2011 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

I need the inout of Phil W. ( if he has not floated away wtih Irene) and any one else who has tackled re-assembly of a cab 11 or 12..... so wake up dwon under.

I have attached the proverbial photo worth a thousand words.

Looking at the front of my truck the pass. side of the frame is twisted upwards. Did not think it was serious until I started installing the fender / nose brackets to the arches......

AT first I believed the "horse collar" that holds radiator was installed wrong...wrong spacers or something. So I drained the rad, pulled it off
( repainted it while at it) and found out I was wrong or that the installation had the right spacers, etc.

What I was noticing was the horse collar was not centered...driver's side had a gap over one inch while the pass. ride was tight fitting. Well the rad and horse collar ARE centered its the darn twisting.

Look at the picture with the steel rod inserted in holes in the horse collar... the pass. side is protruding forward about 1.5 inches and about 2 inches higher. I applied square dots of white paper for reference.

In all the pictures the camera was on a tripod so the sa,e point of references can be observed.

So back to the drawing board....visit to the 4 parts cab 12 that I have in the back field. Well the cab 12 has a interesting modification that must have dealt with some problems with the cab 11. They installed a fairly rigid 5/8 steel bar tying together each fender/nose bracket. The steel rod has to travel behind the rad and avoid the fan. Well of the 4 trucks only one still had an original rod in place. so we removed it carefully and set about making a duplicate for my cab 11.... the original will go back for future references.

So with Master Grant as my coach we designed a jig that woudl allow to heat and bend a duplicate of the origianl bar. I made the two flat ends from flat bar stock and as the rain was starting to fall ( beginning of Irene) we hurriedly positioned the bar on the welding table under a light drizzel. somewhere along the process I nudged one fo the end plates... it fell and I repositioned it upside down. There is a clearance cirtical dimension issue with the flat end plate.... so it got welded 180 degree the wrong way.

Solution.... cut off the plate... make a new one and re weld...Voila.

BUT ..... my bigger twisting problem has not been eliminated.

I am hoping that this stiff rigid brace will pull the brackets and arches in line when fully tighned in place. Timew will tell

I remember Phil assembling his cab 12 with a whole bunch of 1 1/2 loose fitting 1/4 bolts until he could literally shake the loosely assembled cab in place then replacing with proper bolts and tightening each one properly.

It almost seems that one dis-assembled the cab11/12 have a tendency to relax and partly regain it former shape....almost like some pastic have a memory and once heated will partly return to there original shape.

I am even considering taking the rolling chassis toa frame staithening shop if necessary.

Comments... suggestions... incantations and new swear words welcomed.....

Bob

[Bob Carriere]

...oops ran out of space.

did such a good job at inserting the 5/8 rod partly in the 3/8 plate and plug welded the end..... that I will now have to carve out the plate around the rod.....can't cut the rod as it would now be tooooo short.

Will redo it this weekend. It all good welding/fabricating experience.

Bob

[Robin Craig]

Bob,

me thinks the truck should be named. . . . drum roll . . . Starboard 'cos she lists to that side . . .

Regards

Robin oh he of the peanut gallery . . . And supplier of PSP to the Hammond Barn

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Comments... suggestions... incantations and new swear words welcomed...Bob

What CMP does not have a slight tilt? As we have seen, all of our restoration project trucks at the barn have that characteristic. The "tilt" on my HUP was quite noticeable until the body was re-installed. I suspect the same will be true with Grant's rad van.

Once your sheet metal is back on I suspect that things will fall into place, and as you mentioned, the "loose assembly method" may be necessary prior to tightening things up.

How much play do you have in your sheet metal (i.e. bolt holes)?

In any case, getting up close and personal with a CMP shows that these beasts have their quirks. I am sure that you will as always, find a way to make things work.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Looking at the front of my truck the pass. side of the frame is twisted upwards. Did not think it was serious until I started installing the fender / nose brackets to the arches......

Bob,

Sorry to hear you run into this problem. I would rectify what seems to be the cause of your problem: the twisted frame. It looks to me that if you remove the twist from your truck's frame, the tilt in the cab will be practically gone and can be adjusted by using Phil's method - proof of these early CMPs being "thrown together?

