Zeph's Dodge WC52

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zepher11
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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Mon Aug 16, 2021 3:27 pm

70th Division wrote:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:43 am
Hello Zeph,

Wow !!
That patch looks great as a nice Memorial to the Pearl Harbor Survivors !
It is sad that their Great Generation is getting smaller.
It is a great loss to our society and culture.
We must remember them, and what they accomplished against tremendous odds !

Great Kilroy as well 😁😁😁

You have the finest work shop I have ever seen, it looks awesome !!

That is too bad about the canvas, and that it is shrinking !!
I was looking at their website, maybe will try to give them a call.
I will eventually need a set for my WC, and CCKW.


I wish weebee made the canvas but they don't.

They make perfect Jeep tops !!

The heat and smoke sounds pretty ugly out there !!!

The Dodge is really coming together , it will be fun to get it started again to road test !!!

Keep us your great work !

I am getting back to work on my 1943 GPW frame 😁


Best Regards,
Ray
,,
Yes, it is sad that we lost all of our PH survivors over the years here. It was great meeting with them every month and getting to know them and hear their experiences.

I did fire up the Dodge today. After converting it to 12 volt and putting in a new genny, regulator, Pertronix 12 volt ignition, coil, and all that it started with barely a bump on the foot pedal. Bye bye 6 volt. I will not miss you and you leaving me stranded. lol

However, when I pulled the light switch to the second position major sparks came flying out under the dash and I thought it caught on fire. Not sure what happened there. Maybe since I don't have any headlights installed it caused a short somehow. Wouldn't think so. Oh well, still waiting on 12 volt headlights. They are out of stock.

If I get time tomorrow I'll look for the potential cause for a short.
W. Winget wrote:
Mon Aug 16, 2021 8:31 am
Great work being accomplished.
On your pad for the windshield rest. My original WC-56 and the two WC-51's we have siting out here have double leather pads on each rest.
not sure if someone else will jump in, but it may be that the wipers were hitting the hood, or the leather would indent enough that two were required.
Just an observation.
V/R W Winget

PS: I used OD nylon strapping for fender welting, it matched up well and blended in fine (35 years back now) and wire loom cover for my headlights came from bungee cord casing painted black, fit and held up perfectly and looked the part. WAW
Thanks! I could see the potential to use double leather pads for the windshield. It's a tight fit with the wiper motors, and my pads do have some indents in them now.

Wish I had some OD nylon, but all I had at hand was Harbor Freight orange nylon straps or Ace Hardware black straps...went with black since the original I removed was black. Actually fits in there pretty good and not too noticeable. The bungee cord casing was a good idea for the wire cover. I have some of that tar covered original cover that I'll use for wire protection.
Zeph

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'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!


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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by Fred Coldwell » Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:22 am

Zeph:

Beautiful work on your WC-52, as usual for you. That battery box and the cut down driver's side rear inner fender splash shield are from the postwar Arctic Winterizaton Kit for the 6 volt WC 3/4 ton weapon carriers. There was a similar driver's side front inner splash shield that was cut down to fit around the front of the battery box.

The battery box was insulated and has a tubing inlet and outlet on the engine side bottom to circulate hot coolant underneath the battery to warm it up and keep it warm in arctic weather. The engine coolant was heated by an accessory gasoline heater mounted in the rear passenger side of the engine compartment and was plumbed into the cooling system to warm the block as well. The hole you patched on the passenger side hood half once had a spring loaded lid and was for the collapsible 3' tall chimney on the Superflex coolant heater. Other Winterization Kit parts included a half cab canvas enclosure with pouch on the roof exterior that stored the canvas-on-wire-frame side doors for the open cab when not installed. A personnel heater was mounted inside the cab on the passenger side firewall below the glove box.

By contrast, standard 6 volt weapon carriers just had a battery tray as you ordered from Midwest Military.
Happy Jeep Trails,

Fred Coldwell
1944 CJ2-09 - X33
1945 CJ2-26 - X50
1944 Dodge T233 CC
1945 Dodge T233 Utility
MVPA #283C

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:01 am

Fred Coldwell wrote:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 3:22 am
Zeph:

Beautiful work on your WC-52, as usual for you. That battery box and the cut down driver's side rear inner fender splash shield are from the postwar Arctic Winterizaton Kit for the 6 volt WC 3/4 ton weapon carriers. There was a similar driver's side front inner splash shield that was cut down to fit around the front of the battery box.

