2011 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

We get the odd visitors at the Hammond barn..... some are nice others are real turkeys......

They had a lot of balls a week before Thanksgiving weekend


...... granted we had corn on the ground but even with the nosie we made they came back 3 or four times after being scrared away by our activities....

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

That looks like feed on the ground in front of them, are you try to get them to hang around?

Cheers Phil

2nd read I spotted the foot note about the corn

[RHClarke]

Bob, Grant and I enjoyed two days at the Hammond Barn this weekend. Saturday was quite overcast, but the humidex went past 30 oC. Sunday was a beautiful weather day with a 25 oC high with a gentle breeze blowing the leafs around.

Saturday morning saw two (human) visitors at the barn. Bruce, Bob's neighbour and young Rob (Bruce's hired hand) stopped in to negotiate the use of Bob's 3/4 ton trailer for moving wood. Prior to leaving, Bruce indicated that he had seen Bob and I racing past his driveway last Saturday. He was impressed with the roll past. We gave young Rob the cook's tour of the barn and he left shaking his head wondering about us. We have that effect on some visitors.

While Bob headed off to help Bruce, I went back to sorting out the HUP and Grant continued work on his truck. Earlier this week I installed a nicely refurbished breather assembly. It was duly filled with oil to the recommended level and placed on the carb neck. Saturday morning I found a small puddle of nice new oil on the frame of the truck. The leak was traced back to the breather assembly. After removing the assembly and its oil, I was very surprised to find a pin hole in the lower bowl. Surprised because it did not leak when tested earlier. Welding the hole closed proved a challenge as the metal was very thin - this caused a search for other breather assemblies and I pulled out two others that caused another surprise.

All three breather assemblies fit the carb. One assembly was shorter than the other two but had the same inside filter element and cover as its taller cousin. The third, which ended up on my truck had a bent cover - sort of like a slouch hat, but with the bend heading downwards. This cover too was different. It had the filter element built into the cover as a one-piece assembly.

I am guessing that the different sizes come from different vehicles/engines - some are for trucks, others for cars with less clearence under the hood. Any air breather assembly experts out there?

Photos:
1 - our first contestant
2 - our second
3 - our final and winning contestant
4 - comparison of short and tall
5 - comparision of all

[RHClarke]

Today, I got the the barn after lunch - had to pay some bills at home - landscaping stuff... When I got the the barn after lunch, the boys were hard at it. Grant was working his magic with his truck, which is really coming along quite well. Bob decided to paint a door. I amused myself with the HUP's doors.

A number of options face the 45 HUP owner when it comes to door handles. Do you use originals (weak pot metal), period replacements (painted green of course) or modern locking external door handles. I chose to go with the locking handles for the security they add. I do have a set of period replacement handles but they will stay on the shelf until the need arises to replace the modern handles.

On the inside I installed some Spaenaur specials that look like the original "ford" style door handles, but are much more robust. I do have one original interior handle and three modified ford handles, but again chose to go with something a little more solid for the time being.

Photos:
1 - Saturday's visitors chat with Bob
2 - Door handle - exterior shot
3 - Door handle - interior shot
4 - Door handles
5 - Grant's project - the ubiquitious adjustable fan belt appears again

[RHClarke]

The 45 HUP is different from the "real" CMPs in many ways. Another difference includes the door latch mechanisms. The two front doors and the side door have the same type latch mechanisms, but the rear door latch mechanism differs for some reason.

Grant pulled out one of his door latch mechanisms for comparision. The HUP of course uses door handles - a most civilized manner of entering or exiting a vehicle for the young "rupert". The remainder of the earlier HUP fleet used the regular sliding knob latch mechanism (less the prototype).

The side door latch was giving me some problems - every so often the cam (see photo four - the circle with the square opening is the offending part) would disengage and the handle would turn without retracting the latch. I pulled out the door latch mechanisms from all four doors to check on their functioning. The side door mechanism had been abused and the casing that enclosed the cam that the shaft of the door handle fit into was warped. How? I don't know. The cam was slipping out of its normal position and allowed the door handle shaft to rotate without moving the latch. Eagle-eyed Grant picked up on the culprit at first glance. After some persuasion the casing was realigned and the shaft cam once again rode in its usual position.

