Hello Mountenman!
I can't sufficiently describe how excited I was to see this question!
You see, I'm a Toledo, Ohio native, and the old Willys-Overland Jeep
plant is practically in my back yard. Sadly, a large portion of where
your Jeep was likely built has been demolished, as Daimler-Chrysler
built a brand new Jeep plant about a mile down the road from me, and
are now tearing down and cleaning up most of the old plant site as
part of the tax abatement agreement with the city.
Wrecking ball taking a bite out of Toledo Jeep plant
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A1EC22C32
Willys Factory Demolition
http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/Factory.html
A little bit about the history of your vehicle:
The 1946 Willys Jeep is not a military model. The Willys Military
model ceased production in 1945. The 1946 Willys model is, in fact, a
*civilian* Jeep:
"1945 - 1949 Jeep CJ-2a
The first civilian Jeep vehicle, the CJ-2A, was first produced in
1945. Advertisements of the time proclaimed it to be a " Powerhouse on
Wheels," selling it as a work vehicle for farmers and construction
workers. It came with a tailgate, side-mounted spare, larger
headlamps, an external fuel cap and many more items that its military
predecessors did not including an improved power train with a modified
version of the original "Go Devil" engine."
Jeep History
http://www.4x4xfun.com/jeephistory.htm
The 1946 Willys-Series CJ-2A was built primarily in the
Willys-Overland Jeep plant on Willys Parkway in Toledo, OH. Prior to
its incarnation as a Jeep manufacturing plant, the Willys-Overland
plant was once a washing machine factory! (Ever wonder why the front
ends of early Jeeps were so square? That's why! They aren't built in
a retro-fitted washing machine factory anymore, but Jeeps still
maintain their boxy nose in a nod to the vehicle's earliest days.)
Total production of the CJ-2A for 1946 was 71554 units.
Jeep Production Information
http://www.off-road.com/jeep/tech/cj-2a.htm
"Like the MB and GPWs there were major changes made during the CJ2A's
production, and like the MBs, the first ones produced are the most
desirable. However, the CJ-2A started production late in its first
year and changes followed shortly after when on-hand stock (MB parts)
were used up.
As with the MB’s distinctive series within its production, there are
two distinct early CJ-2A’s. They are referred to as Very Early
Civilian (VEC) and Early Civilian (EC) CJ-2A’s. A CJ-2A up to about
serial number 34530 is considered VEC and from mid-1946 to about
mid-1947 is considered EC. Only minor changes were made after the
mid-1947 models.
So what did the early CJ-2A look like? Production started July 17,
1945 with the CJ2A sharing production with the MB. Production on the
MB continues on through September 1945 with roughly 9000 being
produced. Since the CJ2A used many MB parts---they looked very much
like a civilianized MB with a column shift, larger headlights,
tailgate and side mounted spare tire!!!"
CJ-2A History by R. Harold West
http://www.thecj2apage.com/history.html
"JEEP IN PEACETIME: 1946-1950
* First civilian Jeep is produced
* First all-steel station wagon is created
* Four-wheel drive foreshadows the Jeep Cherokee
After the war ended, the GIs pulled out of Europe, leaving a trail of
broken hearts, Hershey bars… and Jeep vehicles. The locals took to
them with delight, and they were immediately put to work in forests
and farms, bringing their strength and reliability to work rebuilding
the landscape. The next step was inevitable: people enjoyed the
freedom Jeep vehicles gave them so much that it was only a matter of
time before they started using them for fun.
Willys-Overland was one step ahead of the game; it had seen the
recreational possibilities, and in 1944, the company was already
working on the CJ-1A (CJ stood for Civilian Jeep). The first model,
the versatile 1945 CJ-2A, was priced at $1,090 with luxury features
like a tailgate and automatic windshield wipers. This was the
beginning of the Jeep Universal line of rough and ready civilian
vehicles."
The Jeep Brand: 60 Years of Four-Wheel-Drive Leadership
http://www.autoweb.com.au/id_CHR/doc_chr0107201/article.html
The CJ-2A is quite popular among Jeep enthusiasts. One fella has
kindly placed pictures and descriptions of his restoration of a 1946
Willys Jeep online:
1946 Willys CJ2A Restoration
http://www.science.smith.edu/~ejensen/willys/cj2a/winch.html
Poking around his page, I found a link to a COMPLETE Willys 1946 CJ-2A
manual, including technical specifications! Browsing through this
really gave me the shivers - I have family history with the Jeep line!
CJ2A Operation and Care Manual
http://www.thecj2apage.com/om1.html
Also of note: The CJ2A Page, a comprehensive collection of links for
devotees of the CJ2A model, including history, message boards and
pictures of restoration projects:
The CJ2A Page
http://www.thecj2apage.com/
No restoration project is complete without reference books. To help
you in your quest, I called my brother in-law, who is currently a tool
and die maker and machine repairman at the new Stickney Avenue Jeep
plant(he's on shift right now!) and asked for his recommendations. He
says these are the best:
Jeep Owner's Bible: A Hands-On Guide to Getting the Most from Your
Jeep
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0837601541/102-6882319-2059321
Chilton's Jeep Cj 1945-70 Repair Manual (Total Car Care Series)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0801989760/102-6882319-2059321
Jeep-Willy'S, Kaiser, Amc 1942-1986 (Schiffer Automotive Series)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0887402488/102-6882319-2059321
(All titles listed above have excerpts on Amazon's pages)
For gorgeous color photos for reference, these have what you need:
Classic Jeeps: The Jeep from World War II to the Present Day
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760308942/102-6882319-2059321
Jeep Color History
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0760306362/102-6882319-2059321
Additionally, you might want to look into:
ALL-AMERICAN WONDER
Author: Ray Cowdery
Published: 1986, 1993 by:
USM, Inc.
