Alex's '42 WC53 Carryall Build Details - Cummins ISB170

[Alxj64]

Unless you plan on dipping a boat into he water, I think you are good to go, that setup almost looks like over-kill? The diesel Guru did good for you, are you planning on historic tags or daily driver tags?

Daily driver tags, I actually already have them. I don't want the tag location to be gawdy because they are the reflective ones. They are the Surf Rider Foundation dags (Keepers of the Coast) because this truck will be my surf wagon once its done and spend many mornings and evenings parked along San-Fiddler Road, Rt 12, and ON the beaches in Hatteras once it is done. The back of the Carryall lends itself to being quite cluttered with the bumperttes, etc. I don't want the tag hanging way down low either. I imagine most police officers would go easy on me in regards to visibility of the tag in the event I mount it down low or kinda obscurely given that the truck doesn't really blend into traffic.

The Transmission computer is currently at the Allison Dealer and is getting reflashed once Allison emails them the correct program based on the original Chassis VIN for the engine and transmission; so hopefully that will get my transmission working right.

I've started on my passenger's seat design in the meantime and will hopefully be hanging the front fenders and wiring up the headlights and turn signals this coming weekend. Fingers crossed big time that this transmission issue can be resolved with this programming situation and not something additionally mechanical going on inside.

[Alxj64]

AAAANNNDDD... Allison dealer says they can't flash my ECM... its locked by GM... for money, GM will unlock it... but cheaper to buy another used Industrial ECM... Stupid computerized stuff better be worth all this headache in the end.

[W_A_Watson_II]

AAAANNNDDD... Allison dealer says they can't flash my ECM... its locked by GM... for money, GM will unlock it... but cheaper to buy another used Industrial ECM... Stupid computerized stuff better be worth all this headache in the end.

Oh gee, hopefully it's not too expensive. I started the planning process to drop a HEMI in the '84 Ramcharger, and after some searching and reading decided to buy a complete donor vehicle rather than pieces, or a "set" from the salvage yard. I'm now on hold in getting to work on it, but am hoping I made the right decision. Hopefully you can get this kink worked out and move forward (I guess should have said reverse is what you are missing :D).

[Alxj64]

Oh gee, hopefully it's not too expensive. I started the planning process to drop a HEMI in the '84 Ramcharger, and after some searching and reading decided to buy a complete donor vehicle rather than pieces, or a "set" from the salvage yard. I'm now on hold in getting to work on it, but am hoping I made the right decision. Hopefully you can get this kink worked out and move forward (I guess should have said reverse is what you are missing :D).

Very smart of you! The entire vehicle to part from is way better because you'll have it all there. I had a hard time finding this drivetrain package, and given the low mileage and the money I paid, it still a good deal, even with having to toss some money now, 6 years later, at some other components. I've managed to upgrade the fuel system though by having to buy a secondary filter / water separation setup and at least I know that the NSBU switch is new and a few other sensors are new, or if new and not installed, they are now part of my spare parts bag that will get stuffed into the side tool box on the truck.

I actually found a guy, and talked to him about the project, and he sold me an Allison 2000 TCM for affordable, and is also loaning me a "dyno" tuned TCM that has a program that should work on my Transmission so that in the meantime I can at least check the other mechanics of the transmission and make sure the mechanics of it are also working fully since the other TCM wouldn't even allow the transmission to shift. The 1000 and 2000 TCMs of that era are the same, but just with different programs. They function almost identically, and are just different in size, and the 1k has an internal park feature. Fingers crossed that these loaner TCMs work.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Fingers crossed that these loaner TCMs work.

Hope they do and look forward to more updates.

[Alxj64]

Hope they do and look forward to more updates.

Thanks! The dyno TCM worked! Truck even runs better than it did before! It wasn't getting a good VSS speed signal and so it was getting weird information and couldn't find a good idle speed. Its SOOO smooth now. I'm very stoked. Just have to get the Allison dealer to flash this newer TCM and I'll be set!

[Alxj64]

New TCM delivered on Friday and we flashed it last night. Computer says that the TCM checks out in bench testing. Will install, fix fuel system leaks and report back later to see if this is the new TCM for good.

[Alxj64]

Took it for a spin. Has a lot of leaks and needs an alignment badly. Only got it up to about 30 mph and she acted like it wanted to Death Wobble so I backed it down quick. I never set the toe on it and it looks BADLY toed in which makes sense that it would instigate a wobble for sure. At a glance the toe setting looks like its WAY in anyways, but I am fearful that I have other problems going on. The tracbar bushings are softer than I anticipated so I may need to go with a fixed end with only a bushing at the axle end or something.

