graham_beare

So your "elbows", new and old, are like ours, at least I know in which way we ought to go... which is to find some more elbows with rectangular elbows in the inner face. Anyone any ideas about a possible source of elbows with the rectangular holes? thank you, Graham

Thank you Gentlemen.

Thank you for your comments - I agree with you that the replacement wood bows do not have much "bow" or "rise". probably not much more than 2.5" in the centre. As to how much the bow needs to rise to work with the NOS elbows I have yet to estimate that figure. My Son has spoken to Rex Ward - being not too far from where the 353 resides - and he had no parts to help when we asked late last year. "Correct" bows and elbows - that is the krux of the matter, I just do not know which, if either, of our set of parts is correct for the vehicle. The replacement wood bows seem to be of correct length... which of the elbows is the one to go with? Your comments about the curve of the top is how I read many of the photos of vehicles for the Normandy landings albeit there is more than one or two which have a flatter "top". thank you, Graham

One of the painted strakes that came with the vehicle had split lengthways and so revealed the colour and grain pattern of the wood. I took the damaged strake to a cabinet maker who identified the material as Keroin / Keruing - the corresponding entry in Wiki describes the wood as being used for the bed of lorries / trailers and with a brown, bland, appearance. Keroin is not available from timber merchants in North Hampshire so Sapele was sourced and machined to provide material for six new strakes. I have noted the discussion on length of strakes and the strakes which came with the vehicle differed in length by up to 2' so I guess that there had been some substitution. The replacement strakes were made to the longest length so as to provide a set of strakes of consistent length. thank you and regards, Graham

Thank you, I have posted an introduction.

Thirty years ago I bought a LR SIII from a dealer in the Midlands, that SWB had been cast because of damage to the front frame - ripples just behind the top of the shock absorber mount indicated that the vehicle had run aground. I say run aground because the chassis number tied into a batch of soft tops which carried RN designations. At that time, circa 1976, other enthusiasts suggested that the vehicle was used as an Admiral's barge by virtue of the fact that the vehicle had been supplied with sun-visors. Four years later and that SIII had been replaced by a SIIA from the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works and I kept that LR for another five years. In the meantime I had been introduced to Lightweights and that most desirable of vehicles the 101" FC although one without a winch or rear PTO - lack of funds precluded purchase of either of those military vehicles and I had to be content with browsing various PPLs and manuals. Fast forward to about three years back and my Son acquired a WC51 in good condition although we had to replace the bearing in the clutch housing and most of the brake hoses. In the middle of last year the WC was sold to fund purchase of a GMC... a 353 in reasonable mechanical condition and requiring finishing of details like the canvases plus strakes and bows. And that is where we are on the GMC... trying to sort out a set of bows which work with a set of elbows. Now retired, professional life was in industry where I kept bumping into service personnel - computer systems for the RN and avionics for those upstairs. thank you and regards, Graham Beare living near too and far enough away from Basingstoke

The 353, circa 1944 build, arrived without a complete set of elbows or bows... just one usable bow and a couple of usable elbows. GMC 353 spares on web-sites, for example:- * http://jeep-dodge-gmc.com'>http://jeep-dodge-gmc.com'>http://jeep-dodge-gmc.com ; * http://www.jeepest.com/ ; * http://www.lwdparts.com . all show elbows of similar style even though different "part numbers", none of those part numbers are noted in the illustrated parts list published July 1942. Wood bows are shown on http://jeep-dodge-gmc.com and those are probably not of original supply. So a set of wood bows and a set of elbows have been purchased... and the elbows fitted to the side strakes, as here. The wood bows do not fit the elbows which have been fitted to the GMC, the bows are (a) too short and (b) need a tighter curve to align with the elbows. The wood bows which have been purchased from Jeep / Dodge / GMC are of similar length and curve to the one usable bow which came with the vehicle. The NOS elbows which have been purchased have a tighter bend than the elbows which came with the vehicle. The following photos may help to understand the situation, the old elbows are in dirty green paint whilst the NOS elbows are in red primer (applied by me):- this photo shows the replacement bow with the original elbows... and this set up does fit the strakes of the cargo bed. this photo shows the replacement bow with the NOS elbows... this does not fit onto the strakes of the cargo bed primarily because the ends of the elbows are not parallel. this photo shows the NOS elbow (red) in front of the original elbow (dirty green). My guess is that the replacement bows are suitable for the 353 whilst the NOS elbows are not for this vehicle... and that I need to locate some elbows similar to those which came with the vehicle (elbows which have the notch in the "side" and rectangular holes in the inner face of the elbow). If anyone can explain what is going on here then please feel free to tell me what I have missed. Confirmation of my assumption shall be appreciated. Assuming that the replacement bows are usable... then where can I get elbows similar to the old / green items shown in the above photos? thanking you for your assistance, Graham