[maple_leaf_eh]

I had a bit of spare time Sunday morning and was not far away from Samuel's address. I knew the geography, but misjudged the driving condition of the spring roads. The car didn't launch itself into the rhubarb, but frost heaves bottomed the springs a few times! Probably a good thing I kept the speed down because I lifted a half-dozen deer and saw many turkeys in the fields. Quite the bucolic little paradise he's got there.

Sam is a delightful fellow, full of questions and equipped with lots of practical skills. There are at least three outbuildings around the yard, and a very nice squared timber frame farm house. The carrier is in a nice heated workshop (with a big woodpile in front of the door), and is surrounded by the essential tools for the task ahead. Next door he parks his Lamborghini four-wheel drive. (Quite the story for that piece of handsome hardware.) Which is in front of his nicely restored 24v M38. Behind that are a couple of CJ2A jeeps, and quite an assortment of motors. The flathead V8 for the carrier is one that came from a 1940 fire truck. Outside are other military vehicles including a nice M37, and parts of some M38A1s - I think.

The new plate has been drilled and bolts together. In true Green Disease fashion, the first rivet gun he tried wouldn't turn over the heads, so he bought a bigger one! His riveter looks like it came straight off a WW2 propaganda poster. He pointed out the forge he's made too. With a helper, he expects to get the rivets done before the melt takes over and he gets busy with the farm and contracts. Sam's plate metal work is impressive, and he was pointing out mistakes I probably would have accepted.

The biggest problem facing Sam is not motivation, but good drawings and photos to copy as he builds the interior and the engine compartment. When he bought the carrier, it had a Buick V8 sitting up beside the driver and big holes through the partition. That has been corrected, but those essentials like engine mounts, exhaust routing, driveshafts, brakes, etc will all have to be fabricated.

One happy part of the purchase is two full sets of track. He's got them soaking in oil right now. One piece of advice I passed along from reading MLU was the pins have to be dry and softer than the pads. Hmmm? He said, and I could see the thoughts going round his head.

When we looked at the roadwheels, I had to grimace. A couple have some very big gouges. He talked about getting them re-rubbered at a forklift repair shop in the nearest city. Is this worthwhile, or are there better ways to do it?