by Gabriel Sheffer
Photographers: Craig Perronne
The one invention we wish they'd hurry up and invent, already, is the time machine. We want to join George Washington as he crosses the Delaware. We want to meet JFK--or better yet, Marilyn Monroe, maybe jam with Jimi Hendrix. But seeing as the inventors of the world aren't getting anywhere on this one, and since we're not the most patient people in the world, maybe the individual we need to speak to is Phil Compton. He travels through time the instant he steps into this '42 Dodge WC-53 Carryall.
Compton lives in Dallas, where people still remember a time when the Cowboys were winning football games. A while ago, a local named Bill Caruth came into Phil's shop and asked him to take on a massive project: Turn a rig from the war era into a bulletproof wagon that can make it through the narrow ravines and creeks of Bill's West Texas ranch. Not surprisingly, both men become sentimental when they cruise the Lone Star State's high roads and canyon crossings in this new old truck. The Dodge WC-53 Carryal military vehicle, a classic by anyone's standards, served as a radio command car during World War II, warming up the tubes of the military's radios. After the war, demand for the trucks came mostly in the form of utility companies that needed to reach unpaved line roads. Today, however, that demand exists in people--fans, really--like Caruth.
It all started in 1999 when Bill, a photographer who travels the globe, wanted a "tough, go-anywhere vehicle with all the ride and ability of new trucks but with the looks of the 1940s." He turned to Compton, who promptly made a call to a Power Wagon guru in Colorado he knew. According to Compton, the Dodge had a solid tour of duty in someone's Ohio cornfield for about 25 or 30 years. Once found, it was trailered out to Colorado where said guru immediately removed the '42's singular U-joints (for his own needs) and then promptly sent the wagon on to the salivating 'wheelers in Texas.
The plan was simple: Put the '42 body onto a new Cab-only '98 Dodge 2500 chassis. Says Compton, "It's really the story of Texas craziness. [Caruth] wanted air conditioning, airbags, tilt wheel, ABS and all that. It's probably the only '42 that you could cruise down the highway at 95 with the cruise control and the stereo and the air on."
Beneath the hull of an ancient '42 WC-53 lies the heart of a torque-beast: the Cummins 24-valve diesel.
To meet their goals, Compton shortened the entire chassis 19 1/2 inches by way of some heavy-duty surgery to achieve the original wheelbase and track of the '42 rig. All the components were cut, from the driveshafts, to the frame, to the brake lines to the electrical system. "After that," laughs Compton, "you just bolt the body on and rebuild it. It's a lot simpler than it looks." Right.
The amiable craftsman fabbed up all new body mounts in order to position the old tub atop the new chassis, paying close attention to how the added weight was distributed throughout. Compton admits recreating the track was difficult. "We had to leave it the same since we were dealing with Dodge's '98 axles. So to compensate for that, we widened the frontend a little bit to make up for the width in the engine compartment." Compton also scratch-built an intercooler and radiator from T-6 aluminum. "This increased cooling capabilities greatly," notes the Texan. Then he adds amusingly, "Later, I found out that Cummins does not worry about cooling needs--even in the Deep South." As a result, Compton blocks off the radiator in the winter to help keep heat in, as you might do for a tractor-trailer.
Compton lives in Dallas, where people still remember a time when the Cowboys were winning football games. A while ago, a local named Bill Caruth came into Phil's shop and asked him to take on a massive project: Turn a rig from the war era into a bulletproof wagon that can make it through the narrow ravines and creeks of Bill's West Texas ranch. Not surprisingly, both men become sentimental when they cruise the Lone Star State's high roads and canyon crossings in this new old truck. The Dodge WC-53 Carryal military vehicle, a classic by anyone's standards, served as a radio command car during World War II, warming up the tubes of the military's radios. After the war, demand for the trucks came mostly in the form of utility companies that needed to reach unpaved line roads. Today, however, that demand exists in people--fans, really--like Caruth.
The plan was simple: Put the '42 body onto a new Cab-only '98 Dodge 2500 chassis. Says Compton, "It's really the story of Texas craziness. [Caruth] wanted air conditioning, airbags, tilt wheel, ABS and all that. It's probably the only '42 that you could cruise down the highway at 95 with the cruise control and the stereo and the air on."
Beneath the hull of an ancient '42 WC-53 lies the heart of a torque-beast: the Cummins 24-valve diesel.The amiable craftsman fabbed up all new body mounts in order to position the old tub atop the new chassis, paying close attention to how the added weight was distributed throughout. Compton admits recreating the track was difficult. "We had to leave it the same since we were dealing with Dodge's '98 axles. So to compensate for that, we widened the frontend a little bit to make up for the width in the engine compartment." Compton also scratch-built an intercooler and radiator from T-6 aluminum. "This increased cooling capabilities greatly," notes the Texan. Then he adds amusingly, "Later, I found out that Cummins does not worry about cooling needs--even in the Deep South." As a result, Compton blocks off the radiator in the winter to help keep heat in, as you might do for a tractor-trailer.
From: http://www.fourwheeler.com
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