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I have a jeep titled here in Idaho as a 1940 Willy's Jeep. From what I understand, Willy's brand Jeeps were not in production until 1941. The VIN is a state assigned number that they riveted to the firewall, and the motor is not original. I can't seem to find any information on ways I can tell what year my jeep is or of any of it's history via documentation of this era of willys that I have been working to fix up. I've just been hitting dead ends, please help!!
Unfortunately you probably wont find any info if the original engine is gone as well as the vin being changed. Even if you have the vin it was widely practiced back then to change the year on earlier production models to match the current year if they hadn't sold. This wasn't to be deceptive it was just the practice of the time. They essentially registered the vehicles for the year they sold not the year they were made. Sorry this doesn't help you figure out what year you have but it might give you some insight. Most people nowadays try matching some of the design features with what is known about the era the vehicle was built. You could give that a whirl but that is probably best you will be able to get.
Thanks! Got it from an older guy that lives in the area who just wanted to get it out of his back yard. Hardly original but still such a blast to take out. I didn't necessarily get it to 'restore', but as I work on it and fix it up I would like to at least get it similar to what it is supposed to look like. It's running and driving great, just need to work on the cosmetic aspects of it.
If all the mechancals are the cosmetic stuff is fun and relatively easy. Its cool becuase you get the instant reward when the work is complete. Mechanical are more substantial though and thusly more important.
Yeah as far as I can tell everything is running well. No smoke or unusual sounds or bumps or vibrations. My front pinion seal is leaking a bit so I am having that replaced next week. Found some seats for it that actually belong in it! Picking those up tomorrow! I wanted this for a fun and unique vehicle but also didn't want to just pour a ton of my money into it. Seems to be working out the way I want so far!
Damn, I have been looking for seats, albeit not religiously, for about a year. Looking for a 70/30 split bench. They are hard to find at least for me. Glad to hear its working out for you.