The battery box was insulated and has a tubing inlet and outlet on the engine side bottom to circulate hot coolant underneath the battery to warm it up and keep it warm in arctic weather. The engine coolant was heated by an accessory gasoline heater mounted in the rear passenger side of the engine compartment and was plumbed into the cooling system to warm the block as well. The hole you patched on the passenger side hood half once had a spring loaded lid and was for the collapsible 3' tall chimney on the Superflex coolant heater. Other Winterization Kit parts included a half cab canvas enclosure with pouch on the roof exterior that stored the canvas-on-wire-frame side doors for the open cab when not installed. A personnel heater was mounted inside the cab on the passenger side firewall below the glove box.

By contrast, standard 6 volt weapon carriers just had a battery tray as you ordered from Midwest Military.
That explains a lot Fred. Thank you. All of that makes total sense. I found a weird looking device under/on the dash that has small metal tubes that appear to run to the fuel filter. I suspect it had something to do to power the under hood heater. I also have channels welded on both sides of the windshield frame that must have been for the Arctic doors. Really interesting regarding the battery box and the coolant inlets which it has. It was done well with the cut splash shield. I am missing that front section. Mostly back to normal now.

Received my battery tray, lid and bolts for the stock battery install from Midwest. All in Cosmoline, so can't get too much more original than that. I cleaned it up, but can't blast it for paint as we have been out of power for three days now. We're on generator power along with 51,000 of our neighbors across California. I accidently switched on the compressor yesterday. That didn't go well. I hope I didn't ruin it. I think the generator survived.

Thanks again for the info Fred. No doubt that's exactly what was on this truck. I found two small 1/4" holes in the hood adjacent to the larger hole for the collapsible chimney. Would like to see one of these trucks fully equipped with that set up. I'll have to look for some photos.
Zeph

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'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by W. Winget » Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:49 am

Sorry to read about your Power woes.
Video on You Tube a few years back had Artic Operations and showed heaters in trucks (and flame generator under it) that would be installed and tarped up for overnight storage.
Think it showed a CCKW prepping the system for startup/use/shutdown in another training film.
V/R W. Winget
Looking for 1918 Standard B 'Liberty' truck parts

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by 70th Division » Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:41 am

Hello Zeph,

Wow that power being out is ridiculous !!

We had power out for 10 days during a hurricane a few years ago.
That was no fun at all !
We had a generator to run the fridges but it was a portable type generator.
I really need to invest a big Generac whole house generator ,
that is wired into an electric control panel switching set.
I think the generator use that long helped burn out a fridge and freezer compressor.

Your WC definitely has many secrets being discovered by Fred.
Very interesting !!!
Maybe the A frame was a military addition at the time.

Keep us posted !!

Have a safe and secure time with the power outtage , and the heat !!

Is it caused by the fires , or the state government ?


Best Regards,
Ray

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:07 pm

W. Winget wrote:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:49 am
Sorry to read about your Power woes.
Video on You Tube a few years back had Artic Operations and showed heaters in trucks (and flame generator under it) that would be installed and tarped up for overnight storage.
Think it showed a CCKW prepping the system for startup/use/shutdown in another training film.
V/R W. Winget
I'll have to see if I can find those videos. I like the modifications that they made back in the day for these Dodges. And that they are still around to tell the story in some respects it amazing.
70th Division wrote:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 7:41 am
Hello Zeph,

Wow that power being out is ridiculous !!

We had power out for 10 days during a hurricane a few years ago.
That was no fun at all !
We had a generator to run the fridges but it was a portable type generator.
I really need to invest a big Generac whole house generator ,
that is wired into an electric control panel switching set.
I think the generator use that long helped burn out a fridge and freezer compressor.

Your WC definitely has many secrets being discovered by Fred.
Very interesting !!!
Maybe the A frame was a military addition at the time.

Keep us posted !!

Have a safe and secure time with the power outtage , and the heat !!

Is it caused by the fires , or the state government ?


Best Regards,
Ray
Yeah, power back on this afternoon. We've had a couple of snow storms that have knocked us out of power for days. Thankfully, we have wood heat. A few neighbors don't have wood heat and during the last long snow storm outages the inside house temps were in the 40's. May not sound cool, but try living in that for a few days without any heat. It'll chill one to the bone.

Thankfully, it's only been around a 100 degrees the past few days so not too warm and ok to deal with. Nice that the temps dropped.

We did have a scare last night. Had the generator running all night and at 2am my wife woke me up and said the genyy was making a weird noise. I sleep with ear plugs and full headphones cranked up on max volume to sleep. My wife snores, so drives me nuts. She says I snore sometimes, but I tell her my snoring doesn't keep me awake like yours. lol

Anyway, I go out to the front room and I hear a strange noise. I go over in the corner where my wife has her fish tank and laptop plugged into a surge protector. That thing is humming and making a weird noise and smoking like crazy. I start pulling the plugs to get it out of the house and it catches fire. It was pretty hairy. The smoke was bad. Almost made me pass out it was so bad.

