Old WC's never die - they just move on! :-)

[12th Air Force]

Updated today some of the pictures on my Dodge homepage.

See: http://www.steel-toys.com/

Next step is an update of the text - but that's something for loooong winter evenings.

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

[12th Air Force]

By the way... Santa was visiting Germany today!

...With a brand new MVPA membership!

It's a bit sad that it is so far to the next Club meeting (damned pond in between), but I wait now for the first MVPA E-Paper!

Thank's to Santa (at home in CA),

Joakim

[Fred Coldwell]

Hi Joakim:

Your post raised my curiosity about the MVPA's new E-magazines, so I logged on the MVPA.org web site to check them out. As a member, I electronically leafed through the upcoming Dec-Jan 2015 Supply Line and, more importantly, the latest Oct-Nov 2014 back issue of Army Motors. That issue of AM contains an article about an unusual 1944 Dodge Command Car which you might enjoy reading. Thank you for joining the MVPA! With these new electronic magazines, soon to include more back issues, it is much more worthwhile for MV hobbysts around the world to join the MVPA.

[12th Air Force]

With these new electronic magazines, soon to include more back issues, it is much more worthwhile for MV hobbysts around the world to join the MVPA.

Hi Fred!

Very true! Up to now I got the Army Motors and Supply Line issues from a friend and MVPA member after reading "second hand" by USPS- at terrible shipping costs...
So it was easier for him to offer me the new E-Paper solution - and to convince me of joining the MVPA.

From my point of view a very attractive and "state of the art" option for MV owners overseas.

Good point: members overseas!
- I have seen on several occasions MV across Europe with MVPA stickers - so the next question would be how to tie those members in a better / usefull way together? It would be great to have some sort of "Central European Chapter" (- if that not allready exists?). *just thinking*

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

[12th Air Force]

Latest update: new front prop.-shaft fitted yesterday = one step closer to Bastogne.
See:









Joakim

[12th Air Force]

Even at Christmas needs a Dodge some tender loving care!

So I resprayed today the latest find - a NOS pioneer tool bracket in matt no. 1 OD.
- Tomorrow then the next step: fitting it to the tailgate.

In addition I equipped my Dodge last weekend with a radio (hidden under the dashboard - so that I can listen to my favourite Swing CD's from the 1930ies and 40ies in the future. Tested it today with one speaker - sounds great!

Actually I'm working on a WW2 LS-3 speaker housing, that has to be refurbished and then will be linked to the radio - just to have the correct look.



Next step is then finding a BC-1000 Radio (receiver) with bracket to fix it to the Dodge, just to make it complete.

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

[12th Air Force]

Hello Folks,

I hope you all had a relaxed and peaceful Christmas and today some time left to say "hello" to your OD pet in your Garage.

Due to the fact that we get in Germany the gifts from Santa on the evening of the 24rd I had today plenty of time and fitted my latest find - the NOS WW2 tool bracket - to the tailgate of my Dodge.
- Then it was time for a first check-drive after weeks without driving that old beast.
The weather was quite good - 10° C, dry tarmac and some sunshine in between on the afternoon...

One push to the starter and the old battlehorse fired up directly. I'm always (still) astonished how reliable those 70 years old beasts are if you take care of them with some regularly maintenance.

So out of the new home of my Dodge and down the River Main banks to the Rumpenheim castle & ferry.

To be honest: it was not a real success...

I had filled more than one cartridge with lithium grease into the front axle and was astonished how smooth the steering worked because of this - it felt nearly like driving a normal passenger car!

Then the first frustration: the balanced front wheels started to shake very badly as they would have been not balanced at all. *DAMNED!!!* Please remind me that I NEVER EVER use that lousy tire specialist shop again! - If I would have had a pump gun today... ...but they are closed due to X-Mas (lucky basterds!).

At the first traffic light time to check the new TC: shifting was smooth and easy - great! :thumb up:
The old TC was always battling with me and shifting to 4WD and back was always a fight with lots of strength.

I took some pictures at the ferry with the castle in the background (that was destroyed by an air raid in 1944 and then rebuilt to original blueprints 10 years ago, offering today nice flats inside for the ones with the higher income = some things never change... - but that's another story...).

On the way back more noise and vibrations. No idea about the reason, but I guess it has to do with the alignment of the new front prop.-shaft.

So for tomorrow a quite long to do list: exchanging the front tires, test-driving, then the decision has to be made how to proceed. In the worst case taking out the front prop.-shaft and fitting it again.
- And more test-driving...

Oh yes - and I have ordered more powerful speakers!
The 89 db speakers are okay at 900 rpm - but at 75 km/h the humming engine is all you can hear.
- So I guess that's one of the reasons why Dodge never offered the Army an optional Radio-Kit!

