I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Military Trucks 2 1/2 ton and greater, Wanted, For Sale (NO AUCTION or EBAY), and Knowledge Base

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Walter
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Walter » Tue Jul 16, 2013 6:45 pm

Good Evening Phil and Ben:

I agree Phill that a museum or factory class should certainly be held to a higher standard and rightfully so. I stand in awe of many of the folks that do factory class restorations. Their attention to detail can be absolutely amazing and they certainly deserve all of the accolades that they receive for their work. But most of us, I believe, either cant afford in time or money to do a factory restoration, or that most of us would rather drive and operate the vehicle rather than preserve them in essentially unused condition. All of the restorations we have done were done to the motor pool ready standards.

I do need to explain a bit more about the 68th. It was not a unit that just had a few M-series vehicles assigned to it hap hazardly that sat around mostly neglected until they were scrapped. While all of ours were not driven every day, most were operated on at least a weekly or bi-weekly basis and were always subject to deployment with little notice.

When I left the 681st DASC Squadron in the summer of 1973 to go to Korea,the 68 TASGP was comprised of 4 squadrons. All of the vehicles, with the exception of the Group Commanders staff car, which was a civy Chevy and painted Strata Blue, were M-Series vehicles all painted OD. They included M151A1 jeeps's including the MRC-107 and 108 TACP radio jeeps (Yes, we called them jeeps and not Muts), M715 weapons carriers, M-35A2 Duces, M-543A2 Wreckers, and a whole pile of M-416, 101 and 105 trailers as well as four wheel mobilizer units that were used to transport our "Rubber Ducky" vans. Two of the squadrons the 681st and the 682nd were DASC"s Direct Air Support Center Squadrons, who operated the majority of the vehicles. The two other squadrons were flying units, the 703 rd and 704 th TASS's, Tactical Air Support Squadron. The 703 rd flew the CH-53, Jolly Greens and the 704 th flew the Cessna O-2 Skymaster as Forward Air Controllers or FAC's. Our basic mission was to provide the communications between the F-4 Fast burners and the army guys on the ground. We had both the Airborne FAC's as well as the ground based FAC's known as TACP's, Tactical Air Control Parties. Most of the fellows in the TACP's were also jump qualified. We never deployed into an actual emergency, however, we convoyed or deployed and participated in a number of FTX's to various locations in the Carolina's, including some with the 82nd Airborne Division out of Ft Brag.

The vehicles assigned to Koon-Ni were for the most part all M-series as well. The fact of the matter was that the civilian vehicles simply did not hold up. The range officer would drive out from Osan AB Sunday night to set up for Monday morning. We were approximately 30 miles from Osan down an old water buffalo path the locals called a road. When I first got to the range, the OSAN Motor Pool had been giving the range officer an International 4WD, 6 Pac Pick-ups. Most of the time they either never made it to the range or never made it back to Osan or sometimes both! When the Osan Motor Pool started giving the range officer an M-151, he made it to the range and home again with little or no troubles. We had permanently assigned to the range, two jeeps, an M-151A1 that was more or less the Site Commanders private ride and an M718A1 Ambulance that we used as a range vehicle as it could carry more tools and equipment than the M-151. We also had two late model M-37 weapons carriers, two Duces (M-35's), and two 5 tons, a gas powered M-51 Dump and a multi fuel M-52 Tractor. We also had several pieces of commercial construction equipment including an International TD-20 Dozer, a Hough -90 Payloader and a road grader. The only two pieces of civilian equipment were a Chevy C-60 or 70 truck painted red with a water tank on it (Our fire truck - LOL) and a flat bed tandem trailer for the M-52. Other than the M-52 and the fire truck most of all of the other vehicles ran every week, with some operating every single day, winter, spring, summer and fall, regardless of temperature or weather conditions as the range operated virtually every week day except government holidays. We had little choice we were dependent on those vehicles running every day. To paraphase the old Air Force adage, "If the props don't rotate the personnel will" -- If the vehicles didn't run the maintenance folks did -- as far away as they could. It was simply unacceptable to have this range shut down for any reason except weather. As NCOIC of Vehicle Maintenance, it was my job to see that there were always sufficient equipment operating to keep the range in tip top shape, well supplied and open, whenever the folks from Osan or Okinawa wanted to fly it. We could not have done it without the M-Series vehicles.

Regards,

Walter


Joe Gopan
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Jul 16, 2013 7:02 pm

The Army vehicles used by combat units have to meet certain ESC (Equipment Serviceability Criteria) in order to be combat ready, the trucks and their records are inspected to ensure that they are in shape. For example, the 2-1/2 ton there is a requirement that the front axle housing be pressurized with air and hold that pressure a certain length of time. not all branches of the military that have the same equipment are held to this standard. There is an elaborate "2408" record keeping system used by the army.
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Oct 26, 2013 5:11 am

The Mirror Bracket for the Open Cab CCKW is the exact same as on the M-35/M-54, and M-211, I installed a NOS M-35 REO Bracket on my CCKW when it was an Open Cab. Shhhhhhh, don't tell anyone, but the dashboard in my Closed Cab CCKW is from a Chevrolet 4X4 (I wanted to install the best possible. :wink:
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

Joe Gopan
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Jun 05, 2015 6:34 pm

I installed one of those nice M-Series GMC Thermostats, in order to install it an M-series Thermostat Housing must be used. The housings are identical appearing on the outside.
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

Joe Gopan
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:50 am

Still sinning, my Closed Cab CCKW has one of the excellent repro G-506 Outside Rear View Mirror Brackets on the driver side door hinge. The bracket was made by Kelly.
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

kelley
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by kelley » Fri Feb 16, 2018 3:31 pm

Those mirror brackets are a bitch to make, Got any Pics?
Kelley

Joe Gopan
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Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Sat Feb 17, 2018 4:26 am

First chance I get.
They fit perfect.
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

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

Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Fri Oct 26, 2018 5:12 pm

Sorry 'bout the wait, will try for the weekend.
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

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

Re: I HAVE CCKW SINNED

Post by Joe Gopan » Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:17 am

Never did post the pic. :oops:
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


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