Pete Ashby

That's exactly what I have found like you I have used it as a resource on and off for many years going back before the days of home computers when you could book a visit to the archive department and rummage around shelves of albums and cardboard boxes. Then it started to go on line and with a bit of lateral thought things could be found using the search engine. I haven't had cause to go on the site for some time until recently and now the search criteria seem very broad brush Glad it's not just me Pete

Done some work on the Leyland frame recently, right back near the start of blog there are some photos of the major work carried out on the frame and as that effort was nearly twenty years ago it was time to give it a little cosmetic attention. Another reason is that information regarding the correct colour and also the accuracy of paint matching technology has advanced subsequently it has been determined that the initial colour I used on major components was too light. So after a light rubbing down (320 grade paper dry) to provide a key for the new paint a gloss black primer coat was applied followed by two coats of G3 the front of the frame under the cab and the cab itself will be done next. Just for comparison this is how it all looked when the truck first arrived. Left hand frame rail and running board Mid frame brace and cross member (front of the truck to the left of photo) All the handbrake linage and gubbins (front of the truck toward the top of photo) And this is what it looks like today first three photos in gloss Black (Front of truck towards bottom of photo) And then in G3 Refurbished main prop shaft fitted Pete

Does anybody else find the the IWM online search function clunky and frustrating I know the photo reference numbers I want to look for but for the life of me I can't find a way of inputting them directly into the search function...... or perhaps it's just me ?? Pete

Good point well made Steve I've had a couple like that and done exactly the same fix. The other thing worth mentioning perhaps is that before the body screws are tightened down the cam shaft operating lever needs to be held in the raised position while the body screws tightened evenly. Doing this draws the diaphragm down so that it locates properly and ensure maximum deflection without stress around the screw holes as this may lead to premature failure Pete

It would be a good idea to check all of your steering linkage for ware while your at it this sort of problem is often a combination of ware or poor adjustment in all the components. One point about the cross shaft end thrust adjustment make sure you have free movement through out the full travel lock to lock of the steering wheel it is possible to adjust the free play at the mid point and have the cross shaft biding or too tight in the worm on both left and right full lock . Pete

Can't provide an answer on the black star other than perhaps a unit specific identifier The stenciling I suspect will including shipping dimensions and weights for the vehicle often seen at this period on the petrol tank of trucks such as GMC etc and on the right side lower cowl quarter panel on jeeps Pete

Come back here and tell us all how things are with the stat fitted Neil it's always useful for all of us to know the successful outcome of problems Pete

Sorry Richard our post crossed there Pete

That's why your gauge is registering a low temperature then Neil without a thermostat you need to heat the whole system up to operating temperature and that will take time most certainly with a new radiator fitted. Old by which I mean pre war cooling systems often did not have thermostats but any system that had them the reason is to reach operating temperature as quickly as possible as this limits bore wash and oil dilution as a result from prolonged use of the choke and also to reduce engine condensation and get the whole internals hot enough to get any formed converted to vapor and expelled from the crankcase via the breather. Pete

I take it you are running a pressure system as your truck is post war ? if so around 140F to 180F should be the idle temperature from a cold start after 5 or 6 minutes, time to temperature is dependent of course on ambient temperature. Running on the road I would expect to see it controlling via the thermostat between 140F to 210F depending on condition of the engine, engine load, and ambient temperature. Try using an infra red heat gun to check the temperature at head, rad header tank, rad bottom tank this will give you a better indication of whats going on with your cooling system. They are cheap as chips off e-bay and reasonably accurate. Pete

Well you can't argue with that primary source information way to go, however it raises another question which is why is it so rare to find photographic evidence of this order actually being carried out ?? Pete

Both valid suggestions Chaps, I really don't have the answer so lets see if anybody else chips in. It must be something more than just the whim of a transport Officer as it would have required some form of universal order to have been issued to change the fitting of some many truck wheels so this would suggest there was a specific reason that caused this to happen. Pete

I’ve noticed for some time that pre-war photos show the wheels mounted on the rear bogie have the spring locking ring facing out away from the vehicle both photos credited to IWM collection. see photo below of a pre-war Leyland Retriever workshop body variant possibly taken 1938 However almost without exception photos of trucks from 1940 on wards ( factory or in service) show the rims reversed on the rear bogie so that the locking ring now faces into the middle of the vehicle the wheel stud holes on the rim are countersunk on both sides to enable fitting in either position. see photo below I initially thought it was something to do with moving the track of the rear wheels so that they do not follow the front pair however having fitted the rear wheels to my Retriever following the war time in service model I can't see it wouldn't make much if any difference. Any one have suggestions or definitive answers ? thanks Pete

Pleased the info was of some use, that's a very smart job Howard, Just how so many of the Dodge series spent the majority of their operational lives interesting change from having to agonize of the correct shade of G3 I imagine. I've just sent you a PM about another matter by the way regards Pete

