tm9-801.com

Going through my CCKW manual (doesn't everyone reread the TMs on a monthly basis ?) I happened to be reading the "Assembly Operations GMC Trucks 6x6 Two-Unit Pack" and while the manual has not date, my best guess is that its a late 1942/early 1943 edition by the fact that it still goes by 'Yellow Truck & Coach' which was bought out in mid 43 by GM.

I found that there are two distinct types of oil filter body labels.

Here is what I am calling the 'Early' decal:



Here is what I am calling the 'Late' decal:



Here is what most places are selling. I call this the civvy decal. This is a 2in diameter decal.



Note that:

The Early decal is round, is just the AC logo and part number.
The Late decal is oval, contains a smaller AC logo, clearly states "Use Senior Element" and part number.
The civvy decal is just the logo.

My educated guess is that the logo changed in early mid 43. This would coincide with the CCKW becoming standardized to use common military parts, not vendor specific parts.

The FULL TEXT of the AC filter decal:

AC OIL Filter
USE SENIOR ELEMENT
Filter Assembly 1504314
Shell Assembly 1504316
A.C. Spark Plug Flint. Mich.

Here some pics. I had to use MACRO and ISO 80 at full 12Mpixel resolution. The original file size is HUGE and cannot be posted in the forum.
The images below are scaled to 25% original size and are JPEGs. JPEG is a lossy compression so the images get blurry. You should be able to make them out.




No such luck on the lid decal.. there simply isn't enough there to make it readable.

PROGRESS!!

I have been in contact with a gentleman and he has provided me with pictures of the lid decal!

Here's one of them:



Now that I have the text I can begin to have them made.

Some interesting things have been discovered:

The lid decal appears to be one color, black, and the letters are gray from the oil filter paint. I am seeking to confirm this.

*ALL* decals on the CCKW engine should be 'water slide' or 'water slip' type. No vinyl or 'paper' decals... the technology of the time (and a rather new one) was silk screening using a lacquer ink on water slip decal media. The T-2 fuel filter is another example of water slip decal.

Most companies no longer do water slip/lacquer decals as the technology has allowed modern ink jet and laser printer to print directly on the decal media. The only issue is that WHITE is the only color that cannot be printed via laser/ink jet... typically the media is white, and white area's are simply not printed. But this will not work for the engine decals. First, the oil can is curved. Toner and fuses to the paper and is not very flexible. Also, inkjet ink laser toner easily fade with UV exposure.

Artwork is in process I plan on doing a full sheet, water slip, lacquer ink... just like the good old days.

Artwork proof... lots of tweaks were sent back, and I am awaiting the next version. Size is reduced, but I am getting back full scale images.

There actually appears to be an even EARLIER, early version. The very early CCKWs had dual oil filters, the decals on them are large squares. I do not have a very clear image of them, but they appear to be similar to later oil breather decal: A black line at the top and bottom, the AC logo the upper left and right corners, the copyright info along the bottom.



Lots of interesting bits in this image. The oil filter mounting is completely different, yet it *appears* as thought the lid still has the 'crescent' decal with filter change info.

The fuel pump pulsator bowl is glass, and both the front and rear bolts of the fuel pump are oil return lines. The distributor is vacuum advance and the engine steam tube routes directly to the radiator. Neat stuff.

I doubt that there are that many very early CCKW engines running about to be concerned about these decals, but if someone has a better image, please post/pm a copy.

Here is the final proof artwork for the lid decal. I think its spot on.



The oil filter body is next.

Check out these custom water slide decal mfgs....

http://www.bedlamcreations.com/index.html

They are using an ALPS MD5000 printer. I actually owned one about 10 years ago and it was HORRIBLE at registration (banding mostly).

I have spoken to numerous places that do decals (as with this place, semi-professionally) and none of them believe that the printer decals will hold up.

Oil in an engine can hit 200F plus all the other dirt/grime etc associated with an engine.

For the cost, silk screening them in lacquer on a water slide media is not substantially more than the 'printer guys' plus the inks WILL be able to withstand the environment.

I also though of running decal sheet through my laser... but again, longevity is the issue.

I was surprised to learn that this is a VERY common thing for modelers, railroad, rocket and RC guys. But the environment of a meticulously laid out rail-yard or diorama is magnitudes cleaner than the engine bay of a 60+ year old CCKW.

Some interesting hits are out there if you Google "silkscreen waterslide decals"... including http://www.texo-trade.com/component/con ... calcotrans

Or if you want to job the work out... http://www.modeldecal.com/

ModelDecal.com is on the short list. I have four solid responses that KNEW about lacquer and water slip and are willing to work in small qty. No prices yet, no one would quote a set price till they saw artwork.

Final artwork in my inbox.

Will have to tweak it some... mostly due to the font not matching spacing exactly. Looks good.

I am losing my faith in American business. I have been dealing with 'professionals' that have less experience in printing decals than I have.. and I have never printed a decal!

I specify the type and two said that the VINYL (I specified water slip) would not work on the lids curved surface.

Another one told me that they never heard of lacquer based ink for decals.

The other two wanted $90/screen (two screens) setup charge + artwork fee. $180 and I don't even get a single decal sheet!!!!

So that means I gotta dig out the press and accouterments and order emulsion, ink and some water slip stock and do it my damn self.

Paul,

I got to wondering how you determined the proper shape of the decal. Since the oil filter lid is a very short cone, did you do some flat pattern layout to determine the shape, or did you trace an existing?? Sorry to hear about the challenges with having them printed!

Getting the shape of the lid decal was easy.. I simply measured the two radius's of the lid and then the length was determined by using a measuring feature in Autocad. Knowing the dimensions of the lid allowed some intelligent interpretation.

It lays flat without any modification to the measured dimensions.

I found a decal shop! Price is good and once I get the oil pan artwork back I can send it all to them for a firm quote.

If all the decals cannot fit on a 'standard' decal sheet then that would mean TWO runs, and the cost is prohibitive. But if they can arrange the decals onto a standard sheet then its very doable.

They saying a 4 week lead time once proof is approved....