Good luck,
Hanno

[Bob Carriere]

No Phil has not stopped drinking.... the Irene storm has drop rain onhis area real bad..... broke 100 yeras old record..... in fact he may nothave power yet.

Point raised by Rob C. .... most of the cab bolts are 1/4 stove bolts..... holes were at least 3/8 and some were cut oblong almost 1/2 inch long.

Bigger 5/16 and 3/8 bolts for fenders and such have corresponding larger hole to allow for alignment.........

Hanno's point is correct... if the base is crooked so will the rest.

I will need to investigate what frame straightening facilities exists in Ottawa and costs.......

For the record all 4 spring packs were disassembled, cleaned. leaves fabricated and replaced as necessary and the total spring pack re-arched..... so the two front ones were very similar in dimensions when installed.

Maybe the ground is crooked......!!!!

Bob

[Bob Carriere]

Visited a frame straighteneing shop this morning.....small shop...owner on site with time to talk.

I had brought some pictures which I will share with you tonite.

Steps to be considered....

Build a level platform for the front axle

Select two tires that are within 1/4 inch in height from one another.
..... adjust air pressure to bring to perfect level.

Measure and measure and remeasure and write it down on a picture.

measure space between frame and each spring....frame to level plate, etc.

Consider removing spring packs and switching sides...

measure and remeasure each time.

Having explained that the front cross member and engine support cross member had been removed and replaced....

Loosen all bolts..... including the arches attached to the frame and loosen bolts of bumper....

measure and remeasure......

build jig that can hydraulically twist the frame in the proper direction while the bolts are all loose.......

Measure when all is straight....

Over twist frame by known amount

measure over twist.

relax hydraulic set up

measure to see how much has been gained and how much has sprung back.

repeat process

This sounds like a multi weekend process.

Promise to document/photo my progress or lack thereof.

Cost estimate......$300 to measure and assess what needs to be done....
......$1000 minimum to actually do all of the above......

Or do it all yourself.... free and the experieince is priceless..



Bob

[Grant Bowker]

It should be fairly quick and not too dirty to swap the springs side to side to see if the problem reverses itself or (better) goes away. Is there a spare front spring we can use in the process? 1 spring out, the temp in, the other spring out, the first one into where the second came from then the second to replace the temp where the first started out. This would mean the axle and frame are always connected, no need to remove the brake lines, steering etc or support and restrain the axle and frame as much as if you removed both springs at the same time. Even quicker if the bushing in the temp spring is a bit sloppy.
Any frame built to be able to jack the frame back into shape will need to be quite a bit stonger than the truck frame. Big and heavy. Is there a good source of recycled (cheaper) steel beams close to the barn?
I'd better hurry up and get my frame back into rolling shape so we can bring yours into the barn. To that end, I've got enough shim stock on order (supposed to arrive tomorrow) to do the pivots on a dozen front axles. Standard sizes.... If it arrives as promised, the frame should be rolling with brakes by the end of the weekend, not sure about whether the engine will be in the frame.

[Robin Craig]

a few wedge type anchors into your shop floor and some basic hydraulics should give you with the aid of some steel struts the ability to gently force things nicely and safely.

R

[Bob Carriere]

Will get yours finished first with engine tranny etc.....

I will have to focus some time on fire wood over September anyways.

Need to plan and maybe make a list of steps....take more photos to be enlarged to write down dimensions, etc....

The welded frame would be large square tubing....free standing that would sit astride the front of the frame..... such as a large door frame.... with provision for using our body jack......

I like Robin's idea of a ground anchor as used in larger frame shops...... would require drilling the floor..... or breaking a hole where it is cracked and cementing a large anchoring device.

I ain't gonna quit yet......

I was cautioned this mroning to proceed one step at a time with careful measurments..... we may not need the big guns once we have tried the spring swap and/or the loose bolt approach....... and yes we must have a spare spring pack somewhere..... also have a lot of jack stands....and can hang from overhead crane......

... and we have a large supply of oil for Lucifer....

Bob

Remember we removed and replaced your front cross member as well so we may have another one to do...hihihi

[Grant Bowker]

The saving grace for mine may be that only 1 member was removed, The bumper, hat section behind, rear of engine crossmember, springs and axles were all left in place with weight on wheels while I removed the front of engine member. I also don't recall seing any misalignment of the holes developing as the crossmember was freed (but I wasn't watching for it either). If you are planning your frame inside at the back by Lucifer for the winter we have more cleanup to do back there (need to make the smaller wood crib anyway). I should try winder sticks before putting installing the engine and cab frame to avoid having to undo too much stuff iff there's a problem.

