1941 Autocar modification for towing

[Oldfart]

Jollyroger wanted to be able to tow his 1941 Autocar U-8144-A with one of his 800 series 5 tons. This was accomplished by stealing some lift shackle brackets off a parts M54 and mounting them on the Autocar front bumper and frame. The other option was to use some M109 brackets, but the M54 brackets were a better fit. ~~~ Lots of restoration work to do on the Autocar, but it will get displayed as a work in progress. ~~~ It's first exhibition will be at the Jeffco Air Show this next weekend.

 

[harleyhouse]

Now that is a cool truck!

 

[Oldfart]

Now that is a cool truck!

Thank you sir. As best as we can determine, there were only 607 manufactured (and that was the years 1941 through 1945). At this point it seems there are only 3 known to exist.

Jollyroger managed to pick this up from Fred LaPerrier's collection.

 

[harleyhouse]

I have only seen a 1944 tractor.

 

[Oldfart]

I have only seen a 1944 tractor.

The tractors were a shorter wheelbase. Most tractors were the 4 to 5 ton front axle except for the U8144-T which was a special tractor for the bridge hauling semi-trailer. The U8144-T used the 5 to 6 ton front axle the same as the U8144-A. Notice the larger front axle hub on the u8144-A which sets the 5 to 6 tons apart from the 4 to 5 tons found in the 7000 series trucks. The U8144-A was used for the early mobile Radar installations. They were a van body with either the Radar control electronics or a big generator to power everything. ~~ We have heard rumors of a York Van body somewhere around on the Colorado Plains being used as a shop or chicken shed.

 

[M715VFD405]

That is a really nice looking truck Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[sigo]

Love those Autocars. What a great looking truck.

Those clevis mounts look they belong, good work!

 

[mactiredearg]

I still can't believe you just drove it home...

 

[olly hondro]

I'd drive it around just like that...rat rod style.

 

[captain-crank]

The tractors were a shorter wheelbase. Most tractors were the 4 to 5 ton front axle except for the U8144-T which was a special tractor for the bridge hauling semi-trailer. The U8144-T used the 5 to 6 ton front axle the same as the U8144-A. Notice the larger front axle hub on the u8144-A which sets the 5 to 6 tons apart from the 4 to 5 tons found in the 7000 series trucks. The U8144-A was used for the early mobile Radar installations. They were a van body with either the Radar control electronics or a big generator to power everything. ~~ We have heard rumors of a York Van body somewhere around on the Colorado Plains being used as a shop or chicken shed.

Nice Acar,

This might be the ghost truck that you have heard of...it's got a heavy front end, no winch, most likely the same as yours, except an open cab .....no van body tho.

The frame is unique to your truck as it's not punched or extended for a winch and there is more overhang behind the rear axle.

If you should need a front end or T-case I just scrapped an U-8144-T.

I also have the parts list TM-10-1498 for your truck.

August 1, 1942

It's referred to as a U-8144

[Van] on lower right of cover

Contract No. W-398-QM-11624

U.S. Reg. No.

55953 to 56254

56911 to 57322

 

[Oldfart]

Nice Acar,

This might be the ghost truck that you have heard of...it's got a heavy front end, no winch, most likely the same as yours, except an open cab .....no van body tho.

The frame is unique to your truck as it's not punched or extended for a winch and there is more overhang behind the rear axle.

If you should need a front end or T-case I just scrapped an U-8144-T.

I also have the parts list TM-10-1498 for your truck.

August 1, 1942

It's referred to as a U-8144

[Van] on lower right of cover

Contract No. W-398-QM-11624

U.S. Reg. No.

55953 to 56254

56911 to 57322

That for sure is a 5 to 6 Ton Autocar. I will tell Jollyroger you have some parts and manuals. He did get a complete set of shop manuals with the truck when he bought it. It also came with a spare T-case. We found the serial number which encorporates the model number on the passenger side frame about 2/3 of the way back from the cab. It is stamped up toward the top radius of the frame channel.

A few quick photos of the towbar attached to a 5 ton dump. Boy, those Autocar COE set tall.

 

[Oldfart]

Tillie's tow bar

Got this photo of Jollyroger's Autocar and the tow bar this morning. The truck has the name Tillie on the cowl, which we assume was from the comic character "Tillie the Toiler" popular in some circles during WW2.

 

[jollyroger]

Here is some more of "Tillie the toiler".

I will likely never find the original box for the back of the truck. But we will keep looking. I have a flatbed stakeside bed with troop seats to put on. It is a modern bed for hauling containers and such. But I can make it look old with some creative metal work. Then the truck will have a job. Ha Ha

 

[hippiedude]

The heck with the bed ..........that truck needs a knuckle boom and 5th. wheel so you can use it to bring home more New old toys .....................

 

[73m819]

Find a cckw bed, about right size, and I would bet be correct as what was done in WW2 when the van body got tore up.

 

[Oldfart]

The heck with the bed ..........that truck needs a knuckle boom and 5th. wheel so you can use it to bring home more New old toys .....................

While a good idea, Jollyroger and I have joined forces and purchased an M816 Wrecker from Goverment Liquidators. An M819 might have been a better pruchase because of the longer boom and 5th wheel, but maybe another day.

"So many to own, so little time"

 

[Oldfart]

Find a cckw bed, about right size, and I would bet be correct as what was done in WW2 when the van body got tore up.

I think all CCKW/CCK bed acessories would be too small. Tillie is almost 18 feet from the back of the cab to the rear of the frame. The bumper hits most people about in the nipples. We checked out a CCKW shop van body early on, but the wheel pockets in the body (built for 7.50 x 20 tandum duals) would not begin to accomodate Tillie's 12.00 x 20's on a dual axle. That and the fact the two and half ton bodies are all set up for 12 feet long make most smaller truck accessories out of scale on this truck.

 

[emr]

I put a set of deuce front shackle mounts on my M38 so the tow bar would work, not only looked cool like yours, but it sure worked awesome too, beautiful trucks

 

[jollyroger]

The heck with the bed ..........that truck needs a knuckle boom and 5th. wheel so you can use it to bring home more New old toys .....................

While that would be awesome.......Tillie only likes to go about 35 MPH.......She will creep up toward 45 if you throw her off a cliff. And she is a rough ridin SOB. So not a good recovery vehicle in the modern age.......But a cool idea.

 

[jollyroger]

Find a cckw bed, about right size, and I would bet be correct as what was done in WW2 when the van body got tore up.

I was going to just use an M36 A2C (16 foot) bed originally........Then I did some measuring.

17' 6" from the back of the cab aft to stern of the frame with no bumperetts. So my overall length is about 18 feet. Then we measured the rear axle width. It is wider than 8 feet or 96 inches by about 3 inches. It's like 98 and 3/4 inches outside of tire to outside of tire. So then I was into the 800 series 5 ton beds as an option. With those I get 14 foot or 20 foot beds. We looked at some 9' 6" wide bridge truck beds that are 20 feet long. They played the part but I would need to cut them up too much to make it look right....... And the normal 5 ton cargo beds just did not look right on such a stylish old truck. So I found a 20 foot flatbed off of a newer International tandem axle truck that has straight metal channel sides, wood for the floor in the bed, stakesides with troop seats and bows for a top cover. This bed looks like some of the flatbeds we have on the old grain trucks here on the farm..... So now I have to instal the bed, cut it shorter, put some stylish metal on the sides of the bed and make a cargo cover.

The point being Tillie is A LOT bigger than what she looks like in the pictures.

I do appreciate all the suggestions.......And if anyone knows where there is a box that went on the back of this truck please speak up. Ha Ha