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

[Jessie The Jeep]

It took lots of test fits, pinning the material onto the foam, marking up stitch lines. Then taking it off, turning it inside out, sewing and trial fitting again until the whole material cover was a good fit.

Most of it was machine sewed, with only the rear face hand sewn. Here, the second side is being fitted. It is already sewn onto the angled front face and is now being pinned to the foam to mark the seams.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The seat base was completed on the evening of Saturday 19th. The rest was left for the following day.

On Sunday morning, the foam backrest was cut on my bandsaw and then handed over to Lynne for the sewing. Since the back was thinner and a less complicated shape, she made a tube of fabric which was then machine sewn across the curved top and hand sewed on the bottom. A strip of Velcro was used to keep the back rest in place on the cushion. 

[Jessie The Jeep]

Since my daughter has grown quite a bit since the pilot's seat was first made, the openings in the backrest for the seat belts were now too low. To fix this, I welded two loops onto the back of the seat at the top for the belts to pass through. They pass over the top of the seat cushion and down over the shoulders.

I also cut off the Isofix loop fittings on the inside of the seat bucket, as they would interfere with the new seat cushion.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Both cushions were fitted into the seat for a photograph and then removed again.

The paint on the seat was touched up around the welds and other scratches and it was left out in the sun to bake for a while. Later in the afternoon, it was bolted back in the Dodge, ready for the first show of the year in the middle of next month.

I've also got a new battery on order. Despite being kept on a maintenance charger, the old one is showing signs of not being as healthy as it should be. I can't complain too much, as the current battery is at least 15 years old that I know of! The new battery should be here in the next few days.

[Jessie The Jeep]

March 23rd - New 6 volt Battery Fitted
 
On Tuesday 22nd, the new battery arrived. I think the pallet was just to make sure it couldn't be tipped over. Once removed, it was taken to my workshop and put on a slow charge, for the rest of the day, ready for fitting the next day.

It was fitted on the morning of the 23rd, after a little modification to the battery clamp and then test run. I may take a mould from the lead bars on top of the old battery and cast some resin ones for this battery. I couldn't justify the cost of a rubber cased, period looking battery.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Dodge Pre-Season Drive - March 27th

With an unusual mild spell in the weather and a nice weather forecast, we decided to have a topless, pre-season run out in the Dodge. This would be our first run out of 2022 and a shakedown trip prior to events starting next month. We got around 10 gallons fuel on the way out, enough for the next couple of events in April and May. It's worrying when you think £1.66.9 per litre isn't a bad price!!

The Dodge looked quite different with the canvas off, but I think I prefer it on. Next time, I'll fit the canvas, but might try folding the rear half forwards to leave the crane more visible.

[Jessie The Jeep]

I planned a 16 mile route around Durham, via the petrol station in the early part of the trip. It was such a warm day, even while on the move, I was warm enough in a shirt, though I'd taken a fleece just in case - this is England after all!

With the warm day and blue sky, we got some nice pictures of the Dodge and lovely views of County Durham. At one point, following a single lane track, we climbed to quite a height over the surrounding countryside.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Neither of the Jeeps have been out yet this year, as I've been waiting for the weather to warm up before doing any maintenance. However, there's hail and sleet forecast this week, so that may have to wait a little longer.

We finished the trip at a road we call sunset lane, after a Jeep photoshoot there last year. It's a nice spot without too many modern distractions in the background. I did have a starting problem after one stop, possibly a vapour lock as it was quite hot. So I think I'll treat the Dodge to some new plugs and possibly a condenser before the next run out.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Jessie The Jeep

[Jessie The Jeep]

April 1st ~ 3rd - Battery Pallet to .50 Cal Ammo Crate

When the new Dodge battery arrived, it came on a nice big wooden pallet. I didn't need a pallet, but there was a decent amount of wood in it that I saw as potentially useful. It took some dismantling as the nails were all barbed, but eventually I got all the planks separated.

The plan was to make another .50 Cal ammo crate. I'd made two a couple of years ago to carry some of the camping accessories and with the new look Dodge, another as an accessory would be a useful display item as well as being able to store and carry stuff. The curved inset handle on each end was cut from a strip of wood on my bandsaw. This strip was then glued back into the end panel.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Once they were done, the box sides and ends were assembled onto the base.

The holes in the lid were marked up and the inner diameter of the tapered hole cut with a hole saw. The centre piece was broken out with a chisel and the outer taper carved out with a scalpel and finished with a mini sanding drum.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The box was painted with an olive drab I mixed myself from left over emulsion tester pots. I mixed the paint with waterproof PVA glue to strengthen the wood, as some of the planks were quite a low density. The glue helped to toughen up the outer fibres and waterproof the box for those less than ideal show days! I still had the stencils I cut for the original boxes. They'd been printed on paper, onto which I applied 2 inch Sellotape.

This toughened up the paper for the small cuts in the lettering and makes them last longer when painted over. The paint was applied with both a stippling brush and sponge, used quite dry to minimise paint creep under the stencil. A couple of coats of yellow Humbrol modelling enamel was enough to give a reasonable coverage, without tooking too perfect up close.