[Ganmain Tony]

I agree with Mr Clarke lads...I suspect they all have a bend in 'em. One side or the other.

Grants idea of swapping springs is a good one.

When I reassembled mine I must confess it was pretty straight compared to your's in that earlier picture Bob.

Having said that, when you go to bolt it back together. Even if the chassis bend is corrected. Things still arent going to go back together like lego.

Guards and panels will be done up and undone. My biggest ally was two or three good screw drivers to jam through holes to get panels to line up with their holes. Just enough to tap a few bolts through the adjacent holes and then slowly do up to gently pull the panel or guard into place.

You will have to do this - there will be no way around it.

Love the fabrication work Bob very nice. Look forward to further investigative work and reporting - great job.

Cant wait to see what Phil has to say when he returns. (from where ever he was blown to)

[Bob Carriere]

Well If I can get it within 1/2 inch instead of 1 to 2 inches I will be happy.

Been doing research on the frame thing on various web site including U tube.

Most are oriented to unitized construction where they just pull and stretch until things look like a car again. But then there is one site that deals wtih antiques...... thye are concerned with a 1/4 or 1/2 inch difference. Still some good ideas/pointers. Like the guy in Ottawa told me you need to take a lot of measurements...then some more..... otherwise with out a baseline you do not know where you are going.

The springs a definitely high on the to do list..... but unless I measure first I will not know how much of an improvement I may have. Matching tires is easy to do as I will install two of the new 10:50 tires that are matched then adjust air pressure to get even closer.

Loosening up all the bolts on the two front most frame cross member may make a difference..... I will also loosened the front bumper and the arches.
Removing that rigid 14 inch floor plate bolted tightly to the frame may also have an impact.

I would like to get closer to a better level stance before applying any hydraulic pressure to the frame.

I visited a few bodyshop suppliers today to see if they knew of any (reputabel ?) body shop that woudl have a frame straigthening set up.
I drew a blank most commented on the lack of need as a modern unitized constrcution vehicle/car that needs that much work the insurance company will just scrap it. A rebuilt "branded" vehicle has to be inspected, at the new buyers cost and time before plates are issued.

Comments about the huge floor space ti takes up with diminishing demand has basically killed it except for very expensive cars/antiques. One guy commmented that if I found one in use the operator would be an ol .... he looked at me and corrected himself..... well not a young man.

Yes I expect to have to use drift/alignment pins when working on the assembly.

Will keep you posted of our progress....meanwhile I am keeping my truck parked on a hill so it won't look so bad.

Phil is probably recovering from the storm.... I hope no arm has come to him. his family and his house.... not to mentionhis shop and the CMPs. Knowing Phil he is probably using his truck and army generator to help others.

Last weekend, I paused to look over my shoulder and was happy with what I saw...... three big kids enjoying themselves..... Rob was fabricating shims for his door hinges..... elongating bolt holes for better fit..... Grant was working on his front axle removing pins and bearing withhis home made tools and I am fabricating the nose brackets. At times we had to line up and take turns either at the bench vice or the drill press....... but that is what a good day is all about !!!!

May there be a lot more.

Bob

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Guys

Storm was not a problem for us, though at one point three days before it hit they had projected the path to go right over the house. It actually went 40 miles west of us.

Must admit that I have not been following the tread of your discussion closely, lots of activity with kids, grand kids, and wife retiring from her job as librarian. As you may have noted I've not kept up the posting on BEAST still working away and I'll try and get caught up on postings.

Now to your questions about trying to get vehicles to sit straight and level. My Pattern 12 had been rolled which bent the front cab frame, Bob found me a replacement cab frame and front fender which is all painted and ready to install as soon as BEAST is back together. Also have a 235 engine to put into the Pattern 12 at the same time.

The bent cab frame made it impossible to all the body panels on the cab to line back up on reassembly. The holes all of which had bolts when it came apart but was sprung bad enough that when trying to reassemble even with a 10 frame jack I could not get some of the bolt holes to line up some of them 2 inches off.