Reinstalling the latch mechanism was fun. There is a slot in the door near the top non-hinge end. The latch mechanism can be removed and replaced via this slot. All it takes is a length of coat hanger and the patience of Job. Once the four screws are removed (two on the end of the door and two on the interior panel), the assembly can be manipulated out of its home.

After a good session with the sandblasting cabinet, the mechanisms were washed and blow dried with high pressure air. The next step was to lube up all of the moving mechanisms and reinstall the latch mechanism into the doors.

While all of this was going on, Bob was putting his finish coat on his door. All too soon, it was time to make tracks back home for dinner. All in all, it was another great weekend at the Hammond Barn.

Photos:

1 - Comparison - large "normal" CMP latch and 45 HUP latch
2 - Comparison two
3 - Comparison three - HUP mechanism on top
4 - Cleaned up latch mechanisms - rear door latch on the left, side door on the right
5 - Bob painting his door

[Bob Carriere]

.... I have had a few conversations with them using a turkey call.... makes the Tom madder than hell.... the louder I called the louder he replied.

I always have crack corn around the house....... did not see the turkeys today but the Blue Jays and Chipmunks sure enjoyed it.

I wish I could tame them to eat at a house feeder on a regular basis but they tend to stay wild and skittish..... so I enjoy them when I can....

...of course I am forbidden to shot them under penalty of death from Joyce....

Bob C.

[universalgrl]

Try changing the capacitor in the distributor, a bad capacitor will allow the engine to start but will break down at higher RPM which can result in rough running.
Roberta
AKA
universalgrl

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Resourcefulness and not knowing it can't be done are basic skills for working on a CMP.....

Phil

You could write a book on "how to...for CMPs" .... and maybe you should....

That modification to the crankshaft pulley is genius and surely related to the old index wheels we used on V* for setting valve cycles accurately..... using a boxful of various offset keys...once marked every 120 degrees you are set for life....

I still think that using the inspection hatch on the bell housing for timing is worth it's weight in gold.....

Now .... to the stale gas.....

It seems to go bad faster than a few decades ago..... however the old gas form the 70s use to stink like hell.... new gas goes bad but you cannot readily detect the changes by smell alone.... I remember coming home
after sucking gas from old cars in junk yards.... we used it to wash parts.... inevitably you always swallowed some..... my wife was always quick to point out my stinking breadth..... we stopped that practice after reading in a safety manual that only one drop in your lungs....once spread over the wet tissue like an oil slick... can suffocate you..... so now we suck beers....

It may be that Rob's gas had gone bad.... because his (marine mobile )tank stayed connected to his truck and when he went in the tent it had heated up and poured out when pressurised by sunshine...... it mayhave vented the best volatile components of the gasoline....

The other suspected thing is the dizzy was bumped and moved..... he did have two sparkplug wires knwoed off the dizzy,,,, and yes we checked the firing order... too young...too old..... just right..... perverts !!!!

Vacuum seemed to be working when last checked.

Next detective work willbe a systematic elemination process finishing with the timing......

On the electric fuel pump.... it has been a lively topic on Stove Bolt Chev site..... a lot of guys have been having problems with deteriorating gas line and in particular the fuel oumo diaphram..... some are advocating srtipping the pumping mechanism of the original fuel pump..... replace diaphram with a strong neoprene gasket.... removing the one way valve and using a hidden electric fuel pump to flow gasoline through the dummy pump to the carb.... it retains originality of the pump but is more dependable.

I fully intend to install a permanent electric fuel pump on my cab 11 either in series with the mechanical pump or as a stand alone bypass system in case of unforeseen problems.....

Please keep us informed of any other short cut you come up with while re-doing the HUP.

Bob

[RHClarke]

Saturday reached the hellish temperature of 8 oC. There seems to be no middle ground with the weather this year. Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry...we had it all this summer. At least we don't instantly break out into a sweat now.

Saturday was fairly quiet at the barn. Bob was away for his last swim of the year before the ice set in, and Grant was occupied elsewhere until about 3PM.

My HUP restoration is now turning to wiring and ancillery part replacement. The attached photos show what I have been working on recently. Any ideas of what the first (photos one and two) and second items (photo three) may be? The panel is properly oriented in the second photo.

The panel has a serious problem with rusting, so some metal work was required. After setting up the welder, I attempted to fill in a few holes. However, the wire refused to advance. A quick look inside the welder cabinet revealed why - the spool had emptied. It was not a good time to run out of 035 welding wire, but we have an order in for a replacement reel.

