Gordon_M

The Sunday name for 'Post Office' red is actually 'Poppy' red, takes me back to when I had to work on that stuff for a living.

Gordon

It's a standard text, ready to be used by just replacing words like NORTHUMBRIA and NEWCASTLE by whatever country / area or city you need it to refer to.

It could be issued, circulated, and transported like that, and if it fell into the wrong hands it couldn't be used for negative publicity.

I'll bet there are modern equivalents on file even as we sit here...

Gordon

TB means it it a Thompson Brothers product.

Has to be worth saving

The part number listing is definitely the G104 number I quoted right back at the start, G104-6208454 / B208454 / AC-1567470, so if that's what you have I'm happy to get it. I only have one dashboard image, and although the dash is original I'm sure all of these things had a factory rebuild so the gauges could be anything - for example that GAS gauge is earlier than the dash as that style went out in 1941 and was replaced by the standard FUEL type. In fact the Parts List calls it a FUEL gauge rather than a GAS gauge.

I vaguely remember that someone said the speedo pictured was the same as the M7 snow tractor as well, with the reset on the front, but basically I don't have a speedo at all, so if you have a G104 one I'm happy.

The speedo cable part number just has an Iron Fireman G231 code on it and a description of 60", so unique to the vehicle, but I'm sure a standard 3/4 ton Dodge unit will fit, given the position of the speedo relative to the gearbox outlet fitting. If the early cable isn't long enough, then the later one for the 6 x 6 Dodge where it had to run all the way to the transfer case certainly will be as that is listed at 70".

( You just can't have to many Manuals and Parts Lists 8-)

I'll zip over to G503 and have a look at Ernie's speedo for sale though, thanks for the mention, but would still like yours.

Later, in another part of the forest...

I had a look at Ernie's ad - that's exactly the same as the image, but he has sold it to Tom anyway. By coincidence I have some T-26E4 / M7 Snow Tractor NOS spares here for Tom - maybe I should put dibs on the speedo tom has in his M7 at the minute/

sigh - day late and dollar short

Gordon

Thanks Adrian,

yes the T-36 units had Ordnance serials from 3 to 38 according to the lists, meaning 1 & 2 must have been the early versions with the cab offset to the rear. Definitely the USA number with a 91 prefix though, as the single wartime image shows USA 9155628 on trial.

Maurice helpfully sent me a gauge from Belgium, but it was snaffled by the border patrol - resumably because of the radium dial paint.

Steve Greenberg sent me an original used oil pressure gauge and a water temperature gauge to match my dashboard image, and Brent Mullins sent me two oil pressure gauges NOS in the box with G231 codes - packed or repacked in 1953.

As of today I need a 100 amp ammeter, speedometer, and a gas gauge, although I'm sure the standard Dodge fuel gauge would work. You can see in the image that the GAS gauge is an earlier type of flat bezel gauge, compared to the conventional bezel on the rest of them. Since it is a 1944 vehicle I think the later, more common FUEL gauge would actually be correct.

Gordon

While I've been tinkering with the T-36 Snow Tractor I've noticed something that I couldn't explain.

All the full and half track snow tractors I've seen have been USA 40xxxxx serial numbers, and that includes the Tucker 743 Sno-Cat in Crismon which is a tracked snow tractor for arctic conditions, so why do the three surviving T-36 units with known numbers have USA 91xxxxx hood numbers ?

Apparently USA 90xxxxx serial numbers were known to be assigned to obselete equipment, but has anyone ever seen any documentation as to why something would get a USA 91xxxxx serial number? All help appreciated here.

I think there's a lot of value in the "mindless detail" particularly when accompanied by such excellent photographs.

I've seen a few useful hints on these threads - not sure I'm going to buy a lathe or a milling machine yet, though.

Gordon

Best source for a bed is to buy a cheap truck, of course. trouble is you are more likely to get one from an open cab pickup which will be drilled differently ( for the transverse seats )

As a fallback position, you can buy good reproduction bed sides, front panel, and tailgate from sources like those that advertise on the Power Wagon Forum. That would leave you having to find the tie down rings ( rings on a WC1 - hooks were later ) centre stake pockets, front underpanels, and fenders.

Most of the stuff is available, but some small stuff can be tricky. You can save yourself some money by getting a bed or panels to the truck before you ship it, for sure.

WW2 Dodge Forum too, of course, for stuff like longitudinal rear seat brackets.

It's been quench and tempered or something like that to get a spring effect.

Spot heat it with a gas torch till it glows red, then it'll drill OK

I had three jobs to do today and struggled the get the time to fit them all in.

First was cutting out and cleaning up the small areas of aluminium roof edge that had rotted out and filled with handfuls of filler. I did the entire front edge above the screen last week, now it was time for the six smaller areas on the side and rear, all six were pretty much the same;

Before;

After;

While I was cutting out the edge above the screen, I noted that the centre pillars and been impacted with something and pushed back, so next job was to rig up a bar and jack those out again - quite tricky as they had been hit in more than one area and ended up a bit Z-shaped;

During:

After;

When that lot was done I had to finish cutting off the rear panel, which had rusted through in several areas. This also involved cutting back the extreme lower corners under the doors as those had been bodged ( read Bubba'd ) with tin and filler too;

After;

I noticed that there was a small rivetted steel plate centred just below the rear window, with no apparent function. I'd guess this was where a trailer socket would have been put in if they had decided that it needed one.

