[Attari]

On the 31st of August 2009 after nearly 4 years of searching I found and purchased my MB from a gentleman in Bhopal. The jeep had been in his possession since he was a young man and now in his 60's, he reluctantly parted with it only to satisfy his son's need for a more economical mode of transport. Thankfully he was dead against dieselization.

While the jeep was in running condition, the icing on the cake had to be the fact that this was a one owner jeep. I am sure you will agree when I say: A jeep with clean papers and background is a rarity.

I am attaching some before and after pictures.... The restoration is still under way and a lot of detailing is pending. There are a couple of obvious accessories that you might find missing, most of this is on purpose..

[SILVERWOOD]

Great looking MB.Congrats.
Good to know that it still has the Go devil side valve engine.

[Jaggu]

That's an excellent piece you have got, very fortunate to have found one with most of the original bit's intact. Congratz, looking forward to the restoration of this beauty.

[Attari]

nearly a year later, here are the 'After' pictures taken a few days ago......

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by Attari

nearly a year later, here are the 'After' pictures taken a few days ago......

I am your Fan already.

Amazing work, just love the way the jeep looks.

Detailed very very well. Congratulations once again.

[sreejeshmp]

Congrats man very neat restoration.

A Willys MB :- Owner's pride, neighbour's envy.

I love MB and I still continues my search.
- Sreejesh

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

@Attari you found this Jeep in Bhopal? Can you share the location and price if you don't mind?

Spike

[The Wolf]

Beautifully restored, congrats!!!

Surprises me, where and how did you get the Willys metal badges that are on the glove box and some other authentic stuff on the dashboard??!!!

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by Attari

nearly a year later, here are the 'After' pictures taken a few days ago......

Is it the same Jeep?? What a restoration. The detailing, especially the decals on the Oil filter and like. Mind blowing stuff. Was all the stuff there with you or did you purchased from outside. There is one decal in the Airfilter present in the before restoration pictures, missing on the after restoration.

[wasif]

Very nice Saif ....great to be able to see one very nice Jeep that too in the right hands. Looks like you have a real cool parts source, even have the first aid kit mounted underdash.

Are u planning to take it back to 6V or keep it on 12V. The current setup is gonna be condusive to daily use compared to going back to a 6V setup

How does she drive ? Do share more detailson it

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by sreejeshmp

Congrats man very neat restoration.

A Willys MB :- Owner's pride, neighbour's envy.

I love MB and I still continues my search.
- Sreejesh

+ 1 to that

Attari, this is really one of best restored jeep in terms of originality and your passion for motor shows on the finished product.

Please post the details of restoration and the work you did.

To the credit of the Original owner - he had maintained it really well and I am sure that it didn't need a real in deapth resoration as such

You have jewel in your hands!

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[Attari]

Thank you all for appreciating the jeep. Its not only encouraging but makes one proud of owning a piece of history.

The jeep is a result of patience, persistence and at one point some desperate praying ...

For all those who want an original jeep, please please dont give up looking... they are hard to come by but trust me when i say the wait is worth every heart ache you would have in the process of finding one.. If only more number of people saved jeeps rather than destroy them with conversions and modifications.

Originally Posted by SPIKE ARRESTOR

@Attari you found this Jeep in Bhopal? Can you share the location and price if you don't mind?

Spike

Yes spike the jeep is from Bhopal. I bought it from a gentleman who lives near imami gate... dont want the price to become a topic of discussion here.. will send you a PM with the details.

Originally Posted by manishalive

Is it the same Jeep?? What a restoration. The detailing, especially the decals on the Oil filter and like. Mind blowing stuff. Was all the stuff there with you or did you purchased from outside. There is one decal in the Airfilter present in the before restoration pictures, missing on the after restoration.

I nearly got thrown out of the house when the jeep came home and now i have some face to show and a roof over my head..

I honestly believe restoration is in the detail. My jeep is still far far far from being 100% but a couple of things I did to make sure she stands out besides others. The decals and the data plates.

I did start collecting parts long before i got the jeep. It was quite a joke at home.

The decal on the air filter you mention is actually an embossing and not a decal. With the filter being painted its not very visible.. Will post a picture to illustrate better. (this picture was taken while restoration was being done thus the solex carb)

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Originally Posted by Attari

The jeep is a result of patience, persistence and at one point some desperate praying ...

For all those who want an original jeep, please please dont give up looking... they are hard to come by but trust me when i say the wait is worth every heart ache you would have in the process of finding one..

Yes spike the jeep is from Bhopal. I bought it from a gentleman who lives near imami gate... dont want the price to become a topic of discussion here.. will send you a PM with the details.

@Attari, Your words above give me so much relief, I am facing a situation quite similar to you. Have been searching for Jeeps in Bhopal for quite sometime now. I have seen a few very well maintained Jeeps.

Would love to meet up with you next time I'm in Bhopal, I stay at Arera colony, Near 11 No. stop.

Spike

PS- Eagerly awaiting your PM

[Attari]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Surprises me, where and how did you get the Willys metal badges that are on the glove box and some other authentic stuff on the dashboard??!!!

The metal badges are from dataplates4u.com, Robert is the best for plates for all jeeps. He has done loads of research and has quite a fan following on g503 and other forums. His eye for detail ensure that you not only get the correct data plate for your serial number but the font of stamping is a match. I got the right attaching hardware for my model as well.

He sent me pictures of other MB plates (original take outs) that were produced around the same date as mine, and only then did he make my plates.

Originally Posted by wasif

Very nice Saif ....great to be able to see one very nice Jeep that too in the right hands. Looks like you have a real cool parts source, even have the first aid kit mounted underdash.

Are u planning to take it back to 6V or keep it on 12V. The current setup is gonna be condusive to daily use compared to going back to a 6V setup

How does she drive ? Do share more detailson it

Thank you wasif bai, the parts you see are a result of regular followups at various parts dealers in Hyderabd, Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur, Indore besides a couple of stores in the US and UK. ebay is a great source as well.......

the jeep is on 12volts and i plan to keep it that way for the time being. I use the jeep every time i go back home. in fact the last weekend she was pretty much my daily ride..

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

+ 1 to that

Attari, this is really one of best restored jeep in terms of originality and your passion for motor shows on the finished product.

Please post the details of restoration and the work you did.

To the credit of the Original owner - he had maintained it really well and I am sure that it didn't need a real in deapth resoration as such

You have jewel in your hands!

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

Hi Ram, I did quite a bit of research during the restoration. Books like the 'All American Wonder' vol 1 & vol 2 by Ray Cowdery, 'The Standardised War-Time Jeep' vol 1 & vol 2 by John Farley, TM 9-803 were a big help. Members of G503.com were a great help as well specially Rene Rovai from France.

The restoration would not have been possible without the help of Mr. Indravijay Singh of Jaipur. The jeep was done at his workshop under his supervision.

As far as the original owner goes, he really loved his jeep and it was most evident in his reluctance to part with it. The jeep was in running condition and would start in one self. I am most thankful to him for making my dream come true....

[wasif]

It is well on the way to being as close to original as possible.

Saif do let me know if you need and advice or have any queries about what goes where and why. I should be able to help on this.

Oh that quick release tensioner on the charging dynamo is a case in point. Hardly anyoen knows that it is there to make it possible to easily take off the fan belt so that you can stop the fan from running specifically when you are doing something like crossing a stream.

Hope you have found the right shovel and axe to hook up on the side

Oh and did you get the hand brake operational......that is a rather interesting situation on these old Jeeps