How To: Ford CMP "Blitz" miscellany

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Ken,

Thanks Ken. Your reply may have pointed me in the right direction.

The attached link to the HCVC shows a IH AB 120 with a very similar top. Not Army, but part of the National Mapping Agency. Perhaps this will help bring out another photo of an Army AB 120. I could not find one during a short Google search.

Cannot say it is exactly like mine but the proportions looks very similar even if the side flaps are different.

It is rather ironic in that my family owned a 1962 IH C120 4x4 Travelall Wagon when I was a boy in the USA. A huge 4 x 4 wagon in its day compared to Jeeps and IH Scouts.

Will look forward to seeing the dimensions of your AT4.

Cheers,

https://www.hcvc.com.au/forum/truck_...-120-4x4-story

[Ken Smith]

Jacques,
I measured a Ford Canada, stamped nose/front clip, minus headlights and you would have to put a 9 inch diameter disc into the headlight aperture for the bridge plate.
I realise you aren't planning to do that but that is a lot bigger than the Australian add on plate.
Ken

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Ken,

Thanks for that info. I had considered modifying the tarp to use on my F-15A but that goes against my grain for preservation of military artifacts. Let me think about it, but I may consider moving it on so it fits the appropriate vehicle without modifications. Just would like to find the nice heavy canvas used to make it without having to buy a container load of it from India.

Thanks for that info on the disk. I used my old friend Paint.net and taking measurements from the photo of the original and working out proportions I am 98% certain the disk is 7-1/2" diameter on the one under the right side headlight. As you noted, they obviously used larger diameter ones to fill the aperture where they placed the disk inside the headlight housing.

Will confirm the diameter and gauge of the steel when I receive the one Tony kindly offered me.

All the best,

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jacques Reed

Thanks for that info on the disk. I used my old friend Paint.net and taking measurements from the photo of the original and working out proportions I am 98% certain the disk is 7-1/2" diameter on the one under the right side headlight. As you noted, they obviously used larger diameter ones to fill the aperture where they placed the disk inside the headlight housing.

Will confirm the diameter and gauge of the steel when I receive the one Tony kindly offered me.

The Canadian bridge classification disk was the same. At the factory, it was fitted in the headlight aperture. In theatre, if a need for a second headlight arose, the disk was moved to another spot and the headlight was fitted in the aperture.

Local assembly from Completely Kocked Down (CKD) kits meant the bare minimum of parts were shipped overseas unassembled, all the other parts which could be sourced locally, were. I reckon a simple disk was not shipped from Canada but made in Australia. So the gauge and diameter may well differ. I don't even know if Australian assembled trucks only had one headlight from the assembly line or two. In case of the latter the diameter of the disk didn't matter as it did not need to fulfill the function to block off the empty headlight aperture.


HTH,
Hanno

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Hanno,

I cannot verify if Australian built CMP's were originally fitted with only one headlight but I have never seen an extant Australian assembled Ford CMP with just one. Hopefully others more knowledgeable can confirm it.

Wartime photos seem to show two headlights fitted in Aussie built trucks.

The brackets that holds the disk on my Australian built cab is spot-welded to the cowl which indicates a factory fitment rather than a field modification so the disk was always intended to be displayed there. At 5" between centres of mounting holes this would help to account for a different sized disk if locally sourced.

Cheers,

[Mike Cecil]

Hi Jacques,

The late 1960s/ early 1970s saw the intro of such vehicles as Ford XY utilities with bows and high canvas canopies. Not sure of the dimensions, but they were described as 'Truck Utility 3/4 ton CL with high canopy'. Maybe that is worth looking at as a possible application of the canopy you have.

The bridge sign on Aust military vehicles was originally painted directly on the right front of the vehicle in an irregular shape approximating an 8 inch circle. This later translated to an 8 inch disc fixed to the front right of the vehicle, painted yellow with the bridge weight painted on in black. The spec stated it had to be visible and readable to an observer from a certain distance - I think 50 yards. The bridge plate was the same colour as the plate affixed to the bridges themselves, so that the driver would equate the signage as having the same meaning. A driver approaching a bridge with a lesser number on the bridge plate of the bridge than the number on his truck bridge plate was not permitted to cross under most circumstances.

