Have "Bofors" will travel

Rob Fast · #1 31-07-03, 20:15

Just found a large piece of the CMP LAAT puzzle, with the purchase of a Swedish made 1939 40 mm Bofors. Very complete, it will look good behind my soon to be DTB F60S. What I am now looking for is the correct LAAT box 7D1 or 7J2 for the truck. The truck is also missing the rear hitch and roller assembly. Looking forward to parading this one next year for the D-day events.

Rob Fast · #2 31-07-03, 20:41

1939 marked.

Snowtractor · #3 01-08-03, 02:35

Way to go Rob , really neat! Going to make an outstanding tow for parades, and the gophers will have to "relearn" the range of your gpher gun!
Sean

DaveCox · #4 01-08-03, 10:11

Jeez, towing one of these around would be one way to make sure that nobody cut you up on the road!!!!!!!

Rolf S. Ask · #5 05-08-03, 00:53

but where do you live?
Could be some expensive to send it with Air Mail......

But as far as I know, there are at least to types of rollers. Which one is it you need?

Rolf

Rob Fast · #6 08-08-03, 03:20

Thanks for reply Rolf.I am not sure what rear roller/ hitch assembly I need at this point. I am going for a 3 hour drive next week to look at a FAT wreck with rear hitch intact, but I am not sure if I can make the switch. Any info or help on this one would be apprecitated. Rob

Rob Fast · #7 08-08-03, 03:25

Another pic.

Rob Fast · #8 13-08-03, 00:41

There is a 3 position switch/lever on the left side of the breech with the inscriptions: KERTATULTA / SARJATULTA / and VARMISTETTU. Can anyone help on this one? Also trying to get in touch with Mr. Roy Wellburn out of B.C. but am having trouble tracking him down. Any help off line would be appreciated . Anybody out there ever removed the barrel off of a Bofors?

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #9 13-08-03, 14:15

I'll have the meanings for you lickety-split, Rob. Stand by.

Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) · #10 13-08-03, 14:29

Interesting....

Seems your friend got himself a Finnish gun... Translations would be
Kertatulta = single shot fire
Sarjatulta = automatic fire
Varmistettu = safe

Rob Fast · #11 13-08-03, 21:57

thats good to know, I will be looking for a Finnish dictionary in due time! Yes, the gun is Swedish made, but was used by the Finns until 1992 and was shipped to Canada in the late 90's. Complete set of tools, and sights, I will have to try and find a manual. Cheers Rob

Terry Gaebel · #12 14-08-03, 05:18

Hi Rob

the last barrel that I had anything to do with I'm sure it was just unscrewed once the brech was removed. The bofors is in Lethbridge in front of the armouries.It is a runner except it needs the rear axel. If you want i can ask around I think we borrowed a book from the RCA museum in Shilo. Here is a pic of our gun

Rolf S. Ask · #13 18-08-03, 23:49

Hello again Rob

As soon as I get this d.... computer working as it should, I will take a picture with my digital camera of the rollers and the hitch and mail it to you. My PC just don't like my camra..... it is just telling me there was a problem transfering the files....
But the rollers and hitch I have is of the early type, comming of a C30 cab 11

Rolf

Keith Webb · #14 19-08-03, 23:44

They would probably look like these, Rolf?

This pic comes from Brian Gough's book of Chevrolet factory images.

Rolf S. Ask · #15 20-08-03, 03:05

it is like that.

Rolf

Rob Fast · #16 02-12-04, 20:27

A little rough. but I'll take it anyway I can find it! Now the work begins. More pics to follow, I'm frozen. Cheers Rob

Rob Fast · #17 02-12-04, 20:28

OK

Hanno Spoelstra · #18 02-12-04, 22:43

Quote:

Originally posted by Rob Fast
A little rough. but I'll take it anyway I can find it!

Rob, that looks very promising. Where did you find it? An abandoned AAA site somewhere above the polar circle?!?

Good luck getting her home!

H.

Rob Fast · #19 03-12-04, 01:28

That's not a articrized LAAT, it's Ontario highway salt. Bought the LAAT off of a friend north of Toronto. Paid more for shipping than I did for the wreck, but when you have to have it, you have to have it! My brother Tony and myself will start stripping it down tommorrow. Am looking forward to getting dirty! Cheers Rob

David_Hayward (RIP) · #20 03-12-04, 11:32

GENERAL MOTORS OF CANADA
MADE IN GM CANADA
OSHAWA WALKERVILLE REGINA
MODEL 84-41
SERIAL 2844111733
ENGINE 3811162 BODY SERIAL 406
TRIM WR PAINT F.C.98

Note they were on the same production line, and compare engine and body numbers! As you know engines from Walkerville Plant were railed to Oshawa and they sat around..then the guys came along and picked the nearest ones without reference to sequenctial engine numbers.

