• Steel Soldiers now has a few new forums, read more about it at: New Munitions Forums!

  • Microsoft MSN, Live, Hotmail, Outlook email users may not be receiving emails. We are working to resolve this issue. Please add support@steelsoldiers.com to your trusted contacts.

 

1941 GMC k-18 signal corp panel truck reunion

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
I just wanted to post a few shots of the reunion of me and my old 41 GMC K-18 signal corp panel truck. I bought it when I was 17, drove it in high school, parked it in 71, and sold it a couple of years ago to a new owner in California. I am 64 now, and he is going to do a lot of modifications to it, and he and the machine will be moving to Washington state, so I will be able to drive it again when he is finished with all of the new running gear.

Enjoy the pictures.

Dennis.
 

Attachments

NDT

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
10,107
5,714
113
Location
Camp Wood/LC, TX
Drove it in high school huh? Was it "don't come a'knockin if the K-18s a'rockin? Be sure to post after pics. Would make a cool food truck if you could do it without hacking.
 

zout

Well-known member
7,744
154
63
Location
Columbus Georgia
41 GMC welcome.
If you search through in the main forum under WC I believe you will see another K18C owned by Papabear here that he resurrected back to life after sitting in a field 40 years plus.

All the pictures are there to check it out.
He also has a lot of the radio gear as well aside from the bc325.
 

papabear

GA Mafia Imperial 1SG
13,508
2,383
113
Location
Columbus, Georgia
Holy smokes!! Your's even has the front grill still. Zout had to make mine by hand from scratch and measurements from pictures. He also did all the paint/body work.

Every time I drive my truck I'm amazed at how well/easy it steers and rides.

It's a pleasure to see another one. As far as I know yours is the only other one in the USA that is currently running/driving?? (There could be others).

Here's a link to the story on mine:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?118984-1941-K18-C-GMC-Recovered-today&highlight=
 

Attachments

Last edited:

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
Very nice to see that there are others out there that can truly appreciate these very cool rare trucks. When I got this truck as a kid, remarkably it was in a barn just two miles from my parents house. As the story goes, it was abandoned in a peach orchard in back of the barn owners house, mind you this was back in 1970, and it belonged to a bunch of hippies that had it, and it had spun a bearing in the GMC 270 six banger and they just left it there with a note that said they would be back for it, they never came back. Typical story, the bearing got fixed, and the farm owner initiated a mechanics lien against it and I bought the truck for the stellar sum of $350.00, the total cost of the repair bill.

When I got word of it, I had to go see it, sure enough there it was in the barn, I was 17 and the old tye dye hippie in me instantly fell in love with it!
Long story short, I bought it and started driving it in high school, and it was my first bigger truck, so the painful lesson of how expensive truck parts were going to be was a great first lesson to be learned. I took the 4 speed rock crusher out and put in a Clark 5 speed with 30% over drive, with that low geared rear end, it would then do a blistering 55 MPH, and you could hear that 5 speed sign a song that was the very tune you hear in vintage International dump trucks.

As time progressed, as stated, I parked it in 71, and it didn't move again till a couple of years ago, when i sold it to the new owner. The new owner had been looking for one of these for many years, it was a pure element of serendipity that he found me through a variety of circumstances, because it was never advertised to be for sale, it was a pure fluke that he found my phone number from another owner that had met me at the Arlington fly in Arlington Washington.

Indeed all of the radio gear that was in the truck originally was long gone, and the element of finding the very cool special trailer that was designed for it is even more rare still.

I have suggested that the new owner do a complete body off frame ground up inspection and rebuild, but trying to do it as a purest military rig is totally out of the question, he wants to keep the body the way it is, but he wants to get rid of the original running gear and put in modern day running gear that will let him really use the machine and be able to cruise cross country in style with it. So that means a newer updated rear end, a new front end with much better suspension and power steering and power brakes, I assume he will use a diesel engine, there is so much room under the floor board you can put in a variety of different power plants, i suggested a power train of the International DT 466 series with an Eaton automatic transmission, but he can pretty much call his own shot on the power train, its his rig now. I will say that the original special bow tie badge that comes with these trucks that fits the center of the snapping turtle pug nose hood, it is very hard to find, so if any of you come across one, simply post it and let me know, I know that the new owner would love to have one.

I look forward to hearing from all of you in regards to the various story's of all of yours adventures in the K-18 panel wagons. I will enclose a few shots of the new owner when he was taking it out of my parents pasture.

Sincerely,
Dennis.
 

Attachments

Last edited:

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
​In the pictures, the new owner is the gentleman in the blue shirt standing next to the K-18 with the hood up. I am sure that when he gets going on this, he will document all of it, and as time goes by, there will be another reunion of me and the truck when he moves all of his operation up to Washington state. We plan on driving it to the California Hot Reunion that takes place at the Famoso Drag strip down by Bakersfield. I am really looking forward to being able to drive it again when it gets all of its new running gear in it.

