The GMC CCKW

Has anybody come across this type of grill before? I'm anxious to know if this was a field expedient or a TM approved mod.




Karoshi

Hi Colin,

This type of mod is often seen on ex French CCKW's although I must admit most I've seen are somewhat more professionaly done than the one in your pic.it always struck me as strange that the French did this but the Norwegians etc did not.

Matt.

Hi Matt and thanks, yes I realsie that this was a Euro practice, but this picture is of an Imperial War Museum exhibit!

I guess they bought the truck as euro surplus.nice paint job,umm shineee! I wonder if they got the paint from B&Q or Woolworths?

Matt.

The shineeee finish is in keeping with a lot of the ww2 exhibited vehicles at Duxford. Bit out of their depth in some places in the NEW Land Warfare Building! But hey Duxford is an aviation museum! and I guess Bovington would make similar mistakes is they hosted fighter exhibits.

Good day out all the same.

I did notice that they seem to go for the glossy look.I havn't been to Duxford for years and I've never seen the new American Air museum,dispite that being my main interest.

The last time I was there Hoof Proudfoot was killed in the P38,I havn't been since.

Matt.

While the glossy look may not be correct as far as combat WWII vehicles are concerned, museums and other displayers found out years ago that the general public is attracted to shiny objects, including airplanes and trucks.
For many years I participated in flying and upkeep on WWII airplanes of the CAF here in Texas. We found that if the airplanes were all shiney and clean people would come around and of course put money in the donation boxes. Those aircraft that looked as if they had actually been in combat for some time, were dull, paint missing and oily got few visitors.
This past weekend at the Randolph Air Force Base air show I had my CCKW among 5 jeeps, all beautifully restored and in correct dull paint and I have my truck real shiney. More people came over to look at the truck and have their little ones photos made in it than the machine gun carrying dull painted jeeps. It is just that bright objects attract the eye.

Hi ARMY
I agree with what you say, but I feel museums have a historic responsablity to display there vehicles correctly so to preserve history.You can under and over restore a vehicle, I like to bring a vehicle back to as original as one is able. museums are keepers of history for future generations, I have not met one ww11 vet that said they drove a shinny painted vehicle . ww11 lusterless paint does have its drawbacks but you can't change history but some do try! thats my take.

JIM 42CCKW

I agree,museums should make the extra effort to get it 100% right,I can understand,at least to a point,why some owners choose to go for a shiney finish due to ease of cleaning etc,in fact they can paint their truck any colour they want,even red but as said a museum should be correct.

Matt.

Agreed, but if no one looks at the display then the display has lost any chance of teaching. I knew an old WWII motor pool sergeant that told me the story of having to make the colonels jeep shiney, because that is the way he wanted it. He had two men spend hours polishing the dull OD finish with flour from the mess hall until the jeep was as shiney as a new penny. They also washed the jeep twice a week after that to keep it shiney and presentable the way the colonel wanted it.
The one thing that all restorers should keep in mind. Once in the field, the factory truck got field changes, to the drivers or CO's specs. I suspect that a shiny CCKW never hit the road in any theater, but everyone wants to put a ring mount and fifty cal. machine gun on their truck to make it more interesting and appear as a combat vehicle, when actually only a small percentage of the trucks had the guns mounted.
We all want to show off our hard work and our vehicle and choices are made by individual owners. Don't become the real jerk at the show critisizing some other persons vehicle. I had that this weekend from the 5 jeep owners, who feel that because they have jeeps they are superior to other military vehicle owners. I put them straight real quick. Jeeps are pretty common compared to the fact I own the only running CCKW in the whole San Antonio area.