bobs1918 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Hello 5 years ago I began the project to create a rare US Army model 1918 Light repair truck on a 1917 chassis. I would use the manual for the truck as supplied to US troops..There were only 3 or 4 known to exist of the 1100 or so made. 2 years into the project I had the chance to BUY one the the original remaining trucks I did so and restored it to original condition. Now back to what I call the clone..........I decided rather than to build an ambulance body on it I would continue to fabricate the clone. It has now come from the paint shop and I thought i would share it. If there is interest in the build process I have it fully documented and can begin with the chassis as found. The clone is without the canvas bob www.globalarray.net/user/bobspics/dblrtpair1.jpg Edited April 21, 2013 by bobs1918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) see if I can link your nice pictures in [ATTACH=CONFIG]75536[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]75537[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]75538[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]75539[/ATTACH] Edited April 21, 2013 by fesm_ndt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Much Thanks Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_bish Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 lovely pair of trucks. Thanks for posting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Wannabe Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 I would love to see the build process that can turn out such an excellent product. Great looking pair:wow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 WOW! Those are beautiful. I have Original WW1 US uniforms which I sometimes wear. Would love to have a WW1 truck to go with the uniforms, if only I had money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Were the spoked wheels early, and the disc wheels later ? ( and presumably stronger ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) You can definitley see the Dodge, fingerprint in the designs. What are the technical details? I was trying to find a picture of a Dodge staff car with a Mk IV tank bearing down and found this. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100901/collector/100909988 Edited April 21, 2013 by Tony B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Much Thanks Mike no problem, any time . There will be a lot of interest as they are very nice. Is that a word on the tread of the tyre? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Well spotted looks like NON SKID at an angle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willyslancs Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 WOW! Those are beautiful. I have Original WW1 US uniforms which I sometimes wear. Would love to have a WW1 truck to go with the uniforms, if only I had money. I have a couple of nice ww1 uniforms too, will have to take pics sometime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 You can definitley see the Dodge, fingerprint in the designs. What are the technical details? I was trying to find a picture of a Dodge staff car with a Mk IV tank bearing down and found this. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100901/collector/100909988 Tony picture of the staff car is a restored 1918 owned by a friend of mine. Very few if any ww 1 vehicle guys here in the US.The model 1918 Light Repair Truck was built on the Dodge commercial car chassis.Dodge provided the chassis to the US Army and the bodies were built by theInsley Company which was primarily a builder of heavy equipment. I built the cloned truck on a passenger car chassis which has fewer and slightly thinner leaf springs otherwise the same. For that reason the clone sits about 1.5 inches lower than the original. Both vehicles have the same flat head 4 cylinder engine rated at 35 horse power.For reliability on the clone I added an electric starter/generator and distributor while the originals have only a crank and magneto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 I would love to see the build process that can turn out such an excellent product. Great looking pair:wow: Thanks the build began with a 1917 Dodge chassis and a the cowl as used on Dodge custom bodied light civilian trucks.I would have preferred to use the commercial chassis but one was not available.Stripped the chassis, tossed out the the cracked engine and began the process to create a vehicle that had NEVER been cloned.The KEY to the build was finding a cowl.Without one the build is not possible. It is not simply the front sheet metal of a touring car.It is strictly for a commercial vehicle usage. bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Lovley work, the really are drool worthy vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Well you certainly did a heck of a job of it. Tell us the story of the spoked / disc wheels, and the NON SKID tyres, then. I can see the clone started on spoked rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redherring Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 That cowl is very different to car cowls. Wherever did you find one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Well you certainly did a heck of a job of it. Tell us the story of the spoked / disc wheels, and the NON SKID tyres, then. I can see the clone started on spoked rims. Gordon All of the US Army Dodge vehicles came with 7 lug Kelsey Hayes wooden wheels.The clone came with 6 lug Stanweld wheels which were passenger car type. Although most US vehicles stayed with the 7 lug wheels there are photos that show full metal disc types as were used by both the French and the Italians. I decided early on that if I could not get the unobtainable 7 lug wood wheels I would attempt to locate a set of discs.Dodge would not offer them on US vehicles until 1922 so these are actually 1922 era. The name plate inside the wheel reads Michelin-Budd wheel (the french connection). The Firestone NON-SKIDS are original to the period. They made them until ww2 and are not being reproduced. I now have NOS on front and rear.Here is a picture of disc wheels on US ww 1 vehicles which were retrofitted for a more durable wheel on rough terrain The discs are 24 inch the wooden artillery wheels are 25 inch which lowers the stance of the clone, bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 That cowl is very different to car cowls. Wherever did you find one? Hi Mate The cowl find was DUMB LUCK...When I started on the project I asked a US Dodge Brothers supplier, Myers Dodge Parts, if perhaps he had one and yes there was one in his yard and for $175.00 it was mine. Seemed no one wanted it!! It is identical to the one on the original truck. Myers also provided me with the 1917 chassis. Here is the inside view of the cowl. The dash is also unusual as it is the type found on commercial open cab trucks or screensides.....I located that in California from another Dodge vendor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 I would love to see the build process that can turn out such an excellent product. Great looking pair:wow: Hi First step clean up chassis. Remove gas tank brackets. Weld up holes. Find correct front and rear hubs to accept disc wheels...NOT EASY as these early Dodge vehicles almost all had wooden wheels with integral hubs, , restore chassis and fabricate splash shields on either side of frame....Roll it out for first rolling chassis picture.bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Next step was as far as I got with the clone before locating the original m1918 truck.This was the addition of the frame rails and transoms which would bring the body of the truck level and raised above the rear differential.The manual specified these to be 2.5inch steel channel.I found this to be an obsolete size.Not to be discouraged I had 2.5 in square steel tubing cut to length and then I used a plasma cutter to turn tubing into channel. I followed with welding and grinding to true the rails and transoms and attached to the frame. I should add that I traveledbob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Pictures taken in Pennsylvania showed me the details as to the framerail's relation to the chassis and to the transoms...very helpful.I would eventually need to fabricate the correct brackets to duplicate the original configuration. bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Thanks for the wheel and tyre explanation. The military vehicles that went to the disc wheel had to go back to five-lug then? I'd guess the disc wheels held up a lot better in service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 Thanks for the wheel and tyre explanation. The military vehicles that went to the disc wheel had to go back to five-lug then? I'd guess the disc wheels held up a lot better in service. Gordon I do not think that once disc wheels were installed there was a return to the wood wheels.....Yes indeed discs were much more robust bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobs1918 Posted April 22, 2013 Author Share Posted April 22, 2013 After the frame rails and transoms were fitted next step was to begin to fabricate the steel panels which would make up the body. It is 14 ga steel. I had a local steelyard with large enough equipment make these and provide the proper bending at the top of the 2 side panels. These panels will later be hot riveted together but for assembly I used nuts and bolts. bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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