Here a photo of the surge protector, that thing was almost fully engulfed. Weird. First I would thing that a surge protector would prevent this, and second, I would think the breaker would have kicked. Had I not got up and checked it out, I'm sure the house would have burned down. My wife blamed it on the generator, but seems if it was the issue it would have affected the other circuits that were on as well. No problems with any other circuit in the house.

Image

Image

Here's the battery tray and cover after cleaning the Cosmoline. Need to blast it. Thankfully, I didn't kill the compressor like I was worried about. All seems fine. My only issue left after the power outage is that two of my garage door control modules that are direct wired to my garage door openers do not activate the openers. The light is just flashing. I can activate them with the remotes in the vehicles. Here's the battery stuff:


Image
Zeph

'42 Script GPW Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by 70th Division » Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:36 pm

Hello Zeph,


Yikes !!!!
That is certainly a very dangerous situation !!!
Thank Goodness that your wife woke up, and heard what was happening !!!
She saved you all !!! I would think that thing was getting some sort of surge from the generator.
You may want to ship it to the manufacturer , or the consumer protection agency, to investigate what the heck happened.
I would think that would be designed to handle any and all issues, and never ignite !!

I worked at a large property management company, and called in hundreds of appliance repair service calls among some of my duties.
I was mainly getting GE appliances repaired , by GE.
We had some retirees staying in a villa, and the GE microwave caught on fire all by itself, and it wasn't being used.
GE wanted it, and they came by, and shipped it to the factory. They were recalled or repaired by them.

I also found many older gas appliances start to leak from rubber O rings that shrink, inside the appliance like stoves and dryers, and cause leaks. I would call the gas guy in, and he was useless because his sense of smell was burnt out from smelling too much gas. He had meters but couldn't find the source.I found dozens of leaking units, one was so bad that the entire big house was filled past the combustion level.
It was the gas manifold inside a gas stove, that also develops leaks due to failing old rubber o rings.
Gas Dryers do the same !!

So I hope any G member stays alert around these things !!!

I also discovered many GE dishwashers had a heating element that would be barely attached, and would break off from a mount , starting heating the plastic causing smoke and a fire hazard .

I also ran into CO alarms going off, inside a house, the older husband was sleeping with hearing aid removed. His wife called in to report the alarm, but didn't want to bother anyone.
Well, I got there and evacuated them, as they had left their very quiet , new car , running in the attached garage !!

I am glad you got that burning surge protector out of there !!!
Very dangerous situation, good on your wife for being alerted !!!
And for you handling it !!!


The new battery tray looks great !!


Best Regards,
Ray

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by W. Winget » Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:07 am

Could be a Chinese Knockoff of the Monster product. Their Warranty page has notice of an issue with repairs.
I would contact them directly. https://monsterstore.com/pages/warranty

My Wife also snores, I moved upstairs...I'm a very light sleeper, unfortunately the 100Lb Labradoodle loves me and comes in the room, falls asleep and snores... :lol: Just can't get a break sometimes.
V/R W. Winget
Looking for 1918 Standard B 'Liberty' truck parts

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:34 am

70th Division wrote:
Thu Aug 19, 2021 9:36 pm
Hello Zeph,


Yikes !!!!

"...I am glad you got that burning surge protector out of there !!!
Very dangerous situation, good on your wife for being alerted !!!
And for you handling it !!!


The new battery tray looks great !!"


Best Regards,
Ray
That was pretty scary. The smoke and smell were terrible. Never thought about calling the manufacturer. Still trying to figure out why it didn't kick off, or at a minimum, why the breaker didn't kick. The breaker is only two years old. Also trying to noodle through how the generator would have sent a surge through that one circuit like that and not the others in the house. Whole thing was weird and scary. Thankfully, I listed to my wife this time. :)
W. Winget wrote:
Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:07 am
Could be a Chinese Knockoff of the Monster product. Their Warranty page has notice of an issue with repairs.
I would contact them directly. https://monsterstore.com/pages/warranty

My Wife also snores, I moved upstairs...I'm a very light sleeper, unfortunately the 100Lb Labradoodle loves me and comes in the room, falls asleep and snores... :lol: Just can't get a break sometimes.
V/R W. Winget
lol...yes, the dogs can put out some noise too. If I do get to sleep, if a leaf falls in the yard, it'll wake me up. I'm thankful for all night old time radio on Sirius. I'd go nuts without something good to listen.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out to see what I can find out. Would be good to get some information and maybe some piece of mind.
Zeph

