How To: C15a Wire-3 restoration

[Jordan Baker]

Thanks Alex and Bob for giving me a few different ideas. I ended up just doing the pour method as described by Bob. Lots of drips all over the place but I got it done. Next step will be getting the glass cut and installed then I can paint the frames their final colour.

[Jordan Baker]

Frames are all painted in the final coat of SCC2. Now I just need to get the glass cut and installed.

I also managed to get this small air filter cleaned up and repainted. Ive seen some NOS ones with a decal. Does anyone know where I might be able to get the proper decal?

[Jordan Baker]

Working on a variety of parts. I had Metal Supermarkets shear some 16ga sheet metal for me today. These are for the retaining strips on the side curtain frames. They were great to deal with and very fast. I did have to hand file them to remove the razor sharp edges. One is done so far.

I also picked up a pair of front canvas seals at the Ontario Regiment Museum open house.

Last pictures for now is the left side fuel tank. So far its been wire wheeled. I had two rust holes about the size of a dime each that needed to be fixed. I cut a patch with some sheet metal and then soldiered them in. Once the tank is painted they will be very hard to see. On the inside I will be doing an acid wash/rinse and then sealing with Mac's Autoparts fuel tank sealer. I did the tank in my UCarrier with this stuff and I was very happy with it.

[Bob Carriere]

what kind of lead??? what preparation for the steel surface?? what kind of soldering iron????

Will be going down that road soon to fix the filler neck on Grant's cab 13 tank. I bought 3 solid copper soldering irons at a flea market and will use propane torch to heat up the copper slugs. Just looking for general pointers.

Nice job on the door window frame.... were you following Phil's W. drawings??

Bob C

[Jordan Baker]

Bob, Ive found the soldering really easy. Just make sure there is no fuel vapours that can ignite. I use a sanding drum on my dremmel to clean up the sopt im going to be fixing. Ive found using it does two things. Number one is it cleans it up to nice bright metal. Number is that the sanding gives a nice "key" for the solider to really stick. If using a patch I clean the backside and edges the same way. I then blush flux onto the surface. I put the patch in place and then using a small propane plumbing torch I heat up the surface. For solder I use plumbers solder from Cnd Tire or any hardware store. I continue to heat up the area with the torch and then apply the soldier. Once heated to the proper temp it will flow really well under and around the patch. I then go back with the sanding drum and give it a quick once over clean it up a bit cosmetically. As for the large copper soldering irons I have seen them but never used them.

I couldn't find the drawings from Phil's site. I had what was left of the original strips so I was able to get the widths from them. I think it took me about 2.5hrs today to get the one side done. It is a lot of measuring, edge cleaning and hole drilling and further burr cleaning to do. Friday I will be going to a local canvas repair place to see about the clear window vinyl.

[Bob Carriere]

WE are reluctant to use a torch flame of any kind on a cab 13 tank as it does not have the large top opening brass cover that really ventilates a tank..... that is why we got the old style copper irons.

Gran't tank is dry....very dry..... but still smells of gasoline.... it has been left in the Sun a number of days and we have used compressed air from the compressor to ventilate and blow dust out but still concerned......

We may try running a vacuum cleaner in reverse into the neck of the tank while soldering with a torch...... I would be using a #0 tip on an oxy-acetylene system.

Let me know what kind of vinyl you decide on...... I need to so some also for my side curtains of the cab 11...... I have original side curtains from Dirk but the clear plastic is yellow and brittle..... and they are sewn onto the curtains.

Cheers

[Jordan Baker]

Ive only had one tank go kaboom on me and that was because I had just drained the fuel out of it a few days before. It started to scream so i hit the dirt and then it let off a muffled boom. When I picked myself back up the tank looked rather cartoonish and was very rounded.

If you cleaned the inside with acid and rinsed it out it should be fine. When I use the torch Im not sticking the flame into the hole. There is a patch already ontop of it.

As for the vinyl I'll talk with them at the shop and see what they say.