Saved From Scrap! WW2 CCKW 6x6, Will it Run? I Need Help... 

Came for $2 Jeep - stayed for mechanical expertise and deadpan humor.

I am old, 81, and in addition to having been around a lot of heavy equipment from very early in my life in the mid and late 50s, I did see modified WWII trucks like this, re-purposed for use in the logging industry. I saw 6x6s modified for every use, from skidders, to a set up similar to what you have, with a small deck, a winch and gin poles. All the ones I saw, seemed to be one off local modifications, and I never saw a set up that looked mass produced like that. My WWII truck story is, that my uncle was a welder, who built and modified logging trucks in the interior of BC. I would go off road, on remote jobs, as his helper, in a modified WWII Power Wagon with a 300 amp Lincoln. Some roads, were unbelievably bad, but we always got to the job done and got back. They might have been slow, but they were great trucks. We referred to that rear axle setup on your deuce and a half, as a walking beam, and it is amazing how flexible that setup was. I have an old, heavy, tandem trailer that is set up like that. I love that you are saving these old trucks.

I'm a simple man. I see a Low Buck video, I click it.

I have to say, James' critical sense is one of the most incredible things I've seen in all my years on RU-vid. the level of knowledge is simply fantastic and as I always say, the humor fantastic. This is one of the projects that, besides distracting me, will definitely teach me a lot. James, once again, thanks for the video and greetings from Brazil.

I wouldn’t say for sure, but Memphis Truck, in Tennessee obviously, did exactly this for decades. They took old military trucks and converted them for civilian use. I owed a M109a3 that had been converted into a GA Department of Transportation off-road truck. It was a Memphis rebuild vehicle. Not sure how you find out for sure but that is an avenue I would explore. Love the vids.

It is hard for me to understand why a truck as good and interesting as this would ever be scrapped , it is very close to the same age as I am and I’m still going 😁

Amazing that those WW2 trucks are still getting scrapped. They are heavy, so the scrap value is unfortunately high enough. At the end of WW2 they were sold on the German Autobahn bumper touching bumper and the Swiss and other neutral Armies bought vehicles by length: We bought Jeeps, Dodge WC trucks and the kind of trucks we see here. We called the GMCs. We bought some P51 Mustangs as well. The Swiss put an oilpan with drain plugs and grease points on the trucks. It is said that those trucks were supposed to live only 8000 miles or so. We used them in our Army until the Eighties. They are solid as Hell but they were disadvantages: I did not drive on, but in1985 we had a handful left. The Dodge trucks were sold and gone by 81, most WW2 Jeeps as well. The farmers bought them. My Dad drove them and he said on very narrow mountain roads you had to zig zag to make those trucks go around the most narrow curves. The biggest problem was their extreme thirst for gas. The lowest consumption I have heard was 80 l for a hundred km, (2.9miles per gallon) the highest 180 l! (1.3 miles per gallon). Our last monster would always drive alongside a trailer full of Jerry cans pulled by another more modern truck. But there is a loyal collector fan base in Switzerland. Some crazy guys drive to the landing zone in Normandy every year. They spend thousands of $ on gas alone! I love Army trucks of the Fourties and Fifties and I drove a handful during my Army service. Nothing that solid and reliable will ever be built again.

You're a hero saving that bit of vintage from destruction. She wants to live!

Awesome! Backyard Alaskan will thank you for the save! (He has a bunch of these, Chevy and Studebaker!)

Been spending all day weeding the garden. Everytime I stopped having fun, I thought of you and changed how I was doing it. Now the wheelbarrow's fixed and working better and I'm taking a beer break before finishing up. Cheers!

Putting oil or ATF in the cylinders really helps build compression and free up the rings.

Who in their right mind would send that beauty to the knacker's yard? Thanks for saving it!

"Because Flames!" You Sir are Awesome. You never cease to impress me and amaze me with the stuff you find and get Running. Love your content and Hope you continue to produce it mate. Remember.. if they dont find you Handsome, they sure outta find you Handy. Cheers.

The date of the replacement engine is probably a clue to when it was converted. They built the tow rig on back and replaced the engine at the same time, maybe with Government issue spares that they purchased at the same time as the truck.

Who ever was about to scrap this beautiful beast is a MENACE

My guess would be that the modifications were done for logging or oil field work. Since the tank was made in Texas, and its high vis yellow, then its probably for oil field pipe laying or well pipe handling.

