Posted by Charles [204.110.16.9] on Friday, October 04, 2013 at 09:51:14 :
In Reply to: Dodge T-234 Burma Road Truck posted by Vaughn [108.79.207.73] on Thursday, October 03, 2013 at 09:37:05 :
I have original maintenance and parts manuals. My maintenance manual does not have the Chinese writing but the parts manual does. Unfortunately it nevers seems that the parts number crossover to Dodge's other part numbers. Note that is is Department of Treasury contract and not DoA. This trucks were contracted for the Chinese government (Army) must likely using lend lease funds so it wasnt an Army contract. !5000 were build from 44-46. They were probably shipped to Calcutta and shipped by train to Assam in NE India to be loaded with cargo and driven to Kunming China via the Ledo and Burma Roads. Word has it that a ship was sinking of Australia and some of the trucks got off loaded there and never reshipped to India. Probably put to military use there and then sold to the civilian market afterwards where I understand they did yoeman service because they were probably one of the most powerful trucks at that time.
The engine is the biggest straight 6 dodge had at that time. On the net is photos of a 1940 Dodge crew bus being restored in England. The Burma Dodge must of had the same engine. Some time after the war? Dodge must of redone the engine as the later ones are different but still 331s. One way to tell the difference is look at the intake/exhaust. The orginal is like on the smaller engines. The newer one look like some big snake wrapped around. Someone posted a photo of this truck with newer engine in series of postings. I believe the trucks were painted OD based on my truck and looking at the most original remaining truck in Australia. If anyone has any leads on 331 engines, especially the earlier version I would appreciate hearing about it. Perhaps the collective knowledge of this group could tell who made the rearend. I have not seen any like in any of the Dodge literature of big trucks. A machinist I talked to thought it might be an Eaton. The section about the rearend starts on page 202. In the front of the manual is a line drawing of the truck that also outlines the shape of the rear end.
Interesting things about the truck is it had a lever ignition switch. The 60 gallon gas tank had a locking cap. If you think about it that made sense. At that time 60 gallons of gas on the blackmarket would of been a small fortune (must like today). The truck however would not be of much use since all gas would of been controlled by the US and Chinese government so better to steal the gas if you can.The truck had a Klaxon horn mounted outside the cab on the drivers side. I suspect this was to warn people of the truck passing. I think even to day in China it is a legal requirement that you have to honk anytime you pass something on the road (people motorbike cars truck, water buffalo etc). Sometime you will be riding in a vehicle with a happy honking horn driver and it will drive you crazy.
The box/bed for the truck appears to be a standard civilian stake bed.This was probably a poor choice for that truck and the payloads it would of carried. This beds are not build very strong if you have inspected one. If anyone knows of any of these beds around I would appreciate knowing as I need more tof the metal stakes but would also be interested in the whole bed.
The ones left that I know about are the one I got out of Melbourne Australia, the one Max P restored as a civilian tractor that Daryl has made reference to, the most orginal that Barry P in New Castle Australia is retoring. There another in SE Australia in a salvage yard but I think the engine rearend and probably transmission has been replaced, and reported another own by a beater? (I think Australia of body man) further south in Australia. Also there are two wrecks or remains of the truck.
If it will work I post a link to some information I have on the Burma Dodge below. In case it does not work cut and past www.imageevent.com/vc40wv41
Please excuse any typo or spelling errors.
Follow Ups: