Chevy G-7106 restoration

Military Trucks 1/2 ton thru 2 ton, Wanted, For Sale (NO AUCTION or EBAY), and Knowledge Base
Post Reply
42cargo
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1794
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 am
Location: Becket, MA

Re: 1942 Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by 42cargo » Tue Aug 08, 2017 5:28 am

Hi Paul,

My dump bed came from a town near Los Angeles. In terms of rust, it wasn't that bad, mainly just the stake pockets. The real issues were the dents. As is the case with most dump beds, a lot of heavy material was dropped into the unit without much care for the impact (no pun intended) that had on the body.

I had a local shop in Bryan fabricate replacement panels that I then welded in, along with the stake pockets that I fabricated in the same fashion you did.


Image

Also, the front lip of the bed had been removed by a previous owner, so I had to refabricate that.

Image

Image


The tailgate (which I'm glad to see you've put to use) was a mess, so I made one of those using the original as a pattern.

Image

Image


One of my pet "dream projects", if I get back into working on these trucks, is to find a fabricator who can bend the side panels of the bed in one piece as was originally done. Many of the fabricators I spoke with were unable to make all the bends due to the limitations of their metal breaks, but if I did locate someone who could do it, I'm certain there would be a good market for runs that would accommodate Chevy and GMC applications, as well as Ford and possibly Dodge uses.

John


forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: 1942 Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:58 am

Yes the body sides certainly do accumulate a good deal of "love taps" especially on tippers that were exposed to front end loaders on a continual basis.

Kirk, I thought those banjo eye fabrications were almost too good to be true as well. Hey, sometimes it happens.
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:57 pm

Hunting a good outdoor paint day tomorrow...set to go as soon as the relative humidity drops enough later in the morning. Old Gert will be less yellow at the end of the day.
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

42cargo
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1794
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 am
Location: Becket, MA

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by 42cargo » Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:13 pm

Looking forward to seeing the outcome.

forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Sun Sep 17, 2017 5:36 am

The National Weather Service hourly forecast served me well yesterday. I have been on the hunt for a good day to paint outdoors; a day with relatively low humidity, low wind, and moderately warm temperatures. In my climate, we typically have those factors in the late spring and late summer. I started painting as soon as the dry bulb temperature was at least 6 degrees above the dewpoint temperature, and then painted like a mad man trying to get done before the sun started directly shining on the truck. By 1330, I was all cleaned up and ready for a late lunch.

Here is a glimpse:

Image

Not much of that DOT yellow anymore. Love seeing old Gert in WW2 OD green once again.

Paul
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

User avatar
retro-roco
G-Brigadier General
G-Brigadier General
Posts: 2494
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2003 10:54 am
Location: Bloomington, IL, USA

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by retro-roco » Sun Sep 17, 2017 5:42 am

Looks great Paul! Nice to see the old girl in OD finery again.
Kirk Gustafson
359th Infantry Regt. 90th Div. WWII HRS

1942 Chevy G506 1-1/2 ton 4x4 Cargo
1943 Ben Hur water trailer

kelley
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1582
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 4:17 pm
Location: Massachusetts (The Pay state)

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by kelley » Sun Sep 17, 2017 6:06 am

I agree, the green is much nicer to look at than the yellow, nice work!
Kelley

42cargo
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1794
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 am
Location: Becket, MA

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by 42cargo » Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:23 am

Looks great, Paul.

I wonder if there is a bizarre alternate universe where a bunch of guys are stripping OD off of their trucks and painting them yellow?

John

forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:36 am

42cargo wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:23 am

I wonder if there is a bizarre alternate universe where a bunch of guys are stripping OD off of their trucks and painting them yellow?
If there was, I don't think they are bothering to strip (or even prep) the OD paint. Windows and tire may be painted at no extra charge. Maybe that universe is called "Earl Scheibland"?
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

Joe Gopan
Jeep Heaven
Posts: 49841
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:37 pm
Location: Proving Ground

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by Joe Gopan » Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:57 am

