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

[Jessie The Jeep]

September 23rd & 24th - Sanding and Priming

On the 23rd, I began to strip the paint from the lights and brackets. It took most of the morning which included stripping the lights apart to clean in the joints for the lenses.

Most of the rest of the day was spent sanding the paintwork on the left side. The welding repairs and some other bare metal areas were given a coat of primer to protect them.

Edited September 24, 2021 by Jessie The Jeep

[Jessie The Jeep]

For most of the 24th, I was doing surface preparation. There were a number of gouges from the chisel that needed filling. I'm not worried about a perfect finish, but the chisel marks needed dealing with. There were also a number of small rust spots to grind out, prime and fill.

It took some time to sand and grind out the rust in the depression around the fuel filler cap and very few of my tools would fit between the depression and filler neck. To end the day, I stripped the paint from the front bumper. There were multiple layers that were very hard and needed quite a bit of steaming to soften the paint enough to scrape away.

[Jessie The Jeep]

September 25th - Paint Stripping Again

I had another good day today. I started stripping along the right side, with the hood and fender under the chisel. As with the left, the two right side sections of the hood had no primer. I sanded one small section of white to reveal the olive drab below, but stipping it away showed no primer other than my rust touch-ups.

I moved on to the right fender and by the end of the day, most of it was back to olive drab. The front view shows the Dodge looking more green than black and white now. There's the back face of the fender to strip, the screen, cab side and the right side of the rear body. Tomorrow I need to turn the Dodge around in the garage to have better access to the right side.

[Jessie The Jeep]

First thing on the 26th, I carefully drove the Dodge out of the garage and snapped some photos in the sun before turning it around and parking up again in the garage. This gave me better access to the right side which still needed stripping.

It's hard to believe it's a little over a week since I started, but I'm very pleased with the progress. My right elbow is suffering from all the chiseling but it will be worth it to have what will feel like a new vehicle.

[Jessie The Jeep]

It's still a tight squeeze to work in there, but by moving the GPW backwards a little, it gave a bit more room at the rear right corner where I have some welding to do.

I carried on stripping the fender first, uncovering some shipping data stencils. They appear to be on a more recent layer of paint, so probably applied by the Norwegian collector and not original.

[Jessie The Jeep]

At the bottom of the fender, the doubler had badly rusted and would need cutting off and replacing, but not today. The stripping continued along the side of the cab and under the screen seal.

Time was getting on, so I switched to wiring brushing the bare metal hood and then got a coat of primer on to finish the day.

[Jessie The Jeep]

September 27th/28th - Stripping, Welding and Priming

I started the 27th by stripping the step, the rest of the cab side and the front face of the rear body. I quickly moved on down the side until there were only nine checkers left on the whole truck.

Other than the windscreen, the Dodge was all olive drab or primer. As I stripped away the paint, I found an old filler repair on the rear corner which needed proper attention. Many years ago, I didn't have a suitable welder to make repairs, only a 100AH stick welder which would blow holes in the thin metal. The area had been cleaned as best I could, primed, then filled with body filler. With a MIG welder in my tool inventory now, it was time to glue some metal in there.

[Jessie The Jeep]

There was some additional rot at the front corner of the rear body, just behind the step. This only showed up as surface rust discolouration on the checkers, until the rotary wire brush came out. One spot was just a few small holes which I welded up straight away. Just behind was a more rotten area that needed cutting out. The metal framework behind the rusted areas was cleaned with the grinder and wire brush, then given a coat of red oxide.

At the back right corner, the indicator lamp was removed as this was in the way of the repairs. As I took it off, a load of water poured out. Closer imspection showed the lens had come loose, allowing rain water to enter the housing. Fortunately the LED cluster looked fine, with no signs of internal corrosion in the housing.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Having prepared some replacement metal the day before, I started the 28th by welding in new sections, starting on the rear right corner. I don't like welding, mostly because I don't do it often and when I get back to it, my early welds aren't great. As I carry on through a job, the welds getter better as I re-familiarise myself. Today's welds were going pretty well and I got a fairly neat job with nice flush skins that didn't need much tidying up. It had been raining and was damp outside, so I primed that section straight away before moving on to the section behind the step.

