Repro v Original, spotting the difference!

[Powdermonkey52]

Hi all, 

Apologies if this is a stupid newbie question but hey I guess that's exactly what this section of the forum is for!!

So I've been looking around online for Ford GPW parts and have noticed that some reproduction parts are stamped with the Ford 'F mark'. So my question is, is there any way of being able to tell if parts are genuine WW2 Ford F marked pieces or actually reproduction parts!? I guess I'm mainly thinking about eBay sales where some sellers either may try to pass reproduction parts off as original, or simply don't know they are repro and therefore don't list them as such!

My guess is there probably isn't any way to know without them being either sealed in a NOS Ford parts box or actively sold as being reproduction parts!?

Thanks in advance, Nick

[David Herbert]

Hi Nick,

I think that you have pretty well answered your own question. The only real way to tell is to have an absolutely encyclopedic knowledge of whatever vehicle you are interested in. It is not made any easier that many of the vehicles that we are interested in continued to be used by the military for many years so parts were purchased locally that with use and sixty years of patina are very hard to sort out from original parts. Also, original genuine parts were often made by more than one sub contractor and were not exactly identical but were completely correct and interchangeable.

I think that a degree of pragmatism is appropriate here. We can only do the best that we can. Any restoration is a learning experience and however much effort you put in someone will try to comment. Just do the best that you can. At least with jeeps there is a huge body of knowledge now but you must be selective in what you believe.

Jeeps are great fun, usable vehicles that a normal (ish) person can restore to a very good standard. Enjoy the journey!

David

[Powdermonkey52]

Hi David,

Thanks for the reply.

Haha, yes, I had a feeling I may have answered my own question but was interested to hear the thoughts of everyone with more experience in this world of MV restoration than myself!

I think you're right in your point about needing a degree of pragmatism. I plan to, as much as physically possible, restore a Jeep to 'original' (yes as I've discovered already this is another debate entirely, as I want to use as many Ford parts as possible but if I can only find the Willys part then I'm fine with that!). But I have no interest in buying modern made parts on which someone has stamped an 'F' script but it was made yesterday and not in the Ford factory in the 1940s. I'd far rather, if needing to buy a modern repro part, make it obvious that it is so than pretend it isn't! 

4 hours ago, David Herbert said:

Jeeps are great fun, usable vehicles that a normal (ish) person can restore to a very good standard. Enjoy the journey!

Thanks very much, I'm already having fun trying to research British Jeeps and tracking down parts!

Nick

[sirhc]

I think you’ll find there are very few original parts left, and buying new parts will be your only option I’m afraid!

[jenkinov]

The advantage in restoring popular vehicles is that in essence every but or bolt is available.. By popular i mean ..the Morris minor..mgb. Or thankfully the jeep.

If we concentrate on the jeep. Willyss mb or Ford gpw you can get the parts lists and over 80 percent of the jeep can be purchased new..engine blocks were always an issue but in the last few years .. Cast engines blocks are now available ....

The challenge has always been the quality of parts..this issue is common to all classic car owners .. Which vary dramatically ....I needed a new transmission lock cable . Ordered one which looked fine . In fact a very good quality reproduction ..but when I installed it . It pulled on fine but when I tried to release it the cable kinked .a detailed examination showed the original cable wire had twice the twists or strength over the replacement. I ended up rebuilding the original unit and binning the replacement . I have purchased distributor caps . Ht leads. Contacts off eBay and literally had to throw them in the bin when they failed within hours of use.. Getting quality parts becomes your no1 priority ..or you can spend months fixing issues they create.

Jenkinov

 

[Rootes75]

I have bought cheap replacement coils from ebay, gone through 2 before I bit the bullet and bought a proper replacement from a well known vintage supplier.

So yes go for replacements but be wary when it comes to price and quality.

[sirhc]

I guess most people who have restored a Jeep have a box of junk parts, I certainly do... Grab handles which don’t fit, oil hoses which leak, fuel sender which never worked, finding out which parts are good and who supplies them gets expensive!

[jenkinov]

Sirhc

Fully agree . A few years back I decided to get ahead on my vehicle maintenance and replace the plug.Contacts iT leads . Distributor cap coil etc.....oil filters ...at the end i felt I had completed a thorough service and keep me going for the show season ahead .

Well it transpired it was the worst season i had ever had .. The jeep broke down with regularity and I missed shows with regularity . I struggled to find the faulty part ....but eventually identified it was nearly all of them.

In the end I removed all the parts i had fitted . Binned them and sourced some excellent quality parts and the jeep has run perfectly since..the new parts were a mix of french  and American manufacture

However I did 're learn a lesson...change parts one at a time 

Jenkinov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Powdermonkey52]

These are some of the exact reasons I am keen, as much as possible, to avoid reproduction parts. Whilst I am sure some modern repro parts are excellent it is becoming more and more obvious to me the more I research this project that some really are not up to scratch, whether they be electrical items or body panels!

All adds to the fun of the hunt for parts I guess!