As stated, I made a few suggestions about how I would do it, but he is in full control of it now, we shall just have to wait and see how it all turns out.

I will give him the information about this website and possibly he will join and keep us all informed as to the progress.

Sincerely,
Dennis.


DSC_3796.jpg
 

zout

Well-known member
7,744
154
63
Location
Columbus Georgia
You should read the thread Papabear posted.
Suggesting a body off resto will show you why that not a good idea. Shows what is involved in rebuilding the engine etc.

Hope you realize how RARE that truck is....Papabears thread will also reveal this with a news paper article back to 1942. You have a lot of early pre ww2 history there.
 

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
Thank you Zout.

Trust me on this, the new owner is a talented wrench guy, that is into cars and trucks and history, him and i are both very much aware of the rarity of this rig, nothing will be done to it that will wreck it or hurt it in anyway, we had a long talk about that before I sold it to him, other wise i would have not sold it to him if he was going to do a hack job on it.

Being that I have rigging experience and have access to over head cranes, if I was doing it, I could get the body off properly to get to the frame, but as stated, its out of my hands now. I did read the informative material about papa bears rig and I say hats off to you both, you both did a great job on his K-18.

I did tell the new owner about this website, and suggested that he join and become acquainted with the great community of like minded people that care for the older more unique rare green metal from the past. I feel that he will do that in time, he appreciates the voice of experience.

Again, thank you all very much.

Sincerely,
Dennis.

DSC_3801.jpgDSC_3801.jpg
 

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
Good afternoon to you NDT.

In relation to your post, I will share this with you. Back in the days of my high school years, 1968 to 1971, it was wild times indeed, and those of us of a certain mindset were always wanting vehicles that were different and fun, this rig was perfect for me as I have always been a bit eccentric.

I had the pleasure of using it as a transport for a band I was associated with, but it was a bitch to get the Hammond B-3 organ with Leslie speaker cabinet in through the side door, but we managed. Still to this day, in my home town, people still remember me driving it when I was a teenager.

Indeed there were rockin parties in it, and on the night of graduation, there were about 10 of my friends in it, and my friend was driving it as I was roped in on top through the vent hole in the front, we were lucky that we didn't get caught by the local police that evening, none of us were mature enough to realize this rig was easy to spot, especially with me on top of it.

One forth of July, we packed my friends Harley in it and i drove it to bass lake in California for forth of July, needless to say, it was a hit with all of the bikers as well. I seriously doubt if it will ever be a food service truck, as its not really suited to do that, but as a cruiser with fully functioning roll up and down windows, and with some serious insulation and sound deadening plus a new set of running gear and other modifications that the new owner will do, this rig will be a very cool machine to be out on the roads with.

If you google 1941 GMC k-18 signal corp panel truck images of, you will see a very cool one that is silver and maroon all restored and it belongs to a man named henniger, its minus the front chaff guard, but its still very cool. I would surmise that with such a low production number as indicated in papa bears thread, at some point, those that own these rigs, should at some point in the future all get in touch with each other and in a couple of years plan a meeting at the California hot rod reunion at the famoso drag strip by Bakersfield, that would be a real hoot indeed.

Keep in touch to all that loves these rigs,

Sincerely
Dennis.


DSC_3795.jpg

 

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
I found the online picture of Mr. Hennigers decked out k-18, check it out, its not my choice of colors, but to each his own, these rigs are very cool when put back together with love and care.

Enjoy.

Dennis.
41 GMC K-18  silver.jpg
 

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
I am not sure of if any of you know this K-18, it belonged the gentleman I ran into at the Arlington airshow many years ago, that I approached him and said, I own one of these also, he said, nice try, I am sure you don't own one of these, I said, I will be right back, I have the pictures of it in the car, when I came back and showed him the pictures of my rig, his eyes just popped out and said, hey, I am sorry, and by the way, do you know where one of the original trailers is located for it, we both just laughed and I said, if i knew that, I would have bought that too when I first bought the truck. Possibly someone here on the website knows the man who owns this wonderful K-18.?

Enjoy the pictures.

Sincerely,
Dennis.
026.jpg010.jpg007.jpg
 

zout

Well-known member
7,744
154
63
Location
Columbus Georgia
I believe that was a Canadian that owned that rig. See the difference in the brush guard. Somewhere in our thread I THINK we showed this....heck even JEEPERS CREEPERS got shown. But that was NOT a K18C.
K19 trailer....no doubt their all buried somewhere like New Guinie .... Midway ECT. Under all the aircraft landings pads.
 

papabear

GA Mafia Imperial 1SG
13,508
2,383
113
Location
Columbus, Georgia
I believe that was a Canadian that owned that rig. See the difference in the brush guard. Somewhere in our thread I THINK we showed this....heck even JEEPERS CREEPERS got shown. But that was NOT a K18C.
K19 trailer....no doubt their all buried somewhere like New Guinie .... Midway ECT. Under all the aircraft landings pads.
PLUS...there's one in Indiana I think...
 

