ZIL157

Yes, I've looked again. Because my own Dodge is listed under 'Dodge USA' I naturally assumed this would be in the same category. As you say, it is there under plain 'Dodge'. Thanks for your imput.

Thanks for that, my trawl through the DVLA site suggested that it no longer existed ! If you know the owner perhaps you could ask them whether they might like a photo or two as it was when I dragged it out of the orchard complete with wrecker jib installed. I acquired it in Worcestershire, has it moved far ? Cheers.

Does anyone know this Dodge WC57, chassis no. 81680337, reg. no. FUY 270 ? I rescued it from an orchard back in the 1970's and have always wondered what happened to it. I've found this old photo of it on the net which at least tells me that someone restored it and it didn't succumb to the 'gas axe'. Thanks for your time, all the best to one and all.

Interesting and thoughtful response. It's advertised to sell that's for sure.

I agree, the rear main seal would have a negligible effect as a reason for a tight crank. I, too have towed jeeps around with the engine turning to free them off a little after the installation of new bearings. If it's really tight try helping it a little by removing the plugs. I assume that the rods are all true and that you've not gone the extra yard when tightening the end caps? A complete last resort would be to drop the pan and ever so slightly back off the end caps, replace the pan and oil etc and run the engine for five minutes or so, then repeat the process to torque specs. Just about everybody will tell you not to do this but I have, with complete success and no apparent repercussions.

Hi Raeme 21, You're not seriously telling me you swopped that lovely GM 270 petrol motor for a clanking 2 stroke diesel are you ? Why that's very nearly sacrilege.......!!! Shame on you. BUT, us diesel aficionados must stick together, we are apparently a minority, and we could be persecuted. Seasons greetings Phillip.

I kind of knew that Memphis Equipment were mainly post war M series etc but was told that sometimes they've moved older stuff. Just wanted confirmation from a local really, so thanks for the reply.

Hello there, Looks like I've missed this one, but can you tell me if there's any other shows / auto stuff happening around the Memphis area between 25th August and 6th September ? I'll be on holiday over there during this time. Also, do you know whether Memphis Equipment still have any WW2 vehicles and / or spares ? Many thanks Just seen your picture of the B17, excellent. Better than the ones I took of sister ship Sally B doing a similar manoeuvre over Sleap Airfield here in Shropshire, UK.! Cheers.

I think that of all the Willys models the MC gets a bad press. Even the MD (M38A1) seems to generate more interest with jeep enthusiasts. Maybe because it's so similar to the MB without actually being one, who knows. It is a fact that they're appreciated much more in the States, and seem to command competitive prices. As a matter of interest mine was imported from the States by the previous owner back in the mid 90's although I've had one before that had been brought over with the military and used with the US Airforce, and I believe that one was sold off through Molesworth airbase.

I've had must be over a dozen MB's over the years but I have to say that my favourite model Willys is the MC. As a daily driver it is more weatherproof, has a nicer gearbox in the T90, a superior parking brake, brake drums that are separately removable from the hubs and lights that actually illuminate your way. Yet they still retain much of the inherent character of the flat fender jeeps. Points I don't like are the 24v waterproof electrics, the semi floating rear axle, the 5.38 diff ratios and from an aesthetics point of view, the bug-eyed front grill, tho' I do like the fact that it hinges down to facilitate engine/gearbox removal. I run an MC as a daily driver and have fitted a Mahindra diesel as a temporary measure while the original engine undergoes a rebuild, but it's proven so economical and reliable that I'm not exactly in a rush to re-install the Go Devil at 15 mpg! The military had already converted it to 12 volt while still in service. It has a build date of 1951 and was in service with the Louisiana National Guard, the markings and serial number being revealed when I first sanded it down after purchase some fifteen years ago. Best of luck with your new jeep.

Alright my mate, how's things in the Antipodes ?

Hi, according to my information your truck has a build date of 1/7/44. Could you be mistaken with the R2 bit ? It would seem more likely that it is CCKW 353 362152 B2. This would be a cargo body with winch and banjo axles. For what it's worth you can make a reasonable guess at the army serial number if you consider that chassis number 362242 at less than a hundred from yours, had the army serial no.4315382. Hope this helps.

