Otter LRC CM4647296 comes home

[Jordan Baker]

The dash rebuild is moving along nicely. The next few posts will be photo heavy with a handful of “before and afters”

First up is the dash as it looks now. The pitting was filled with some jb weld and then carved and sanded down until it was smooth again. The gauge cluster will not be the original one as it was sadly too far gone with the entire bottom portions rotted away.

The second picture is of the parts I’ve rebuilt. See the next few posts for more details on them. The circuit cut out cleaned up quite nicely after vapour blasting. I haven’t tested it yet but it’s on the list to look at.

[Jordan Baker]

The trouble lamp socket is a two wire version. It also has a wider face than what I’ve seen in CMP’s. It was re-plated in nickel after being vapour blasted.

[Jordan Baker]

Next up is the ignition switch. These are available as NOS as they were used in US built half tracks. It was carefully and fully disassembled so that the rusted parts could be cleaned up. It was given a zinc plating then buffed up.

[Jordan Baker]

The starter push button is next up. Again this one was carefully and fully disassembled. It was quite full of rust and fire extinguisher sand. The metal parts were vapour blasted. There was too small springs, one under the brass contact and the other behind the button. Both spent over night in a rust eating solution. It wasn’t Evaporust but something similar. The body was given a zinc plating and the push button and outer retaining nut nickel plating. I still need to get the terminal screws out but they were seized. I don’t want to break the fibre board. So I’ll see how an overnight soak in the anti rust stuff helps.

[Jordan Baker]

Lastly for the night.

The three terminal strip in its before state. I vapour blasted as you see it and it cleaned up almost looking new. All of the screws/nuts/washer have been zinc plated. I still need to do the metal bits clamped onto the fibre board.

The last item is a bit of a mystery. It was attached to the fuel gauge. It broke and came apart so it’s not usable. However I’m not quite sure what it is. The fine wire is tightly coiled on a fibre strip inside the assembly. If someone has any ideas I’d love to know what it does.

[Grant Bowker]

It might be a voltage reducer... One source lists the otter as 12 volt system. using a voltage reducer would permit use of a 6 volt gauge, common to other CMP... More research is needed.
A photo of a current version https://vintageautogarage.com/electr...RoC1zQQAvD_BwE is attached. They are also referred to as Runtz https://oldchevytrucks.com/catalogse...esult/?q=runtz

[Grant Bowker]

Otter parts list CRAC-02 lists part 862138 "adapter, fuel gauge" on page 123 (group 9.7312). There is also "adapter. heat indicator" part 1510678. I've no idea why they list 2 different adapters if they are the type of voltage reducer I'm suggesting as current practice is to use one version for low current devices like gauges and a different version for higher current devices like fan motors and radios. It seems the high current versions give bad gauge readings...

Although they don't have the * that commonly means unique to CMP in the parts list neither of those part numbers show in the 1929-1948 Chevrolet Master Parts Catalog. Also no result in GMpartswiki.com


On edit: In an effort to confirm or deny my idea, I just thought to check the part number of the fuel gauge mounted on the dash - it is the same part number as listed for the C60S. For the heat indicator, the C60S uses a mechanical gauge and the theory about voltage reducers only makes sense for an electrical version.