bobs1918

Re the plate I have successfully replicated bronze data plates for a 1918 Dodge light repair truck . There is an old post on this. But to review it get silicone or poly ether impression material from a dentist. Make a mesh form to hold the material. Keep the original plate warm. Take impression Produce a plaster of paris cast. Send to a foundry for a sand casting to be made Dental impression material MUCH more accurate than wax. I should know I am a dentist!

OK think I got it. Cannot use camping gas as a source in carbide lamps as this gas will not illuminate without a mantle. That is the consensus?

Thanks Steve I do have an electrical modified lamp but for period correctness I want to use the carbide. Thanks for your input bob

Well on the subject of carbide lamps who is in fact using them and what precuations should I take in using the calcium carbonate in the side mounted Solar brand generator on my Model 1918 Dodge Light Repair truck? I have been tempted to use a bottled gas by Coleman made here in the States which is used for camping lighting and cooking. Any comments thanks. Happy New Year

I haven't posted in a while as I was working on other projects I thought I would share my further progress on the replication of my Model 1918 Dodge Light Repair Truck . There are only 4 original repair trucks known to still exist of the slightly more than 1000 that were made for the US Army . The canvas on the clone is partially done . The folding drivers canopy frame has been installed. The fixed crank has been installed. Still working on the spare tire carrier. I can report the truck runs real well. Now I just need a place to go where other Great War vehicles play!

You chaps line up a group of WW 1 lorries and act like that's just a normal days activity. IT IS FANTASTIC to see such a line up. Each vehicle is smashing in its own right but in the company of others of like ilk it goes way beyond smashing. It is almost surreal. Keep up the great work you do.

Thanks to you both.I am not real sharp on the non US vehicles but this forum has greatly enlightened me. The AEF did not to my knowledge have any small trucks or passenger cars equipped with disc wheels. We "appropriated" them from our allies and that was my intention when I used them on my replica repair truck. Bob

Al I did not mean to infer that dodges were used by French or Italian forces. I was only referring to DISC wheels!! To reiterate when I constructed the clone the correct wheels were not available. Period pictures of other vehicles (Cadillac below) and light trucks showed the use of the disc wheels.It also appears to be a RFC tender employing them . I took the liberty to use them on my truck but never did I come across a picture of such usage on light repair trucks. Fact is there are few pictures of repair trucks. I have not seen them on Dodges but the following pictures does show their usage so the possibility exists. bob

The engine on the original repair trucks were standard Dodge brothers 4 cylinder. They did not have a starter generator. There were no electric headlamps nor electric starters. The used Eisemann magnetos with a fixed crank starter. For the clone I chose to rebuild a 4 cylinder Dodge Engine identical to the originals. It was from about 1921. I opted to include for now the starter generator and I placed a battery in the regular position as on DB vehicles under the front seat affixed to the frame rail. In order for the truck to have a fixed crank as well it was necessary to modify a dodge crank and fabricate a housing for it that would thread into the front motor mount which would replace the crank hole cover. The assembly has been made but not yet installed.Shown first is the original crank assembly . It is spring loaded to allow for a quick return after the crank cycle. There is a stop bolt installed through the motor mount housing to prevent the crank from pulling out of the assembly .Bob

Gordon The rivets were set as were the originals.The flat sides on the original show that all the peening was done on that side. Also the manual even lists the "3/8 inch round head rivets" to be used in the construction bob

Yes indeed..we had to make a few tools for botH the setting side AND the bucking side as access was limited in certain tight spots. The more mass the bucking bar had the easier to hold the head in place. There were a few spots that required round heads to be formed on the working side . This required a rCupped setting tool to be used in the rivet gun rather than the flat one. ALL 3/8 in rivets were set red hot.You can see one picture shows a heat sink in use. bob

Steve the dental impression material came from a local dentist's office. I made the frame to support it with thin perforated aluminum as used to make grill covers for home radiators. The material needed to be contained when the mold was taken. The detailed plaster of paris was from the same source. The impression material is very expensive but I was given some out of date stuff and worked fine. I had the warm the metal with a hair dryer as the dental materials are designed to set at body temperature. ... Good point on rivets and thin plate.......In areas susceptible to warping we used a heat sink of thick metal plate clamped bolted or otherwise affixed as close to the rivet site. This absorbed enough excess heat to keep the twisting to a minimum. We also kept the area firmly bolted on either side of the rivet hole (when possible) to keep the work stable. Some slight twist was unavoidable. bob

Details details details and how to accomplish them is what keeps these projects stimulating. For me the recreation of the ww 1 vehicle data plates was one of those "details" I did not want to remove the original riveted plates so I had to replicate them where they stood. Using a polyvinylsilxene dental impression material I made a copy of the two plates. Next I created a positive cast using a dental plaster of paris. These casts were cleaned up and sent to a foundry to have bronze castings made using the sand casting technique. The originals are the last 2 pictured bob

The original dodge front fender needed to be modified by removing the headlights and the mounting brackets. The original repair trucks used stock Dodge fender with a steel plate replacing the fender mounted headlight bracket...Pretty simple modification. These fenders would require some work prior to the final paint job.The clone is on the top original is below bob

The rear fenders on the repair truck is the only component bolted to the body. They were designed to be an additional flat work surface for the repairman/driver. The angle iron on one side was ct and filled like the gas tank cradle. The other side we simply heated and bent to the proper curve.The sheet metal was then formed around the angle iron and riveted to place.

Great restoration job!! Beamish what a fantastic backdrop for all these great war vehicles. Nothing like that here in the US that I am aware of bob

In order for the acetylene spotlight to be supported by the dash board two reinforcing steel plates had to be made. The plates were on the back of the dash and on the fire wall. They are braced with two bent steel strips. I made an aluminum prototype to get the bend right before fabricating the steel supports.

Jim yes Mark and I have met several times We actually met at the PA Military museum to get a first hand look at the Light Repair truck in their collection. That was done before I began the build and before I had bought my original truck. BTW the engine on my original truck is 315745. I also have a 1916 restored as is Mark's. Although not originally used by the army it is a very good approximation. Here it is at Hyde Park NY home of FDR thanks for your comments bob

The gas tank and cradle was the next major assembly to fabricate. I cut, bent, and welded the angle iron to achieve the radius

Hello again Now that the body has been riveted time to attach it to the frame and complete the seat assembly.The grab bars at either end of the seat were fabricated bob

Al yes I have a copy of the original manual which was loaned to me from a member of the Dodge Brothers Club. I will post some of the interesting pictures found there in asap thanks bob

Now body and tailgate are put together .Time to complete the riveting of body to the transoms. We would eventually take the body off the frame to complete this step.Bob

Next step was to fabricate original style latches for the tailgate. To get the ball shaped handle I used a German mauser carbine bolt . The bracket was formed and riveted. Works like a charm

Thanks I always thought they were due to the lack of sharpness. Thanks for the correction Now the photos that you have posted are easily recognizable for the repair truck . It is probably one of the first of the line . Note that the kerosene headlamps are not installed neither is the canopy top.Also I see that the data plates have NOT been riveted on bob

The tailgate posed some difficulties in replicating the original hinges and latches. For the hinges I started with a large old strap hinge and modified it by adding a second layer of steel and shaping correctly.I built up the other end of the hinge similarly.The original is on the right. See earlier post for final tailgate result. bob