DODGE WC-52
The Dodge WC series is a range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Chrysler under the Dodge and Fargo marques during World War II. Together with the 1⁄4-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 1⁄2‑tons and 3⁄4‑tons made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WWII – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units.
The Dodge WC series were essentially built in two generations. From 1940 to early 1942, almost 82,400 of the 1⁄2‑ton 4×4 Dodge trucks were built — initially called the VC series, but the great majority (from 1941) in the WC series, and in more variants. Contrary to what Dodge's nomenclature suggested, the 1941 WC models were a direct evolution of the 1940 VC models, retaining the U.S. Army's G-505 Ordnance Corps Supply Catalog number.
In 1942, the payload was uprated, and the trucks became the shorter G-502, 3⁄4‑ton, 4×4 Truck (Dodge), and the longer 1943, G-507, 11⁄2‑ton, 6x6 personnel and cargo truck (Dodge) — confusingly retaining Dodge WC model codes. Although the 3⁄4‑tons featured significant design improvements, they did retain some 80% interchangeable components and service parts with the 1⁄2‑ton models — a vital Army requirement, for field maintenance and operability of the trucks.
Dodge was the U.S Army's main supplier of 1⁄2‑ton trucks, and its sole supplier of both 3⁄4‑ton trucks and 11⁄2‑ton 6x6 trucks in World War II. With over a quarter million units built through August 1945, the G-502 3⁄4‑tons were the most common variants in the WC‑series.
After the war, Dodge developed the 3⁄4-ton WC‑series into the civilian 4×4 Dodge Power Wagon and in 1951, the WCs were replaced by the very similar 3⁄4‑ton 4x4 Dodge M-Series vehicles.
Throughout the war, Dodge was the U.S. Army's sole producer of 3⁄4‑ton trucks, and built a total of 255,193 of these across all variants from April 1942 to August 1945. Standard vehicles in the 3⁄4‑ton 4x4 class were the WC-51 / WC-52 Weapons Carrier, WC-56 /-57 /-58 (Radio) Command Reconnaissance, WC-53 Carry‑all, and the WC-54 Ambulance. In the cargo/troop and command trucks, the WC-52 and WC-57 are identical to the WC-51 and WC-56, but with a longer frame, extending to carry the protruding front bumper with front-mounted winch.
Engines and drivetrain
All engines were liquid-cooled, straight-six Chrysler flathead gasoline engines, mated to four-speed manual transmissions and a single-range transfer-case offering part-time four-wheel drive. Only the T203 and the T223 configurations applied in the 11⁄2‑ton VF-400 models, and in the G-507 6×6 trucks had a dual-ratio transfer-case.
Specifications
- Drive: four-wheel drive — except for WC-36 to WC-39 and WC-47 to WC-50
- Wheelbase: 116 in (295 cm) – both on four-wheel and two-wheel drive models
- except 123 in (312 cm) for ambulances and phone line / emergency repair trucks
- Track width: 59+3⁄8 in (151 cm) front – 61+3⁄8 in (156 cm) rear
- except 55+3⁄4 in (142 cm) front track on rear-wheel drive models
- Tires: 7.50×16
- Brakes: Hydraulic
- Engine: 6 cylinder, in-line
- Transmission: manual, 4 forward / 1 reverse
- Transfer case: Single speed
Some products may bear minor wear on their package and slight alterations in their content (oxidation) due to normal wear but they do not eliminate the usefulness of the product in any case. Moreover, some products may not be stored in their default packages but may have been repackaged.