42 chevy

I might offer that your drain plug in the manifold could be a primer plug that ether could be squirted into to assist in cold starting. Also your governor could be an early version of a velocity governor, it looks like the remnants of a spring. John G

This size tire and tread design can be reproduced, however, it is a 200 tire minimum run. That equates to outfitting 17 wreckers. I will be getting pricing in a few days, however I do not expect it to be cheap. If someone wanted 12 tires expect to pay around $9600.00, I would be surprised if it comes in cheaper. So I realize this is probably just a dream, but you never know. John G

It is just a "regular" tire, it has the tube and flap in it. John G

All; I came across this tire while looking for something else, and it is on its way to me. This tire is NOS, early design bar grip tire, never mounted and is correct for the early (series 1,2 3) G116 wreckers. I will be checking in getting this design reproduced (no promises). If it can be done, it will not be cheap. So if you have a desire to put the "correct" tire on your early wrecker, let me know. I realize there would be a limited market for this tire. I will chalk this up to a "Holy Grail" find! John G

I got new ones here in the U.S.. Just google air brake line fittings, it should pop up. John G

Now thats a nice kit, they could use that in Buffalo New York at the moment, they are getting up to 8 feet of snow!!! John G

I see Allied Forces is expanding it's business, I concur with Degy's comments, however, it should be easy to find in the parking lot.. Jim, outstanding work as always. John G

If they are wood, they could have been used as anchors (also known as sleepers) for recovery operations. However, they were not part of the original "kit" that came with the wreckers. John G

Vintage Wiring of Maine did my wiring harness for 969A , using a NOS rear harness and an original dash harness I supplied as a pattern. The are only 2 harnesses on a 969A, along with the 2 headlight pigtails and the generator to voltage regulator harness. The pigtail harness for the headlights was to short but that was corrected, as the pigtail given to him by me was to short. Highly recommended. John G

What I find amazing is that these early engines had "exposed" valve mechanisms. I would think that dirt and grit would get in there and accelerate wear, considering the conditions they were operated in. As always superb workmanship John G

Thats what these forums are for, to help each other out. John G

Tony; This is a follow up to what I previously posted. I assume that the brakes on the lorry are mechanical, rear only and the parking brake is on the output shaft on the transmission. With that in mind, making sure the rear brakes are in optimal order is paramount. I have had cast iron welded before (it uses a special rod), and if there is a high nickel content in the iron, the better the weld. In your braking situation, you will be dealing with heat, vibration etc, so special attention needs to given to check the integerity of the drums. John G

From a safety angle, have you considered using the the thicker drums as a pattern and having new drums cast. I do not know what the process is called to check for cracks (magna flux?) but I might recommend that be done on these drums if you decide to use them. As always, your crew does superb work. John G

As has previouly stated and I will agree with, is a bad (suspect) coil and at times a (suspect) condensor will act up with hot temperatures in the engine compartment. Also, early CCKW's were positive earth and had 25 amp regulators, when the change was made to negative earth they went to 40 amp sysytems. A coil, points, condensor are not specific positive or negative earth, but make sure you have the leads going to the rate posts on the coil. Here is anothe avenue to check, your valve adjustment. We had an engine that had zero lash on a mechanical lifters, when the engine got hot, the valves would not close and the engine would die. However, on short recovery, sometimes right after it died it would fire back up, thats all it took for the metal surfaces to cool to allow the valves to close. John G

Mike; On a 12 volt system, a ballast brings the voltage down to around 8.5 to 9 volts and its purpose is to prolong point life. You can use either an internally ballasted 12 volt coil or an external ballast. DO not use both in the same system. You can run a straight 12 volts to the distributor without a ballast however the point life will be shortened, by how much I do not know. Back in the day the standard was every 12 to 15 thousand miles you changed points, condenser, cap and rotor and plugs. On a 6 volt system, you do not use a ballast as your are putting 6 volts to the points. They would each produce the same "power" I hope this helps you out. John G

Mike; What you describe is sorta of a "load" condition when in the cruising range. We had a newer vehicle (electronic ignition) buck. It turned out that one one the secondary (spark plug leads) was bad, so when the engine was under load it had an intermittent miss. Have you checked the resistance in the leads, I think it should so many ohms per foot. Also, do you have the right condenser installed, I know you have changed out condensers, but it might be worth a second look. Have you considered ballasting down to 8 volts to "save" the points. John G It is going to interesting to find out what the culprit is.

POSSIBLE INTERNAL SHORT HAPPENING INSIDE THE DISTRIBUTOR. Check for frayed wiring. I belive the heat on the points is caused by a short. John G

We got back from the East Coast Military show located in Aberdeen MAryland today. I took the Ward LaFrance and Diamond T 969A to the show. We demonstrated the boom operation on the Diamond T , winching a Hobart generator out of a Ben Hur and winching a CCKW. The Ward won the Chief Judge's award. Use the link to view the pictures. http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/showgallery.php?cat=3774 John G

I took the Ward to a local show today. It was fun letting the young kids hit the siren button and get behind the wheel and grab the big steering wheel. For fun, I suspended my son's toy jeep from the boom. John G

A good undercarriage cleaning will be in order! John G

Some restoration places sell a turn signal that is incorporated into the head light fitting. If you check "Chevys of the 40's" website you will find it. It takes a modern bulb (not a sealed beam). A novel way to incorporate turn signals. However, as you have mentioned, converting a black out marker might look more "period" correct. You could use a period set of Signal Stat turn signals, as this was an aftermarket kit to add to vehicles that did not have turn signals. John G

This past weekend I installed the new (recovered) seats in the series 2. Also, I attached the chains that keep the boom from swaying and the 2 blocks that I had cast that the boom jacks attach to on the bed. I studied the Tech Manual(s) and tried to count the number of links to determine how much chain I needed. I had a friend make up new rings that attach to the eye bolts on the body and the boom. I purchased 2 chain binders that had a period look to them. Pictures attached. John G

It has come to the point to redo the closed cab. Repair panel were source from Jim Clark at Allied Forces. So today we loaded up the cab to take to my friends shop. I am now entering the final phase of the restoration. Pictures attached show the rust. John G

If a brake chamber diaphragm has gone bad, it usually makes a loud hissing sound. When you get the system sorted, be very careful when applying the brakes, the tech manual says to apply the brakes gradually, if you do not, any passengers you have on board will be meeting the windshield unexpectedly. John G

If the relay valve leaks with the pedal up it is the intake valve leaking in the relay valve, if it leaks with the pedal depressed, it is the diaphram. If the leak is in the brake acuation valve, at rest (meaning your foot is not pushing the pedal) check the exhaust valve. As Jeff stated there is no "feel" in the brake pedal. If it is leaking out of a glad hand conection check your 2, 2 way valves, they might be stuck in one position. John G