Repro 15cwt GS box cover

[Stewart Loy]

Gents,

I made the trek down to Tillsonburg to see how the C15a tarp was progressing. The canvas place has a line on webbing for the straps that are pretty close, buckles that are very good, and even the metal ends that get squished onto the ends of the straps that are not exactly like the original, but better/easier than the resin dipping method used late in the war.

The latest hold up was the fabric. The sample that I was given looked OK to me, but when the canvas experts saw the real thing it 'would not do'. They located a richer coloured and ( more importantly ) heavier bolt for us. The #10 fabric, however, is not coated - and we need it to have that sticky, smelly waterproofing so that our spouses can enjoy teh tarp also. I asked her to proceed with the construction of a single tarp with fabric that she coats on site, after the pieces are cut. I hope to see that sample, and try it on my truck by the end of the month - 2 weeks from now.

After looking at buckles and straps, grommets and ropes I think that she will be able to get us a price, so don't waste all of your egg money on Xmas gifts for the kids - you will need to get a deposit to me some time soon.

I shall report back when I know more.


Stewart

[Jordan Baker]

Sounds good and can't wait to see the finished product.

Thanks for all the leg work on this.

[S LATHERON (RIP)]

If its of any use, many UK Producers of sports cars in the 60's 70's like MG used plastic rear windows,
Try
WOOLIES trim supplies,
Market Deeping
UK
sell a rollable plastic called VIBART? this was the stuff used in car hoods and is sold by the metre, Made great cab side screens on my 13 cab
steve

[Grant Bowker]

web site http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-101-...-material.aspx
The product name seems to be Vybak.

[Stewart Loy]

Steve and Grant,

Thanks for the links to that material - the canvas folks are having a hard time getting that ready for the quote.

I also need some stiff stuff for my truck side curtains.


Stewart

[Mike Timoshyk]

With regards to that awesome smell of well waxed canvas....I have treated my canvas on the M38 several times with a wax preservative and waterproofing bought at Canadian Tire in one gal cans. It has done a wonderful job on the canvas and even provides a whif of that "pleasant odour".

cheers

Mike Timoshyk in windsor

[Stewart Loy]

Gents,

I just got a call from the canvas maker and she is done with the first C15a tarp and wants me to come to try it on.

I can get down there on Friday morning and should have some pix to post later tah day. If anybody is near B'Ville on Saturday we are putting a new clutch in a WW2 jeep - so come on over to have a peek and offer some advice. I think that my wife is putting chicken breasts in the slow cooker for lunch too!

Now would be a good time to decide if you want a tarp for your C15a as I will probably be able to report on a price by the time the pix get uploaded. I will take orders/prepayments soon.

More later.


Stewart

[Jordan Baker]

I like Chicken for lunch. Sounds good. Oh wait I will already be at your place. Did you get much snow up your way today. Hamilton is getting lots and I can't wait for the drive home. Buuurrrrrrrrr

As for the tarp I will give an honest opinion that is non biased or slanted in one way or the other. However if the chicken is good then Im sure the tarp will be fantastic.

[Stewart Loy]

CMPers,

I ventured out to Tillsonburg and grabbed the C15a tarp and plopped it onto my truck. It is availible for viewing Friday-Sunday.

I took a snap or 2 of the sample on my truck and the new tarp on my truck.

She is still working a price for the tarp, price for windows, price for 1/2" hemp rope, and what it is worth for us to do our own waterproofing. Stay tuned.


Stewart

PS - for Boobee - the canvasmith has a used sewing machine ( Jukki brand ) for sale for about $800 if you need/want one. Good shape, comes ith some bobbins and extra needles.

[Bob Carriere]

Tarp looks nice......

....will pass on the sewing machine....... hoping to make use of some Hammond resources for sewing.....

BooB

[Jordan Baker]

Took a look at the tarp tonight and it is very nice. The quality of sewing is top notch. I will be saving my pennies for one.

[Tony Smith]

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Enough about the tarp, how was the Chicken?

[Stewart Loy]

Originally Posted by Tony Smith

Yeah, yeah, yeah! Enough about the tarp, how was the Chicken?

Tony,

I hope that you are not of Syrian decent, and what I am about to say is in no way a slight to the noble people of that fine land.

The chicken was slow roasted in the cooker for an entire day, and filled the house with chicken goodness smells, so I was anticipating a delightful meal, then a super lunch the next day when Jordan Baker came over to get a new clutch disc put in his WW2 jeep.

The chicken spent the day swimming in a vat of Presidents Choice brand Memories of Damascus Tangy Pomegranate Sauce. I wish that I would have read the label first, as manly man food seldom goes with "A tangy, fruity barbecue sauce and glaze for lamb, chicken, ribs, ham and shrimp."

While the meat was very tender it was a bit ( and I hope I don't offend any of the forum with delicate sensibilities ) tangy and fruity. I cannot recommend this concoction.

More later.


Stewart

[Gordon Yeo]

Well lets not dwell on the chichen then. How did the clutch rebuild go?