Good Morning Howard first question is I'm assuming if the truck has tipping gear fitted as a factory fit what I mean the truck is a D60S with 136" wheel base as these were the tipper variants the long wb trucks were all GS bodied. I'm not sure how useful this will be but here are some photos from the water tank manual for the D15 showing the PTO I also have pictures for the pump but I guess a hydraulic pump would be different more like the type found on early Massey tractors with two penny valves not the piston that the water tank pump has?. Either way the PTO should be the same I guess And just for good measure the standard Canadian tyre pump that is interchangeable with the PTO the only reason I mention it is that you say you have a control leaver that turns on the top of the pump see No1 in diagram below Lastly the photo of my set up before removal for comparison the only activating lever for the tanker set up is the pull handle on the dash board. Hope this helps Pete

The sealing strip arrived yesterday from COH Bains a UK based company it's worth having a nose around the web site as they do vast amounts of rubber and sponge moldings and extrusions . So after all the prep work this was the time to take a deep breath and get on with the job. Glass is a funny thing in a previous existence I had a bit to do with it and it can be immensely strong in compression but can shatter in an instant if torsional stress or shock is applied so careful does it is the watch word . Bit of explanation on the way I found works for me, if any one else finds it useful then all to the good there are other ways to do this. First off the the rubber sealing strip is fed round edge of each screen starting at the center top of each pane. The first 1/2" or so I super glue to the top edge of the glass, (don't apply the glue direct put of spot on a tin lid and apply with a match stick this prevents the risk of having glue getting where you don't want it and ending up sticking yourself to the job like Brare Rabbit and the Tar baby) now feed the strip round the edge it follows the radius edges well but the 90' corners at the center post need the side wall of the strip nicking at 45' on each side of the glass don't worry about the over lap yet just keep a light tension on the strip all the way round until the top center is reached again, just run a fraction past the the center line then cut off square check for butt joint and then super glue 1/2" to the top of the glass and glue the two ends together as a butt joint together at the same time It now looks like this Trim up the corners and I put just a smidge of glue on the cut edges to make a firm 45' butt joint and prevents it ridging up when being eased into the frame. That's what's going on here over lap about to be trimmed off (other super glues are available) repeat for the second screen Now this where it can all go horribly wrong as both screens have to be fed into the bottom frame before the top frame is fitted. Unlike flat screen types closed cab Dodge and GMC frames can't be held in a workmate because each screen is angled away from the center post so phone a friend. The glass must slide into the frame with only minimal pressure being applied if it's binding a little tyre lube brushed into the frame channel may help, don't use washing up liquid some have salt in them and it and will start to rot the frame. Remember to slide the locking bars into the bottom frame and put a screw in each side to hold it in place as the top frame is lowered onto them. I found the top frame could be seated using a small block of hard wood and a soft blow hammer very carefully along the top edge of the frame keeping everything square and in line however the locking bars tend to bind even after polishing and greasing so a ratchet strap fitted across the frame joint and very slight tension applied overcomes the lateral spring in the frame and sealing rubber (any more than a gnats whisper and the glass will crack and the screen will just fold up) another couple of light taps and everything closed and lined up. The fixing screws all had a wipe of copper grease before fitting and then it was the turn of the screen fittings and that was that and it looked like this below. Outside with the central pillar molding and frame clips in place Inside with window sliders, hinge brackets and screen locking tab fitted. . Some people choose not to mess about with sealing strip and mastic the glass into the frame it's quick, easy and virtually no risk of breakage however if the glass needs to be replaced for any reason it can be the devils own job getting the remains out of the frame channel and can result in the frame ending up as scrap. Close cab screens are very hard and very expensive to find nowadays but auto glass can be cut to size by any competent supplier and is relatively cheap so like a lot of things in life you pays your money and makes your choice. Forgot to add that the covering on the bench is a piece of industrial carpet it's a bit rough so grips the glass slightly and stops everything sliding around too much but soft enough not to scratch the glass or the paint. Pete

All bulbs obviously but it gives you the option of easy to obtain Halogen head light bulbs and LED rear lights if you so desire every thing else stays the same except the fuel gauge which will need to be a 12volt version obtained via the usual outlets and the ignition coil of course . 12 volt original dynamos are getting hard to come by and if by chance one turns up they are very (by this I mean eye wateringly ) expensive. I have recently done a conversion using a Dynator this is an alternator built to look like one of the the old style big Lucas dynamos only needs a new bracket fabricating to take the unit onto the block which can't be seen when installed and a different bracket to tension the belt not as per factory but a whole lot better looking than a modern alternator slapped in there and there is no need for any CVC box just a coil activation light when the ignition is first turn on I tucked this up under the cowl so it shined down on the the drivers feet and went out as soon the engine fired up. A word to the wise these units are made by a range of manufactures now for the classic car market they come in a range of prices for essentially the same thing so it pays to shop around via the web. Pete

