VC3 vs VC4 ATTN Gordon...

[mvdude]

Please Read Below.... I just spoke with Ernie B and described to hiim what I wrote below. It sounds like what I have is a VC3 closed cab...

Any replies appreciated...Bob

Hey Gordon and anyone else.... A friend told me booth the VC4 and VC5 are closed cabs and VC5's have longitudinal troop seats in the bed.. He says about 50 VC5's were made. I looked at photoos of the bed of the VC I have purchased, and it appears there are holes on each bed side, near the front and rear stake poockets 3 above one another vertically spaced about 4 inches top to middle hole, and from the mddle hole down to the bottom hole about 2 more inches. Just in front of the center stake pocket
on both bed sides are 2 verticle holes visible. They are also approximately 4 inches between, and at the same height as the holes in near the front and rear stake pockets. Does anyone have a thought as if these are the holes for the side boards for the troop seats ?

If so, does that equal VC5, and, can we confirm the quantity of VC close cabs made with longitudinal troop seats ?

Many thanks in advance....

[ThunderStick]

Refer to this site for photo identifications

http://www.armymotorcars.com/html/dodge_types.html

[Gordon_M]

or at least a VC 3 type of bed.

It gets quite complicated so stick with me. Open cab trucks (VC 5 and all half ton WC open cabs) had transverse seats mounted on two removable boards which in turn located in other boards bolted to the bed sides. Sort of makes sense because the troops could see where they were going since no cab rear wall in the way.

VC 3 closed cabs had the bolt pattern you describe, but so did all the closed cab WC half tons - definitely a closed cab bed though.

So, now you want to be sure that your bed is from a VC closed cab and not a WC closed cab? Easy - look at the bed side drilling for the fenders. VC bed sides are drilled for swept back fenders, while WC bed sides are drilled for half-round fenders.

If anyone was wanting to assemble a VC truck, I'd suggest the VC 3 hard cab pickup. 1940 hard cabs aren't that difficult, and you can alter WC half ton bed sides by welding and re-drilling. Stick it on a spare VC1 Command Car frame and you are about done, although the rear chassis holes and the chassis part number would be wrong, of course.

The VC 4 ? Well there were only a couple, and one ended up as an AA gun mount, so I think they were really either cab and chassis or cab, chassis, and plain bed which was to be thrown away and special bodies fitted.

G

[Guest]

Hey Gordon Thank you for the VC3 clarification. This one is a true vc3 from what I can tell, with the original bed and rotted rear fenders. Can you tell me if the rear fenders are maybe the same as say 1 ton 1940 dodge pickup rear fenders ? Am I correct to assume the rear fender openings are larger than standard half ton dodge pickup rear fender ?

Thanks,

[Gordon_M]

The rear fenders are not the same, but you can make VC military fenders from half or one ton civilian fenders. Here are the differences.

1. The VC military right rear fender has the big recess in it for the spare wheel - you'd have to cut it out of the original and transfer it.

2. The wheelarch openings are about 3" longer (front to back) but not higher (because the VC fender mounts lower down the bed side.



Unfortunately the difference isn't that clear in the image.

3. The rear edge of the VC fender is cut upwards to match the body style, whereas the half and one ton civilian rear edges are horizontal.



So, to make the changes, you'd need to rework the leading and trailing edges of the wheelarch and the rear edge of each fender - all of which are wire-turned edges, plus transfer the spare wheel cutout on the right fender.

Keep asking....

G