Who has other LAAT please?

cmperry4 · #21 03-12-04, 19:54

Well done Rob and Tony. Your superb bir-dogging skills have paid off again. Will be a super mate for the Bofors in time.

Erg, road salt - I don't even want to drive my Land Rover this winter after last winter's ravages. I have a nice workshop/garage to keep it cozy in now - (but chiefly for getting serious about the HUP.)

Nigel Dawe · #22 04-12-04, 15:07

Hi Rob,

What a super Bofors ! It WILL look fab behind your CMP. A friend of mine has a later mark Bofors in Malta. His has the 9-00x13 wheel/tire combination, what size wheels and tire's are yours ?
A 1939 Mk.1 would have had 6.50x20 tires from the factory, obviously the Finns have fitted different wheels and tires.

As an aside, Lord Nuffield (of Morris Motors fame) built a shadow factory near where I live (near Oxford, England) specifically built to produce Bofors 40mm gun barrels. This little factory in the woods produced 50% of all Bofors barrels fitted to British guns in WWII.

A few years ago I did some research on the factory and produced an A4 sized booklet all about the place. Sadly, it was demolished in about 1990 and a modern factory/office complex built in its place. Just before the demolition I 'borrowed' the wartime 'Consol' firewatchers shelter from off the roof of one of the buildings, it's now preserved in a museum.

Best of luck restoring the CMP and Bofors, please post a picture when it's all finished.

Many thanks,

Nigel Dawe (ex.1940 F8 11 cab owner)
Still at heart one of the Oxford CMPer's
England

Stellan Bojerud (RIP) · #23 05-12-04, 08:15

Quote:

Originally posted by Nigel Dawe

A 1939 Mk.1 would have had 6.50x20 tires from the factory, obviously the Finns have fitted different wheels and tires.

As an aside, Lord Nuffield (of Morris Motors fame) built a shadow factory near where I live (near Oxford, England) specifically built to produce Bofors 40mm gun barrels. This little factory in the woods produced 50% of all Bofors barrels fitted to British guns in WWII.

A few years ago I did some research on the factory and produced an A4 sized booklet all about the place. when it's all finished.

1. The Finns or the Hungarians since the gun is an Ilmatorjuntakanuuna 40ItK/38 U = Unkarilainen = Hungarian made by Mavag.

2. Interesting about the Nuffield factory. I know that there were six companies cooperating in the "40 mm Bofors mounting group". One or more of the Royal Ordnance Factories, Nuffield Mechanizations, Reyrolle, Otis-Waygood and Bristol Aircraft.

3, Attached: A Finnish 40 mm Bofors for wheel compasison.

This is a 40ItK/59 modernized with Galileo computer.

Rob van Meel · #24 06-12-04, 16:15

On Bofors I only can offer repros of the following two British manuals on the Ordnance QF 40 mm.:
2764 1941 26/GS/499 Ord QF 40mm. Gun drill (79 p.) £ 6.-
2751 1946 26/man/3603 Maintenance manual (106 p.) £ 8.-

Br,

Rob van Meel

Rob Fast · #25 23-12-04, 02:39

Please see attached picture and can anyone tell me if the back bench seats were sloped front to back or am I seeing things? Pic is a 7J2 box with both gun and tractor spare tire carrier. Any LAAT owners out there with interior body photos, your help would be appreciated. Thanks Rob

Rob Fast · #26 23-12-04, 02:42

OK

wrench · #27 25-12-04, 06:01

yor unit dec 1 jct hwy 11 on big freight semi ? am sure

Rob Fast · #28 25-12-04, 17:41

The truck driver said it generated a lot of interest wherever he stopped. Merry Christmas everyone from my cold Manitoba winter ranch. Cheers Rob

chris vickery · #29 05-01-05, 23:36

Hey Rob, have you seen the bofors maintenance kit advertised on MilWeb?
Apparently you get a kit of 6 cases of spares as issued to a bofors battery of 8 guns, complete with a mallet such as the one shown. Unfortunately located in the UK but what a package!
Look under '' artillery'' on their website.

Rob Fast · #30 06-01-05, 01:49

Yes, I would love to have the six Bofors chests, but a little out of my price range, and heavy too! Shipping would also kill me. Right now looking for the Bofors mallet only, it mounts on the Bofors firing platform. Also Bofors ammo boxes C-216 and C-219 to fit in LAAT storage boxes on LAAT CMP 1942 tractor. The box restoration is coming along great, we have gone thru 100 or so 5" grinding and cutting discs. Having a blast, pictures of box restoration to come soon. Cheers Rob