Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: Dodge WC-51 

Those spare tires caught a lot of bullets and saved a lot of lives, enabling the drivers to carry out their missions. That saved more lives. That was no inconvenience, that was good engineering by Dodge.

Military vehicles don't need safety features, soldiers carry all they need for safety with them at all times. Their PT belt. It will protect you from everything. How you may ask? Because for EVERYTHING that has ever gone wrong in a military anywhere, one of the first questions asked is "Was he wearing his PT belt?"

HOLY SHIT! not only tanks, but vehicles too?! this channel has a bright future. Still waiting for that Chieftain X Gun Jesus ultimate crossover.

In the '40s and '50s, trucks with enclosed, 1 compartment rear sections were called carryalls, where the same vehicles on car chassis were called station wagons. If you wanted to get serious about it, carryalls technically had windows in the back, like station wagons, whereas the ones without windows in truck form were called delivery vans, whereas the windowless cars were called sedan deliveries. Regarding assploding split rims, I had an acquaintance from Kentucky while I was in the Army in the '70s. We were still running split rims. To properly reinflate them after the rim and tube were replaced, they were supposed to be placed in a heavy cage, which you were not supposed to put your arms or hands inside of. Ol' Kentuck ignored that last bit one morning, and when the rim let go, it broke his arm right in half.

The rad cap access was important, because even though it is a pressurized system, it is not like what we are used to now. There is no recovery tank, and use in other than very mild conditions would result in coolant loss. Making it easy to top off the coolant was a good thing. The "jerrycan" on the passenger side with the unusually large opening is in fact, the water can. (Finding one that has not been at one time or another, filled with gasoline, is a rare thing). The wheels on this example are "Combat Wheels" , and were intended to be easier to deal with in the field, especially when the heavy self sealing/bullet resistant tire/tube combo was fitted. While being the same size as the lock ring style of wheel used on the M37 they are mechanically and functionally a bit different. It's not at all unusual to find examples of the WC out in the wild, fitted with the far easier to manage lock ring style split-rim. It is possible to speedmatch /clutchless shift the WC , but it takes a lot of practice. As you mentioned double-declutching is recommended. (Also, when going from First to Reverse, or Neutral to Reverse one may find it easier to slip it into second, let the clutch out a touch, then slip it into reverse for a "grind free" experience.).

It was interesting. I am glad you are doing these, not as exciting as tanks, but good info on WW II support vehicles.

“I just wish my Audi was like that” #cheiftanhumblebrag

My grandfather remembers these in the motor pools of Italy. They seem like very handy vehicles with good maintenance access, reliability, and really everything you could want in an army truck.

It makes me happy to see a vehicle this old in such nice condition. It looks good too! 😊

How do tension the tracks?

That beast is Ex Norwegian as shown by freewheel hubs. The tools are actually set up in the European manner, the US standard was outside tailgate, which means it can't drop all the way. Feild mods included putting rack on plate behind pasenger seat . Though they are early pattern seats. First gear is a crawler, far easier to start under most conditions in 2nd, There are 2 types of light switch a twist and a push. My 12 volt 51 has the push, the 6 volt 54 the twist. When topless and windscreen dropped the only type of vehicle lower than a Dodge was a Jeep. Dodge claimed the ground presure of the vehicles wa sthe same as a Camel. The standard brake are perfectly adequate, if you adjust them properly by the manual! They are vehicles you are expected to maintain, and they are made to check and maintain. Except the brake master cylinder, Dodge had a very off day when they decided to mount it behind the sterring coloum! Though a remote resovoir is easy enough to cobble up.

Is it inside the hatch if there's no hatch to go inside of? :D

For anyone curious about the videos of the tire exploding, you're looking for videos of split rim tires exploding to be exact.

I am really enjoying this slight detour into Rock Island. Interesting to see other vehicles that support the needs of the troops.

