I am seriously contemplating about purchasing a 42 GPW from a PBB member. I know NOTHING about jeeps! I got started in fourwheeling about 6 or 7 years ago and bought a 85 toy 4runner that I still have today.

This flatty has a 289, T18, D18, 5.38 gears, Front 30 and rear 44.
My question(s) are:

He says it'll only do about 50mph. (prolley from t18 and 5.38's) What'll it take to make it drive at a freeway speed witout spinnin 10K r's?

How does a vehicle like this drive down the road? At freeway speeds? (My 4runner has a 5" lift and the stock push/pull
steering and 35x12.50's... I'm used to some wandering. I just want to know if it will ever be capable of driving down the freeway?

Anything special I should be careful of before buying a jeep that was made in 1942?

Do any of you know TNTMUDMAN? This is who has the GPW.

If you do know of the vehicle do you think 3k without winch is reasonable?

Sorry for the long post, but I'm a little tentative about making a deal on a vehicle that is 900-1000 miles away. I don't want to get down there without knowing what I'm getting into. I've always wanted a GPW and I don't want my excitement to turn into a headache after the purchase has been made.

Lastly, some of these ??'s sound :rainbow: but I don't want a trailer queen. I want to drive it to where I wheel which is about 45- 50 minutes from my house (all freeway)


And tow my sea doo with it.

Thanks

:flipoff2: :flipoff2:

WOOHOO! I just looked up how far away it is from my house. Only 600 miles. Damn I want this thing!

Originally posted by FlatBroke1
I am seriously contemplating about purchasing a 42 GPW from a PBB member. I know NOTHING about jeeps! I got started in fourwheeling about 6 or 7 years ago and bought a 85 toy 4runner that I still have today.

This flatty has a 289, T18, D18, 5.38 gears, Front 30 and rear 44.
My question(s) are:

He says it'll only do about 50mph. (prolley from t18 and 5.38's) What'll it take to make it drive at a freeway speed witout spinnin 10K r's?

How does a vehicle like this drive down the road? At freeway speeds? (My 4runner has a 5" lift and the stock push/pull
steering and 35x12.50's... I'm used to some wandering. I just want to know if it will ever be capable of driving down the freeway?

Anything special I should be careful of before buying a jeep that was made in 1942?

Do any of you know TNTMUDMAN? This is who has the GPW.

If you do know of the vehicle do you think 3k without winch is reasonable?

Sorry for the long post, but I'm a little tentative about making a deal on a vehicle that is 900-1000 miles away. I don't want to get down there without knowing what I'm getting into. I've always wanted a GPW and I don't want my excitement to turn into a headache after the purchase has been made.

Lastly, some of these ??'s sound :rainbow: but I don't want a trailer queen. I want to drive it to where I wheel which is about 45- 50 minutes from my house (all freeway)


And tow my sea doo with it.

Thanks

:flipoff2: :flipoff2:

i know Bill(tntmudman) hes a good guy, i would say put some higher gears in the diffs and be happy, he built it that way for a reason but if your concerned about highway speeds then probly just change the diff gears to something higher like 4.10s or something. that is a sweet flatty:D

Thanks Brad. I have some toy axles with 4.10's that would graph in pretty easily. But, I don't think they would hold up to a 289 even. I have a fourpop now and have never had the torque to break anything.

I'd like more from others! I'm going to bed now and will check back after I get with credit union tomorrow!

Sounds like a neat Flatty. Another option to regearing axles is a Saturn/Warn Over Drive. Look at the this article http://www.jeeptech.com/convxfer/warnod.html for info. They are available new from Advance Adapters, or seem to pop up used with regularity on Ebay. Fit where your PTO output on your transfercase is, so no drivetrain change in length. With an overdrive you would have the same as a 4.035 axle gear. The initial cost is high but not bad when compared to regearing 2 axles, and this still gives you the low crawl gears.
Also since you are new to Jeeps and Flatfenders this page may help http://www.jeeptech.com/. There is also a lot of good info on early Jeeps on the CJ3B page http://www.jeeptech.com/, and the CJ2A page, http://www.thecj2apage.com/. And for MBs/GPW, try the G503 page, http://g503.com/.
Have fun, and hope this is some help. Andy;)

This may not be a good solution for you but you could find a rusted out waggy or cherokee. The front axle is pretty easy to narrow. and the rear 44 is offset in some models... If you buy one of these you will have a stronger front axle and you will have a matching set of dana 44 gears(my cherokee I used for my flattie had 3.54's) I have not had the time nor money to change them. It seems to wheel well enough for me..Not a whole lot of rock crawling in Indiana, mostly trails.

I can run it 65 down the highway with 38.5's and not feel too bad about it..I am kinda a crazy SOB behind the wheel though:)

IF you use dutchman to narrow your front dana 44 and if you can do the housing yourself it will run you about 85$

Then if your dana 30 is a CJ you can use those brakes with scout axle stubs and keep your same will lug pattern and hubs 50$

then use your rear dana 44 gears to re-gear your rear end100$

The price of the actual cherokee300$

Southern Indiana Prices would put you around 550$
Then sell your old gears and there might be enough junk left on the cherokee to part it out and break even.

In the end you will have a much better front axle and you will be able to drive highway speed without any problem.

5.38's in a D30????? Wow!!! :eek:

I own a 43 flaty, its got a buick v6, SM420, D18 with warn overdrive, d44 rear (scout width ) and a front d25 ( the d44 front is all most ready) sprung over with 1 1/2" leaves. Im running 5.38s, detroit rear, power lock front and 33s. The overdrive really helps but I never feel comfortable going over 55 or 60 on the freeway. I think the short wheel base plus the detroit in the rear makes things a little squirly. Hit the cluth grab the next gear and be prepared to change lanes:eek:. I love the old willys though, they kick ars on the trail, you wont be sorry.

I think that Jeep has 35s on it and a Toyota with 35s run 5.29 to be about stock in the rpm range. that means that at around 3000 revs the truck is going about 65, it should near the same thing with 5.38 in the Jeep, Mayby you should drive it and see if the way it drives and not the revs is that keeps the speed down. I have all Toyota running gear in my 41 Willys, and it is smooth and sweet at 70. That Jeep looks like good buy to me.
Todd