1941 K18-C GMC Recovered today

[papabear]

PB, The headset just went out in the mail to Dave's place.

Thanks Jim, I shall wine and dine ya at the GA Rally! (Plus, I promise not to bang on your door yelling "FIRE!!! FIRE!!!")

 

[zout]

Thanks Jim - as well it was great talking with you last night and getting the headset via Zout.

Here are some pics for the night fellas - lots more chit going on that I care to discuss but I finally got into the guard - If PB does not like it its no $$$$ loss to him as it was my call to get this - build it - figure it out and I can always use the metal if its not acceptable to the owner.
In the end it all gets acid washed - 2k epoxy prime and paint if he wants this POS on his K in the end.

 

[RAYZER]

Very nice Sir!

 

[papabear]

Thanks Jim - as well it was great talking with you last night and getting the headset via Zout.
Here are some pics for the night fellas - lots more chit going on that I care to discuss but I finally got into the guard - If PB does not like it its no $$$$ loss to him as it was my call to get this - build it - figure it out and I can always use the metal if its not acceptable to the owner.


Hmmm...let me see...do I want that grill on the K18??

Why yes...actually I likey very much!!

Again, let me thank you for spending your valuable time executing the primary CAMO mission...representing Veterans from all eras!!

 

[goldneagle]

The vertical fins in the video have L bends on top and bottom. Is the brush guard in the video genuine?

 

[Wallyboy]

The grill guard on my K18 is original.

 

[zout]

Best way to tell if any of them are "genuine" is to gather all the brush guards - or take pic's of all the existing ones and get a case of beer and have a poll. None of all the ones I have seen have been identical - so which one is correct.

The L tabs on the ends were a mass produced operation in my opinion that is worthless. But if laid out and only building these and the verticals were pre-bent it would allow them to build the arch into the brush gurard by laying the verticals out with the pre-bend arch already in its formation - roll the top rail and weld in. But with less than 300 built I would dare say PB's will hold up to anyones. Besides - the windows are not genuine - nor are the window seals - nor the window regulator springs - but its a dam nice sweet looking K in my opinion.

I doubt there are enough existing parts off all the junk ones to still even build a "Genuine" one. And very soon PB will be driving his.

 

[papabear]

The vertical fins in the video have L bends on top and bottom. Is the brush guard in the video genuine?

A bit of quick history. Wallyboy's K18 was built a few weeks before ours was. By then, the grill making feller had learned that not only did bending the metal top and bottom take much more time, it used up much more steel stock...which was already in short supply in them there days.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!.

 

[zout]

One of the questions as well was time period and what proceedures were available then and technology.

Actual MIG welding was not in use in a small fashion till the late 1948 and on - K's were already history by then. So to use a stick rod in between buidling some of this stuff needs to be considered besides just how it looks - HOW DID THEY HAVE TO BUILD IT back then !!.

The K had an out dated undercoating in it that when dried just falls off the metal surface. The stuff I replaced it with is state of the art for our time - in 50 years from now someone else is going to wonder why we used what we did because something might be better by then.

Even the flooring is more advanced and if they had to build it now - what would it look like ?

WW2 everything was rationed and every thought given how to save time - energy - labor - all costs just some more could be produced - some of this history is absolutely worthwhile to read to show what these folks went through. Even typing less words in a document to save someones time that had to read it - they left no stone un-turned.

 

[papabear]

Ya know something? Twenty years from now when I'm long gone, someone will take a STILL nice looking K18-C to an exhibit somewhere and will SWEAR that everything on it is original!!

After all the research I, Zout and others have done there is still surprisingly little information available on these critters and even less detailed pics etc.

I've even put the word out to the few WWII Veterans at the local VFW and even a few folks from that era that didn't serve and NONE of them so far even remember seeing one. Still looking though.

 

[zout]

And just maybe next month it will be on the SteelSoldiers MV of the Month POLL - how cool is that !!!!