Since the welder was out of wire, the rest of my day was spent painting the inside of the doors and playing with the HUP dash. I had planned on using a reasonably good shape deuce and a half speedo, but ran into problems with the end fittings of my speedo cable. So, the old speedo was cleaned up somewhat and installed. The numbers on the speedo face need some attention, but they are readable. I am now on the prowl for readable CMP gauge sets.

The paint job on the doors was very messy. After removing the latch hardware, I opted to dump rust paint into the door interior and slop it back and forth to make sure all surfaces were covered. The doors were then left to drain of excess paint which will be re-used in the future. It was a good work out tumbling the 50 plus pound side and rear doors. In the future I will use the air gun as there is less waste.

Grant made his appearance later in the afternoon. He is making good progress on his radio truck and when it hits the road, it probably will be one of the most accurate restorations around.

Prior to leaving, a quick visit to the cat house was in order. For those who know Bob, you know I am talking about his cat condo that he built near his rear deck. It has heating lamps, blankets, feeding stations and a racoon proof entrance and exit. My job was to feed the wee beasties. After popping the lid of the first can of catfood, I became instantly popular with Bob's herd which appeared out of nowhere. They were most appreciative. Grant had cat slop duty on Sunday.

With the chores completed I headed back to the city smelling slightly of fishy catfood. Oddly, the smell made me hungry...

Photos:
1 - What is it? - in the 6" vice
2 - Same outside in it's proper orientation
3 - What are they (1" wide about 6" long 12ga metal)?
4 - HUP dash test fit
5 - Part of the herd

[Phil Waterman]

At the ends is that a glob of welded steel or lead? If lead I would guess the support for the fuel tank inlet pipe.

An feeding the Herd is very important.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

At the ends is that a glob of welded steel or lead? If lead I would guess the support for the fuel tank inlet pipe. And feeding the Herd is very important.Cheers Phil

Phil, You are correct. It is lead and these are filler neck supports for some CMP fuel tanks. Any guesses for photos one and two? Or are you letting others guess?

As for the herd, there is scarce chance that they will go unfed. Bob's outdoor cats are avid hunters as evidenced by the many rodent corpses recently found.

Cheers!

[Phil Waterman]

Not a clue, what they are not used on my version of the HUP that I can remember and as I am process of painting and reassembling my HUP I hope I'd know.

As to the feeding the Cat Pride, you only have to worry if your working under your truck and you see them gathering in the tall grass watching you.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Not a clue, what they are not used on my version of the HUP that I can remember and as I am process of painting and reassembling my HUP I hope I'd know. As to the feeding the Cat Pride, you only have to worry if your working under your truck and you see them gathering in the tall grass watching you. Cheers Phil

Phil, Bob's cats keep a wary eye on us at all times - mostly from under cover of the woods. If we dare piss them off, they piss on our trucks...nasty animals.

As for the mystery part, it is a kick panel that fits in the rear of the HUP on the wall that separates the front cab from the van. The cut outs are for the fold down table that is affixed to the wall. In the photo you see one table leg guide with a support welded to the side wall - a post military use mod as far as I know.

I am not certain about the round holes. The smaller holes look like they match the bolt pattern on the table leg guides. The larger holes are up for debate. I have not yet fit my personnel heater but think the hole is for the feed or return line for the hot water heater.

Any other theories?

[RHClarke]

Saturday's weather was unseasonably hot. It was so warm out that the entire local population of ladybirds/ladybugs came out to enjoy the weather. There were hundreds of the annoying little beetles getting into every opening and generally distracting us from our chores. I took a photo (first attached photo) of one of the beasts but just as I pressed the shutter, one flew up my nose causing me to flinch while the camera took the shot. I lost my zeal for nature shots shortly after I dispatched the offending invader to bug heaven.

Bob spent the morning working on his welder. We swapped out the 035 wire spools for some lighter guage wire. For some reason unknown to us, the lighter wire kept bunching up at the feed rollers. Bob is investigating the cause on the Miller website, and hopefully we find the reason for the frequent snags. We went back to the 035 wire to finish up some of the welding.

Bob's neighbour stopped by to drop off a six banger engine - we are not sure if it is a 216 or a 235. Once we clean up the serial numbers we will find out for sure. Back inside the barn Grant attached the steering mechanism to his truck (second attached photo) and continued with his restoration activities. I played with my HUP window frames welding up the openings I had made to facilitate the pouring of paint into their interiors.

