Well, this weekend was somewhat productive. John & I spent all day Saturday trying to get his WC-21 1/2-ton Dodge Weapons Carrier running for an upcoming military timeline. We got a lot done, but couldn’t get the truck running yet….the spark was just too weak. (We already replaced the condenser, points, checked the plugs, and checked all the wiring) The only thing we couldn’t get at the parts store was the right coil. The Dodge was originally a 6-volt truck, but the previous owner converted it to 12-volt. That means the 12-volt coil either needs to have an internal resistor for the condenser, or you have to add an external ceramic resistor between the coil & distributor. The parts stores only had the type that needed the external condenser. Luckily, last night I found a cool page on the Old Engine website that tells everything you need to know…INCLUDING PART NUMBERS…for the 12 volt conversion items. This will also come in handy when John & I replace the modern gauges with original 6-volt gauges.
Oddest occurrence of the day was the fact that I actually had the correct replacement rotor for the Weapons Carrier in my truck! I had bought a new rotor, condenser & points for my WC-52 from Midwest Military a year or two ago, & had forgotten to take them out of my truck…luckily for us, they were still there on Saturday & we were able to use the parts on John’s truck! You just gotta love the day when you have the right part for a 1941 military truck that easily at hand!
Sunday, Robin & I worked on her CJV-35/U jeep. The CJV-35 is a militarized version of the CJ3A that was made for the Marines in 1950. We hadn’t started Robin’s jeep since last summer! The jeep had the same problem as John’s truck…weak spark. Robin’s jeep is still 6-volt, so I was able to grab the right coil from my parts shelf, install it, clean & reset the points, put in fresh plugs, drain the fuel tank, and refill the fuel tank with fresh gas.
I used the hand crank to turn the engine over & lubricate everything, then used a couple squirts of go juice (starter fluid, aka ether) & the hand crank to start the jeep. I’ve found that starting the jeep with the hand crank greatly reduces wear on the starter when trying to get the jeep started for the first time in a while. Wahoo! (and YES, Elizabeth, I did double check to make sure the jeep was not in gear!)
If anyone drives a vehicle that can use the hand crank, I’d highly recommend purchasing a crank & practice with it! You’ll need to know the vehicle will start to really be able to get your technique worked out. I’ve cranked everything for a 1942 CCW (2 1/2 ton truck), to the WC-52, to both of our jeeps….and the Fordson tractor…but that’s another story! =^) I’ve only ever HAD to hand crank the jeeps, but it’s good to know the process. (I’d also imagine that early CJ2A & CJ3A jeeps could be hand cranked too, but I don’t know that for sure)
I guess it’s back to John’s house next week to help with the new coil, etc & get his truck running again too!
Next project for the CJV-35/U is to address the starter motor. It turns over MUCH slower than our other 6-volt vehicles. I’m guessing that the starter is wired for 12-volt. So, the plan it to take the starter off & get a reputable shop to diagnose it’s problems.
Here’s John’s WC-21 making it debut at a Living History for the first time in quite a few years! The signs to the left of the truck are maps of the two phases of the Carolina Maneuvers. Phase one was the “Battle of the Pee Dee River”, and phase two was the “Battle of Camden”. Phase one was a meeting engagement, while phase two had the blue force on the attack & red force defending Camden. With the lack of military maps, the soldiers had to use filling station maps for navigation during the maneuvers. A reproduction of a wartime SC map is displayed on the fender of the WC-21.
