Posted by vince on September 09, 2000 at 04:05:21:
I hate to do this, but I have to.
I’m putting my winch frame ½ ton WC-24 (81513929) up for sale. I really don’t want to, but there are a number of reasons why:
1) I’m becoming increasingly busy at work, and have less and less time to work on the truck.
2) I need to watch how much $$$ I spend on my toys, and the truck is the biggest money pit of them all, as it needs the most in terms of parts and attention just to make it driveable.
3) I live in an apartment building, and I keep the truck stored in the underground garage. Management has been real tolerant, but their supervisors aren’t too happy with having a huge old non-running truck in the garage. To make things worse, their insurance company requires all vehicles to be running and registered, etc., and the truck caught the eye of the insurance inspector.
4) I bought the truck because I was looking for a fun old truck to fix up. I knew it was military, though I wasn’t looking for a military truck. My desire is to have a fun old truck, and while this would fit the bill, I just feel kinda wrong about not bringing it back to military specs (OD paint, etc) if I keep it. This truck should go to a dyed in the wool military enthusiast who will cherish it.
5) Having bought a '63 Dodge W200, I have the old truck I originally wanted and will use most.
Now for the info on the truck:
It’s a ½ ton winch frame with a civilian cab and a WC bed. The frame number is for a command car. I have a Braden MU-3 winch on it now, but the winch will need to be remounted correctly for it to work, and it needs a PTO shaft. The front sheetmetal is in excellent shape, the cab has some rust holes in the corners, and the doors have some holes in the lower edges. The running boards have a few dents on the sides, and some holes drilled in them, but are in great shape otherwise. The windshield frame is in great shape and just needs sandblasting and repainting. Needs new glass all around, too. The dash has been cut up to install the old military gauges in, and they all look to be workable. The bed sides and fenders are in great shape, the front of the bed is bulged out, but very saveable. The tailgate is banged up and rusty, but is all there and could be fixed up a bit to make it look better. I made up a floor for the bed using wood and it’s very sturdy and similar to the original style. The headlights are there and intact, and so are the blackout lights.
The drivetrain is intact and in decent shape, the clutch works, the parking brake works, etc. The brakes need to be rebuilt, as they don’t work. The engine turns over by hand or with the starter, and like a few others, has a crack in the water jacket above the starter. I’ve rebuilt the carb, (though I still need to run fuel lines and set up a clean gas tank) cleaned up the distributor, static timed the engine, and it does start (converted to 12v, has alternator), but the timing needs to be set and the carb surely needs fine tuning. Oil pressure of 20+ psi when revved. Front tires are holding air fine, and the rears need a couple of fresh inner tubes. Total of 6 wheels, all WC wheels.
I have a couple of pictures I can send via e-mail to anybody who is interested. I‘m throwing out a price of $3000 to start with, and I’m not interested in parting the truck out. It's a great truck for someone who is looking for a WC to restore, as it has lots of the proper and original parts on it. You won't be looking for expensive parts just to have a fairly complete truck.
Let me know if you’re interested or want more info, and the sooner the better. E-mail is the best way to get ahold of me, but you can try my home phone at (650) 738-0944 and leave me a message.
Thanks,
Vince
Pacifica, CA (near San Francisco)