Chevrolet M6 Bomb Service Truck and M5 trailer!!

[P Marriott]

Well I have been offered a good friend's Chevrolet M6 and M5 trailer combination as part payment for some work. This truck has not run for a number of years and is in need of light restoration, or at least that is what he tells me. It is still tarped over on his drive, so who knows what six years weather has done to the tinwork!!

 

It needs new brakes all round, drums skimmed, new rear half shafts, tyres, wiring, a lick of paint and the engine has not turned for along time. When I do finally get to see it in all it's glory I will post some pictures.

 

As for the M5 trailer he has down a fair amount of work on it and only needs the fin holders and toolbox to be fabbed plus a couple of tyres.

 

I already have his repro 500lb and mould so hopefully in x amount of time I will have a presentable rig!!!

Edited January 18, 2012 by P Marriott

[Snapper]

Good for you, Paul.

 

Get some snaps up as soon as you like...

 

Have fun..

 

MB

[Bodge Deep]

Nice one Paul... so Debach this year then

Waddaya mean no? Get on with it!:cool2:

[G506]

Another Chevy, spot on! Get some pics uploaded Paul, we're itching to see her!

[N.O.S.]

Perhaps we'd better team up and get both trucks and both trailers done together :D

[P Marriott]

Bodge steady on there I can't work too hard!! Hopefully I will get the Chevy to Debach as a static exibit if nothing else. If I can get it running and moving then all the better. The only problem is time!! Just got the Dodge winter maintenance finished ready for it's first outing Sunday.

 

Bodge are yourself and Jesse attending this year?? If so the following weekend there is another event at Bentwaters for there airshow, another informal worth while event.

 

NOS will now definately have to pay a visit to see what is missing on mine. Sounds like if Clive does Bolero 2011 we need to get two M6 combinations along with your tanker and my Clark!

 

Stupidly I have promised William the Clark will be drivable for his birthday in November!!

 

Just need a takeout Dodge 230 engine if anyone has one for sensible money.

 

Will post pictures as soon as I get to see it!!

[P Marriott]

Have spent the whole of thursday and friday fitting bits back on the M6 to enable it to be moved. It has sat on axle stands for five years with the wheels and brake drums off as well as numerous other items. Dave and I have managed to get all brake drums and shafts refitted, although no brakes have been fitted as these will all need to be replaced. The gearbox selector forks are seized from sitting and will need to be released, but the engine turns over by hand!!! Will spend next thursday friday trying to free off gearbox and fit new water pump and see whether she will fire up.

 

Here are a couple of pictures for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once I have it moved i won't be doing any further work until i have finished my Clark tractor which i have promised my son will be done for his third birthday in November.

Edited April 24, 2010 by P Marriott

[chevpol]

nice truck

 

Mark

[Jessie The Jeep]

No guesses as to what markings it will be finished in

[fesm_ndt]

thats nice, another thread I have to subscribe to

[M5Clive]

Sorry I didn't get the chance to breeze-past on Friday afternoon when I hoped to Paul (I got weigh-leighed in Felixstowe driving my new purchase around the streets!) but the Chev looks far better than you had given me reason to believe!

 

As the late Alan Chapman regularly used to say when he was trying to close a deal on any potential purchaser of his military stock ~ "A weeks hard work and that'll be fine...."

[HWade]

Thats a nice looking truck you have there Paul, it sounds like you have alot of work ahead of you.

 

all the best

 

Howard

[P Marriott]

No worries Clive we guessed you would be taking a long slow drive down the promanade!

 

Yes Howard there is a lot of work to do, the pictures make it look better than it is as usual. THere are currently no brakes, needing all new cylinders, shoes, lines, master cylinder and possibly hydrovac. Thats just to get in drivable.

 

Will probably get the old clylinders relined with stainless sleeves by Past Parts. Still need new front brake shoes or at the least new linings fitted.

 

Does anybody know whether you can just bypass the hydrovac and still have good brakes or do I need to keep the hydrovac in circuit???

[N.O.S.]

Will probably get the old clylinders relined with stainless sleeves by Past Parts. Still need new front brake shoes or at the least new linings fitted.

 

Does anybody know whether you can just bypass the hydrovac and still have good brakes or do I need to keep the hydrovac in circuit???

 

Welcome to my world :nut::banana::wave: Mind you I was a lot younger then......

[G506]

Yes Howard there is a lot of work to do, the pictures make it look better than it is as usual. THere are currently no brakes, needing all new cylinders, shoes, lines, master cylinder and possibly hydrovac. Thats just to get in drivable.

