Type: 1/4 Ton 4x4 Truck Government Number: G503 Model: GPW Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company Date of Delivery: 23 April 1942 Serial Number: 21987 Hood Number: 20106987* |
Front view of 21987, above photo. GPW 21987 was produced under the Sixth Ford Contract - Number W-398-QM-11424. This was the 6,987th vehicle produced under this contract of 63,146 GPWs. GPW 21987 was accepted on April 23rd 1942. 11,159 GPWs were produced in the month of April 1942, the highest production month of GPWs during the entire Second World War. The cost for each GPW in this contract was $925.00. GPW 21987 is believed to have been produced at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Much of this vehicle has been modified during post-war use. The front bumper has been removed, the "Ford" script rear body has been removed and a primitive cargo bed added for farm use. Although very rough looking, this vehicle is a very good candidate for restoration. |
Passenger side of 21987, above left photo. Most of the original issued accessories are missing as well as the windshield and rear body. The original combat wheels are also missing. Engine compartment, above right photo. The original Ford engine has been replaced with an early Willys MB engine. Small accessories are still present: Air Cleaner with brackets, Cross Over Tube and Voltage Regulator. The grill is the early production style that does not have a "dent" in the center. The "dent" was added to provide clearance for the seam in the center of the hood. This early style Grill was used from the start of production through April 1942. |
Inside Hood, above left photo. This GPW has brackets added to the inside of the hood for the lubrication chart. This is a field modification. Engine rebuild plate, above right photo. On the drivers' side of the Willys MB Engine is a war-time rebuild plate. This engine was rebuilt on April 6th 1944. |
The Engine in GPW 21987 is an early Willys MB Engine, above left photo. The serial number on the engine is MB-130359, which was produced roughly March 26th 1942. Close-up of the Ford Production Data Plate, right photo. From the start of production through the summer of 1942, the Ford GPW used this style of brass data plate. |
The rear body panel on this GPW would have had the "Ford" script embossed on the drivers' side rear of the body tub. This marking discontinued in late July of 1942 around serial number 50,000. Additionally, this GPW did not have a trailer receptacle. The trailer receptacle was introduced the end of September 1942. This GPW did not have a liquid container carrier, introduced the end of January 1943 or a fender mounted blackout light, introduced in October 1942. Other features used in early production GPWs were rubber windshield bumpers on the hood and rubber transmission boots. |
* The hood number for GPW 21987 mathematically should be 20106987. This is based on Ford GPW production numbers relative to the U.S. Army registration numbers assigned to that group of vehicles. Not all vehicles were accepted in sequential order. Some vehicles were used for testing by the factory, and others had production flaws and were accepted later. These vehicles were not assigned a registration number, so there are gaps in the mathematical process. |