It was all slow progress. I clamped a chisel across the damage area, pinning the new sheeting against it. This kept the old and new pieces flush while I added some tack welds. The chisel and clamp were then moved and a new area tacked.

[Jessie The Jeep]

With both pieces welded and primed, I thought I was finished welding until I remembered the front fenders. The design of the structure creates a perfect moisture trap, which has rotted out the fender skin at the rear between the supporting hat channel and doubling plate. The rust then slowly forced the two layers apart over time, allowing more water in. The fender had to come off to start the work. The doubling plate was riveted with six large, coach-bolt looking rivets. I needed to grind the heads off to remove the rotten doubling plate.

The next picture shows the mess with the doubler removed. I cut out the rot with the grinder and cleaned up the mess. The hat channel came loose and fell off as I was cutting out the rotten fender skin around the remains of the rivets.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The hat channel was cleaned up as best as I could while loose. The fender was bolted back in place to keep all the holes lined up and the hat channel was then welded to the fender to keep everything in the correct place.

The fender was then removed again and the hat channel red oxide primed. Tomorrow's job is to cut and fit the new fender skin. I have a feeling I need to do the same on the other side, though it doesn't look as bad at first glance. Part way through the day, the dark olive drab paint arrived. For just twelve days work, I'm really happy with the way it's going.

[Jessie The Jeep]

September 29th - Welding, Sanding and Priming

I began the 29th by cutting and welding a new piece of metal into the front right fender. I'd just finished welding it in place when I ran out of welding wire ( more on order ).

Inset in the second picture is a new doubling plate, cut and primed, ready to fit. The original doubler was riveted, but I'd be replacing the rivets with coach bolts, as the heads looked very similar. I plan to use mastic between the doubler and fender to prevent water getting between them and starting the rust again. At present, the bottom of the fender is bowed out as it needs the rivets/bolts to hold it against the hat channel.

Once the welding wire ran out, I switched to sanding the old paint, completing the fender, cab side and front end of the rear body. Rust spots were ground out and bare metal was primed. The lights on the right fender were also stripped, sanded and some areas primed.

[Jessie The Jeep]

On the 30th, I started stripping paint from the screen. It turned out that the inner frame was another area without any primer and the paint flaked away very easily. A little chipping on the outer frame showed it was primed and the paint was more stubborn to remove.

Due to the difficult shapes, the wiper motors and the inner frame needing some rust treatment, I decided removing it and moving it to the workshop was the most sensible move. I'd have more space to work on it there.

[Jessie The Jeep]

With the screen off and out of the way, it left the cowl over the instrument panel easy to reach and so the remains of the paint, which had been under the screen, was stripped off. Some areas were wire brushed, the whole area sanded and a number of areas primed, along with some small fixings from the screen.

The right side of the body was next, sanding paint and grinding rust spots and quite a lot of slight surface rust. So much of the body was stripped to metal, that after sanding the remains of the paint, the whole side of the body was red oxide primed.

With the colder and more damp weather coming, I may finish the welding on the fenders and then get on with the painting of the olive drab. I can get the garage fairly warm with a heater and the paint can bake. The olive drab can then be left to harden fully while I work on the windscreen. By the time that is painted and can be refitted, the truck paint should be hard enough to climb over for the screen fitting.

[Jessie The Jeep]

October 1st/2nd - Filling, Sanding and Priming

October 1st - The last couple of days have been spent doing odds and ends on various parts of the Dodge. The passenger step was sanded and primed, followed by the front bumper. Much of the rest of the day was spent with the fine surface filler, applying and sanding it. On the instrument cowl, where the rubber screen seal sits, it gathers water and created a pitted line. There were also a few Norwegian Army welds that hadn't been dressed very well, allowing water to gather. More grinding, filling and sanding to smooth it all out. 

