Estrella Warbirds Museum Vehicle Restoration

Well, here it is March 2011 already! Where has the time gone? Seems like it was just yesterday when we were worried about our computers and electric power going out when the calendar turned over from 1999 to 2000. So, what has been going on with Estrella Warbirds Museum Vehicle Restoration since we last blogged?

The first activity that comes to mind is the last year’s Paso Robles Christmas Parade. We actually didn’t know until the very last minute if we were going to participate or not, as the weather was very ugly and threatening rain any minute. Ultimately, we did go, brought several vehicles, and had a fine time. It did sprinkle on us a little on the way back to the museum, but during the parade it was cold but we didn’t get wet! As I’ve said before, we always love doing the parades, but I always think the Christmas Parade in Paso is special. The little kids are bundled up, they are so excited with the Christmas floats and Santa.

We have a couple of new vehicle acquisitions that have come to us in the past few months. The first one is a DUKW, or “Duck”. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is a large amphibious vehicle, or “floating truck” as some have said. It is a 2 1/2 or 5-ton truck chassis mounted inside a boat-like watertight hull. It has tandem axles and a single propeller, so it can be driven on land or in the water. It was used for transporting troops from offshore ships to and onto the beaches. Ours is in less than pristine condition, but is ultimately restorable. The hull is in pretty bad condition and it probably never will be back in the water again, but it could be driven again. The second vehicle we “rescued” from a local backyard is a 1943 Ford “Burma Jeep”. It had been sitting in someone’s yard for at least 20 years, but had to be moved as the owner had sold the property. We looked at it, determined that it was worth having and could be extricated from its resting place, and with the invaluable assistance of Pete Johnston Towing and his crew, removed it and deposited it in the museum’s yard. It is restorable, in fair condition, and is available. Since we already own a restored Burma Jeep in great condition, the museum has determined that this one will be either sold or traded

Abandoned Burma Jeep

Burma Jeep Prior to it being picked up by EWM Crew

Loaded for Transport

Burma Jeep Winch and Front View

Burma Jeep Engine

Burma Jeep Cab View

As I mentioned in my last blog, we have started the extensive restoration of a 1953 Dodge M-43 Ambulance. It is continuing and we have made great progress. To this point, we have removed the ambulance body from the chassis, and had the chassis completely sandblasted, primered and painted. The engine and transmission were remove and detailed and reinstalled. The engine was running very smoothly when we started the project and hopefully will run when we’re done! We have also completely disassembled the brakes, cleaned, greased and adjusted the brakes and bearings. The restoration crew has had their hands full with the ambulance body, as it had some serious rust at the top edges and drip rails, and had to be completely rebuilt. We have a wonderful sheet metal fabricator and welder, and he has worked miracles with this and other projects. Other of that crew are busy with bondo, filling and sanding various dents and holes. Oh, have I mentioned the hours of sandblasting, primering and painting the many, many parts that have come off this vehicle? Virtually ever part and piece had been either cleaned, lubricated, sandblasted, primered and painted, including nuts & bolts! We have not gotten to the interior of the body, yet, but that will be a challenge, too. There is an interesting piece of equipment in the interior, and it is the gasoline powered heater, mounted down inside one of the lower compartments. Don’t think we will try to make it operate, but we will need to clean and refurbish it cosmetically. Same with the cab heater which is mounted on the left front fender, though I suspect that it actually does work. It has been a blast and a challenge working on this truck, and it will be a wonderful day when it is done and drives out of the restoration area.

The other area that we are moving ahead is the maintenance of already restored vehicles. We feel that every restored vehicle should start and run every time, and be as trouble free as we can make it (not talking about leaks, which every vehicle has!). So, we have a very aggressive vehicle maintenance program, which includes an “annual” on every vehicle. They all receive an oil change and complete service, plus any repairs needed, plus any cosmetic repairs or improvements that we have time for. It is March already, and we have completed only 3 vehicles! I should say that of those three, two have required extensive maintenance and repairs, and hopefully we will be done with the annuals by the end of the year!

