1941 K18-C GMC Recovered today

[Tinwoodsman]

Dave, Two questions: If two hole above the lower grill were used for a grill support, where would the have attached inside the engine compartment? Second, was that accelerator pedal bent like that sort of V shape?

Nice work as always.

 

[LiveFreeOrDieTryn2B]

Excellent work so far I am definitely enjoying this restoration I also enjoy ribbing on the looks of it but in a good way keep up the great work and pics.

 

[papabear]

The paint/body work is exceptional as usual!!

BUT!!!!

My little heart is broken and my hopes of keeping the truck ALL original have been shot to he-double-L!!

The engine is NOT a 248CI (original) but is instead a 270CI (replacement). Except for a couple of stuck valves (which we freed up), and NOW a broken rocker arm (which WE did today) the engine LOOKS like it would fire up and run with a little tinkering.

Now I'm at another decision making point. Do I take the best 270CI and completely rebuild it or do I take the super good running 302CI from the M211 we have already robbed parts off of for the other M211 and try to make it work?

Honestly I got a little flustered when we saw the engine was a 270 so we went to lunch and just called it a day.

After thinking about it a bit, who's to say Uncle Sam's Crew didn't slam that engine into her cause that's all they had when it was needed??

 

[Tinwoodsman]

I would go with the horse that brung you!!! I could easily have been replaced for a variety of reasons and unless you find the maintenance records, you will never know.

 

[Wolfen]

I would try to find a good 248 if I couldn't then I would stick with the 270.

 

[rickf]

Not being a WWII guy I will ask, did any other vehicles use the 270? If yes I would say it may have been a field expedient repair. Or end of life repair and that was all that was left. I like the first explanation better. I think the gas pedal was a case of "I can make this thing go faster, watch this!" (Heel on pedal)

 

[EMD567]

The 302 is a bigger block, correct? Will it fit in the space allotted? It is a tough decision, to be sure.

I would fix the 270, and see how she runs.

 

[papabear]

Not being a WWII guy I will ask, did any other vehicles use the 270? If yes I would say it may have been a field expedient repair. Or end of life repair and that was all that was left. I like the first explanation better. I think the gas pedal was a case of "I can make this thing go faster, watch this!" (Heel on pedal)

Yes, the 270 was used in CCKW's, DUKW's and other stuff.

After thinking about it for a couple of hours I've decided to just rebuild what Zout/Ron took out...the 270CI and call it good, plus I have the other 270 from the DUKW for any hard parts that may be needed.
It's not my first choice but it's what I have to work with!

Any way, when mounted in the truck the only thing you can see of the engine is the valve cover and they all look pretty much the same.

 

[73m819]

When I pulled the engine, EVERYTHING looked OM, did not see anywhere that showed any type of mods to install another engine, the air cleaner duct (rotated it to get engine down, back, and out) aligned with the air cleaner that is mounted under the drivers seat. The 270 was around when the k18 was built, the civi version may have the 248, but based on what I laid hands on, I Think the ORIGINAL engine was/is the 270, because of what I saw AND the truck was made to pull the K19 (com trailer) and being the 248 would have been more then a bit UNDER POWER, the K18 got the 270 at factory build, so I TRULEY BELIEVE that the engine I pulled IS the ORIGINAL ENGINE..

 

[Foxtrot Oscar]

Maybe...

... ? a similar vehicle here in New Zealand.
I'm enjoying reading this and the earlier thread. Congrats on saving a classic.

 

[zout]

Body work day as stated.
See if this knucklehead can work on tapping out that nose on the hood.
Lower valance is broken and bent down (easy fix)
Got one of the lower louvers bent back into shape - lots of the louvers on the left lower side are pitted - this is an easy fix also - just takes time is all.

Passenger door - couple spots on that to repair.

Going to take another look at the windshield outter framework area - thought I saw where the joined pieces of sheetmetal but no seam sealer or lead in them - do not want this baby leaking from the outside in again.

If this all gets done by end of day today's work I may sand it and get it into 2k high build primer - this needs to dry 24hrs before sanding on and the front area as you know had some minor pits in it - scale rust if out of them - now its time to make the surface baby butt smooth.

If you noticed the vertical radius behind the drivers door area at the top below the drip rail - I left that patch in that area - if you recall that is where the upper antenna mount went - I felt it best to leave the patch so folks could ask why it was there ??? just me.

 

[papabear]

All I can say is that I continue to be amazed at your progress Commander!

I doubt she will ever be a full fledged signal truck again, but whatever she turns out to be she will be standing tall and looking good!!

