New Hampshire CMP Barn 2011- 2012 HUP Overhaul

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Phil

You must still be getting the last dump.....

Just spent 2 hours with the snoblower...... some areas only had 3 to 4 inches some areas had 2 feet drifts...... luck is with us again..... most of the storm went South of Ottawa on its way to your place..... you may find some Canadian red maple leafs mixed with the snow.

Bob

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Between snow storms I finally towed the HUP down to the heavy truck shop this morning. Had to be there at 8 AM as they proprietor had to go out with his back hoe and finish cleaning up the latest storm before the next storm tomorrow. Being a one man operation he wears several hats including doing a plow route for the town.

So it was a bit nippy heading out with the temperature down at -11 C but not a long trip about 3 miles. Whole trip in 4 wheel drive as the military tires on the nice smoothly plowed roads needed the extra traction. In all it actually took longer to pull the HUP out of my shop and get it back into my shop than the rest of the process. Hour and eleven minutes from the time I arrived at his shop till I was driving away with the body in the back of the C60L.

First step will be to remove the engine so I can put in on the engine test stand and do some run tests to figure out what work is needed (more on the test when I start on them) anyway I want to determine early on if it is going to need any major machine shop work as there generally is about a 2 week wait on that stuff.

Now I can really get started on the work and in particular where the paint is needed the chassis and the underside of the body

Here are some pictures of the fun.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Phil

Must have been awful breezy driving at -11 in an open cab....Brrrrr.....
even if only for a few miles.

You must have some Canadian blood in you !!!!!

Are you going to unload the HUP body on a temporary wheeled frame ....?

I think you have more energy than the 3 of us in Hammond....

Bob

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

Yes it was a bit cold, but I had dressed in layers, looked a little like the Michilem Man. Maybe a bit of Canadian blood my mother came from a farm north of Saint Albans, Vt.

Haven't really decided how I'm going to work on the body yet. Considering a couple of options all depending on progress I make on the chassis, engine and the weather. If spring comes before the chassis is done I may take the body down to a local stone cutter/antique car restorer and have the body sand blasted.

I like this guy for this type of work as he has about 12 antique cars and knows how to clean paint off without damaging the metal. His primary business is as a monument engraver which is mostly done by sand blasting now.

What is kind of interesting about this guy is he learned his trade from his father who was a German stone mason, who emigrated to the US after being interned here in the States as a prisoner of war. Having been captured in North Africa, as a member of the Africa Corp. I met his father some 30 years ago when he came over to look at the HUP at one of the first shows I took it to. His father said he had seen a few of them before, as we talked it came out where.

If winter last two long I may turn the body on its side on the cargo body using the the trucks hydraulic arm and the chain hoist in the shop bay. If I can figure out the mid-line CG this might be the most practical.

Cheers Phil

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Today pulled the engine out of the chassis, must say it is a lot easier pulling the engine out of chassis rather than out with the body in place. But only easier if you have to body of for another reason.

Pictures below show the process, the engine balance rig is one I made specifically for pulling engine out of CMPs. When pulling engine with the body in place you need to remove the valve cover and position the balance bar down just clear of the valve train. The attachment points are the bolts holes on the top of the bell housing and down on the sides of the front engine mount. This makes the chains clear everything.

Engine is now sitting on an engine stand so that it can be cleaned, tested and moved around easily.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

Amazing....!!!!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Been busy out in the shop but a bit slow on posting activity, first I need to update the time lapse video photo video part of the problem is the size of the thing it is now comprised of over 2000 individual photos.

Visible progress has slowed down a bit as I have gone over to a work plan of cleaning parts as I remove them. Methods of cleaning parts could be a separate thread in the Restoration Forum what works and what doesn’t. Got a kick out of Paul’s M 37 resto in new brunswick with the pump on his parts cleaning system being dissolve by the cleaner.

I have been using, very hot water, Gunk and Kerosene, what has been working well though for small parts is boiling water and Arm & Hammer washing soda. Large electric fry pan with water and the washing boiling away and just put in the parts and let them boil while I working on other stuff. Then rinse with hot water and parts are generally free of oil, grease and in many cases most of the paint.

Since lifting the body off the chassis was prep to using the high pressure washer with hot water, had to wait until it was warm enough to do out side. Fortunately the weather cooperated with a day in the high 50s.

Once cleaned the chassis was pull back into the shop once again using the winch on the C60L. Then everything that can be unbolted from the frame has been removed.

Only repair work on the frame its self that had to be done was to straighten out the rear cross frame member which showed the evidence of several occasions of unwise attachment of towing chains. The two tow eyes designed for this purpose had been used to mount the turn signals, something I will correct when I reassemble. I considered two methods of repair, one replace the whole cross member the other was to cut straighten and re-weld, the results of cutting and welding look OK and is probably stronger than trying to replace all the rivets.

Rob (or any body else) did you find any crack problems on the frame that I should examine carefully? The frame seems to be quite rigid not like some frames I worked on where when you support the frame at the four corners you can lift one corner up without lifting any others. My frame passes this test, pick up one corner and other corner at that end comes up as well.

Has anybody found a serial number stamped on the frame of later HUPs my understanding is that it should be on the right side near the spring hanger under the drivers area. But I have not found any sign of a number and the area was still coved with paint.

As soon as I update my web page I’ll post the link

Cheers Phil