deadline

I have collected 4 hinges for my 1943 Wooden Ben Hur trailer. While I was picking parts off a CCKW chassis I was able to make some rough drawings of the steel parts used on the tailgate (the foot loops, the metal channel at the top) but I didn't have a ruler and the dimensions are more than likely off. Does anyone have the metal parts already dimensioned out?

That's one thing I never considered.. all the US MVs in Europe and no ready supply is USS thread bolts.

What confuses me (and again, it may be more of a translation issue than anything else) is that the mention was made that the pics showed something backwards. I believe that the metering valve really has no 'right way'. And no matter the orientation it will not cause a knock. I know a common issue in jeeps for the 'idle stumble' lots of times is related to lose manifold/piping. Many people have given many good things to check... and from the description of the state of the intake/exhaust manifold it may be that the block is simply broke (that's a technical term). Could be a worn crank/cam journal, worn wrist pin, worn bearings, worn valves or springs etc etc etc. Basically its time to take out the engine and start mic'ing the parts.

Yes, his post about the sad state of the the intake and exhaust manifolds (even a broken stud IIRC) would make some noise. But not a knocking sound. The hard part of help with advice on the net is one's person knock is another persons ping. I would say that most people never do a proper rebuild or overhaul of their motor unless it is acting up. Even the form 461 'Preventative Maintenance Service and Technical Inspection Worksheet for wheeled and half-track vehicles': 6000 and 1000 mile inspection: Item 9: Engine (idle)(acceleration)(power)(noise)(governed speed) Item 21: Compression Test (record)

Here it is blown up.. It looks like a lunette in in the pintal. I hope you are not saying that this never would have happened. If the lunette would fit the pintal I'm sure GIs hooked up whatever they could.

Whats interesting is just right of center there is a CCKW with a 1/4ton trailer hooked up to it. Thats an odd combination.

Since the valve always has an open metering orifice there really isn't a way you can install it and have it stop flow. The valve is designed so that there is ALWAYS a vacuum pulling moisture out of the engine. Only way you can seal it up it with carbon or dirt... and that's why the TM says clean it. And even if the valve does clog, its not going make an engine knock.

It may be a translation thing: 'non return valve' is a check valve, right? The crankcase ventilation valve is NOT a check valve. Its always got a suction on the crankcase via the intake manifold. Its a two stage metering device to pull moisture/blow-by gasses into the intake manifold to be burned. If it gets clogged with carbon it will not make any noise. Symptoms of a clogged PCV valve are poor idle and blowing oil out the crankcase air filter, dipstick on oil fill tube (the engine becomes pressurized by blow by gasses and shoots oil out of any convenient vent).

That is not the hydrovac Vacuum check valve, at least is not the factory check valve. That is the crankcase ventilation metering valve. The intake always has a vacuum pulling blow by out of the engine. Its a two stage orifice that is spring loaded to the ventilation system does not screw up the carb. You have part 'AJ' The hydrovac vacuum check valve is part 'AF' Definitely clean it, and there is a test for the spring tension.. its in the TM IIRC. As for the hydrovac check valve they are available and can be repaired.

4 Bbls are overrated. Most of the time the engine is never going to suck enough CFM through it to get best power. I'd rather go with the dual or triple single Bbls carbs for power. More even distribution. Can be a bit of a chore to sync them up, but one you do it and know what to listen for its pretty easy. I had a 72 MG Midget and learned to sync them up in an hour or so. Now if I could only keep the brakes working, and electrical and .....

The decal looks a bit low, but the can is tilted quite a bit to get the lid to show. Many thanks to all the CCKW owners that helped with images and answering questions.

That's the problem with fixing stuff... its always worse than you hope it to be. At least there is an upside.. as you noted you should see a little more pep from the engine once the manifolds are replaced and all the discrepancies repaired.

And as this TM picture shows, you can put the decals on crooked and off center and still be period correct :-D

Make sure that you get the dipstick tube all the way seated in the hole or you will overfill the pan.

Yes, the orange/black decal is the crankcase ventilation air filter that is affixed to the oil filler tube.

It does say USA. I can clearly see the 'S' '.' 'A' '.' I'll guess that its either a fighter or a bomber group emblem... maybe even a specific planes. I don't have a TO&E for a fighter or bomber group but I would think that a squadron would have several jeeps. Also, just about every pic of SAS jeeps I could find had a spare tire mount on the hood, and many seemed to still have the USA registration number.

Filing or scraping the mounting surfaces flat is a few .001s of an inch (.01mm). Snapping the flanges off are the result of trying to torque a warped manifold to a flat mounting surface. Bolting a flat manifold to a flat surface will not snap anything. Having a knowledgeable scraper flatten the manifold is significantly cheaper than a new manifold. If you are not into perfection, there are PLENTY of post war 270 engines that use the same manifold. I have one from a civvy 270 and other than the casting marks they bolt right up.

That will help with vacuum leaks, but not exhaust. If the engine is cold you can just use soapy water. The engine will 'steady out' if its a vacuum leak (because the water is plugging the leak until it get all sucked in) and for a pressurized leak it will bubble... as long as the engine stays cool enough. Run the engine for a minute or two (won't get hot enough in that short time) and you can spray away.

Take the manifolds off and lay a metal straight edge (ie ruler) to check for warp/flatness. You could correct it somewhat by hand with a file and a surface plate and some india ink (scrape it flat). Being you're in the UK there may be a larger source of knowledgeable scrapers available to you. Its not rocket science. Whenever you rebuild a tranny or transfer case one step is to file the gasket mating surfaces to remove metal that has been pulled up due to bolt torque. Then polish out file marks. Its just a piece of metal.. it can be made to do your bidding.

The starter is right next to the distributor. Use a long flat bar to bump the starter until the points are on the top of a lobe and set the gap. http://www.vehiclesofvictory.com has a 'starter tool' on their web site that does just this. I'm sure mechanics in WWII used something similar.... a winch is nice, but it mostly gets in the way.

I'm open to a bulk sale at a deep discount. As little as 10 sheets will do. Here's what the lid decal looks like installed: Here's a pic of an original lid and decal. Mine is a little lower on the slope, but TM pictures show them high on the lid, low on the lid and all points in between. For more detailed pics go here: http://www.tm9-801.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=613&p=1294#p1294

I got them Monday, but just opened them today,

The PTO would hang so far off the left side of centerline that there would be no way to mount anything under the cab. The one shot that shows the bottom of the carrage does not show anything hanging like a winch/shaft. Best guess is that they took the front winch off a G506 (4x4 1.5 ton Chevy) and mounted it on the front, then used guides pulleys to run it under the chassis up and out from behind the cab. If you look at the latch used to secure the PTO lever, it looks like a production latch from a winch mounted truck.

I have the tracking number for the decals.. and the bill shows that the oil filter body text color was changed from white to yellow!!! Should have decals in hand by the 18th on November. If I 'owe' you decal sheets I'll be contacting you shortly for your address. Will post images of the final product when I get them.

I should be getting them back next week. There was a last minute color change to the oil filter body decal but I am not sure got changed. The decal should be black and yellow. My decal proofs were black and white... I did call them to make the change, and to submit new proofs, and even spoke to the artists that separates the colors for each screen to make sure they know they should be yellow and black. I never got anything back (like a confirmation) so there may be an error or it may have been fixed.... I'll know when they show up next week.