Ron, you may be correct on the engine. All I've stated about the engine is what I've read in the VERY few articles I have been able to find on the truck, and they all said the engine should have been a 248CI. It's actually the same engine I think, with a different size bore and stroke.
Another reason I've decided to use the engine you pulled out is space in the vehicle engine bay. As you saw, there is NO room for a carb etc. above the head/valve cover so that alone limits us to the side-mounted updraft carb on the engine we have.

Sometimes we just have to use what we have and be satisfied with it and I've pretty much resolved myself to that approach.

 

[Oldfart]

I have been following this thread with great interest. I for one think the K18 was a cool looking truck. To me it represents a midpoint in transition from a civilian design to a military design as the nation threw itself headlong into the war effort. In addition, the manner in which the cowl was pulled back to merge with the added body is in my opinion unique. My own research indicates the engines were 248 ci GMC sixes the same as the very, very early CCW and CCKW's design prototypes. I agree that the 270 ci engine could have easily been a field replacement if in fact not factory original. Equally likely is the fact that the military let massive contracts for the GMC equipment with the 270 rather than the 248 and it was a mid-production design change.

I occasionally joke about my own white painted M220 being a fugitive ice-cream truck, but I have to agree with Zout about the K18's deserving far more respect. While a 4x2 with a somewhat civilian look, these vehicles were meant to provide radio control at airfields that had no pre-existing facilities. That equates to forward tactical airfields in the thick of hostilities. The fact that there are 3 K18's in a scrap yard in Papua New Guinea speaks to their being in the thick of things in the Pacific.

 

[zout]

Good timing PB - use what we have. My BIG air compressor gave up the ghost today - compressor locked up - full of nice new oil and new air filter and BANG - swapped over (using what we have) to my smaller IR compressor and seeing how the blasting was done yesterday it did not have to work so hard today.

Preview of area's before and after and just because I am sick of hearing it I did take that dent out of the drivers door top for you folks that know who you ARE - happy now.

Sun in the face all morning and wanted to be done before it turned the corner on a tree by the garage and then turns butt ugly hot in the afternoon baking on your backside - not pleasant and I was able to do just that.

Here are your pics for the night - after this block sanding the bare metal primer to baby butt smooth and then get the 2k top coat primer on it then more sanding after 24hrs of hardening.

 

[zout]

 

[Tin Medic]

PB, I think you will owe CZ a replacement compressor.

 

[Gordon_M]

Nice

If you are still wondering - stick with the 270. Solid, reliable, easy to gets bits, can't kill it with a stick and contemporary. Nothing to stop you looking for the 'right' engine, but stick with the 270 for now.

 

[Oldfart]

http://cckw.org/270_to_302.htm

A little history on the development of the GMC 270 for the military. This displacement was used by GMC in light trucks past the mid 50's and was durable enough to be used in race applications. There were special heads manufactured to provide for flow through with intake manifold on one side and exhaust on the other. In my opinion, the 270 is a very reliable engine and very difficult to distinguish from a 248.

 

[zout]

PB owes me nothing.

As far as the engine we know what we have and what $ we have to work with. That is a firm deal within CAMO.

PB knows how the engine has to go back in which is NOT a piece of cake nor a walk in the park - it is tight. Removal of any body work is not an option and it has to go back in just like it was removed - 3 of us were here on site and know what it takes. Sticking anything other than what came out of it without a high cost to the resurrection of the truck comes out of the owners pocket - not anyone elses with suggestions of what should or should not belong in it.

Your watching a build in what the owners wishes are and what he wants and that is what is occurring - PB knows if I have ANY questions of anything other than what he wishes I will contact him - ITS HIS $$$$$$$ - cause I sure don't see any donations coming in and sure don't expect them. Its like a piece of art you see at a museum - you either like what someone did or you don't - but someone gives lessons for learning how to paint or schools to learn so you can go learn to do it yourself. All we're doing is showing something brought back to life I would feel proud in driving myself in whatever environment without hesitation of thinking it was a restored truck - we want to drive this baby sooner or later and I see SOONER in the future.

Besides that = after this weekend my for sale price just went up 10K - its at $70,000.00 now. But its not mine.

 

[papabear]

Zout if you get an offer for 70K take it and we'll split it Bro!!

Seriously though, I want this truck to be the best I can afford and as close to original as possible. I MAY even get as many of the radios as I can (working or not) to display in the box of the truck just so folks can see what those fellers had to work with back then. I've found a couple of pieces on Ebay so far, just haven't pulled the trigger...yet.

A project like this is usually on-going. I'll do all I can with what I have to work with and when I croak someone else can take her to the next step.