How I got started....

[pieter]

I was born in 1973 on the island of O`ahu, Hawai`i.
Within 3 days I was on a plane to Moloka`i. I grew up on a pig farm. One of the pieces of equipment my dad had on the farm was a boom truck. It was a Dodge weapons carrier, I am not sure of the make. Was open cabbed. We had 2-55 gallon drums of water in the back and I believe 3 spools cable(winches)
The boom was mounted on the front bumper/frame and was built like a trussed crane boom. I have never seen another like it. When i go back I am going to see if I can find it to take photo's...

Then as I grew up I would watch tv shows suchs as Emergency 57 I believe. This was the EMS show and they had a dodge 70's rescue truck. Then into the early 80's we had shows such as Fall guy and Simon and Simon which all featured dodge trucks to some degree or another as the main vehicle.

During high school when I would go back to Moloka`i, there was a guy Eddie Mederious, he was a commercial fisherman and he had a 3/4t 70's dodge with a NP-203 and the big nut front axle. He would haul a 20+ foot boat and often would stop by with a bed full of fish.

There was another guy that had a organe 2-door cab with a flatbed. Looks much like the dodge in the Power Wagon advertiser on this page at the upper left. I don't believe it was a dodge though. I am guessing it was a GMC. I really don't know.
I really loved this truck and always tried getting my dad to trade him his K5 blazer for it. This orange truck's engine was not stock
and had larger all terrain tires still on split rims. I really liked the look.

When I finally decided to buy by first dodge, I bought a 74 3/4ton.
since that trucks I have bought Brutus(see the photo's on this site) and I have a 1979 Plymouth trailduster. I still consider that a Powerwagon of the 70's. I am in search of a 1st generation 1-ton as well.

I always like dodges because Chevies and Fords are so popular and everyone has them. Dodges seem to get left behind thus I like them and that usually means they go a little cheaper as well.

I love the cab and lines of the 41-42 military style the most and hopefully one day have one.

That is why I like dodges in a long drawn out nut shell ;o)

Pieter

[tjdull]

Heck... I graduated from High School in 1973!

I didn't even know I like Dodges until last year. I've been a WWII Collector, Reenactor, Historian since I was 10. I started with collecting chevrons... and now .... I've got a WC-52 in the garage!

I always wanted a Jeep... Jeeps were form me. Until I started looking into it and found out about the WC's ... more functional (especially for my reenactment group) and actually less money than a Jeep in similar condition.

So here I am ... wondering what the heck I'm going to do now. The WC needs some work and I've never worked on a vehicle in my life. It doesn't run now ... did when I got it, though. Luckly, I've found some good resources ... this fourm being one of them. Look for me to be ACTIVE.

Well that's my story.

[pieter]

I grew up on a pig farm. One of the pieces of equipment my dad had on the farm was a boom truck. It was a Dodge weapons carrier, I am not sure of the make. Was open cabbed. We had 2-55 gallon drums of water in the back and I believe 3 spools cable(winches)
The boom was mounted on the front bumper/frame and was built like a trussed crane boom. I have never seen another like it. When i go back I am going to see if I can find it to take photo's...

I wrote this about 2 years ago it seems. Even though I went to Hawai`i twice in that time, I was only able to go to Moloka`i on this last trip and I was able to find the boom truck!

Buried in the weeds, I was able to pull some away and take some photo's. You'll have to use your imagination a little, but being familar with dodges, maybe some of you can help me piece it together.

I will say it is a dodge. It has combat rims. I believe it is a 1/2 ton WC as it has the odd shock abosrber contraption. As in it doesn't have shocks. Although the photo's don't show up well. One 55 gallon drum was still in the back. At some point, the area had a brush fire and the truck has been burned. 3 of the 4 tires were melted away.

The entire from clip was gone, either burnt or more likely rusted away. No fenders, no hood. Nothing covering the radiator as well. The steering wheel was rusted off the column as well as the transmission shifter.

For the people who believe more shifters on the floor are impressive, this baby has 6! ok, one is the hand brake... So that leaves 5 operational shifters.
I don't know what they all did. Nor do I know how all this was connect via PTO's. There are a couple photo's where you can see a PTO shaft going to the rear and a spool of cable. I am certain we could lower/raise the boom as well as raise/lower the cable/hook.

The boom is trussed and I remember the day that it bent. My dad took it to Kaunakakai (main town) for some reason. On the way back, we had to go up a big hill and about halfway up the boom went up and over the truck! I was following with someone else in another truck (escort). it was a little hairy.

Well, I'm tired but I wanted to get this out there. I will add more and you can browse thru the photo's. If any one has an open cab 41/42, I'd like to see some photo's of the dash to see if that is what this really is.

Pieter

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmvliet...7594171479017/

[mtnjimmi]

boom truck

the m37/43 serries truckes had two shifters for the 4x4 one for the transmission and another for the winch, though ot is possible one was added for the adjustment of the boom on the truck.

[mtnjimmi]

I got started when...

my first sight of the M43 was seeing it for sale near the road where I had to drive by regularly. then I met the owner of the truck at church. When I had to move he used it to pull a 23ft travel trailer over loaded with my household goods, with a load inside. Two years later he has to move to Georgia and can’t find a buyer or take it with him so he signed it over to me! Wow I now had an antique truck an only had to pay the license fees.

I've had much fun driving this truck and working on it though it has had some difficulty in finding people do some of the work necessary.

for more of this story see the web site<http://clix.to/mtnjimmi>

[Ugg013]

Pieter:

Uh, that looks to be a M 37, not a WC, but I could (and probably am) be mistaken. How'd ya get from the "Islands" to Michigan? I know, airplane. ;>)


mtnjimmi (or is that Don):

Nice M 43. Why not pop a diesel in it and turn it into a 4X4 camper?

Later
Ugg

[mtnjimmi]

disel camper

Well for one right now the original engine is working fine, having been rebuilt balanced and blueprinted previously.

besides I am using it as a camper/hunting platform

[pieter]

Ugg,

I don't believe it is a M-37. Unless M-37 body styles change over the years.
If you look at Wills M-37 pics of his firewall, they are way different. M-37 is very square and what I have pictures of is very curvy.http://m37.wawii.com/images/DSC04775_RollBarMockUp.JPG

I wish I had more time and something to clear all the brush away but I didn't.
I did what I could.

I would like to see a drivers side M-601 firewall pic to see what that looks like...

Well, it will take me a while to figure out what it is. I may even have to go back and investigate even more..

Pieter

[MoparNorm]

Absolutely NOT an M-37, it is a WC open cab for sure, just not enough left to ID, except perhaps for some here who are more knowledgeable about the 1/2 tons than I am...cool find!
MN