G506 Class 525 (G7133) restore

[hndrsonj]

Problem is: do you have a bed if you made a cargo truck?

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Nope, don’t have a bed. In 1944, the bed would have been made of wood. The fire truck would have had a flatbed with the water tank and stuff attached. It’s a 50-50 shot on which way to go. The fire truck may be slightly less difficult than because a flat bed is significantly easier than trying to build the cargo bed from scratch.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I decided I split the difference. I’ll remove the frame extensions from the front, bring the bumper back and attach it to the original mount holes then use the various fire truck components and build the back of the truck to look like the original. I have an old gasoline powered water pump from another fire truck that I’ll install to give the truck some “real world” functionality.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

It took almost two hours to grind off the last two welds of the second frame extension. Next step is to clean all the white and red paint and prep for eventually painting everything OD green. The engine, other than heavy layers of dirt and oil, is a nice Chevy orange. I can’t wait to see it all cleaned up. Okay, I can wait, it’ll test my limited patience.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Started stripping paint off the front bumper. Tried a couple different ways but they really didn’t work well. I have a couple Course Roto Strippers, CG-1. They take that old red and white paint off like nobody’s business! Now to find a source of them ‘cause they’re going to wear out before I can finish getting rid of all that nasty red/white paint. No pictures tonight. Might have something worth taking a picture of tomorrow.

 

[hndrsonj]

Started stripping paint off the front bumper. Tried a couple different ways but they really didn’t work well. I have a couple Course Roto Strippers, CG-1. They take that old red and white paint off like nobody’s business! Now to find a source of them ‘cause they’re going to wear out before I can finish getting rid of all that nasty red/white paint. No pictures tonight. Might have something worth taking a picture of tomorrow.

Just sandblast them.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Just sandblast them.

. Yup, I plan on it. That bumper won’t fit in the cabinet

 

[hndrsonj]

. Yup, I plan on it. That bumper won’t fit in the cabinet

If you need one just ask!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Once things dry out a bit, I’ll pull it out of the barn and give it an intense scrub down. Got 70+ years of accumulated crap to scrape off. I definitely could use a sand blaster for outside use.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Front bumper is almost finished with repairs. One last piece of metal to get rid of. Then paint and prep for installation.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Finally all the bumper repairs are finished. I’m not going to get too crazy, a few non structural dents and dings will remain. I’ve temp installed it for now. I’ll use it to support the front end while I clean up the front axle. Quite a change to the front end compared to the first pictures.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

One of the items I’m missing is a set of the original two hooks. I hope someone out there has a set they’re interested in doing a swap for?

 

[jeffhuey1n]

No much to report. I’ve been doing the hunt for hardware. I’ve got hundreds if not thousands of bits and pieces of hardware. Boxes, cans, trays, old peanut butter containers, you name it. It takes a while to find what I need.

 

[m1010plowboy]

How easy was it coming apart? Just wondering if that truck saw the same maintenance and rust protection other firetrucks would see when she was working. I love the idea of keeping it as a firetruck. You're gonna have some fun water fights with her. Thanks for the updates, it's a dream truck so I'll be looking for a ride.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

How easy was it coming apart? Just wondering if that truck saw the same maintenance and rust protection other firetrucks would see when she was working. I love the idea of keeping it as a firetruck. You're gonna have some fun water fights with her. Thanks for the updates, it's a dream truck so I'll be looking for a ride.

. So far I’ve only had to cut off 4-5 clutch type screws with two having to get the head cut off (one in each wheel well) there’s quite a bit of surface rust but nothing really considered bad, no rust through anywhere on the frame or cab. The worst thing is all the red and white paint. Getting it off isn’t that hard but it’s making one heck of a mess! I’ve finally got the front bumper fully installed. Next on the agenda is pull the front shocks, support the frame and pull the front axle. The drive shafts are dirty but the bolts off the rear driveshaft came off real easy. The springs are getting disassembled to get all the red paint off as well. I hope to have it set for it’s debut on Armed Forces Day. The only slow down will be repainting the Toys For Tots truck. It’s looking a bit sad. Almost forgot, if working one one of these old warriors, you have to have a ful set of the clutch type bits. So far the largest I’ve found is 5/16” with the smallest being 3/16”. I wasn’t able to find the larger bits in town fit found a set on-line for $20.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Got the hood off, the front shocks, frame mounted axle bumpers and steering link. The steering link was a real pain. The grease inside turned super hard and did not want to let go. But, I won and got it removed. I’ll probably have to soak it in cleaning fluid for a while.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Nothing new on the truck today. I needed to clean the parts washer. It’s been a looong time since I used it. Yuck, ick, barf... it’s now cleaned up but I’ll need another can of parts cleaner so I have enough to use the pump. The steering link is sitting in the remaining fluid in hopes it’ll come clean after soaking for a while. Almost ready to pull the front axle. 4 U-bolts and the forward drive shaft will be coming off next.

 

[jeffhuey1n]

I’ve got to make some corrections. After reading David Doyle’s G506 book, I found a few errors in my assumptions. First off, the truck is a class 325 fire truck, not a 525. The model is not 7133. It does have a Barton F300 water pump (broken). The truck was modified by Darley Champion in 1943. The truck was built in Atlanta in Apr 1944. What? How is that possible. I’m not too sure on that. Basically two of the ID plates contradict themselves. Next bit of information gleaned from data plates and the book is that my truck was built along with a larger order of cargo trucks. It was delivered with 1,362 other identically modified trucks, all of which were shipped as cab-and-chassis only. Another tidbit is the model number, which is mostly obscured on the tag. The only number readable is the number 7 which is the last number of the model number. There weren’t many Chevy model numbers that ended in 7, none of which are cab-and-chassis. What does this all mean? By the numbers:
Built at Atlanta Ga in 1944 as a cargo truck, model G7107NJ under contract W-374-ORD.-6582 but delivered as a cab-and-chassis. It was modified by Darley Champion and Howe Fire Apparatus Company. The Barton Fire Pump was installed by either Darley or Howe, not sure which yet. Still trying to figure out it’s regi number. It was removed from the hood and I’m still trying to figure it out.

 

[SCM35A2]

Subscribed!

 

[jeffhuey1n]

Updated info: after much searching and head scratching, I’ve figured out the probable Registration number. There’s a truck in Doyle’s book “Chevrolet G506” that has an excellent photo spread with all pertinent info. It was delivered in November 1943. That puts it in the same fiscal year (FY) as my truck. The FY started on 1 Aug 1943 with truck number 1001. Using its data I extrapolated the missing number using some algebra. And my truck’s number is 33020xxx. I can now put the correct information on the hood and proceed with repairs. Once it warms up a bit...