Where Can I Buy a Wwii Jeep in a Crate for Sale

An Army Jeep in a Crate for $50? Is it true?

One of the longest-running myths about Army jeeps is the estimation that somewhere, somehow you can buy a jeep in a crate for $50 (or other amount, adjusted for inflation). This idea has been around now at to the lowest degree since WW II. I heard the story off and on throughout the 1950s and 60s when IT was about the World War II jeep, the Willys MB operating theater Henry Ford II GPW. IT was always the Lapp: some guy down at the fire family knew where you could get Army jeeps in crates for $50; they solely need a battery and tires. Maybe they'ray compact in cosmolene. But you have to get your friends together and buy 10 (or 50) at a time.

A Ford GPW Army Landrover in a Crateful -- Click photo for larger image.

I tried to track it down single times, simply the "guy at the fire house" always was unsatisfactory-duty when I went by, operating room IT turned stunned it was in reality his cousin who knew the details but the cousin was out of township, etc. etc. More latterly, I heard that there was a government-owned cave full of factory-parvenu M-151s ("someplace proscribed west")-- you could buy them for $1500 each, but of course you had to buy 10 at one time. By now its probably the same story about HMMWVs.

Army Jeep Ads Reinforcing the Myth

The "cheap surplus Army landrover" story was reinforced away ads that ran for decades in the backmost of Best-selling Mechanics and other magazines. They promised to tell you -- for a fee -- how to buy government surplus. The ads usually featured a headline reading: "Jeeps $50" over a lineage drawing of an Army landrover. The textual matter said the publication would open the door on fabulous surplus bargains, including jeeps, trucks, power tools and other desirable goods.

If you actually sent in your money and bought their publishing, it was meet a copy of a pamphlet -- on tap aweigh from the U.S. Government -- that explained how to bid along surplus property. Basically a gyp that preyed on the great unwashe's want of knowledge.

Demand for US Army Jeeps Was Always Strong

Near the end of World Warfare II, Favorite Science magazine ran a repugn in their March 1945 issue. The public was asked to write out in with their ideas on "How I'll Use Surplus War Goods." While everything from Quonset huts and B-29 fuselages to carbines and chain saws were mentioned, the humble jeep was the first item on everyone's mind. Fully one-third of all the letters received past Touristy Skill listed the jeep, many from farmers and ranchers who saw immediate utility in the small vehicle long-wooled before the civil recreational 4x4 was dreamed of. In an clause published in Popular Scientific discipline in October 1945, reviewing their surplus contend, they same:

And jeeps, of course, are even at the really top of the list, both among men still in the service and among civilians.

Later in the same article they caution:

... most of the surplus jeeps will have arrogated a beating and leave be in considerably less than first-family condition.

Nary one was discouraged by the admonition.

A Military Landrover in a Crate: Was it of all time true?

Yes, military jeeps were packed in crates. The best photo happening this page and the ones along the Olive-Dull.com page about Beyond the sea Transportation of Jeeps show factory photos of Ford GPW jeeps in crates. Jeeps were produced and packed this means for shipment to U.S. forces and countries like England and the State Union who the U.S. supplied during WW II. At the Ford Motor Company assembly industrial plant in Richmond, Atomic number 20, most 70% of output was boxed due to their close proximity to the San Francisco larboard.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of World War II jeeps in a crate at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

Packing up a landrover was expensive and time consuming so it was simply done when dead necessary. Jeeps that were crated were complete vehicles, not a corner of parts -- windshields were folded, wheels taken off and a few other things done to minimize the cubeage. Precise few, if any, of these crated jeeps remained in the United States, flatbottomed during the war. After to a higher degree sixty years, there are believably none left. Several organizations and dealers wealthy person had a substantial reward offer for years for anyone who can produce one and no one has claimed the money.

Details of the re-assembly of crated jeeps at an Ordnance Depot in England during 1943 are provided in that article from the MVPA magazine Army Motors, Government issue #103: Jeeps in Crates, Every Collector's Dream.

Fate of World War 2 Army Jeeps

Although the landrover was favored and respected by the GIs during the war, most ended up like this:

Fomite boneyard at remnant of World War II. Chatter here for other landrover scrapyard photos.

