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

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Fri Feb 21, 2014 10:29 pm

Two more new pictures from last Sunday:

http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51/WC51_49.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51/WC51_50.jpg

and:

Keep 'em rolling,

Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Sat May 31, 2014 1:49 am

Hello WC51 friends,

it's a while since I posted some news in my "WC-51 rolling rebuilt thread". So a brief summary of what has been done since Feb.:

- Respray of the backbody, hood and radiator cover
- New 3AD Markings (see picture above and below) incl. "vehicle name"
- Mechanical repairs in large scale from new timing chain, gears and cover, new engine front mount, new radiator mesh, new rear brake cylinders, new seal for both wheel hubs of the rear axle, exchange of one wiper motor, up to an electrical fuel pump instead of the mechanical one.
- In addition some new brakets for the coil and the brake fluid reservoir and a cigaret lighter socket for "modern gimmick's" as a navigation system.
I could start to sum up the costs for all this - but I guess I would sleep not that good after doing so. So I don't do it and don't care about it = only the result matters!

and:

http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_71.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_72.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_73.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_75.jpg

http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_77.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_76_b.JPG
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_78.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_79.jpg

Last (but not least): After having been on several MV events in the last years I decided that my WC51 need's a name!

It has a cal. .50 mount so I thought of names as "MEATCHOPPER", "GUNSHIP" or something of that kind. But it's a single .50, no quadmount and no a tank...

Stuff like "The Mighty Beep" has been another idea, or "Iron Bitch"....(very realistic after spending a fortune for the repairs of that beast in the last year)...

But in the end I decided to name it simply "The BEEP BLITZ II".

See:

The explanation: Beep just to show that it is NOT A F...G J**P and the BLITZ is a reference to a fast and aggressive war tactic as the Germans in France used it in 1940 and lateron General Patton adopted it for his purposes in 1944 and 1945. = Fast forward!
The Dodge has now Pattons 3 AD markings - so that fits to this and the II is simply indicating that this is my second Dodge WC.

If you want to see the "full story" on the rebuilt of my second WC-51 just use this link to see all pictures on what I have done up to now. Just use the "next image" on top to open every next picture:

http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/

Keep 'em Rolling, Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 7:25 pm

Hello Folks,

it's since a while that I posted an update here on my ongoing WC-51 "rolling rebuilt", so I guess I have to make an update on the latest things that keep me still busy:

Some of you know the story allready - but it's better to get the infos "direct from the source": our family company has been sold by my uncle and (short version) so that I'm now forced to find after 7 years in the family company a new job in the PR/Marketing business and (after 20 years as a user of our warehouse as a "private garage") a new home for my Dodge...

Lucky me (by mistake/funny circumstance): my old contacts as a former US-Car Magazine editor helped a bit and I found a new home for my Dodge last week.

Even better - I'm now "back into the classic US Vintage Muscle Car Club business" and finished that way 15 or even more years of "lone wolf - no club" status...

Anyhow: I'm now in a new "partnership" with a muscle car owner at my age and have to move my Dodge and my equipment, spares etc. into a new 270 squaremetres "Dodge loft" that I share with his street legal Drag Strip Monsters.

That will keep me busy for a while for sure, next step is then to find a new job... (to be continued).

Here are two pictures of the brand new home for my Dodge;

Keep on doing,

Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:46 pm

Latest pictures can be found here:

http://www.steel-toys.com/DWC51/WC51_51.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51/WC51_52.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51/WC51_53.jpg

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

Wackiforkhaki · Post by **Wackiforkhaki** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:47 pm

Looks like your WC51 had been naughty and was made to sit in the corner!!

What a great space, best of luck filling it with your hearts desire!

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:11 pm

Wackiforkhaki wrote:Looks like your WC51 had been naughty and was made to sit in the corner!!

What a great space, best of luck filling it with your hearts desire!

*Haha* You're right - actually it looks like that.

To be honest: it is in fact "the black (military) sheep" in a "pure" US-Car owners Club in the heart of "old Germany" (= because we have no WW2 related collectors or any other MV Club in our area).
But: in the same time it is actually the oldest vehicle in the Club. So it has the "Grandpa-Status". *grin*
- The nice Plymouth Satellite from another Club member on the right is about 23 year younger...

And: another fellow in the Club has a Ferret Scout Car. So I have in every case a sort of "OD brother" in the Club.

I choosed this part of the building because it offers two walls for rack's, workbench etc.
The plan is to get 2-4 other US Car owners as "co-tenants", to fill the space and to cover the monthly costs.

Actually we have a 1,000 squaremetres building for the PEP Car (US Car) Club with workshop facilities next door and those additional "private" 270 squaremetres, that my colleague and I have rented.

It will be fun to see how the place will look like in a year from now or so...

Actually it Looks like this: http://www.steel-toys.com/Div/WC51_NH_c.jpg

Keep on doing,

Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:34 pm

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:23 am

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:27 pm

Latest news from the ongoing "rolling rebuilt" of my Dodge:

The NOS TC has replaced the damaged old one. - With some x-tra work because it had the early type links for the propshafts - and the old one the bigger late type ones. So it was some additional work to change those bits from the old one with the NOS ones...