I demand a o bugger the [_______]'s on fire.... lol

On double declutching, when downshifting (the only time you really need to bother at all) you need to use the gas pedal when in neutral to speed the input shaft up to match the gear ratios to the next gear. Just putting it into neutral and letting off the clutch wont do anything but put the transmission to idle speed.

Oooh, *Military Vehicles and Weapons Jesus* Strikes again at the Rock Island Auction Company.

Where can I buy this so-called 4X4 off-road sedan? Edit1: there are not 4 tires there are 5 Edit2: there videos of tire changing fails of this rim type and you did link them in the description!

What a beautiful, simple, and elegant truck. 90 HP, and I will bet you this thing would go into more places than most of today's $70K "lifestyle" trucks.

No "Oh No, the truck is on fire"?:(

This video is invaluable for scale modelers. It's not only the great detail close ups but also the explanations you give. There aren't enough vids like this on "soft skins" and I hope you'll do more of them. Off to watch your video on the M3 scout car now. Thanks for posting.

Standard transmission. Millenial anti-theft device.

I went to my Y11 prom in one of these, with the soft roof on. The drivers even wore US army uniforms, it was great.

Saw a couple dozen of these in Normandy this year. Amazing vehicles, too bad the Jeep takes all the glory.

Dodge actually proposed the 3/4 ton upgrade not long before the half-ton design was standardized.There was something like 80% parts carryover between them. Radiator cap relocation was more a product of the lowered hood profile versus the half-tons than anything else.

Maybe it could tow a 40mm Bofors AA gun... If only there was someone who could do a video on that.... Gun Jesus perhaps?

America built great trucks in WWII. I understand that even Soviets appreciated the quality, reliability, and versatility of American trucks. Meanwhile, Hans and Fritz were lucky to ride in a horse drawn wagon.

No power steering or brakes.. Makes for a long drive in off road conditions..

Bet this would tow or mount that bofors gun just perfect!

"This thing is gonna be shot out at incredible warp factors" I need that quote on a painting or something like that XD What is the warp factor then? 5.4 or 9.0? XP

Was given one, because we kept breaking the modern MAN's. The Dodge prooved to be indestructible...

My father had one of these as a command/recon/light utility vehicle when he was in the army. And he loved it. Called it his 'big Jeep' and whenever I ask him about it his eyes light up. Seeing it like this I can sort of see why he liked it. Not too big, but not exactly small either, so driving it offroad must at the time have been a positive experience compared to the competition.

I find your indecipherable accent interesting.

Maybe a divergence, but the clothing that tankers or other crew wore might be worth looking at. Getting out of the theoretical burning tank might be complicated by some of the cold weather tanker gear, for example, and fitting in some of the crew positions whilst wearing tank crew helmets might get more challenging. I once failed to exit a jeep due to getting stuff snagged in the U-shaped channel around the edge. I wonder what other vehicles have pitfalls for anyone wearing anything other than the most basic of uniform and external gear?

What are the four handles? on the outer sides of the bed for? Tie down points?

Nobody: "The Chieftain" to those 80% of the Americans who don't know how to drive in manual transmission: "What's wrong with you?!"

Well, someone paid a lot for a used truck, dented hood, brush guard tines bent, the instruments in the dash all are crooked. The tire rims are bead locked style used for sand and soft ground, not the split rims that if you are not careful putting it together right will pop the ring. Typical used car dealer....slap some paint on it and claimed it is restored. WC is not Weapon Carrier but W= 1941 model year and cargo capacity....similarly my army truck is VF 404--1940 1 1/2 ton cargo, short wheel base.

I can drive a manual transmission! Lol

200,000 made. This little truck helped win the war.

Worth noting, when Stalin was asked what won the war against the Germans he replied: Dodge trucks. We gave them some as well as plans so they could build them. A very important piece of equipment in history.

