WHY OWN A CCKW?

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Joe Gopan
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WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:42 am

We all love the Jeep, and many are lucky enough to own one, they are a classic and represent an era starting with the greatest generation of WWII. Some of us enjoy having more than one MV, the choice appears to be tied to the generation the collector wishes to represent. Many of the younger generation are familiar with the recent types of MVs that are tied to the present generation, Humvees, Mutts, and Blazer, others find the Korean War era more to their liking and seek an M-38, M-37, M-35 etc.
My favorite time is from WWII, I am a Vietnam era Veteran, and can relate to WWII trucks well as our business was located directly across from the busy WWII-Korean War era Dow Field in the 40s-50s. WWII trucks and equipment were constantly coming and going from the Main Gate to the off post Base Supply, Ammo Dump and MARS Site located less than a mile away,., CCKWs, Diamond T 6X6, Beiderman 6X6 Trucks, 5 Ton 4X4 Auto Car and 4X2 IH Tractors with fuel Trailers, Clarktor Tugs, and the occasional Cletrac would appear almost daily.
Jeeps have been part of my every day life since the end of WWII, so has the CCKW. These trucks mean different things to different collectors, and to me they are like returning WWII veterans, I saw many returning home to their doorsteps lugging their Duffle Bags, B-4 Bags and Sea Bags, those were happy times, so were the sights of the factory fresh MVs of the 40s and the various warplanes overhead and parked just a few feet away at the base. I was taught how to to ride my bike in 1948 by Sgt Joe Strang, US Army Heavyweight Boxing Champion who was stationed across the street and frequented our business.
I have had a Jeep under me ever since, but needed something else to satisfy the MV appetite, a Closed Cab SWB fit the bill.
The CCKW is a bit more complicated than the Jeep, it is larger, has more parts, is more expensive to maintain. Did you know there were nearly as many CCKWs as WWII Jeeps? 562,750 CCKWs. Owning and maintaining the CCKW as well as my other MVs helps me hone the MV maintenance skills that our old mechanics preached as well as continue to practice the excellent MV maintenance technique and schedules that the Army Wheeled Vehicle and Ordnance Schools taught me so well nearly 50 years ago , the hobby is fun and results in 100% turnkey military vehicles if one works hard at it. Uncle Sam was fun to serve and he was good to me, I remember everything like it was yesterday.
Our business employed several mechanics in the 40s-60s, all were WWII army mechanics with many tales to tell about their time spent with these WWII vehicles. I always wanted a CCKW and in 1983 I contacted my old family friend Seymore Sinett, owner of Supreme Surplus in New Jersey. Seymore was one of the original large surplus dealers who started business in 1945 and a vendor of ours from then until his passing in 1986. Seymore located a nice SWB CCKW in Denmark for me and it arrived by boat in December 1983.
The CCKW is a great truck, I was lucky to have accumulated spares gathered from our business over the years and from the dozens of contacts established in our our parts business, by the time I got my own CCKW in 1983, I had most everything needed to put it back to original WWII condition.
Owning a CCKW is a great experience, it takes part in parades, generates fond memories to Veterans that served in its' time, and makes new friends and contacts in the MV collectors world.
We all need special parts for our trucks and that is where the friends come in, many of the older collectors have accumulated private stashes of rare parts and practice a two way street of helping fellow collectors that in turn do the same. It may take a new collector a few frustrating years to get established with others, but it will pay off. I could not have completed my CCKW any other way.

PS:
It helps to belong to a good MVPA Chapter, I belong to the RED BALL TRANSPORT of Pennsylvania, a fine group of fellow collectors with much CCKW and larger Army truck ownership and experience. Although the Red Ball Transport Chapter is 500 miles away from me, the mutual support is still great, they have assisted me in transporting an MBT from California to Maine, a CCKW Cab from Wisconsin to New Jersey, and a GMC 270 from Maine to New York to New Jersey to Maine, that is great support from a gentleman club. Most CCKW owners are very friendly, and will take the time to tell you all about the CCKW, be prepared for a long winded history tho. :wink:
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:00 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:44 pm

