INDOCANADIAN JEEP CLUB RESTORING WARTIME HISTORY
Group's membership may be small, but its collection of classic WWII-era vehicles isn't
The Indocanadian Jeep Club doesn’t have a website, regular meetings or a lot of members. But they sure have a lot of fun. The group of eight enthusiasts attending a summer car show south of Vancouver had its barbecue going and picnic lunch laid out. They shared soft drinks and animated conversation as they sat alongside each other on folding lawn chairs.
An amazing array of restored wartime Jeeps and trailers were parked in front of the men. The quality and detail of these restorations seemed flawless. Many of the Jeeps were fully equipped with army gear and some armaments. Many were towing military trailers that were loaded with equipment and appeared battle-ready. Most of the Jeeps and trailers have been restored in home garages with club members swapping their knowledge and expertise.
“All the farms in India have these Jeeps,” says Kam Mann, owner of an immaculate 1943 Ford GPW. “They were like part of the family. We would never sell our Jeeps.”
The Willys MB and Ford GPW — commonly known as Jeeps, short for General Purpose — were highly successful off-road-capable military utility vehicles built in high numbers to a standardized design, from 1941 to 1945. This was the world’s first mass-produced four-wheel drive vehicle, with an estimated 650,000 put into service.
Long-distance trucker Sukh Riar towers over his 1953 Willys CJ3B, representing the first year of a civilian Jeep model that was built up to 1964. At best, he is able to work on his Jeep in his home garage one day a week. Often he trucks out of town for two weeks at a time. He is now restoring a 1942 Willys 6X6.
“I spent one year alone rebuilding the chassis,” he says of the 6x6. “There are only two of these in the world, so I have to research everything to make the restoration as authentic as possible.”
He does all aspects of the restoration himself, including the welding and painting.
Romy Swatch, with eight restored military Jeeps along with matching trailers, has a wide array of wartime memorabilia, including armaments. He shows one of his Jeeps with a decommissioned submachine-gun mounted in place and has a Howitzer, hand grenades and other field artillery — that can’t be triggered.
“I have dreamed of Jeeps since I was very young and had toy Jeeps to play with,” he recalls from his childhood in India.
He came to Canada in 1993 and started working in a Subway restaurant. Three years later, he bought the franchise. He now has 11 restaurants in the Fraser Valley.
He says the giant Indian steel company Mahindra began assembling Jeeps in 1953. But there were many wartime Jeeps left in Europe that ended up in India.
Swatch has been able to buy his eight Jeeps locally. His favourites were built from 1941 through 1943, with the 1941 “slat grille” model featuring straight up and down grille bars topping the collectible list. It marks the start of production for wartime Jeeps.
“We all know each other and help with the restorations,” Swatch says of the group dedicated to the restoration of military Jeeps. He researches authenticity with books and manuals.
His restorations are done professionally by a shop in Aldergrove. He has so many Jeeps in his garages that he is now seeking more storage.
When asked when the Jeep collecting will end, he says: “It’s just beginning. I’m looking at a package deal right now with two Jeeps: a 1942 model and a 1953, which are two of the most collectible models.”