The WC53 Carryall thread .

[Alxj64]

Bruce, I really wish you could post some pictures of what you are doing.

So I have learned something interesting in the past few days. I made the "mistake" of posting on the ww2 dodge boards about my intentions with my carryall and now I have angry townsfolk with pitchforks and torches stomping in my internet front yard. I was unaware that I would offend such a great number of people by simply repowering and changing the axles on one of these trucks. Also they seem to think my intentions are mild in concept and I don't comprehend the plethora of work involved. My apologies to anyone on this board who's toes I may have stepped on over there. Nothing said was ill intended but merely in reaction. Everyone here has been more than helpful and I am gracious in not being accosted for not restoring the truck to every finite detail of original production.

[Bruce in BC]

restoring some stuff makes sense

But a lot of stuff it makes no sense at all . Some of the loudest guys do not have a clue . A few years ago I sold a guy a set of big block exhaust manifolds . They had the right casting numbers and were dead on perfect for the restoration , I made great money on something that I was going to throw out .
Then another guy shows up and started to tell me how "those are not original , they did not come on the car , I would never buy a car that was not 100% original " he went into a rant , the thing is I know he is incapable of fixing anything and would be incapable of sorting out what was original and what was not if he was shown an early vehicle .
in the late 70s there was this gas station that I stopped at to get some fuel for my hot rod . I did so because of the old vintage tin out back . Guy comes out of the station and tells me how "You ruined this car " I never went back and the punch line ? All that vintage tin went to the crusher , my rod is still on the road .
It is your vehicle , do what you want with it . I am . A day at the metal recyclers will straighten you out . Tons of vintage material is getting scrapped every day . Guys who refused to sell it are now dead or being forced to clean up their yards . Some will almost give the old stuff away in an effort to save it , others will let it get crushed before someone else ruins it .
Yah I need to get the darn photo situation cleared up , you are not the only one who has told me they want some pictures .


Bruce

[Bruce]

Yah

We want some pic's!

[Bruce in BC]

Did you know

That you can tape up all the holes on an early dodge door , drop in a full quart of paint , wiggle the door every which way , and only half of the inside of the door will get paint on the bare metal ?
This works great on the door seams and keeps the water out of the seams but next time I pull this stunt I will thin the paint a lot more and drop in two quarts of paint , tape the whole door so that no paint can escape and then do the sloshing routine .
Heading for Alaska by boat . I will do the picture posting arrangement thing when I get back . After that I will drive you all nuts .

Bruce

[Jake]

Have a great trip Bruce!

[Alxj64]

Alaska? Dang Bruce! Be safe man!

So, I think I have found and decided on my powertrain. Originally I was going to run the same engine and transmission combination that the previous owner (McInfantry) had in the truck, Mechanical Cummins 4bt, GM 4L80E auto, and mated NP241 T-case. However, in my scouring and parts accumulation I have found something somewhat similar but have some dimensional concerns. The transmission is the Allison 1000, but I am fearful that it may be too big. The seller was going to use it in a Grand Cherokee but said not matter how much sheetmetal he removed, it just wasn't happening. Its an SAE #3 bellhousing, and I know a lot of the Cummins 4BTs that you guys run are the same. My question is how much room is under there with you guys running the NV4500s and similar? Are you "squeezing by" or is there miles of room. Obviously I am going to be building a custom trans tunnel for mine as its missing a good bit of it anyways, however, I am just wondering how much room the SAE #3 bells are affording as my choice of engine is a "rear geartrain" B series rather than the front geartrain like most are. Also, is anyone running a front mount intercooler on their trucks? Mechanical fans or electric fans?

[Desoto61]

I still have the SAE3 mount setup from my 4BT. They're not very deep and honestly doesn't look any bigger around than the Chevy bell housing, it's just circular vs the strange shape of the Chevy setup.

In a PW the NV4500 is almost a perfect fit, but my understanding is the Alison 1000 is a LOT bigger. Seems like a good trans if maybe a little overkill for a 4BT. But then I like overkill!

[Bruce in BC]

Updates and out takes

Run the allison and that B series . I think the engine you have described puts out about 140 horse power . I have used a automatic trans in the bush for over 20 years , it works great , I brake left footed which makes it possible to feather throttle my way through some stuff that other guys have had trouble with . I like the auto better than the manual , and the auto has never broken down in the bush .
If I had built a custom radiator and created a new cross member I could have run a intercooler . Should have gone that route .

I will be on the boat tomorrow - i just got in from a search and rescue all nighter . I was worried it might be a double nighter and might be late for the boat and went so far as to find out if there was room for a helicopter to drop me on the deck and if so who do I contact to get an ok .

Tossed some paint on my doors , window frame and upper rear hatch . Did this yesterday before i got called out . More to toss on yet - keep in mind is my goal is to have the paint look and match the old multi coloured mess . Only difference is it is rust free .

Bruce

Hey Jake good to hear from you .

[Alxj64]

Run the allison and that B series . I think the engine you have described puts out about 140 horse power . I have used a automatic trans in the bush for over 20 years , it works great , I brake left footed which makes it possible to feather throttle my way through some stuff that other guys have had trouble with . I like the auto better than the manual , and the auto has never broken down in the bush .
If I had built a custom radiator and created a new cross member I could have run a intercooler . Should have gone that route .

