Posted by Paul in New Zealand [198.41.238.79] on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 21:28:29 :
In Reply to: Re: Paul in New Zealand posted by DanH [172.69.33.90] on Monday, April 20, 2020 at 18:48:35 :
Hi folks . Thanks firstly to Dan H . and his wife , for making the effort to visit us , when out this way a couple of months ago . It was nice to finally meet someone from Joes Forum , with a like minded interest .
And thanks too , to Joe Leydon , for posting the pics !
For me , it all began about 30 years ago , getting hooked , by my now deceased older brothers interest in all things American.... guns , cars , trucks , music , history etc . He rebuilt a WC 1/2 ton ,back to a “ straight from the factory “ state ., and I decided I couldn’t face life without something similar .
I found a WC54 , which had been converted into a camper van and had been driven through the surf , so only engine and trans , floor and firewall were usable . Found a very good chassis , fairly local , and a cab and doors , from an old Canadian built DS2-20 Dodge truck, from the lower end of the country. Almost everything else , was imported from the USA ., mostly from VPW , MWM and Bruce Horkey . I owe a debt of gratitude to them all , for supplying what I wanted , and much advice on many things , during its lengthy construction .( about 20 years )
So , it has a WC 54 (3/4 ton Ambulance ) chassis , floor and firewall , and running gear , 4.89 gearing , fitted telescopic shocks and second series bed , complete with new rear fenders .( the bed , made up and assembled , by Bruce Horkey , who I can’t speak highly enough about ) .everything mechanical was fully reconditioned or replaced by me ( I was a motor mechanic in a former life ) . And now that it’s finally on the road , there’s just a bit of the interior hood lining left to finish off .
Some people will dislike it , some may think it alright , but I’m happy with it . I haven’t scored enough Brownie Points with my wife , and there’s not enough years ahead of me , to start another , and there’s certainly not enough $ ‘s left either , so I’ll have to be satisfied with this one , and just dream of seeing some of the creations made by the talented people on this site !
Cheers , Paul .
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