I'd try condenser too, I'd also check that the + and - terminals on the coil are the right way round. It will run if these are the wrong way round, but roughly.

I agree, bet yer life that this is a relatively recent mock up on a lengthened chassis. Those water outlet vents are a bit Mahindra-esque ! Nice to see something different.

I'm selling six good 900 x 20 Firestone All Traction tyres on ebay right now.

Sounds like a bridge plate to me as well, is it the same as this one on my truck?

I'm ostensibly a Willys man, but back in the day when they changed hands for just a few quid ( I actually paid £5 for my first MB back in 1964 !) me and my mates would run Champs when we found ourselves 'between jeeps' as it were. I remember driving down to Chippenham, Wiltshire from Birmingham where I lived in those days and decided to try and achieve the magic 20 mpg. This was because a short time earlier we'd done a similar 'economy run experiment' in an MB, on which we managed to achieve a remarkable 28 mpg. Well, I did get 20 mpg from my Champ, dead on, covering 100 miles on exactly 5 gallon of fuel. There was a few err...'cheats' needed to get it though, like driving like I was in carpet slippers rather than boots, not braking unless absolutely neccessary, and cruising in nuetral on any downhill section ! When you think about it, it was all fairly unimportant anyway 'cos one pound (£1) would buy more than 4 gallons back then. Happy days !

Yes, that 'simple idea' occured to me that if the mounts were low enough, there'd be just about enough angle to use the tow hooks as anchor points. Theres a picture on flickr ( cckw/ that shows a front mounted jib and the mounting points seem to be front mounted on the bumper. I say seems because unfortunately it was taken from behind the vehicle and it's difficult to be sure. Thanks for the interest.

I'm sure they're post war, but would like confirmation as to exact use. Thanks

A couple of pictures of CCKW's with the same modification to the front bumper. Can anyone provide a photo of the 'A' frame, crane jib, or whatever, that these brackets were made to fit ? Cheers.

This is very evocative...the stuff that sets your mind racing and the blood coursing around your system. You don't SEE the work, just the possibility's. I commend your enthusiasm, but then, you can't help yourself anymore than the rest of us, 'cos we've all got the same disease, the urge to resurrect it if its abandoned and olive drab. At the end of the project, after all those thousands of hours of unpaid toil, we reluctantly admit that " if I'd known what a pain in the arse that was going to be, I'd never have started !!" All the very best to you, another one saved.

In answer to the availability of a multi fuel engine, virtually any 'old school' diesel unit will be very accomodating in respect to useable fuel. Heavy they may be, but you don't notice it even on the steering, and my Perkins 6354 is powerful, extremely reliable and will run quite happily on anything from derv to chip fat. No fancy fly by wire electronic sensors here, just plain old DPA pump with delivery valve. Also. you don't need air for the brakes, just an exhauster to operate the hydrovac.

Hello, If I were you, and assuming you're not an out and out 'purist', I'd take the practical choice and procure a 353 with a diesel fitted. I can hear the gnashing of teeth and the sanctimonious condemnations even as I type this message, but I used to run a 353 with a P6 fitted which gave perfectly adequate performance AND economy. My present one has a P6354 fitted, which is nicer altogether. Just a thought. Hope all goes well anyroad and that it all comes off. Cheers.

Hi there, just a thought, have you tried Seals Direct ? I got a suitable outer seal for the windscreen of my closed cab Jimmy from them. They're a good bunch of blokes and have an extensive range of various rubber extrusions. They're quick too and will post you examples for comparison. Contact details are:- sales@sealsplusdirect.co.uk tel:- 08452263345.

Just to say that on my truck, a CCKWX, the chassis number is just 4 numbers (it was manufactured in late December 1940), without a prefix or suffix. This is on the right hand front chassis rail as usual, but is also on the left hand rail with the numbers upside down. It would seem that the need for extra nomenclature i.e. CCKW, 353, B1 etc was only introduced after the first production runs.