CMP C60L comes home

[Bob Carriere]

Beautiful job Rob..... do you have the complete box for the truck...?

I am looking for the weirdest part..... it is the little cast part that takes two large bolts to hold the beginning of the winch rope on the winch drum.....

In the absence of a spare part.... does any one have good close up pictures from various angles and some measurements....!!!

Bob

[George McKenzie]

Bob Carriere .I see a picture of the cable holder in the manual . Should be easy to make .I have a lead on a couple of other CMP 60s and will go farther to get a winch .More history on this truck .It was first ownd by a ex air force man E Mahood,his dad logged with MacMillan & Bloedel , who later was a big logger at Lang Bay by Powell River He had a farm by me also and that's where two of these trucks ended up .The local garage owner bought one and I might know where the other one is but it is just a cab and frame now .I'll see if I can locate the box . The fellow that had the garage has a new crated motor that came with the one I got as the original one had a knock in it . Bob Roy ,my tires have the RCAF on them .They are Firestones
The other box is probably on a farm truck now. The rumor is excitment, The searching is the fun,the paying is the pain ,restoring is the work and driving a restored vehicle is the ultimate of all .

[johnnyroad]

There was a long thread dealing with this topic in 2005/06 under the title "Radar Trailer". It was started by Tony Smith Feb. 24, 2005 and in the last post by Terry Hanes (June 22, 2006) he states that these Chevs were "cable trucks" in the Army gun laying radar units. Nothing has turned up to date regarding their use by the RCAF. The Comox truck was stationed there (as Rob mentions it was painted on the driver's door) but when, and for what purpose continues to be a mystery. Did the Air Force ever have portable radar for "gun laying" purposes?

Further information: we're still researching the history of this truck. "The Gunners of Canada" Vol 2 (Nicholson) makes it clear that a Bofors detachment was planned for RCAF Comox the summer of 1943 - the 36th AA Troop of the 30th AA Regiment (headquartered in Port Alberni). Nicholson states it.... "was intended for defence duties at Comox but was never put into action". Given the April 1944 manufacturing date of the truck and its Air Force ownership, it's clear it was never part of a gun-laying radar unit.

And since the liquidation of domestic anti-aircraft defenses commenced early 1944 and the overseas need for light AA diminished after D Day - to the point that some of these units were converted to Infantry - it seems likely that a number of REL contract trucks were deemed surplus to Army needs and turned over to the Air Force as utility trucks.

As our opportunity for original document research here on the Island is essentially zero, we're asking anyone who finds documentary evidence of such a re-allocation (Army to Air Force) to please forward same.

Thanks,
Dave H.

[Comox Air Force Museum]

George. What I'm about to tell you is unbelievable your truck and the museums trucks are sisters.

Your truck went through the conversion right in front of ours. Yours 52 ours 53. Can you imagine that, after all this time.
Here's the truck data plate for David's info.

Thanks Bob for the compliment, Coming from the CMP centre of the universe, it's great to get feedback from the Hammond barn folks. And yes we do have the box, and when we get back to work this fall, at the Skunk Works that will be the number one priority.
Rob

[Comox Air Force Museum]

Bob. I just noticed the one data plate you have. It has the same build date and that truck came down the assembly line just two trucks in front of ours. How complete is that truck, or is it just a data plate.
Rob

[George McKenzie]

Small world Bob isn't that interestig both the Unit # and the Ass'y # are back to back . Mahood must have bought it at Vancouver .I'll have to find the other one to see if it is close to ours .If it is the right one it is in a sawmill and the rest of the parts might still be around there .I wonder how many were made as cable trucks ? Next time we come out your way I'll have to look you up .

[George McKenzie]

I checked out this other CMP60 .It has the cab and front axel with runflat tires on it on 20' rims Here are the numbers
C 60-M-W BRKD-2 C 60 444-M-W
Spareparts 175 Cab 13
Manual MB-01 Chssis 28444219296 Engine PR 3838315 Order LV 148 Date July 16 42 This is not the truck I wanted to see so I will have to keep looking What does BRKD stand for?

[lynx42]

A question was asked in post 5 years ago (13-07-11) as to the purpose of this fitting.

CMP 60 014.jpg

The Comox Air Force Museums sister truck has the same fitting on the left front panel.

DSC_4641.jpg

Can they explain it?

Regards Rick.

[Lynn Eades]

It looks like a slave start set up to me.