Fun fact about automatic vs manual transmission: I work for the fire department of one of Germanys major cities, and have been driving manual transmission cars for 20 years. although automatic is quite unpopular in Europe, all cars, trucks, rolling stock we use is automatic. It's much safer in stressful situations not having to deal with shifting gears. Driving different fire dept cars for 2 years now I notice I have to remind myself constantly to shift when driving manual transmission. So yes, I guess the next car I buy will be automatic too. 😂

WHERE IS YOUR EPIC BATTLE WITH IAN OF FORGOTTEN WEAPONS!?

13:56 I like the built-in cutting board

That's what Hummer's grandpa looked like!

Americans best Anti-Theft Device: The Manuel Transmission :D

That is A REAL PICK UP TRUCK..not a ford f350 ram 2500

Is it a bird? A plane? NO! It's SUPER-JEEP!

Додж 3/4, знакомый автомобиль.

Excellent job Chieftain, good to see you finally do vehicles you can easily get in and out of; and I'm already a fan of Rock Island from the small arms videos - terrific mix!

A few observations: You would never do a compression test with the hand-crank; you completely missed the point of the bead-lock rims and how they work - a very important aspect of this vehicle and why there are all of those nuts around the rim perimeter; there are post-war after market lockout hubs - you'd never have those on a military vehicle; in spite of what was said, access to the starter motor is difficult on the WC trucks (see my previous comment); and, there is a lot not original on this vehicle, including the lights, the tail-lights (the original ones are completely missing), modern front disk brakes, lockout hubs, a metal bed pan (originals were wood), and a few other items. This is not an especially good example of an original WC.

The steering is unbelievably heavy. I recently drove a friend's Dodge WC. When you have to change down and turn a corner at the same time , you lose all speed trying to wrench the wheel round and at the same time double clutch and get the gear lever into a lower gear. I ended up coasting to a stop trying, then had to select first gear and start off all over again., much to the chagrin of motorists behind me. The brakes ought to be vacuum boosted. They are also super heavy, used to slow you down, not stop quickly. I think this is why they have a very heavy front bumper and spring steel bumperettes on the back- so in convoy, drivers could just bump into each other to stop with no damage. Fun vehicle, though.

Trucks and staff cars are just as important as tanks.

can you do the Panzer lV please????? there is only one on the internet and its not as detailed as your videos.

Love these videos of the more "mundane" wheeled vehicles that won the war by moving troops, supplies, and equipment around the battlefield and from the rear. On thing though, didn't this vehicle also have manual locking front hubs or did they have automatic ones by this point? I noticed it was not mentioned, and I assume a lot of younger people may no know what they are.

Hey Chieftain, Love your channel, you got me back into armor modeling. How about a hatch episode or two on tank transporters ? After all, tanks can't get by without them.

Coolants weren't long-lasting like even in the 70s. So an easy access radiator was very useful. (Old mechanic here)

I grew up with a nice old WC 51 in my family, my sweet old dad had one in the early 60s. Ours had a soft front top, and a rear top canvas too. He eventually added a front winch, and used it to pull stuck vehicles out on the beach. It was a solid gold family surf fishing machine, when I was growing up as a kid. This brings back some very good memories. Thank you!

I'll know I'm old when the Dodge M880's start showing up.

*Amazing!!, thanks for sharing these videos!!! Liked & Subcribed!!!*

i know its 50 years but IMO this thing is like an early version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee/Wagoneer especially the placement of that fuel tank and the inline 6.

Never did spot the starter pedal ... was it under the throttle pedal?

Math is certainly not The Chieftains strong suit. I see 5 wheels my friend :P Love your content!

