New CCKW book

[pfarber]

Mr. Doyle has released another CCKW reference:

cckwbook.PNG (179.1 KiB) Viewed 13790 times

Amazon has the cheapest price. My copy is in the mail.

Mr Gilmore has assured us that its worth the price... and to buy two!

[pfarber]

My Doyle has personally attacked me on another forum!!! HAPPY DAYS!

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.ph ... post374760

I couldn't really offer a retort on the HMFV site out of respect for their rules... but here.... oh HELLS YEAH.

First, Mr. Doyle, your first CCKW book sucked. You even mailed me $20 to buy it back. hahahaha What you should have done is sent a signed copy with a snarky remark like 'wait till my next cckw book' but oh well.

Now we have this massive book. And claims are made that it is the definitive book of all CCKW knowledge.. And I HOPE THAT IT IS. I've said from the start that I hope it is. But when you read the two limp reviews that are barely more than echoing what's on the squadron/signal web site red flags go off. Did the reviewers really read it? And if so how could they come up with almost the exact same review as the publisher? Come on.. just a *little* truth can't hurt.

I really, really do want this book not to suck. And by that I mean documented, cited references to CCKWs that can help us make these trucks as accurate as possible. I also don't want a simple regurgitation of what the Becker book, the Sunderlin articles, A Universal Truck and the numerous TMs already have told us.

Believe me, Mr. Doyle, I will give this book a thorough and proper review, as it should have. I'm surprised that other than the generic blurb that not even one page has been published as a 'teaser', or you didn't advance a copy to someone for a review. I guess there will always be a market for MV books because some people, like me, will spend $70 on the *CHANCE* to learn something new about CCKWs.

Yeah, I know.. common sense.... not that common anymore.

[pfarber]

HMVF has removed the thread for 'review'. I have not gotten any notice or a warning in my PMs.

Hmmm..... I wonder if I broke the rules or if Mr. Doyle cried a river to the admin's???

I think the latter is more accurate.

[pfarber]

Seems like Mr. Doyle has some clout on HMVF

Hi



In light of your continued attitude & behavior on the forum you have left us no alternative than to suspend your membership for 1 Month. We are aware of the unrest & friction you cause on other forums & we will not put up with it here.

If you wish to continue to be a member of this community then please remember we all have a common aim, none of us are the ultimate authority on a subject which seems to be the problem as you think you are.

If you are unable to temper your attitude after the suspension period then we will have no alternative than to part company permanently.



Regards


I won't be going back.

[pfarber]

To bad the they have removed the posts. Only thing I did was post the truth. I guess in this day and age that's not acceptable.

Oh well. Their loss. Really.

[JGilmore]

The truth??

Aw...come on Paul...let's get real.........

You haven't even seen the book and you are panning it.....

You said...."... I'm surprised that other than the generic blurb that not even one page has been published as a 'teaser', or you didn't advance a copy to someone for a review...."

Now....again...you are panning it...you have never seen it....But you are wrong...someone did get an advance copy.....I.... (and a few others) did.

That's why I stated what I did in the Amazon review and on HMV.

It is an awesome book...no other way I can describe it.........

If you are looking for a lame CCKW book then this one is not for you...It is 500+ pages, 1000+ photos of pure joy for the CCKW owner and GMC fan.

David Doyle has done CCKW owners a real service by getting GMC to open their files and Archives to him so that he could bring these fantastic photos and data out for us to use and enjoy.

Please hold off on your comments and negativity until you have actually read the book.

Jim Gilmore

[pfarber]

How can I pan a book that I have openly wished that WAS the best ever CCKW book? Every post I make I say I hope this is a good book. I've yet to say anything negative about it.

I HAVE pointed out that your review and the official Squadron/Signal review are almost work for word identical. If anything at best you can say (and I would agree) that the MARKETING of the book has been pretty lame. I first saw it on ebay. Then read reviews that say nothing. I bet that I've probably done more to get the word out about this book than anyone else.

Since you claim to have a book... HOW ABOUT A REVIEW? You know, you are so smart and all... how about 10 minutes to say something that NOT echo'd on the publishers web site? Heck, post a photo of yourself WITH the book would be a good start. So far no one seems to have a copy. You do actually have a copy.. right?

If this book is good I'll yell it from the rooftops and send Mr. Doyle a personal thank you for his efforts. If it sucks, well, you know... I won't

[pfarber]

Seems that concern about reviews has been answered!

