1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[RichCam]

Robert,

Can't wait to see pictures of the Radio Box interior renovation! Great work so far and it is pleasing to see that this project has continued to progress after our hand off. This truck is going to be a show stopper next spring!

Cheers!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Robert

When they did the inspection how did they check the brakes or did they?

When I first had my HUP inspected years and years ago (37+) the inspection station wanted to pull the brake drums to inspect the brake shoes. I said fine go ahead then he said how do I do it. So I explained the process and he decided it really wasn't necessary. That was the last time I was even asked even with the two C60 trucks no inspection station has ever even tried to inspect them. All three trucks are totally exempt from inspection now here in New Hampshire because of their age. But what a lot of people with antique vehicle plates here don't realize is that they are still subject to inspection if an officer suspects defective equipment.

Good looking truck - lots of driving enjoyment ahead.

Cheers Phil

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks Richard and Phil.

To answer Phil's question :To check the brakes , The truck is mounted on a ramp with kinda of a slide on it. He asks you to apply the brakes and the slide moves or it doesn't . A reading is taken, Pass or fail.

Now back to the restoration. Today my friend Daniel and i managed to do a lot. We insulated the walls with styrofoam and a vapor barrier made of aluminium. The product is called Iso R. It is 3/4 '' thick and gives an insulation factor of R6 plus depending on how well it is sealed with the red Tuck tape . We then started trimming the 1/2 '' plywood and fixing it in place with metal screws on some of the walls ( pictures below ) .

I then reinstalled some of the original accessories back in their original place . Good progess was made. Good laughs were had. We had fun !

Tomorrow we should finish the walls and start with the ceiling. The day after that we plan on will attacking the generator compartment. We should be finished by next week end. I will wait till summer for the white paint. I will be doing it outside , it will be easier to vent the fumes.

Voilà, all in a day's work.

[Bob Carriere]

Bonjour Bob

The old plywood you removed was it 1/2 thick or very thin 1/8 door skin plywood?

.... and is the plywood for the ceiling the same thickness as the walls???

Nice job by the way.

Cheers

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi Bob,

The plywood i removed from the box and kept as samples for placement of the accessories was around 3/8 '' thick all over , walls and ceiling . 1/8 '' would be paper thin and could not of supported the original shelves . My decision to go with 1/2 '' was based on durability , soundproofing and the ability to anchor heavier shelving if needed . Resistance to moisture was also a factor.

The plywood i removed was all wavy from the moisture, humidity and water seeping through from all the years it spent outside.

Going to 1/2'' instead of 3/8 '' should not detract too much from original and it will not show. Neither will the insulation.

What will detract from original is the floor . I will be putting in a 3/4 '' plywood floor instead of the original '' Decktread'' . I hate cold feet . I will paint it battleship gray. The floor that is . The walls will be white of course.

Thanks for your comments. I am open to ideas , this is an ongoing process.

Cheers and good night.

[David Dunlop]

Factory original, from WilsonTruck Bodies, these wireless boxes were fitted throughout with 1/4 inch plywood. The ceiling is the first to be panelled and then the two end walls. Sides last. This way, the wall plywood adds support to the ceiling edges. As the vehicle moves, the roof will flex and there are dozens of screw holes up there just eating for water to leak in. Since the exterior roof is curved, water flows out to the sides where it could collect on the exposed ply edges, if the walls had gone in first. With the ceiling ply in place first, the water flows completely off the ceiling ply and down the backside of the walls. This prevents the ceiling edge from falling apart, or at least getting too warpy looking over time.

The plywood was made with animal glues back then and with time and exposure to dampness, the glues dissolve and the ply delaminates in situ. You end up with wavy crap as Robert described, very difficult to get a good measure from because some sections swell and others shrink.

Robert,

If you are going 1/2-inch on the plywood, you are going to encounter fitting problems with the ceiling light channels and copper bus bar at the very least. The Gen Box is also going to end up misaligned with the exhaust port in the floor.


David