For those of you who are familiar with the Estrella Warbirds Museum, and the Brooks Building, there is some good news. For those of you who are not, a little background. The Brooks Building is a 40′ x 125′ building in which we house most all of our restored vehicles, plus some WWII radio gear, plus an extensive display of armaments. The vehicles are packed in, with not much more than a foot between them. It is a chore to extricate them for parades and them place them in their proper positions afterward. Well, the news is that the Brooks Building will be expanded soon. The plans are that the building will double in size. Some things will be moved around and some new displays brought in, but we will have lots more room to add vehicles and more properly display the ones we have. Hopefully, this expansion will be completed by the summer of 2011, so make plans to come and see the “new building”.

Also coming up is the 2011 version of the annual WARBIRDS, WINGS AND WHEELS Car show, May 14. Last year was a great success, with about 250 vehicles of all types, and approximately 5000 spectators. This year we expect at least 250 or more cars and hopefully as  many visitors. For more details or to register, go to the website, Activities>Wings & Wheels.

It has been great fun writing this “blog” over the past year or so, and hopefully someone out there is actually reading it. Please feel free to add comments, good or bad, so we’ll know someone is reading the blog. As a fun test, I am going to add my personal email for all you spammers and other folks, and see if there is any feedback.  Write me at everettranch@aol.com and be nice!

     In early October 2010 Estrella Warbirds Museum staff and vehicles participated in two parades in the area. The first was the Paso Robles Pioneer Days Parade on Spring Street. We made a major effort and sent 10 vehicles to the parade, including the 1912 Model “T” ambulance. All vehicles started and ran, and I believe we put on quite a show for the crowd. Seems like the Pioneer Days Parade keeps getting larger and larger by the year. If you haven’t seen the parade, you should! Specially if you are into old tractors, as the Pioneer Museum has a collection of old, running steam and gasoling tractors that are unmatched.
We also sent vehicles to the Atascadero Colony Days Parade a week later. It is quite a bit farther to go, and so we only sent the vehicles that are capable of driving themselves that distance. Colony Days Parade is also a great parade with a hometown flavor, and lots of enthusiastic people.
     In the area of vehicle restoration, some new things are happening at the museum. About a month ago we started a complete restoration of a 1953 Dodge M-43 Ambulance. This vehicle is a sister to the Dodge M-37 which we also own. The ambulance came to us as a donation, and fairly complete, not lacking much, if any, equipment. It will just be a complete teardown, sandblast and clean and paint parts, major repair on the sheet metal body, then reassemble. Easy to say, a bit harder to do with a limited crew and time to do it. We have, however, added a larger and more robust cabinet sandblaster that will speed up the cleaning of parts. Our restoration shop has added some very much needed equipment lately, for which us old men are very grateful.

     There is also a motorcyle restoration going on simultaneously in the shop. It is the conversion of a WWII era civilian Harley-Davidson “WLA” to its military version. It has been completely disassembled, red paint stripped, and all chrome parts painted with a special primer that will allow the part to be painted. We are very fortunate to have Jerry Greer, who is very knowledgeable on bikes, as he used to make a living restoring Indians. He, David Barnick, and Ron Boyte are doing quite a job on the bike, and it will be beautiful when done in a few months.
After the first of the year we will commence our annual service period. All running vehicles will undergo a complete maintenance, plus any repairs and restoration that are needed. Besides the ordinary maintenance, we also “care” for the vehicle. That means we catch up on any repairs that have come up during the year that we haven’t gotten to (usually minor), and we try to make improvements to the vehicle that make it look more military or original. This includes paint, equipment additions, etc.
     OK, time for a commercial aimed at anyone in the proximity of the Estrella WArbirds Museum who has an occasional Saturday or Wednesday that they would like to spend on vehicle restoration. As you can see, we always have plenty of vehicle work going on, and there are laso airplanes that are being worked on, if that is your expertise or interest. Come on out, look around, and see if you would like to join our restoration and parade team. 4251 Dry Creek Road, at the south end of the Paso Robles Airport.