Unfortunately, its from a for-profit source (Military Vehicles Magazine) so while I appreciate the much more thorough review, considering the source I would not expect to read about any shortcomings. Don't take that as an attack or anything nefarious... but the last place I look for honest, in-depth reviews are for profit sources that sell advertising. I know many people will take that the wrong way but I have a lifetime's experience to back up rave reviews of crappy products in magazines. If anyone has ever owned an Amiga they know I speak the truth

That said.. they did let one very, very interesting detail slip:

Actually, the information already existed. In 1946, GMC Production Control Manager R.A. Crist, produced a four-volume report on the GMC's war history that included internal documentation of design, development and production. The bad news, for historians, at least, was that only five copies were printed! Fortunately, David Doyle had access to one of these rare sets, and for the first time, condensed the details relative to the Jimmy into a book for enthusiasts.

This is interesting and I hope is expanded in the book.

But then it get a little wishy washy:

In this section, Doyle introduces such fascinating topics such as the 6x4 CCW, the cab-over-engine AFKWX, the open cab, CCKWs for the Navy, introduction of the composite bed, the air-transportable CCKW and low-silhouette trucks.

Umm... fascinating would be a few pages on the ACK350 and ACKW350 as most CCKW owners probably have no idea what they are. But the 6x4 as 'fascinating?' But I digress.

Oh, and a demerit for calling it a Jimmy. See, that's why I don't take for profit reviews seriously. Oh, and this guy didn't buy it from Amazon either. Seems like the publicity machine is starting to rear its head after the first failed attempts.

And the 100,000 words thing has been brought up many times... If you have any of the tankograd books you'll see how adding words for the sake of word count add little. If there is a photo of a CCKW, in a stream, getting washed off adding 20 words stating "A CCKW is washed off by its driver in Germany" adds little... again Tankograd is famous for stating the obvious. I hope Mr. Doyle adds something more than the obvious.

I do hope the book is a smashing success. Here, I'll use all caps and a bright color to emphasis this:

I HOPE THE BOOK IS A SMASHING SUCCESS!!!!!


... but it seems that the claim of 'in depth research' may be an overstatement... it sounds like there was a single major source from a very reputable source.

[pfarber]

Book showed up today.

Nice hardcover.. think big textbook. Still in shrink wrap. Stand by for review in a day or two.

[pfarber]

Ok, read the book twice (then went out with friends for Italian - I had the Manoctti) last night.

This book is a macroscopic overview of CCKW production decisions made by GM/GMC/Chevy/War Dept. It talks in terms of contracts, not specifics. So little new information about what happened when other than at the contract level. Sure, some changes are discussed in depth, not technically, but in a production scheduling way. For instance the changes to the production and parts ordering for the open cab development, but even then it does not list a frame SN start, only an authorization date, and that date is questionable.

The book can be summed up in the Introduction, third paragraph, which I will paraphrase:

Missing are the two 'Holy Grails' - the METR Motor Transport Engineering Record (this is what would place each production change at at specific point in production... ie new part X installed starting at chassis SN Y) and a listing of Registration numbers to frame SN's.

So basically this book will not help you restore or even do much research on your CCKW. You will read how the War Dept flipped flopped on what it wanted, and how GM/GMC had to revise the production lines/outputs (they had to drop a shift when production was decreased to X a week due to material shortages... how does that tell me what the proper fire extinguisher is??)

Upon reading the text (twice) its clear that the internal report of Mr. Crist is relied up HEAVILY. Many references to documents that cannot be found by the author add a little confusion as these supporting documents would add a trivial amount of information other than to say you found them (save the the two 'Holy Grails' listed above). Few if any specifics about the trucks themselves (again to read about a specific change X at SN Y is uncommon).

Sadly, when complete new information IS produced that would be of GREAT interest to CCKW owners, little detail is given. For example, Chapter 17 'Building the CCKW' goes into the actual production line of the CCKW. You'd think 'Holy shit! This is gonna be great!' Well, no. There is only 1 page of text, and there is nothing specific about the line. The captions on the photos are (much to my dismay) nothing more than a repeat of the photo. Bad form. If there is a photo of a guy installing a rivet, its pretty uninformative to say 'Here a worker installs a rivet on the frame of a CCKW chassis'. One BIG disappointment is the fact that while this chapter in particular shows frame and sheet metal in its unpainted state, its black. Page 181 has a caption that states (obviously) ...the frames, which arrive from the manufacturer with a black finish... (emphasis is mine).. WHAT TYPE OF FINISH? Is it a phosphate coating to prevent rust??? Is it simply gloss black paint? Most CCKW owners have relied on the Red Oxide primer as the proper primer... here its proof otherwise... and all we get is 'black finish'??? What's even worse, is page 185 that shows two COE cabs in this black finish and cad plated bolts... yet the caption simply states 'are a dark color' (it was a black and white photo. Another let down is on page 188 that shows the line with chassis/cabs.. the front bumper on these non-winch trucks is this 'dark color'. So at some point there is another paint stage/touch up. The end result is that while chapter 17 purports to show how a CCKW is assembled, the process from start to end is never fully explained... at best you get about 40% of the story.

