Restoration of my 1941 Dodge WC16 Radio Command Car

[zepher11]

Been a while since I have posted. I finished up the wheels so I could get the tires installed:

 

 

Then I worked a bit to get the engine ready for its first start up. I had all kinds of issues getting oil pressure, so dinked around with the issue for a while:

 

 

 

I couldn't get oil pressure initially. Finally stuffed the oil pump with Vaselineand rigged up a cheap weed sprayer to pump oil through the system.. Earlier I had started the engine and there was zero oil pressure. That was after cranking it without plugs for about 5 minutes. A bit nerve wracking. I then cranked it after priming everything and had oil pressure in 10 seconds. Didn't realize that that much priming was necessary:

 

 

 

Out with the old:

 

 

And in with the new:

 

 

Also had a friend call up and he found an original command car fuel filler and sent it to me:

 

 

Also, I started fitting the front sheet metal:

 

 

 

[zepher11]

Fun installing the fenders by myself. They are heavier than the look:

 

 

 

 

Used a strap to pull the fenders tight to the body prior bolting everything down:

 

 

 

Worked on the lights:

 

 

Rear marker lights:

 

 

Front marker light:

 

 

Even the blackout drive light works:

 

 

Lots of lights:

 

 

[zepher11]

Wired for the trailer socket and the trunk dome light:

 

 

Switched the fuel filler neck as well. Now one can see the reflector at night:

 

 

Blasted the best part:

 

 

 

 

Also blasted the front and rear seat frames:

 

 

 

 

Botched the hood and had to re-sand and shoot again:

 

 

Installed the rubber floor mat:

 

 

 

[zepher11]

 

 

Fitted the hood:

 

 

 

Painted the registrations numbers as well:

 

 

 

 

Finally finished the main floor mat:

 

 

 

Also installed the resister for the 6 volt blackout drive light under the dash like the original:

 

 

Working on the upholstery now. I'll post some photos when those are completed.

[Jeeper704]

Coming along nicely.

Great job.

 

Erwin

[Johan Willaert]

Hi John,

 

Great progress... Check your PM box for info on that hood number...

 

Cheers,

 

Johan

[cutiger83]

Zeph,

 

Amazing updates! You have really done a lot. It looks great!

 

...Kat

[mikie]

Fantastic! Yes, it has been a while since you last posted, but looks like you've been just a little busy.

Mikie

[zepher11]

Coming along nicely.

Great job.

 

Erwin

 

 

Hi John,

 

Great progress... Check your PM box for info on that hood number...

 

Cheers,

 

Johan

 

 

Zeph,

 

Amazing updates! You have really done a lot. It looks great!

 

...Kat

 

 

Fantastic! Yes, it has been a while since you last posted, but looks like you've been just a little busy.

Mikie

 

Thank you everyone! It's so nice to look back and see the progress. It's been just over a year and a half since I started this project. Considering I only work on it on Saturdays and some Sundays, it has really come a long ways. I don't do any garage time during the week. Of course, I think I took a week off of work once, and I had about five days in a row to get things done.. That really helped this along.

 

I also forgot I shot a little video about a month ago while walking around the project:

 

[The Meatcan]

It's really coming together quickly now! Looks fantastic!

Terry

[zepher11]

It's really coming together quickly now! Looks fantastic!

Terry

Thank you Terry.

 

I finally took some time this past weekend to try and fabricate the regulator radio suppression box yesterday. I didn't have one, so I took some photos of the only original one that I have seen and tried to duplicate it.

I had bought a sheet metal brake, shear and roller combo with one of those 30% HF coupons over a year ago. Been so busy, I haven't even used it until yesterday. Using 18 gauge metal to make the box. The machine cut the metal no problem, and it bent the angles pretty good. Took me a bit to really determine how it worked, but fairly happy with the results:

Final product:

Here is the original I was trying to duplicate. Best I could do with the tools available. As they say; good enough for Government work!:

Also blasted and painted my rusty trailer receptacle. Need to wire this up now:

Blasted my floor sections and windshield frame as well. Hoping that these are the last items to be blasted for this project with the exception of the top bows:

[Der Finn]

I am very impressed with the quality of your workmanship, to say the least!!

[tthen]

Zeph,

I gotta' tell you I have not enjoyed a post as much as this one since DSchlagan did "How to Rebuild a Knife". I use to work in a race car shop years ago and I will say your metal fab skills are outstanding.

A project like this would leave a-lot of people scrambling on just where to start and what to do next. The way you have planned and executed each step makes sense to me. I look forward to each

installment.

 

Respectfully

 

Tom

[zepher11]

I am very impressed with the quality of your workmanship, to say the least!!

 

Thank you!

 

 

Zeph,

I gotta' tell you I have not enjoyed a post as much as this one since DSchlagan did "How to Rebuild a Knife". I use to work in a race car shop years ago and I will say your metal fab skills are outstanding.