     It has been a while since I have posted here, but let me try to bring you up to date on Restoration and Parade activities. Yesterday, September 4th, a group of us took 4 vehicles over to Cambria Pines for their 2010 Pinedorado Parade. We took Ed Chidlaw’s 1942 Willys Jeep and trailer, the 1945 US Navy Ford Jeep, the 1912 Ford Model “T” ambulance, and Dr. Colton’s newly restored 1941 Dodge WC-3 Power Wagon. The 2 Jeeps were driven over by Arnold Hermansen and Gary Woodall, and the others vehicles were trailered. In the parade, Chidlaw’s Jeep was driven by Arnold & Linda Hermansen, the Navy Jeep was driven by Gary Woodall, the Model “T” by Ron & Jackie Brooks (in full WWI uniform), and the ’41 Dodge by John & Cheryl Everett. It was an interesting drive over, as the Jeeps would only do 45 mph max, so we were constantly pulling over to the shoulder to let faster traffic pass. Fortunately, on Hwy 46 there is ample shoulder for that to be done. Once there and parked, the ’41 did not want to start! We cranked and cranked and put the emergency 12-volt battery starter on it and finally she kicked. She was about to be left on the trailer and I think she realized that. I actually think I “flooded” the engine by over-choking it, and it finally cleared and started. Once that was done and the vehicles lined up, it was a great parade! A ton of people along the way, in both East and West Cambria along Main Street. A special thanks to those who devoted their time to make  it possible to go to the parade, including Dave Geiger and Ed “Goose” Hale who volunteered to go but had to stay home. I know I have labored over this point, but all the work that has to be done to prep the vehicles, trailers, paper work, etc., is all worth it when you see the kids and people at the parades with smiles and waving at you, and comenting how nice the vehicles look. Many of the kids in the crowds did notice the Bugs Bunny “What Up Doc”? nose art on the ’41 Dodge as we drove by. We are proud to be able to take them out, and to be representatives of the Estrella Warbirds Museum.

     Next month will be the Pioneer Days Parade October 9th, and the Colony Days Parade the week after, and then the Paso Robles Christmas Parade in December.

     Now, on to vehicle restoration. What “restoration” has been done lately has been more or less minor work on existing vehicles and trailers. Those of you who do this kind of work know that there is always some sort of work to be done, as things seem to break in the middle of the night even when you’re not using them. So…… repair here, maintenance there, upgrades also. There has been a lot of work lately by Gary Woodall and James Massineo on the two M274A2 and M274A4 “Mules”. Both had problems, and the boys are working diligently to repair them. Hopefully, they will both be repaired and roadworthy very soon, perhaps for the next parade!

     Our next large restoration project has just been started, that’s the 1951 M-43 Dodge Ambulance. Ron Boyte, who will be the “spearhead” on this project, wanted to start and drive the vehicle before tearing it apart, so we would know what level of restoration we were dealing with. So, we did start and drive it, and it drives very well, so we know that the drivetrain is in good condition and no major engine or transmission work will be required. The sheet metal top is in very bad condition and will require major restoration. The rest of the vehicle is in great shape and very complete, including a full set of “combat” wheels, and a fording kit, which is rare. So, our first jobs will be removal of the top and various body parts so we can get down to the frame and engine, which will have to be thoroughly cleaned and painted. With the addition of our new vehicle lift, this job will be much easier.

    Again, thanks to all of you who work to make these restoration and parade activities possible, even if it is just an hour or two whenever you can. Thanks!

    The vehicle lift that we have been talking about has finally been installed! Us old guys will finally be off our backs and on our feet when changing oil and cleaning the underside of our restored vehicles. It was a while in the planning, financing, and installing, but it will sure be worth it. Those of you who have lifts, and those who do not, will appreciate the value of having it. Now, I have a long list of people to thank, because this acquisition did not happen without a lot of help. First, thanks to a couple of  donors, one who donated a flatbed trailer that we thought we would sell to finance the lift, but we decided to keep instead; second, an anonymous donor of $3000, nearly the entire cost of the lift. There sure are a lot of wonderful people associated with the Warbirds Museum. OK, now the list of folks who engineered the installation of the lift. I really have to say the spearhead of the project was Ron Boyte. He did most of the research online, and the only guy to really read the instruction book. He pretty much knew how this was all going to go together. Thanks to Steve & Verne of Victor Backhoe service who sawed the concrete for the new lift footing, and broke the concrete for removal. Thanks to Randy Wilber of Wilber Paving & Concrete for steel and concrete in the footing. Thanks, too, to all the “gophers” who helped do the manual labor. They would be Scott Parks (Warbirds 2009-2010 Aviation Scholarship Award Winner who is attending Embry-Riddle School of Aeronautical Engineering), Gary Woodall, Ron Brooks, Mark & Ted Van Klaven, and yours truly (JE), mostly moral support. Stay tuned for the first lift of a restored vehicle.

