And so the question remains...

Here is some more info from the Edwardsville Intel..
12-20-45

So from this information:

The Muncie Ind (Warner Transmissions) was not supplying any transmissions to Willys Overland
from:
September 26th 1945
to:
December 20th 1945

And Willys Overland did not start back up productions until
January 2nd 1946

More to come as I find it!!
Good Golly this is fun!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

David

Sean,

I noticed the same "J2A-12" on the gear in my spare transfer case as well. It is Serial number J104978. Has a casting number of C18-15-10-3.

David,

Thanks everyone just trying to help where I can....

I have a April 1945 casting date for the transmission for CJ2A-10012.  I don't remember what the assembly date is, but I can check when I get back from Stuttgart.  At least one of the CJ-2 prototypes has a April 1945 date as well.  I can't remember which one (either CJ2-32 or CJ2-37).  I believe that Warner cast a few extras based on W-O speculation that production would start soon.

When Fred was saying the engine was assembled within 2 weeks of the casting date, he was saying this in general terms, not for the early one.  The early engines were all salvage blocks (That is why all the early ones have A and/or B suffixes on them).

Nice work on finding the articles on the strike Dave.  How did you find these?  I would love to put those articles in my early jeep documents site: 

Todd,
The site is http://www.newspaperarchive.com/
after Oakes mentioned the strike I thought hey there has got to be some info out there on this. When I found the site it tells you like a line or two of your search but not enogh to get your full answer without signing up, so I did. BEST money I have spent in years.
Once I signed up I went right in and typed  "Willys Overland Strike" then told it to look only in 1945 papers. Thats when I learned it was not the Willys employees that went on strike it was Spicer and Muncie Ind (Warner)  that went on strike and could not supply the parts to Willys so in turn Willys had to lay people off due to no parts to assemble the jeeps.

I have been thinking of this all night. I wonder just how many jeeps were sitting around partially assembled waiting for the transmissions? I wonder if they put them all the way together minus the transmissions or stopped everything.. Guess we will never know....but there is still so much to read and maybe we can find out a lot of answers.....

Dave


Edited by dav45_cj2a - 12 Sep. 2007 at 5:16pm

Dave,

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