2009 at the Hammond Barn

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by cliff

Because trucks were more expensive to buy and these 'Vans' were cheaper and easy to chop. Same thing happed here with artillery tractors and signals vans in particular.

It made them 'useful'.

There were some 'van conversions of No8 and 9 arty tractors as well as sigvans. I've even seen sigvans used for smallgoods.

Oh well.

[Phil Waterman]

I've heard that the Signals Vans in fact any of the special use big trucks were more prized because as surplus (by some) because they had not been pounded to death so hard as the general service hauling trucks.

As anyone else heard similar stories or comments?

Cheers Phil

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

I've heard that the Signals Vans in fact any of the special use big trucks were more prized because as surplus (by some) because they had not been pounded to death so hard as the general service hauling trucks.

As anyone else heard similar stories or comments?

Cheers Phil

In Australia we kept many of our specialist vehicles for a long time. These included Wireless Sigs vans, Gun Tractors, Direction Finding vans (on F60S), Ambulances, Fire Tenders and Machinery Workshops. Many of these were very low mileage when surplused, especially those on RAAF bases.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

In Australia we kept many of our specialist vehicles for a long time. These included Wireless Sigs vans, Gun Tractors, Direction Finding vans (on F60S), Ambulances, Fire Tenders and Machinery Workshops. Many of these were very low mileage when surplused, especially those on RAAF bases.

Jon Skagfeld can regale you ad nauseum with stories of our CMP sigs vans still in service in the latter half of the fifties, even well after the introduction of the M- series vehicles...

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball

Jon Skagfeld can regale you ad nauseum with stories of our CMP sigs vans still in service in the latter half of the fifties, even well after the introduction of the M- series vehicles...

I bet he can but I don't mind Jon regaling me ad nauseum at all!

Being the frugal types we are we kept many of these in service into the late 60s and even early 70s, so these beautiful, almost museum pieces were sold to be chopped and destroyed... not to mention our Studebaker US6 fleet which was also sold through the 70s after being stored new until the 60s. For one of these just run in trucks back in 1974 you'd pay around $750 with less than 2000 miles on the clock. You could also buy a White Scout Car with more miles on it for the same price.

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

It made them 'useful'...Oh well.

Yes, when faced with a need, you adapt. I of course speak (whine) on behalf of those spoiled HUP owners who can afford (today, at least) to restore a truck, and not for those farmers, truckers, etc...who had to make a living with these trucks.

But I still don't like it...(nice thing about this forum is that you can't see me pouting...).

[Greg]

Hi Rob,

You must be watering and fertilizing well as the cmps are multipling.
Hope all is going well.

Cheers,
Greg

[Bob Carriere]

..... we are not spraying with fertilizer....... we use Round Up to keep them from multiplying.......

All joking aside Ottawa as been so wet and damp this season....... we have some grass growing in damp soil and getting the reflection of the sun from the winter shelter......... the result is grass growing taller than Grant (72 + inches)as of last weekend.......... we are considering cutting it for firewood in late August.....

BooB

[RHClarke]

Hi Greg,

The great HUP rescue mission isn't over yet. There is at least one more on my list. My long-suffering, yet well-adorned (with jewery...) wife wonders when it will all stop. I intend to restore one HUP for each year of production and then quit collecting...FLWs.

The whole family will be out your way on Canada Day to join in the Calnan Canada Day Convoy. We are planning a lunch at Merrickville lockside. Hope you, Jen and the kids can join us!

[RHClarke]

This Sunday I fitted my driver side door to the HUP. There were some clearance issues, so I took the hinge assembly apart. We found that the hinge end that fit into the door was bent. A few minutes of magic with the 30 ton press sorted that out. I reattached the hinge set and attempted to bolt the hinges to the frame. Once done, we found that the door would not close properly. This was odd as we used the same style hinges as the pax side. Although the door was reskinned it did not look overly warped.

The pax side door opened and closed with ease. It had about a 1/4 inch gap between the door and the frame. The driver side door had no gap at the hinge end and really had to be forced to make the latch catch. The low profile hinge bolts scraped the inside door frame - on the other door, the bolts fit nicely with some clearance. Bob suggested that we weld a 1/4 inch bar on the flange to get the clearance. Prior to doing that, I put the following questions out to the collective wisdom of this forum: What could cause the door to fit so oddly? What should be done to fix this?

[Bob Carriere]

....Bob wants to use 1/4 inch key stock "held inplace with tape" to have the same spacing as the pass. side....so as to test the fit.....no welding....too damaging/permanent.

I would suggest we fit the door without hinges....using wooden shims as spacers all around..... no hinges at this time.....

Weld/rebuild the door wedge see how everything aligns with the same spacing as the pass. side..... then see how the hinges have to fit.....

Might want to measure the door opening on the pass side in various corss directions..... and compare to the driver's side...... like wise measure the door.... not being sure how or what was done during the reskinning...

There are so many variables.......

Boob