After lunch Bob and Grant checked out the engine of the truck that he got this summer out of Maces Bay in New Brunswick. After a bit of convincing the starter worked and the engine spun nicely. The engine was then freed from its rusty captors and set aside for some future project.

Just prior to departure, I asked the lads to lend a hand with some heavy lifting. The last photo shows the item on saw horses where it awaits some much needed attention. Any guesses as to what is under the tarp?

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Guys

When I read: "Bob's neighbour stopped by to drop off a six banger engine - we are not sure if it is a 216 or a 235. Once we clean up the serial numbers we will find out for sure." I realized that Bob has arrived at the home for wayward trucks status. You know you have a reputation when people just start dropping off parts at the barn door.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

Thanksgiving Day (Canadian French: Jour de l'Action de grâce) was spent at the barn. The sun was out and the fall weather was fantastic. The forest around the barn was in full colour and alive with the sounds of birds and squirrels. The only way to improve on this was to torture metal and drive CMPs.

Bob arrived at the barn with a mission in mind. He wanted to build an engine stand for the motor taken out of the Maces Bay CMP. After hacking up some tube steel, he got busy welding up a respectable engine stand.

Grant continued to work on his truck and provided some much appreciated technical advice for the welder. I busied myself adding convoy lights to the rear of the HUP. After driving the HUP out of the shelter, I arranged the convoy lights on a table. I was fascinated to learn that there were a good number of variants. Some had long tubes, short tubes, springs in the long tube, plug in and blade type connectors on the the wires. It took some time to get four that looked the same and these were installed on the HUP.

The rest of the morning was spent helping Bob when needed and repairing the rust damage to the HUP rear wall kick panel. We had lunch in the thriving city of Rockland at the local Tim Hortons. There we discussed diesel technology and compared it to "hybrid" technology. We three were on the diesel side of the argument.

Back at the barn Bob continued the quest for the perfect engine stand and Grant and I got back to work on our vehicles. Since the weather was so nice, I took the HUP out for a tour of the back 40. One lesson that I had forgotten was the turning radius of the CMP is not as tight as my little Corolla's. I clipped one of Bob's CMP trailers with my pax side tire. No damage to speak of (they are CMPs afterall) but a little bruised pride.The rest of the ride was as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Back at the barn, Bob fired up the tractor and moved the Maces Bay frame to the back field for winter storage. After putting the hitch of the wounded trailer back up on its block, Bob headed for the house for some refreshments. Bob brought out some brews to fight off the afternoon heat. We chatted about the upcoming Acton event and made plans to find and extract a CMP from southern Ontario this month.

As was normal, the day passed all too fast and I headed back to the city for Thanksgiving with the family leaving Bob and Grant to lock up the barn until our next CMP session in Hammond. Life is good here in Canada despite the irritations. We do have things for which we can truly be thankful.

Photos:
1 - Bob and one of his engines - taking measurements
2 - Quality testing a weld job
3 - Grant getting into his work
4 - HUP rear convoy lights
5 - Thanksgiving options

[RHClarke]

Sorry, Bob. You guessed wrong, although one can remember waking up each morning in those teenage years...

The wrapped part is the roof off of the Prototype HUP (which you can view on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjduhFyTkA). Bob, Grant and I lifted the roof off of the truck and placed it on the ground for repair over the winter.

Bob guided the tractor bucket into the shelter where the bucket hook was affixed with two towing straps. Grant and I held a steel bar and lifted the front of the roof as Bob backed out of the shelter. There was one tense moment, but the roof came out of the shelter no worse for the wear. After carefully moving the roof over broken ground, it was lowered and placed on two metal saw horses.

Thanks to Bob and Grant for their help. The roof was ungainly to move but now that it is off, I can remove most of the internal fittings for sandblasting. There should be no shortage of activity this winter at the Hammond Barn.

Photos:
1 - Roof ready to remove
2 - Roof out of shelter ready for saw horses
3 - Roof on its horses showing damaged areas
4 - More of the same
5 - Convertible Prototype - truly one of a kind!

[Bob Carriere]

Got this engine dropped off at the barn....

.... he says its an early 235.....

Engine has the two acorn nut ribbed valve cover like a 216.....

Under the carb..... block as the external oil distribution cover like a 216...

