Ivor Ramsden

Thanks for the suggestions, chaps. Cliff at Universal Jeep doesn't have them any more (but I still spent lots of money with him!) It looks like I'll be doing a bit of metal bashing unless anybody else can come up with something?

Bumping this up. Surely somebody has a dead Jeep tub or knows somebody who has? I'm nearly ready to paint but I don't want to do that until I've got the brackets fitted.

Yes, that's correct.

You'll need a gauge with a capillary tube fitting rather than an electrical one. I think they are always female thread but I don't know if they are all the same. Not much help, really. Sorry.

I'm working on a 1943 Willys Jeep which has had a new rear panel fitted in the past. Whoever fitted it very carefully cut off the triangular reinforcement panels but didn't replace them. Does anybody have a pair that they could spare? Surely somebody must have a tub that is beyond saving. They have a kink in the middle which makes it difficult to reproduce them without a press or greater hammer and dolly skills than I possess! These are what I'm looking for:

Thanks Chris. I prefer used parts to match the existing patina but if nothing comes up I'll buy new.

Complete torque spring assembly needed for Willys MB - spring, shackles and bolts. Can anybody spare one please? I also need a left hand front Willys spring in useable condition.

It's Corporal Robinson's service number.

Try white spirit or WD-40.

AC Sphinx 87S is one of the original fitments. The Green Spark Plug Co website, linked above by MatchFusee, lists them and cheaper equivalents.

'fraid not. They are just as in your photo.

Thanks for that, Lauren, I've got a pair of these in store and I didn't know what they were.

I've had a look through Dick Taylor's "Warpaint" Vol. 3 but I can't find a wartime unit using 286. 386 in your first post was allocated to a medium artillery regiment of 2nd Army Troops.

264522 is a late 1943 Willys MB chassis number. The M264522 number which you quote as its army number must have been applied by a previous owner because it's the same as the chassis number. British M-prefix census numbers were never the same as chassis numbers and on Jeeps they were almost always 7-digit numbers. Is it ex-British army or has somebody just put a British M number on it?

The alloy inlet manifold and SU carb are Series 1 Land-Rover, or at least the manifold is. The SU carb is a modification to replace the original Solex.

Most of the oil seals are standard Imperial sizes, Martyn. I got all of ours online without any difficulty. You need these measurements in inches: the diameter of the housing that the seal presses into, the diameter of the shaft that it seals, and the thickness of the seal itself.

That's a mighty splendid example of Tegenaria gigantea, a worthy guardian of the Morris clutch housing. Tegenaria gigantea is the Latin name for ****ing big spider.

I'm with Arcot on this. I can't remember the last time I heard of any leaf sprung Land-Rover rolling during normal driving. They have a low centre of gravity and, if Rover's publicity is to be believed, will tilt to 45 degrees without tipping over. Safe driving!

Aye, MatchFuzee, 15% buyer's commission is right. I was looking at the rate for automobilia. Oops. Maybe the seller's commission is less than 25% on vehicles too - it does seem to be a bit steep. I wonder just how much the seller took home.

I'm starting to negotiate over the price of a running MB which needs lots of work to make it original. Unfortunately the seller is aware of the Bonham's sale prices so we're about £13000 apart in terms of price. £13000 apart! Somehow I don't think it will become mine. Edit: I've just been looking at Bonham's fees and, if I've worked them out correctly, the seller would have received something like £13,500 for the Jeep after the extraction of the buyer's premium of 25%, seller's commission of 25% and a warranty fee of 1.5%. I don't know if the £23,000 included the 20% VAT on the buyer's premium. If it did, that would have been another £900 or so out of the seller's pocket. Phew! Who'd sell at auction? Maybe I'm back in with a chance. The MB that I'm looking at is nowhere near as tidy as the Bonham's one, nor does it have any history to speak of.

The parts list isn't illustrated other than for sectional diagrams of the engine, gearbox and axles. It's nothing like the sort of thing you'll use at work so it's not much use as a basis for refabricating anything. If you need detail photos or measurements of a C9B I can help you.

What's the Manx registered motor that's in the background?

There are regular flights from Gloucester and Bristol!

Come to the Isle of Man and measure ours!

Nope, you're reading too much into my question. I was just asking for an idea of value because I haven't a clue what M38s are worth. Thanks for the comparison with a mint Hotchkiss, it's a great help.