2011 at the Hammond Barn

[Bob Carriere]

Just got back form the latest recovery.

Tired but happy, Joyce was my able assistant this time.

I recovered the spare CMP that the Port Colborne High School was liquidating to buy tires for the truck they have restored.

Grant of the Hammond Musketeers acquired this one.

Drove down to the Welland area with Joyce..... we havd a planned visit with Dad...ex-merchant marine... to be 85 next week..... so November 11th had special meaning.

Joel, teacher at the school and one of his friends, and I can't remember his name for the love of God, and Rob Rittner where there for the send off.... also to see who thsi old coot was that was pciking up the old CMP. Loading was relatively armless with the winch and the help of two strong boys.....

The came the fun... the cargo box was not bolted to the frame and the box was full of treasure..... all loose. So we stiched them in place with rope, chains and cargo straps.

I set off on the back roads heading due West by North.... well I kept the sun in my back and promptly got lost..... but I figered if I can keep going West for a while dan turn right and left again I would hit lake Ontario sooner or later..... ran a stop sign while reading the map... but that's the beauty of back roads.... no one is around and if so they stop to see who the idiot is taking all that rust home.

Finally got up to speed around 80 KM.... now Satruday was Sunny but awful windy..... the open cab of the 13 was like a drogue 'chute.... the tranny kept shifting in lower gear and sucking fuel like crazy.... bosst would get up to 40 pounds thent he waste gate would open and the turbo freewheel.... so I slowed down.

Before leavign the Hotel and hitting the 407 at 120km I opted for removing the rood and the back of the cab and tucking everything under the frame on the trailer. That was a big help..... went for about 20 minutes..... drove around a single car crash on the QE that was pretty bad.... then my tail gunner yeld the instrument cluster is trying to take off...... so we stopped and ofund only one screw holding the sheet metal assembly in place.... off it went to the back of the truck..... the rest was easy.

Weighted a bite more than expected with all the extra bits in the box..... I burned twice as nuch fuel coming back as I did going down for almost teh same mileage.... travelled around 110kmph to follow traffic.... mainly highway trucks.

Joyce drove part way back and did very well with the trailer..... but now wants shotguns mounted on the front fenders of the Ford for crazy drivers that kept cutting her short....

Tomorrow I unload and unstich the load.

See pictures attached...... two nose pieces.... doors inside box.... full engine cover with BOTH round covers in place...... engine turns free.... very good wooden steering wheel......and some strange doors with windows..... any ideas what they might be..... have a look at the pics..... they have inside and outside door handles....

Boob

[Bob Carriere]

,,,, any ideas....?

Buub

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

,,,, any ideas....?

Buub

Buub,

Are the doors off the last type HUP, the plush commander / staff car?

H.

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Hanno

Totally unexpected find amongst the cab 13 assorted parts.

They look like HUP doors..... and to my knowledge only the last 45 model had the built in windows...... the top section is held in place by tapered screws typical of the factory set up..... they are buried in there so could not see all the details.

Will have pictures later today.

Bob

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Hi Hanno, They look like HUP doors..... and to my knowledge only the last 45 model had the built in windows...Bob

After looking over the doors today, I believe them to be off a Heavy Utility - Personnel but not the late '45 HUP model. The doors are the earlier model with the "sunburst" reinforcement pressing on the inside panel. The late model '45 doors have the large metal lubrication and electrical (if memory serves) schematics screwed to the inside of the door on the flat upper part of the panel.

Best guess - late '44 or early '45 HUP doors.

[RHClarke]

Mother Nature is playing games. This morning the mercury only went down to 2 oC and by noon, it was up to 10 oC, making for excellent working weather at the barn.

My morning was spent with my Bronco hinges. After a careful measuring, I cut off the excess length from both sides of the hinge. Once this was done the MIG welder was put to use to fill in the original holes in the hinges. Bob arrived just after the first hinge got shortened and he supervised the welding procedures.

Grant made his appearance shortly after and got busy inventorying his latest treasure trove - the high school CMP. Bob headed off to cut some more logs for the coming winter, and I helped Grant off-load the truck.

At noon we piled into Bob's Ford for lunch in Rockland. Bob decided that we three grubby types should sit down for a nice breakfast meal, so he found us a Bistro to eat at no less. We are used to folks staring at us, but today was different - I guess we didn't fit the profile of the Bistro's regular patrons... We sat in the back of the restaurant and chatted with a nice lady sitting at the next table, who turned out to be one of the co-owners. She was very nice and her staff were very friendly - even with Bob's teasing and joking.

On the way back to Hammond we discussed the weather situation, and surmised that what we don't get in November, we will surely get in December to April. In any case, the weather was fantastic. Back at the barn, Bob mounted the winter tires on his truck and changed its oil. Grant continued to catelogue his newly acquired parts, and I decided to rescue a set of HUP rear fenders from the body sitting on pallets in the big field.

Photos:
1 - Comparison - original (long) modified configurations - top view
2 - Comparison - side view
3 - Before shot
4 - After shot - prior to dressing
5 - Prepped for plugging the original holes

[RHClarke]

Not so long ago, we recovered a HUP body from the deep dark woods. Brian Gough put us on to it and even showed us where it resided. Now it graces the back field waiting its turn for restoration. I have a desire to add an ambulance to my project list. The ambulance appeals to me because I have yet to see one - restored or otherwise.

The HUP fenders were rotting away from the moisture, so it was a good idea to remove them and store them in a drier environment for future use. Most of the fender bolt heads twisted off with the rachet and socket set, but others had to be chiseled off. This took about an hour to complete. The fenders were bent somewhat, but this was nothing new. Back at the barn it took about 15 minutes to straighten out the fenders and to bang the metal back roughly into place. I'll finesse the metalwork later this winter.

One fender needs some cosmetic work, but he other needs a good amount of patching. They, along with the other two project trucks will keep me busy this winter.

As is usual this time of year, it gets dark early. So I headed back to the city to get my MLU fix. A good ending to a great day.

Photos:
1 - Fenders - condition as taken off the body
2 - Fenders - side shot
3 - Fenders - post surgery (read hammer and dolly) - showing heavy damage
4 - Fenders - still more work required, but in much better shape