Derk’s new Universal carrier Mk 1*

[derk derin]

Thought I would share some photo’s of my new purchase. It’s a Universal carrier that belonged to a Prairie Command member who has had it in storage and has had it up for sale now for many years with no buyers so it’s been in a sea container for close to 5 years until a few weeks ago when I went out to see Dave for a visit and have a look at it.
This summer I was looking my carrier over and taking note of all the items I was still looking for to complete it and soon became obvious that I would probably never find it all. My engine wasn’t a carrier engine, I made the engine panels and always wanted to find originals, wanted all the engine top cover items like Bren spare barrel box, Bren brass mount, firing rest etc. and although my carrier has a great story to it being dug out of the ground, the metal was pitted and top armour serial number was gone due to pitting.
Then sitting in Gord Falk’s garage Dave’s carrier was the subject of conversation which led to my interest in going to have a look at it. Once I saw it I was impressed at how original it was and only minor items were missing that I will have to eventually find. Needless to say Dave & I agreed on a purchase price and it found its way into my shop!

[derk derin]

Dave’s dad bought the carrier surplus back in the 1950’s so everything that was on it was original to the carrier when it was in service like the Stacey towing attachment that was added on by the military.
Dave’s dad broke the lower angle iron rivets and removed the entire upper armour and leaned it up against a tree so he could use the carrier on the farm. The armour sat for years until Dave decided to restore the carrier back to original where he reattached it all to the lower hull.
Most of the carrier is fairly complete and one feature I liked was an original carrier engine with proper carburetor, air breather, engine panels etc.

[derk derin]

The engine area is going to need a good cleanup. The radiator rubber hoses have hardened and leaking coolant so will have to be replaced. The carburetor is leaking gas so a rebuild kit should fix that. But I like the fact it’s all original equipment!

[derk derin]

The front driver area has most of its mounts & bins. The dash panel is all complete and linkage covers are there on the floor.
It’s missing a grenade bin in the front drivers bin and the left rear grenade bin is missing. I have to find a junction box for the commanders side and will eventually make all new seat covers for the entire carrier with the proper material.

[derk derin]

The Stacey towing attachment sure does fill out the back of the carrier and is a nice accessory. Here are some pictures of the mounting.
I will have to make up a bracket to hold the pick axe helve as it was removed. I may have to shorten a helve handle to get one stored back in there.

[derk derin]

The wireless operators side 19 set radio equipment is missing most of its items but I’ve been busy collecting most of the items for a proper radio setup including having to make up the adaptor tray that bolts to the fender. Right now Dave just added some angle iron to the original 11 set tray. I have a proper 19 set tray I will use and just purchased the mounting straps, cables and other items for a proper radio set display. I will have to make a mount for the variometer, plate for the mounting of the junction box, proper antenna mount etc.

[derk derin]

Other work that has to be done is make all the interior pieces of the stowage bins. The smoke generator, Bren spare barrel, flare rounds and grenade bins have to be finished off.

[derk derin]

Now the bonus that came with buying Dave’s carrier is he gave me all of his spare parts that he collected over the years including all his spare track, pails & bins of spare parts, some NOS, another 19 set, tools, spare transmission and I got my Bren tripod back that I traded Dave for a set of jeep data plates 25 years ago!

[derk derin]

I was very excited to get the tools. The jacking handle I’ve been looking for, the canvas wrench roll where there are 2 types, track jack, as well as all the other original tools. The jacking block is from a CMP but still an original part.

[derk derin]

The spare parts have already come in handy. I’ve already added parts onto my original carrier that were missing or broken like brass Bren gun mount hook where there were 2 in the pile.

[derk derin]

A NOS steering wheel is rare to find. I also bought 3 shovels from Dave that had nice wartime stampings on them. The jacking bar was also in its mounting clips.

[Lynn Eades]

Good work Derk! Now what are you going to spend the rest of your life searching for?

[Colin Alford]

Derk,

Very nice looking carrier!

This is not an attempt to nitpick, and I am not attempting to criticize your new purchase in any way. I believe that your engine is an early postwar C59A block that was rebuilt by RCEME and likely installed in the carrier while it was still in service. I have run across a few similar engines that were rebuilt by 17 Coy in the 1950s (I can’t remember which year) that were painted the same grey colour. Those are curious (blockheater?) fittings attached to the head studs on each cylinder head. I think I can see enough clues to indicate that a crab distributor is fitted which is normal for a C59A block. I presume that there was an issue with the normal Ford coil which prompted fitting the second round type coil to the right of the generator. The original carrier ignition filter unit appears to be at an odd angle and my guess is that the base plate was bent to allow it to clear the Ford coil.

