2015 at the Hammond Barn

[rob love]

Gilles:
Personally, I am off to Montego Bay Jamaica in the morning for a week. While I don't wish the cold on anyone (it will be -34 here tonight, and that is without the wind factored in) and I promise not to bitch too much about the heat. The forecast low for the week in Montego Bay is 24°C, with constant highs around the 29 mark.

[Bob Carriere]

But we manage..... can't say I am getting a sun burn sitting by Lucifer.... but it occasionnaly gets hot enough to thaw out a mosquito or two.

Meanwhile we are progressing in the dress up of the cab 11....... each panel has been bolted on at least 3 times and some nearing ten times.

Considering what we had to start with.... and the fact that I innocently but purposely mixed cab 11 and cab 12 parts...... which are all the same but very different .... we now have a nose.

Grant has been my second and third hand ...along with a good eye....with this process and we both have nothing but admiration for Phil, Alex, David and others who have toiled alone and without having 3 other trucks to compare to...Kudos gentlemen....

You will note that the original shows that THIS cab 11 never had the rubber light mounted on the front fenders.

I now have two holes in the front fenders that needs to be welded were the signal lights had been installed..... and the fenders have all been painted.

Nonetheless it must all be taken apart again for some bolt holes and captive nuts to be added due to parts mixed between 11 and 12 cabs and all the modern bolts will be replaced with dome slotted machine screws and finishing washers....phew!!!! oh and to add the antisqueak tape everywhere it is required.

Cheers

I know the fairlead is in the wrong place and Grant tells me it is a Aussie model....? but I do have a proper one...

[Jordan Baker]

That looks great Bob.

[TCLARK]

Good looking job Bob. Getting all panels to line up can be very time consuming. I ended up using long clamps and of course racheting tiedown straps just to get things aligned!

[Ganmain Tony]

Very nice Bob - she's going to be a show stopper.... great to see some progress. Keep the pictures coming.

[Bob Carriere]

Thanks for kind words.

We used pry bars, screwdrivers, tie straps with ratchets and things finally line up.

Grant and I finally decided to follow the advice of Phil W. who said try bolting it together loose...... shake it around then tighten everything.

We may have been handicapped by trying to get everything perfect... but then I found some early close up photos and found that we had it better aligned than it was originally.

Advice to future cab 11 assembly.... be very cautious to pick the best parts from different trucks ...particularly mixing cab 11 and cab 12 parts.......

Now for the windshield and the back wall that needs reskining...... will drive it as a "roadster" like Phil for at least this Summer.

Cheers

[RHClarke]

I think that Bob and Grant broke the code - wait until Rob arrives and sparks up Lucifer before going out to the barn. Bob turned up at around 11 AM, Grant arrived just after lunch. The joke was on them as the temperature in the barn did not go past 40oF.

It was -27oC when I arrived this morning. At that temperature the snow shrieks when you drive over it or walk on it. Factor in the wind chill, and the temp plunged deeper. It was a good day to work in the barn. While Lucifer warmed up, I cleared the snow and cleaned off the shelters that needed cleaning. Those jobs got done quickly as my fingers while clad in insulated gloves, began to "sing" with the cold.

Back in the barn, I began surgery on my M37 fender. Bob arrived shortly thereafter and brought his truck into the barn for more tin adjustments. I am sure that the snow on his tires did not melt during its stay in the barn, but being out of the wind and close to a furnace sure makes work more bearable.

The rest of the day was spent working in relative comfort on tin projects basking in the warmth of Lucifer's breath. Makes one wonder how the folks in the Light Aid Detachments were able to function in the cold and while under enemy observation and fire...

Photos:

1 - Today's object of obsession - M37 Fender
2 - Bob's calibrated eyeball was employed to fab up a patch panel
3 - Some nifty clamps to keep the work lined up
4 - Bob enjoying the cold air
5 - The man's reaction when I told him that his truck was much more problematic than a HUP.