Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Power Wagon truck forums, M37 etc.
Ghostrider5211
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by Ghostrider5211 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 4:30 am

Ok fine this is a little out of hand... zipping forward to the last two weeks or so... the machine is on all four wheels again. Finished front axle reassembly yesterday and I mounted the tail light brackets and the bumperettes. Engine rebuild underway.

Sorry about all this. I'll keep this thing up to date from now on.
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1942 WC-21
1942 WC-24
1942 WC-55/52
1943 Ford GPW
1952 M37
1952 M38A1
1955 M152CDN

RIP Adam R. Lang 10/2/87 - 9/8/16


Tim Shanteler
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by Tim Shanteler » Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:13 am

Nice work so far.....
Tim

1945 WC-57 81674456
1944 WC-52 81750129
1945 MB 430629
1943 Ford GPW133609
1943 Ben Hur 0347395 (Gertstenlager)

vista52
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by vista52 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:07 am

Hi...I've just re-read your Topic and noticed the photos of your truck when you got it from the auction. I'm fairly sure this is the truck I passed every day quite a few years ago in California. I have a WC-52 myself, so I immediately noticed when I think this one turned-up one day in a RV Storage yard off of Scott Rd in Menifee CA, just north of Murrieta on I-215. It sat right next to the fence and the south freeway on ramp, so it was easy for me to stop one day and give it a look-over. It sat next to a Chevy Bomb truck and a streamline gas tanker truck. They all sat there for a number of years and then one by one they were gone. The WC-52 was I think the last to go. I'm glad to see you're doing a great job on the restoration.

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dpcd67
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by dpcd67 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:30 am

Looks nice. I have one in exactly that same state, except it has 2 more tires.
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Ghostrider5211
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by Ghostrider5211 » Sat Mar 09, 2019 5:56 pm

Winch and front end are officially complete. The bolt that proved to be a pain to access was installed and locked down... tight. We pulled the winch off the truck this morning to assess why the cable drum was sliding around so much, figure out what to do about the bushing in the passenger side leg that was very...very...stuck and hard to move, and install the hand clutch. None of those things proved to have an easy solution. The cable drum was sliding on the shaft all loosey goosey because the big bushing that the winch shaft rests in was pushed too far into the leg itself. We needed to push it out about a 1/4 inch so the drum would contact the bushing's edge and not the leg, keeping the drum reasonably tight. The reason why the bushing was so stuck is because we installed it backwards. The two bolts that hold the clutch holding pin bracket in place were both snapped off inside the housing, so dad had to drill out the old bolts, tap new threads, and install the new bolts. It worked perfectly. The whole assembly was put back together, installed, bolted down, and 1 quart of 80/90 weight gear oil glugged into the winch housing. Clutch works nice and smooth. It's awesome!!!!!!! FRONT END COMPLETE.

Next, we tried to tackle the problem of the rear main seals. We had received two new rear main bearing seals for our engine, but neither would fit properly. The answer turned out to be simple. Our engine, a Plymouth P10 engine, does not take a rubber main bearing seal. It requires a rope seal. My buddy Ernie tracked down the part number for the rope seals and where to order them. THAT issue is resolved.

Third, we took on the issue of why the rear hubs are not turning true. We removed the hub and drum assembly and rechecked the seating of our bearings. They were fine. It turned out that something was between the surface of the hub and the drum at one point, pushing the drum away from the hub. So our friend and new official crew member Ted showed us the ropes on how to get the hub and drum apart. When we pulled them apart, it was clear to see there was rust and dirt between the two surfaces. That will get a VERY thorough cleaning next week and that problem should be cured. With everything either debugged or in process, we can now move on to brake lines and continuing the engine rebuild.
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1942 WC-21
1942 WC-24
1942 WC-55/52
1943 Ford GPW
1952 M37
1952 M38A1
1955 M152CDN

RIP Adam R. Lang 10/2/87 - 9/8/16

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USAFpj
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by USAFpj » Sun Mar 10, 2019 6:00 am

Lookin' good, Ghostrider! I'm enjoying your progress.

Ghostrider5211
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by Ghostrider5211 » Sun Apr 28, 2019 6:22 pm

Little bit of an update, since things have been moving along.

The last few weeks, we've been dealing with the rear hubs not running true. We worked with them and cleaned them as best we could and really got close, but neither rear hub still turns 100% true. Put the wheel on and tighten it down, and you can't even tell when you spin the wheel. Nothing hangs up brake wise... we reckon it's either the way they were turned or something else. Not sure. Either way, they are running much better than before.

All the broken rear axle studs in the hubs were drilled out and replaced. That was a bigger project than it should have been, but we got that done too. We have progressed to laying brake lines in and installing the master cylinder.

The engine rebuild is coming along smoothly, with a new timing chain installed and new head studs just fresh in from Midwest Military. We need to remove the old water jacket from the block and install the new one. Then we can proceed with buttoning up the front of the engine.

We took the time out of our work day yesterday to deep clean and get rid of all the trash piled up in the garage over the winter time. Opened up about 30-40 square feet of space!! Then we received a special delivery of the bed side boxes and the cab! All the bad dents and cracks in the steel were welded up and repaired by our friend, who is an expert body guy and all around welder. When the time gets closer to installation, I'll move the parts out to sandblasting to get cleaned up so we can paint them up.

Note the remnants of yellow stars on the back of the bed boxes. Something I had not caught before. Exciting to see, but no idea what they could mean. I've been told armored unit, marines, constabulary... who knows?
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1942 WC-21
1942 WC-24
1942 WC-55/52
1943 Ford GPW
1952 M37
1952 M38A1
1955 M152CDN

RIP Adam R. Lang 10/2/87 - 9/8/16

johnseidts
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by johnseidts » Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:02 am

Hey,
I saw that truck sold twice- the Jeff Chester auction, and the sale in Mount Vernon where you bought it. I am so glad to see it being restored.
John K. Seidts RN:
Wanted to Buy any aircraft parts or aviation items
Wanted- WWII US Medical and Engineer Items

Ghostrider5211
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Re: Dodge WC-55/52 Project

Post by Ghostrider5211 » Tue Sep 24, 2019 5:09 pm

We are starting to make good progress on the WC again. Things have stabilized a little bit at home with the new baby, so I'm able to get up to my dad's on a regular basis. We had a really big paint day, and got just about all the remaining major components paint it up, and the cap is now installed, shimmed, and bolted into place. We are now starting to bolt things back onto the cab, and we are awaiting for a few small parts to arrive so that we can get the motor hooked up and attempt a start. Should happen in the next two weeks or so!ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

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1942 WC-21
1942 WC-24
1942 WC-55/52
1943 Ford GPW
1952 M37
1952 M38A1
1955 M152CDN

RIP Adam R. Lang 10/2/87 - 9/8/16


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