Tossed some paint on my doors , window frame and upper rear hatch . Did this yesterday before i got called out . More to toss on yet - keep in mind is my goal is to have the paint look and match the old multi coloured mess . Only difference is it is rust free .

Bruce

Hey Jake good to hear from you .

Pictures man! Of work stuff too if you could! Sounds really cool!

As for the engine, I went ahead and agreed to buy it and the transmission. Its a 170 HP rated engine so I am thinking that with 4.56s and 38"s it should still move the Carryall and pull the 3k# trailer just fine. The Allison should also work well even with the stock programed tune and if its not what I want, I can write out my own tune and have a shop out in the midwest flash the TCM for me. I am really stoked on this engine though.

In the mean time I have been busy working on projects for other people and am getting ready for some work travel myself but I did manage to cut more of my truck out and start to use my gate template to decide how I am going to rebuild the lower cross member. I've got a good plan, just need to find time to dedicate towards the WC and not the millions of other projects.

The rear lower cross member is just gross. Between being crushed from the wreck and the past "restoration" work... I decided to cut a LOT of it out.

[Alxj64]

I tell ya though... Just can't find good help these days either... ha ha.

[Alxj64]

So this is something kinda strange. Lately I have been goofing around on Ebay looking for a decent and original style pintle hitch, along with many other parts, to mount on the back of the WC.

Well this past weekend I went up to my grandparents farm to retrieve a parts truck that I had bought and was storing there. A friend of mine had also worked a deal with my grandfather to pickup an old IH Loadstar that has been sitting around for years.. actually since 1985 we determined. So we go up there, battle the farm tractor for hours to get it fixed to load both of the trucks and then head home. This morning I go to my friend's place to unload the trucks and inventory what all we have. As we are rummaging through the floor of the IH Loadstar, a pile of random hardware and such is on the passenger's floorboard and I notice a pintle hitch. I dig it out and hold it in my hand and am completely dumbfounded. It was exactly the hitch I had been looking at on Ebay and is exactly what goes on my WC. I called my grandfather and asked him what the deal was and he said he knew nothing of it nor where it may have come from. I call my dad, who was the one who parked the truck in the spot it had been sitting since 1985. I ask him about the pintle. He laughs and says he threw that in there and shut the door the last time he touched the truck on the day he parked it last. He was driving the truck and talking with a family friend about wanting to put a pintle hitch on the loadstar to pull a small low-boy trailer he was also looking at buying. He was at the friend's house and the friend walked into his shop and dug through a box and handed my dad the pintle and said that it had been floating around his shop longer than he remembered and that if my dad wanted it, he could have it and put it on the IH. My dad said thanks, and threw it in the floor of the truck with the box of hardware he had gotten a good deal on at an auction earlier that day. He drove home and parked the truck. Instead of buying the low-boy, he bought a large roll back instead so the IH was never used. It sat for a few years and eventually became dilapidated enough that it was overgrown with vines, trees and grass until recently when some friends and I started talking about how it would be cool to build a Vintage tow-rig / flat bed to haul a friend's mud racing truck that is being built on a '59 Ford F1 frame. So this weekend was the first time anyone has really investigated this truck in 27 years... And here I find parts, for a vehicle that I am currently building... and had almost bought one off of ebay earlier that week but couldn't bring myself to spend the money on a hitch that I won't need for my project for a LONG time yet... Just kinda crazy to me.



The IH that contained the Pintle.



The hitch itself...

[Bruce in BC]

thanks for sharing that

I love it when parts turn up in unexpected places . I was at a restaurant quite a few year back . While looking out the window I see a truck with a bunch of vintage scrap on it . I wander over and look and darn if it isn't some fenders that fit my hot rod . The guy said if I wanted them I could have them because he was just taking them to the dump . So I tossed him a twenty and we both were happy . Think i got a spare grill too .
Was out on another Search today - we found her - spent 4 full days in the bush .
A couple of searches were ragging on me about finishing the carryall .
back at it tomorrow .

Is that vintage rat poop on that pintle hook ?
The Intersmashionable looks like it settled a good 6 - 7 inches into the mud .

[Bruce]

Ot

Glad to see that the day was not a total bust! Don't worry about the wheels/carb, I keep at it.

[TK064]

airbags

Hey Bruce, any updates on your airbag progress and/or the bag you selected.

[Bruce in BC]

renewed moi suscription

So I will be able to post pictures PDQ . Put some epoxy primer on some parts yesterday . The paint was kicking off on the brush , what happened to the 3 day pot life ? Also will get back to the tear down I started and stopped at least 4 weeks back
. tear down progress
(1) Pulled NP205 transfercase - placed on bench
(2) pulled intermediate transfercase
(3) pulled motor , placed on blocks but still attached to engine hoist . engine hoist had a structural failure .
(4) removed front axle
(5) have blasted a few small parts

Bruce

lets get that picture posting happening Gordon . We need to liven up this thread .

edit - there is a guy in reading that has 5 cummins 4bts for sale , all run , 4500 for the lot . Screaming deal but too far for me to drive .