     There hasn’t been any restoration going on for a while, but we have had some other activities in the mean time. One of those has been planning for our participation in the 2010 Templeton 4th of July Parade. It is a great parade in the town of Templeton, which is about 10 miles from Paso Robles. Planning for a parade takes a bit of time. Getting the vehicles in condition to be driven to the parade for starters, as there always seems to be one that requires a last minute repair of some kind. Lining up drivers, getting the 1912 Model T ambulance on and off the trailer, and lots of other stuff. Anyway, here come another long list of thanks to those who accomplished these chores in my absence. We were able to field 5 vehicles with the help of Gary Woodall & Mary Lou O’Neill, Ron & Jackie Brooks, Arnold & Linda Hermansen, “Goose” & Scheila Hale, James & Lisa Massineo, and truck driver Wayne Rice. Thanks guys & gals and I know you had a good time, too. Driving a vehicle in a parade is a special time, especially when you see the look in the eyes of the little ones when you look right at them and wave.

     Well, I am really looking forward to our next project, the restoration of the Dodge M-43 ambulance. The lift will be invalauble in this restoration, and it will be great to get it started. Til next time……

John Everett

     Vehicle restoration has slowed to a crawl recently, as some other activities have taken it’s place.  The good part is that we have so many things going on that we have had to have some serious conversations about priorities. To cut to the chase, we have decided upon 2 things that we need to get done soon, and one more that is a long term project.

     The short term projects are (1) finish restoring the Museum’s Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, which is mainly paint, and (2) complete the installation of a vehicle lift in the Alfred Schade Restoration Building. The F-104  has needed attention for some time now, and it is finally getting it. It is receiving a new set of tires and a complete paint job. It will look great! The vehicle lift is an Atlas Pro-12, 12,000 lb., 2-post lift, is on order and will be shipped from Iowa. We have “dug the hole”, the concrete foundation that will support the lift, and the next thing is the steel re-bar and the concrete. It will have to cure for 21-28 days before the lift can actually be set onto the concrete.

     The long-term project is the restoration of a US Army Dodge M-43 Ambulance that has been sitting in the yard for quite some time. Actually, we have 2 M-43s, and the second one is a possible parts donor. The restorable one is actually very complete, including some medical equipment in the back, and a complete “fording kit” installed on the vehicle. It will be a great unit to restore, but will take quite a bit of time to do the body-off restoration that we want to do.

     On May 8th the Museum hosted the 2nd annual Warbirds Wings and Wheels Car show, and it was a great success. We had nearly 300 cars on display, and several thousand visitors. There were vintage automobiles, race cars, high performance tractors, and some military vehicles. Parnelli Jones was the special guest of Mr. Dick Woodland. Weather cooperated, and it was a great day.

JE

On Saturday, April 24th, a bunch of us took 5 vehicles (’41 Dodge WC-4, 1945 Ford USN Jeep, 1942 Willys USMC Jeep, 1943 Ford “Burma Jeep”, and the 1951 Dodge M-37)  from the Estrella Warbirds Museum to the San Miguel “Sagebrush Days” Parade in downtown (?) San Miguel, north of Paso Robles. We drove the vehicles in the fog the 10 miles or so to San Miguel, found our place in line and waited for the parade to begin, scheduled for 10 am. Well, we waited, we waited……. turns out the parade officials were waiting for the scheduled EWM flyover, which was seriously delayed by the low ceiling. The late deadline came, 11 am, and off we went. Of course, the City of San Miguel is not very big, and the southbound leg of the parade was soon over. Just as we turned to make the northbound leg, here comes the 3-plane flyover. They made it after all, and they were soundly cheered! They, too, made two passes over San Miguel before going home. Well, we made our northbound leg back through town, then turned and parked. We enjoyed a tri-tip sandwich put on by the San Miguel Fire Dept. volunteer personnel, had a quick look at the sidewalk garage sale, and saddled up for the return trip to EWM. By now the fog has cleared and the temperature is up, and it is a warm and sunny day. Tough on us without sunscreen and a wide brim hat! You don’t think to do that when it is thick fog in the morning.