In most places, the toothpaste like filler is only one coat of paint thick. Filling the chisel marks and sanding the filler is easier than trying to sand them out of the previous coats of paint. The rear body needed quite a few patches of filler, mainly where the original paint was ground away to metal to clear rust pits. By the end of the day, it was all back in red primer.

[Jessie The Jeep]

October 2nd - I started by centre drilling the large rivets on the driver's side fender doubler, followed by larger drills until I broke through the rivets. This wasn't as badly rusted as the other side. While the fender was pitted, there were only a few holes that could be welded up, rather than cutting large chunks of metal out and replacing it. What was there was sound enough to re-attach the fender to its hat channel. A new doubling plate was cut and both it and the hat channel primed. On the other side, the fender and doubler were given a coat of semi-gloss green. These faces wouldn't be seen, so I didn't want to waste the proper olive drab on unseen areas. 

I'm awaiting some short coach bolts in the mail, which will be used to attach the fenders/doublers. Part of the grille was painted in primer, with the other side to be done when it's dry and I can turn it around. I also did quite a bit of cleaning up of nuts, bolts, reflectors and tailgate hinges with the rotary wire brush, followed by a prime. Last job of the day was sanding the tailgate and giving it a coat of primer.

[Jessie The Jeep]

October 3rd - Painting Olive Drab!

At last, adding a bit of colour. I wanted to get some paint on the Dodge today, but there were a few jobs to do before that. The hood hinge needed sanding, the tailgate needed a sand down on the inside and some priming.

I needed to have a tidy up of stuff around and in the Dodge to give me better access around for painting. One of the bits in the way was the front roof bow. The best place for it was on the Dodge. I'll be keeping this wooden framework so the cab doors can still be used.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The paint is Very Dark Drab from Jeeparts. This was used from late 1944 onwards. With my Dodge being August 1944, and having found a dark colour on the body under the reflectors, I guessed it was originally VDD in colour. I preferred this to the more brown olive seen on earlier vehicles. After a good mix, out came the brush and roller. 

There's lots of awkward seams and indentations on the Dodge, so I figured it would be easier and less chance of missing anything, to brush the paint on, then go over it with the roller to remove the brush strokes. The paint went on well, but it's quite thin so is going to need a few coats for good coverage. I started on the rear panel, then moved anti-clockwise around the truck, along the right side towards the front.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Jessie The Jeep

[Jessie The Jeep]

Everything was given one coat except the fenders, as I'm waiting for the new bolts to arrive. I finished on the tailgate. The paint started out matt on the rear then by the time of the cab had gone a bit glossy. I don't know whether that was anything to do with the temperature or my application, rollering a bit earlier or later after the brush application. What was clear is that it was a very good match for the original paint on the seat frames.

It doesn't really matter for the first coat, as the truck needs at least another two coats. Down the left side I spotted several chisel marks which hadn't showed in the matt primer, but did show up in the wet olive drab. I'll give them the fine surface filler treatment and a sand before the next coat of paint.

[Jessie The Jeep]

It's a shame I needed the fenders loose to paint the body behind them as they make useful seats to reach to the top of the hood! The top of the hood was painted with the hood closed and then it was propped open with a piece of wood to paint the side panel and its hinge.

I painted the left side of the rear body, starting at the back and working forwards. Being right handed, it gave me dry bodywork beside me where I was squeezed between the Dodge and garage wall. I finished the front with the radiator cowl and bumper. The last job after that was one coat of olive on the tailgate.

Around two and a half weeks work and the Dodge is now mostly olive drab again, even if it is just one coat. Still a way to go as the repaint is only stage one of my plan for the Dodge, but let's just get this bit done first!