 

Does anybody know whether you can just bypass the hydrovac and still have good brakes or do I need to keep the hydrovac in circuit???

 

Paul,

is the hydrovac still there, but just needs rebuilding? Personally, I would keep the hydrovac, brakes will be more effective and they're not too bad to rebuild. Plus, (Heaven forbid) you should have a serious accident, the authorities will be less than pleased if they discover part of the braking system has been left out!

Rex Ward may be able to help with wheel cylinders, its fairly easy to get brake shoes relined, and as you mention Past Parts, they resleeved my master cylinder

[N.O.S.]

And remember (a car park conversation??) you can use Jimmy front wheel cylinders - but the brake backplate top needs indexing back round one bolt hole (e.g. LHS goes clockwise) to allow union to clear. In your case (i.e. empty brake drums :cool2:) that wouldn't be such a big job

 

New hydrovacs (later type) and kits are available from Belgium. Bit of pipework required though. If you get one and get it working, I'll pop around and see where I've gone wrong......

[Jessie The Jeep]

Paul, I'll be very disappointed if it isn't all finished by Debach in June

[P Marriott]

Hi Stephen, Yes the aim is to have it mobile if possible for Debach even if the only brake is the handbrake. Thats good enough!!!

 

Do you have a baby boy, or girl as I never heard anymore or was it all a phantom pregnancy???

[Jessie The Jeep]

A girl, on November 20th. She was at her first MV event 3 weeks later!

 

 

She's definately going to be into the 1940's scene. She's been giggling away and dancing to 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by the Andrews Sisters this morning!

Edited April 26, 2010 by Jessie The Jeep

[P Marriott]

Well guys spent all day Thursday on the Chevy again!! More bits and pieces have been found lurking in Daves garage in various boxes and bags. I now have most of the truck bolted back together ready to be moved to it's new home, which should hopefully happen next week.

 

We thought we would try the engine as it has not been started for seven years, well checked for a spark primed up the carb using the hand primer and hit the starter. After around ten seconds of cranking the beast fired up and ran on seven year old petrol!!!

 

Only ran it for a very short while as there is no cooling currently, but it did idle ok and seems to run without much smoke. Took the top of the gearbox to free up all the selector forks, which took a while replaced the lid and fired it up again to check the clutch. Well after seven years it moved, if only a meter.

 

Next stage is to try and get the waterpump sorted and get the brakes installed in time for Debach. Five weeks and counting!!

[Jessie The Jeep]

Crikey! Only 5 weeks :shocked:

[les freathy]

A photo of the trailer taken in the late 1940s the number is USAF 0491 1502 and it would appear that either a white or yellow diamond is on the front box with 1B-15 painted underneath

[P Marriott]

Well guys just spent another day on the Chevy to sort out a few more issues before it's move. I have now fitted a water pump, not the one previously purchased as it turned out to be the wrong one!! Richard Taylor has kindly lent me a Jimmy water pump which as it turns out is the exactly the same!! At least it means Rex Ward can recondition mine in the long term. Thermostat housing fitted, generator and bracket fitted, gearbox oil changed and new battery cables made up and fitted.

 

So the next stage is to sort out the water pump to radiator pipe, new fan belt, fill with coolant, install new battery and test run the engine!!

 

Will keep you all posted.

[P Marriott]

Well a little progress on the Chevy, managed to fit all new coolant pipes, water pump and thermostat and filled up the radiator. Only to see water seeping out of the block!!! So much for a good engine, I won't be buying anymore vehicles off Dodgy Dave's Auto's!!! Seriously it would seem there has been a frost crack that has been stainless steel welded at sometime in it's past and the weld just hasn't taken around the core plug boss. So what have they done put a load of filler over it and painted it!

 

I shall grind back the weld and try applying some metal weld epoxy or something like that as a short term fix. Well next came the trial run, well you've guessed it, it would only run for thirty seconds!! After a bit of fault finding the fuel pump was found to require a rebuild. Quick call to Rex Ward and nextday a fuel pump rebuild kit!

 

New battery and starter cables installed ready for the big switch on.

 

Well with the pump rebuilt and fitted the Chevy roared into life and after a little tweak runs well, if a little smokey. The next problem is that the charging doesn't work as after fifteen minutes running the regulator relay cut in and fried the genny stator wiring!! So generator and reg removed for rebuild.

 

Will post a few pictures next time of progress and hopefully it will be at the airfield!!

[Jessie The Jeep]

Adrian can always tow you around the Debach arena!