Once again, all went well with the vehicles, except for one sticky emergency brake on the Burma Jeep, which caused a lot of smoke (!) and some concern. However, when we drive the vehicles to parades, etc, we do learn what leaks on which ones, so that means more work in the future to hopefully tighten them up. These vehicles are 60-70 years old, and I told someone the other day that they would leak, too, if they were that old! If we are fortunate enough to obtain a lift, then we can safely and more easily work on transmission, differential and wheel seals.

The parade was a lot of fun for us and the spectators in San Miguel, and I must thank those who participated in the preparation, driving, cleaning, and parking of the vehicles. Thanks to…..

Jerry Greer, Forrest Johnson, Mike Cint, Linda & Arnold Hermanson, Gary Woodall & Mary Lou O’Reilly, James Messineo, and John & Cheryl Everett.

    I am pleased to report that this past Saturday, we wrapped up the restoration of the 1941 Dodge WC-22 1/2 ton pickup. The very last thing was a balky master cylinder, which was rebuilt by Jerry Greer and now works like a charm. A couple of other very small issues were also taken care of, so it is officially another running vehicle for the museum. We are looking forward to registering it as a Historical Vehicle, and then taking it to the upcoming parades. There is a possibility that in the future it will be fitted with full cargo & cab canvas which will make it look even better.

     So, with the completion of the ’41 and the ’43 Ford-Ferguson Aircraft Tug, we have run out restoration projects for the time being. The next vehicle restoration will be the 1953 Dodge M-43 Ambulance. As I have mentioned before, it is complete and in pretty good condition. We will do a full frame-off restoration on it, which will take a minimum of one year, possible more, but will be well worth the time.

     There are two other “projects” coming into view that will come before the ’53 M-43. First, and most important, is the careful establishment of priorities for accomplishing the many tasks we have in front of us. We not only have vehicles to restore and care for, but we also have aircraft to restore and maintain, but other in-house projects as well. So, we are in the process of deciding and implementing a meaningful priority for accomplishing all this work. The other project that we are working toward is the purchase and installation of a vehicle lift. We very much need a means to lift our vehicles so that we can safely and efficiently do oil changes, lubrication, tire service, underside cleaning, repairs, and adjustments. If our Board of Directors approves the purchase, we will select an appropriate lift, have it shipped here, and do the installation. It will certainly make our restoration and maintenence tasks much easier, quicker, and safer.

     This coming Saturday, April 24th, we are participating in the San Miguel Sagebrush Days Parade in San Miguel, north of Paso Robles. We will have 4 or 5 vehicles in the parade, including the 1941 Dodge WC-3, the Ford Burma Jeep, and 2 Jeeps. Prepping the vehicles for the parades is very time consuming, but the parades are well worth it , both for the drivers and the participants.

     If you are reading this “blog” and enjoy my ramblings (or not!), please feel free to comment on what  has been written on any subject. Love to have any feedback. Thanks.

      This past Wednesday, my wife Cheryl started the nose art project for the ’41 Dodge that is nearly finished. Yesterday, she finished the painting of the art, titled “What’s Up Doc”, and we only have to seal it for it to be finished. This was quite a project, and her right hand was nearly cramped closed when she was done! It is beautiful, though, and has already brought many favorable comments. We are now thinking what other vehicles we can apply nose art to!

     While she was working on the art work, Jerry Greer and I were trying to sneak in some work on the brakes. We have installed new rear brake cylinders, and then have to bleed the brakes. Well, to make a long story not so long, after 3 or 4 circles of the truck bleeding brakes, we started to think that something was amiss with the master cylinder. The truck has been sitting for nearly 2 years since we went through the brakes initially, and bad things can happen when a vehicle sits. I have learned that inactivity ranks right up there with misuse as a leading cause of bad stuff in vehicles. So, we removed the master cylinder and are now trying to get it functioning before we reinstall it. If it cannot be made to function, it’s off to NAPA for a new one! Hoping it will be driveable by next Wednesday, as I want to put it on display in front of Thomson Hall for the Monthly Dinner Meeting. I think it is good for the members to see where their membership dollars are going, and what the restoration volunteers are creating.