Many USAAF and USAF trucks used on airfields were painted yellow. Painting preparation could be primitive a best.
2011 MVPA PIONEER AWARD - MVPA #1064
HONOR GRAD-WHEELED VEHICLE MECHANIC SCHOOL 1960 - US ARMY ORDNANCE SCHOOL(MACHINIST) ABERDEEN PG 1962 - O-1 BIRD DOG CREWCHIEF - 300,000+TROUBLE FREE M-38A1 MILES
LIFE MEMBER AM LEGION-40/8-DAV
7 MIL SPEC MAINTAINED MV'S
COL. BRUNO BROOKS (ARMY MOTORS) IS MY HERO

D.R.H.
G-Major General
G-Major General
Posts: 3472
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2010 2:51 pm
Location: Evergreen State

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by D.R.H. » Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:44 pm

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHlive Drab!!! Very nice!
In Loving Memoriam: George R. Hancock. 20 Mar. 1938 - 11 Jan. 2017. U.S.A.F. 1956 - 1962. R.I.P. Dad.
In Loving Memoriam: Ann Hancock, 08 Mar. 1934 - 25 Sept. 2021. R.N. 1960 - 2005. R.I.P. Mom.
Thank You BOTH for always being there.

My YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaMKEv ... M3g/videos.

forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Tue Sep 19, 2017 1:45 am

D.R.H. wrote:
Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:44 pm
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHlive Drab!!! Very nice!
Yes this old gal looks more original now than it has for most likely 60 years or more. It is rewarding to facilitate the transformation. Funny how everything looks better with a nice coat of WW2 OD green...makes it all worth the effort.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Paul
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

forestry4evr
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1916
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:09 am
Location: Western North Carolina

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by forestry4evr » Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:32 am

Wow, it has been so long since my last post that I had trouble finding my old restoration thread. Life has thrown some significant obstacles in my way slowing down forward progress considerably.

Started working on the doors several months ago, but they got pushed off for other priorities more times than I can count. Below is a short pictorial presentation of the rebuild. Doors seem to be much like seat springs...they don't look like much, but they can take many hours to get in presentable and working condition.

Image
Both doors on this truck had handle ferrule issues. This side had seen some other style of handle grafted to it at one time. Either way, proper handle function would be sloppy if this item was not adequately addressed. Note the custom manufactured ferrule repair component in the upper right that is going to be grafted into the door (Thanks Jon!).

Image
Instead of removing an entire section of the door, a temporary "patch" was fitted so that a hole saw could be centered. Alignment with the latch assembly is critical at this point.

Image
Temporary patch welded in place.

Image
New ferrule repair part welded to the door. Perfectly round and the correct thickness to accept an aftermarket ferrule.

Image
After getting the handle ferrule issue straightened out, here is what I have yet to go. The bottom of the door skins have seen better days.

Image
New door skin repair panel fitted into place. Patience was required to allow time for each weld to cool so the thin sheet metal panels didn't warp. Not much of that Yellow DOT paint is present anymore.

Image
Next onto window glass. New glass was locally sourced using original glass for templates. Here the glass has just been installed in the frames with setting tape.

Image
Setting tape carefully trimmed off with a sharp new utility blade.

Image
Ah, finally the outdoor paint day that I have been looking for...

Image
Newly painted doors curing in the shop. They look pretty nice considering how they looked in the beginning.

Image
Loading the doors after new cats whisker channels and rubber have been installed.

Image
Loaded door ready for installation.

Image
Yesterday in between showers with this multi-day "rainathon" we have been receiving, there was just enough time to install the doors. After some minor latch adjustments and installation of rubber bumpers, the doors open and shut quite nicely. Man it sure is nice to have a side mirror too...no more backing up "by feel".

Feels good to have some progress. Old "Gert" looks pretty much complete now. For a little perspective, here she is before this rebuild began.

Image
Image taken sometime in 2013 I think.

Hope you all enjoyed the show.

Paul
1941 G4112 Chevrolet with Hercules dump bed

42cargo
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1794
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:14 am
Location: Becket, MA

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by 42cargo » Sun Feb 11, 2018 5:36 am

Looking good, Paul

newc
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Sergeant Major of the Gee
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:21 pm
Location: Portland, Or area

Re: Chevy G-7106 restoration

Post by newc » Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:35 am

Wow! some post... Save those tire chains. They are considered vehicle equipment by some MVPA judging standards. The jeep guys even have to have the correct canvas chain bags! Newc


Post Reply

Return to “Trucks 1/2 ton thru 2 ton”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 53 guests