Lohner Restoration

[BrianT]

Just finished stripping the Masonite lining from the radio cabin to get to rust, wiring etc. These are photos of the structure of the cabin added to a stock standard WC 51 cargo body (minus the tailgate) by Lohner Werke, the Viennese coach builders.

RHS


LHS


Front

Rear


Roof


Cheers,

[BrianT]

This week's progress:

Varying skills applied!



Internal prep



Test fitting front bumper

[BrianT]

Time for an overdue update.
Have installed the floor in the radio cab. I used old West Australian Jarrah which has been used for over a century in railway sleepers,bridge and mining structures around the world, even for paving London's streets. Needless to say our forests are not what they were. I am reluctant to paint it as you can see the natural colour. Some challenges as I don't have access to a decent saw table, but it all worked out.



We have driven the cab/chassis around the yard which was a milestone and the same day married the Radio Cab to the chassis. It now looks like a truck!



[imghttp://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af149/BrianT_photo/Lohner%20Restoration/IMG_1414_1.jpg][/img]


One of the design flaws with the Lohners was that they welded the rear body to the drivers cab with a roof and pillars either side of the windscreen and side walls adjacent to the seats. The drivers cab is spring mounted to the chassis whilst the existing WC 51 cargo bed is fixed. This led to cracking of the radio cab joints on uneven terrain as the rear was unable to flex. I have attempted to fix this by spring mounting the forward 4 rear body retaining bolts with the rear two remaining fixed per original spec. Will have to see if this works.

We have had a lot of trouble getting a Carter carby to function. We had built one out of two and a kit. After a lot of frustration I bit the bullet and got a NOS unit. After rebuilding it with a kit it seems we have got a purring motor!




Next step is to fabricate the skirt on the lower windshield and the pillars for the driver's cab. Paint prep is being done on the rear body. A myriad of small parts are to be assembled - but it does look and sound like a truck!
One of the challenges, restoring the door locks!


Cheers,

[BrianT]

Hi Gents, well overdue for a progress report. The latest batch of photos follow.

Austrian Osterreich BundesHeer (OBH) dataplates

Refurbished components of Notek Rear Convoy Light of WW2 vintage - used by OBH

Welding of Driver's cab door pillars using new profile based on scraps that came with the vehicle



Body work continues and continues and.....

LHS status

RHS stsus

One of our number placing a proprietorial interest on the soon to be map table.

Spare Tyre Bracket built from scratch (Reserveradhalter)

Rooftop luggage rack being furnished.

All having a bit of fun on it. Only one other jeep in the shop at the moment so it's getting a lot of attention.
Thanks to everyone who responds to my occasional queries, particularly Scott, much appreciated.

Cheers from Downunder,

[maigaard]

Another one of these just popped up for sale on a Swedish marketplace (though the truck seems to be in Italy) :

https://www.blocket.se/orebro/Dodge_WC5 ... 7.htm?aw=1

The images may be of interest to you ?

/Peter

[BrianT]

Hi Peter, thanks. This vehicle had been listed all over Europe over many months. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. Cheers,

[BrianT]

Hi Gents, another long overdue update on progress. There has a lot of work being done but only recently are there worthwhile photos.
The bulk of the work undertaken since the last update has been electrical wiring and body paint prep.
I am hoping to use the vehicle for camping and will be configuring it with a couple of beds. I have kept all the original internal fittings to enable an easy reconfiguration to its Austrian Radio Van configuration.

Fenders on.

Repaint of Instrument Panel required after welding in the windscreen pillars!

Lots and Lots of body work.

Painted and assembled front fenders. Not a true representation of the Olive Brown colour.

Nose minus Brush Guard and B/O Light. Just noticed photo is reversed. Took it with a selfie view because of limited space.

Right and Left Fenders. Note, the indicators were given to me by my Lohner owning mate Hans, in Austria


Two of our crew, Peter and Mick. We have up to eight ne'er do wells working on the vehicle one day a week. I certainly couldn't have done this without them.

Second unsuccessful attempt to get the window dimensions right despite a template. Will have to take the completed vehicle to the canvas works for a fitting.


Rear view. The spare tyre holder is a straight copy of the Austrian original. The steps make allowances for the advance of years on the owners!