The gauge of the steel disc appears to have varied, (along with the diameter), with what I believe to have been original discs in 16#, 18# and 20# being observed by me over the years. All were simple, raw edged discs without any pressing like the later discs fixed to Land Rovers etc, or rolled edge.

Bridge discs were not supplied in the CMP inventory of parts from Canada, but were part of the local production. The disc was never fitted to the headlamp 'socket' of Australian-assembled/manufactured CMPs, as the Aust Army requirement was always for two functional headlamps.

The bridge weight for a 15cwt CMP varied with the vehicle type. For GS 4x4 CMP vehicles, the sign was '4', being the maximum gross laden weight rounded to even tons. For CMP signals office & office CMP trucks in 4x4, the bridge weight was '5'.

The MVFS specification goes a step further, stating '3' for unladen and '4' for laden for the CMP 15-cwt GS 4x4, and for 4x2 six seater utilities, the bridge sign was '4' unladen and '5' laden. Of course, the unladen spec is irrelevant to the marking of the bridge plate, which by necessity has to reflect the gross laden weight.

Hope that all makes sense.

Mike

[Jacques Reed]

Hi Mike,

That is great! Makes great sense and fully explains it all. I have seen it painted on the right front cowl as per photo but I think it is not original but a later owners handiwork. Originally it was very bright and clear but twenty years out in the weather has taken its toll.

That cowl does not have the brackets for the disk even though it is from an Australian bodied vehicle.

Will look into Ford XY utes in Army service regarding the canvas canopy.

Cheers,

[Jacques Reed]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Hi Jacques,

The gauge of the steel disc appears to have varied, (along with the diameter), with what I believe to have been original discs in 16#, 18# and 20# being observed by me over the years. All were simple, raw edged discs without any pressing like the later discs fixed to Land Rovers etc, or rolled edge.

Bridge discs were not supplied in the CMP inventory of parts from Canada, but were part of the local production. The disc was never fitted to the headlamp 'socket' of Australian-assembled/manufactured CMPs, as the Aust Army requirement was always for two functional headlamps.

The bridge weight for a 15cwt CMP varied with the vehicle type. For GS 4x4 CMP vehicles, the sign was '4', being the maximum gross laden weight rounded to even tons. For CMP signals office & office CMP trucks in 4x4, the bridge weight was '5'.

The MVFS specification goes a step further, stating '3' for unladen and '4' for laden for the CMP 15-cwt GS 4x4, and for 4x2 six seater utilities, the bridge sign was '4' unladen and '5' laden. Of course, the unladen spec is irrelevant to the marking of the bridge plate, which by necessity has to reflect the gross laden weight.

Hope that all makes sense.

Mike

Thanks again Mike,

And my great thanks goes to Tony Baker who kindly sent me the attached bridge classification disk. With all that is happening in his life health wise, the effort is even more appreciated as he has enough things on his plate than bothering about passing on a bit of old steel to a fellow collector.

As Mike said, they were locally produced so there were variations in diameter and steel gauge but as I am sure this is 100% original it is worth noting its dimensions. I am in no doubt there are other variations.

It is exactly 7-1/2" diameter with 5" BC of the mounting holes which are 3/16" diameter. This one is made from 16 gauge steel which is in keeping with other items on the truck made of 16 gauge steel such as the tool box and tyre chain boxes.

Of interest, after I soaked it in phosphoric acid to clean up the rust stains, the disk was entirely painted in camouflage light earth colour, even over the number. A bit of light wet sanding on what looks like a Ishihara test for colour blindness shows a number "6" under the light earth. The number is exactly 4" high. It is almost a shame to remove the original paint and number as I need to change it to a 4 according to Mikes info. for my F-15A. I also noted it was originally painted yellow on both sides.

Hope this is of some interest to fellow Australian CMP truck restorers.

Cheers,