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My Former WC51 "Flying Control Dodge" - A New Chapter


Jessie The Jeep

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Another busy Dodge day today. This morning, I made and fitted the rack to store the M8 Pyro pistol. The wooden dowels locate it in place, and then a webbing strap fastened to two footman loops holds the pistol into the rack. It has been mounted just behind the flare cartridge rack, so it's nicely visible from the back of the truck, but far enough out of reach of envious fingers!

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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Later in the day, I added some additional stencilling to various parts of the truck body to replace a number of the originals which have gradually been covered up with the permanent installation of various pieces of equipment.

A Douglas Aircraft Company logo behind the passenger side fire extinguisher.

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Some parts of the Douglas logo were also added to the pistol rack and the end and front of the flare storage rack.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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  • 3 weeks later...

I didn't want to say anything until they arrived ( just in case the postal service lost them! ), but last weekend, I had a lucky find on Ebay. By chance when browsing for USAAF and radio items, I spotted two original sides and top panel for a BC375 transmitter. I won all three auctions with bids in the last few seconds, although I paid several times the amount I paid for the transmitter itself. However, the chance of another set presenting themselves to me is remote so I couldn't let them go.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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  • 4 weeks later...

Croft Nostalgia was an excellent weekend, both with content and weather. We had both the Jeep and the Dodge there, and were joined by a friend's Dodge WC51. The only serious rain was a thunderstorm on Friday late afternoon, after we had set up camp. After it cleared, it gave a really nice Sun set which I took advantage of in pictures three and four.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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The Spitfire replica was popular with both cameras and my daughter.

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Chris' Dodge was kitted out with some of my crates and flying kit, and also received lots of attention from the public.

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On Sunday, Lynne took 'Jessie the Jeep' around the circuit on the parade lap.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For the whole time I've had the Dodge, the drivers seat has been quite uncomfortable, with the steel springs pressing ridges through the canvas. What ever padding was in there, wasn't padding my padding! Lynne came home recently with a small seat cushion to sit on on top of the existing seat, but I decided to try and fit it inside the original cover.

When I got the seat out, and had to use the gas torch to release a stubborn screw, I finally got the canvas cover off to find another more torn canvas cover under it. When that come off, I found the seat was stuffed full of straw. I'm guessing, that was the original seat stuffing?! I didn't really want to leave the 70 year old straw in there, so pulled as much out from the springs as possible. There was however, still quite a bit stuck in there I couldn't reach. The simple solution was lighter fluid and a gas torch. After a few minutes, it was burnt away, the the ash was washed out with a hose. The seat was left in the Sun to dry for a bit, then sprayed with WD40.

The flames dying away. ( it wasn't an inferno! )

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Oiled with the WD40.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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The new cushion was placed on top of the springs and the two canvas seat covers re-fitted. The seat was then re-assembled and re-fitted into the truck.

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You can see from the picture below how bulbous it looks now, and at last, it is comfy to sit on. Those three hour trips should be far more pleasant now!

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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Here's a few pictures from the North East MV Club show at the Durham Light Infantry Museum this weekend. Since the show is only about 11 miles from home, it didn't cost too much in fuel to take both vehicles, so Lynne drove the Jeep while I took the Dodge. It looks dull, but most of my pictures were taken before the sun came out!

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Possibly the oldest MV in the North East, a War Department Fowler traction engine from around 1900.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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  • 6 months later...

It's been all quiet on the Dodge front over the winter. There was a bit of excitement in November when the barn it was stored in was knocked down!

The area was being cleared for open cast mining, and the mining company turned up ahead of the planned demolition date. The guy who looked after the yard and barn had lost my number but he got a mate to help him push the Dodge out of the barn so the demolition could continue, and then came to my house to pick me up so it could be moved to the new yard about 600 yards away.

The Dodge remained out doors, covered with a tarp for a couple of months. About the third week in January, a roof was built over the top of the two containers the truck was parked between. It should get some doors on the back of the shelter next time I move the truck, as currently it is sticking out slightly. The battery has been out since late last year, so until I refit that, I can't move the truck. The 6 volt battery has also been treated with some acid tablets and given a good trickle charge.

With the weather beginning to warm up now, I'm hoping to bring the truck home and give it its Spring time check over, hopefully within the next month.

This year I'd like to get the anemometer working, and perhaps the signal lights wired up, but don't have any other major plans.

Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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  • 1 month later...

For the first time in five months, the Dodge was driven again, bringing it home from the yard to check it over before the Battlegroup North show in a couple of weeks. The battery has been out for the last few months, but after a good prime, the engine started at the second go. One rear indicator isn't working, which could be the bulb or even just the earth, but I have a little time to sort things out. If the weather had been a little nicer in March or early April, I would have brought it home sooner, but I think this is the latest in the season I've ever brought it home.

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I've done a bit of tinkering already while the Sun was out. The indicator was quite corroded inside the case. A quick prod with a screwdriver got it working, proving it was a bad earth that was the issue. So the whole assembly was stripped apart, the bulb and all the contacts were wire brushed clean with a small rotary brush in the pillar drill and it was re-assembled all working again.

 

I also noticed the rear right tyre was looking a bit flatter than it should. A quick check of the valve showed it was leaking, so a new one was fitted, fixing that problem. All the tyres were then checked for pressure and leaking valves. The internal 2 volt battery that runs the clocks was put on charge and the oil cups filled on the starter, generator and dizzy. I also did a spares quantity check, seeing what condensers, points, coil, plugs etc., that I have.

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About tires.

When inflating our Dodge tyres I found the spare one was flat.

Not sure if it was leaking of if I just forgot to check it on earlier occasion.

 

Guess its easy to overlook it even if it is sticking out like a sore thumb.

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Another job I've wanted to do for a while, and finally got around to today, was to fit a trailer socket so I could pull the Jeep trailer. This would allow us to pack the tent and other stuff away at the end of a show, without filling the back of the Dodge and spoiling the display.

The Dodge had an original four pin socket fitted, but the Jeep trailer was fitted some time ago with a modern plug, so I needed to fit a modern socket. This required a steel adapter plate making, to bolt into the original mount, allowing the new socket to also bolt on. A steel tube cable support was brazed on, and the gap around the cable will be filled with silicone to keep the water out. I'll need to swap the trailer bulbs, as currently it is set up for the 24 volt Jeep, while the Dodge is still 6 volt.

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I also replaced quite a bit of wiring across the back of the truck. What was there was a mix of wire gauges, with some wires crimped while others were just twisted together and taped up. There was also quite a bit of black wire corrosion. The new connections are all soldered, taped up and cable ties to keep the insulation tight and the cables fastened out of the way.

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Edited by Jessie The Jeep
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