The WC series was 51-59. All on the same chassis, even the carryall. The WC55 was for a 37 cannon and was also known as a Gun Motor Carriage 6. 1230 made. I own one. Troop seats are shorter with the corners having ammo lockers for 25 rounds 37 MM each. No spare tire at all. Originally was bullet proof tires, never did find a good description of what they were. WC stands for Weapon (no S) Carrier When pulling the engine, just remove the front grill and clip, fenders on and lift the engine and tranny together out. Those lit up reflectors are way modern, but nicely placed. originals were red reflectors no light. That truck has the late wood sides for the truck bed,. Earlier was all steel. That truck was also converted to disc at some point That truck has a New Process 220 trans. when going into neutral between gears, move the lever in neutral back and forth, really sets the gears up. Speedo was repro, you can tell by 6 digits, originals are 5. There was a WC 63, and 64. One with winch one no winch. dual wheels in the rear. Done as squads went from 8-12 people. Late war. The Norwegian returns were well taken care of over time. 34 k is a lot of money. Fun to drive.

Those born when there was nothing but manual transmission vehicles, had no choice but to learn that, as the world didn't know any better. For everyone else, there has been a choice, ever since automatic transmissions were invented. So whatever your gender or age, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with you if you don't like, or simply never learned to drive a stick. Don't ever let any judgemental know-it-alls tell you otherwise. It would be like shaming Millennials, or even more so, any teenager in 2021, for not knowing how to operate a Walkman or an 8-Track player, and telling them music is "more fun" that way. To each his own!

So, basically, this is the HMMWV of WWII? I wish they would make new versions of this. How many 3rd world armies buy Toyota Hi-Lux pick-up trucks because they can't afford (or maintain) modern American gear that is too expensive, too fragile, and difficult to fix?

Dodge was so well loved that the Japanese designed the Nissan Carrier (Identical) for the Indian Army. Petrol consumption was never Dodge's concern, as it was for many users! The old Power Wagon still hosts enthusiasts in Kansas,US.

The reason why the radiator cap was exposed on those trucks is because water pump shaft seals were not very good during WW2. The ceramic seals they use today weren’t commonly used until the 1950s. So being able to top without having to open the hood was an advantage. Second, the transfer case without a low range is commonly called an in and out box. The simplest type of transfer case. Jeeps needed a low range due to them being equipped with only a 3 speed transmission, and first gear wasn’t very low, so they needed a low range. 3/4 ton trucks and bigger in the old days often had 4 speeds, with a 7:1 first gear, so a low range really wasn’t necessary for them.

If it makes you feel better, a friend of my grandfather used one of these throughout WW2 and he also would enter from the passenger side because of the tire blocking the driver side. I remember this because it was one of my first introductions, as a wee lad, to how governments can make things more trouble than they have to be. Why on the driver side was the perennial complaint and heeded it was not. Good ol' Uncle Sam...

Regarding the external radiator cap, you have completely missed the point, along with a very important portion of the Dodge WC series truck evolution. The cap was not external uniquely to give better access, but rather, as a side-effect of the Ordnance Department's directed changes to the original 1/2-ton VC design. The basic direction was to do this: 1) uprate the truck to 3/4-ton rating; 2) increase ground clearance; and 3) decrease the overall height silhouette. Obviously, the first two requirements were in contrast to the last. The visual result of this is the obviously flattened hood and the lowered firewall, when compared to the original 1/2-ton VC truck's, which were significantly higher. However, in order to accomplish this, Dodge engineers had to make the front radiator cowl go right down over the top of the radiator, and thus the exposed radiator cap. The lower silhouette changes also resulted in the complex carburetor setup, with the air-filter extension and the unusual placement of the air-filter, as well as poor access to the starter motor and the awkward throttle pedal, among other things.

An early vehicular crush, closely following the 1/4 ton and preceding the pinzgauer, absolutely loves these wonderful vehicles

My older bro was in Motor-T. He was driving past a maintenance tent one day when he noticed a guy sitting on a tire he was inflating. Before you could mumble 'bad idea,' the down-facing ring parted, launching the mech and tire into the tent roof. Then, the tire fell, followed by the mech, who was uninjured--this time.