     The ’43 Ford-Ferguson “Moto’Tug” also continues to be 95% finished, but it is driveable and we have been driving it around the yard. The brake master cylinder continues to be leaky, but I am ready with a replacement if this latest rebuild doesn’t  fix the leak. Also, found that the updraft carburetor was leaking (think we’re gonna call her the Leakin’ Lena!), so had to remove that for adjustment. If you are thinking why do we drive it with a leaky (or no) master cylinder, the answer is that in first gear, the total gear reduction is 72/1 and you can walk faster that it goes in first gear. It also has a good mechanical (emergency) brake, so stopping is really not a problem.

     Ron, Jerry and I also took some time to discuss the selection of a vehicle lift for the restoration area. We are hoping that the EWM Board of Directors will approve the purchase of a lift, as we really need one at this point. We now have  a large number of restored vehicles plus forklifts, etc. that require oil changes and maintenance, and continued restoration of vehicles that require working underneath the chassis. For those of you who know lifts, we have selected a 12,000 lb. capacity, 2-post lift. Keep those fingers crossed that the BOD will approve our lift.

Bugs Bunny "What's Up Doc?"

Cheryl Everett creating the Nose Art

Cheryl Everett starting the Nose Art project

Nose Art on 1941 Dodge WC-22

Front end of the Dodge WC-22

Right side of the Dodge WC-22 showing stencils & nose art

“What’s Up Doc?”

     The “Big Three”!! also discussed plans for the restoration of our 1953 M-43 Dodge Ambulance. We have decided that it will be a very extensive, body-off the frame restoration, with extensive documentation and photographs. The truck itself is complete and in very goodcondition with the exception of extensive rust in the top. Repair or replacement of the top metal will be the biggest challenge, but fortunately we have an excellent sheet metal man! It will be an interesting challenge and will probably take up to two years.

     As I mentioned previously, this month begins our “parade season”, with the San Miguel Sagebrush Days on April 24th. Until next time…..

Saturday the 27th was a very interesting day. It was a warm, sunny day so quite a few old guys decided to spend their time working on old vehicles! Two of our stalwarts were AWOL, however, Forrest Johnson and Ron Boyte. We have a new acquisition, a 1953 M38A1 Jeep purchased by Dick Woodland, to be restored and shown in the Brooks Bldg. Thanks, Dick! It does need some work, including a fresh paint job and new upholstery, but otherwise in very good condition. So, a couple of the guys were sanding and prepping the Jeep for paint. Upholstery is out of our league, so it is farmed out somewhere. We are also continuing work on two other vehicles that continue to be 95% completed. You’ve heard the expression “two steps forward and one step back”, well sometimes it also works in reverse. The 1943 Ford-Ferguson 9N “Moto-Tug” is actually finished but for one continuing problem, the master cylinder! Cannot get it to quit leaking fluid even after two rebuilds. Next step is to try to obtain another unit. If you’re asking why we would go to the trouble of two rebuilds, a new one is priced at nearly $150! On Monday I am off to Napa to try to locate one that is close enough to work in our situation. The location and connections are not critical and can be “fudged” a little bit, fortunately. So, with any luck at all, we will put that one to bed this week. The 1941 Dodge WC-22 is another story. This past Wednesday we finished the paint job, and it looks great. Jerry Greer did a fantastic job of repairing a bent distributor shaft that was causing the engine to misfire. He was able to re-align the shaft without removing it from the distributor. A work of art in my book. Now it starts wonderfully cold with no choke. Now the bad news (there always is some!). After painting and a couple of other little jobs, we decided to bleed the brakes, since the pedal was a little mushy, sometime no pedal. That won’t work. So, after circling the truck bleeding every cylinder at least twice and using seems like a gallon of fluid, found a leaking brake cylinder R/R. The guys removed it, and we have decided to repalce both rear cylinders. The truck continues to be 95% done! Tomorrow, my wife Cheryl and I will go out and begin work on the “nose art” for that truck. As I may have mentioned before, this is the first of our vehicles to sport nose art, and hopefully not the last. I think nose art, which I have found is not exclusive to aircraft, is a great way to personalize a vehicle. The art will be Bugs Bunny holding a carrot in one paw(?), and an artillery shell in the other and the caption is “What’s Up Doc”. This is to recognize the donor of the vehicle, Dr. Kevin Colton of Templeton. Hope to have all three of the above vehicles ready for the monthly dinner on the first Wednesday in April.

