1940 Chev C15, Cab 11 restoration in Holland

[jaap de wit]

I am jaap de wit from holland and a new member to the forum. I visite the forum for a year now and want to share my restoration prodject wth you guy's. I restoring a 1940 chevrolet c15 cab11 4x2 truck with wirelessbody No 1, MK3. I buy it from dirk leegwater (see thread dutch cmp) it is a good truck with a lot of surface rust and dirt. I started taking it apart last year and try to do as much as I can my self, till now it works

[cliff]

Welcome Jaap. It looks like you will have a very unique vehicle once you have finished restoring it. Do you intend to fit out the wireless body with original equipment or just use it as a place to sleep while on holiday?

[aj.lec]

Welcome to the forum Jaap
Congratulations on your c15 project ,It looks to be a very good starting point with the majority of parts still intact

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Welcome Jaap,

Looking forward to seeing your Cab 11 C15 under restoration / running in Holland.

Regards,
Hanno

[Alex van de Wetering]

Welcome Jaap. Great truck and a great project. I hope you will "bother" us with some restoration update pictures every once in a while. The number of monkey faces under restoration in Holland is increasing.....which puts a smile on my face.

Do you know more about the front fenders? They almost look like Dodge WC ones crafted in place....or are they just the original ones, slightly reshaped by a former owner?



regards,

Alex

[jaap de wit]

thanks guy's for the warm welcome.
I try to put as much original things in the wireless body and still sleep in it.
and alex the fenders are shaped by a former owner I think but I like this shape so I see what I do about it. here are some more pictures of the inside and the taking apart of the body.
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

and some more pictures guy's

[jaap de wit]

here are some more pictures of the taking apart of my chev project.
it took me about 3 weeks to strip the wholl car. after that it begins the restoration .

[jaap de wit]

so the first job to do was to bring the frame to the blasters.
than the next job the front axel, look all the dirt but all the nuts and bolts came of in one peace. till now I was lucky with the nuts and bolts I only have to cut 15 ore so to take the car apart so cross fingers.

[jaap de wit]

the next thing , the hubs came of and the brakeshoes to.
they where in quite a good state, only the shoes have to be replaced.
the hubs are not bad . the bearings were like new, only the seals nead replacing.

[jaap de wit]

the front axle was a little bit durty so after lots of work it was clean and got painted. the brake shoes where replased and everything put together again.
what a differends some paint can make. the front springs I took apart to and painted them and put them together again ready for assembly.

[jaap de wit]

here are the last foto's of the front axle. so the first big thing is ready lets do another one, the rear axle ? but first

[Alex van de Wetering]

Excellent work, Jaap. I like the jig you made for the front axle; based on two Gamma trolleys?

Can I ask you which brand and type of primer you use?

Keep up the good work.

Alex

[jaap de wit]

he alex
I use the jig on the trolley's for the rear axle aswell, it works fine, you can roll it everywhere you want. I made it of some hardwood and cutout half a circle on the top to carry the axle.
the primer I use is the normal iron primer you can buy in every do it yourself shop (gamma) and it works fine.
cheers jaap.

[jaap de wit]

jeee the frame is back from the blasters, and it looks like new . I painted the frame first with iron primer and later in dark olive drapp. the inside I painted with protecting tectiel,only on the sides you don't see.
the last pcture is with the front axle in front of it.

[jaap de wit]

on the inside of the frame I welded small bolds for bolting on the fuel and brake lines, I put the frame a side to start on the rear axle. first I cleaned the dirt of it and then took it apart step by step.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Excellent progress! Alex

[Keith Brooker]

Hi Jaap, see you have done lots of work since we last saw you, its looking good. See you in Sept in Arnhem . Keith & Nel

[jaap de wit]

thanks alex.
keith nice to hear from you and nel and I see you in arnhem I can't wait to go. here are some more pictures on the rear axle. the brake shoes need replacing and the oil seals, but the bearings are like new. the differential was dirty with slutch so I cleaned it out and checked the bearings and checked everything. then painted everything green. so time for a
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

when the brake plates were bolded on the new shoes could be placed, it look much beter now and work beter to (then the old ones).
it was only a time eating job to get the handbrake cabel and lever in place.
sometimes you need 3 hand to work with, but it is done.
I sandblasted the rear hubs and cleaned everything and put them together. hen hey where ready to put on the axle and a just the brake shoes now I can see it beter. when the rear axle is ready the rear springs can be done.

[jaap de wit]

Now the rear axle is ready, the rear springs are next on the workbends.
I took them apart and cleaned all the rust of and primed them. I also did all the braces and bolts to bolt the springs and the axle together.
I tested the front and rear shocks if they work properly and then gave them the same workover as every thing else. so now I am a little bit closer to putting together the axles and frame but first some

[jaap de wit]

here some more pictures

[jaap de wit]

Now the axles are ready the wheels are the next thing to do.
This took me about 1 1/2 hour to take one wheel apart the bolts I have to heat up, and then with a powertool turned them lose, very hard worke.
after the bolts where lose it took some force to get the tire to let go of the rim half. the front tires where war time tires of the run flat type. the rear tires where post war. in the front tires there where thike rubber wheels. and they where marked 1940 and W^D , I think they belong together with the run flat tires. So now I can start sandblasting the rims and paint them.
And finely the new tires could be put on the rims, this looks very nice now.
so time for a
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

I'm back...from a short holyday in normandie.
now the wheels, springs, frame, ect, are ready, so it was time to assemble the hole lot.
first the rear springs where put on there place and then the axle and wheels are in place.
then the front springs and axle where put in place, what a site to see.

[jaap de wit]

yeeh the frame is rolling
the first importend point in the restauration.

[Ganmain Tony]

Hi Jaap

Tony from Australia. Very new to the forum, but I could not help but express my amazement and admiration at the fantastic job you're doing and the way you're recording it.

Looking forward to more pictures.

[jaap de wit]

thanks tony I do my best, but youre doing not bad youre self.
very nice film on you tube of the starting the engine.
and here are some more pictures.
after the frame was rolling I put the shocks on and the brackets for the fenders.
O yes you need a stearing wheel that whould be nice would it.

[jaap de wit]

after I had the frame rolling I could start to put in the brake lines.
but sometimes I am to strong so I broke the copper splitter blok on the rear axle but with luck dirk leegwater find one for me so I instold it.
he also find the iron brackets for the towing hook for me. the spring was a problem because the brackets where for a C15A ,to small so I made the spring myself and it was put on the frame. because I want to tow my airborne trailer witch has a jeep plug for the lights I made a plug holder myself
and put it back near the hook so you can not see it so easy.

[jaap de wit]

the only thing to do is to make 2 spring clips around the spring of the towing hook and then it's ready. thanks to dirk for finding the brackets between all his parts I tought he never find them. so now I can use my trailer again.

[jaap de wit]

now the big part of the frame is ready I star ad the transmission.
when I unbolted it from the bellhousing there came a lot of water and oil out So when I open it up I was suppriced to see that the gears where not rusted at all It only was filled up with slutch so I have some cleanup to do. So out came all the gears, axles and bearings and cleaned it all.
the bearings where still good aswell are the gears, what good luck.
So after cleaning everything go's back in and get's oiled.
Then the outside was painted (green) as the old colar was still on it.