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Jeeps in UK


gazzaw

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Hi can anyone tell me if a GPW (or willys) jeep requires to have indicators fitted to make it road legal, even though they were not standard fit.

 

Also what lighting requirements for the rest -do I need to change the Stop/Tail/Blackout ones too to make them legal as well.

 

Anything else I need to change or fit for use in UK? and before it goes for MOT

 

Gary

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Technically you only need one tail light and one brake light. Indicators are not reqiured, but if any lights or indicators are fitted they must work. You will need two mirrors being left hand drive. A fish eye mirror is useful on the right hand side. If a windscreen opens, not drops but will open with the frame upright, you don't need wipers, but again if they are fitted they must work. The problem with an MOT on these sort of vehicles is what they DON'T need, most test places have little or no knowledge. Someone here must be able to recommend a place to you. What they want do.

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for safety it is recommended, but not necessary, if they are on the vehicle they need to work, remove original stop and tail and replaace it with a normal sevice tail light which will give you two red ruby lights, stop/tail lights, number plate light is required, some people use the front marker lights fitted to the grill used as side light/flasher. hope this is some use to you

 

Amanda

 

p.s. we use this lighting scheme on our two jeeps

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Thanks- am probably going down the route of original (NOS or repro) lights on rear, with small LED flashers -poss temporary clip in but removable for shows etc, and a temp No plate light for same. All will be perm clipped in with brackets etc but can be taken off quite easily when off road etc.

 

Am looking for reasonably priced wiring harness as well.

 

1 new wiper motor etc fitted so no problem with that -again one windscreen removed for tactical etc -unclipped from a small socket.

 

Regards

 

gary

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Hi Gary,

try and make contact with a jeep / MV owner locally who will recomend a vintage vehicle friendly garage near to you. I still have the manual operated wipers ehich usually raises concernes at most MOT stations.

There are many anomalies to the test i.e i never let them test the hand brake on a roling road :nono: it is not designed for it, the place i use has a floor mounted gadget they place in the jeep (cant remember what it is called) to test the efficiency of the braking system you drive a short distance and gently apply the brakes to get the required reading.

 

Ashley

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remember if you have indicators then you have to have a drivers tell tale so I'm told

 

There are many anomalies to the test i.e i never let them test the hand brake on a roling road :nono: it is not designed for it /quote]

 

I had my jeep mot'd at dallas auto's and after they done the normal brakes on the rolling road, he yanked on the handbrake which locked the rear wheels and popped it off the rollers. surprised me :shocked: after a couple of very experienced mechanics said it shouldn't be done that way. couldn't fault them for anything else though.

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My MOT station won't test the handbrake on the rolling road as it may snap the rear halfshafts. My tester has experience with early Landrovers which apparently had this design feature.

 

Last time we did a brake check, we went on the rolling road and tested the service brakes and had a jolly in the car park with a "G" meter. The phrase was "I can feel them working.":-D

 

Most pragmatic testers realise that the jeep is not an everyday vehicle and treat it as it should be. My advice would be to use an MOT shop who either do a lot of agricultural 4x4 or have an HGV testing facility. Gross generalisation, but in my opinion, these testers see a wider variety of vehicles and are very pragmatic whilst also staying legal.

 

Gazza, if you are in or near to Cambridgeshire PM me and I can let you know who I use.

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I will say that every time i have had the jeep tested i have been met with positive and interested attitude wether the tester was young or of the older variety.

Though at one station which i had used for a couple of years, with the normal tester on a day off the appointed tester walked down the pit and said "F*** me look at all these f,,,ing moving parts to inspect though he grudinly passed the vehicle after much pulling and tugging of the steering componements.....needles to say i have never used that garage since :nono:

 

Ashley

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thanks, am a bit far -in glasgow, but will see who uses mot stations near myself

 

gary

 

 

Hi do you still have a local bus station, council depot with a Mot station ??? as these do not oficially cary out repairs to the private sector they are not bound to give a failiure notice in the hope of picking up the corrective work.

 

Just a thought.

 

Ashley

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I read these answers with great interest over the years I have had my jeep MOT'd at many garages. One time at a Garage that specialised in trucks at the time I had an oil seal gone on the transfer case, coating the handbrake band, the testers solution was to put the handbrake on and drive around until the oil caught fire put out the fire then test the hand brake. But again it's not a handbrake it's a parking brake!

 

Also I once had some advice concerning hand windscreen wipers if there's aproblem take the windscreen off.

 

An old MV hand once told me the oil leaks are there to show you've got some oil in there.

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I read these answers with great interest over the years I have had my jeep MOT'd at many garages. One time at a Garage that specialised in trucks at the time I had an oil seal gone on the transfer case, coating the handbrake band, the testers solution was to put the handbrake on and drive around until the oil caught fire put out the fire then test the hand brake. But again it's not a handbrake it's a parking brake!

 

Also I once had some advice concerning hand windscreen wipers if there's aproblem take the windscreen off.

 

An old MV hand once told me the oil leaks are there to show you've got some oil in there.

If a windscreen opens in the frame it don't need wipers. If fitted they must work. The old joke with landy's is if there not dripping, top the oil up.

You also don't need reflectors on the back.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 



 

What were the front marker lights used for?

 

A quick search of google revealed lots of references to front marker lights for other (new) vehicles!?!?!

 

The original marker lamps on the Jeep were convoy marker, 'side lights' more properly called 'Front Position indicators' are supposed to disclose the width of the vehicle, All became an irrelevance in about 1970 when it was decreed that headlamps had to be positioned on the outside wing, exact millimutters from edge are about somewhere. Side lights are not supposed to exceed 5 watts. Mind you modern halogen etc, 5 watts can give an awful lot of Lux, or Lumen or Candela, or how ever else you describe Bl88dy bright. acouple of discreet LED's on the edge can save a lot of embarresment and brown stained driver seats. Bear in mind a lot of the loons out there cant see a bus lit up like a Christmas tree. Jeeps carry lights and reflectors that were' Required by legislation at the time and place of manufactuer'. Any additions to the vehicle, indicators etc MUST work. For instance I saw a Volkswagen Beetle today , with operational SEMAPHORE indicators. This means the vehicle must have been built before 1960! The index plate did bear this out.

Edited by Tony B
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