My CCKW was manufactured in May 1941, I am really not into displaying my MVs with items depicting combat scenarios, but enjoy the history of WWII DOW Field, which was under construction during 1941-1942.
My friend an mentor William F Knight joined the US Army in 1940 and was assigned to Quartermaster Corps as a mechanic. He trained at Camp Holabird to be a mechanic and was assigned to the 30th Quartermaster Regiment. In June 1941 while the base was still under construction, his unit convoyed from Langley Field VA to DOW Field ME in their CCKW trucks in order to support bombers that were flying anti sub patrol off Maine.
Bill served 66 months in WWII US and North Africa. He went back in the service after WWII and retired as a Navy Chief.
He is still serving his country as leader of the famous Troop Greeters at Bangor International Airport, on 24 hour call and has personally met 4000 flights since 1991.
I plan to mark the doors on my CCKW cab with his 1941 Quartermaster unit.
Bill's WWII history can be found by googling William F Knight, Quartermaster. Bill had no idea that his town of Emmitsburg MD had him on their WWII Honor Roll website.
Hopefully, I will get a pic of him and my truck on here soon.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Mon Apr 03, 2017 8:32 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by clintm20 » Thu Aug 13, 2009 2:56 pm

Great post, thanks for sharing that information it is very interesting. The first time I remember seeing a cckw was at SECO in the mid 70's. It is such a classic. I think of it as the C-47 of the Army.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by BillyClanton » Fri Aug 14, 2009 1:21 am

Good post, Ben. I like the CCKW closed cab too. Thats why I chose my Chevy G506, because it looks exactly like a SWB CCKW with only one rear axle. Less upkeep & easier to store.
Ben, I see that they are liquidating Memphis Equip. up your way/ Is the one in Memphis still operating?
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Aug 14, 2009 3:51 am

Sign of the times, it was my favorite vendor, well organized, with the best employees anywhere. They had a 50% off sale in 99 to reduce the inventory of slower moving WWII items as M-Series became the major draw in the parts business, a few dealers responded by taking advantage. I bought some choice items such as whatever CCKW sheetmetal, exhaust pipes, NOS hard to find small parts that made a difference and especiallytheir inventory of NOS 1989 dated Die Cast CCKW cCarburetors. It wasn't too many years that the collectors bug caught on due to the proliferation of European CCKWs that they realized they were a bit hasty. There are good pickings to be found, but the Engines, Gearboxes,, Wheels, Axle Parts, Sheetmetal, Canvas, Seats, Windshields, and all the things that make a WWII Armytruck look like one are gone.
M-Series stuff, especially for M-37 is also scarce-no major sheetmetal.
They will have a good sale tho,there are still some rare uncataloged items that they did not dig into to inventory. They were the most nicest and most efficient supplier of Army parts. The main branch is still doing fine. In the good days of surplus, they were stragically located to take advantage od the surplus at Letterkenny and Mechanicsburg. Those days are gone. They were great and practiced a two way street, I even wholesaled parts to them and they kept an eye out for WWII items. My last prize was a NOS Ben Hur Tarp 3 years ago. There will be tons of parts and lots of buyers. If a person is looking for that one missing CCKW, M-5H6, WC or Autocar 4X4 part, it may be just a sightseeing trip. I will not be going, but would like to.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Aug 14, 2009 4:46 am

The hardest part about restoring a complete CCKW that looks and runs fine is getting in the mood to take it apart to inspect and recondition.
The greatest motivator to restore is to get the pile of scattered parts back together so that it can once more be a CCKW.
The sight of 60 odd pieces of open cab, plus all the other hundreds of items of nomenclature were more than enough to get me going, it took two summer seasons to get it back on the road. 24 more years of PM and tweaking here and there with an occasional addition of a small missing item, it is still 100% turnkey with no letdowns. The Open Cab became a Closed Cab in late 2007 thanks to the many friends in the hobby that helped it become a reality. It took lots of money too.Mil-Spec did a beautiful job of restoring the 1574 Cab that Army Cars USA provided. The cab project was made successful by those that dipped into their NOS spares to come up with NOS seats, windshield hardware, firewall padding, hinges, door glass, rubber gas pedals, misc brackets, dashboard hardware, floor seals, etc. I dug into my stuff too, Mark Norman got my last NOS Olive Drab Hard Rubber Steering Wheel to use on his early CCKW, the items he sent were priceless. Mil-Spec did all the hard work, I also let them install the fibreglass headliner, Jim Gilmore is an expert at that. Eric Kosalko painted my Uncle Joe's name and rank on the drivers door along with the "Rangers" insignia. Bob Rubino delivered the cab on one of his trips to Maine. What was nice was that Bob, Jim and Eric offered to drive over 1000 miles on a Saturday just to BS and lift the cab onto the chassis for me. It was not necessary, I had a contractor with a boom truck a mile down the road. My CCKW is finally what I always wanted it to be-a closed cab model. There is one drawback to a closed cab CCKW, they are hot in warm weather, but worth it.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by AZ Jeff » Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:44 pm