Trying to find where the out of level comes in the combination of springs, frame, and tires is a real puzzle. BEAST my HUP has always sat with a slight list to the drivers side. Even with all new tires it had a tilt. When I had it apart I tried to find the difference in the leaf springs. Unloaded the spring sets right to left measured the same. Bare frame measured on a nearly perfectly flat floor in the shop was within 1/8th inch of being flat and was square when measured across the diagonal. With all this done you would think that the HUP would sit flat when reassembled.

Well I've just put the body back on the frame, not level. So my only answer is that the body just plain is heavy on one side.

Now I'll really go back and read the last month of "at the Hammond Barn" posts see if I can add to the confusion.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

... that you are OK.....just finished looking at Mountain PBS and the damage in upper NY is tremendous.

I will not try to make the frame perfect.... that would not be CMP original but at least less of a tilt.

Looking forward to your comments.

Bob C.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

Yes, the damage in some parts of Vermont was pretty bad, my sister lives in the Rutland area and they're OK but a great deal of damage near them.

As to the list, was out on a US Navy Destroyer couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the ship had a slight list and asked one of the bridge officers about it, first he was surprised I'd noticed, and then he said the ship had a standard list of between 1-2 degrees, always had it. Thinking about it afterwards should have asked them why they didn't trim it out.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

The long weekend in Canada is about to end. The weather in the Ottawa area was unsettled with no shortage of rain. Saturday was fantastic but hot by our standards: 31oC by 1100 hrs. Sunday had its moments and today was quite overcast. However; the weather did not keep the boys from the barn (well, except for Bob, who spent Saturday and Sunday either on a photography or pornography course - not sure which...).

I joined Grant for CMP work on Saturday. He had the barn to himself on Sunday, and today Bob joined us. After catching up on the news of the CMP world, we got down to brass tacks. Grant's focus has been on shimming his steering and working on his brakelines. Bob played with his support rod while I played with my HUP's rear sliding windows.

Bob reworked his support rod and it now looks ready for installation. Will it fit? Time will tell. Grant tested his brake system today and apart from two small leaks which were quickly sorted out, all looks goods. Next step - engine! It is great to see the progress on Grant's truck frame.

The HUP rear window frames - These are interesting items. Each frame with glass weighs in at about 30 pounds. There is one fixed pane and one sliding pane of glass with a small tab handle to make opening and closing easier. The metal frame has a flange that rests against the skin of the HUP. It has 16 fine thread, pan head, slotted machine screws. The top six screws screw into a U shaped metal channel that is welded to the top inside of the window opening. There are six screws on the bottom flange and two on each side flange. As I had replaced all of the sheet metal from the cab rearward, new holes had to be drilled and tapped for both window frames. This turned out to be a fairly easy task, except for one screw that wants to go in on an angle.

U Channels - The U channels had moved somewhat due to rust wedging, so I cut them out, ground off the rust and repainted them. Once the paint was dry the channel was loosely screwed to the top flange. The window frame was reinserted into the opening and the side and lower flange screws were inserted drawing the frame nice and snug to the outside metal. The next step was to reweld the U channels back into place. Once done the top flange screws were tightened. A quick blast of black paint over the screw heads, and that task was done.

Weatherproofing - The original windows had a thin piece of rubberized material lining the opening. While it did manage to reduce vibration, its design tended to trap moisture which in turn caused rust to build up. The restoration of the window frame has already been covered somewhere in this Hammond Barn thread, so I won't bore you with the details. Instead of using the rubber, the window opening and the corresponding surfaces on the window frame were given a coating of black silicone sealant and a good sized bead of the same. The small spaces between the window frame and the body were also given a silicone treatment. Short of total submergence, that should keep the moisture out.

The window war is by no means complete. I have to reattach a fully assembled window frame on the driver's side and re-assemble the pax side and side door window frames. The hold up is finding the channel for the sliding glass. I know I have a good length of it hiding somewhere in the barn. The trick is to find it. What will probably happen is I will buy another length from our friend John G and magically, the other piece will show up.

Next Project - Once the door mounted windows are completed the next project is to find a solution to the rear door dilemma. The rear door has puzzled us all. I am guessing that there were special hinges for the rear door - I don't know for sure as my HUP did not have the OEM hinges when I go it. Instead, three large barn hinges were gorilla welded to the door and sheet metal. They worked but looked like hell.

