1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[Robert Bergeron]

Cypher clerk table dimensions : Got this diagram with no measurements . Could someone please help me out ? Source : i don’t remember but the usual suspects are David Dunlop and Bruce Parker .Thank you very much for the nice diagram . .Thanks

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Cypher clerk table dimensions : Got this diagram with no measurements . Could someone please help me out ? Source : i don’t remember but the usual suspects are David Dunlop and Bruce Parker .

Not me, there would have been dimensions...

[Robert Bergeron]

Something like this ? My interpretation .

[Robert Bergeron]

Installed the exhaust system for the generators today . Two 3/4 inch lines merging into a 1 inch Y fitting exausting out of the truck and to the side .

[Robert Bergeron]

Shop work is nice but i got cabin fever and brought out the «*Gin palace «* for a run in the snow. We both needed the «*exercise «* ....

[David Dunlop]

Bonjour Robert.

That Cypher Clerk Desk Drawing is indeed mine. Sadly, all that remains of the information I had on it.

I had a 4” binder of photos, specs etc of all my 2K1 Body Parts, and when I sold all of that stuff to Don Perry in Edmonton years ago, he did not need the data, so I kept the book. That is Don’s WIRE 5 Reg has now, by the way.

Held onto the binder for three house moves and tossed it on the fourth. Still have some photos kicking around here and there but not much else.

Nice work by the way.

David

[Robert Bergeron]

Bonjour David and thank you for your good words . Upper (Gen 1 ) generator installed , functionning and charging both battery banks . Exhausting outside the box by the conduit through the floor . Control panel functionning and changing the charging current from Gen 1 to either banks with the knife switch . Starting Gen 1 with either battery banks with the help of the rotary dial from a C-5 charging board .

[Bob Carriere]

..... disconnect the ground cable on all the batteries so the truck willnot burn down........

....Merry Xmas and a H*** of a better year for 2021

Bob C

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks Bob C . Good advice . God bless & Merry Xmas !!!

[Robert Bergeron]

Bob C. , i had to work on a project even on Xmas Day ! Intalled Gen 2 , the second Chorehorse today because i was dreaming about it last night ..... So this is option 1 with two 300 Watt 12 V Chorehorses . Connected the wires and the exhaust , turned on the proper switches and had BOTH generators running and charging BOTH battery banks ! The other option of course is one Chorehorse and one 110 V Onan 1000 Watts generator . Nice having both options available ... Merry Xmas !

[Wayne Hingley]

Nice work Robert. Im curious how loud it is with the generators running and all the compartments closed up?

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks for your nice words . It’s noisy Wayne ! I made rubber pads for the supports so that reduces the noise considerably . The fact that they both exhaust outside helps also . The original had a muffler under the body so i installed one on the 1 inch line . It is bearable . I wish i knew how to post a video here it would be neat to let you hear it .

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

I made rubber pads for the supports so that reduces the noise considerably ..

I ain't going rubber pads on my HUW chorehorse. It's metal on metal crankin' out the decibels all the way baby!!!

[Bob Carriere]

If you have ever been to an antique engine collector how you would see civilian Chore Horse running and fitted with a 20 foot section of flex pipe fitted with a cast iron ball type sound breaker.....which they usually buried in a few inches of loose dirt.

The noise level becomes quite subdued and muffled.

Any reason why the military would not have used a similar contraption????

Bob C.

[rob love]

The chorehorses did come with that flex line for burying into the dirt. I think you just transferred the regular muffler over to the flexpipe, but won't say for sure. It's been a lot of years since I worked with them.
It made them very very quiet.

[Robert Bergeron]

Reference picture of the correct Canadian Chorehorse for the 2K1 box. When operated on the move from the generator compartment they are noisy because you can’t obviously bury the flex exhaust in the ground to damper the noise . The flex hose is seen in the illustration with the small pancake muffler for ground station use when you pull it out of the truck . I was fortunate enough to find two of them in good working order . Both were made in 1943 and are almost identical except for a few minor details , probably replacement parts . Both have their protective covers . Much less common than the later Post-war 30 Volts conversions . British models had protective cages like the Post-war version .

[Robert Bergeron]

Took these two identical parts off my second 2K1 box . The were riveted in place . They were on the right lower corner of the rear generator compartment external doors . The doors are in two sections and they move up to let fresh air in when the generators are running . They are both identical and marked : Pat 1936 other patents pending Canada . At the bottom of each door centered is a handle to help move it up and down . The handle abuts to the top of the opening . What is the function of this part ? The scew on top is functional and comes out when turned counterclockwise . ?

[Bob Carriere]

.....muffler/pipe readily available on Ebay from $50 to $75 + USD....... cast iron ball type or flatter disc shape like the military. Ear plugs 0.50 cents.

Cheers

[David Dunlop]

The remains you are wondering about, Robert, are standard wooden window sash locks. These were a common household item with the older vertical sliding windows.

You are missing the flip-over locking posts from them. In the lower position, they prevent the window from being raised. In the upper position, they keep it from falling shut.

Should still be readily available from dealers of antique window restorations and repairs.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

The remains you are wondering about, Robert, are standard wooden window sash locks. These were a common household item with the older vertical sliding windows.

You are missing the flip-over locking posts from them. In the lower position, they prevent the window from being raised. In the upper position, they keep it from falling shut.