I bought the Boniface/Jeudy book The GMC -- A Universal Truck thirty years ago as a teenager and still have it. I've had a soft spot (my head) for that WW2 classic ever since. Unfortunately, space and geography have kept me from ever bringing one home. The thought of buying eleven 7.50-20 NDTs is also unappealing (seven on the AFKX was bad enough...).

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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:34 am

CCKW is a very reliable truck, Bob Rubino drove his SWB 1650 miles round trip to Evansville Convention and back.-0 problems, the trip down was in driving rain, and that is dedication with an Open Cab without doors installed.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:24 pm

A well maintained CCKW will "talk to you" as it's components build up mileage and wear. Once the truck is back to GI issue condition and serviced to the tolerances per the TMs the sounds it makes at various speeds and loads will become familiar to you, and your ears will be tuned for changes.
Some symptoms that signal attention is needed are audible. A "whump, "whump", "whump" noise coming from the rear is usually due to differences in tire size between the intermediate and rear axle, the gears in the two differentials are resisting each other and trying to turn at different speeds, torsion is continually built up and released as the tires scuff away. This usually is evident at speeds over 30-35mph and is annoying. I installed a mixture of NOS GI Issue Uniroyals and NOS 750X20 NDT Canadian Army issue Uniteds that I bought in the 90s. The Uniroyals were 7/8" less diameter than the Uniteds, and I mixed the two brands on the rear axle with the smaller Uniroyal on the outside. The truck had axle noise at 35mph+ and telescoped the noise forward thru the gearboxes. I stock new STA brand 750X20 tires mounted on wheels already to go, and exchanged the STA wheels and Tires for the two Uniroyals on the outside rear axle and the truck is quiet again. Running two different diameter tires on the same hub will also cause scuffing between those two tires.
The STA 750X20 NDT is within the 1/4" diameter tolerance as stated in the military TMs and match up to the United brand NDT diameter.

A bad tire match on the rear axles of the CCKW can drive the experts nuts, by the time they are done, they have checked for worn U-Joints, bent drive shafts, excess play in differentials, loose torque rods, loose transfer mounting, worn transfer case bearings, had drive shafts balanced, checked tire pressure, etc. It can drive one nuts.

Correct tire inflation is a must. Purchasers of new NDTs will note a sticker on the tread indicating the inflation pressure to follow, always follow the inflation pressure listed in the CCKW TMs. Too much can be unsafe and will cause excess wear, and possibly front axle shimmy.

On top of all this it makes a difference if the CCKW has the Closed Cab or Open Cab. The Closed Cab CCKW is like driving in a sound chamber as the noises reverberate thruout the cab. My CCKW had an Open Cab the first 24 years I owned and drove it, and it was not until I installed a restored Closed Cab that the noises became became apparant. Early Closed Cab CCKW's had padded rubber floormats installed at the factory which will alleviate powertrain noises. There is a NOS rubber Floormat on the shelf waiting installation. It takes about a month to flatten a rolled up NOS CCKW mat, that is next on my schedule.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Sun Aug 16, 2009 9:08 pm

Which is more fun to drive Jeep or CCKW? That is not really an issue as the vehicles are not toys but living history that are used as a symbol of our nations WWII transportation might. The fun part is getting the chance to display them in original GI Issue condition to the public.