The hinges that I have fit the original openings in the door and in the frame. Once attached they do not afford enough clearance for the door to close. The door binds where the door frame meets the frame of the opening on the hinge side. We figure that we need at least another 1/4 inch of clearance in order for the door to close properly.

Since HUP rear door hinges are as rare as rocking horse dirt, I am tempted to improvise. My solution would be to take the existing hinges and modify them. Once taken apart, I plan to cut down the body side hinge arm and then weld it to 1/4 inch plate that will fit into the frame opening. The plate will provide the needed off-set and in theory the door should shut without binding. Bob is still thinking about the problem. Any other approaches?

This sort of challenge is what keeps us coming back to the barn as much as possible.

Photos
1 - Inside of the HUP - the freshly tack welded U channel is on top of the window frame. The screw holes in the top of the window frame are for the metal bar that holds on the black out curtains.
2 - The other side window - the tab above the windows is one of the mounts for the horizontal rifle rack.
3 - The installed window and author self-portrait.
4 - HUP starting to look a little more complete.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Rob

Concerning the rear door hinges on the HUP, this week I'll be working on refitting the doors on my HUP this week and will take a real close look at the fit issues and the profiles of the hinges. I did succeed in finding a spare set that look to be a good match though they are drilled for a different bolt pattern.

As I think has been already discussed putting in new bushings and pins is the first step to get rid of the play in the hinge.

I'll check my disassembly photos but I'm pretty sure that my rear hinges had to be shimmed with wedge when I restored the truck the first time 30 years ago.

Really a shame that Mac Auto is 350 miles from you and 400 miles from me, there are a whole bunch of parts I'd like to take out there and see if they are a match for stuff they have on the shelf. Take a look the Model A hinge sets.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for refreshing my memory. I do recall Mac Auto having something like our rear door hinges. As well, I remember either a 38 or 39 Buick having the same type. I would like to get a close look at a volkswagon front door hinge set to get a measurement. I know that the hole patterns do not match, but if the two arms fit then that becomes a welding and drilling exercise. Ebay has some Ford hinges that look useable http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/50-51...item1c1dc97e77

I am looking forward to hearing about your rear door hinges. If you can measure them and the side door hinge sets to see if there are any differences, that would be most appreciated.

[RHClarke]

Saturday morning was dedicated to restocking Bob's hardwood supply for this coming fall and winter. Bob heats his home with a wood burning furnace. This year he decided to take advantage of a good deal for cut and split hardwood offered by a local supplier.

We kicked off the morning with a maintenance check of the 3/4 ton SMP trailer. The tire pressure, chains, pintle and box were in good condition, so we hooked it up to Bob's Ford truck and headed out to pick up the first of three loads. After unloading the first load Bob noted that one wheel rim was hot to the touch. We dragged the trailer back to the barn where Bob and Grant adjusted the cams. The rest of the morning was uneventful, except for the spectacular coincidence of finding a glove on the side of the road that exactly matched the glove Bob found (left) resting on top of the wood when we were dumping load number two.

We unloaded all three loads beside Bob's garage. After the last load we headed off to BoBoul for some breakfast. Bob was in a grateful mood so he picked up the tab for Grant and I. Bob decided to pick up the rest of his wood on Sunday, so the rest of the afternoon was spent on CMP related projects.

Photos:
1 - A sign of the times...fall is pending
2 - Inspection
3 - Adjustment
4 - The last load
5 - Next step - stacking in the garage

[RHClarke]

Another milestone was reached at the barn on Saturday. Grant mounted his engine into the frame of his truck. The hold up was a broken off bolt in the block of his engine. After five attempts Bob managed to weld a nut onto the broken bolt and out it came.

Grant then used the overhead gantry to coax the engine into place. Grant was then heard to say "Now, it looks like a truck."

Photos:

1 - The approach
2 - The expectant Groom
3 - Bob demonstrating confidence in his chainfall and gantry
4 - Touchdown - a match made in Hammond
5 - Looking more and more "like a truck".

[Stuart Fedak]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

After unloading the first load Bob noted that one wheel rim was hot to the touch. We dragged the trailer back to the barn where Bob and Grant adjusted the cams.