Should still be readily available from dealers of antique window restorations and repairs.

David

That doesn't surprise me. Many CMP parts, especially those in wireless trucks, are simply things that were available in the commercial market at the time, and many of which you can still pick up today made by 'Stanley' at Canadian Tire. The HUW bin closures are regular barrel locks, The Fox engine access cover is a screen door hinge and the water can has two Stanley door pulls.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by rob love

The chorehorses did come with that flex line for burying into the dirt. I think you just transferred the regular muffler over to the flexpipe, but won't say for sure. It's been a lot of years since I worked with them.
It made them very very quiet.

The BSA version that I have (still crated) comes with flex hose and muffler, but as far as I'm aware they were only ever used with the flex hose in the field: drag it away from the vehicle (downwind), extend and bury the hose, then recharge the spare set of batteries (do NOT float-charge the WS19 battery).

Unfortunately my crate was opened and is missing the tool/spares box with the manuals, cables, etc. (I have most of the spanners and am looking for the rest of the bits.)

If running them in the vehicle I'd fit a couple of carbon monoxide detectors - one in the generator compartment, and the other near the operator position, just to be on the safe side.

Chris.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

That begs the question, was there a special exhaust pipe issued with wireless trucks to meet the specific need for in vehicle operation? The HUW has a hole in the bottom of the generator cabinet that attaches to a fixed steel tube exiting out the vehicle floor. There must have been a 'quick release' pipe to go from the generator to the connection. Like most wireless trucks, they set it up so the generator (along with the wireless set and batteries etc.) could be quickly removed to work remotely. That's when the flexible exhaust pipe and muffler would have been employed.

Originally Posted by Chris Suslowicz

The BSA version that I have (still crated) comes with flex hose and muffler, but as far as I'm aware they were only ever used with the flex hose in the field: drag it away from the vehicle (downwind), extend and bury the hose, then recharge the spare set of batteries (do NOT float-charge the WS19 battery).

Unfortunately my crate was opened and is missing the tool/spares box with the manuals, cables, etc. (I have most of the spanners and am looking for the rest of the bits.)

If running them in the vehicle I'd fit a couple of carbon monoxide detectors - one in the generator compartment, and the other near the operator position, just to be on the safe side.

Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Bruce.

To the best of my knowledge, the intent of the original Generator compartment in the 2K1 WIRE 5 was the lower chorehorse was a permanent mount to one side of the y-pipe in the floor, with all solid pipe. The pipe exited through the floor with a 90 degree elbow and a long, sausage shaped muffler about a foot long pointed straight to the right rear corner of the body.

The Generator box was designed and insulated like a fridge. The edges were all screwed to the walls and floor and sealed with pitch/tar. The door had dual fridge latches and heavy rubber gaskets. The lower chorehorse was the go/to unit for operation in the vehicle. I ran a chorehorse in mine out of curiosity and it was actually quite quiet.

If an Onan was installed in the truck, due to the presence of a 19 HP in the truck, it became the fixed lower unit. It was always my understanding that the actual model Onan used in the WIRE 5 was fully dual 110 and 12 volt dc capable for the purposes of running the two different sections of the 19 HP.

The chorehorse on the upper shelf in all 2K1’s was the portable unit. It was intended for humping into the field with the flex exhaust. The one I had came with the mushroom muffler fitted to the chorehorse and a flex pipe with a second muffler fitted was part of the supplied kit. It was also possible to semi permanently mount the upper chorehorse to the Generator exhaust plumbing via the flex pipe. My guess is, the nitty gritty details of installation/use were left to the individual truck crews,

David

[Robert Bergeron]

These are the switches on the generator cabinet ( fridge ) . When equiped with both Chorehorses you use Charger 1 and Charger 2 . When you have an Onan 110 V 1000 Watts Geny you use the 110 V AC switch and one of the 300 Chargers and that would be the No 1 ( upper ) Charger . The wiring diagram confirms this . The 12 V power source on the Onan only charges the Onan generator dedicated batteries that are near le left foot of the radio operator under the radio table . This is also confimed by the diagram inside the control / fuse box .

[Robert Bergeron]

David , this is your diagram . I have an unfair advantage now trying to figure out this complex truck .

[Robert Bergeron]

The devil is in the details . Here is the weird gizmo now installed . We also see a transplanted latch or bracket under the panel handle . I took it off my other box . It obviously there to lock the handle with a paddle lock because there is a hole in it .

[Robert Bergeron]

I sealed the charging compartment door ( fridge door ) and adjusted the hinges and handle to make a good seal . I also sealed the holes were the armoured cables come in with mastic ( glazing compound ) , what we used to seal glass panes in window frames . Posted the warning sign so now we are ready for another function test with both generators running . Too bad i don’t have a Decibel meter . ...

[Robert Bergeron]

This is the sealer that was used to seal windows and just about everything else before silicone .Glazing compound .

[Robert Bergeron]

Here is a pano of the interior . Still a lot to do ( too long to list ) but getting there.

[Wayne Hingley]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Too bad i don’t have a Decibel meter . ...

Hi Robert: if you have a smart phone you can download decibel meters for free. I have one called Decibel X. I’m sure it is not 100% accurate, but the readings seem consistent and in the right range with what would be expected. I think it’s quite close.