My wife got a quick clip of it rolling out the garage but nothing of it running around.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BljE1y7F..._web_copy_link

[Alxj64]

Thanks to Matt W and his mad rush shipping skills, I got the other BO headlamp bracket riveted to the passenger's fender to use it for a turn signal. Got the fenders and lights on and wired. They were work well but I have a crossed wire under the dash for my indicators.

Had to DIY some fender brackets because of my 4 link tabs that are bolted to the frame; they are close enough to stock that nobody will ever know they aren't honestly.

The truck still has some steering wobble issues that I am going to address by ditching the other rubber bushing and going with something more solid like a spherical rod end or something. It may actually allow me to make my track-bar double end adjustable if I go with a LH heim joint. Hrmm. I literally just had an idea while typing a post. Awesome! ha ha.

I took the truck on a short "sprint" run on a higher speed road. I hit 68 mph with it despite some wobbles and hopping going on. On that road though its hard to tell whats road issues and whats issues in the truck because of kind of a "washboard" pavement surface that develops from traffic every summer.

Photos mean a thousand words right?

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Alex, as this project is coming to a sort of an end, we all know they never end. I myself want to express the upmost thanks to you for sharing this build with us. The future project excites me equally, after seeing what you did with this I know your future builds will be exquisite. Paint and body do they start next or will it be ran like this? Which I happen to love.

[Alxj64]

Thanks Matt! I am thankful for all of the help I've received on this forum during this process. I know I've asked my fair share of dumb questions, but I've almost always been greeted with smart answers!

The body work will be kind of minimal and just will be patching the really bad holes and the previous repairs that are just too rough or unfinished to cover up. I am not going to go off the deep end with the body work because that is an entirely additional project that I just am not skilled at. Additionally, since the previous owner, Lee, rolled in all of that sound deadener stuff on the inside of the truck, it makes doing the body work a bit difficult. If the paint ends up giving me problems in another 10 years, I can pull the body off pretty quickly with a lift, sand the thing, send things to be re-coated or painted, and then put it back together, but not after having enjoyed the truck for quite some time and no doubt acquiring a few more blemishes to add to the already 76 years of story-board.

The near future is getting the steering situation improved to where I like it, (it drives now, just it could drive much better; and it will), get the rear floors installed, the windows installed (have to build new pans and I am going to look into making them out of stainless sheet, maybe) and then get the seats finished and installed. I am going to get the passenger's seat built next actually because I want my wife to be able to ride in it a little more comfortably than just sharing the wide front seat.

The past few evenings have been long ones as I have the truck sitting indoors at a giant tattoo arts festival. Since tattoos have such a WWII historical connection, they thought having this WWII truck in the convention center would be cool; they even have a pin-up contest every year and might use the truck for some "winner photos".

I got the running boards installed last night; my buddy let his son crawl around in it too. I think his expression is pretty much how we all feel climbing into these trucks.

[Chip]

What a rig! Thanks for letting us ride along during the build process. You should be VERY proud of how far you have come in this journey. Has your 4 legged helper gone for a ride yet?

[Alxj64]

What a rig! Thanks for letting us ride along during the build process. You should be VERY proud of how far you have come in this journey. Has your 4 legged helper gone for a ride yet?

Thanks! Yea, I am just tinkering my way along, knocking out things here and there and dialing in the details. I am awaiting my new faster ratio steering box and I am also working out removing the bushing at the axle end of my trackbar setup and going over to just a heim joint.

The truck sat in a convention center and I am hoping to get the steering worked out soon so that I can get some more road miles on it. Right now it just drives a little funny so I'm not up to taking it very far. I am extending its range slowly. I got the fuel sender working better but the tank has the most ever so slight weep... thats frustrating for sure. Just enough to make like one drop of fuel every day or so. I guess thats why this is still all the testing phase before paint. I gotta hook up my air shifters and build a front driveshaft yet too.

Heres some pictures.

[Greg Coffin]

What steering box are you going to use?
Nice work as always!

[Alxj64]

What steering box are you going to use?
Nice work as always!

Thanks Greg!

AGR is building me a custom box this time around. They are spec'ing out the correct spool valve for my setup. It should be delivering any day now. I've been busy in the evenings this week so no other progress lately. I am ramping up to build my battery box and finish closing in my center console. The hot air coming in through the floor is ridiculous!

[Greg Coffin]

Nice! I'm very interested to see how it installs on the truck.