Americans are forgetting how to drive stick because your ty3pucal dealer might have 20 variants of one car model and only 1 or 2 will have a manual transmission, and some have even started charging extra for a stick in most of their offerings. A clutch becomes way less fun in slow-crawl traffic - had one for many years. People don't ask to borrow your car much when its a stick.

I really like these old trucks. No power anything makes them a chore to drive but also a lot of fun. Also makes one appreciate newer vehicles with power steering and brakes.

I owned one of these long ago. It was great - but a bit cramped. Ohhh... ...that was a Ford Festiva. Never mind. ☮

Hello! I have one! I Live in Brazil and my father bought it in 1962 from Brazilian Army. I really love my WC and it's very rare here.

I wish Chieftain or somebody would do the military version of the Opel Cadet. Read 5 years, 4 fronts. The author's Opel deserves it's on book!

I was down in Hammond Louisiana visiting a 20-something nephew and his family.. He is a mechanic and the shop he worked at had one of these in for some work,. But no one in the shop knew how to start it....... Then he remembered his old uncle Paul who had been in the Army.. he would know.. And I did.

I understand why many Americans can't drive a stick. There are few cars sold in the U.S. that aren't automatic anymore. I can drive a stick. But most people under 40 havn't had the chance to drive a car with a manual transmission.

Most vehicles all around the world up until late-1950's had 6-volt electrical systems rather than 12V. Not sure why, though.

When Chrysler products were worth owning, unlike any built after 1970.

I think this is going to be popular in the auction. Not only is it a neat looking vehicle, and very classic, it is also just a good general vehicle. It can do a little bit of whatever you need done. I can just imagine picking up bags of soil for a project and hauling them home in this thing. Looking stylish, ha. Also those that like to do those historical runs, this truck can be made into like 20 different war time vehicle options. You can throw a gun in it and make it a tank destroyer. It can be made into an ambulance. It can be a troop transport. It can be a repair truck. It can even be an officer transport.

That fuel filler is so simple but makes so much sense. So many ATVs and construction equipment and things like that could use something like that.

Had a later model in 1976 .used it to run around the wilds ofGermany. Really hated it when it was replaced with the M-880

The guy commentating should have learned a bit before doing this presentation. The deal with the radiator cap is that unlike the preceeding 1/2 ton Dodges, the 3/4 tonners were designed to be "low silhouette" and so there was no room under the hood for the cap.

Lol ive ridden and driven one of these vehicles- both were owned by private persons - i prefer to be the driver lol - and they will carry more then the stated load - they are very tough and versatile - i always wanted one - ive also driven the much bigger 6x6 10 ton utility truck - thank god it had an automatic tranny

My father drove a WC-51 in Iran, with the U.S. Persian Gulf Command.

do not depress the clutch completely unless you are stopped. If you floor it you will activate the clutch break and burn it out making it tough to get into gear when you are at a dead stop.

It's actually getting hard to get manual transmissions in the US nowadays. I only learned how to drive one this year. Really made me love that little truck.

Is readimg from a book because he can read good. He thinks hes an expert because he tells you things only a book would tell you

Finally, a vehicle Chieftain can sit upright in. This needs to be my Sunday driver.

Well... I've been double clutchin my rides for years and didn't even know it.

That built in fuel filler funnel is fantastic :)

Semi elliptic is just one type of leaf spring .And if it has an inner tube, why would the bead lock shoot off?

I just made this truck. And the WC63,The Command Car and Medic truck.

Another wish: with the trend of re-creating great vehicles of the past, why not this one? Or the classics from the 50s?

For those interested: M6 Tank Destroyer ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rMMRiAPh6Nw.html

You must have been devastated!! No track tensioning!😂

You didn’t show us how fast you could exit the vehicle if it was on fire, I mean that’s the meme for this channel. I mean who hates that bit?

My father drove one of those for the Army in Korea in the late '40s before the "Conflict."

Stick is the new passive antitheft device and to think I learned on a 3 speed column shift at 11 years old.