On the dizzy side the lifter cover only goes up half way like a later 235..... it does not cover the sparkplugs.....

...and the block serial number is Y 24340 (numbers are clean and bold)

I can find NO such prefix on the various web sites intended to decode engine numbers..... some have told me that it was a "Canadian" block and numbers would be different......

Will be scrapping hardened gunk off the block this weekend and look for castings numbers as well as lifting the top valve cover to look for more casting numbers inside.

IS it a truck engine....Canadian engine.... or a replacement engine.

Comments ... suggestions....

Thanks

Bob C.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Post or PM me the casting number and the date code please. Are you sure that that's a 'Y'? Could it be a 'T'? That would make it a 1-ton and above Truck 216.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

When you take the side cover off look for a serial number under where the gasket goes, see if it matches the number you see on the distributor boss.

Remember I've come across two engines that did not have serial numbers stamped on the normal location at all.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

David....pretty sure it was a clearly stamped Y but will check agin this weekend....... along with the casting numbers......

Phil ....thanks for the tip......

The engine is exceptionally complete ..... will be adding lube to the cylinders maybe even drop the old engine oil and replace with some cheap 10W30 for now....... it certainly has potential.....and it would be nice to just to start it....nice cold wet weather project.

Bob

[RHClarke]

Since I am at the barn, I looked at the engine being discussed. Bob is correct about the stamped serial no. It starts with a very clearly stamped "Y".

The casting no is 3692713 with the no 1 below the 7 in the casting no. Above the numbers are the letters GM followed by a circle with a square inside of it.

Camera on the blackberry isn't working...

[RHClarke]

1950-52 235

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Yes, it's a 1950-52 Jobmaster Six 235 Truck engine. Have you got the casting date code please? We can then identify which year it is. I can then add a new prefix to my database collection!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

I need my memory updated, was 1950-52 Jobmaster Six 235 Truck engine a dipper or a pressure lube crank? Next question did they make the change from dipper to pressure crank at the same time in US and Canada?

Pretty sure that it is a bypass filter system but is it like the later 235s that can be converted to full flow filter system.

Cheers Phil

[RHClarke]

The weatherman was calling for the building of arks. Fortunately for the Ottawa area, the storm front split east and west of us, drenching Montreal and keeping Kingston damp.

Bob, Grant and I took advantage of the fair weather to further our projects. Bob continued work on the world's strongest rolling engine stand. Grant pulled his transfer case to check it out, and I played with the prototype HUP.

While all of this was going on, we were surprised to see Clive standing by. The aim of his surprise visit was to put some of his rolling stock to bed for the winter. After sorting out his shelter, it was loaded up and sealed enough to keep the coming snow outside. Clive then showed off some his recent publications (see more at: http://www.servicepub.com/) including one on the Churchill tank. This got Bob's attention as earlier on in his youth, Bob was instrumental in saving one of two Churchill bridge layers, one of which is on display at the Canadian War Museum. We all donned our helmets and listened to a "war story" that should be written down sometime in the future.

Following Clive's departure, we all got back at what we do best - pulling things apart and rebuilding them (sometimes more than a few times). I removed the sliding hatch guide rails from the prototype roof. It turns out that roof is in rougher shape than I had originally thought. The leading edge of the roof, most of where the rain gutter meets the roof line and all of the areas under the sliding hatches guide rails will have to be replaced.

Bob suggested that the front edge metal of the roof should be replaced with a better version from one of the many roofs we have at the barn. The discussion turned to where to cut and the best area to reweld. When it came time to compare the roof lines it was discovered that the production model HUP roof leading edge was stamped, whereas the prototype roof was hand formed and welded. The profiles are quite different - the production model is rounded and somewhat taller. The prototype roof leading edge is flatter, and has a visible sharp line where the roof metal was cut and welded.

A new plan was devised. I will save as much of the original roof as possible and weld in patches where needed. Fortunately, the welded side ends of the leading edge of the roof are in good shape. Other areas were not so lucky - see follow on photos.
I know what I will be doing this winter.


Photos:
1 - The boys spend some time waxing eloquent over the 235.
2 - Bob: "We need more steel". Grant: "We need more attachment points". The stand is now escape-proof.
3 - Prototype HUP front roof hatch damage.
4 - Prototype roof showing rust damage that occured under the tar that was slathered on the rail guides.
5 - More damage near the large rear hatch.