'42 Script GPW Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Sat Aug 21, 2021 5:08 pm

After cleaning off the Cosmoline, I finally blasted the batter holder components and painted OD. Had to modify a few things to make it work with my Optima 12 volt battery:

Image

I made a little canvas cover for the battery to hide the bright red. Had to make some custom wood blocks to help the upper cover fit as well:

Image

Image

Next I started the final stenciling. Completed the bumperettes:

Image

I like to add these as I think it helps maybe a little bit. People run up on me going down the road and get totally pissed off with me. I always pull over and let people by, but if I impede anyone due to oncoming traffic, the go nuts. I like that it says MAX SPEED. At least I'm advertising:

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Then the front markings:

Image

Image

The front is a bit darker with the new paint, but not too bad. I'll get used to it:

Image

Imageot

Installing the new NOS 12 volt marker lights. Also sourced the headlight mount from Midwest Military. Didn't have those when I removed the headlights. Totally awesome that MWM makes these for us. Still waiting for my 12 volt headlight bulbs. Not sure when they will be available again. Just have to wait. Maybe I'll stick the 6 volt bulbs back in there until the 12 volt bulbs become available again. Much easier to install the bulbs before installing housings, however:

Image
Zeph

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'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by wc56daveyboy » Sat Aug 21, 2021 5:25 pm

These trucks sure look “weird” without the brush guards, don’t they?

As far as the newly painted hood, it’s amazing how quickly the paint fades, eh?

I know you keep your trucks inside too

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by W. Winget » Sat Aug 21, 2021 5:32 pm

I swear I used something like 67-1970 Ford LTD outer headlights #4002 (they go high/low) for my Command Car. but if you want some special marking I suppose one needs to wait. :wink:
V/R W Winget
Looking for 1918 Standard B 'Liberty' truck parts

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:11 pm

wc56daveyboy wrote:
Sat Aug 21, 2021 5:25 pm
These trucks sure look “weird” without the brush guards, don’t they?

As far as the newly painted hood, it’s amazing how quickly the paint fades, eh?

I know you keep your trucks inside too
Yeah, I can't wait to get the front end buttoned up. After looking under the dash and seeing all the broken and exposed wires, I' going to replace the entire wiring system. All those sparks coming from underneath are staring to scare me.

I haven't noticed the hood fading. May be the smoke/lighting.
W. Winget wrote:
Sat Aug 21, 2021 5:32 pm
I swear I used something like 67-1970 Ford LTD outer headlights #4002 (they go high/low) for my Command Car. but if you want some special marking I suppose one needs to wait. :wink:
V/R W Winget
I ordered the bulbs from MWM, but they are on backorder. I think one can get the 12 volt bulbs that say MOTORCYCLE on them. The 6 volt bulbs I removed had MOTOCYCLE on them. The MWM ones don't have that on them. I never did look locally. I can never seem to find anything I look for locally anyway, so pretty much order 99.9% of my purchases online. If I need a toothpick...I'm getting it online. lol I get skunked 9 out of 10 times for basic items locally, so I gave up quite a while ago. The closest big city is 160 miles away, so not worth the fuel.

I might need to search online for the bulbs. Should be able to find something I would imagine.
Zeph

'42 Script GPW Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by Gbcygnet » Wed Aug 25, 2021 2:06 am

Hi John

Great work as always. I love your idea for the battery cover; small details make all the difference.

I'm very glad you dodged a bullet with that surge protector. Plastic burning in an electrical fire has to be one of the most acrid smells.

Cheers
Gordon
Ford GPW 24.03.1942
Serial no. GPW6024

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Re: Zeph's Dodge WC52

Post by zepher11 » Wed Aug 25, 2021 4:31 am

Gbcygnet wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 2:06 am
Hi John

Great work as always. I love your idea for the battery cover; small details make all the difference.

I'm very glad you dodged a bullet with that surge protector. Plastic burning in an electrical fire has to be one of the most acrid smells.

Cheers
Gordon
Hi Gordon,

Thanks! Yes, we have had a lot of opportunities of late to inhale all kinds of different smoke signatures, but that plastic burning really is the worst. Could smell if for days afterwards. Happy I caught it for sure!

Hope you are enjoying your new ride and everyone is keeping well there.

Take care,
Zeph

'42 Script GPW Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!

'41 Dodge WC16 Restoration Thread: CLICK HERE!


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