panelvan Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 hi, has anybody got pictures or documents which show radio equipment fitted in the 1/2 ton dodge wc42 used by British and Commonwealth forces ?. i know this is a long shot, as there were only 650 of them built and also it would be less likely for troops to take a picture showing a " sensative " , [ in the security sense ] vehicle than say a jeep ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I've seen that van before, it's looking better now, for sure. I can't remember if parts of either of the Scottish ones ended up in that one though. Radios ? As far as I know they came with radio tables and battery cages, plus the ventilator fan, but since they were made specifically for us they would probably have been outfitted with whatever the standard range of British radios was in 1942-ish. There were probably different configurations, low and high power, different frequencies, etc. I've seen some shots of the inside of the Chevrolet 1.5 ton panel radio and it was incredibly cramped. I'd guess the WC42 wasn't much better. I'm sure one or two of them were left in the US as well as I heard of a couple there and I'm sure they would never have been sent back there from the UK. Doesn't one of the manuals have a shot of the interior showing tables and battery cages at least? Sure I've seen that somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panelvan Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 I've seen that van before, it's looking better now, for sure. I can't remember if parts of either of the Scottish ones ended up in that one though. Radios ? As far as I know they came with radio tables and battery cages, plus the ventilator fan, but since they were made specifically for us they would probably have been outfitted with whatever the standard range of British radios was in 1942-ish. There were probably different configurations, low and high power, different frequencies, etc. I've seen some shots of the inside of the Chevrolet 1.5 ton panel radio and it was incredibly cramped. I'd guess the WC42 wasn't much better. I'm sure one or two of them were left in the US as well as I heard of a couple there and I'm sure they would never have been sent back there from the UK. Doesn't one of the manuals have a shot of the interior showing tables and battery cages at least? Sure I've seen that somewhere. hi Gordon, the manual does show pic of the inside , but it has no radio or equipment fitted. i guess its a factory, or pre production shot. i did once see a couple of shots which showed optional placements of 2 or 3 different radios in a wc42 , but once again they were not " in use " type pictures.i dont know publication ? they were in . i have not heard of any wc42 vans in the u.s.a , only mis-identified vans [ wc11s ? ]. cheers, mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Well I think any contemporary British radio would be 'right' then. I'm reworking a pair of back doors for my WD21 panel at the minute, and it's no fun getting the fit right. I remember picking up one WC42 from Crieff and taking it back to Denny, on it's way to Willie Lindsay in New Cumnock, and then to Manchester in bits. Apart from the cut body the only real problem with it was the sump was off - probably big ends. The other one came from where - somewhere in the Scottish borders? I remember the rear diff had been wrecked. This was pre-internet and we didn't know how rare the Crieff one was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panelvan Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well I think any contemporary British radio would be 'right' then. I'm reworking a pair of back doors for my WD21 panel at the minute, and it's no fun getting the fit right. I remember picking up one WC42 from Crieff and taking it back to Denny, on it's way to Willie Lindsay in New Cumnock, and then to Manchester in bits. Apart from the cut body the only real problem with it was the sump was off - probably big ends. The other one came from where - somewhere in the Scottish borders? I remember the rear diff had been wrecked. This was pre-internet and we didn't know how rare the Crieff one was. hi gordon. i got many wc42 parts from willy lindsay. i dont know if you were aware that he has recently passed away. what an amazing character he was. one of the very best. he was a true lover of old army trucks , an interest generated by his families coal business using ex army bedfords as coal lorries , and also transporting cattle.i miss our long phone conversations about military vehicles and his no nonsense approach to getting them restored and on the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) Hi Mike & Gordon, I expect you've seen this pic before, a radio set up in a carryall Edited June 20, 2012 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Probably a (very) dim question, but is that a 1/2T or 3/4T panel in the image Nick? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Nicks avatar image is a half ton panel. The Carryall interior image is a WC53 3/4 ton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Thanks Gordon, i recognised the avatar image, but was not sure about the image with the radio installed. I have just started the WC53 restoration, hence my interest in that image (if as it turns out it was a WC53). Regards Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) Probably a (very) dim question, but is that a 1/2T or 3/4T panel in the image Nick?Ken Avatar is my WC11, Sorry, forgot to ad the pic was a 3/4 ton but a very similar body to a 1/2 ton so maybe a similar radio installation Edited June 20, 2012 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Yes the radio mount kit will be pretty much identical, half to three-quarter. You can tell that is a WC53 by the shape of the rear inner wings / fenders, and the two cutout plates in the wooden floor that cover where the chassis kicks up. ( the body sat higher on the half ton chassis, and was dropped 3 or 4 inches on the WC 53 ) There are a pile of tricks to putting that floor in - I learned them all the hard way, same with the ordinary panel roof ( WC 42 roof is metal ) If you are looking for Carryall and van info, have a leaf through this page; http://www.gwim2.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/gordons_vehicle_home.htm G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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