). Well, I
can tell you one thing. My car is now red and is enjoy the hell out of it!
So why am I telling a Mustang story on the MV list? Beacuse it's the same
thing, no matter what genre of restoration you're in. You have to do what
pleases you. Just as there are plenty of "correctly restored" Mustangs
out there, there are plenty of "correctly restored" MB/GPW's out there.
Now, if you had a Bantam, MA, or GP....well, that's a different story.
If you're hell-bent on making sure your jeep has no steel in it that was
made after 1945, go for it! If you want a straight repro body that *really
close* - so close, that 98% of those who see it can't tell the
difference, that's certainly an option, too. About 6-8 months ago I
posed this same question because the floor in my '43 GPW was severely
swiss-cheesed. The overwhelming majority said to keep
the original body. And so I have. However, at the same time, my father
tried to fix the floor in his "huntin' truck" MB (don't worry guys, when
he bought it, it was so chopped up/altered a restoration was out of the
question). After months of trying to "fix" the
floor (and he's pretty good at metal fab) it looks like a "fixed floor"
-- wavy, grindmarks and all, as well as a little spot putty and filler. And
this floor is no more "original" than a
repro. It didn't cost him as much, but it took him forever. If I did
the same to my jeep, I wouldn't be happy with the results. So I'm
buying a repro floor for mine. And I'll have no problem calling my body
"original".
Sorry this is so long, but to the guy who originally posted the
message: I hope this helps you to come to a decision. I will not curse
your name if you opt for the repro. I'm just glad you're interested in
old jeeps, rather than late-model Camaros!
Regards,
Mike
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Meister "Give me an army of West Point
Class of 1997 (WHOOP!) graduates and I'll win a battle;
Department of Agricultural Engineering Give me a handful of Texas
Texas A&M University Aggies and I'll win a war."
College Station, Texas
--Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
http://www.agen.tamu.edu/~mike
mike@agen.tamu.edu
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