On another related subject, a few words about our efforts to place vehicles in all of the local parades. In my opinion, it is not good enough just to restore a vehicle and let it sit stagnant in some building.  I want these vehicles to look very good and run reliably. So far, they all do look great, and every one that has driven to a parade has returned on it’s own power. A major effort by the restoration people goes into the maintenance and preparation for parades. Also, over the months, we have acquires a lot of back-up equipment that we take to parades in case we do have a problem. Thanks to one of our members, Ed Chidlaw, we were able to purchase a lot of that back-up equipment. Major effort is put into registering, preparing and driving the vehicles to and from the local parades. For the past 2-3 years we have had vehicles in the Paso Robles, Pioneer Days Parade, Atascadero Colony Days Parade, the Templeton 4th of July Parade (once or twice), the Paso All American Parade, and the Paso Robles Christmas Parade. We have won awards in nearly every one of those. This year we may add the Cambria “Pinedorado” Car Show and Parade, a 2-day event. This will require 2-trailered vehicles and probably 2 Jeeps that can be driven over the hill to Cambria. Should be fun, though. Hopefully the next blog by me will say that all of our “works in progress” are finished. Please stop in the Brooks Bldg. and have a look at our wonderful collection of restored vehicles.

Bringing you up to date on EWM Vehicle Restoration activities as of Wednesday, March 18, 2010. The Ford 9N “Moto-Tug” is now about 98% completed, and last Saturday we drove it for the first time! It starts well, and creeps along at about 2 mph in first gear. Need that low first gear and 6.16 rear end to be able to “tug” those heavy planes on the slippery wooden deck of a WWII aircraft carrier.  Interestingly, 2nd gear is also very low, but third has a very wide separation, giving the tug an acceptable road gear. Two items left to be done, the hydraulic brake master cylinder, and the installation of the rear pintle hitch. The front hitch was installed last Saturday. The tug came with no pintle hitches, and with a welded steel rear hitch with a trailer ball. We were able to cut that one off and grind it smooth so we can now attach a very heavy pintle hitch. The tug does have a very good parking brake (cable) system, so we used that to stop it. Doesn’t take much to stop from 2 mph! Expect the master cylinder to be done this Saturday, courtesy of  Al Schade, master mechanic & rebuilder extraordinaire. Al rebuilds anything, from a steering wheel to a carburetor. I can’t say how much fun our guys have had in restoring the “Mule”, as the guys who drove them called them. It has been a great learning experience, both from the standpoint of an unusual vehicle and  also working on a piece of history. I have a picture of one like it (or maybe this one!) on the deck of a carrier connected to a Corsair, and when I am able to, I will add that picture and some others to the blog.

We are also nearing completion of the 1941 Dodge WC-22 that I have mentioned before. Yes, it is still nearing completion! As with many restorations, it is sometimes two steps forward and one step back, or sometimes vice versa. On Saturday we discovered that the clutch wasn’t working, which we didn’t know before. Just something overlooked before. Fortunately, with a quick inspection followed by a bit of adjustment, it is now working. Seriously out of adjustment! We did know, however, that we had an engine misfire but elected to put that off until later on. Well, later on came today. Once again, an inspection revealed that we have a low cylinder and the engine timing is seriously reatrded. The low cylinder is at 82 lbs., the others are about 100, the engine doesn’t smoke, so we don’t have e real serious problem. On Saturday coming, we will adjust the timing and probably drive the ’41 for the first time. That will be a real milestone. After that, we will repaint some of the OD, paint on the “nose art”, and apply the US Army unit lettering. This will be the first truck with nose art and paint stencil unit #s instead of stick on lettering.

Another project that is going on is a just received M38A1 from the Korean War era, courtesy of Mr. Dick Woodland. It is a very complete unit, just a little rough in the paint area, and we are going to clean it up, repaint and make it very presentable. Should be a very valuable addition to the EWM collection of Jeeps.

Off in the not too distant future, I hope, is the complete ground up restoration of a 1953 Dodge M43 Ambulance. We actually own two of them, but we will restore the best one and use the other one for parts if needed. The best one is a very complete vehicle, including a complete fording kit and most all of the medical equipment in the back. The upper part of the ambulance body is severely rusted, but other than that, the body is straight and clean. We are going to disassemble the M43 down to the chassis, fabricate a new top and make it a very nice restoration.

1943 Ford 9N "Moto-Tug" aka "Mule"