History Vintage WWII stuff used in hotrodding

So, im on this topic because me and the GF just found this really cool WWII Trunk/Footlocker at an antque store down the street from us. So of coarse the first thing i thought of was "HOTROD". So, we picked it up. And the coolest thing was we bought it on April 25, 2010 and the date on the tag is April 25, 1938. (exactly 72 years ... how cool is that!!!!) It would make a really cool little storage trunk in the bed of a truck or rpu. I know there have been many people to use vintage wwII stuff in hotrodding, So, i thought lets make a thread dedicated, not only to past and present hottrodding, but to the US Military man us hottrodders often try to replicate. Lets see some other stuff you guys and gals have used in or on your hotrods that pertains to WWII/Military.


P.S......
If you can help me find out more info on this trunk, please P.M. me and we can talk. Thanks!

JGRAFF

 

I used a 50 cal ammo box for my battery box and also have an Australian Imperial Forces abdge on the front of my grille shell.

Have seen Inert hand grenade for shift knobs.

Bayonets for shifters.

WWI German helmets used as air cleaners.

Rat

 

25 of April is also a very special day for Ausralian service men, check it out here.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=468637

Rat, I love your grille badge, I know it has special meaning for you too. A great way to honour a mate.

PS, some of us dont 'Replicate' the Military man, we are.

Doc.

 

Im am truely sorry. i meant no disrespect. i guess i meant my generation (im 22) replicating Military men's hottrodding style of the WWII era.

 

Sorry but I do not understand this statement at all. Who is trying to " replicate" ? Military surplus has always ( and from ever war ) found its way to alternative uses after war time. Has nothing to do with emulating or replicating .

 

Don't worry mate, I'm not offended and I don't mean any disrespect to you. Just felt I had to put the hand up, we veterans (And I'm only 36) don't have a lot to be proud of, but some things are close to our hearts.

This is the 1909 pattern 'Rising Sun',the badge of the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). I believe Rat's grille badge is on of these with a combat history.


This is the WWII patten badge, and:



This is the badge that I wore proudly and is in service today.


Doc.

 

Ok i would like to suggest we not put so much emphasis on the word "replicate". Not trying to insault anyone, just asking for pics/storys of WWII inspired hotrodding stuff. Thats all.

 

I replicated a Infantryman for 22 years, then I retired!

 

aluminium sheets off junked bombers were often used as material for building fire walls trunk skins. hoods. floors. ect other things used are aircraft fuel filters like the one
little Wing was selling, also seen military canvas made into tonneau covers for salt flat/drag roadsters

 

Airbird parts were used ,,Fuel Pumps that helped create the first Fuel Injection systems,,There fuel filters were used as the handle high fuel flow,,Hydraulic oil tanks
used for fuel tanks on Dragsters and are where we get the Moon tanks from


oh and Bomber seats

 

So you'll know, the footlocker you have wouldn't last long exposed to the weather in the back of a pickup truck. They weren't meant to be used out of doors, but rather to stow your gear and issue and as a shipping container for same.
I have my Father's footlocker and stow my old momentoes in it from growing up.

 

Seems to me that P-38 and P-47 drop tanks had some use in early hotrodding...

 

I knew what you meant.

Here's a hot rod story for you.

During War II my Uncle Frank was stationed in the Marianas on B29s (USAAC)


I recall him coming to the farm after he was discharged in a hot rod rumble-roadster. They actually had another enclosed car but he wanted to show my dad his hot rod. The funny part of the story I remember vividly wasn't about the car so much but was that up front with him was his mom, and my aunt was in the rumble seat. It was cold as hell and they had came all the way from Wyoming to Colorado, with his wife in the rumble seat! I can tell you she was pissed off!

 

One of my favorate things about WWII was the pinup girls/mouths and teeth/emblems painted on the sides of fighter planes.


pasadenahotrod----yeah i defenetly wouln't put it in the elements. when i first saw it, barried in the back of that store, i thought it was metal, so i thought to put it in the back of a car at first but it's wood. So thats a no go. I thought maybe using it for storage or putting a peice of glass on the top and useing it as a coffee table or tv stand.

It would be cool to find the family of the "Lt. F.D. Smittle" that the trunk belonged to and give it back to them.

 

Was unkle Frank Aircrew or Ground Crew?

 

I dont know. how can i tell??

 

I'm not too sure with the US, here we can find out through the War Memorial.

 

Also how did you know the guys name was Frank?? or was that just a lucky guess? The top of the trunk has his full name and some numbers but they are hard to read. maybe ill get on some WWII forums and see what i can find out.

 

Don't ever do this. Do you know how much those things are worth?

 

Seems to me the use of WWII hydraulics spawned a whole new avenue of mods for the lowrider crowd.

 

Yeah,Yeah...I'm the A-hole....
The Trunk is NOT WWII vintage.
It's just a Military Trunk that pre-dates the "Official" start of WWII
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/chart.ww2.html

Still very Cool to have though!
Take good care of it.
It's been around for 72 years for a reason...

 

This has been covered quite a bit on the HAMB actually. Here is a good thread on the aircraft influence in hot rods as of late.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=369366

 

Do you know what he did or which squadron?

FWIW, that national insignia that you posted alongside the B-29 is an early war version. Who ever drew it has the red circle too small, so it is incorrect. And no B-29 ever had that insignia as they were still on the drawing board when they dropped the red circle. Just in case anyone wanted to know. Pet peeve of mine. You wouldn't draw the American flag with 6 pointed stars would you?

 

I think the bigger question is 'what wasn't used'?

Everything from gauges, plumbing, and fasteners to Allison V1710s.

And a lot of the '40s rodders and fabricators learned at least some of their craft keeping the war machine moving.

Was reading a fascinating story the other day about how the first batch of low-mass firing pins that fixed the contact-firing part of the Navy's FUBARed torpedo exploders (the magnetic part never did work) were made from ex-IJN Zero propellers from aircraft downed on Dec 7. Sometimes you've got to cast a wide net for the right materials...

 

I found some Bomber seats to replace the ugly big original seat. Ammo box arm rests. That's a WWII Bomber jacket on the back of the seat. It's perfect. I picked it up at a garage sale for $5. Oh and the pineapple gearshift knob.

 

I believe this is a surplus aircraft fuel or oil tank. Installed as a a gas tank in my 1934 roadster in the late 40's.

Steve

 

That would be a good bet. My Dad is 85 this year and served in 1944-45, and later made a career of it.
A guy in the service before the War would easily be 91!

 

I tried the number but no anwser. so, ill try again later. Thanks for finding that.

If you dont mind me asking, How did you find all their info?

 

How do you know it wasn't issued after the war started? That is very likely. If it matters.........................
If I had it I would be proud to haul it around in the back of my pickup, to replace the more recent (Off Topic) hand grenade box.:

Well, I don't know what your pet peeve is? whether the circle is the wrong size I don't know. He was my uncle, he was in the USAAC and he wore insignia similar to that on his shoulder. He worked on '29s toward the end of the war, which put him in the USAAF also, obvioulsy ................