1917 Kissel Model 6-38 US Army Truck - Light Troop Carrier

[ron hausmann]

Starting to look like a truck as of March 18, 2020.

Ron Hausmann

[John S.]

Ron, it looks like a Kissel factory! What is the wheelbase on the truck, and what is the carrying capacity? Thanks, John

[ron hausmann]

John S. - This light truck is being built on a Kissel Model 6-38 auto chassis, which has a 117” wheelbase and a Kissel-made 6 cylinder L-head engine. As a reference, Ford and General Motors WW1 light truck -ambulances utilized auto chassis rather than true truck chassis.   Based upon the 6-38 chassis capacity, this light truck should be a one - ton truck capacity. Ten troopers will be fine.

thanks, Ron Hausmann P.E.

[ron hausmann]

All - sorry to have omitted my updates for so many weeks. We are in SE Michigan and things are bad here with the virus. Two weeks ago I tested POSITIVE for coronavirus but seem to be fortunate with a less than severe case. If you are positive, they will keep you quarantined for three weeks, even though you are generally out of danger after ten days or so. To be safe.

     During this quarantine, after fighting off my milder symptoms, I’ve restarted some therapeutic light restoration work.’

     Pictured is an instrument dash plate for my Kissel. The 1916 Kissel dash plate is a beautiful pot metal casting. I’m us g that one. 1917 and 1918 Kissels used pressed metal dash plates. I chose to use a 1916 plate for my car because It was the least damaged and is probably the only one that exists anywhere. No one really knows the difference 1916 to 1917/18?except me telling you here anyway!

    My cast plate was split on its left side and missing its upper right corner. Today I built a precise form to recast these repairs and so far so good. I used JB Weld in a Saran wrapped form and you can see. It’s great.! After three days cure I can do some dremel work and it will be good as new once painted    
     Stay safe. This virus is bad! 
     Ron Hausmann 

[zeke01]

Hope your health news continues to be good. Zeke

[John S.]

Ron, you are in  my prayers for a speedy recovery. Stay safe. John

[Mike Macartney]

Ron, I am very pleased to hear that you only had mild symptoms of the coronavirus. It is good to see you back 'posting' again. Stay safe and look after yourself. Mike

[ron hausmann]

All - Getting back to restoration now that immediate danger is past! I tested NEGAT8VE for COVID19 on Tuesday, April 21 2020,after testing positive on April 1. 
    below are pictures of a 1917 Kissel model 6-38 Light Army Truck cowl, cowl framing and dash instruments casting. The casting rebuild described in post above is coming along well. Just in need of more cosmetic work. Look close.
    The cowl metal piece was tricky. I cut off the front end of an old car cowl. Try cutting a three-dimensional flared metal cowl completely flat! That new cowl piece required front and back framing to strengthen it. That framed cowl will carry the steering column, instruments, hood, and front framing which requires much strength and rigidity. I carved these pieces out out solid oak.

   More to follow. Ron Hausmann

[ron hausmann]

Starting to look like a light truck. Here are pictures today May 3, 2020

[Terry Harper]

Ron,

 

I have really enjoyed watching this project come together and how quick its moving along. It looks fantastic!

 

Best regards,

Terry

[hddennis]

Ron, check this out on Google books. Might have some details from your trucks time in service.

Howard Dennis

 

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Manual+of+the+Motor+Transport+Corps#spf=1588776169411

[Larry Schramm]

Ron,

Truck looking good.  Should have called me as I had to rebuild the body on my '15 Buick truck which is a 3/4 ton truck.  On deck when I get a couple more projects done is to rebuild the truck body on my '18 Buick truck.  Maybe we can get together after the corona stuff passes.

Larry

[ron hausmann]

Larry - thanks for your note. Yes let’s get together soon.

All - here are current pictures as of May 9, 2020. Body sills are ready to go on. Body aprons have been finished with one coat of camo. Body frame and framed cowl are ready to be mounted permanently on those pieces. Ran out of sill padding so ordered some. This week will star5 doing assembly and she will start looking truck-ish.

Ron Hausmann P.E.

