Military-Vehicles: Re: [MV] After Market Bodies for MBs

Re: [MV] After Market Bodies for MBs

Kerry (kvanderz@direct.ca)
Thu, 24 Jul 1997 08:51:10 -0700

All good points but just because a repro body is put onto a jeep does not
mean that it can't come off again. It only takes a few hours.
My point is that if it can get the project on the road then it will keep
interest alive.
How many 1/2 restored jeeps are sitting in garages around the world because
of lack of interest? Or loss of interest because a project just took too
long?
I do believe that to toss out good body metal is a mortal sin.
If a body or parts of a body are worth saving they can and should be sold
or traded to someone with the skills or resources to restore them and use
them on a complete restoration.
I think that there are more chassis left in the world than bodies.
Would it not be a sin as well to let those chassis go to waste.
What the world needs is more flat fenders.

Of course if it was up to me...
The new, re-born, round head lighted jeep by Chrysler
would have been an "MB" not a "TJ"
But that's only me.

Long live the JEEP!
Kerry
Surrey, British Columbia

----------
> From: Jeff Polidoro <willys@vgernet.net>
> To: Herb Brown <brown@ida.org>; mil-veh@skylee.com
> Subject: Re: [MV] After Market Bodies for MBs
> Date: Wednesday, July 23, 1997 8:01 PM
>
> First Kerry wrote:
>
> I've got to say something here in regards to repro bodies.
> I may make some purists sick but here goes anyway.
>
> I purchased a jeep sight unseen for next to nothing and had it shipped in
a
> load of tropical foliage plants from South Florida to British Columbia
> Canada.
> When it rolled off of the truck, it was a very rusted out DJ with a Chevy
> V8.
>
> The truth of the matter is that there is now a 1952 jeep back on the road
> and turning heads instead of rusting in a South Florida swamp.
>
> I Reply:
>
> I have a woods buggy with an original 3A frame and driveline and repro
> body, fenders, tailgate and windshield frame. A very pleasing and
> original *looking* Jeep. Everyone who sees it likes it.
>
> But that's not the point. We're not talking about your daily driver or
my
> woods runner here. This started out as a discussion of using or not
using
> an inaccurate replacement body in a high end restoration of a somewhat
rare
> MV.
>
> I agree that rusted out DJs with small blocks Chevys should use repro
> bodies.
>
> Then Herb wrote:
>
> > Please tack my $0.02 on to what Kerry wrote.
>
> > I've wanted a WWII jeep for over 30 years. I finally got a 50 year old
> > jeep on my 50th birthday two years ago, and at the rate I am proceeding
> I'll be
> > 55+ when I first drive it. Clearly, much of the fun is in the
> restoration;
> > but as I recall, most of the fun is in driving it! A repro body could
> have cut at
> > least two years off this project. I am too far down this road right
now,
> but I
> > sometimes wonder if I took the wrong path? Kerry did a good job of
> > expressing my feelings.
> >
> > Herb & Bubbles
>
>
> This makes no sense to me. Are you saying that the original body is
> keeping you from enjoying your Jeep? That after you delayed for 30
years,
> the original body is now, somehow, responsible for delaying your
enjoyment
> of your Jeep for an additional 2 years? How so?
>
> Is the repro body free? I think not. Think you won't have to spend
money
> on *it* when you get it? Think again.
>
> If it's going to take you 5 years to "restore' your Jeep and 2 years of
the
> 5 is the body, then the rest is taking you three years. So take your
> original body
> and the $2000 (or more) you would have spent on a repro body to a tin
> knocker and have him fix the damn thing. Tell him he has 3 years to do
it
> because
> you're gonna take that long with the rest of the Jeep. (Over the course
of
> the 3 years you can, probably, invest the $2000 and make back a couple of
> hundred dollars.)
>
> When it's done put in on the frame. Viola!, ...an accurate, WW2 Jeep
done!
> ..... within the 3 year period you felt was reasonable and a much better,
> more valuable piece for the same or less money.
>
> You don't want to bring the body to someone? No sense of accomplishment
> or satisfaction in that? What sense of accomplishment were you gonna get
> from buying the repro body?
>
> Regards,
>
> JP
>
> ===
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