not wanting to ruin a piece of history

[kensdodge1]

ive got a truck i pieced together the cab is civvy powerwagon the nose is wc but it was pretty well butchered. The box is off a early 70's powerwagon so its not exactly a wc-12 but it has the look. Im lookin to get it a lil closer to that end my family has always answered the call my grandfather and 2 great uncles were in ww1(army) my dad (navy) , my stepdad (af), and uncle (navy)were in korea another uncle (army)in nam i am (marine corps)a gulf war vet and i kinda want pay tribute to all these with this truck. Heres a pik as it sits just wonder where and how i should go about this ?

 

[RealCavDog]

That sure does have the look ! I really like the style of those old workhorses !

Pretty sure you will get plenty of suggestions from these guys, so get ready, they're on the way !

 

[kensdodge1]

hey thanks

 

[lacoda56]

First off, thank you to you and your family for your service! Now, about the truck, umm, I really don't know what to say other than it looks kinda tough just the way it is and where's the radiator?

 

[zout]

Bring it down here - I will show ya - that is one bodacious looking rig you have.

Treat it right and do the best you can on whatever you can do on it.

 

[kensdodge1]

thanks apparently its what we do The rad is in in the bed . I was thinkin along the lines of markings i always got alot of kidding about bein the only jar head , leatherneck , yada yada yada but me and my pops are all thats left since my uncle that was in nam passed just this last winter .

 

[lacoda56]

Sorry to hear about your uncle. My brother was a marine in Viet Nam. He was there in '65 somwhere near Da Nang. You should be able to find some marking help because of the marines involvment in the pacific during WWII. Or just update a bit and use your dad's or your curent unit markings. It's still a good looking truck!

 

[nattieleather]

Interesting truck. It looks like the frame was changed to a more modern frame. If you want to make the truck look more like a WWII truck and not like a monster truck as it does now. Here is what I would do. I would change the tires and rims to something more around a 900x16 sized tire. Don't have to put non-directs on but that would make it look like that. Maybe look at adjusting the springs to lower the body down some bring the truck out of the clouds. Of course make it mechanically sound so you can drive and enjoy it. do any body work that is needed (I notice a little rot on the passinger door). Add some wood to the bed to make it look authentic and shoot some 319 green and white stars on it and enjoy. You'll never have an orginial WC12, but with a little work you could have a nice WWII looking Dodge truck.

Good luck with your project and keep us posted with lots of pictures...

 

[hughscpa]

Thanks to you and your family for serving our country. The truck looks great. If you are going for the true military look, follow nattieleather's advice. Personally, I would do a little bodywork, throw on some more OD and some markings. Then drive it like you stole it!!

 

[hwcurtice]

Looks like someone used it for off roading, but still kept it nice looking. That's why the radiator is in the bed? Yes, I've seen lot of Off-road rigs set up that way.

I'd un-reverse the shackles, make it lower, put more stock looking wheels on it, to bring it back to the more original look, that I think we all believe you're looking for.

Then I would put some grill like material, make it look like there's a radiator in front, to cover up the pulleys and such.

Paint it WWII colors. and I'll bet you'd fit in just fine anywhere. It can be a really neat looking rig, with just a little bit of time and wrench work...

 

[kensdodge1]

i built the truck the way you see it for a purpose im heavy into mud bogging and trail running and right now im building a fake mb willys for rock crawling very proud of my heritage and my service thats why i didnt cut up an original . maybe i should have been more specific on what i was lookin for . i was more interested in markings in wwII , korea and nam for the branches or should i just go for the stars and army markings thanks ya'll i get evil looks from some of the military purists when they see the truck but im not trying to mispresent it as anything other than what it is

 

[bigzirb]

I say put some screen behind the grill to block the pulleys from view (and keep the mud out of the engine bay), bolt on a wide front bumper (so you have room to paint bumper numbers), find some pics of a WW2 truck you like and copy the markings. Paint the marking as you see fit since this is a tribute and not a restoration. I enjoy original but when they have already been pieced together I say throw on the paint and wheel it like you stole it.

 

[hwcurtice]

i built the truck the way you see it for a purpose im heavy into mud bogging and trail running and right now im building a fake mb willys for rock crawling very proud of my heritage and my service thats why i didnt cut up an original . maybe i should have been more specific on what i was lookin for . i was more interested in markings in wwII , korea and nam for the branches or should i just go for the stars and army markings thanks ya'll i get evil looks from some of the military purists when they see the truck but im not trying to mispresent it as anything other than what it is

Ahh, you didn't say you did the work. I wasn't trying to put you down. I've seen many a collector rig completely trashed by some of the Off Road people around here, just to go and trash them out further.

Mesh the grill. Protect that engine.. Other than that. Stars on the doors should suffice, unless you want specific markings for the era of the truck.

Just a thought...

 

[kensdodge1]

lil update on the ol soldier did a major susp rework its a lil taller now and has alot more flex

 

[harleyhouse]

I would take that beast in a second.
Replace the bed, Add custom wood side rails and a canvas surry cover
paint the whole thing Sand and add black markings.

That is a cool ride!

 

[maddawg308]

I like it - looks awesome! Would be great on the off-road trails...

 

[kensdodge1]

aint updated this in awhile been some changes to the old girl I'm workin on a replacement for the old girl cab has seen btr days but as she sits now