WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

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GaryD.
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WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Sat Feb 10, 2018 5:58 pm

Hello I have started restoring a weapons carrier and taking out the rear bed I noticed two valves mounted on cross member above the rear end.They are in the brake line circuit .Is this common and for what reason.I have manuals but have not got them back yet.Thanks in advance.


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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:45 pm


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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:54 pm

Trying to figure out how to make picture show up without link.Anyway picture of valves.I got David Doyles dodge books and found out on page 208 it was modified for air transport.
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Nrk ... L8cZ-S.jpg[/img]
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-z4S ... qQND-S.jpg[/img]
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bQG ... CZvx-S.jpg[/img]

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by dpcd67 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:36 pm

Interesting; I have not seen that mod before. Maybe to lock the wheel brakes?
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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:11 pm

It was done to ease the task of removing the rear axle for loading in a C47 for air transport so the book says.

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by W. Winget » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:30 am

I was going to offer up a possible WC55 use of locking the brake before firing, but it makes some sense to not loose all the brake fluid. A lot of work to remove an axle for stowage, but I'm sure they did, likely an engineer vehicle, look at some CA-1 photos and such that may show a truck inthe background which was flow in on the same flight for airfield creation.
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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by dpcd67 » Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:47 am

Look on page 210 of the US Dodge book, volume one. It shows your rear axle and the disassembly process to get them onto a C47.
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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by Walter » Fri Feb 23, 2018 8:44 pm

Hi Gary:
Did you notice any other oddities? -- Two piece Front Fender, Two piece cross members in the bed box that bolt together? Was the bed significantly narrower? I am curious what the photo descriptions say in the US Dodge Book.

Regards,

Walter

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:55 am

The fenders are one piece,all the cross members are one piece.The book says they just took the parts off.It had to be a lot of work but they would have had a crew to do it I would hope.
picture of bed tag.
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TV4 ... 7M7Q-M.jpg[/img]
Picture of serial number on frame
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-nXf ... vbkT-M.jpg[/img]
Cab Tag
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-mbz ... d2LH-M.jpg[/img]
Front Bumper hard to make out but can make out right side sort off.
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BpT ... TSrB-M.jpg[/img]
[img]https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-7zq ... d7T4-M.jpg[/img]
Cab tag is hard to read when I get to shop will clean up and repost.

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Sat Feb 24, 2018 6:24 am


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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by dpcd67 » Sat Feb 24, 2018 8:12 am

It also says they had to cut the drivers sill piece half off, see if yours has been welded on. Not sure why.
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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Sat Feb 24, 2018 6:28 pm

Yes third picture down.Cut on angle and welded back.

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by Walter » Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:35 am

Good Afternoon Everyone:

I have a very keen interest in the air transportable trucks that were designed and built during WWII. I have copies of several of the manuals that covered the early, in the field and in theater modifications of existing trucks. I am also aware that once pioneered by Bagley and Berman in the Southwest Pacific theater in the spring and summer of 1943, both Dodge and GMC developed ways to build the trucks on the assembly line. I have seen pictures and have a copy of TB 9X-74 which covers the factory built GMC's with the "fish" belly, i.e. the ones built in the state side factories. I have not yet seen any of the manuals nor pictures of the Dodge factory built version. It is interesting to see that they left the frame in one piece. What little research I have done on the factory built trucks indicates that both the US and Canada built some with the Canadian ones having a narrower bed.

The original air transportable trucks were prototyped in the field by Lts Bagley and Berman. They were the Company Commander and Deputy Commander respectively, for the 2479th QMC Trucking Company (Aviation) of the 27th Air Depot Group, 5th Air Force, stationed in the Port Morseby area of New Guinea, SWPA, in the spring of 1943. The development of the air transportable duec-n-a-half was the classic example of "For the want of a nail the shoe was lost; For the want of the shoe... etc". It played an absolutely critical, but unsung role in stopping the Japanese 3rd attempt at taking Papu, New Guinea.

Once the top brass at 5th Air Force saw how the prototype worked they sent Bagley and Berman to Australia where they set up shop in the former GMC Holden Plant. While they were there they took 100 Jimmy cargo trucks and converted them as well as 50 GMC 2 1/2 ton dump/tippers. Of an interesting side note for collectors they converted a number of hard cabs as well, by cutting off the cab top and throwing it away, making a field modified canvas top to replace it with.

In addition they converted 150 3/4 ton WC 51's and 52's using the same technique as they did with the duce. Technical Bulletin No 11 (TB NO 11) issued by HQ USA Service of Supply, Office of chief Ordnance Officer, SWPA, 20 Feb 1944. I used this manual to convert two nondescript WC 51's into one air transportable truck. The two donors were just that. It took the good parts from both trucks to make a decent one.

Both the Jimmy and the WC's started by removing the bed spliting them in half. The duce split across the bed, the WC lengthwise. In the WC additional gussets and angled bracing were welded to the bed cross members so that they could be bolted or unbolted as the case may be. I can assure you that it took everything 8 guys could do to move a full bed, by hand off of the frame! A small splice panel was made to tie the two front bulkhead panels together after cutting it in half. Hence my questions to Gary on the bed. The two piece bed made it easier to manhandle it into the airplane.

Both cut the frame in half, right behind the cab. Both placed a short piece of brake line tubing between the pet cocks in the brake line. In addition to holding the brake fluid in, having two valves facilitated the bleeding procedures. When reassembling the two frame halves, the piece of tubing between the two pet cocks was installed with only the front nut tightened initially. The valve closest to the master cylinder was opened while the one closest to the rear of the vehicle remained closed. The brakes were then bled back to the front of the rear petcock. Once a hard pedal was achieved, the rear pet cock was opened and you had brakes. I can not tell from the pictures of Gary's truck whether his would work the same way.

Cutting the frames in half also meant that you also had to cut both the rear wiring harness and fuel line. Pictures from the manuals indicate the use of common household electrical plugs for the wiring harness connections. Given the number of total wires going to the rear of the truck, two plugs were needed. They were "GI-Proofed" by reversing the male and female ends on each group of wires.

The picture from the book shows the left front fender having been completely removed. Bagley and Berman split the left front fender in two diagonally, saving the disturbance of removing the entire front clip, especially removing the wiring from the front lights.

I have pictures but the files are too large to upload.

Please let me know if you find out anything more about your WC if it is related to being air transportable.

Regards,

Walter

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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by dpcd67 » Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:18 pm

Gary, You have a very rare truck; possibly the only one still existing?
In the Dodge book, they did not cut the WC51 in half, but they did cut the WC63 in half, crosswise.
They removed the rear wheels and the bed; it is a very tight fit in the plane hold. A dolly was attached to the
rear and the truck was driven into the plane until the seats got in the way, at which point they were removed and the truck was pushed the rest of the way on.
On page 207 they do show an early experimental truck in Australia which was cut in half; proven not to be necessary.
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Re: WC52 Rear brake lines with shut off valves

Post by GaryD. » Sun Jan 31, 2021 8:48 am

Been working on the air transportable and have a few questions
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What does this number mean.
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And does anybody now what kind of unit this type of truck would have been attached to.I would think it would have to be pacific theater but I do not know.


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