Roof Hatch

jason meade · #1 24-11-11, 22:31

Guys I am just thinking, has anyone converted a roof of a chev cmp to one with the hatch, I have a really good roof with out the hatch and was thinking that i may be able to convert it over if i could come up with the rest of the parts.
Has anyone done this? and if so did you make your own parts or use doner parts?

On another note the access cover for the starter, i dont have one and would like to make one or find one...is there anything special about it or just a peice cut to fit with holes drilled and tapered?

Thanks jason

Grant Bowker · #2 24-11-11, 23:20

It seems a shame to cut a perfectly good but hatchless roof. Can you get anyone in your area (shipping would be a killer) to trade a reasonable hatch type roof for your hatchless one. This would give you the appropriate inner reinforcements for the hatch type roof and also locate the hatch for you. This should balance out having to smooth out some smaller bumps. I haven't seen many spare hatch rings, mounting reinforcements, inner padded cushions or tapered wood spacers floating around, but there must be some available you could borrow as a pattern. Most of the parts are either flat or rod stock welded together to make up the hatch ring so if you can only borrow one it would be possible to fabricate a reasonable facsimilie.

For the starter access cover, are you talking about the piece of floor plate over the starter motor or the rim that holds the boot around the starter lever in place?
The floor panel is just tread plate with an "L" shaped angle on the face nearest the engine to help keep the doghouse in place and I think it also has an anchor point for the doghouse welded to the upper face. Again, a part you can fabricate if you have a pattern.
If you are looking for the part that anchors the starter lever boot - Brian Asbury had some of these available NOS, but you could also fabricate one from plain sheet steel if you have a pattern.

jason meade · #3 24-11-11, 23:59

Thanks Grant,Thts the plan o make em myself, Metal work for me is pretty easy...wood work is a whole different problem...There is only two cmps in the area that i am aware of, Bill Mulhallands and mine so finding one and dealing with shipping is just not worth the hassel.
Though I am hopin someone has done this in the past and knows what goes into it.
Jason

Grant Bowker · #4 25-11-11, 00:28

Start putting the word out in the collector car groups that you are interested in hearing about vehicles like the cab 13, give them photos to remind them what you want. Most of them don't want the trucks you are seeking so will be willing to pass on info that they come across while looking for what interests them. You could also score running inline engines from guys who want to take them out in favour of v8s.

A jeep collector in the Ottawa area used to run a WANTED ad in the local Auto Trader paper. He ended up with somthing like 50 jeeps coming his way including some rare types (he didn't buy or keep all of them), he also got leads to CMP this way. I hadn't seen any CMPs around Ottawa for many years (except the War Museum), now I own 7 frames and somewhat less sheet metal plus a few extra engines. Surprising what jumps out once you have a network helping you.

Do you know any helicopter pilots that operate low and slow who might keep their eyes open in return for a suitable reward?

jason meade · #5 25-11-11, 01:18

Hey Grant Ya i do have a few pilot friends 403 Hel Sqn just up the road from me, I dont dare to put a want add in as my wife will kill me if i bring home anymore "green crap"...already had tobuild a peice on the garage for the cmp, i would just end up finding something else I like.
Thanks for your help!
Jason

Bob Carriere · #6 25-11-11, 22:09

Jason....Grant....

do you remember the name of the chap that came to Ottawa..... he bought the UC from Coe Hill......now he had knowledge of a yard....deadend road somewhere in NS or NB....... they had tons of left over CMPs...... they migth still be there....... also the car dealer that was into CMP..... bought the water truck from CC....... having a CRS moment with names....

Reason for raising the issue, working from scratch to make a circular hatch can be a challenge...... have a model or a scrap one to work from is bliss.

I agree with Grant that finding a proper roof would greatly simplify the locating of the ring hatch...... fabricating the metal parts would be relatively easy...... fabricating the wooden spacer ring with the uneven curved edges to match the roof curve can be taxing.

If nothing turns ups on the coast we can try to measure what we have in our existing old roofs and share with Jason.

Bob