[Bob Carriere]

Starting with Phil

Yes the "hat" section that reinforces the cab 11 runs left to right just ahead of the head pads......

Not sure exactly when the "splash" oiling ended on the 216 and 235...... maybe David can sort this one out........

David..... here are some numbers from the mystery engine

Starting form the top... on the dizzy side.... between 3rd and 4th cyl. are small 1/4 inch numbers.......22
909 ....... directly beneath the 22.

On the head....outside the valve cover..... near mid section near carburator

...........................3835909

inside the valve cover......GM 11 and C 16 4

............... which I translate to March 16 1954 or is it 44

Confirm serial no. Y 24340


Block.... below dizzy... behind draft tube..... 3692713
1 below the seven.

I could not find any similar Alpha numerical casting number on the block....?

I did find a large GM with a one inch circle and 1/2 inch square inside.


Phil..... I forgot to remove thelifter covewr to see if I could find another number...maybe that is where the casting date is.....

I poured acetone/ATF into the cyl. and the engine turns ....but only about 200 degrees..... then it is stuck....... we truned it back wards agains and turned it back to the stuck ocation again using the starter....

So there is hope....... is it a rust ridge in one cyl. or a broken rod with a piston lodged half way up a cylinder..... owner tell me engine ran when removed from the truck....... sounds like a winter project by the "lucifer" with the engine on a swivel engine stand.

Thanks everyone.

Bob C.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Bob

As for not turning all the way through, don't force it it may be a valve stuck down and hitting the a piston. Check while you turn the engine over by hand to see if the valves are moving up and down on the cylinder that is coming up on stroke. I remove all the plugs when doing this and then use a piece of copper wire bent to slide down the spark plug hole to find which pistons are the highest up, then check the valves on those cylinders.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Phil

I like the bent copper wire to see which piston is moving......

I had removed all the plugs to facilitate turning the engine and some fluid/lube did spill out when the engine partly turned over.

Before turning the engine over, I loosened up all the valves with light taps from a hammer.... then Grant manually depressed each valve with long screwdriver..... all valves moved and sprang back.....

I am afraid that nothing short of removing the head will give me a clear answer but will try the wire trick first.

Stay tuned.

Bob

[RHClarke]

After loading the truck and trailer on Thursday night, Bob, Grant and I headed to southern Ontario on Friday morning to recover a CMP. After traveling the equivalent of the breadth of the Province of Saskatchewan, we arrived at our destination near Godridge, Ontario. We pulled into Gord Yeo's farm a little after 5PM to load up a new (to us) CMP truck for Bob, and to drop off an engine for Gord. Gord's truck was the stable mate of the truck we picked up in Paris, Ontario a few years ago. Hopefully, Bob will chime in with that story later.

Prior to the loading of the truck, Gord gave us the nickel tour of the farm and his vehicle repair/restoration workshops. Along with the requisite finely restored CMP, Gord also had a deuce and a half (M35 series), a few jeeps and some Iltis trucks in various stages of restoration. We were impressed with the quality of work of these restorations.

After loading the CMP, Gord mentioned that he had some old Dodge M37 parts that were heading to the scrap yard. We saved him the trip and loaded every M37 part we could put onto the trailer. Gord was in a very giving mood and provided some additional CMP parts. I guess it was his way of doing a clean up, and we were more than willing to help.

By this time it was closing in on 7:30 PM. With the truck firmly knitted on the trailer, we headed for Guelph where we would stay overnight. On the way we spotted one of Bob’s favourite restaurants – Swiss Chalet. After carefully parking the truck and trailer, we enjoyed a good chicken dinner - Bob was particularly appreciative of the breasts. Then it was on to the hotel for a good night’s rest.

The next morning we checked the chains and headed down the road to Acton to take in the militaria show. No sooner than we had pulled into the parking lot, then a gent came up and asked Bob “How much for the truck?” Bob wasn’t really in the selling mood so it remained chained to the trailer. Inside we found the usual suspects flitting from table to table wheeling and dealing. There were some good deals to be found and after our newly purchased items were stashed away in the truck, we headed back to Ottawa.