*- James, my lady enjoyed this and could feel you cheering back the old truck and joined you.* *- "He has the right attitude so I could watch this and learn. So I joined him."* *- "There is no defeatist attitude in him. like the little engine that could... 'Yes, I can. Yes, I can.'"*

I absolutely love it. Never saw a CCKW fitted with one of these. I own a CCW-353 (6X4) and a Chevy G506 like yours. Same joy you have experienced starting them for the first time - the ejected mouse nests, ford wrenches, and half eaten cheese burgers that come out of the exhaust - simply priceless. When I brought my G506 home it was a pink rolling disaster but it is looking better now. The old fire department red had faded to pink.

What a beast! It would have been criminal to scrap it.

It’s an Old Tank Retriever!! But they used them to yank stuff out from anywhere. Really Cool Truck it deserves a rebuild especially those winches that could pull your house down!! Great Videos Thank You 🙏. You really need to get a book on Old Military Trucks.

One time my Father gave me an old flatbed truck (70's chevy one ton) he built up to move a farm tractor back and forth to a property he had up north. Long story short the property sold at a good profit and he didn't need the truck. I had it for a while but had to store it back at his farm. After a few years he asked me t get it the hell out of there! :) At first I had payed attention to it .. Stared it three times a year, added oil and air put fresh gas in it, but it was sitting idle for 2 years. My Dad was confident it was scap, but I got the booster cables out and it started right up!!! :) I ended up putting new bearings in the bottom end of the engine new 4 barrel carburetor, and all seals, and put the 350 motor and the giant 4 bolt (4.88) rear end in a 1966 Chevy van :) and drove it for years! :)

I'm inordinately pleased that you saved that beast from the scrap yard. When I was a young guy I worked at a shop that had a pattern burner, a vertical oxy/acetylene torch on a horizontally movable arm that was connected to another arm that would follow a sheet metal pattern. I cut out all kinds of things out of heavy plate, many of which are the kinds of things welded on that truck. We had a big bin full of different patterns.

My father was in the REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, UK army) as he says if the REME couldn't fix they'd make sure no one else could, you and he have a lot in common.

"Some minor surface imperfections" ! Love that enthousiasm !

Saving history for everyone to appreciate thanks James.

You saved another cool piece of well engineered machinery from the scrap pile. Can’t wait to see it climbing hills! As always, super entertaining and educational.

It pleases me to see a guy right down the road from me with the same problem......I mean hobby. 😄 Fun as always man.

Hi Jame's: We are kindred spirits. I created and run the Swords and Ploughshares Museum near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We are a military museum that doesn't restore all our trucks back to their military glory. Some are left as found to help tell the ploughshare side of the story. Good luck with the overhaul of the CCKW!! 🫡🎉🎊👍🍁

One of the best channels on RU-vid! You are patriot and a sensible man.

Post-military, the truck was SUPER WELL-BUILT!

I can't believe there are only 108 thousand subscribers. This is an excellent channel. This episode was pretty exciting. Thanks for going to all this trouble.

I love this channel because There are a lot of people who just buy old cars and old stuff just to destroy it I don't like that But when i see you trying to get these cars started again that makes me happy. Thank you

So glad to see you save such an awesome old truck 👍👍

Awesome CCKW! My Dad was MP SSgt in Red Ball Express.

Always a satisfying video with a few laughs too! Thanks. I love these big old beasts!

1st Gear in the 2 1/2 ton trucks is a granny gear. It is super low, and the max speed in 1st is around 3 mph. Thats why it is out of sequence with the rest of the pattern. Try it in 2nd gear.

I cant believe some DOPE was gonna SCRAP this beast!! Whatta machine!

Hi, and your fleet keeps growing ,good going , it runs, some what , good stuff , thanks for the humor .

A buddy had a 46 the same color in the original configuration with the bed. Probably a good tune up and wires and it might even out. Check to see if the add on is olive drab underneath the yellow paint. It's always possible it a military modification for a heavy recovery truck.

Simple, informative, entertaining and funny, THE BEST for me!! THX

Thanks. I need these kind of videos. I know it must be hard to keep a steady supply of them coming. I appreciate the effort.

That was a freaking outstanding rescue sir, two thumbs up. So great to watch, thank you!

Always good to save a old war truck. It wants to run again another you tuber has a collection of these but he lives in Alaska. Great video 👍

I love this, you remind me of my dad & grandpa they both love to tinker with old stuff.

All your videos are GREAT, but this was one of my favorites!

Awesome Save brother..she is way too cool and stout to be sitting lonely in a scrap yard. well done.soon as i heard that pop i knew it would run.Great video and thanks for sharing this Rare gem.so cool.

