My Nipples Leak Clear Sticky Liquid

collection of military vehicles in Quebec. Rescue of a Willys jeep of World War II

By Guy Bordeleau
Unpublished text

collection of military vehicles in Quebec dates back some forty years with a handful of individuals with a particular interest in the history of the Second World War.

Whether Andre Gibeault, Alain Dornier, Antoine Dorion and a few others whose names will be lost over the years that passion which led these men could be in the midst of closed circles and among connoisseurs able to appreciate the fair value of this unique heritage.

Since the '80s, successive waves of collectors have made their apparition running, somehow, in the rescue and rehabilitation of military vehicles. Many were arrested for this type of vehicle but in the end, few of them had real successes so that today there are less than fifty serious collectors in Quebec.

The reality is that at the end of World War II, a significant proportion of stocks of U.S. military vehicles remained in Europe as part of the "Lend Lease" . Canada also had similar agreements with Britain and some other Commonwealth countries, so that the fleet's military Canadian Army was reduced significantly after the war.

The war in Korea came also reduce even further these stocks which were gradually replaced by more modern military vehicles, commonly called "M series" such as jeeps M38CDN the M38A1 series CDN1 to CDN3, Dodge and GMC M135 M37.

production of vehicle models, however, was much smaller, with, for example, M38CDN which was produced that 'in 1952 by the Ford Motor Company Canada only 2135 units. By comparison, the American version of the M38 was in turn produced by the Willys Overland nearly 63,000 units so that the production of this model is far behind the Jeep production models MB and GPW. The Eldorado Canada as some have claimed is a summary of an urban legend and we are always looking for those mysterious " Army jeep in a crate available for $ 50 . ;

is in this context of scarcity that our colleague Sylvain Daigle appeared in 2005 when antique car Granby, this small Quebec town located about 80 kilometers east of Montreal. We met Sylvia when he was walking with a Bombardier Iltis, recently demobilized Canadian Armed Forces, while trying to find some military vehicles through the thousands of old cars on site.

The meeting was very friendly and we quickly made friends with the one we affectionately call today the "Little Deer. " For those who know him, they know that this nickname was given by our colleague Marcel Chapleau collector because he never ceased to find him crouched under a jeep, buttocks prominently, while we were in Normandy in June 2006 .

Over the months, we've got to know his real passion for military vehicles and we made the observation that this man has an exceptional talent for Sheetmetal work, talent that likely comes from its business carpenter. Must admit that this talent has been used widely in the reconstruction of the Willys MB and reconstruction that is to us as a rescue there are very few in the world of military vehicles and that, as in North America that in Europe.

Indeed, in June 2006 in the course of my research to find a few pieces for my own Willys MB, a trail leads to the discovery a jeep in very poor condition. Indeed, the original body was all practical purposes disappeared in 2 / 3 leaving only the front part including the firewall and dashboard. The hood, windshield and some body components were still present, but in a pitiful state. The engine was absent and the T84 gearbox original had been replaced by a more beefy T90, a practice commonly seen here in Canada.

Chassis however, seemed in fair condition and the identification plate bearing the number MB218477 was always present and perfectly readable. Research conducted by our colleague Guy Malette collector, the "King" of the GPW in Quebec, has revealed later that the jeep was built under contract from U.S. W303 ORD 2529 and that its date of delivery ranged in March 1943. The bridges were always those origins but it was impossible to verify on the spot if they were in good condition. The rims were fighting for their part been replaced by rims probably from a CJ2A or CJ3A. Finally, the body had been rebuilt, many moons ago, so very small scale with the Fiberglass solidify and hide the extreme corrosion of the plates. A cabin had been built with plywood so you had to look twice to make sure that it was a jeep from the Second World War.

It was for me totally excluded from this wreck back home knowing that attracting the ire of neighbors seeing this "grotesque jalopy" next attack's visual environment corner. I made this discovery, however, from our friend Sylvain knowing he was looking for his first jeep from the Second World War. I would pass this information quite innocuous, saying that he also would not really interested in the acquisition of such carcass that looked like a great distance to a jeep. I was however surprised by his interest and after a brief discussion, we decided to go see with François Cliche, another avid military vehicle mechanics who has no secrets.

As we expected, Sylvain acquired it for the modest sum of 200 dollars and, before boarding the jeep on the trailer, we removed the cab and all debris that had been crammed into the cabin. After this first operation, the impression she was sunk increased further in my head and that of Francis.

However, this does not seem to discourage Sylvain, a fortiori it is not the talkative type. I guess his wife's face when she saw this monstrosity to happen home. She certainly had to say at this moment that Sylvain was stark raving mad, which was perhaps not entirely false. Indeed, well look, he showed all the symptoms of the "Thousand Yard Stare," this characteristic aspect of the look of the soldier who lived the horrors of combat. At Sylvan, it was rather suggestive of the fact that he saw his jeep as none of us could do.

Patiently, he removed the carcass piece by piece and the first observation was that the chassis was in good condition despite the fact he was off vis-à-vis the rear shocks. The bumper of origin had meanwhile been replaced by an ordinary steel angle but again, nothing that can be fatal. Bridges also appeared in good condition and a check of the crowns and pinions him confirmed that everything was in good condition and that only a change of seals, cones, bearings and oil sufficient for refurbishing. More good news, the front part of the body including the dashboard and the firewall, the framework within and outside of the windshield, steering wheel and gear box were also in good condition. For the rest, all was good for scrap.

After this systematic dismantling that lasted at most a few days, Sylvain attacked the reconstruction of frame stripper completely sandblasted by cutting the unnecessary parts that acted as the front bumper in resoldering parties who had cut and by placing the bodies had been removed over the years. After several weeks of work, the frame had regained its original condition and at this moment that we realized we were witnessing the resurrection of a jeep that we all lost.

However, he remained the most complicated to achieve: a reconstruction of the body. We all said at the time that Sylvain would like most of us by buying a body from the Philippines or France. This is where we have witnessed the phenomenal talent he owns in sheet metal. One by one, he rebuilt every component of a standard body, based on sketches and dimensions that would look at those with Willys MB from early 1943. Whenever it was possible for him, we end up squatting in a jeep to fix in his memory all aspects and technical details of the components of a standard body which earned him the nickname "Little Deer "as mentioned earlier.

For the manufacture of each component, both wings, the parties side of the bodywork, the rear portion, bending sheet metal and so on, he was making molds hardened by ratings origins and formed each of these pieces with only a torch tools brazing sheet for heat, greenhouses screw and hammer forging.

By his own admission he knows very well how many hours he spent hitting the sheets and most likely he has lost some hearing after the work of a goldsmith. However, results are startling and very clever one who can now say that the body of his jeep was completely rebuilt by hand. The images speak for themselves.

For more than 18 months, relentlessly, night after night in his small garage adjacent to his residence, he has completed the rehabilitation of the body and mechanics, he found a motor and gearbox in good condition, has woven itself throughout the electrical wiring and patiently assembled all the fittings and accessories that make up a jeep. Upon completion of this colossal work, he was finally able to achieve in March 2008 the first test drive with his Willys MB almost completely restored. The results were below expectations so that next July 4, Sylvain was able to join us for his first official appearance at the parade's 400 th anniversary of Quebec City. How proud he felt at that time and we understand very well why it was so.

We would have thought, after a journey of reconstruction as surprising, as our friend Sylvain would stay there, at least for some time. In fall 2008, he acquired a Chevrolet truck C15A CMP in a condition which is certainly better than his jeep when it was discovered in June 2006. If all goes as he wishes, this truck will soon be in a state similar to the Willys MB. The story is to follow.