Along the way we ran into some road construction and we experienced a few good sized bumps that shook the truck. This was nothing out the ordinary, so off we went down the 401 and then onto the 407 drag strip. Just short of Pickering, Bob could be seen peering out at the side mirror with a quizzical look on his face. When asked what was up, he mentioned that it looked like the second wheel on the drivers side of the trailer was protruding somewhat. Now this was odd, but we soon came to the end of the 407 and pulled in for some lunch. We checked the tires and noted that the rear tires on the trailer were warmer than the lead tires. We decided to eat first then get dirty checking tire pressure and tie downs.

After lunch, Bob in his usual understated way said “Uh-oh! We have a problem”. The rear axle of the trailer had been pushed back slightly on the passenger side causing both tires to run at an angle to the direction of travel. We determined that this situation was just a small problem now, but it could quickly turn into a major problem at highway speeds. There was no question that the trailer had to be repaired before we hit the highway, and Bob decided that it was best to find a place to park it until the repairs are completed. Safety first is more than just a sentiment with the Hammond Barn gang.

Fortunately, we were close to the world famous “Chicken Ranch”, so we decided to take a nice, slow, short trip up to the ranch. There we chatted with the land owner who gave us permission to park the truck and trailer until we could get back next week to repair the trailer. It is good to know so many people in the hobby; else we would have had a big problem on our hands. The Chicken Ranch was a welcomed solution to that problem.

With the trailer unloaded, we jumped back into Bob’s Ford and headed back to Ottawa. We pulled into the Hammond Barn at around 6:00 PM. This was a milestone recovery – the first trip where we failed to bring home a recovered CMP. Despite the inconveniences the trailer situation caused, we were happy with the trip. We are in this hobby for the enjoyment factor, and we do not want to be part of any unsafe activity that could impact others.

The happy ending will have to wait until next week.


Photos:
1 - Gord giving a guided tour.
2 - The prize.
3 - The view we normally have heading home.
4 - The view we had Saturday...not so nice.

[Bob Carriere]

Recovery from Goderich was a breeze for the first half.....

What Rob said....ditto.

Here are some pictures I took at Gordon Yeo's farm when the cab 12 was picked up.


First pic is the shy little cab 12 being coaxed out of the dry barn by a John Deere half is age.

Truck is remarkedly complete and will be treated accordingly. I now have 3 rusted 2B1 cargo box to copy from for a reversed engineering project ...... can't find a good one so I will make one.

Rob made a killing scrounging every good Dodge parts for his radio truck.... Gord was gracious enough to give them to ROb as they were earmarked for the Chinese bumper factory.

Taking pity on Grant who was about to leave empty handed Gord went back in the many sheds/barn and came back with a cab 13 door, a Chev grill
with Chewvy Badge and some hting else I forget now.

Now.... look at the tires on the loaded trailer..... they are not properly lined up.... so the suspension shackle breakage must have occured before we got there...... drive back to Acton in the dark the missalignment was not so evident.

It was nice to have an established network across this great country of ours. Once I knew that the suspension springs were resting on the frame I could not in good conscience attempt to drive back any further with a vehicle that could cause and accident or hurt someone. So boldly I drove to the infamous "Chicken farm" and without have a chance to contact Brian Gough for permission dumped the truck and trailer behind the chicken coop to be retrieved later. So my apologies Brian I hope ti willnot cause anyone any problems.

I have already picked up the parts necessary to repair and recover the recovery vehicle and NO I am not leaving the cab 12 behind as payment.

We will leave at the crack of dawn this coming Saturday with suitable jacks. axle stands, assoted tools, a portable electrci generator and a portable compressor...... might even bring my small Mig 110v welder if necessary. If we can't fix it we will build a new one...

For those counting this is no# 4 for the cab 12 and one cab 11 I am working on. I now have one badly rusted box form my cab 11 which might donate the floor..... another one with a rusted tailgate whcih will be used as a pattern and this last one which still has the original fender wells/boxes with the footman loops for the cushions...... oh and one good set of drop sided.
In all enough to reproduce a good solid 2B1.... and I have the canvass form Stew.

Before closing must mention that the Acton gathering was also a highlight of our weekend. Alwasy find things to buy fron Brian A. and from Andre... neede more of the door canvass "thingies" now that I will have more than one cab 11/12 to work on.

Nice to see all the old familiar faces and meet new ones like the young lads working on a UC in the Whitby area.

Life is sweet ..... now if I can just live to be 146 y.o. I can break even with my projects..... one day I will eventually grow up and decide what I want to be !!!!!!!

Bob