I have personally e mailed these places and only one responded with a link to the wikilinks stuff that always comes up - other than that these folks are clueless as well about these. Also from info - these are the exact spots answers should be forthcoming from but do not:

Ft. Monmouth
Ft. Gordon
Signal Corp Museum
WW2 Forum
Signal Corp Forum
WW2 Radio Forum

 

[mhassett]

There is that beer again.
MHassett
Bush, LA

 

[papabear]

And just maybe next month it will be on the SteelSoldiers MV of the Month POLL - how cool is that !!!!

Ummm...no. Maybe August?? I want her running/driving/stopping safely before we put her up for nomination as a complete vehicle.

 

[rickf]

And just maybe next month it will be on the SteelSoldiers MV of the Month POLL - how cool is that !!!!

Ummm...no. Maybe August?? I want her running/driving/stopping safely before we put her up for nomination as a complete vehicle.

It's funny, take what you just said here and apply it to the post a few back about comparisons between today's tech and back then. Can you imagine taking this, or any vehicle of that period, through a DOT test nowadays?! They would laugh at you but back then they were perfectly safe, state of the art vehicles.

 

[marchplumber]

It's funny, take what you just said here and apply it to the post a few back about comparisons between today's tech and back then. Can you imagine taking this, or any vehicle of that period, through a DOT test nowadays?! They would laugh at you but back then they were perfectly safe, state of the art vehicles.

Man's wisdom is finite. What was "true" yesterday is laughable today. The work being done on the K is top notch at today's standard, but might not be fifty years from now. Workmanship is always noticeable and should be appreciated. I get a chuckle when I listen to scientists say they KNOW, only the. BIG GUY upstairs truly "knows" all. Rock on Commander! Your gettin an ugly beauty PB!

God bless
Tony

 

[hndrsonj]

Actual MIG welding was not in use in a small fashion till the late 1948 and on - K's were already history by then. So to use a stick rod in between buidling some of this stuff needs to be considered besides just how it looks - HOW DID THEY HAVE TO BUILD IT back then !!.

I am curious if they wouldn't have used Gas Welding?

 

[zout]

Don't know if you caught it - but when I first started working around the windshield framework - and you look at that factory pic without the box mounted up - the mating was done with LEAD. At the surface you could tell some final wipe down was not done and through the years it was still coming to the surface. Drivers and Passengers door panels - where you see the moulding near the top running horizontal - that is a seperate panel leaded in as well to the upper door framework.

I saw no sign of brazing on the other surfaces.
Its been a real pleasure to work on the K and learn as it goes. Now to sit back till the end and see "if its truely worthy".

 

[porkysplace]

Don't know if you caught it - but when I first started working around the windshield framework - and you look at that factory pic without the box mounted up - the mating was done with LEAD. At the surface you could tell some final wipe down was not done and through the years it was still coming to the surface. Drivers and Passengers door panels - where you see the moulding near the top running horizontal - that is a seperate panel leaded in as well to the upper door framework.

I saw no sign of brazing on the other surfaces.
Its been a real pleasure to work on the K and learn as it goes. Now to sit back till the end and see "if its truely worthy".

The lost art of leading.

 

[zout]

Oh I have all the tools for lead body work and have done it. The real issue is - that was all they had like mentioned above - they did not have the polyester body filling array such as we have today - and if done right will last as long. If done right it as well will not draw moisture to the metal/filler area to "pop" out on you - when done wrong both can rear their ugly head at you.

Seeing as I like to guess a lot - the 3m bonding adhesive - Dura Glass - tiger hair all would have been the choice of that time period if it were around. To lead these days is just for history sake and nothing to do with a long lasting repair - not against it - just see no longer need for it. And I have seen it done quicker than polyesters as well when there was a pro behind the tools.

 

[rickf]

They used lead on quarter to roof joints well into the 60's and even early 70's on some cars. I too have the tools and have done it. It is a an art for sure. A friend of mine still does it on high end restorations. I love to just sit and watch him work. with a respirator on now!