[Mike K]

Nice D15 you have there Erwin

A chap here who is into WW2 Dodge vehicles was telling me he knows of a few of the military D15 trucks here in Aust. I mentioned that I have never seen or heard of any but he was adamant and said he has found a few ! Has anybody found one here ?

I have to agree with Lang's comments re: the big three and their pros and cons

My 46 Dodge I used it as a everyday car for ten years, it was in original condition not restored, the wooden ute deck was rotted, the ply cab floor was falling to bits . I still can't get over how it kept going despite almost nil maintenance, even went on a few interstate trips.

My experience with the Chevy 216 ... if in the original factory configuration it does have it's limitations. The cast iron pistons do not handle over-revving , about 2500 is the limit for a prolonged life span. There were a number of brands of aftermarket aluminium alloy pistons available, this sort of tells a story. The fibre timing gear is a issue and they can let go at any moment. The poured big ends , a big and expensive pain. Big pro for GM is the steering box is far superior to the other two.

Ford. Ignition system was dodgy. Distributor access a nightmare. The coolant system needs to be in top condition anything less and there will be problems. The non-adjustable valve tappet clearance is very awkward if you don't have access to the correct tools.