New member in need of advice on a Jeep MB restoration

[Tinker Tom]

I’m a retired engineer living in a retirement community (not much room to work). I currently don’t have a Jeep, but had a 1953 Willys CJ3B many years ago. I enjoyed it so much that when a neighbor said he was restoring a 1945 Willys MB I offered to help. I had been in the old car hobby until moving into this retirement community and liked the mechanical work. But, offering my help may have been a mistake. My neighbor had taken the body off and proceeded to disassemble the rest. He intends to do a complete restoration starting from the bare frame. What’s bothersome is he has never restored a vehicle before!

He has money for a new tub (body) and the work needed to restore the rest of the parts. His big problem is that he can’t find any garage or body shop willing to work on the frame, axles, or anything else. So, I joined this online Jeep forum to help him locate sources of Jeep restoration expertise and sources of parts. Hopefully, some of which will be here in the San Antonio, Texas area.

[gmwillys]

Welcome Tinker Tom!

It's great to hear here that you've stepped up to help out your friend. There aren't too many vehicles that are as simple as a Jeep, and for the majority of the tasks, it only takes basic tools. If you are looking for a specialty shop that deals in Jeeps in Texas, you might check in to Colin's Brothers in Dallas.

When you get a chance, post some pictures of the project, so we can get an idea of what you have to work with.

[5JeepsAz]

Like a good neighbor! More and more the internet makes things closer. I've sent parts thousands of miles and over the stateline a couple of times now. Or people sometimes swap their whole projects. Just trade each other to get a more suitable thing for their space. Maybe this thing turns into a very different deal than what is was when it started out. Hope we get to find out what happens!