[Stewart Loy]

Gordon,

Saturday was a fun day. I had Jordans jeep over for a clutch swap. I left him to fiddle with the disassembly while my new snowblower was delivered. Its a big one for my new tractor, so I suspect that it will not snow another flake in Woodstock - now that I am ready for it!

Not only did Jordan want a clutch and pressure plate swap, but he had a new throwout bearing and starter and input shaft bushings, and a steering shaft thing too! I guess once the patient is under you might as well fix it up all the way. Compared to the Carrier and CMP truck bits the tiny jeep parts seemed toylike.

I was not surprised how easliy everything came apart - but most of the new parts went in the way Jordans manual said that they should. Possible exclusion was the temperature sender bulb that was broken in the engine extraction process. I think that Jordan will not need a gauge to tell the tempetaure when he drives the open jeep home this coming weekend - it harkens back mempries of when I was younger and foolish.

Special thanks to a very helpful Charlie Fitton who showed up around supper time. Chicken carcass' pushed aside it was time for him to earn his roast beef dinner - and he certainly did. Whilst regailing us with soldier tales he motivated us and suggested time saving techniques that actually worked. I took special note of the roller bearimng press that he designed for us to press in the new steering parts - well done.

The jeep was driven out to the big garage at 8:30 PM to await Jordans return next Saturday, and we even had time for a beer while Charlie told us some more stories. All in all it was a very good day.

The next day was good also when Jim Rice came over and looked at the jeep. It is parked beside Jim's old CMP truck that we ( mostly you) restored last winter. He recalled that there was a big hole cut somewhere on the box - but he could not see where you had plied your majic to fix it! Not as good as the iltis, but a great job - thanks again. Walter Brandt and Albert Baines are due next Saturday also to look at the CMP tarp, so I will see if they can ferret out your cosmetic excellence - I bet that they won't be able to find it either.

I bet that your arms are tired from snow shovelling, so I will let you go.


Stewart

[Jordan Baker]

It was a fun, if long, day. However the company was great and a pile of work got accomplished in warm surroundings. It sure beat an unheated barn with dingy lighting. The food that Machine Gun Mary cooked up was great even if the sauce didn't make the cut with Stewart. I was happy to be fed two meals. That neat bearing pusher that Charlie made on the spot was great and I will definatley be using that idea again. It saved a large amount of disasembly. The best part of the night was when Stewart climbed into the engine compartment to work on the steering and I almost closed the hood. He actually fit in there as though it had a "1 Stewart Power plant"

As he says the Jeep stuff is very toy like compared to CMP and Carriers. The funniest part was step one in the manual for engine removal. "Pull on hood latches to release and open hood and lean against windshield" Just how dumb were the motorpool GI's

[Gordon Yeo]

Jordan
Don't knock the manuals that tell which side of the stamp to lick before you put it on the letter. The CMP and M-series manuals are a joy to use compared to the Iltis manual. Unlike the Iltis manual, the older manuals are laid out in a far easier format to follow and specs are very easy to find.

Stewart
I have had to shovel some snow but John Deere does my heavy work. Sounds like you guys had a fun weekend, Perry K. and my weekend outing got scuttled with the weather.

Gord

[Jordan Baker]

It was more of a comment to how blatantly obvious it was that "Yes the hood did need to be opened before the engine could come out" The nice thing with these old machines and their manuals is that you don't need a doctorate to work on them.

[CWO (ret) Gilles Aubé]

OK it look very good but how much?

What about the two window?

And is it available to us?

Gilles
UBIQUE

[Stewart Loy]

Gilles, and the rest,

I have not head back from the canvas lady with a price on the C15a truck tarps yet. She is on the hook to get me a price for a tarp, price for waterproofing, price for windows, and a price for the hemp rope that holds the tarp to the truck.

I will bug her about this again this week, and let everybody know.


Stewart

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

It was more of a comment to how blatantly obvious it was that "Yes the hood did need to be opened before the engine could come out" The nice thing with these old machines and their manuals is that you don't need a doctorate to work on them.

Jordan, if you understand that these were written so the simplest farm hand could understand them, then you realise how ingenious their system was. It's kind of like the "cartoon" type military weapons manuals of the Viet Nam era - they recognised that the average educational aptitude of the average recruit wasn't all that high and rewrote everything accordingly. To us, it's somewhat amusing and a bit insulting, but for someone with no more than a Grade 8 education, they worked.

And believe me, the K.I.S.S. principle remains sacred, in any organised environment...

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball

... It's kind of like the "cartoon" type military weapons manuals of the Viet Nam era...

Cartoons continue that "fine" tradition. See:
https://www.logsa.army.mil/psmag/pshome.cfm

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

Cartoons continue that "fine" tradition. See:
https://www.logsa.army.mil/psmag/pshome.cfm

Rob..
Your link gives this reponse...

Secure Connection Failed













www.logsa.army.mil uses an invalid security certificate.

The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is not trusted.

(Error code: sec_error_untrusted_issuer)








* This could be a problem with the server's configuration, or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server.

* If you have connected to this server successfully in the past, the error may be temporary, and you can try again later.







Or you can add an exception…

[Gunner]

Hi Stew!