There are, however, sobering thoughts that go along with owning a CCKW, my high school ROTC Instructor, M/SGT Paul Sutherland told of seeing a CCKW in Korea that had just had the rear chassis blown off, was afire, and being propelled by the front end, the driver had most of his skin burned off and was still trying to drive the truck. He died moments later. I usually save those memories for Memorial Day.
I can remember seeing a CCKW communications van at Dow Field in my home town thru 1957, it made an almost daily trip to the off post MARS Site. I learned last year that it was driven by longtime friend Don Gaudreau who was a Communications Specialist at Dow before he shipped to Wheelus in Tripoli. I occasionally enjoy a coffee or two with him and listen to his tale of how much better the new M-Series 6X6 Reo van was that he drove overseas. I agree with him.
Our SAAB mechanic in the late 50s-early 60s was Bob Woodworth, a former Sikorsky Tech Rep. He was part of the occupation forces in Europe after WWII and told of driving a CCKW loaded with ammunition up a mountain road when the porcelin blew out of a sparkplug. Our other mechanic, Dave McQuarrie told of hauling CCKW's loaded with German POWs and having them try to tip the truck by swaying back and forth. Too bad we cant back up a few years in order to hear more war stories about our favorite vehicles while they were still fresh in the memories of the veterans.
The last active duty Army G-508 I saw was in 1960, it was a CCW 6X4 painted white with a Garbage Packer Body and was assigned to Ft Devens. The last active USAF CCKW I saw was the K-52 Van that the MARS unit at Dow AFB had in 1961.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:35 am

What is special is that many of the spares I have for CCKW were surplused at my hometown Dow Air Force Base during the 40's and 50's, and they are now part of my CCKW SWB restoration. The mid 50s were good years for obtaining spares for Jeeps, CCKW and other WWII MVs as the Air Force was transitioning to M-Series and plenty of WWII parts were being disposed of. Apparantly there was no need to turn them back to Depots for further use as they were obsolete. I had a good supply of NOS CCKW parts such as BO Markers and misc gauges, closed Cab Seat Cushions, Doors, Fenders, Windshields, Engine and Driveline items which lasted me thru the 80s which sure helped in my MV restorations.
I noticed many of the post war USAF CCKWs such as Airfield Tankers had the GMC manufactured hot water heaters installed along with the Arctic Cab enclosures on existing Open Cab models. USAF Bases in the North do get cold and windy at times. Many of the CCKWs at Dow Field ended their lives in the woods of Maine.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Sat May 25, 2013 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Aug 17, 2009 7:59 pm

The blessed event of MV ownership is the moment the vehicle is able to start and stop on its own, the first ride is prescious. The icing on the cake is the final finishing touches, the OD paint is dry and your vehicle is ready for the USA Registration and unit markings.
The Danish Army made it easy for CCKW owners by stamping the USA Registration on top of the RH frame horn just behind the bumper. For 24 years I was content with the USA# stenciled via paint mask using flat white enamel. TM9 Ordnance changed all that with the development of their authentic Lustreless Blue Drab Enamel in spray cans. The CCKW now looks like a million bucks with the USA Registration done in period GM 4" font and the correct Blue Drab color.
There is always some little detail that can be improved upon, a restoration is never really done, is it? I have been observing CCKWs for better than 6 decades, some were still active with the USAF, others were National Guard. Many of these trucks had the TP and MAX SPEED stenciled on the dash in 1 " size lettering, others did not. It is really not all that necessary to stencil all those little 1" reminders, but they do look nice if done sparingly. As Mil Spec was nearing completion of my Closed Cab, Bob Rubino asked if I wanted them to paint stars on the outer door panels, I declined, but did opt for Eric Kosalko to paint my uncle Joe's name, rank and the diamond shaped WWII Ranger symbol just beneath the drivers door window. I was raised by my uncle Joe, we were known as "Big Joe" and "Little Joe". Uncle Joe was drafted into the Army in October 1942 and kept volunteering for training to prolong going into combat. He was finally asigned to Camp Forrest Tennessee and became part of the Cadre for the 2nd Army Ranger School, his first assignment was as an instructor, and then as a student after the first classes graduated. Training could be realistic as classes in patroling would follow the aroma of "moonshine" along dry creek beds at night until they sneaked up to the stills. Many "moonshiners" were armed. He served in the ETO. I have Uncle Joe's Wartime Camp Forest 2nd Army Ranger handbook that he was issued at Ranger School and a spent 37mm cartridge from a 1943 P-39 airpower demonstration at Camp Forrest. It was only fitting to have Eric paint his name rank and WWII Ranger symbol on my CCKW.
Many of you will recognize Eric as being driven from his wedding to the reception in back of Bob Rubino's CCKW. Eric is an artist and decorates WWII vehicles and flight jackets with his fine art. Eric Kosalko can be contacted thru the Red Ball Transport or thru Mil Spec.
Last edited by Joe Gopan on Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Aug 18, 2009 6:40 pm