You are a Master @ this RU-vid thing, I can’t believe this Channel hasn’t gained traction better than it has You Captivate us Every Episode. It’s only a Matter of Time. I Live Vicariously through You Sir, I’ll catch you on the next One, Keep It Safe Out There Sir

James You are realy a nice man, i like to see that you Save this Cool Beauty from Scraping, makes me veery Happy to Watch you.r movie and to know this nicely Truck will be Save in You.r Place .. I Love all the Old Cars and Trucks, and they are Worthy to Restore and Saving them from get Lost .. Many Thx to You and Keep on Rocking.. and pls Poste more Videos about this Truck wath.s going on in his ,,New.. Live ;-)) Thx a Lot ,, Sincerely Maik from Switzerland

Good morning from Cape Cod ⛵ you sir really do some amazing work. Your sense of humor and amount of knowledge keeps me coming back to the channel. The fact that you explain exactly what you're doing and why sets you apart from the rest. I'm looking forward to seeing what becomes of this military truck. 👍✌️🇺🇲

that old iron must love it when someone comes and revives it!

Keep these videos coming. Wish I had the knowledge to help find this trucks history, here in Kentucky the rural electric company back in the early fifties used those trucks as pole trucks for setting us new areas to have electric in homes and barns.

Such a pleasure to hear that old gran pa motor sing again in the end. You're a magician ! Very enternaining video . Cheers from France !

YES! I think you did save some precious metal and made it very happy in it's new home. Love your channel !

Thank you for saving this! We lose more of our history every day...

I’d love for you to do a video on the green and white RV in the background that looks to be 4x4. Any 4x4 RV’s really interests me and I’ve never seen anything like it.

I like old stuff and I like seeing old stuff saved. That is an awesome truck no matter what you do with it or it's origins. It may have only ran on three cylinders, but IT RAN!

Glad i found this channel its a gem!

Love seeing old bits of kit being saved and bought back to life!. Also an education for us 'non' mechanical Noddies!. Nice one!, Nuff said!. 🙂🍺

We need more people like yourself. Kind of crazy but a crafty sense of humor. I do believe I would of used two cycle mix fuel for this start up as the extra lubrication might help in getting stuff lubricated. Sadly I have seen these before but memories are just that. gone fishing I suppose.

I love the rundown of the condition at the start of the video - it is practically 'factory fresh' compared to some vehicles you fix.

That back section looks like possibly a logging rig or pole setter. Good Luck and nice save.

Seriously, this is so much better than those rust yard restoration shows. It's a combination of Red Green (except funny and interesting) and West Coast Choppers or Rust Valley Restoration. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS!

That’s exactly what my jeep straight 6 sounded like when someone had the firing order wrong. I’d check that

It was awesome not to see water and slime coming out of the pan! Funny seeing the muffler coughing out particles of years of dust. Great old truck!! Love the channel.😆👍

Nice job getting this old relic up and running

I’m so glad you saved that truck. Cheers, Stuart. 🇦🇺

One man's trash is another man's treasure . Sadly being up here in Mo. we do not have those kinds of finds around here

Glad you intercepted her on it's way to the shredder! A piece of history! My Dad went in on first wave Omaha Beach. These trucks helped win WWII. Thanks for the video! ✌👏👍

I'm eager to see more.

1st time viewer now sub'd . Like you humor now I have to start watching back vids . Retirement is great ! Take care 👍👍👍👍

I love the initial critical review on condition 😂

Dude im dying laughing. You have all the humor that other guy HAD till he got rich doing youtube. May you achieve his success too, but never lose the humor!!

*"That tire doesn't have a lot of treadlife left..."* *Make a 10 ton pickup.* *I love the headlamp bullet-buckets.*

"We moved ! Several Feet" 🤣 Excellent work, excellent comment !

I'm looking forward to the next episodes more than the weekend.😅

"I'll just spray the entire engine in general. Then it should be working better." Classic garage repair wisdom. Just spray the whole damn thing!

The 1943 GMC G-508 CCKW "Jimmy" 2.5-ton 6x6 truck was built by General Motors Corporation (GMC).[1][2][3][4] Some key points: - GMC won the U.S. Army contract in 1941 to produce the CCKW design. - Total CCKW production by GMC from 1941-1945 was around 572,500 units, making it one of the most mass-produced vehicles of WWII.[1][4] - The CCKW was designed as a standardized, off-road capable 2.5-ton 6x6 truck for the U.S. Army.[2][3] - It was nicknamed the "Jimmy" or "Deuce and a Half" by U.S. soldiers referring to its 2.5-ton payload capacity.[3] - CCKWs saw heavy service as cargo trucks with Allied forces in both World War II and the Korean War.[2][3] So in summary, the prolific 1943 GMC G-508 CCKW 2.5-ton 6x6 truck, widely known as the "Jimmy", was manufactured by General Motors Corporation's GMC division during World War II.[1][2][3][4] Sources [1] This 1943 GMC CCKW Survivor Was Used To Refuel B-17 Bombers ... www.autoevolution.com/news/this-1943-gmc-cckw-survivor-was-used-to-refuel-b-17-bombers-in-ww2-still-runs-219159.html [2] Lot 0316: 1943 GMC Air Compressor (USA) auction.tracksandtrade.com/auction/lot-0316-6x6-gmc-cckw-353-2-air-compressor-truck-07-1943-usa [3] GMC CCKW 353 (G-508 / Jimmy / Deuce-and-a-Half) - Military Factory www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=312 [4] CCKW GMC-353 LWB and 352 SWB 2-1/2 ton 6x6 medium trucks truck-encyclopedia.com/ww2/us/GMC-353-CCKW-2-1-2-ton-6x6-truck.php [5] Frozen 1943 GMC CCKW Comes Back to Life, Handles Snow Like a ... www.autoevolution.com/news/frozen-1943-gmc-cckw-comes-back-to-life-takes-snow-like-a-champ-231459.html