There were some nice contemporary Lucas stop and tail lights that I used, about 3" diameter, they'd be fine.

You would really have to find used ones though. When I broke a lens I bought a modern repro and it was way too expensive.

I'm sure the dye is deliberately formulated and detectable at very low levels, that said, if you run the thing completely dry and then start running it on clear diesel, and keep recent receipts for a tankful or more on the vehicle, you'd have a reasonable case that whatever was detectable was just a trace of red dye from a previous life.

Ask HMRC the same question - they are bound to have an online site for just this sort of question ?

Thanks chaps - will report back in due time when I give the DURAFIX a go.

I'll joggle the repair panel and DURAFIX it. I can spend the time till it gets here cleaning up the other bits that need the same treatment.

Gordon

OK, so approximately 2" less on the radius and 4" on the diameter then, compared to the old crossplys. That's a lot.

11.00 x 20 may be a better option, unless you have already fitted them?

Thanks for that advice chaps. I'd seen DURAFIX before but hadn't clocked it would do for that sheet metal. I've snapped up an economical kit from E-Bay and will give it a go.

I'll keep the mechanical joints as a fallback option - in fact I'll probably joggle the repair section and then DURAFIX the seam on both sides.

I could really have used this when making the Sno-Cat roof, but then if I have to do another one I'll be all set.

Thanks again

Got a bit of a technical problem here and could do with some advice.

The basic situation is that although the frame and sides on my T-36 Snow tractor cab are steel, the original roof cover and curved corners are aluminium, rivetted to the steel frame. Although 95% of the roof cover is fine, a 2" strip has rotted fairly consistently along the edge of each panel where it is rivetted to the frame, as seen in the first image above. By the time I clean it all back and trim it neatly I'm left with a missing strip of Aluminium about 2" high, as seen on the second image which is across the top of the windscreen frame area - the worst section of the roof. Maybe five or six feet of join to do in total.

I've tried Aluminium fabrication before - when I replaced the body on the Sno-Cat I got Argon gas and Aluminium filler wire for the MIG, but franky it was horrible to use and the results were less than ideal although eventually I just made it work.

I have the MIG, and can get more Argon (£££) and I have a decent spot welder, though no experience in spot-welding Aluminium. The joins will be very visible on the re-finished cab, so I don't want to just fill it full of pop rivets either.

If the rest of the roof was in the same state I'd just strip it and re-sheet it, but there are numerous square yards of perfectly acceptable roof, all fastened with hundreds of solid 3/16" rivets that haven't rotted, so I have to try to make the edge-to-edge joining of the repair sections work first.

So, should I spend money and just do a lot of practising with the MIG, or should I use the edge joggler and just try to spot weld ?

All sensible advice appreciated, and yes, in the first image that is the mounting for the single taillight, which is on the top left corner of the cab roof - snow must get quite deep....

the carriage was built around September/October 1942 which corresponds with the months that the "Hybrid" conversions were assembled,

Hang on a minute. These things were built around September 1942 and were called 'Pheasants?'

Want to bet the order was placed, or due for delivery, on 12th August ? :-D

I think 'slid off the road' is modest for that situation.

I'm sure that was a standard CCKW option - it looks different because the support legs are deployed directly to the rear - I remember you could get the Canadian Chevrolet CMP with the same wrecker set on it - lighter than the Diamond T set, obviously.

That staff car is absolutely correct to look at, isn't it?

It looks almost brand new, adapted with twin rears, and hard used for a year or two. The owner is to be congratulated on not having it shiny with paintwork that looks like it is an inch deep. Well done.

Loads in a couple of seconds here, on cable, and a few seconds more at home on the wireless network.

Click on the taskbar and bring up Task Manager, then look through the various options to see what is running and what is using memory. I think something else is running on your PC that is using a lot of processor or a lot of memory, or both.

It might be something that is nominally beneficial, like anti-virus or firewall, or something that really isn't, like a bot-net.

OK, ta, know how that happens.

Just sounded like you had some really useful secret weapon there. Notice how everyone else was too scared to ask?

Not much chance you finding one of them, then?

I suppose given the bits you could replicate what Weirs did, if you had the info. After all, if a few Scots can do it in ten days .....

Being a non-artillery type, how come something 8lbs lighter (17 versus 25 ) was superior as an anti-tank weapon - barrel length?

Good to hear, thanks Radek

Gordon

Got the teeshirt, that's how.

I remember getting two half ton WC36 Carryalls, one on top of the other, with the spare engine dropped inside.

I managed to lift / roll all the bits out of and off of the various locations, manhandle the body off, jack it square ( the rear liftgate / tailgate aperture was 2" out of square ) and roll it back on again. Surprisingly easy as it was just a tin box by the time everything else was removed. I have photographic evidence somewhere,

rummage, rummage;

Biggest swine was trying to shift a half ton 4 x 4 WC front axle as that was both heavy, awkward, and trying to crush your hands if you gave the thing half a chance.

There are no two-person jobs on a Dodge, there just aren't. Unlike my DUKW and LARC-V when you either needed a hand or two wreckers on hire at an arm and a leg per hour.

I would thoroughly recommend a Dodge to someone that wanted to own just one vehicle, but it had to be something that could be stored, shifted, and worked on just by one person

... and when Pike got his sticky paws on the Thompson it was the proper 1921 / 28A1 model too, with the compensator and the L drum.

The British got a lot of the original Colt-produced 1921 model, some of which were 1928A1 overstamps.