So it actually Looks like this:

In Addition I replaced the oil seal on the front axle as well:
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_84.jpg

So first test driving on a Friday afternoon (without front propshaft) ended then with some sort of "heaven & hell" feeling as an result:

- no "crunchy noise" from below anymore (the NOS TC works "like a clock")...

- ...but still some slight noise from the front axle - and something new: the steering wheel starts sometimes to shake like mad (at about 65 km/h). If i brake a bit and drive at lower speed it's gone.
Same effect, when I drive a bit more to the right than in a "perfect line" on the road = the shaking disappears.
This shaking occured before one or twice only - and now it occured 4-5 times during a 40 km drive home.

My question was: is this a sign of a wheel bearing damage or something else?

In the end it was not the wheel bearing - it was a worn out Track Rod End and in addition I changed front and rear wheel - then the shaking was gone.

See:
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_89.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_90.jpg
http://www.steel-toys.com/WC51REB/WC51_91.jpg

Keep 'em Rolling and thank's to all those hidden warehouses in the world with NOS Dodge parts,

Joakim

Andersun · Post by **Andersun** » Sat Sep 20, 2014 3:55 pm

Those are great pics! Makes me want to haul 5,675 lbs over seas. Thanks for posting.

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:19 pm

Andersun wrote:Those are great pics! Makes me want to haul 5,675 lbs over seas. Thanks for posting.

Thank's for the flowers.

- You should be at Bastogne in December! That's another impressive event.

All informations that I actually have at hand can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12117

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

tankdriver · Post by **tankdriver** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:03 pm

12th Air Force wrote:
Andersun wrote:Those are great pics! Makes me want to haul 5,675 lbs over seas. Thanks for posting.
Thank's for the flowers.

- You should be at Bastogne in December! That's another impressive event.

All informations that I actually have at hand can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12117

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

If I could ever get the funds, I'd bring my WC63 and 57mm over there.......

They were a major player at Bastogne.

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Sun Sep 21, 2014 10:19 pm

tankdriver wrote:
12th Air Force wrote:
Andersun wrote:Those are great pics! Makes me want to haul 5,675 lbs over seas. Thanks for posting.
Thank's for the flowers.

- You should be at Bastogne in December! That's another impressive event.

All informations that I actually have at hand can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=12117

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim
If I could ever get the funds, I'd bring my WC63 and 57mm over there.......

They were a major player at Bastogne.

Right!

That's why they had a WC51 with a anti-tank gun at the re-enactment at Bastogne in 2012.

I think you can see it in this nice HD Movie at YouTube in full Action in battle with the attacking Wehrmacht troops... See:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UyBwqml2Gg

So, this year the same actors in the same place between Recogne and Cobru - just 5 min. by car from Bastogne.

If you can't bring your 6x6 I can offer you a seat in my 4x4. - Up to now I have no gunner for the .50 cal.

Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:48 am

Hello Folks,

we had on last Sunday a pretty nice Vintage- and US-Car meeting on the backyard of my Garage with about 340 vehicles in place, BBQ with good Burgers & German Sausages (Bratwurst) + German Beer fresh from the barrel.

It was the traditional "season closer" Event of our local US-Car Owners Club and a pretty nice day for this time of the year (= no rain). So here is a takeout from the vehicle presentation with my Dodge (sorry - the Dodge seems to be to large for the camera):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C408vJInAvM

Keep 'em Rolling,

Joakim

12th Air Force · Post by **12th Air Force** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 10:50 am

So here are the latest news from my new home for the Dodge:

We had on Sat. "big fun": Uli and his 4x4 truck friend Thomas sold us an 10,80 x 1,05 m. pallete-rack for our spare engines and other stuff.
That thing is "sureplus" of their own 4x4 truck Garage, because they had bought the whole racks of an company that went bankrupt a while ago and that was "a bit more" than they needed.

So Uli and Thomas brought it to us with a old Berna truck (Swiss made XL beast with 12 Litres engine). Then we had a fork lift truck in place and Uli was driving it - unloading the truck was that way a thing of about 20 min.

Two hours later the rack was standing - much faster than we thought - so I was driving with the Dodge and my Garage owner Ecki to the petrol station (lowest petrol prices since a year! Diesel at 1,249 Euro!) and to the Bauhaus D.I.Y. market. - Perfect weather for driving a bit around and generating the classic "Dodge grin"...

Pictures will follow lateron.

I have now electricity and an extra light at my work bench and actually nearly all of my stuff is sorted and in boxes with indication what is in them. So the move to the new place is nearly finished.

So now we have to install new water tubes and to refurbish the toilets and the room that we want to use as a coffee kitchen. Then we have done the most important stuff in terms of "infrastructure" and can focus again on our vehicles.

To be continued...

Joakim

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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