PO Box 810
Lakeville, MN 55044-0810
Fax: (612) 469-4928
Format: Quarto, softcover, 142 and 133 pages
Volume One: IBSN 0-910667-10-1
Volume Two: IBSN 0-910667-20-9
Most, if not all, of these titles should be available from your local
library if you don't fancy purchasing them. Just mind that due date!
Of course, if you're restoring your Jeep, you'll need proper parts as
well. Fortunately, there are places that can help, chief among them
Vintage Jeep Parts:
Vintage Jeep Parts
http://www.vintagejeepparts.com/
Drivetrain.com calls itself the largest supplier of Jeep parts in the
world! A cursory search on Jeep reveals parts for any model you can
name, the 1946 CJ2A included:
Drivetrain.com Automotive Parts (Search on Jeep)
http://www.drivetrain.com
Thank you so much for your question. I hope the information is as
helpful to you as researching it was enjoyable for me! If you should
require further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be
happy to help.
--Missy
Search strategy:
Quite a lot of the answer provided comes from personal history with
Jeep. My grandfather was employed by Willys-Overland in 1944, prior
to enlisting in the US Army. Willys welcomed him back with open arms
in the autmun of 1945, after he recovered from wounds sustained in
combat. He remained employed at that plant until the 1960s, when he
jumped companies and headed for Chevy. It's entirely possible that my
grandfather's handiwork contributed to the production of your Jeep -
he was a tool and die maker at Willys during that production run.
The rest of the information presented in your answer was found by
querying Google with the terms [ 1946 military willys jeep ], [ 1946
Jeep production ], [ 1946 Willys ] and [ willys jeep ], and by
speaking with my Jeep-nut brother in-law. |
Clarification of Answer by
missy-ga
on
25 Oct 2002 08:23 PDT
Good morning!
Confirming the year your Jeep was made is easier than you might think.
Willys was careful about serial numbers. Below is a listing for the
year produced, and that year's starting and ending serial numbers:
1945 10001 - 11824
1946 11825 - 83379
1947 83380 - 148458
1948 148459 - 222581
1948 222582 - 224764
To locate your Serial Number:
"There is good serial number data for the CJ-2A and the year it was
made can easily be determined from the serial number. There are some
differences in serial number data depending on what source you use. I
tend to believe the data that list fewer units made in 1949. When the
"New and Improved" CJ-3A started production, both models were produced
side by side. I think consumers of 1949, much like we are today, would
have wanted the newest model out and this would account for a very low
sales rate for the 2A in its final year of production.
The serial numbers are located on the frame horn behind the front
bumper. The first 100 or so were on the inside of the frame horn like
the MB’s. Afterward the tag was mounted on the outside frame horn. At
some point (after the VEC and VE series) the tag was moved to the
firewall beside the air filter. There was also a body number. This
number is on a small data plate and is located on the right side
firewall by the air filter."
CJ-2A History by R. Harold West
http://www.thecj2apage.com/history.html
It might be useful to you to note that Mr. West is still collecting
data for his own studies of the CJ2A. His e-mail address is located
at the very bottom of the page referenced above. He also maintains a
complete list of serial number locations and what each serial
signifies. To confirm your model year, you need to stick with the
Willys number, which he discusses above.
When your neighbor told you that it was a Military Jeep, he may very
well have been confused about its purpose. The early CJ line shared
production briefly with the MB (military) model, from July through
September of 1945. CJs did contain MB parts for that run and well
into 1946, until all of the leftover MB parts had been used up (they
were all about conservation back then!).
Mr. West writes of the CJ that "they looked very much
like a civilianized MB with a column shift, larger headlights,
tailgate and side mounted spare tire!!!"
Keeping that in mind, it's very easy to see how your neighbor might
have thought it a Military model.
Of course, he may also be correct in saying that it's a Military
model, and just has the year wrong. No worries. If your serial
number doesn't fall in any of the ranges listed above, you can have a
look at an MB identification page, which includes a set of serial
number pages for varying bits of MB Jeeps. It's a little trickier to
identify exact production years for MBs, so make sure you follow the
instructions and examine the serial number listings carefully:
What Type of WWII Jeep Do I Have? Identifying your W.W.II jeep:
Willys MB or Ford GPW?
http://members.dialmaine.com/jeepguy/MBvsGPW.html
If it should turn out that your Jeep *is* an MB (or GPW if it's a Ford
instead of a Willys - Ford "helped" with production of the Military
model), you'll want to use JeepGuy's page as your jumping off point
for restoration. He's included his own restoration journal and
pictures, as well as links to many other MB/GPW restoration projects
and resources.
JeepGuy
http://members.dialmaine.com/jeepguy/
Whichever your Jeep turns out to be, I wish you luck in restoring her!
I hope you'll come back and let us know how it's going!
Warmest regards,
--Missy
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