After World War II at that place was a period when returning veterans, farmers and a few other favored categories of people could buy jeeps at once from the government activity for $50 surgery other real low prices. It is non known if whatsoever of these were in crates but if there were any information technology was very few. Most surplus Army jeeps in the U.S. were used vehicles from stateside bases.

Richard Koch and his Ford GPW, 1946. Photo courtesy of Dr. Richard Koch.

Richard Koch, a WW II Vet (today Dr. Richard Koch, an honored medical researcher) told me that in late 1945 or early 1946 he bought a jeep straight from a shipping facility in Martinez, CA, near San Francisco. He arrived in that respect to find many large crates stacked terzetto screechy. Afterwards stipendiary $500, a fork pinch brought i down for him and the workers helped uncrate information technology, sword new from the factory. He says it had its wheels already mounted, all helium had to do was connect the battery and drive it home. He too bought a matching Army trailer for an additional $50.

Manuals and factory photos of jeeps crated for cargo ships all show partial disassembly with wheels off. Therefore, Koch's Ford GPW (photo, left) was in all likelihood boxed, fully assembled, after production to protect it until its disposition was unregenerate by the Army. Supported happening the hood numerate, this vehicle was nigh probable factory-made in June 1945 at the Richmond, CA Ford factory, non far from Martinez. Jeep production ended in August 1945 during the end years of World Warfare II and, lucky for Koch, this landrover never went into active divine service.

Although there are other stories like Koch's, the jeep gross sales platform dried upward pretty quickly equally civilian yield resumed and Willys came out with the CJ serial publication. Jeeps were given away to Allies and besides sold-out outside the U.S. occasionally, but many were also dumped to prevent their return to the U.S. where IT was feared they would glut the market and take factory jobs away from vets.

What is the Field of study Jeep story now?

On the Olive-Drab.com page about Government Auctions, thither is the whole story just about how and where to buy branch of knowledge vehicles from the US Government. No matter how many ads you go out promising otherwise, there is no other story. There are no intact jeeps available, anywhere, for just about incredibly low price. Sorry, just that is the truth.

With rattling occasional exceptions, the U.S. Government hasn't had whatever jeeps for cut-rate sale for years -- the Governing Auctions page has the details about wherefore not. Jeeps closely-held aside private parties come on the commercialise at the right price: if they are in pristine condition, the price is high. If they are $50, they are scrap, or half-interred in a battlefield, surgery something other is wrong to explain the price.

Toy with it for a moment. If jeeps were available super-cheap, legitimate dealers would be there in 10 seconds with a qualified stop to buy the whole lot. They know what a landrover is worth. For their own profit, they would in real time engulf any which were merchandising below market. If the government wanted to somehow restrict gross sales so dealers could not do this, the government would advertise the fact and IT would be easy to find exterior where and how to buy. You would not have to pay anyone for a "report happening the secrets that they don't want you to know".

What Others Have to Say Near the Threepenny USA Surplus Jeep Taradiddle

Others give looked into the myth of the $50 jeep, and evidence the same story, The $50 Jeep In A Crate Urban Legend for example. Four Bicycle magazine had a feature story in their December 1968 issue, titled "The Elusive Surplus Landrover" by Charles D. McIntosh which explained the whole system and reviewed the story to that time of the $50 jeep. At last, Military Vehicles Magazine, in the March/April 1999 issue (p52), has a keen story about Harry Kane, a flimflam-man WHO travelled the U.S. in the 1950s taking deposits for $150 jeeps and spreading the myth in the process.

Distinction: For lashing of photos of military jeeps, armor, trucks and more, take a appear at the European olive tree-Cheerless.com Military Fomite Charts and the Gallery. Many more military jeep photos at our sister site MilitaryMashup.com.

Find More Information on the Internet

At that place are many close-grained websites that bear additional information on this topic, as well many to tilt here and too many to keep leading with as they come and tour. Habit this Google web search word form to receive an up up to now report of what's tabu there.

For good results, try entering this: surplus army landrover. Then click the Search button.

Where Can I Buy a Wwii Jeep in a Crate for Sale

Source: https://olive-drab.com/od_mvg_jeeps_50dollars.php

Share this post