Ben Rippingham

1943 Fwd har-1 1st time out fully restored at Yanks 2007.

stoneleigh 2006

At stoneleigh as chassis/cab in 2006 and completed with rebuilt cargo body this year.

my truck in december 2003.

i've just spent the best part of £15.000 and 4 years restoring my truck (fwd har-1)! i had to sell all other trucks n projects and use all my earnings to do it! To be honest i enjoyed the 4 years of hard work, now own a truck i couldn't have bought restored because it's only one of three left in the world :-D, but won't be able to afford to own/restore anything else for a loooong time!!!!!!!! :-(

being used by the polish in italy, monte cassino area.

anyone travelling from the north west/ midlands and has room for a gmc sized truck please get in touch with me on 07799113016. i am willing to pay for all diesel costs but no silly transport costs.

Anyone going to war n peace with space for a gmc sized vehicle out there? i live in sandbach, cheshire, just off j17, m6 i will gladly pay all your diesel costs, but no silly transport prices!! please contact me 07799113016 if you can help.

regards

ben

fwd har-1 christmas 2003

I know the feeling of one too many projects. i bought and moved house and realising i had more space then proceeded to fill it with my new project (fwd har-1) which was in a similar if not worse condition of that autocar. That was Christmas 2003, i then had to renovate the house, whilst building an extra large double garage + lean to. Whilst spending more money than i'd like to admit on my garage build i found myself having to cash in my beloved weapons carrier. Having finished my garage and enough of the house to keep my wife quiet in 2005 then proceeded to restore my truck. Although i never imagined just how much this truck was going to cost to restore, the hardwood body alone probably stands me at the price of a 'good gmc!' and last year thought it a good idea to cash in my m3a1 scout car project which i bought prior to the truck so i could afford to finish this truck and buy something more restorable hence my inter m5h6. having not done any shows for a few years am looking forward to the forthcoming show season!!

The original markings got the needle gun sadly, but thats restoration for you. This dodge came from an old boy derby-way i think who had owned it ten years or so and had realised he was never going to do it. Obviously from its american use it was LL'ed to the British as underneath the wings you'll notice where the british butler sidelights have been. Also that brown long books shows quite typically its 1947 demod from british use, hence that authentic 47 reg number which separates this dodge from most you'll see. Other than the logbook which admittedly was the selling point of when i bought it and that the old boy who bought it from Budge? i know nothing else of its history.

pics are to big see restoratio projects for pic!, bet last pic will upset some people though and as for mws and k2's close ur eyes now!!!!!

ooops wrong pic, try again

that's right enigma, only one blackout lamp as per british LL contract requirements, lamp on the other side. this was prior to resto' in 2003 pic enclosed i hope????

and again

another one i hope

A'ha commander bond how's tricks? nah i didn't give him my prized 'green lady' you presented to me, after all it was me that did all the spannering at the time! seems along time ago we were at Trentham. I see your cashing in your dodge! how's the GPA coming on?

Gareth i spent more money on that dodge than i care to remember when i did a full 'down to da chassis' rebuild in 2001. On the bumper were original 90x- hq5 markings i think under many layers of paint which i did put back on but Phil painted over :dunno: those markings meant the dodge served with 90th infantry div at some stage which have a pretty cool history during its eto action. hopefully a pic enclosed prior to resto' the only welding done on it was a tad on the lower chassis by the exhaust other than she was a completely solid with no rot!!!

gareth can't really tell from thumbnail but that looks like my ole FBT 105 which i pretty much nut n bolted about 6 years back!?

Hadn't realised this had been moved to here thanks for all replies everyone. The reason for me starting the thread was because i own 2 trucks. The beauty (inter m5h6) and the beast here (fwd har-1)

beat that!!!

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nice job that fella had at IHC eh?

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yep adrian infact i have 2, one good and one thats solid but needs a good clean make me an offer on the pair as i'm sick of moving 'em from pillar to frikin post all the time!

Hi folks i'm new to this forum, but not the mv scene. For all u guys who think its tough-going restoring your gmc or dodge. You should try restoring a vehicle where is NO spare parts other than what other 60+ year old scrap trucks you can find and use for parts. This very rare ww2 'cargo' truck which i am just finishing the resto' on and should be at kemble for its first outing started off life like this in 2003. I wonder just how many of you MV enthusiasts can tell me what it is????????? hears a clue its one axle short to be a gmc/diamond t???? ;-)

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