Robert U’Ren of Willys Jeep UK shares some of his helpful fixes and tips on buying, selling, repairing and recommissioning World War Two and Hotchkiss Jeeps
I recently got tempted into purchasing a non-running project Jeep that had been imported from California. This is definitely not my normal choice of Jeep as I don’t relish a big restoration project that takes months rather than days or weeks. But, I was completely seduced by the old unrestored original look of it.
Ideally, I like to buy Jeeps from the UK, especially the Hotchkiss Jeeps as they are generally in excellent mechanical order and have very little rust. There are usually a few fixes to do before they are ready for re-sale, but I can usually fix them up nicely with just a few full days spent tinkering in my workshop.
I don’t know much of this particular Jeep’s history, but it seems to have passed through a few owners in the UK before landing with me. I’m guessing it spent many decades out in the USA, and had been abandoned outdoors judging by the old mud dauber wasps’ nests stuck to the underside and quite a few nut shells were wedged in the crevasses around the engine bay.
When I was negotiating to buy it, the seller assured me that t…