A project like this would leave a-lot of people scrambling on just where to start and what to do next. The way you have planned and executed each step makes sense to me. I look forward to each

installment.

 

Respectfully

 

Tom

 

Thank you Tom. I appreciate your comments. As far a planning, it reminds me of one fella that restored a Ford GPW. His process was to remove a part and restore it. He stuck to this process, so that when he was down to completing the frame restoration, the actually assembly went very fast. It was rather impressive.

 

I have thought about that process, but two things prevent me for doing so. If I clean and restore the parts as I go, they always seem to get ruined or roughed up by the time they are needed. The other problem is that I put something away a month ago and damned if I can remember where I put it! I shudder to think of keeping track of a number of items over a long period.

[zepher11]

Completed a few more tasks on the command car. Love these four day weekends!

 

Stained and applied some polyurethane to my map board and the floor board:

 

 

Also bought some sheet metal to make the seat backs for the seats:

 

 

Had to cut to fit:

 

 

Then someone mentioned that the lower portion had a 3/8" bend at the bottom to provide structural support. Made sense. I don't have a metal brake, so I made a poor man's brake:

 

 

Worked pretty good:

 

 

Front seat sheet metal:

 

 

Added a little support to the rear seat legs. I noticed that they had cracked before. The rear seat only had the front mounting point. No rear mounting point that I am aware. At least this should help it from collapsing in the near future:

 

 

The seats are finally done. I had given the shop a ton of photos of original seats. They ignored my pleas for originality and did it their way. I rejected and had them do them over again. Turned out okay. Could be better...could be worse:

 

 

 

 

[zepher11]

Had a brief respite from the rain on Thursday morning, so I snuck in a quick prime and paint:

 

 

While I waited for the paint to dry, I installed the trailer socket:

 

 

After the paint dried, I started to assemble the seats:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Installed:

 

 

I then started to figure out how to make the radio suppression cap for the distributor. Not very good at the sheet metal work as I don't have a great deal of equipment at my disposal, so I just do what I need to do to get the task at hand completed. Thought I would make a little mock up out of cardboard first:

 

 

 

 

[zepher11]

Then I started dinking around with some sheet metal:

 

 

 

 

 

Tried to solder the whole thing together. It isn't as easy as it looks to do so:

 

 

[mikie]

As always from the get-go following your progress, I am amazed by your ingenuity.

[USMCR79]

WOW!! What Progress and your restoration documentation is great!!

 

R/Bill

[cutiger83]

Zeph,

 

It is really starting to move fast! We have a brake at the hangar that we use ALL the time so I knew exactly what you were talking about! I love your "poor man's brake".

 

...Kat

[Joe55]

You can't beat this with a stick! Its like watching this truck being re-born !

 

Joe

[zepher11]

As always from the get-go following your progress, I am amazed by your ingenuity.

 

Hi Mikie. Thanks. It just a matter of getting out there and giving it a go. Eventually one can figure it out.

 

WOW!! What Progress and your restoration documentation is great!!

 

R/Bill

 

Thanks Bill!

 

Zeph,

 

It is really starting to move fast! We have a brake at the hangar that we use ALL the time so I knew exactly what you were talking about! I love your "poor man's brake".

 

...Kat

 

Hi Kat. I actually have a little 30" Harbor Freight brake. I'm just getting used to using it as it is a little unconventional. Sure would be nice to have access to more equipment. I will always want something...

 

You can't beat this with a stick! Its like watching this truck being re-born !

 

Joe

 

Thank you Joe!

[cutiger83]

 

Hi Kat. I actually have a little 30" Harbor Freight brake. I'm just getting used to using it as it is a little unconventional. Sure would be nice to have access to more equipment. I will always want something...

 

 

 

 

 

Zeph,

 

The first thing that I have learned is that you really need the right tools for any kind of restoration project. And the second thing I have learned is that you can NEVER have enough tools. There is ALWAYS more that you need!

 

...Kat

[mikie]

I like your line "It just a matter of getting out there and giving it a go. Eventually one can figure it out". Sounds like it should be on a fortune cookie or t-shirt.

 

Mikie

[mikie]

 

 

Zeph,

 

The first thing that I have learned is that you really need the right tools for any kind of restoration project. And the second thing I have learned is that you can NEVER have enough tools. There is ALWAYS more that you need!

 

...Kat

My old Grandpa Dominic totally lived by that idea. He was an amazing self-taught woodworker, electronics tech and all-around handyman. Cleaning out his basement when he passed away many years ago, we just could not believe the huge number of tools etc he had in his workshop. Many were very old but brand new, never used. We had no idea what half of them were. Sadly, his skills were not handed down to me. If I said I was all thumbs, I'd be giving myself an undeserved compliment. That's a lot of the appeal of following Zepher's progress on the command car.

Mikie