41 GMC

New member
22
11
3
Location
seattle. washington
Hey M715 Mike.

Its been a pleasure sharing some of the story about the K-18 and its history of how I came to own it. I will give you a bit more of the details of how the new owner found me. The K-18 from Canada, years ago when I was out at the Arlington airshow, when I encountered that gentleman, I did leave my business card, and that has easily been 12 to 13 years ago.

Over two years ago, one afternoon I got a phone call from California and I answered the phone, the voice on the other end said, I hope you don't mind that I found your number from the wooden propeller website, I said, no problem, how may i help you, he said, do you own a k-18 signal corp radio van, I said yes I do, and in a glib, flippant caviler way, I said, I will sell it to you for $600.00 dollars, there was a gasp on the other end of the phone, he said, are you serious I said, yes, I bought it for $350.00, no need for me to be greedy, it hasn't run since 71, and its on my moms pasture just doing nothing. It came to light that the new owner had met the gentleman from Canada that had his K-18 on display at some function, they got to talking and the Canadian told him about our meeting in Arlington years before, he had lost my business card but remembered that i lived in Seattle, and was into vintage aircraft. Through a series of web searches, the new owner happened to run across the forum I am a member of for vintage wooden propellers.

I asked him where he was in California, he said San Jose, and i said well the machine at that time was out in the country past winton, close to atwater, which isn't that far of a drive in that part of the world.

My mom had passed away several years before all of this and my step dad was still living at the property. The new owner said, could he go see it and I said yes, so I gave him my step dads number and they could get together. I had called my step dad and told him that a gentleman was coming to look at the truck because he was very interested in buying it, bear in mind, my step dad sounded very healthy on the phone during that conversation.

Little did I know that would be the very last time that I would ever be able to speak to my step dad.

The new owner had got in touch with my step dad and a few days later the new owner drove over to see the truck, but no one answered the door, so the new owner just went out into the pasture to look it over, the neighbor noticed him and asked what he was doing, he told him that he was expected, but no one answered the door, the neighbor said, that there was an ambulance at the house the night before for a very long time, my step dad had passed away in his sleep peacefully.

Wow, what a turn of events, the truck was in California and I live in Seattle, which meant that now the estate was going to be dealt with, and surely the K-18 might have possibly been hauled off for scrap, and it was very fortuitous that the new owner found me just in time.

It seems that the true spirit of that K-18 was asleep but she was paying attention, and she dam sure didn't want to wind up as scrap! Call it what you will, but these machines are from a time period that they were built to last a lifetime, and they were built strong and tough, and they are survivors!

The new owner said, why would you sell it for such a low price, its worth more than that, I said, I know exactly what its worth and i also know what kind of money you will have to invest in it to turn it into what you want it to be, so the logical thing to do was to sell it to you at $600.00 because no one in his right mind would ever turn that down, and he agreed and was extremely happy with his decision to buy it. As papa bear would say, " that rust aint nothing ".

All of this worked out extremely well, the new owner got his friend to bring his car carrier over to pick it up and transport it back to san jose. The new owner said, every where they stopped for either food or gas, the K-18 quickly drew a crowd of interested people wanting to know what it was, and that really brought a smile to my face, as i knew that feeling long ago when i drove it in high school.

As stated, I look forward to being able to drive it again when the new owner gets it all done, amazing how some elements in life, come full circle from just connecting strings of communication and serendipity. I am thankful we have the advent of the internet these days to let us all communicate even more faster and focused than just running ads in newspapers that are scarce these days for such exotic machinery.

What is even more cool to me is the fact that there was such a low number of these manufactured, so any of them that are survivors, weather running or sitting in the weeds, all of them are " important " vehicles, and i am glad I had this history with one of them that is part of my history, and that will be saved from the scrap heap, and that I will get to drive again!

I will enclose a few shots that the new owner took the day the K-18 was picked up at my folks old place.

Enjoy the pictures, Sorry they uploaded upside down, it seems the file cant be rotated via this editing element.
Sincerely,
Dennis.
20131026_100905.jpg20131026_103226.jpg


 

Attachments

Last edited:
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website like our supporting vendors. Their ads help keep Steel Soldiers going. Please consider disabling your ad blockers for the site. Thanks!

I've Disabled AdBlock
No Thanks