Many WWII and Korean era GI's have fond memories of the CCKW, it was a daily part of their life, just about everything a combat unit used was hauled in a CCKW, from bread to ammunition. Many a GI woke up in the wee hours of morning, made their way over to the Mess Section to grab a steel pot full of boiling water from a GI Garbage Can full of water warmed by Immersion Heater in order to bath and shave by. If they were lucky they could find a CCKW fender to set their helmet full of hot water on and use the mirror to shave by. Little luxuries like that meant a lot to a GI. The GMC 270 engine came in handy to warm a can of beans and other rations on. One had to be careful to punch a small hole in the lid, or there would be beans everywhere under the hood (the resulting aroma from a busted can of beans smelled good tho).
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:24 pm

If you think a CCKW may be in your future, it is a good idea to invest TM9-801 the Operators Manual, and research the back issues of Army Motors for Bryce Sunderlins excellent series on the CCKW. David Doyle has authored some nice CCKW articles in Military Vehicles Magazine over the past several years. The excellent magazine "Mud and Snow" published in Norway has featured some nice articles on CCKW. The Tankograd series of MV books has an excellent edition on the GMC Cargo.
I am just the messenger here trying to drum up a litle interest on the CCKW. I own a nice CCKW and have over 6 decades of non stop CCKW starting when they were still factory fresh looking thru the present time. If one is going to talk restored CCKW one should own a good example of a restored CCKW. I was lucky enough to have been trained by the US Army as a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic by instructors who were WWII and Korean War Ordnance types and were generous enough to spend off duty hours in the barracks talking WWII trucks including CCKW. Good Army instructors never tired of talking shop, they ate and slept 4X4 and 6X6 trucks.
The CCKW is featured in forums with lots of good information and some that is not so good. The best information comes from veterans who actually drove and serviced them, they know how to talk CCKW. The CCKW is a familiar sight at MV shows, there are some good restorations to be seen, the owners of these are always more than happy to share their experiences.
The CCKW always looks good beside a G-503 Jeep. :wink:
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Re: WHY OWN A CCKW?

Post by BillyClanton » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:29 pm

Ben, thats the most I have heard you say since I came around on this board. Excellent advice, and you are right. Ever since I was a little kid (late 40's and early fifties) I liked the closed cab units. Then I was too young to know, but when I went to the dime store I would always come home with a cargo truck, a jeep, halftrack & a tank. Now I know why. Now, finally, when I'm too darn old to do much, I own a G506 Chevy, which is basically a lighter version of a CCKW. Hopefully, I will live long enough to get it finished and enter it in an MVPA convention,(maybe Huntsville)
I was in the Army in 1965-1972. Active '65-66 & NG thru 1972, in a signal Battalion. I drove an M37. Old "B-24" of 230th Sig Bn. Co. B. Drove that unit to Ft. Stuart , Ga 3 times & Camp Shelby, Ms. 3 times from Memphis. Also drove the GMC 215? with the hydromatic a lot as I was a cook the last 3 years. We didn't have any CCKW's when I was in, but did have all Korean M-series vehicles. M38 jeeps & M37 trucks. As a youngster I remember seeing CCKW's at Memphis Equipment for sale, as it was on the way downtown.
Billy
Sold everything due to depression and sickness. Plus a lack of help(they all dying)
MVPA member #31386 (former MVCC member)


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