That sample looks really good! For the hemp rope, try the TSC (the country store). I bought a spool of 3/8 hemp in the one in Kemptville recently. Good stuff, matches the stuff on some of my other vehs. Price wasn't bad (I'll have to check what it was... failing memory, perhaps I should smoke some of the rope! ) They had 1/2 inch as well but its too stiff for the smaller vehicles I was working on at the time.

Check with the Hammond gang for a source of repop engine cover hold-down 'tangs'. These, with a five inch spring, were used on many tarps instead of rope. If your cargo box has the extended buttons that look like a chess rook, instead of hooks for rope the springs and tangs are the way to go. I repopped a few for my LAAT tarp... easy-peasy and quite cheaply done.

Based on the process so far, am I safe in assuming that I can slip the planned expenditure to after Christmas (take that you PC 'winter holiday' jerks!)... sure would make budgetting easier right now! I'm still committed for one, don't lose faith!

Mike

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Alex Blair

Rob..
Your link gives this reponse... Secure Connection Failed
www.logsa.army.mil uses an invalid security certificate.
The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is not trusted.
(Error code: sec_error_untrusted_issuer) * This could be a problem with the server's configuration, or it could be someone trying to impersonate the server. * If you have connected to this server successfully in the past, the error may be temporary, and you can try again later.
Or you can add an exception…

Alex, It worked at work...could be the issue. I tried the url at home and got the same tripe. Here is another url to try displaying some of the covers of the old style

http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm4/docu...TR=5624&REC=18

A little history of the document:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wlcherry/widgets_blog/psmag.pdf

If all else fails, I can check out the booklets at work...assuming you want to maintain your Bradley/Apache/M1A2/3 Abrams...

[Stewart Loy]

Originally Posted by Gunner

Hi Stew!

Check with the Hammond gang for a source of repop engine cover hold-down 'tangs'. These, with a five inch spring, were used on many tarps instead of rope. If your cargo box has the extended buttons that look like a chess rook, instead of hooks for rope the springs and tangs are the way to go. I repopped a few for my LAAT tarp... easy-peasy and quite cheaply done.

Based on the process so far, am I safe in assuming that I can slip the planned expenditure to after Christmas (take that you PC 'winter holiday' jerks!)... sure would make budgetting easier right now! I'm still committed for one, don't lose faith!

Mike

Mike,

I thought that my truck box had those 'nubbins' on the sides and front for some reason. I first saw those 'rooks' in use on your LAAT at BB3 ( or was it 2? ) and thought I might have them for the same reasons. For some reason I thought that was a later, even post-war, method to hold the cover to the truck.

The hemp rope needs to the the last thing installed, so I shall work on this after the covers are underway. All I have some days is faith ...

See pix. Thanks Mike.


Stewart

[Gunner]

Hmmm! Another research project to see when the rooks and hooks were applied!

Mike

[Bob Carriere]

.... I always referred to them as mini capsan winches.......

All the early boxes had them...... and if you search the archive pictures from CLive you will see that the early box canvas had some kind of leather strap with keyholes in them.... they fitted over them funny little "whatever"..... all early boxes also had the curves hooks welded to the box and they seemed to be used to secure a short tarp over the box when the "bows" were not used.... again this is based on factory pictures from Clive.....

It would make sense that with field experience the typical metal spring hood type clasps where used on the tarps to secure the tarp under some tension yet could be very quickly released for battle situations.

Grant has reproduced some very accurate copies of the spring devices.... even importing the suitable springs from the USA in yard long strips from an outfit that would not ship to Canadians even when using a UPS box in Ogdensburg...... he used the good services and good will of Phil in NH to remail to the barn...... the Caldwells are also reproducing them as well.



Boob

PS the link from Rob worked for me......

[Stewart Loy]

Gents,

Here is the pricing from the canvas supplier:

Please find below the itemized pricing for the covers:

#10 Olive Drab or Tan Canvas Tarp: $600.00
External Waterproofing Applied by Hornsby Canvas: $175.00 (not required for Tan Coloured Tarp)
External Waterproofing Purchased and Applied by Customer: $120.00
4 Plastic Windows (as per drawing supplied by Stewart): $25.00 / window
100' Hemp Rope: $50.00 (our supplier has informed me that there is a limited amount available and when the supply is exhausted, there will not be any more available)

All applicable taxes are charged extra.
Delivery is approximately 4 weeks from date of order. We need the lead time to receive the materials.

We would like a commitment for as many #10 Olive Drab Covers as possible as one time. We need to order the material and must order a minimum of 200m. This equals 12 truck covers. We also need to order the buckles and webbing which is also a special order and minimums are required.

We would also like to have a sample truck cover to use as a guideline when manufacturing the new covers.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for the opportunity to work on your projects.

Example: Tan w/waterproof with 4 windows w/rope = 600+175+100+50=$925

So there you have it. Please decide what colour and coating and number of windows and rope that you want.

Please PM with your desires and we will talk about payments.


Stewart

[Gunner]

Hi Stewart (I just noticed that you always sign off as "Stewart" so I figured I'd best follow suit!) :

I'm still committed to one in OD, no windows and no rope. I'll get back to you on the waterproofing before production starts.

Thank you for making the effort to see this through!

Mike