Work around unobtainable parts

[dr deuce]

As Joel pointed out in the previous note, eventually some of these parts will become unobtainable. The CCKW-Chevy-DUKW market will never be big enough to have manufacturers and vendors invest in reproducing parts to any great degree for these vehicles.

Knowing what parts from the civilian Chevrolet 1.5 ton trucks of the day helps you buy parts from say Jim, Carter or Chevys of the 40's, or even a good auto parts store!

Because these (and other) WW2 vehicles were based upon the civy vehicles of the day, you have a leg up on some of the more modern HMVs that were custom designed with parts only obtainable from vendors.

A lot of times, unavailability of NOS or reproduction parts my force choices between having a hanger queen waiting for some part you may never find or substituting/modifying the vehicle so that you can still enjoy it by driving it. To me, driving these old trucks is the only way to enjoy them. I am fortunate in that I have 2 chevys and 2 cckws on the road right now so that if one is down for parts, I can use a different vehicle. Many do not have that option. Besides, driving the CCKW-Schield-Bantam crane is more of a challenge compared to the cargo CCKW than a joy...

Some things that I do:

I usually buy old GMC and Chevy engines appropiate for these trucks if I can get them cheap as long as they don't have a hole or obvious fault. Recently I purchased a civy 302 for $20 that when stopped was knocking. Even if it is not worth repairing, it has much more than $20 worth of parts.

Even if you were a purist, you could use an Alternator, Chevy starter, newer distributor, electric fuel pump etc to keep your rig going even temporarily if you had to.


Steve AKA Dr Deuce