2011 at the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Mark W. Tonner

. . . good camouflage and concealment from air assets in a winter setting . . . and a nice quiet herd even . . .

Mark,

We suffer constant attack by shit hawks and crows. The snow provides some protection from the bird guano, but the biggest threat is from the herd of cats that have developed the curious habit of using CMPs (Cat Mobile Potties?) to relieve themselves. Now, that odour keeps most civilized folks away from the trucks, but wouldn't deter anyone on an unauthorized shopping trip.

The CMP herd is due for a thinning out soon. I will have the orange Ford and a load of spare Ford parts, the C60 frame (stripped) and various other CMP parts for sale in the Spring. Got to make room for at least one more HUP...

[RHClarke]

On Saturday morning, it was sunny and -13oC at 7AM, with a stiff breeze dropping the wind chill to about -22oC. After stoking Lucifer's fire, snow was removed from in front of the barn doors -we only got about 2mm of snow which was whipped up by some strong winds the night before. Both of my shelters had the modular tent sections/tarps blown halfway off. After knitting them back onto the shelter frames, it was time for some more chores.

Bob's trusty trailer got swept clean and its tarp laid out in the sunshine for cleaning. Some time was spent tarping up the newest HUP and removing the ice and snow that collected on the roofs of the trucks and beds of trailers in the wagon lines. The cold weather made working outside a little uncomfortable, so we retired to the barn - yes, we are getting a little "soft" as we approach our dotage.

With Grant taking the day off from the barn, Bob busied himself with two very interesting chores; the first, sorting nuts and bolts into bins, which took most of the day to do, and then cleaning out the cat house...more on that chore later.

My time was spent making metal flanges for the "opera" window on the HUP. The long rectangular window is held in place by two long "L" shaped strips on the top and bottom, and two similar but shorter strips on the sides. I misplaced the side strips a few years ago and made replacements out of 18 ga metal. Once bent, I drilled holes, sandblasted the strips, acid treated and then painted them. Hanging by Lucifer dried the Tremclad paint in short order. After lunch I put them on the truck.

Following that it was time for "lip" service. The replacement lips for the large hatch on the HUP lines the hatch hole with the lips providing part of the seal with the hatch cover. As previously mentioned, these strips were spot welded together, will be cut to fit and welded onto the roof hatch of both the 45 and Prototype HUPs. To prepare for the installation, each of the six strips were cleaned up. This involved using a grinder and flap wheel to clean up the ridges caused by the spot welder and to take the sharp edges off each strip - this will prevent the hatch lips from cutting into the foam that fills the hatch cover corresponding channels. Once that was done, the strips were cleaned, acid treated and given their first coat of paint to keep them from rusting further. Later the strips will be MIG welded to the hatch opening.

The next chore was to replace the oil pressure line that accidentally melted to the exhaust manifold during my last visit. The new nylon tube was encased in copper tubing to make sure that it stayed out of pinch points and did not rest anywhere near the manifold. The ends of the tubing were capped with a couple of inches of rubber tubing to keep the nylon tube from chaffing or rubbing agains the ends of the copper tube. The copper tubing was then bent accordingly and the new fittings put in place. Next week I will secure the tubing and take some photos.

At the end of the day Bob decided he had enough fun playing with his nuts and bolts and decided to take on a less tedious challenge...the photos tell the "tail":


Photos:
1. Hatch Lips - pre-cleaning
2. Bob sorting bits and pieces (excuse the camera...it didn't like the cold)
3. Bob, a HR advisor is used to dealing with sh*t, so this chore was no problem
4. Cathouse "leftovers" - yes, he has a few feline friends...

[Phil Waterman]

Hi to the Barn Crew

Sounds like and interesting day, loosing parts is always a pain, I generally find them later in the project after making replacements and then wonder why do I have these bits left over.

Talking about cats, we have a 18 lbs house cat who has been not keeping this part of the bargain about chasing critters out of the house, the proof of this was discovered the other morning when I went to put on my work boots only to find one of them filled with kitty kibble, I'd worn the boots the day before.

Keep up the spirit of spring should be here in about 4 months.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

I woke up this morning to the snow gently floating down and covering everything in a nice white coat. After shoveling the driveway, off to the barn I did go, just as the weather switched to rain from snow. This being a weekend, the roads do not get the attention they usually get. The rain came down harder as the temperature rose. This made the roads very slippery and full of slush. It took an extra 15 minutes to get to the barn.

The first order of business was to rid the shelters of their now very heavy snow load. It is interesting just how much weight the rain added to the snow. The shelters seem to "inhale" as the snow/slush is removed. Bob took care of the shelters near the barn, while I cleaned those on the side of the barn, and of course Clive's shelter, which always seems to suffer the most.