With a pole boom, I could see this being handy at the mine. If I taught a shop class, your videos would be Monday's lesson to get the students thinking !

Check out BackyardAlaskan, he collects those trucks and has quite a bit of knowledge. One thing I’ve learned off his channel is that the rear axles are a weak point. This looks like it’ll be a fun project to add to your collection

So good to see someone showing the old iron respect, these trucks are part of our National heritage and an example of our "Finest Generation." They're 80 years old now and represent the defeat of Hitler and the Axis powers during WWII. Your CCKW has Timken "Split axles, while many of the GMC CCKWs also used Dana "banjo" axles. We have several of these awesome trucks and yours is in immaculate condition. Just within the last week we rescued a Studebaker US6, - a close cousin to the GMC CCKW with many of the same parts. Make it run again, and Keep'em Rolling!

Man... awesome that you saved this. What was the guy scrapping this beauty thinking? This could be your main pull vehicle if you fix er up Low Buck Garage ++ style. Nice score! For sure, they don' tmake them like this anymore.

Yet another excellent rescue, she'll come right back to life.

Hey man, just wanted to say, please keep making such restoration videos if your budget allows it. I had a bad day and your videos got me through it, so thanks a lot.

Looks like an oil field service truck.

Please do a walk through of your 4x4 rv. That rv looks so neat, I bet there are more people that would like to see a rundown of what has been done to it.

This type of structure and weight distribution indicates more of a wrecker than a cargo crane or gin pole.

Every video you make, I build up my information base from your vehicle ID segment plus I glean at least one tidbit of practical info so I’m always a winner watching you……plus I love the fact that you have saved a bit of history from the scrappers…..bonus

Those were converted for logging

What a terrific project and I like how you talk through all the elements of the truck as part pf your investigation. 👍👍👍

SO in the 80s and some of the 90s I worked at Ascension island there where a bunch of Deuces, CCKW's, old M series Dodges in 3 Junkyards, but there was one G508 CCKW with a winch set up similar to yours, which was used for constructing the HF antennae towers. Mayhap your's was used for primary power line construction? The one on the island had a big 30ton PTO winch on it. I got several of those old trucks running. They where taken there by contractors who built the tracking station in the mid 50s, the USAF reniged and wouldn't ship them back so the contractor (Nat Harrison Overseas) drove them into a gulch where the USAF couldnt use them.

That is one heck of a find. I had a good laugh at that shift pattern. I look forward to seeing what you make of it.

Good saving👍, you should probably make it to go off road and convert her into a wrecker. A "cargo truck with a cable winch," you say? Now that's very interesting and wondering if she'd ever went to any services overseas to Europe(NAZIs) or to the Pacific(IJA) in any major roll scene she's a WW2 truck.

Love that truck. Great to see it saved. Thank you🙏❤️

Maybe converted to an oil field truck or pipeline truck?

Great vid and truck, can't wait to see you improve it , thanks for sharing 👍💨💨

"Your task, if you accept it, will be getting this beast running again. This message will selfdestruct in 5 seconds..."

Awesome

legit, hope you get this ole boy up and running again. you can see he WANTS to go back to work. he just needs a hand.. Cheers!

That was fun, watching you breath life in that iconic old beast ! It brought back some good memories of hauling scrap in vintage rigs powered by those 270 and 302- cubic-inch GM motors. Gas was 39 cents per gallon, scrap iron was worth $100 per ton, cash, at the scale-house. Once we drove the 4X4 version of that truck [ w/ a flat-head Chrysler 6-cylinder ] from San Francisco to Elco, Nevada, to prospect for gold in the desert. It would go 50 mph, but it liked 40-45 better. It would climb anything, and make it's own roads through the sagebrush, and chemise....

Your "know how" is great, but your sense of humor is even better. Thanks for the videos.