[ron hausmann]

All -  

  As of May 13, 2020, assembly of the frame components is underway. I’m kind of  designing those components as we go, since no trucks of this model survive. Note that I have purposely misplaced the steering co.umn temporarily, to keep it out of my way when fitting oak body components. 
   Challenges ahead are;

A. reducing length of all five steering column components by six inches

B. unfreezing major rust within brake operating rod components

C. designing and ordering gas tank that can actually be filled and gauged with this body on

D. Designing and creating instrument box cluster for this unique configuration

E. Making a light artillery hitch that is strong, big, and will work for a small towed piece.

     Stay tuned! Ron Hausmann P.E.

[ron hausmann]

More pics 

[edinmass]

Ron, it looks good. Most people don't realize how difficult getting things to look right is when working from just photos. It's the small pieces and details that can take hours to figure out for each one. Soak your brake rods in heated Evapo - Rust........works great. Hope to be up you way sometime in June taking the car for a weekend spin. Best, ED

[MichiDan56]

What a great project to undertake!  I'm going to assume that the Kissel Gold Bug that was at a VERY windy, chilly Cars and Coffee at the MI Concourse a few years ago belongs to you? (I live in the Pontiac area).

[John S.]

Ron, you do wonderful work.  Such an interesting project. 

[ron hausmann]

1 hour ago, MichiDan56 said:

What a great project to undertake!  I'm going to assume that the Kissel Gold Bug that was at a VERY windy, chilly Cars and Coffee at the MI Concourse a few years ago belongs to you? (I live in the Pontiac area).

Yes that was me. My restored Kissels live at one of the large units at M1 car concourse. Here are several of them at my garage there.

[MichiDan56]

May I ask how you got started with Kissels?  Or will get too much off topic?

 

[ron hausmann]

    It’s not off topic - it’s on topic.

    I grew up on a farm a few miles away from Hartford Wisconsin. I saw several Kissels, cut down to function as tractors, as a child. They were powerful engines. 
     Moreover my father was a WW2 mechanic and we had a running US Army half track chassis that he drove for fun. 
     So I always had motor oil and Wisconsin cars in my veins.

     When my kids started graduating college I had enough money to start buying Kissels. And never stopped.

    That’s it. Ron 
  

[MichiDan56]

As a fan of orphan cars, I approve!

[zeke01]

22 hours ago, ron hausmann said:

Yes that was me. My restored Kissels live at one of the large units at M1 car concourse. Here are several of them at my garage there.

Ron, If you ever want to adopt a son, just sayin’ dad. Zeke

[John S.]

Ron, in the , May/June  issue of the AACA magazine, there is a wonderful  article on the history of the Kissel Car Company. How long have you been collecting Kissel automobiles? What drew you to them,  and do you see any new purchases on the horizon. Your restoration work on these cars are nothing short of fantastic! Thanks. John

[ron hausmann]

All - as of May 19, 2020 the truck body is taking nice shape. See pictures. The steering column is purposely misplaced in these views because I had to keep it out of my way when building the oak drivers box. Please note that there are several storage compartments required in the tr)C’s walls and bench. The gas tank on light tr7cks is placed under the front seat.

    My next main steps are:

a. Collect and load all spare engine parts for my engine rebuilder. I have three akissel 6-38 derelict engines and should. E able to get one good one out of the lot.

b. Finish truck body superstructure to match the pictures.

c. Blast, prime, and finish front and rear fenders and experiment with mounting rear ones.

d. Build and test fit the running boards.

f. Design and create rear step brackets/hitch fittings.
g. Scrounge up non leaking radiator core.

Ron Hausmann P.E.

[DBKissel]

Looking really good Ron!

[ron hausmann]

Getting there. Body is not symmetrical as the passenger side has a columnar cabinet-like structure about 6” wide by 18”.  You can see that in the photos from 1917 and 1918 if you look close. I suspect that this was to stabilize the otherwise- frail top and for storage as well. I guess having A passenger next to the driver in an army truck wasn’t customary anyway. Tomorrow I’ll start fitting the top bows.

Ron Hausmann P.E.

