Buckfastleigh 2008

July 12th 13th

Celebrating

Paul Sleep's 1943 Chevrolet G506/G7117 

1 1/2ton 4x4 general cargo truck

Brief background of Chevrolet 1 ½ ton

It is 4x4, with a 4 speed non-synchromesh transmission, and a reliable 3859cc 6cyl engine giving 83hp.  The trucks were used for almost every task imaginable, from carrying troops and cargo to fire fighting and towing all manner of artillery and trailers with its various body configurations.

The restoration truck

To date I don’t have much about the history of this vehicle.  It was on display in the Museum of Kent Life, painted in a blue colour scheme, similar to the truck used in the TV series 'The Darling Buds of May'.  It was bought by Paul Harmes in November 2005, and he set got it running and re-painted in OD.  I purchased it July 2006 and am now giving it a full restoration.

Jobs to do include replacing all the wood work in the cargo bed, as 60 years of having no rear canvas has taken its toll on the cargo bed floor, side panels and seats.  It needs a new windscreen frame and screens and a new bonnet.  The rear bumperrettes are missing as well as the rear end having been chopped about a bit, so that needs to be cut out and remade to its original look.  It also needs the rear canvas hoops and a new canvas.   She also needs a bit of electrical attention.  There is no brake light switch or any indicators.  I am hoping to convert the rear taillights, so as to make the blackout lamps into my indicators.   I will also do the same for the front blackout parking lamps.  This should help to retain the vehicles original look, while at the same time making it comply with the road traffic laws.  The brakes were a bit dodgy when I picked up the truck, but tightening up all the new brake pipe unions and refilling the master cylinder resolved this.  It had all new brake pipes, rear wheel cylinder kits and a T/O master cylinder fitted before I got the truck, but I have now discovered the front nearside wheel is loosing fluid, so I am going to replace the front wheel cylinders as well.

The Restoration

So here we go.  This is the first restoration project I have ever done on a military vehicle, so I’ll start with a few photos of her before I start work to give you an idea how she is changing.

To my amazement the frames for the rear sides and seats slide out of the tubes like they were new.  The tubes themselves are in great condition, mainly due to the fact that there are drainage holes built underneath at the bottom of them.  Unlike on the larger GMC CCKW’s, which tend to rot out as there is no drainage.

In the photos below you can see the difference between the back of my truck and how it should look. 

This is what my cargo bed looks like from underneath.  It will need all new floorboards, as well as the wooden crossbeams.  Fortunately the steel beams are OK.

I have now removed the taillights and the trailer socket as well as the two bits of sheet steel used as mudguards, and cut out the two welded corners that had been welded onto the back and the taillight and trailer socket brackets.  The lights and socket will then be flush fitted back in to the rear when I have finished rebuilding it.  Fortunately they left some of the original angle in place, so I have something to follow when I make up the new pieces.

With the new rear corner pieces measured and made I welded them onto the rear corners, and primed them with red oxide to prevent them rusting before I get the rest finished and painted.

The chassis had been undersealed at some point, but due to age and poor preparation it was starting to flake off, so I decided to scrape it back to check the condition of the chassis and then re-undersealed it to keep it protected before I get it shot blasted.

It was at this point that I found the wooden packers used to hold the cargo bed onto the chassis were starting to rot.

With winter coming I moved her indoors and set about removing the bonnet, front wings, engine side panels and side steps. This gives me good access to get at the engine and also the chassis at the front and under the cab.

With the wing off I discovered a hole on the front panel in front of the drivers door. I made up some patches and welded it up, then primed it, again with red oxide.

With the truck indoors, it was time to check out the cargo bed properly and decide the best way to proceed. I decided to remove the front panel from the bed first as this is badly corroded and in need of repair. I then got her back outside and removed all the wood, before lifting off the entire bed. This then allows me to make up the new packers required for the bed to sit on, and also clean up the rest of the chassis and axles without having to work around the cargo bed.

With the bed off I set about sanding and preparing the cab for painting. I sanded it back to get a nice smooth finish before starting to spray on the red oxide primer. With the cargo bed off it gave me the perfect opportunity to give the back of the cab a proper sanding and repair a few minor holes in the seam. Then I sanded the rest of the cab and red oxide primed it.

By now it is February 2007 and the show season seems to be fast approaching, and there is still allot of work to be done.  There were a few issues with the engine that I wanted to sort out while I had all the panels removed, so I got here outside and set to.  I had to re-set the tappets as it sounded like a grandfather clock when it was ticking over and there were many oil leaks coming from various gaskets.  After re-setting the tappets I took her back inside and set to removing all the ancillary parts from the engine to make the gasket replacement allot easier.

With all the new gaskets fitted it was time to re-paint the engine and firewall.  I decided to do it in the same colour as the rest of the truck with satin black ancillaries and caps.  So after a thorough de-greasing and a quick scrape and sand to remove the old flaky bits I sprayed it all over with the OD.  I also cleaned up and painted the ancillaries then got everything bolted back together.