Having come to a bit of a standstill on the Leyland as I await the restrictions to ease so that I can get some blast cleaning done I turned back to the D15 and looked for a job that could be done while on lock down. The windscreen looked like a not too demanding task so I collected from the barn all the various component parts sealed in bags and tins and started having a look at what I'd got. Thanks to Matt (who is on this forum and the previous owner but one ) when he took things apart he stored them carefully in tins and bags and the next owner kept everything together unopened and what a good job they did as it soon became apparent the windscreen on a Dodge closed cab is made up of a number of very small parts. So the starting point was the the upper and lower frames that had already been taken apart Although the frames look rusty in the above photo in actual fact they were in good sound condition and the corrosion was only superficial so I decided to use a fine wire wheel on the angle grinder. Bottom frame done top one to do bottom frame in etch primer Both top and bottom frame given a coat of etch primer then a gloss black under coat then two coats of G3 This next photo shows the frames and all the associated hardware minus the two hinge plates that are still attached to the roof of the cab at the moment. For the benefit of my son David who has two of these screens to rebuild and anyone else who is interested I have labeled up the screen hardware in the next two photos all these parts had a good soaking in the Molasses bath for a couple of weeks , a wash in water a quick wire brush and my standard paint finish all threads have been chased through with a tap and a smear of copper grease worked into the threads with a modelling brush. First photo of the larger bits numbers in red: 1 Windshield center piece moulding part no 844776. This clips over the outside of the center pillar I was really surprised to find this level of trim on an MV produced mid war and had to check the parts in my Jan 43 parts list its also in an Aug 44 copy for the LWB 3ton truck as well so it appears to have been a fixture right through the range for the duration of the war, Dodge obviously cared about design over functionality, surprising when compared to Chevrolet or Ford CMP's of a similar period where if it's not strictly necessary you don't get it. 2 Screen support sliding arms handed left and right 3 These are the brackets handed left and right ( they are faintly stamped L and R on the inside of the curve) that screw to the top of the screen frame and then bolt onto the hinge plates fixed to the cab roof Next photo this is all the smaller parts numbers in black: 1 These bars have a number of threaded holes 3/16" UNF and they fit inside the the hollow screen frame that is drilled to match they are handed left and right. The purpose is to hold the top and bottom frames together and also to act as fixings for the sliding arms (2 in the above photo) I have made sure they are perfectly clean and have greased them lightly with high melting point copper grease to help with reassembly. 2 Locking thumb wheels for the sliding arms interestingly smaller and of a different design than those found on Ford and Chevrolet CMP's. 3 windscreen locking assembly this fits over the threaded stud in the lower center pillar that you can see in the photos above the tang engages with a slot in the top of the dash board and locks the screen shut and draws the frame outer weather seal up against the cab frame simple cleaver idea but I'll reserve judgement until I see how effective it is. 4 A total of 19 3/16" UNF x 3/8"counter sunk screws that hold all the gubbins together 5 This is a real stroke of luck to have these two little do dabs, they are listed in the parts book as ' Clip frame joint part no 797773 x 2' these clip over and cover the join in the top and bottom frames it's the sort of detail that either gets thrown away or rots away and not something that would be easy to fabricate even if you knew what they looked like. So all a bit long winded for what started out as a quick job I'm afraid. I have two good windscreen glasses put by ready for fitting. I'll try several trial runs to make sure the glass fits the frame channel with the sealing strip in place before I go ahead and put the whole thing together hopefully this will not be too much of a drama and end in tears........watch this space. Pete

Somehow I've missed this thread until now, Iv'e read it start to finish in one sitting and all I can say is excellent effort and fabrication skills. In my humble opinion this is a bench mark project that shows what can be achieved with limited resources, determination and enthusiasm. I salute you Rob and look forward to following the project to completion. Pete

Ah the paint question, who would think it would cause so much debate? but it does from restorers around the world on virtually all MV forums on the web and rightly so. We spend huge sums of money and invest thousands of hours of work on our projects and it's it's only right and proper that we want to get the finish correct for period and country of origin that the vehicle represents. I notice Lawrence you don't ask about the colour or shade which is a whole different can of worms so I'll leave that to one side. Regarding finish as others have said matt has intrinsic problems in terms of durability, weather proofing and stain resistance and like David I have seen war time NoS parts from Britain, Canada and the US that exhibit quite marked finish differences from dead flat to what I would class as silk. Over the years and a fair number of vehicles I have evolved a standard method using spray application, first a good zinc rich primer or etch primer depending on the item being painted then followed by a hard gloss I use either black or dark grey and then two top coats of your preferred colour at 15% sheen applied within 48hr of the gloss coat going on. The idea here is that the gloss coat is still active enough so that the top coat thinners can soften the gloss just enough to bond with it as it rather defeats the object to sand the gloss coat to produce a key at this stage. Pete

Problem sorted congratulations, bit of ware on mains and big ends but nothing too bad by the look of your readings. Thanks for coming back here with the result regards Pete

The offer to split the Lottery winnings is still open Simon Pete

Good morning Jim, using your frame number as a starting point : US ordnance contract W-398-QM-11424 Ford frame numbers 41961 to 52355 US Army reg numbers issued 20126961 to 2013735 725 trucks from the batch transferred to British forces under contract Q11424 British M numbers 4938144 to 4938868 Pete

Thank you Paul for taking the trouble to ask your friend much appreciated, if I find anything I'll let you know good luck with your project regards Pete

Thank you Paul that's very good of you much appreciated regards Pete