New to the Shilo Museum:WW1 Cadillac Ambulance

[maple_leaf_eh]

What is the triangular thing resting against the driver's side front wheel?

Is the engine cover off, or missing?

I cringed to see the ratchet tiedown on the old axles. I hope the ride didn't do any damage.

What a tremendous find! And thanks to the local museum for treating it so well since 1949 too. The good people of Elkhorn must have sensed they had something precious even then.

Is there a wagon-maker or wheelwright in the area? Those men know how to build bodies like this one. Species of wood, cut of lumber, seasoning and fasteners are all little details a CF-trained wrench bender won't necessarily know, or have the CFTO for ;-) .

(Send me a DIN message. I have a Camp Hughes map sheet that your folks might appreciate.)

[rob love]

No idea what the triangular thing is.....I take a pretty crappy picture here in the shop. We have some kind of yellow lights which are terrible for photos.

Engine cover and radiator were off. I have them installed in their proper places now.

They are Bear traps as opposed to ratchets. By pulling forward and backward and outward more so than downwards, you minimize the load on the wheels. End of the day, it has to be tied to be on the road. No damage occurred. A little moderation and balance can go a long way in life.

The Elkhorn museum is quite a large collection of vehicles. It originated from a private colelction and became a town museum. I guess they sensed that if nobody had stepped forward to restore or repair it after 65 years, perhaps it could go somewhere that would. Trust me, we only opened up a tiny dent in their collection of vehicles. It is located right on the trans Canada highway and open during the summer, and I would reccomed it to anyone passing thru Elkhorn.

We have a wheelwright not too far away, as well as some wagon makers in Saskatchwewan. Problem is a lot of this kind of work is a dieing art, and the few guys who still do it can be pretty swamped. This wrench bender does know a little about fasteners, and I'll start ordering some of those tomorrow. I'll have to check for depot stock first before I start ordering them commercially. I am itching to make the tarp for it, but I already have more than a few projects on the go now.

Will do on the PM.

[David Dunlop]

Interesting about the hand crank capability of this vehicle, Rob. Since the electric starter and the electric lighting system were brand new introductions in the 1912 model for Cadillac, it would be somewhat understandable for the military to be wary of the reliability of the new technology and want traditional hand crank starting capability as part of their purchase. The question would be if the hand crank was an "in stead of item" or an "in addition to" item on the vehicle.

Just looking at your photos again and suddenly realized the old girl is RHD. she's going to feel right at home with the CMP collection!

David

[rob love]

Yes, it is right hand drive. Looking at google images for 1912 Cadillac, it would seem the majority of them were. I don't know it the left hand drive version was an option or later conversions.

[Jack Innes]

All of the 4 cylinder Cadillacs were RHD. In 1915 they changed to LHD as standard & introduced the V8 engine.

On the starter, in 1912 Cadillac was the first to offer an electric starter as standard equipment . Most cars had provision for a hand crank up to WWII & some beyond. (Ladas came with a crank in the 1980s.) Early batteries were not very reliable.

[Robin Craig]

Dear Rob,

As others have said before, both you and the museum have landed your respective feet, this vehicle just proves that.

I admire restoration even though I am a more modern vehicle kind of guy.

The tip about the ultraviolet light is inspired. I have a use for that myself

Will enjoy following this thread.

Robin

[rob love]

Jack: The hand crank on this truck is fixed in radiator support bracket. The khaki paint is quite solid on it, indicating it was there during service. The photos I see of the 1912 Cadillacs do not show the handcrank being there. Was the handcrank an option or perhaps a retrofit?

I have always found the older starting systems to be marginal at best, and could certainly understand the military maintaining the tried and true (and dangerous) hand crank.

Had a closer look at the starter, and the casting has been broken off that would have held the pinion gear and shaft. A pulley was installed on the shaft, which would make one think the generator/starter had been converted to a straight belt driven generator on some other application.

[Jack Innes]

Rob, The pre 1912 models had the crank permanently mounted but in 1912, I am sure to reinforce the image of self starting, the crank handle was kept in the tool box. But I agree with you in that the military likely had it permanently mounted in case of emergency. Looking for the loose handle in a combat situation would not be the best situation! There would always be husky men around to swing the crank if necessary.

If you can post a picture of the starter/generator I might have most of one in stock. 12, 13 & 14 all had different starters. If the original battery box is present, do not turn it over. The voltage regulator inside has an open topped container of mercury involved in its operation.