After removing the slush in front of the barn doors, Bob and I (Grant was AWOL) jumped into his truck for quick visit to Embrun (a little town close by) to look at a CMP that was converted into a front end loader/welding support truck. Neither Bob or I brought a camera - the photos would have been rain spotted anyway. After chatting with the owner for a while, we learned that there were a few CMP wrecks in the bush just north of Ottawa. We will see where that lead takes us. After a quick coffee at the local Tim Horton's, we headed to Greely to visit our friend Bill Clairmont.

Bill owns the yellow CMP based snow plow previously shown on MLU. The reason for our visit was to discuss some custom work Bill is doing for one of the Rotters, and to pump him for more info on CMP wrecks in the region. Next weekend, we will be kidnapping Bill and heading south west to look at a CMP with a winch on it.

After Bill got tired of us, we headed back to the barn to do some administrative chores. Neither of us felt like taking on any more projects for the day, so Bob headed home to take care of his "honey-do" list, and I headed back to Ottawa. The rain was still teeming down and the roads were just a little more dangerous than usual. The freeze thaw cycle really affects the roads here. They tend to bend, buckle, break, crumble, heave, dip and split open. On some roads you spend as much time going up and down as you do going forward.

Could be worse...

[Robin Craig]

Dear members of the Hammond Barn,

I read your exploits of relics from the WW2 era with great interest. Obviously as I am a post war British vehicle enthusiast, and an import to these shores I have missed a few basic details that I could use explaining.

1 Why do you embark on vehicle recoveries in winter, is it a future demonstration Olympic sport?

2 The "breading" program you descibe, with row upon row of relics, does it have some majic formula for "cross pollenation" whereby a 60CWT is possible from a lesser original "breading" stock?

3 Is your property visible on Google Earth?

4 How many variants comprises a "full set"?


I apologise for the phillistine like questions, please see intro again!

Robin

[Ganmain Tony]

Thanks to Mr Clarke, Carriere and Bowker for the photo's and updates of Blitz adventures at the Hammond Shed...makes for an entertaining evening instead of watching rubbish on the Tele.

Keep up the laugh's and pictures fellah's, just getting back into my beast for a bit of tune up before Corowa.

No doubt you blokes have booked your flights and we'll see you next week for a barbie and beer or three....our shout.

[Bob Carriere]

I read your exploits of relics from the WW2 era with great interest. Obviously as I am a post war British vehicle enthusiast, .....we won't hold that against you....and an import to these shores I have missed a few basic details that I could use explaining.

1 Why do you embark on vehicle recoveries in winter, is it a future demonstration Olympic sport.....Yes it is..... but you will never beat us Canucks at it...haha

2 The "breading" program you descibe, with row upon row of relics, does it have some majic formula for "cross pollenation" whereby a 60CWT is possible from a lesser original "breading" stock?.....We have NO lesser stock..... based on rare DNA we are trying to raise the elusive Cab 13 with the Dodge engine

3 Is your property visible on Google Earth? ......Actually the whole property is covered with aluminum foil to prevent satellite viewing..

4 How many variants comprises a "full set"?.....No "variants" just vagrants CMP, DODGES, etc......

The Gang


I apologise for the phillistine like questions, please see intro again!

Who is "Phillistine" ........ any pictures of the lady????

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Ganmain Tony

Thanks to Mr Clarke, Carriere and Bowker for the photo's and updates of Blitz adventures at the Hammond Shed...makes for an entertaining evening instead of watching rubbish on the Tele. Keep up the laugh's and pictures fellah's, just getting back into my beast for a bit of tune up before Corowa. No doubt you blokes have booked your flights and we'll see you next week for a barbie and beer or three....our shout.

Tony, We are glad that we have some fans downunder. One of these days, we may take you up on your invite to share a beer or two (and to take in some of Australia's charms). We are looking forward to more postings from you and your mates.

I "almost" made the trek a few years ago, but fate had other plans (AKA the Prototype HUP). It was a tough decision, but the HUP won. I'm sure most CMP types would understand...alas, my wife still shakes her head over that one.

In the meanwhile, don't forget to tune into Phil Waterman's excellent New Hampshire Barn Thread. We consider Phil to be one of the Hammond Crew and always look forward to his contributions to the CMP body of knowledge.

Cheers!

[RHClarke]

1 Why do you embark on vehicle recoveries in winter, is it a future demonstration Olympic sport? No, but there are fewer mosquitoes and it involves less sweating

2 The "breading" program you descibe, with row upon row of relics, does it have some magic formula for "cross pollenation" whereby a 60CWT is possible from a lesser original "breading" stock? Not sure where you are going with this question...never mind, don't elaborate

3 Is your property visible on Google Earth? Normally on planet Earth

4 How many variants comprises a "full set"? 42C

I apologise for the phillistine like questions, please see intro again! Nope. Still no help

Robin, We are delighted that you peer in on us and show some interest in our madcap exploits. Will you be joining us for the BBQ in June?