How to get started with  your restoration
The following rules may come in handy if you are about to start with your first jeep restoration project. Everyone has his own working methods, but the following points are discovered the hard way by a lot of those who did it all before you. Clearly you're not obliged to follow them but don't forget there is a reason to publish this info. Read, learn and enjoy!

Rule # 1: Join an MV Club
This is the first thing you should do, preferably even before you aquired your vehicle. The reason is you will get into a circuit in which knowledge, parts etc. are avaiable; things that are hard to come by for an outsider. It is also great fun, with parades, rallies, traildriving etc. There are a large number of local and international MV clubs (like the MVPA), each with their own philosofies regarding the wearing of uniforms and weapons etc. in your vehicle so you are bound to find one you like.

Rule # 2: Buy appropriate Literature
Needless to say this is really important. There are a lot of jeep-books available, but not all are usable for a restoration. You should get all the TM's regarding your vehicle you can get; reprints are easy to come by. There are a couple of outstanding books specially dedicated to the restoration of jeeps, but "All American Wonder" (2 vols.) by Ray Cowdery are the ones to start with. They contain a wealth of information early restorers didn't even dare to dream of, and they are their price more than worth. Other very good books regarding the restoration are "Essential military jeep - Willys, Ford & Bantam" by Graham Scott and "Jeep: Bantam-Willys- Ford" by Emile Becker and Guy Dentzer (at this time only in French; English version expected soon) mainly because of their illustrations. More info regarding these books and various TM's can be found on my bookshelf-page. A lot of free avaiable information about jeeps can be found on the internet, such as this site, or the other sites that can be found on my link-page. Make sure to check them all so you'll know what stuff is usefull to you; for all sorts of little facts about jeeps see my jeepfacts-page.

Rule # 3: Photograph Everything
This is the first thing you should do when you've got you new toy at home. Take pics from all corners, try to get as much parts as possible on them. Not only some nice pics of a jeep to show off in the keg, but mainly detailed pics of small area's - lot's of them! Like I said, try to get every hook and corner of the vehicle on celluloid and be generous with films, because you are going to need those pics as a reference more than you ever could have imagened.

Rule # 4: Label the Parts
When you're in the proces of dismantling the vehicle it is tempting to just throw everything in a box. This will cost you a lot of time later during the building-up. You should label every part you get of the vehicle with info like what it is, where it came from and how it was fitted. This may seem obvious and a waste of time now but you are bound to forget some things later on you will remember when it's to late and you will have to do the whole thing again. Also try to take a pic of every part. Digital camera's are getting cheaper and they would be great help during the restoration.

Rule # 5: Throw Away Nothing
Broken parts are used as an example for new ones or even to make a new one yourself. You would feel quite stupid if you throw away some part only to discover 2 days later new ones aren't available or cost a fortune while you could have made a new one yourself. Besides, even in your eyes wrecked parts can perhaps be repaired or parts of it re-used. This also counts for non-original parts you may encounter: perhaps they can be sold or traded.