How To: C15a Wire-3 restoration

[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.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Guys

Just to be clear there are no drawings of the CMP side curtains on my web site canadianmilitarypattern.com the photos of the canvas parts of the side curtains are still there but the drawings have disappeared.

Will try to find them, I need to do a serious rebuild of my web site including better search system, but there are not enough hours in the day, choice of working in the shop or working on the computer. The shop is winning.

Cheers Phil

[Jordan Baker]

Thanks Phil. I knew there was a reason I couldn't find them.

[Stew Robertson]

A little trick to welding fuel tanks, is drain and rinse with water then stick an exhaust hose from a running engine in and let it run until all the moisture is gone it is then safe to grind, solder or weld

[Jordan Baker]

Spent the last few days busy making some small parts. First up the is rare dash mounted map light. I was fortunate enough to be leant an original from a fellow MLU'er. I ended up using 2" dia washers for the ends and 2" outside dia exhaust pipe. I clamped the washers down to a copper paddle and then filled the center in with weld. That was then ground down smooth. The exhaust pipe was opened up slightly once I cut out the void. The ended were welded in and then ground smooth. I think I spent about 10hrs making this. Its not perfect but its pretty darn close.