So back this past Feb. my wife and I are watching a TV show on the Travel Channel about vintage campers and vintage RVs. My parents are big into the camping scene and my wife has always mentioned wanting a camper. She is kind of "Gypsy-like" in terms of her style and tastes. That being the case, she proclaims that she wants a Vintage airstream to restore and modify into her liking. I agree that would be really neat and that we should do it. She suggests then that it would be neat to tow it with something like my M37, which was still living at the farm (3 hours from my current home) but being a slight bit neglected and beginning to show it. Some how, something sparked in my head. I reminded her of the old truck I swore I would buy one day. I pulled up pictures, and showed her and said "This.. this is what I want to own and this would be amazing towing the Airstream camper". She says " I Love it! Find one!" So the search began once again.
I had spent years previously searching for one that I could afford but was enough together to meet my skill level to repair and restore; even with plans of buying one and storing it until I could have a place and money to work on it. Now, my needs had narrowed even further. I couldn't simply buy any WC53, (not like they are easy to find anyways) but now, for the sake of the respect of the machines they are and their scarcity, I needed to find something that I would not be doing a grave misfortune to by making mechanical changes to now fit the needs of towing the airstream trailer. I knew better than to find something mostly complete and then "hack" it up for my mechanical necessities. I knew that the original trucks would not have the power to move itself and a camper on the highway at a safe speed, nor steer and stop such a combination. So I began my search for a shell of truck. I was prepared to find and repare the most delapidated and corroded shell, so long as there was enough original truck left for me to have sufficent reference points to build it back to. So one would think that I would be much less likely to find something to meet these stricter needs. However, not the case as within a two week window I stumbled across a similar build of a WC53 on the SteelSoldiers forum. I sent the owner a message asking if he knew of any other trucks as he said that when he was looking for his, he stumbled across a few that were squirrled away in barns and sheds. His response was a simple, "No, but I will sell you mine". I was befuddled and shocked but also expecting the price to be beyond my budget for a "project".
I spoke with the owner. He has been around the MV world a bit and still is. He had purchased a WC53 in similar condition to what I was searching for myself with similar intentions, but rather as a trail riding truck rather than a quazi highway creature. His truck was missing an engine, and most of the drivetrain. However, he had instead done as many of the Civilian Power Wagon guys had done and installed a 4bt, and slightly more modern drivetrain. The body work on the truck was okay but left a good bit to be desired. He purchased the truck in 2005 and by 2010 was driving it quite frequently. However, a wreckless text messaging driver decided that he would rather not pay attention to the road ahead of him and struck the back of the Carryall. The Carryall was traveling at 60 mph, and the driver that struck him was doing 85, and was driving a lifted 1/2 ton Chevy truck. Needless to say the lifted truck missed the rear bumper and hitch of the WC53 and instead clean sheared the rear body mounts and crushed the rear of the WC 13", and wrinked the sides of the body, etc. The owner of the WC53 was devestated, and ofcourse, the way insurance companys work these days, played games with him for 2 years before a final settlement was made. At this point, the owner (Lee) was too hearbroken from looking at his smashed truck sitting in the back of his garage for 2 years and had desires to build something else. It was at this point that I just so happened to luck into contacting him at exactly the right time. We traded calls and emails and came to an agreement that was astoundingly fair on my part. In order to come up with the funds I sold my M37, which was a sad day for me as it and I had some great times and many memories with many friends. However, I was doing it no justice letting it deteriorate at the farm and the new owner loves the truck and is completely restoring it back to original, down to every detail.
So, I had to wait until May for Lee to remove his modernized drivetrain, axles and all from his WC53. In our dealings I agreed to buy a WC56 frame and axles that was in Conneticut, have it transported to Virginia, and then I left from Virginia with that rolling chassis and drove to Louisiana, swapped the rolling chassis frame under the emptied out, smashed carryall, and then came back home to Virginia leaving the WC56 frame behind. 2,500 miles in 3.5 days just to retrieve the truck, but it was worth it. Also, in the meantime, my wife managed to find and purchase a 1968 Airstream camper. It also needs a LOT of work.
So, I now have my project I have been dreaming of. Its not an original restoration, but at this point there is a lot of original missing from the truck. That being the case, I know I may step on some toes on this forum as a lot of folks don't care for the changes made to the trucks when they are "resto-modded. However, I can offer a mild justification. The truck will be kept quite aesthetically as close to original as possible. The driveline modifications will be for safety and performance so that I can drive the truck in the area I live in. Where I live, it is an Interstate drive to get across the larger bodies of water so the truck MUST be able to travel at modern highway speeds. This being the case, the truck will travel many places, and be enjoyed by many more people than just myself and the individuals directly associated with the Military vehicle world. Which isn't that the point, to enjoy the truck and share it rather than keep it locked away until the occasional show? The truck will also get a few creature comforts but I am planning on keeping the bodylines the same, and even the paint color as an OD Green or mild variation of it. Lee kept a good deal of the front body parts so those I am having to source on my own pieces as I go.
I guess pictures will finish up this very long post.
As I picked up the truck in Lousiana. We hauled it across the longest bridge in the US when leaving New Orleans.
Condition of the rear of the truck when I got it home... ie, starting point.
Stripped the interior and such out. Lee had put a metal floor in the truck as it was missing a lot of the hardware for the wooden floor.
After spending time with a porta power, I was able to get a good bit of the truck back round again. Sadly the gate and lower cross member are so full of old steel and bondo that there isn't enough of it left for me to straighten it out. I am going to have to start from scratch I believe.
Again, please don't be offended that I am not doing a by the numbers restoration on this truck. I know that is something really important to a lot of folks but atleast the truck was saved from being cut into pieces and parted out. The serial number has been posted in the sticky thread already. I'm currently trying to get information from the previous owner to track down as much of the history of this truck as I can.
