Once that was all done I took the roof and some other parts off to the sandblaster. Picked them up the next day and had to do some minor work on filling in a bunch of pinholes. I decided to try using JB Weld. Everything worked well except for taking a very long time to cure. I did find that by setting up a heater nearby it cured much faster. I think next time I will use the JB Quickweld. After this was done the usual POR15 steps were taken and then I began to spray the POR15 only to get one coat applied on the inside and I ran out. 6pm on a Sunday means the rest of the paint job will to wait until I can get another quart of paint.

Lastly I started fitting the fenders. The passenger side had taken a bit of abuse at some point in its life. I ended up bashing it somewhat back into shape with a carrier wheel as the hitting force. I dont want to but I may have to do some minor cutting and welding as when I re-curved the fender the rolled edge pushed out in a spot.

Have you considered working off the truck??
 

Hi Jordan

You may find it easier to work on the fender if removed from the truck.....

If you need a guiding curve make yourself a curved wood buck using the good side as a guide. Then you willnot have to flatten the tire to have more hammer swing room...... that is why it's flat isn't ???

You may have to shrink or remove metal if it is now buckled ..... maybe the result of the previous welding/patching and too much hammering has stretched the metal and has no where to go whenyou curve it. Some cab 13 had a short section of 1/2 round pipe welded to the under side for stiffness...... or maybe that is just in the front section of the fender.

A good 2x8 or even a few nailed together and properly curved should give you the guide you need...... you could even replicate the side rolled curved of the CMP fender using a drawknife.

I find that working with the fender off the truck gives you more control for hammering against a dolly from either direction then occasionnaly take it back to the truck to see how it fits.... you should not have to force it in place.

Happy thumping and remember better 5 medium taps to one big whammo.

Let us know how you make out..... with the fender!!!

Cheers

I wasn't doing the fender metal work while it was bolted to the cab. I only fitted it to see how it was fitting and for the picture. The tire being flat is unrelated and simply a tire that doesn't hold much air.

Deflating....
 

...sounds like a "Duffy" tire .....deflates under pressure.....

Started welding in the new made front roof support yesterday and today. I had to clamp in a piece of metal and then plug weld it as the roof skin was in the way. But visually it will look the same. Since i dont have a spot welder I decided to use the original spot weld holes and just drill them out a bit. I simply clamped the front support tight against the sheet metal skin. Drill the hole to get clean metal on both the skin and the support below. It is a slow process but it does work.

Nice job........
 

..... you are getting good at this.

Patience and persistance pays off.

cheers

Work has rather ground to a stop due to the winter temps finaly arriving. However it has not stopped me from searching out some stuff. The newest arrival is the rather hard to find canvas round hip ring cover. Other then being a bit dirty from storage it is complete and in great shape. Thankfully it hasn't shrunk and it fit really well.

Did these covers have some king of stiffining strips in them? There is three long pockets sewn on the inside of the cover.

Yes Wood Battens
 

Hi Jordan

My HUP still had two of three battens, when I got it back in 1979. I believe they were oak, mine have now been lost along the way.

Cheers Phil

Was that to try and prevent rain water from ponding on the top of the cover, Phil?

David

Yup
 

Hi David

Yes, but when flat battens are used the water still seems to pond a little when truck is not moving. The canvas does arch up when the the HUP is moving so water doesn't pond.

My HUPs canvas cover had been heavily tarred. But was whole and I have, saved it, and used to make replacements, I'm on my second replacement and actually need to make a third as the current ripped when it flew open at road speed. Makes quite a noise when it slams back on the roof.

My orginal still had two broken battens when I got the HUP, but unfortunately have now been lost.

Back to your question, were the battens to help prevent ponding? Yes but I wonder if the original ones had been steam arched to give the round cover a domed shape.

Cheers Phil

Some small progress was made the other day. I restored the data plates for the truck. I gave the plates a light sanding with very fine emery cloth to remove some of the oxidation. Once this was done the boarders and data fields were masked off. I then gave the plates a few light sprays of flat black spray paint. I used a brand called Testors. I find it goes on very fine since its intended use is for the plastic hobby world. I left the plates to dry for a number of hours. Once dry a hobby knife with a chisle blade was used to simply remove the paint from all the raised letters.

It's been a bit since my last update. Mostly because I've been working away on the 10cwt trailer. Today one of my Chiefs was over so that we could roll some beads on a good for his hotrod. Anyway short end of a shorter story I got him to help me out putting the offset edge along the cab roof rear panel. It's been bugging me since last fall to get it done but I just never really felt confident using the roller on my own. Well seeing how easy it went with his hood and using that as practice we setup the roller on my big work bench. It gave us enough room to feed the sheet in and also let it come out the other end. After a few trial runs on some scrap we had figured out the spacer blocks to get the right depth. Once we started rolling everything went very smooth. Next up will be getting the panel fitted and welded in. Then I plan on cutting the window hole and rear comms hole.

Just another picture

After working hard at the 10cwt trailer to get it done in 14wks I'm now back at the CMP. Today's project was to get the rear panel for the roof bent to shape and tacked on place. I have the right side bent and fitted. Next up is doing the final cutting and fitting for the left side. Once it is welded in I will cut the hole for the rear window and the wireless box pass through hole.

For rolling the sheet to match the roof curve I ended up using a 20lb fire extinguisher. I simply held it in place with one hand and pulled up the sheet with the other. A few passes and things worked out really well.

More work has been done on the roof. Ive begun welding in the rear panel. Slow work due to clamping, drilling a hole and welding as I go. For joining the upper seam I had been using some blocks of hardwood wedged under it to close the seam. However it was very tedious to get it just right. My new plan is to pickup a pair of the long reach visegrips. Cut the working ends off and then weld in some extensions and weld the ends back on. That way I can pinch the metal together as I go.

Lovely work Jordan! Thanks for sharing your experiences with the bead roller, clamping, welding and forming; excellent work.

Alex

Here is the tool I came up with to clamp the upper seam on the roof. Locking C-clamp pliers. I simply cut the working ends off and then welded in extensions. Now I can easily reach that seam. This was way cheaper then buying a set of the long ones needed.

And the clamps work really well. I can do about 4-5 welds before having to move them over to the next spot.

Finaly after months of work I reinstalled the roof tonight.

Starting to look like a real truck !!!!
 

Nice job....

cheers

Figured i would try out the NOS side curtain bag on its hangers. It's is parts like this I'm glad I picked up years ago when I first got the truck.

Lovely work Jordan!

That curtain bag is certainly a nice accessory.

Alex

Hip ring crash pads all done. Now just watching the paint dry on the ring before I install them.

And with the weather we are having today the paint has dried rather quickly. Another subassembly is finished.

Nice lifesaver!!!!
 

Jordan

Have you done your wooden ring yet??? or did I miss previous postings???

Cheers

Not yet. It's nextish on the list.

Talk with Grant....
 

He made is ring from laminated BC Fir......very strong and looks the part.

BC Fir came from my barn has the previous owner, who procured the wood from a surplus govt contract, had lined the horse stalls with 8 foot planks...... 8 inches wide..... Knot free. When I removed the stalls for a working area I salvaged the planks.....and have some left.....hint hint.


Cheers

Well the project took a huge leap forward this past week. This is an original FFW Wire3 box model 2J4. The top bows are solid and the box floor/frame is solid. It has the mounting holes for the wireless table and seats. I couldn't be happier. a big thankyou to a fellow MLU'er who put me onto this and helped in its recovery.