2008 at the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

As mentioned, Dan the Muffler Man had his hands all over my HUP's frame today. The fellows at the shop were quite impressed with the HUP, thinking it would make a good swamper or off-road/rock crawler... Bob mentioned that the good folks of Orleans were somewhat baffled with his trailer load - being good liberals, they shook with fear when they caught a glimpse of the the OD paint and immediately went home and called their MPs to demand a cut in the defence budget...fortunately, we don't have a thief, er, liberal MP, so we should be OK for the time being.

The thumbnails show the HUP waiting for the trip perched up on Bob's trailer, and a shot of the new pipes.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

As mentioned, Dan the Muffler Man had his hands all over my HUP's frame today. The fellows at the shop were quite impressed with the HUP, thinking it would make a good swamper or off-road/rock crawler... Bob mentioned that the good folks of Orleans were somewhat baffled with his trailer load - being good liberals, they shook with fear when they caught a glimpse of the the OD paint and immediately went home and called their MPs to demand a cut in the defence budget...fortunately, we don't have a thief, er, liberal MP, so we should be OK for the time being.

The thumbnails show the HUP waiting for the trip perched up on Bob's trailer, and a shot of the new pipes.

Rob..
Nice job..Just an observation that will save you some vexation down the road..
Turn your muffler clamps 90 Degrees so that the nuts can be easily accessed once the body is on..A rookie mistake but easily fixed at this point..do it before they become heated and the metal atains new memory..
..
Retighten after a couple of hours run time..

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Alex Blair

Rob..
Nice job..Just an observation that will save you some vexation down the road..
Turn your muffler clamps 90 Degrees so that the nuts can be easily accessed once the body is on..A rookie mistake but easily fixed at this point..do it before they become heated and the metal atains new memory..
..
Retighten after a couple of hours run time..

Alex,

Sage advice. Dan the Muffler Man placed the clamps tits-up to remind me to tighten them once I am happy with the final positioning. He left some wiggle room if I didn't like the set up - a real pro, our Dan. Prior to the great "mating" of body and frame, I will adjust the clamps just so.

By the way, it is good to "hear" from you - it seems we lost you for a spell (or maybe I should venture out of the Resto Forum more often...),

[RHClarke]

My son Jesse and I made the trek out to Kars to visit Mike (AKA Gunner) and his kabal of re-enactors. The S&P convoy was augmented by the Iltis Club of Ottawa (some proudly wearing their Rotters hat), and a few free-lancers, including a family from Montreal. It was quite the convoy to Merrickville and then to Kemptville. Hopefully Mike can list off all of the trucks/guns.

Jesse and I spent the afternoon with one of my army buds, Paul and his two boys. The parade went well with only one breakdown (prior to the parade start). The six pounder salutes at the end of O Canada and God Save the Queen were notable for their subdued "woofs". I guess times are a-changing, eh, Mike?

After the parade, Jesse joined a few of Ottawa's best re-enactors for a small break in the back of the museum's C8. The Merrickville show was quite nice (we missed the Kemptville show) - well done, Mike and company.

[Gunner]

Hi Rob:

Thanks for the kudos! Sorry I was off feeding monsters (read: teenagers) when you had to go so I missed saying goodbye!

It was a great day and I'll post a detailed after action review (AAR) in the events section.

Mike

[RHClarke]

Today, we had the pleasure of hosting Gordon Yeo and his cousin (sorry, mate - I forgot to write down your name...) from Manotick. Guy Vapeur also made an appearance. The entourage took the royale tour of Bob’s empire and then we headed down to Chez Marie for a bite to eat. Curious thing, the food was free for the Hammond gang…Gordon was first off the mark after brunch and picked up the tab. You may have started a dangerous precedent there Gordon!

After brunch, Bob worked on his arches, while Grant hammered out a repetative tune on his truck roof. I satisfied my CMP urge by cutting back some growth around my shelter and by the Dodge truck park - where a new (to me) stablemate will soon join them...more to follow!

[RHClarke]

Not to be outdone by the liberals "Green Shift", the Hammond Trio saddled up for our shortest ever recovery road trip to shift our own green monster. This trip took us out to the west end of the Nepean portion of Ottawa - the last vestige of civilization before hitting Kanata.

I decided that my life was not complicated enough, so I bought a '55 Dodge Ambulance from a fellow S&P volunteer. The truck is mostly complete with some missing bits and a need for an engine rebuild. Between Jesse's radio van and this ambulance, we should be able to come up with one working 3/4 ton truck. I kinda like the Dodge as it was the first military vehicle I ever drove (back in the day when my arms were just as thin as the steering wheel spokes).

Many thanks to Bob Carriere for volunteering his diesel pickup and trailer, and Grant for his attention to detail and safety. We moved the truck back to Hammond in short order with only one OPP officer giving us quizical looks...I hope to start tearing it down in the next few weeks after my next trip overseas.

Here is a shot of my new "baby":