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Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:02 am
by 68427vette
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Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2011 3:21 am
by 68427vette
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Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 12:46 pm
by Bill Scott
This is a very late reply on the GTB passenger seats, but Jerry Denny at Raccoon Creek Restorations in Lanesville has made many of them. email him at: raccooncreek@frontier.com

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:29 am
by Bill Scott
I currently own a 1943 Ford GTBC Bomb Service Truck. It is restored. I had much difficulty finding parts to complete the restoration, and want to put together some resources for those others that are in the same predicament.

I have some resources that can make some parts. I have a few parts. I currently have some rear tail light brackets if anyone is interested.

I know someone that can make top bow sets, tool boxes, etc. But, I would like to start some dialog with others that are looking for parts, and also for those that may have parts for sale. Maybe some swapping or sales can happen. I am not in this for the money. I just want to make sure that others don't have to go through the same difficulties as I did.

I have talked to a couple of machinists who can make the rear fenders, front fenders, engine covers, etc. They are most difficult to find, and the ones you can find are in very bad shape. If there is enough interest, I might get someone to make them.

A friend of mine has some battery box covers and data plate sets.

I also have a complete documentation, with photographs throughout the entire restoration process of my truck, as I found it, through completion. There are too many pictures to email, but would be happy to put them on a CD and mail them to anyone who wants them. This is how we should do in our hobby. Offer to share with others. You can do it, too. It is not always about making money.

I'm also looking for an "original" side seat for a pattern. Mine was made from drawings. Other extra parts are also needed to make reproductions. I really don't want to take my truck apart. I'd be happy to pay for shipping and return it to you.

Bill Scott - President KILROY Chapter- MVPA
MVPA #3170

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:50 pm
by jzimm
Bill:

PM sent

John

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 1:22 am
by rgus
Bill great idea. I am going to need the typical stuff when the time comes. Top Bows, battery box bottom ect. ect.

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 6:58 am
by Bill Scott
Just et me know when ou gt closer. I'm alsohoping that some people have some extra parts and will post them as well.

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:29 pm
by groundhugger
Just bought a Navy bomb service truck with Braden winch... only the back is frame with dual wheels, but the front and inside looks great... will try to post some pics but not the best on posting pics, would send some to somebody smarter!!! would like to put some form of truck box on the back and use to haul vets around in parades with troop seats... I use a M-37 now but this Burma Jeep will be alot neater... need passenger seat and some pics of how it is supposed to look...

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 6:14 am
by Bill Scott
I recently restored a 1943 Ford GTB Bomb Service Truck. If you are also doing so, you are aware of the difficulty in finding parts for them as they are an unusual vehicle and there are not enough of them around for most of the big companies to make parts for them that are unique to those trucks. I'm working with a few people, local (not foreign countries) to make some parts for the Ford GTB vehicles. GTB owners really have very few sources for the parts that are exclusive to them.

Things are starting slowly, as you would imagine, so I am starting with some of the most needed parts as a result of the many phone calls I have received since completing mine. When I restored my Bomb Service Truck, many parts were missing or severely damaged. I made my passenger seat from drawings supplied by another MVPA member. We later found that the drawings were mostly accurate, but left out some details.

I also made my top bow set from the remnants of the one on my truck and used other drawings to make up the rest. It is also not absolutely correct. I had to make the rear tail light brackets, too. They are correct, and very difficult to make. I have a few extra setws of them.

I also made a new tool box, the metal one. It is exactly correct. I even drilled holes in the top just like the other original ones I have seen, but have no idea what they were for.

These machinist friends of mine also made me a wheel for my chain hoist that rides on the I-beam. It is much better than the original. It just tells you what they can do.

I finally borrowed an original passenger seat from John Zimmernam. Friends of mine who are machinists are now measuring it and are going to reproduce it. I do not yet know the cost for them and won't until they make one. They will make several of them.

I am looking for some help. I need to find an original top bow set for both the bomb truck and the cargo truck. I will gladly return them to the owner. I'm sure that the one I made for myself has some little details that are incorrect.

We can also make other parts but need to find the need from owners. This is not a get-rich scheme for me. I just want to be able to help others that had the same problems.

We are considering making the rear fenders, but they are very, very complicated and I'm not sure how many people would want them. Because of the tooling, I would have to make a bunch to make them affordable. To repair the ones that were on my truck, took abouot 60 hours of labor.

I am looking for GTB owners who have parts that they would like to have reproduced. I don't know exactly which ones they can produce, but unless I ask you I will not know.

I am also looking for all of the help I can find on these topics and would appreciate any forums you use to help in our quest.

GTB owners are in a small circle. Let's work together to find some solutions.

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 12:10 am
by Bodger Baz
i have GTB Cargo, that's very nearly all finished now, i have made cab hood bows, passenger seat, front cargo cross member, fuel tank and many other parts, i am more than happy to do drawings pictures etc that might help others. i have a few pictures on here http://www.flickr.com/photos/62137668@N06/

i am having the canvas made at the moment, Allied forces in the UK have some originals for a pattern but they have shrunk a lot.

Barry

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 5:59 am
by Bill Scott
I'll get back to you on Monday.

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:45 am
by jzimm
below is a link to a photo album showing the restoration of Bill Scott's GTB bomb truck. He's been very helpful to myself and others working on GTBs. I hope mine looks half as good as his when I get done.


https://picasaweb.google.com/jzimm999/B ... directlink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:52 pm
by acmack
Dataplate for GTB 137628, date 8-10-42' .

Image

Tom, I have a question about my hood number, actually it is my "tailgate" number since the hood numbers are not present.
It is USN 203?86. The question is, is this number specific to Navy Service? I ask because if you look just to the right of the N you can see MY in larger white letters. Also on the bumpertte is 6AAC which I would guess to be 6th Army Air Corps. Just to the left of USN U is a larger white U. You can also see bits of the white S under the USN S and the bottom of a white R under the NAVY A and Y
It seems this GTB has a Navy and ARMY service life. So the question is: would this GTB have had the same 203?86 hood number in ARMY service?
I'm going to letter it in ARMY markings since it appears to have been in ARMY service first. I believe this to be the case since when I got the truck it had a civvy fire dept red top coat. When I sanded that off gray showed up then the next black NAVY numbers. Then under the gray was O.D. Under the OD was white letters and under that OD then primer red then bare metal.
And just to confound things even more - not shown in the photo are another US in smaller grayish white/light blue? letters to the left of the big 4" U also on the tailgate.
Unfortunately the hood numbers appear to have been sanded off as the hood was stripped to bare metal by the former Fire Dept owners that put a glossy automotive like thick red laquer paint on the hood.
David

Image

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 8:53 am
by Bill Scott
I can't answer your questions about Army vs. Navy, but I do believe that these trucks were only used by the Navy.

All of the trucks were O.D. when they left the factory. When they were commissioned by the Navy, they were given a "registration" number which would have been painted in white on the hood. The vehicle identification number is not the registration number. The VIN is on the frame and the transmission. They do not match the registration number.

Then, if the vehicle was placed into service, the Navy usually painted them "Navy grey", which could have been any number of actual colors of grey. Then, they would repaint the registration number over the grey in black letters.

Having said all of this, there were several colors of registration numbers used at different times during WWII, including white, black, yellow, etc.

Re: Attention GTB Series Owners

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:58 pm
by jzimm
Do you think all Navy GTBs were repainted grey? I was under the impression that they were grey if used at state-side airfields, but may have reamained OD in the Pacific theater.