New ( old ) 1942 jeep owner

[potternhoj@yahoo.com]

Hi--- My sister gave me her deceased husbands old 1942 gpw jeep. It has been in a barn for the last 35 years and is a mess. It's pretty heavily rusted- but I believe it can be restored. I have a lot of questions and my first one is: should I removed the tub first..? If I do what is the best way to remove the rust ? --sand blasting or take it to a galvanizing company and have to dipped in a pickleing bath to remove the rust, grease, scale and so forth ?
Thanks for your help.
John ( in Central Texas )

[LarrBeard]

If you pull the tub, you will see more of the other things that may become an issue as you go forward. Pull it, look closely at the engine, transfer case, transmission, rear end, steering gear and such. If you find more there than you want to attempt - you've made a minimal investment in time and money. You may find a cracked block, chewed up gears, and all kinds of other challenges.

Sand or bead blasting is a good way to get to whatever metal is left - then you can decide if you want to try to salvage the original metal or get a new tub. There are new tubs available, but "some assembly required" is a good summary of what you will find.

But - after all of this pessimistic talk - it can be restored. I don't think any Jeep has really worn out -

JEEP --"Just Empty Every Pocket"

We all love ours.

Let us know what you decide to do.