1943 Dodge WC51 Hood and Transfer Case Linkage Repairs

There's a central hinge on the hood of this truck. Each side can open up to work on that side of the engine bay. Problem is, the hinge pivot on the back edge of the hood had broken off at some point and the hood halves no longer stay propped up. It's no wonder the pivot broke, as it's just the end of the hinge sheet metal that had been formed into a round peg. Here's a photo of the front hinge pivot for context.

1943 Dodge WC51 Map Table

When first looking at this truck at the previous owner's place, he mentioned, "It even has a map table." He tried to pull out a piece of wood from under the glove compartment but it was stuck. Well isn't that cool though, I thought to myself. Once I finally did get the piece of wood to budge, I found out it was pressed board, so it was time to make a replacement. I found a piece of 3/4" pine in the basement and set about cutting it up into strips. I decided to make the strips two different widths just to make things interesting.

1943 Dodge WC51 Starter Pedal Repair

This truck has a unique starting system. You don't just turn the key to the start position and have the starter motor happily crank away. Oh, no. You push on a long rod or pedal with the tip of your right foot, press down firmly, and then the starter motor comes to life. With your foot on the pedal, it will take some coordination to use the heel of your foot to apply some throttle from the gas pedal while still  pressing the starter pedal. It takes a bit of practice. The truck is supposed to have a manual throttle cable in the cab so as to allow application of some throttle without having to get your foot onto the gas pedal, but mine is missing. It's only $35 (!) to get a new throttle cable. Someday.