With the engine now sorted it was time to turn my attention to getting the cab and chassis primed ready to get the top coats on.  Everything on the cab was sanded to get a nice smooth finish.  The bumper was sanded and all of the chassis and axles were scrapped and rubbed down to remove all the old underseal that had started to flake away.  I gave the chassis a new coat of underseal to help protect it in the future, before giving it all its first coat of Red Oxide primer.

After the first coat of red oxide I sanded the cab again to remove some more of the now visible imperfections in the surface, then gave the chassis a second coat of underseal.  This way I have underseal on the bare chassis and a sandwich of primer between the two layers of underseal.  This should help to keep all the moisture away from the metal of the chassis and prevent it from corroding in the future.  Then I gave it all its final coat of red oxide primer.

With the cab and chassis now primed and ready for the top coat, I finished off sanding and preparing the other panels that were removed and got them all primed ready for re-fitting.  I also re-fitted the last few items to the engine so that I could then re-fit all the panels back around it.  This included the alternator for the 12 volt conversion and I also got a new fuel pump with the glass bowl to replace my original one which had a tin bowl.  I did this so I can easily see if there is water or particles in the fuel if I ever get a running problem.

And so the time had finally come to get it painted in its OD top coat.  The cab and chassis were done first followed by all the panels.

So with everything now painted in OD it was time to put it all back together again.  I re-fitted the radiator and related parts, followed by the engine panels and then the wings went back on.

With the cab now almost intact again, the brakes were gone through.  I had two new wheel cylinders for the front as the nearside one had sprung a leak not long after I parked her up for the resto job.  The rear brakes were also taken apart to check them over and make sure everything was adjusted up properly.

I then started on the wiring.  I had completely removed the old loom, and its fair to say it was knackered.  I decided I was going to make up my own loom for it.  Since I had to add indicators anyway I thought this easier than buying a new loom and then having add indicator into that.  I drew up a wiring diagram so I knew what went where, and then set about making the various different harnesses that would make up the final loom.  With all the harnesses made up I set about fitting them into the truck.  I started with the fuse box, which I fitted under the glove box, then continued through the cab and then outside to the front lights and the ignition circuit.

With the wiring done it was time to see if the engine worked.  After a few cranks to draw the fuel through it burst to life.  Had to make a few small adjustment to the carb, but before long I was out of the workshop and driving up and down the lane to the storage yard.

With the show season well underway I had already missed Buckfastleigh, but I was determined to get it together so I could take her to the Torbay Steam Rally.  It was at this show last year when I first took delivery of her so she had to go back this year.  I refitted the brush guard, and side steps while they were still in red oxide.  I got the headlamps back on and the marker lights which I am now using as indicators.   All that remained was to get the cargo bed re-fitted.

With just one week to go before the show I had the cargo bed shot blasted, then got the Red Oxide primer on it.  With just 2 days to go, I managed to get the cargo bed bolted back onto the newly made support blocks and re-fitted to the chassis.  I didn't have enough time to drill and fit the rear lights so I got a trailer board and I wired that into the truck instead.  I managed to get everything done and at 10pm on the Friday of the show I got in and drove her the 3 miles up the road to the rally.  And I am happy to report that other than a few minor problems she ran fine.

Following the Steam Rally I succeeded in snapping the Cruciate Ligament in my left knee which left me unable to do any work to the Chevy for about 6 months.  So after an operation in February 2008 I was able to crack on and get it done.

The cargo bed was removed once again ready for the final coat of OD to the cab and chassis and to be painted itself.  The holes were cut in the back for the rear lights and the trailer socket and it was given a quick final coat of primer.

With the cargo bed out of the way I was able  to get the bumperettes fitted to the back.

With everything ready and nice weather, I got the OD on the cargo bed and the final coat over the cab and chassis.  All the extra bits and bobs were also painted ready for the final re-assembly.

With everything now the same colour it was time to bolt it all back on.  The cargo bed went on first and the tool storage locker was made.

Next the lights, brush guard and reflectors were fitted and the wiring done.

With it all back together and looking rather lorry like at last it was time to apply the stencils to finish the look.

With everything on and the engine running perfectly it was that of year for the Buckfastleigh rally, so it was off to its first proper rally event since the restoration began.  It also completed the Widecombe road run on Saturday evening.

Next came time to finish and fit the new troop seats.  All of the woodwork has now been replaced on the Chevy.  There is a new floor in the cargo bed and all the troop seats and panel wood has been replaced.  The new wood was put on the original seat frames and once complete they were painted and fitted to the truck.

Jobs left to do now are to fit the spare wheel carrier, fit the mud guards behind the rear axle, and put new wood in the hood bows so I can get a canvas for the cargo bed.  It has taken me the best part of 2 years (although I had 6 months off injured!!) to get the Chevy this far and I am very pleased with the result, and the fact I can now take it out and have some fun driving it around.

This is an ongoing restoration, so this page will be updated regularly.  There is a thread running on MVWF which I update every time I do something new to the truck.  Feel free to post any questions or comments you have about the project, and I will  be too happy to help.

Paul Sleep