I have made it a practice to touch the wheel rims/hub centre on both my Iltis and M101 CDN2 trailer when using them first time in the spring, and if they have been sitting for a while. This spring I had to replace the hand brake cables on the Iltis, as they were seized up over the winter. The previous year I was able to get them freed up, and working for the summer, but this year, I was not able to get them working. I changed the bearings on my M101 CDN2 trailer this summer, and also checked for heating, to make sure the bearings were not too tight.

A simple check, that can prevent all sorts of trouble and repairs.

Cheers!
Stuart

[RHClarke]

After a little investigation online, I learned that 1966-1977 Ford Bronco door hinges "might" be the solution to my rear door hinge issue. The Bronco hinges are a little longer and the gap between the "arched" arm and the flat arm is 13/16". This may solve the binding problem. There is a set of Bronco hinges offered on EBay that I will be bidding on in the near future. The price for a new repro set is about $200.00. The EBay hinges while well-used are much cheaper (unless a bid war happens). I hope to find out if they do indeed fit. I am also trying to get the dimensions for 1960's VW Beetle door hinges (two flat arms).

The next issue was to find a replacement door guide and latch to weld onto the back door frame. Fortunately, the Hammond Barn has an extensive supply of spare parts. After a quick jaunt to the wagon lines behind the barn, Bob and I found the parts. We dragged the lower rear cab frame/sheet metal that we picked up in Montreal last winter back to the barn for some surgery.

After removing the door frame uprights, I cut out he cab supports for future use. Bob removed the latch with some heat treatment. The door guide was spot welded into place so the weld was drilled out and the guide came off with very little fight. A quick sand blast and a spray of black paint later, they were hung to dry for future use.

As usual, the day passed all too quickly and I had to head back home for domestic duties. Helping to keep Bob and Joyce comfy during the winter helps Grant and I “pay the rent” for the privilege of keeping our trucks and stuff at the barn. All in all, it was another great day at the barn.

Photos:
1 - The "infamous" HUP side/rear door hinges (repro Ford Bronco hinge)
2 - HUP rear door frame devoid of door guide and latch
3 - Donor lower rear cab frame
4 - Salvaged pieces for future use.

[Bob Carriere]

First of all thanks for the hand for moving the firewood....really appreciate the help.... I had planned two weekends to get it done with you guys it was done in 1 1/2 days.

Considering the amount of wood we moved..... the engine, bell housing, clutch and tranny installed..... cleaned out the garage.......and the darn brake job I had to do on the wife's Hyundai ..... not a bad weekend. Sure glad I had a Goberment job to go to this morning to rest !!!!!

On the hinges.... my experienced bellied up to the counter at Mac was the same as any other parts store...... they only know how to punch in the computer part number and will not take a part in the back room to check it out....... in fact they get very impatient if you have them to call out 5 or six parts numbers to see which one fits.

On the Bronco hinges ..... after degreasing myself Sunday late after noon, my wife dragged me to Rockland for Hot Rod show infront of Boston Pizza.... she wanted to take pictures...... well there was a Bronco guy out there with an early 66- 67 model and you might be able to contact him for actual eye comparaison....try [number PM'ed] ...... tell him you need his help for hinges.
That number is probably Rockland or back roads towards St Pascal Baylon...
Good Luck.

Now to see if we can get that newly installed 261 to fire up.....

Bob

[RHClarke]

Attached are photos of the Bronco hinge - which may or may not fit the HUP rear door. The issue is binding at the hinge side of the door with the door frame. Perhaps these hinges have the necessary clearance to allow the door to shut completely. I will find out next week when my ebay hinges arrive. If they don't fit, they will go back on ebay/kijiji.

[RHClarke]

Saturday morning saw our first frost, and we have not yet reached the end of summer! It took a few minutes to find the snow scraper/brush in my garage, but it is now a necessity. After removing the frost on my car I headed to the barn for some early morning metal work. Upon arrival I noted with interest that the annual migration of the geese has started already. Winter is not that far off it seems - the temp hit -3 oC just north of us last night. What a country.

The first task this morning was to clean up the alternator mounting bracket that Bob and I fabbed up. After some careful grinding and sandblasting I painted the bracket and hung it outside in the sun to dry. The temp had risen enough and would eventually hit 14 oC by noon. Bob arrived at the barn a little later in the morning sporting a turkey feather in his hat. We decided to do a little clean up near the metal scrap pile. Useable CMP parts were loaded into Bob's trailer and taken to the winter storage area. The Marsden Matting was also moved to a more convenient location.