First of the side windows to be installed. You can see that the inside has not yet been insulated and lined.I will do that after I get the vehicle licenced.
Hole to the right is a weatherproof cable entry/exit hatch, one on each side of the vehicle.
The two front seat spring sets were good. After tarting up the springs I have added some extra foam and underfelt to bulk up the seats a little. The Austrian used a Michelin produced vinyl cover for the upholstery. No longer available.


We are working to get the vehicle licenced in the next month or so and then on to internal fitout. I must say that I didn't realise how many parts a Dodge had when I took on this project! Looking forward to enjoying using it.
Cheers,

[BrianT]

Hi Gents, latest update on progress. Getting close to licencing. Then fitout of Radio Cabin. As mentioned before, I would like to use the vehicle for camping so the fit out of the rear will reflect that.


Note: Have braced the Dodge mirror arms to the body using the top two Windscreen Hinge Bracket locating bolts. Provides a much more stable rear view with no extra holes in the old girl.





Note: the screen is for a Reversing Camera as you can't see nothing behind the vehicle. The stalk on the Steering Column is a Low Beam Headlight Flasher which can be used in all light settings - Austrian original equipment.


Cheers,

[Kaegi]

really enjoying watching this one come together.. inside the bed area I see a small box protruding out from the front right tool box about 6" x 4"??? whats that?

[BrianT]

Hi Kaegi, thanks for the interest. The item is a cover for the cable run from the Battery Box to the radio/ telecoms equipment in the Radio Cabin. View of item before restoration:

We finally got the vehicle licenced - on first inspection. The examiner said as he got to the bottom of his inspection pit - You guys have put a lot of hours into this!
What a great relief!

One of the key contributors Tony of the Hammer:

With a few more military things on.


Cab views:



Battery Box - Crank Battery and House Battery handling Radio Cab Electrics

Spare Tyre Mount

Insulation of Radio Cab underway. Replacing the oiled cardboard with 25mm polystyrene sheeting. Hope to use as much of the original Masonite cladding as possible.



I need a fair bit of practice on the crash gearbox but despite my best endeavours to the contrary it is running really well.

Keep you posted.

[Kaegi]

looking great! drive it everyday for 3 weeks and shifting will become a breeze, your arms will double in size from the steering and you will have one big leg from stopping

[BrianT]

Hi Gents, been recladding the interior after insulation. I had carefully stored all the Masonite panels when they were removed only to find that they had been damaged in storage. Was able to resuscitate some but had to make new ones. Fortunately I had templates for most of them.









With primer but before mounting cover strips and window frames.






Cheers,

[Kaegi]

looking great! I might be down there next year. will need to rent a car. is it available? ;/)

[BrianT]

Well we finished the resto to a point where we could take the vehicle for a short trial outing - 1200kms to WA's Great Southern to the City of Albany and locale. The truck behaved well and didn't let us down. Testimony to the work of the guys. Below are a few photos.
I fitted out the radio compartment for camping with 2 benches for beds supported by steel frames creating storage under the beds. Also a secure cabinet across the rear of the driver's cab dividing wall. All this is on rubber lining and secured with just 5 bolts so that it can quickly and easily revert to its original configuration. Radio cab furniture has been kept. Also a series of 12v LED lights and power sockets have been added driven by a second battery in the battery box. The existing 2 way fan was refurbished and a 12v oscillating fan added to help with Aussie temperatures. Apparantly, according to the ex policeman on the team the colour chosen is Holding Cell Green, which decorates all such facilities run by the constabulary in WA. Supposed to have a calming influence on inmates. Hope it works in this case!





First trip home to our place in the hills above Perth.





Checking out the annexe.

On the road in the Great Southern. Didn't get a chance to line the insides of WW2 jerry cans before we left so pardon the modern intrusions. The situation will be rectified!



Prior to leaving I had trouble with what was supposed to be a temporary Alternator, not giving consistent power to the batteries. I bit the bullet and bought a new 65A unit. Reason for alternator rather than generator is I couldn't find any of the latter that would not make a massive hole in the budget.



Still have a number of things to do to finish the vehicle. The trip threw up amongst other things a wandering front end at speed and a Dodgy starter motor switch. Still have to fabricate the Blackout Screens, paint the Austrian markings, install the B/O driving light and rear Notek convoy light and many other small items.
Back to the workshop!

Cheers,

[PareosWC]

Brian, just got done looking through your pictures- beautiful workmanship, and what a gorgeous WC! The shop looks like she's sturdy enough to house and maintain 'old soldiers' for a looooong time