The new .50 Cal crate, seen in a slightly lighter green with some of my other boxes, will be a useful addition to my Dodge.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Heugh Battery - April 16th

It was a misty and damp start to the drive to Heugh Battery in Hartlepool for our first event of 2022. It was a 38 mile round trip, cutting cross country on the slower roads, but we almost got to the point where we could see the battery and then discovered a road close sign. The diversion signs weren't great, but Google maps came to the rescue.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Jessie The Jeep

[Jessie The Jeep]

Not too long after we got there, the sun broke through and it ended up being a really hot day and a great first event of the season. There was a good turnout of vehicles and re-enactors and a great turnout of public.

[Jessie The Jeep]

Heugh Battery was one of three erected in 1860 to protect the fast-growing port of Hartlepool. Heugh Battery is the only WW1 battlefield in the United Kingdom, after the German Navy attacked the battery on December 16th 1914, trying to provoke small naval engagements to whittle down the British fleet.

[Jessie The Jeep]

We all caught the sun today and my daughter was so exhausted ( both from the day and a sleepover two days ago ), that she slept all the way home!

[Jessie The Jeep]

Durham Marketplace Nostalgia Day - May 2nd

We had the Dodge out again today, at our second event of the year at the Durham Marketplace Nostalgia Day. Sadly, we've now got 25% of the 2022 events behind us. There's not many events to attend this year around our area, with several cancelled for various reasons. Some are still short on money following two years lost to covid.

Being on the doorstep, it didn't take us long to get there and we hadn't been set up long before the rain arrived. Now that wasn't in the forecast that I saw just before we left. Wish I'd had my flying jacket, but I foolishly believed the BBC's "Sunny Intervals" for the morning.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The rain didn't last too long, but the cold and damp remained for most of the day. It didn't prevent a good turnout of vehicles, re-enactors and dioramas. There were also lots of public who took a genuine interest, some having their own family stories of WW2.

There was also a nice variety of vehicles on show, with three Dodges, a number of Jeeps, but also civilian and staff cars, a bike, plus an Austin Firetruck.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Jessie The Jeep

[Jessie The Jeep]

Even though I'm a Jeep owner, row upon row of just Jeeps can be a little dull, despite each owner trying to make their vehicle stand out from the rest with various period canvas and steel bling! The vehicles were spread around the marketplace, though more concentrated towards the top end.

It's a shame the sun wasn't out as forecast, but at least it did dry up and there were some good coffee shops and food outlets near by to take a break from the cold.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The Durham Light Infantry Memorial. I don't know when this was installed, but it may have been after the DLI Museum was closed by the council a few years ago to save money. This was pre-covid. They now plan to open it again.

Other than the cold and my grudge against the BBC weather forecasters, it was a nice day catching up with people and getting back out to events again. Unfortunately, no more events for us until June.

More pictures here - https://www.sacarr.co.uk/mymvs/events/2022/durham.htm

[MatchFuzee]

27 minutes ago, Jessie The Jeep said:

The Durham Light Infantry Memorial. I don't know when this was installed. 

Unveiled on the 14th of September 2014. 

[ruxy]

Backdrop spoiling street scene(s)  that were less brash/bit more period , IIRC  -  the Card Factory was  W.H. Smiths & their facade toned in a little better.

In the 1960's I recall services buses  etc. blasting fumes into the Silver St. shops & policeman's box near where you were - still lots better in bygone days.

[Jessie The Jeep]

1 hour ago, ruxy said:

......still lots better in bygone days.

It would have been nice if the council had required vintage signs above all the shops in the market place to keep the character of the place, but time moves on and we are being left further behind each day.

[ruxy]

The wish to be voted  "City of Culture"  for 2025  inc. surroundings like Bishop Auckland  (that used to bounce until mid 1980's)  - what chance ?

[Jessie The Jeep]

June 4th

The Jeep was brought out of the garage and taken on a short drive to fill up with fuel. We had the Jubilee event on June 5th and needed fuel for that, plus it would leave it ready for other events coming over the next few weeks. The fuel trip and Jubilee event were only the second and third outings for the Jeep this year.

While the Jeep was out of the garage, it gave me the opportunity to do some tinkering with the trailer. Later this month, we'll be taking the Dodge to an event where we are camping for the weekend. For that, I wanted to tow the trailer behind the Dodge.

Getting the trailer out wasn't quite so easy as normal. With the GPW up on axle stands, it was in the way and wouldn't roll, to allow the trailer hitch to clear the rear body. I had to drop the GPW down off the stands and move the back end over towards the Dodge to give me the space I needed.

[Jessie The Jeep]

The first job was to change the registration. The registrations are very similar, with only four digits between the M201 and Dodge. I just have the numbers to alter with a bolt on plate.

Next, all the 24 volt bulbs were removed and some 6 volt bulbs were fitted. It was connected up to the Dodge, but with very little glow resulting from the bulbs. The other bulbs in the Dodge are LEDs, as the original 6 volt tail, brake and indicators were very dim for modern roads. I didn't know whether having the mix of bulbs was causing resistance issues, so I ordered some additional 6v LEDs.

June 9th

On the 7th and 8th, the new LED bulb replacements arrived, so later on the 9th, I got the Jeep back out, followed by the trailer. That was pulled around to the back of the Dodge once more. The new LEDs were fitted and the trailer plug connected to the Dodge and the lights turned on - which were dim and flickering. Hmmm?