After that fun, I pulled the wheels off the HUP to check for rust. As expected there was some rust on the rims but nothing that a quick sanding and repaint didn't fix. Once the paint dried, the wheels went back on the truck. The alternator bracket had dried by this time so Bob and I adjusted the bracket and mounted the alternator. The fan belt was lengthened to accept the alternator and we test ran the engine.

Photos:
1 - Frost!
2 - Geese migrating early
3 - The Chief
4 - Alternator finally in place

[RHClarke]

Bob drove his truck out of its storage container and attached his home made radiator strut. It took some adjustment, but Bob got it in place. The next challenge was to stop the leaking fuel bowl. It seems that the cork gasket dries if not in use, so a new gasket was found and installed. After letting the trucks warm up a bit, we decided to go for a spin in our trucks. We drove to the large field for some fun - a short trip of about 500 meters. On the way there we got some interesting stares from the local traffic.

At the field we tested out the 2 and 4 wheel drive features of our trucks. Bob took a tour of the back 40 and returned with a better appreciation for seat belts. After a few attempts to reach the top of the wood chip pile, we headed back to the barn for some clean up. The trip back was very quick. I had just shifted into third gear and had to brake fairly hard to make the turn into Bob's driveway. Bob was able to get up to fourth gear before braking for the turn. I have no idea of how fast we went, but the roar of the engine, the sound of the gears whining and the wind made the experience quite exciting. Bob and I parked the trucks and after a few moments we managed to settled down enough to get back to work on various projects.

Later in the day Grant arrived to work on setting up his radiator. I pulled out my tool kit from a storage tent only to find that the rain had somehow made its way into the tool box. It should be noted that the tool box was covered by a tarp. How it got into the box is beyond me, but I shouldn't have been surprised as the rain in this part of the country sometimes falls sideways. The water left most of my tools with a nice rusty coating. So the next hour was spent sorting tools to be cleaned and those to be tossed. Fortunately, most of the tools were salvageable. After an hour at the wire brush the tools were oiled and stored for more cleaning at the next visit. By this time it was getting late and I headed for home. It was a good drive home but not as fun as driving the HUP. I'm still smiling!

Photos:

1 - Strut installed on Bob's truck (just behind the rad)
2 - The wood chip pile at the Hammond CMP Testing Establishment
3 - Hammond rain has several effects - rusty tools
4 - Tools after a quick brushing

[RHClarke]

The weather this morning was more seasonal than the last few mornings, so with nothing better to do, I spent the morning at the Hammond Barn. The tasks this morning included finish cleaning up my rusty tools, and to install the rear fender to running board connector plates (that's what I call them anyway). The plates attach to the end rail of the running board and to the fender itself. A quick check of the Prototype HUP surprised me - both the front and rear fenders attach directly to the running boards. The 45 HUP only has the rear fenders attached to the running boards. I guess this gives the 45 a little more flexibility going cross country.

Back to the job - the fenders were not too cooperative. Not surprising as they were bent, twisted and torn up when I got the HUP. They now look good, but there was some twisting when they got repaired that made the installation of the plates more of a challenge.

The trick to installing the plates was to use force. The fenders were unbolted from the frame to allow for some movement. The plates were attached to the running board by four bolts and nuts. The running board was raised by using a jack and this generally lined up the screw holes in the top of the plate and on the fender. Four large slotted round headed machine screws were attached through the fender and then through the plate by four nuts. This made the plate draw the fender to it and the fender actually looks properly lined up.

Once the jack was removed, the fender bolts were retightened, and the job was complete.

Photos:
1- The plate
2- The fender layout
3- Front view
4- Back view
5- New artwork at the Barn (part of the Hammond Art Appreciation Program)

[Bob Carriere]

Grant finaly mated his the cab 13 to his frame......

We pushed the rolling frame out of the barn....... brought the tractor with the bottom half of the cab with the tractor bucket...... laid it on the floor...hoisted it with the overhead crane..... pushed the frame back under and lowered.....voila...... well it did take a little longer than that...... Grant will have it running in no time.....

Ooops forgot the pics....

[Bob Carriere]

.....alwasy better with pcis...