arthur.m

(Sorry pic sideways Mod Edit.. pic rotated) We found this mechanical device on a Jimmy cargo bed once, under a pile of snow chains. What could it be? A snow chain tensioner? (Is there such a thing?) Maker: Snyder Jack Inc. Philadelphia. Type deluxe. Serial number 30015. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Arthur

My unrestored '41 CCKW has an enigine that I think has never been repainted. It is definetly not OD, I would say it's a wet looking BRG shade. Just an observation, surely somebody will come with a correct colour code. Arthur

It would be great to re-create a shop van with all its tools and acessories. I have a DOD 10/42 closed cab Jimmy shop van, with some remaining stenciling, including the words "welding shop". Unfortunately the Norway army got rid of everything inside the van body, all I have is bolt holes and an oily corner where the genny once worked. Now I have to get a copy of the book mentioned above. Thanks for the info! Not that I realistically could think of getting all the stuff together.. We use the van as a play room for my son's Legos and our cat sleeps in there. Arthur

If sold to Finnish buyer, they will be demilled according to Finnish standards, if sold abroad, according to the national regulations of buyer's home country. This is what the army says. Tanks haven't been sold to private Finnish collectors before, so I don't know how they are going to do it. I would say it's not that radical. There are plinthed artillery pieces etc in public parks in Finland, they haven't been butchered much. The officer in charge of the techical matters of the auction, Esa Muikku, should be able to advice on the matter. His telephone number is just above the pics in that army note. He will probably speak English. If this is very important, I can call him, but I would have to know exactly what to ask.

Hello everyone, Finnish Army will sell surplus armor including Comet, Charioteer and StuG vehicles, the three StuGs are in very sad condition. Auction will be held 25.9. in Siikakangas, Ruovesi and it is open for everyone. The tanks are not demilled yet, but will be so treated if sold. Comets and Charioteers are not all complete, some have had components of the drivetrain removed. Here is a link with a couple of pics http://www.mil.fi/laitokset/tiedotteet/3264.dsp Greetings, Arthur

Me too, no connection. Every spring and autumn one big auction here with maybe 30-40 vehicles, lots of them Russian-built, Zil, Kraz, Gaz, but also Sisu and Scania. I happen to live in the same small town with a used cars dealer who regularly visits the auction and has some stuff in his yard. For example he now has a clean-looking Kraz fresh from this year's auction for about 5000 euros. Also some Gaz 69 jeeps. You can find these vehicles here, not very many people collect them. Arthur

There's one Kraz for sale locally... sadly they are not road legal here, it's the width...Seems like russiantrucks or somebody export them to UK. New auction coming this autumn, come and buy Yourself one. Greetings, Arthur, Finland

Hello, talked to a friend who used to export old dump trucks and Bedford trucks and parts from Finland to UK (to be sent further to third countries). He said the best thing to do would be to contact Transfennica or Finn-Anglia Ferries, they run RO-RO ships from Rauma to Hull and other places. If Your vehicles drive or at least roll, they need no containers, if they dont roll, they are fitted to a dry-rack. He coudn't tell the current prices, but a long truck trailer would have been around 1200 euros a couple of years ago. And, yes, Finland is EU. Feel free to PM me for more details. Arthur, Finland

I, too, was hoping to buy a Jimmy from Norway, I was just about to send the money and had arranged a transport. Now I'll wait. The Customs told me to contact the science museum, I'll try that, but on the other hand, I'm not in hurry with this truck. I guess the Norwegians hate to see the cars, motorcycles and trucks go abroad, that are really unique, like the ones from the German occupation. If I've understood correctly they are still turning complete GMCs to tractor trailers in the countryside, lot's of them still around. Arthur

Hi, there was discussion a couple of days ago on a Norwegian MV page about a Danish guy who lost his GMC to the Norwegian Customs due to unability to produce a Export permission from The Norwegian War Museum. If this is true it will be very sad. They say you need this permission if you are taking a historic MV older than 50 yrs out of Norway. It's supposed to be an old regulation, but for some reason they are now taking it more seriously... I dont't know, maybe it's just a single case. Ask Your Norwegian contacs if you're doing deals over there. Arthur

Original and repro licence plates are sometimes offered on German ebay. There seems to be one Krad rear plate right now on offer. Search for Kennzeichen Wehrmacht. Arthur

Hi Mike, thank You for Your most informative answer. What I meant with the vacuum booster was that the truck has that old booster, what ever it is, that is mechanically connected to the brake pedal. It seems to work, as long as it is that way, I don't touch it. Sticking to the Silicone fluid might be what I'll do, I do need new seals for the brake cylinders, so where could I start looking for the silicone-proof ones? Greetings, Arthur

Hi, my 352 has developed some brake problems, I have at least one wheel binding and one not braking at all. No visible brake fluid loss, I guess the wheel cylinders at getting stuck. Now my question: the truck is ex Norway and has been converted to Silicone brake fluid. Should I keep it that way or return to normal Dot 4? Is there a risk of contamination of the whole system if I change to normal fluid and it mixes with remains of the silicone stuff? This is an early truck with the vacuum-boosted brake system so no hydrovac to be worried about. Thank You for any help, Arthur

Hello everyone, not that I would think that somebody out there would be interested in an surplus auction of Finnish Army vehicles, but I decided to make this short note anyway. Next week there's an auction in an Army base not far from here. It's mostly about Russian trucks (13 x Kraz 255B) and other stuff like that, nothing vintage I'm afraid. I was there a couple of years ago, then they were selling these Kraz too, they were low-mileage Bridge Erecting trucks without the bridge equipment. I think they sold for about 1500 - 2000 Euros each. They are also selling Scania Sbat trucks, whatever that might be, and possibly UAZ 4x4 vehicles. The smaller vehicles are usually rough, the bigger in better shape. The auction is held here in Tampere, the local airfield is about 25 km away from the site. A well-known budget airline flies from England to Tampere-Pirkkala every day. If somebody is really interested in this stuff, I might try to find out more. Greetings, Arthur

Thanks guys, I appreciate your offers of help. The poor Jimmy has to stay out in the cold while I'm scraping old paint of the floor and ceilings inside the house. When I bought the truck I told my wife we could replace lots of expensive scaffolding with it when it comes to painting the outside walls and repairing the roof, I just would build a platform on the cargo bed and move the truck around the house as the work processes. I hope this plan works... If it doesn't work then I'll definetily be in need of help. Arthur