[hddennis]

Ron, truck looks great! I was looking back at your original truck photos and wonder if you have any other details. When I was researching details for my Maxwell being a former Marine I wanted to duplicate a WWI Marine vehicle. Having donated some of my late father-in-laws WWII Marine items to the National Marine Corps Museum I felt I had an "in" with the curator. He and assistants could only find one photo of a Marine marked WWI truck and it was so far away almost no markings were visible. You originally posted this photo of a WWI Kissel and it appears to be a USM? vehicle. 

 

Howard Dennis

[ron hausmann]

12 hours ago, hddennis said:

Ron, truck looks great! I was looking back at your original truck photos and wonder if you have any other details. When I was researching details for my Maxwell being a former Marine I wanted to duplicate a WWI Marine vehicle. Having donated some of my late father-in-laws WWII Marine items to the National Marine Corps Museum I felt I had an "in" with the curator. He and assistants could only find one photo of a Marine marked WWI truck and it was so far away almost no markings were visible. You originally posted this photo of a WWI Kissel and it appears to be a USM? vehicle. 

 

Howard Dennis

Howard - I have six old photos of this specific type of truck body, most with markings,. I don’t know if these are Army or Marine but they are in this chain. All of the cars are different makes while the bodies appear almost identical except for accommodations which would be unique to that model car. Each cowl is different. 

[hddennis]

Thanks Ron, I checked the other photos and believe since they are all clearly marked U.S. that they are most likely Army vehicles. This particular truck has USM showing and the spare tire is hiding what I think can only be a C. Other markings of the period are USQMC  for US Quarter Master Corps but there is no Q showing in your photo. I was just hoping your copy might be clear enough to solve this mystery and add another WWI Marine vehicle to the museums collection. I'm still going to send it off to the Marine Corps Museum to see what they think.

 

Howard Dennis

[ron hausmann]

All,

   As of May 29, 2020, I am working on the to0 bows and finish carpentry to support these. I had several old NOS ones that I did not use on my last restoration laying around, so I sliced them and cut them with doweled joints to fit just right as you see. Also put braces alongside the cuts for str3ngth. I’m pretty impressed with how everything is fitting! 
   This coming week,  I’ll Permanently mount these top bows and put on the board trims alongside the bows and posts. 
   And I’ll, finish building the flat cowl features high I’ve fitted but put aside.

   I won’t finish the seat and floorboards until my new custom gas tank is delivered end of June. It floes underneath the front seat. Hope it fits.

[ron hausmann]

[John S.]

Great wood work on the troop carrier. Ron, really nice to see the Kissel  coming along.

[Mike Macartney]

Very impressive work on the body and interesting to see the progress you have made.

[ron hausmann]

All - as of June 3, 2020, most of the main oak body building is complete, and now we are moving to trim pieces, hardware, doors, and such. Having started out with a very very square frame and oak slabs, the superstructure is 100% square all the way up, wh8ch really has surprised me. Next up are;

a. Build front floorboards and cover them with pyramid vinyl

b. Build and apply hardware for compartment doors

c. Trim out front flat cowling

d. Build and cover running boards

f.  Use wood filler over all nails and wood screws. And sand it.

g. Prime paint underbody wood and hidden spaces.

i.  Shorten all steering column components by 6” to work and look “antique truck-style”

j.  Free up rusted brake operatingbar fittings and  oust beneath car.

    Take care, Ron Hausmann P.E.

[ron hausmann]

Update June 8, 2020:

a. Rear tailgate/ladder has been built, reinforced, and tested by jumping upon it.

b. Front floorboards have been cut, fitted, and readied for vinyl and aluminum edge trim.

c. Handle placement has been started.

turning out very well!

Ron Hausmann

[keiser31]

Edited June 8, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[ron hausmann]

Looks even better right side up!

[ron hausmann]

As of June 14, 2020, I’ve attached much of the door hardware, hinges, and handles.

Also have built the rear drawbar and braces.

And, after a lot of painstaking cutting, planing, carving, and epoxying, have rebuilt the correct front awning.

I used unused pieces from my prior 1918 Kissel Sedanlette restoration to trim to become this awning. Very hard!

now on to engine and painting and fenders.

its starting to look very much like the pictures!

Ron Hausmann P.E.

[DBKissel]

Really shaping up-  looks great- your hard work is paying off!  /Doug