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

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

All looks fantastic Alex, keep pushing through. How may I ask did you manage to drop the transmission out? I know you were searching for a way to remove the transmission, how did you get it out?

[Alxj64]

hanks guys,
Sadly I am in the midst of an M.S. relapse, so things are moving slowly. I did get the transmission out but because it took so long, my builder is busy now and I have to wait some more. Uggh.

I did mess with some other small tedious things since I am having weakness on my right side and that prevents me from messing with too much heavy stuff and my welding quality suffers as well.

New bulkhead for the passenger side because the original one was too close to the exhaust and was just a hack looking cord grip.

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Hub Dial installed.

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Allison out and waiting for pickup to get rebuilt.

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[Bruce]

Really!

[Bruce]

If I can lend a hand, please ask!!

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Alex, It will all get worked out. The old girl is looking fantastic. Keep your chin up. I am pretty excited to go for a ride in it this coming June.

[Alxj64]

One step forward and two steps back, at least you found out now, right?

yea, something like that. The plus side is that I have my weird wobble situation resolved in the steering and tire balance. I also have a lot of the other systems fully functioning now. One brake line leak to fix where a fitting /flare got installed crooked by some of my younger occasional help so I'll make a new line for that. The 3D printed lockout hub dials weren't really working so I had some made out of aluminum for my custom front axle.

Lets see, what else is good under the hood. Hrmm, I have pieces arriving for my air system so I can get to work on that soon. I have a bunch of parts to build the rest of my seat frames with. I have a bunch of interior parts to start installing, but I still have to make new window boxes. I have a 4' x 6' sheet of 20 gauge stainless steel on hand so I actually might try to make new window tray boxes using that instead of mild steel, this way they will never rot out. Just a thought.

And for those following here and not in the WC53 thread, I finished up a new battery box cover. Lid opens upward with help from spring loaded hinges and then the side swings down like the original design. All riveted aluminum, stainless hinges, and brass screws for the hardware.

I also got a good picture of the truck flexing out the suspension some. Man does it work really good off road! This was with just the open rear axle and no front driveshaft, this thing will go more places than I'll feel good taking it, thats for sure! I can't wait to finish up some other things and drive this down to the beach for the day!

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[Bruce]

One step forward and two steps back, at least you found out now, right?

[Alxj64]

Well,
The Allison is trashed and needs to come out. The roar I have from the bellhousing is incredibly loud now and I am finding small flecks of steel in the fluid. I guess I am going to have to get this thing rebuilt. Uggh, its always something with projects like this and used parts, then again I've been having problems with vendors sending me the wrong new parts too.

[Greg Coffin]

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

[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]

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

[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.

[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]

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.

[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.