2011 at the Hammond Barn

[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