Strange compressor pump

[migmatic]

(Gee, I hope this posts this time)

Never seen one of these. Is this really a Dodge WC thingy??
It looks like it would bolt on at the power take-off mount on the transmission.
Is this a French Dodge item? Or is it a Post-war Power Wagon thing?
I am not advocating this Ebay item, (or any for that matter!),...I just saw it as I trolled through and was curious.
Item number 180099126874.

[Gordon_M]

If I told you that thousands of WW2 Dodges were fitted with this as original equipment you'd say you'd never seen one - right?

Many of the Canadian Dodges supplied to the Commonwealth forces were two wheel drive, and for off-road use many came with one of these so you could air-up the tyres after letting them down to cross soft going. Note that the seller says it was fitted to 6 x 6 WCs in the French Foreign Legion.

Original name is Power Tire Pump, part number 930467. 2" bore, 1.75" stroke, and nominal operating speed 550rpm. I think it actually mounts on the right side of the transmission, so you could fit it to a WC that already had winch and PTO in place.

[migmatic]

Your right Gordon! I've never seen one nor even heard of the beast!!
As I have an American built WC52 I have much greater affinity to the American produced product than our indigenous CMP's, 2x4 Dodges, ATP WC, etc. etc.
But my SNL 502, and TM 9-1808B on 6x6, 4x4 power trains doesn't even show a picture let alone a description!
Where did you get that part number for the pump? Is it from a Canadian 2x4 Dodge manual,...stuff we produced for the North African campaign as you mentioned, or from a Dodge WC 6x6 manual, (of which I have not got).
The seller says it is from a WC 6x6 and these were built in America and eventually supplied the French. Maybe even used in places like Algeria or Congo or some other far off French colony.
Was the pump manufactured in the US? Used for WC6x6's and not WC4x4's or was it Commonwealth produced and the seller has one of those?
It must have also come with a bunch of special items like hose, end fittings, maybe even special floor panels, gromets, and so on.
Did I already send this??

Thanks Gordon!
Just trying to fit the pump in the puzzle

[Tony B]

The French Army and the L'Egion des Etranger (Foriegn Legion) used WC 51, 52 and 63/64s all over North Africa including Algiers. Look up pictures of the Algerian revolt late 50's 60's and they are coming out of the wood work.

[Gordon_M]

Here you go, then ...



this is from a T110 engineering code 3 ton Canadian truck manual, issued October 1943, for one of the many Commonwealth contracts.

There's very little info in the book apart from the stuff I've already given plus individual part numbers and descriptions, and no info to suggest the original manufacturing company.

I do remember they were prone to coming apart if over-revved, so you would just engage the pump lever and let the engine idle while it inflated, then disconnect before moving truck

[migmatic]

Gordon
Many thanks!! I didn't know these existed. I see how it all fits and where,...I am kind of "visual" guy,...ask my wife!
It must be some Canadian Co. that manufactured the unit as opposed to an American one, due to it's end user. Anyway, it puts it all in context!
Thanks, Peter

Yes Tony I was thinking of that movie, (semi-documentary sort of!) "Battle for Algiers", (I think), where I remember the WC 62/63's.

[Robbo]

The Canadian Military Pattern trucks (Blitzes) had these pumps too - I think from memory, the Chev one fitted on the left of the gearbox and the Ford one on the right.

Some friends have tried to fit these to the WC51/52 trucks but I seem to recall that while they bolted up all right to the gearbox when removed from the vehicle, there wasn't enough room in the transmission hump to fit them without modifying the floor.

As Gordon says, they are a poorly-engineered compressor, suffering frequent failures due to oil starvation of the bearings/bushes.

[Tony B]

Hi Migmatic, yes Battle for Algiers was one film, recently voted in UK one of the best War films ever. However there are also pictures of 51s and 52 being used by the forign legion in the 1950's in the rescue of passengers from a BOAC flight that crashed due to navigation error in the western desert of North Africa. They seem to have been prominent at crashes because they also appear in shots of the BOAC Comet that crashed in India.

[migmatic]

Hi Robbo, Tony
The fact that the pump would hit the floor when mounted was my first thought as well. Interesting others have tried to mount them to their WC's. I thought that would be a very handy addition,... but from what you and Gordon said it doesn't sound worth the problems it would create.
Very interesting knowledge all the same!

I believe i heard that the film had won something somewhere,...but I live in the land time just about forgot, so I don't always get this kind of info.
My favourite is still "Wages of Fear",...some nice military in that !!

[Lang]

I have a Canadian CMP "Blitz" compressor on my WC-53. Fit up was no trouble. The only requirement was to make a spacer to get the gears meshing. The compressor gears stick out about 1/2" too far so an aluminium or steel spacer takes them out to mesh correctly. Bolt pattern for the side plate is the same.

I can't remember which is which but of the Ford and Chev compressors there was one vertical and one at an angle. The angle one does not touch floor or chassis rails.


Lang

[migmatic]

Interesting,..I didn't even realize there were two types of compressor.

[Ugg]

Now that really confuses me. A F*rd or Chevy compressor on a Dodge. What evil genius planed all this?

Later