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim


At the River today:

[12th Air Force]

HOMEPAGE RELOADED!

Hello Folk's!

Some day's off from work can be helpful to start some veeery old projects - as my project 31: a link list on all of my picture galeries that I have posted at the WW2 Dodge Forum within the last 3 years.

So the first page of my HP with updated/extended text can be found here:

http://www.steel-toys.com/

And the new sub-page with the links to all event pictures (in chronological order) here:

http://www.steel-toys.com/Events.html

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

[12th Air Force]

Hello Folk's!

My Dodge has now a "new Beat-Box"!

I have now finished the LS-3 speaker project: that old thing is re-activated with a 230 W speaker inside and a refurbished housing and works great! = It is stronger than the six-banger at full throttle.

The new "mobile" speaker solution looks now like that:





All pictures on this tiny side-show project can be found here: http://www.steel-toys.com/LS3/

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

PS: And here is the link to the mp3 file of my favourite song for the new speaker:

http://www.steel-toys.com/02%20-%20Orch ... 20Shoe.mp3

[12th Air Force]

HOMEPAGE RELOADED!

Hello Folk's!

Some day's off from work can be helpful to start some veeery old projects - as my project 31: a link list on all of my picture galeries that I have posted at the WW2 Dodge Forum within the last 3 years.

So the first page of my HP with updated/extended text can be found here:

http://www.steel-toys.com/

And the new sub-page with the links to all event pictures (in chronological order) here:

http://www.steel-toys.com/Events.html

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

PS: I added today my favourite swing song to my homepage! It's "One, Two Buttom Your Shoe" by the Orchester Jack Hylton - recorded in 1937 - and start's as soon as you open the homepage.
So the song is a bit older than my Dodge - but a nice tune.

Happy listening,

Joakim

[12th Air Force]

Hello Folk's!

The Classic "egg & chicken question":
is my canvas to small (or shrinking?) - or the poles of the frame to long?

I decided the poles are to long and cutted them down now 1 cm each to make the canvas fit again.

Maybe I will add two more sticks to it, so that the "ponds" on the top of the canvas - esp. after heavy rain in the night - are not that large anymore.

So some purists now may say "that's not original" or just "why?"
- But if you had once passengers in the back of your Dodge that don't know the canvas design and think it's an "great idea" to push from the inside against those ponds on the canvas - and generated that way a damned cold shower in to the neck of the driver and co.-driver you will understand my motiovation...!

- I think there are other opportunities than this to wake up the driver.

In addition to this I replaced yesterday the 5 W license plate bulb with a 10 W LED - much brighter - and hopefully the Dodge is now at night easier to recognize on the motorway.

I tried to replace the right rear light as well, but the first insert was damaged (only the stop light worked) and the second insert worked - but it did not get power for the stop light because the cable seems to be damaged. So I have to fit a new cable next weekend.
I have replaced the rear light power cable last year as well - so it seem's that Lucas is not the only "Prince of darkness" in the world of "automotive wire disasters"...

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

[G. Miskovsky]

Joakim,

I remember that I had a small bit of shrinkage after my canvas had endured getting wet a few times and lots of snow in Kansas. Seems that it fits almost exactly to the edge of the body on both sides.

[12th Air Force]

Joakim,

I remember that I had a small bit of shrinkage after my canvas had endured getting wet a few times and lots of snow in Kansas. Seems that it fits almost exactly to the edge of the body on both sides.

Hi Gus!

The Canvas on my Dodge is from the Worthings (U.K.) and about 4 years old. At the middel of it's lenght - at about the rear wheel postion - it was on both sides so short, that you could take a look inside (about 1 cm gap in the middle). See:



No idea if that was because of it's age - or because of the lenght of the poles? I would say that the poles have been replaced at some point in the history of the vehicle - so that they did not have the original lenght.

It might be that the boy's from the former owner - an Fire Brigade from Austria - did that and tried to get more overall inside height that way. - Those boy's are allways thinking "practical".
I would guess that the dealer that refurbished the Dodge and converted it back to WW2 standard replaced then the "Fire Brigade Red" cover with the Worthing's canvas - and that looked because of this modification a bit to short.

Anyhow: now is there no gap anymore and it's fine for me.

Greetings to the other side of the "big pond",

Joakim

[Airborne Bob]

if you will notice that when the canvas gets wet the tie down ropes will get real tight, this is due to the canvas shrinking, so never, never remove wet canvas as it will stay in the shrunk passion, canvas will shrink about 1" per 1 foot when wet. Hope this helps Bob

[Airborne Bob]

I have NOS bows and the up right are 32 3/8" long, Bob