The Snakes Alive CMP Wiring Project

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Keith,

Thanks for that information and photos.

It answers two questions:
It doesn't look like double connectors are used even if they would do the job, and it appears the leads from the dip switch go into the rear of the middle and lower terminals of the upper junction block (Hi and low beam respectively)
I will therefore connect the right headlight to the short tails at the junction block with just single bullet connectors and bring the leads from the dip switch to the rear of the junction block.

I will wire it up that way unless something else comes along to prove otherwise. I notice there is a small clip on the foot plate near the clutch pedal bump pad which may help to prevent the dip switch harness from getting chafed.

Thanks again,

[Jacques Reed]

Good day Again,

Next question: I noticed on some headlight reflectors I have salvaged that some had an extra hole above the main headlight globe with a smaller globe fitted there. Some reflectors I have found didn't have this extra hole.

The parts manual shows the smaller globe fitment for both the early and later cabs.

So the question is where does the smaller globe fit into the scheme of things?

With a twin filament headlight globe it would not be the Low beam.

Is it wired in parallel with the sidelights so that in effect you have parking lights on when you have the sidelights on? This would however result in the parking lights being on when switching on "Tail & Side" or "Tail, Side & Head" This might not be acceptable to the military for darkened driving.

Perhaps they were just a later replacement for the single base reflectors and the small light was ignored and never connected.

I probably will run sealed beams anyway for the greater road safety they provide. I don't always pursue 100% originality where safety is concerned but it would be nice to know where those small lights in the reflectors fit in on Australian CMP's.

Thanks for any help or any ideas on the subject.

Cheers,

[Lynn Eades]

Hi Jacques. The small bulb is the park light. The headlight bulb has high/low and earths through the body. Were the park light type just standard commercial ones from cars that never had separate side lights?

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Lynn,

Yes they were just small bayonet globes and I see that type of reflector is still available for old civilian Fords that had the parkers in the headlights. It still doesn't make sense what they are doing on a CMP truck if there is no dedicated switch to control them.

The reflectors, single and double light bases, definitely came out of various Ford CMP trucks that I scrounged. There is no reference to parking lights in any CMP manual that I can see.

I am thinking more and more maybe they used whatever was available during the war and if they were short of single light base reflectors they threw in double base ones. Just because they were there they didn't have to be connected perhaps? Still doesn't explain why double light base reflectors are shown in the parts manual however. Hmmmm!

Cheers,

[Jacques Reed]

Here's a reflector with only provision for the headlight base- no parking light. Also from a Ford CMP truck cab 13.

Cheers,

[Lynn Eades]

Jacques, I have them with the park light apetures in my Bren Carrier (Ford commercial headlights) They are the same as the lights on the 161 riveted LP1 carriers built in Australia.
My headlights have Ford Twolite on the glass. I'm not sure if yours are exactly the same?
I seem to recall reading from a post by Bob Carriere, that some early CMPs never had separate front side(marker lights?)

[David Dunlop]

I think what might be happening with these dual lamp reflectors is nothing more than stocks of commercial parts at the Ford plant that had no where to go when civilian production ceased. However, since they were readily available, they were used up first in CMP production.

Nothing more different really than the early pattern rectangular instrument clusters both Ford and Chevrolet used in CMPs up until around late 1943. They had piles of chromed and nickel plates ones in stores when CMP production started and they were used up first, with a coat of military paint over the trim. as they were used up, the military production clusters came on stream that were simple paint over bare metal.

As the commercial headlamp reflectors were used up, the newer, simplified military ones took over.

David