[Alpina]

Great work Steve, you’ve got a lot done in two and a half weeks. It’s interesting watching your progress; thanks for taking the time to post it up on here.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Cheers. It was threads like this that helped me when I got my first Jeep almost 17 years ago and I'm a natural story teller. It has been quite useful as a reference to myself too, being able to see what work I did and when and nice to skip through the thread every now and then to remind myself of the journey I've travelled.

October 4th - Painting Again

The left side chisel marks were filled first thing to give them time to dry and be sanded later in the morning. A heater in the garage helped to raise the temperature to speed up the drying time. As soon as the filler was sanded, it was given a prime so that could dry ASAP.

Amongst all that, the coach bolts arrived in the post, so I'll now be able to get on finishing the fender repairs. The filled areas looked better with the thin coat of filler, so I was happy to go ahead with the olive drab again. To give a little extra drying time, I started on the other side of the tailgate and the rear of the truck which hadn't been filled. The second coat of paint went on well and gave a more dense finish, where as the first coat was a bit thin in places.

The second coat was also drying with a more even satin finish despite stirring the paint the same and applying it in the same way. I don't mind a slight satin finish as I have wartime pictures showing the darker late war paint being satin. If it is a little too glossy still once complete, I'll let the paint harden a couple of weeks and give it a light scuff with a scotch pad or fine wire wool to take any excess sheen off. Once the olive was done and left to dry, I took the radiator grille and lamp guards into the workshop to prepare for paint. I could make mess and dust without affecting the wet paint. The grille needed the second side painted with primer while the light guards needed the white stripping off and priming.

[Jessie The Jeep]

October 5th - Fender Repairs Completed

The day was interrupted a bit by having an electrician doing some work in the house, but my day's work was focused on the fenders and the doubling plates. The bolts arrived the day before and most of the pieces of metal had been primed or painted. The first job was to fit a square peg in a round hole! The coach bolts have a square collar just under the head and I needed to file the holes in the doubler, fender and hat channel to match so the bolt would fit fully flush. I had several square files, but only a short one was small enough to fit in the hole. It took quite some effort to file out all twelve holes through the three layers of metal, but eventually all the bolts fitted.

The edges of the doubling plates were then tweaked to close up the gaps to conform to the fender shape. On the left side, the hat channel threads and its bolts were quite rusted, so all were cleaned up and re-threaded with an imperial tap and die set. The left side doubler hadn't been primed on the outside, so that was done before lunch and left in my curing cabinet to harden a while.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The mastic came next. Incredibly sticky, stringy stuff that got all over my hands, so no photos were taken until I got cleaned up again! I put insulation tape on the fender around the doubler to contain the mastic where it squeezed out when the bolts were tightened. Excess was wiped away with tissue paper and white spirit and then the tape peeled away, leaving a fairly neat edge.

The heads of the bolts were given a splash of primer and the job was done and most of the day was too! I finished up cleaning and priming the depressions and fittings where the headlamps fit and giving them a coat of primer and filling some more dings and scratches in the tops of the fenders. They should be ready for a quick sand tomorrow and then receive their first coat of olive drab, along with the grille and headlamp guards.

[Jessie The Jeep]

October 6th - Fender Painting and Stripping the Screen

I started off in the workshop, cleaning off the rust from the bolts for the lamp guards, then took the bolts, guards and the grille to the garage ready for painting. It took a while to warm the place up, but I had the filler on the fenders to sand while I was waiting. The fenders were painted and while there was paint on the brush and roller, I went around most of the truck again for another coat. I couldn't paint everything however.

The fenders were resting on blocks of wood, which in turn were resting on the steps; so the steps couldn't be painted. The two sides of the hood were also left open and out of the way and the front bumper wasn't painted as I was doing lots of walking passed it. Most of the grille was painted by painting the back first, then leaning it against my sand blaster to do the front. The lamp guards and lamp mounts were painted on a piece of card resting on top of the Ford. With everything drying, it was time to move on to the windscreen which was in the workshop.