G506 Class 525 (G7133) restore

[jeffhuey1n]

Starting a new thread on my Fire Truck. It's a 1944 G506. It's got a post war tank and plumbing, which will be removed and replaced with correct plumbing/tank. At least that's the plan. If there's not enough parts to recreate a fire truck, maybe I'll go the way of making it a cargo truck. So far it runs great, I'm still learning how to double clutch and I need a new set of tires it. Steps taken so far is pulling all the attachments and pretty much everything I can get off the back of the truck before trying to lift it off.

 

[wrenchturner6238]

Cool truck! Looks like a neat project!!

 

[USMC 00-08]

I like the looks of those trucks. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

G506 update

Got some things done the past few days. Got the hose reels off, got the front tank panel off and the drivers side tank panel. Also disconnected the water lines on the drivers side. If I keep it a fire truck I'll kludge some of the lines together so it looks correct. Here's some pics. I've got to find some color pics of an original bed. I'm not sure how the correct tank fits on the back of the truck.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Belated update, got the water tank off and most of the post war sheet metal as well as most of the plumbing. Put the truck inside so it would be protected from the weather. Once things get a bit warmer, back to work.

 

[rchalmers3]

Jeffhuey, That's a nice looking project! I love the cab shape of those old timers!

Please tell us more about that pair of telescoping gantries: Brand, retail location and approx price. Those look like a great solution for lifting cabs and beds offa trucks!

Rick

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got them from Harbor Freight. They are going for around $800-ish. Not sure, I got my on sale for $600 each. If you go to Harbor Freight you'll need to get three things: the gantry, the trolley that rolls on the beam and a hoist. I had two hoists I got at yard sales so I saved quite a bit.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Harbor Freight has them on sale for $729. The trolley is $90 (2 ton) and the hoist is $55 (1 ton)

 

[jeffhuey1n]

G506 Fire Truck Update

Got the last of the post war sheet metal off. Many thanks hendersonj! Now I can get busy cleaning, repairing and restoring.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Starting this project up again. More to come.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Getting the cross boards took took all of 5 minutes. What I need to figure out is do I cut off the large post war angles or remove them completely. Anyone got suggestions on that?

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got the first of the unwanted brackets and frame extensions removed. My son did most of the cutting with oxy fuel. 6 more to go then I’ll grind off the rough edges and start removing the red paint. The rough cuts were my failed attempts which show just how much I don’t know welding. My son is the welder in the family.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got the drivers side cleaned up and started on the left. I’ll have to use the oxy fuel to cut them off. I started pulling off parts to clean things up. More to come.

 

[m1010plowboy]

That little closed cab truck is sweet and it's what I was going after in the beginning, a very nice build opportunity. Whenever you get a chance to lift the hood and open the doors for those mechanical and interior original pics, let it fly.

They never let me near a torch, chop-saw or welder without a half dozen fire extinguishers around so you must be doing better than me on the fire tools. That first cut piece looks like I was actually there and did the work myself. Thanks for sharing the truck!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

The unwanted metal is gone. The fuel tanks and bracket are removed as is the drivers side rear shock. Next will be the drive shaft and then I’ll tackle the rear axle.
As I go along I’m scraping any loose paint off, which is mostly red paint. The underlying green paint looks like it weathered okay.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

That little closed cab truck is sweet and it's what I was going after in the beginning, a very nice build opportunity. Whenever you get a chance to lift the hood and open the doors for those mechanical and interior original pics, let it fly.

They never let me near a torch, chop-saw or welder without a half dozen fire extinguishers around so you must be doing better than me on the fire tools. That first cut piece looks like I was actually there and did the work myself. Thanks for sharing the truck!

.
I’m hazardous around anything that can burn, explode, incinerate or spontaneously combust. In the end, we ran out of oxygen for the oxy fuel so the last three brackets were cut of using a Sawzall. It wrecked the blade but I got all 3 removed.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Everything but the rear axle has been pulled for de-paint and repair. Time to start on the front. Pulled the pump, brush guard and started pulling sheet metal. That water pump was freakin’ heavy!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

The right fender is removed and after I cut off the last four screws, the left fender will come off as well. Other than dirt and grease, the engine compartment is in surprisingly good condition. You can see all the original green peaking out everywhere.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Both fenders are now removed as is the radiator assembly. Cleaned about 5lbs of oily dirt from around the front engine mount. Currently, I’m cleaning up the front bumper extensions by removing more post war add ones. So far I’ve removed about 100 lbs of scrap metal. Also cleaned up the wiring harness. Removed all the post war stuff. The original wire harness is in suprisingly good condition.
I’ll finish cleaning up the front of the truck. That should take me to payday. I’ll need a couple specialized tool for removing hardware.
Heres the pictures:

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I finally have the frame in front of the engine free of excess metal. Now I need to make a choice. Do I keep the truck a fire truck or turn it back into cargo truck. Regardless, the ginormous water pump that sits in front of the engine has a broken valve. Additionally, I’ll need to rebuild the plumbing to match the WW II configuration. On the other hand, I’ve got a 1 1/2 ton truck in amazingly good condition that I could turn into a cargo truck.

I’d like to hear anyone’s opinion that’d like to chime in. What would you do?