Gordon_M

Dangerously close to the day job again. It's fitted to an ACCO under test, and the only function of that sort of flimsy contraption is to measure distance, but apparently it isn't to measure distance, so ... On a test vehicle, under load, it measures distance compared with the distance travelled by the front wheel over the same time, to give a reading of wheel slip under load.

Basic job looks absolutely tremendous, well done ( I'm hoping the hideous modern number plates are on with wing nuts ) :cool2:

Yes and no I think the truck and the crane is original, not sure if the winch is added. Notice that the crane gear appears to be an appropriate size / weight configuration for the truck - not heavy enough to be WLF / Kenworth / T There were a pile of variations called 'chemical service' and 'torpedo crane' or the like, and some of them did have these things on. Have a look in a TM9-2800 copy. You'd need a look at the cab plate, but I don't recall a crane AND rear winch combination.

A Vesicant paint mark for gas detector stuff?

That's cause Joe Lucas and his magic smoke had nothing to do with the electrics :angel:

It's the sort of build MOWAG used to do, in relatively small quantities, for the Swiss army, maybe?

The red corner on the one case would be where all the shipping paperwork was to be found, maybe?

It definitely has the look of a Volkswagen Transporter series vehicle. The metal pressings and finishing are too nice for a hotrod or hand made item, I just don't know what they called them or how many they made. Looks like it would be fairly easily air-portable too.

If I had to guess I'd say the small holes were just for rivets to keep the thing aligned while it was being stored, until it was assembled. Gordon

What is the current Mack status Paul? Been too busy on all the other stuff ?

Well... I've never noticed a '1' prefix, but then I've never owned any staff cars. The 'W' is easier to define, as it was dropped for space reasons when the serials became too long for large characters and had to go down to smaller ones to fit them all in. There's a prefix list somewhere in Crismon or Vanderveen, just not got my copy handy - anyone?

Ah, no problem, silly me. The thought did flash past after I posted that. Your hood number would have to be USA 20xxxxx I think. It is slightly too late for the W prefix, needs to be 20 prefix for passenger carrying vehicle, and I'm sure would be seven numerals long, including the 20, in 1942.

if that metalwork is sound I'd think bead blasting would remove all the scale and give a coatable surface at minimal cost. A PIAT is bound to be classed as a weapon. How do you de-mil it then? pull some vital part out, weld up the trigger ?

[TABLE] [TR] [TD]T214[/TD] [TD]WC-56[/TD] [TD]1942[/TD] [TD]W-20167957 to W-20182608[/TD] [TD]W-398-QM-11422[/TD] [TD]¾t 4x4 98[/TD] [TD]81529001[/TD] [TD]14652[/TD] [TD]Reconnaissance less Winch[/TD] [TD]D-10483[/TD] [TD]10-1530[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]T214[/TD] [TD]WC-56[/TD] [TD]1942[/TD] [TD]2091084 to 2092118[/TD] [TD]W-398-QM-13596[/TD] [TD]¾t 4x4 98[/TD] [TD]81534381[/TD] [TD]1035[/TD] [TD]Command[/TD] [TD]D-10534[/TD] [TD]10-1530[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Anywhere in that lot, but not in the first five thousand or so as it isn't an early one in the photo. My WC56 was 20177279 ( I think ) from July '42 and was earlier than the image.

Not the Liberty stuff, which is interesting enough, but the red cab right rear which is even rarer. It is a late 1930s Metropolitan or Montpelier contractor-built hard cab COE conversion, probably a 1939 1.5 ton Dodge. These were made in small numbers, but sold well enough for Dodge to tool up for a cabover version of their own new 1939 cab in the 1940 model year and with slight changes from 41 to 47, same as the Ashby collection WK60 Breakdowns. As far as I know the only military use of the cab type was on one of the sixteen VC military prototypes, the cabover ambulance, from late 1939, though I think the ambulance was Montpelier and the red one is Metropolitan;

You don't really want to 'clean' it - unless it is supposed to be white? Used to be only two things for canvas, Fabsil for the inside as sealer and anti-mould, and Mesowax for the outside as a waterproofer, both from Grangers. I use both on my canvas and it is good stuff. Fabsil is still around, but they don't make Mesowax any more.

Always used to scowl at TP's marked everywhere on WW2 US vehicles, but I have seen it on contemporary images. The standard US practice was to stencil it once, on the dash, but not uncommon to find it above each wheel set.

Standard practice to stencil them with SNL code, part number, and manufacturer, nearly always on the inside faces. The format was just the line from the Master Parts List for the item, plus manufacturer. Size varied from 1/2" to 1" depending on the size of canvas and the amount of info. Ordnance procurement usually had the Ordnance flaming bomb. I'd expect the major canvas suppliers to be able to do it, or supply the info for you to do it.

Robert will make them from a good image and sizes. He did all the ones for my T-36 Snow Tractor, but I did get a few sets made.

" Low mileage - one careful owner " is a much over used description, but seems appropriate in this case. If you can keep it in that condition it will be an outstanding example down the years. Doesn't look like it has spent a night outside.

.... they don't make them like that any more, people or planes

Forging marks on the armour when it was straightened after heat treatment I think.

The needle scaler head is exactly the same as the one I'm using, however my air chisel is a bit more chunky than the one in that image.

Given the relative sizes ( K-38 v saracen ) I think you need more tool for the job. If I was working on the outside I'd probably use a rotary wire brush in preference to that, then use the needle gun for all the hard-to-reach buts. A good one is a good tool, though, quite part from chisel / riveter advantages.

This is my K-38 trailer as it was being cleaned down. Side and fender are just needle-gunned, underside is untouched. I have a few Sealey tools, but my needle gun is just an add-on to the cheapest air chisel I could find. It was also just the tool for replacing all those rivets. It gets rid of several paint coats and give a clean surface in a single pass. Bigger compressor or better quality gun / head, maybe? At the standard you illustrate you could probably get away with gunning the whole thing down and then sanding the flat areas.