N.O.S. Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 O.D. canvas seems to be the universal material for WW2 restoration seat covers - usually replacing a variety of existing vinyl material found on seats of vehicles used / rebuilt post war. But was canvas really the original covering? It strikes me as very impractical on open cabbed vehicles such as GMCs, Diamond Ts and M6 bomb service trucks. What about Dodge WC vehicles? I think they might have been a brown leather type? Any evidence or thoughts on this topic please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Any evidence on this topic please? Plenty :blush: I'm talking specifically Dodge here, and every detail you need is in the Master Parts List where it specifies exactly the material used for each truck series and body type, in great detail. In brief, Dodges used three types of upholstery, real leather ( Lackawanna Luxor ) artificial leather ( brown leather-effect vinyl ) and Duck ( OD canvas ) It's a bit of a matrix but early closed cabs got vinyl, real leather didn't appear till the T214 series for WC56/7/8 ( though I have seen at least one WC53 seat with it on ) Give me a truck series and vehicle type and I'll look it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 Thanks Gordon - very useful. So do I take it there is no master parts list for the WC54 Ambulance G502, it being covered under the Dodge master Parts List G657? Similarly would the Chevrolet M6 Bomb truck G115 (I always thought it was a G506 like all the other 1 1/2T Chevys) be covered under the Chevrolet Master Parts List G654, or did it have its own MPL? Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Well I've just learned something new - the G657 Master Parts, page 497, defines every upholstery variation EXCEPT for the ambulances, and not just the T214 series WC 54 - any of them. The seats themselves are in the MPL on page 444, and like all the ambulance stuff it says " supplied by, and should be requisitioned from, Wayne Works " Hmm. I'm not aware of any upholstery material being used 1943-on on Dodges that wasn't OD canvas, but I will admit the MPL does not define it. Teach me to give a definitive answer about anything, eh? and yes, I'd expect the Chev to be covered in the Chev MPL just like the Ambulance is in the Dodge one. MPL omissions tend to be all the equipment in the specialist bodies, Repair Trucks, Telepone Trucks, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 Thanks for looking, Gordon. I've just found a thread on the Gee where it is suggested that the only Dodge seats which were vinyl were those in the WC54 as the plentiful supply of blood would require frequent washing. Mmm, I suppose that is a valid point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Well they are wrong about the vinyl only being on ambulances, but it would make sense to keep vinyl on them when all the others has gone to canvas. It would be the fake leather vinyl, of course. If you do see it defined anywhere let me know please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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