The rest of the book gets into varying levels of detail (again, mostly at the macroscopic management/contract level) of the airborne CCKW, some variants, post war etc. Nothing of terribly important value.. but interesting to the CCKW owner if you want to read the 50 or so pages.

What are some of the biggest let downs?

There is no detail of the trucks/series. 90% of the text is at a high management/War Dept contract level... so if you are looking for details like the Sunderlin articles, well, you're gonna have to read the Sunderlin articles.
They never even show the tool kit that came with the CCKW. The most detail you get about supplied, on board equipments is a photo of two guys throwing the bag containing the Weed tire chains into the bed of a truck.
Although a great many pages is given to crating for overseas shipment, they never show what the tags on the windshield say.
Little specific information about the cargo beds is given. A few pages regarding the supplier issues, but not about the beds proper. You don't even see a single bed data plate, or model numbers. Little specific detail other than macro-production level issues/discussion.
The color photos are of good quality but little value to a restorer.
They never show the arctic engine heater nor the cab heater.
While the many different engines used in the CCKW series is discussed, its little more than what's contained in the front of the SNL-G508.
When specific production frame SNs/Registration numbers are given, its the same information given in the 42-43 TM10s. There is little frame SN/Registration information after early 1943.

What's in there that you have to dig way to deep for/not presented clearly:
Production by month, and by contract. Not to call anyone out but Mr Gilmore has stated that he has this information, but its not in this book. A few references are made to weekly production and yearly volume, but nothing concrete. As I have stated in the past, CCKW production varied between 12,000 and 15,000 per month. You'd think that would be clearly laid out for the reader... but due to the way the narrative flows the topics are very contract related.

So... I hope that gives you a taste of the what the book is and isn't. The photo's are very good, clear but the captions are generally useless. Most are GM/GMC archive/National Archive (ie Library of Congress) I really didn't see many Signal Corps stamped/dated photos. There is little specific details (there is little discussion between the 1574/1608 closed cabs).

Its LIGHT on details. HEAVY on GM/GMC/War Dept contract talks, and has an above average selection of photographs. There are few great 'revelations' and when there are, they are glossed over as the narratitve is NOT about the nuts and bolts, but rather the management issues.

Get the book, but I'd wait till it drops to under $50. The information will not help you restore a CCKW or even figure out the one you have.

I rage it 7 NDTs out of 11. (My new rating scale. A CCKW has 11 tires... so a perfect score is 11. I know, I'm so whitty like that).

[Vulture]

Hummmm, thanks for the review Paul. A friend of mine is picking me up a copy this coming weekend. In terms of expectations, I have considerably lowered mine now...

[pfarber]

If you want to read it you can, but the book would stand on it own just by the photos. The text is really not for restorers.

If you own an airborne CCKW there are some photos of them making one, but I have seen other photos of the same process, so its not completely new material. Likewise, there are some photos of the shop vans, but really not much more than whats in the TMs.

I was told there would be lots of interior shots... there are a few but nothing spectacular (like the heater!!!!) and none in color. IIRC the color photos are from the TIME/LIFE WWII color series.

Its a good book... worth a look, but not going to answer many questions (and it even raises quite a few that conflict with previously 'known' and vetted information).

[pfarber]

This is kind of sad... I just realized that after I read the CCKW book on the 9th, I have yet to even open it up again. I mean I have held it in my hands.. to move it out of the way to get to a TM or copy of AM... but I have just not had any reason to refer to it.

Its not like I haven't been in the garage working on my trucks.... its just that for the life of me I can't think of a reason to open it.

I think that is the most illustrative review I can give. I simply don't refer to it. I mean its supposed to be 1000+ pages and 100,000 words of CCKW goodness... yet I know that there is not one question I can't answer with the TMs/SNLs/AMs where I would even need to refer to this book.

I guess if I put it in the bathroom next to the crapper at some point I'll get bored enough to page through it.

But right now its just in the way. $65 is about 2 copies of AM off ebay... that would have been a better deal.

[pfarber]

Well, just to update.. I spend most of my time in this book in chapter 17 'Building the CCKW' as that's really the ONLY relevant part to any restoration effort.

Here's where either the editing screwed it up or Mr Doyle has no clue:

The photos, although numbered, are out of sequence. The narrative, is completely useless as are the captions. The ONE chapter that had any real 'nuts and bolts' value is also the weakest chapter. I want to do a photo by photo narrative to go into the detail that Doyle should have, but didn't.... but I don't have the time. Its clear that there are at LEAST 2 major paint phases, as well as multiple touch ups through the line. It would be great to get that information.. but licensing the photos from GM is most likely well out of my reach.

Did anyone else catch the type-o's??? I found three so far... not bad considering the number of words... but still... spell check should have caught them all.

I would still recommend the book.... but I am lowering my score from 7/11 to 5/11... there is just so little information regarding restoration.