Can someone help me figure out what year my Jeep Willy’s is?
I have a 1941-1948 Jeep Willys and I have gotten so many numbers off of it, the engine, the Ca. assigned number, old insurance cards, etc. It was my Fathers and was willed to me and I have tried everything to get a correct VIN number and try to figure out if it is a military model and what year it is. Please help………It is registered as a 1948 but I don’t think that is correct according to the research I have done so far. Is there any Jeep experts out there who can help me?
The VIN # listed on the title is CA748921 but I don’t think that is correct. I found other documentation with a VIN# of J209875?
The number on the engine is 4-30 CA 1027L W 10A N1-CR-N2?
Actually, the whole# is 4-30 641087-L-WIOA-NI-CR-N
I ran into the same problem when I was restoring an old 53′ CJ3B and found this site the most helpful..well there were others but this one was a big help. http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html
Well going off the VIN that you found J209875 places the Jeep near the start of the 1943 production run.
Model Year …. Starting Serial # ….. Ending Serial #
MB……1943 ………. 200023……………. 293232
As for the engine… Check out this page as it explains where the casting number and such should be… http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html#CivilianEngines From what it sounds like to me that is the PO or Work Order number…as that makes no sense when it comes to an engine serial number. The site states that "If the #’s on the Oil Filter boss are long and don’t make any sense, then it is a PO/Work Order #, and the real serial # has either been ground off by the rebuilder (and then over-stamped with the rebuilders own work order number), OR the real serial number is out there on the water pump boss because the block is a CJ block."
Hope all this helps.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:37 pm
There is a serial number on the frame rails in front of the grill, that should help, but they are serial numbers not a VIN. The number on the engine is probably not accurate because the same engines was made for different models
References :
August 31st, 2010 at 1:47 pm
I’m not sure if this is how it was done in the 40’s but now the 10th digit in the VIN indicates the year of production. If it’s a letter then count which letter it is and apply that. Send me the VIN and I can look it up and get it decoded via the Hollander used auto parts system we use here at the salvage yard. It will tell where and when it was manufactured.
References :
VIN decoding chart hanging on wall of shop.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:53 pm
by the year description 1948 I would assume that it is not a military jeep because there was not a war at that time. But like you say the jeep could have been registered at a later date. I have a 1952 m-38 and it has specifics like 24 volt electrical and wide opening on the undereat fuel tank. It has a full glass windshield and fender mounted light that helps to identify it. I had an early model MB once that had a 6 volt electrical system, a split/bottom opening windshield with a different grill.
So many jeeps were built during the war periods and the motors intechaingable that the motor numbers might not help.
Look up jeep identification on the web for a picture with measurements that might help. http://www.shoplynch.com/jeepstore/jeepid.html
Good luck
References :
Gene’s jeeps
August 31st, 2010 at 2:08 pm
I ran into the same problem when I was restoring an old 53′ CJ3B and found this site the most helpful..well there were others but this one was a big help. http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html
Well going off the VIN that you found J209875 places the Jeep near the start of the 1943 production run.
Model Year …. Starting Serial # ….. Ending Serial #
MB……1943 ………. 200023……………. 293232
As for the engine… Check out this page as it explains where the casting number and such should be… http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html#CivilianEngines From what it sounds like to me that is the PO or Work Order number…as that makes no sense when it comes to an engine serial number. The site states that "If the #’s on the Oil Filter boss are long and don’t make any sense, then it is a PO/Work Order #, and the real serial # has either been ground off by the rebuilder (and then over-stamped with the rebuilders own work order number), OR the real serial number is out there on the water pump boss because the block is a CJ block."
Hope all this helps.
References :
http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html
http://wwiijeepparts.com/Archives/JeepSerialNumber.html#WWIISerialNumbers
http://wwiijeepparts.com/WWIIJeepArchivesMainList.html