Aside from the second coil and those (blockheater?) fittings, I can absolutely believe that the engine is as it was when the vehicle was surplused.

Nice carrier,

Colin

[Colin Alford]

Derk,

Regarding the wrench rolls;

The lighter coloured one with coarser canvas and no edge tape is Canadian and correct for your carrier. The other one with the G-166 part number is a T-16 wrench roll which is still wartime issue and could conceivably have found it’s way into a Canadian built carrier while in service.

Colin

[Alex van de Wetering]

Congrats Derk....that looks like a very nice carrier....in fully understand that you are over the moom with this and all the parts that came with it!

[Ed Storey]

That was one sweet UC deal!

[rob love]

It has been a lot of years, and Gord or Dave might remember better than I can, but I think the rear armour on that carrier was a piece we recovered from the carriers up at Armstrong.

It is a very nice carrier from back in the days when Brian Asbury's carrier parts list were still fairly extensive, and parts more reasonably priced. In those pre-internet days, Brian was the main source for parts.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Looks like a very nice buy, Derk. Congrats!

[RichardT10829]

Congrats Dirk

[David Dunlop]

Rob has a good memory, Derk.

That steering wheel did come from Brian Asbury and was part of the "Carrier Package" when I sold Dave my Mk II* Carrier.

Looks like you and Dawn can now have Carrier Races around the back 40!


David

[derk derin]

Lynn, I have been collecting Canadian Military field equipment for 40 years now. I have wanted everything issued from the toothbrush to a tank. I have found many items over the years but still looking for an original toothbrush and a tank!
The looking never ends!

[derk derin]

Colin, I appreciate the input on the engine. I was busy today but plan on going out to the shop tomorrow and get some closer pictures of the engine. Maybe find a rebuild tag? Would like to find the engine serial number as well.
Dave mentioned to me a few of your observations, the original coil quit so to keep the carrier running he added the round coil. I plan on replacing it with another original style coil. Dave included another coil in the spare parts he gave me. I’m hoping it’s still good and replacing it will get rid of the round one. He also pointed out when his dad bought the carrier surplus that it had the block heaters already installed so more than likely was done by the military at some point.
My excitement in all of the spare parts were the tools. Especially the canvas tool roll. I’ve heard reference on the canvas tool roll but never saw an actual photo of one. There is only a partial stamping in the top right inside of the flap on the canvas that doesn’t make any sense to me. Maybe you know?

[derk derin]

The second tool roll is of the same design but I suspected by the stencilling that it seemed more US issue. Thank you for identifying if for me as a T16 carrier tool roll.

[derk derin]

Dave also gave me a track adjusting snail and suspected it was T-16.
I know I have the original track adjusting snails for the Mark 1* and Mark 2 carriers and they weren’t cast like this one. Can you confirm this one is T-16?

[derk derin]

Yes Alex & Ed, I’m very happy to get such a complete carrier. It’s getting harder to find original parts nowadays and expensive as you all know!
Like I said, my carrier that was dug out of the ground has a great story to it but looking over Dave’s carrier that has no pitted metal retains all of its markings where as my top armour pitting erased the serial number losing that part of its history. And I’m way further ahead of a more complete carrier now.
An interesting development yesterday when I was looking over both carriers is my carriers hull number is 3828, Dave’s carrier is 3819! They were both together on the assembly line 82 years ago! I believe there was a discussion somewhere on hull numbers and serial numbers not necessarily matching up like one would expect. Still interesting they’re only 9 numbers out from one another.

[derk derin]

Rob your right. Dave told me when the top armour was sitting up against a tree on Dave’s farm his dad removed the rear armour and used it to make some plow blades. When Dave restored the carrier he had a fake piece of armour cut and installed it. Then when you & Gord had an original rear armour plate to give Dave he removed the fake piece and installed the original rear armour section and riveted it in place.

Richard, thank you!

[derk derin]

David I knew that NOS steering wheel came from you cause your name is still on the box!
At one of the MVPA conventions I was at Brian Asbury’s table and bought a NOS steering wheel for my Ford 3 ton CMP.
Those were the days when parts were still available and Brian was a great source over the years for Carrier & CMP parts.

[derk derin]

A couple more interesting items that Dave had was an original blanking board. It’s too bad it was sitting on the ground and took on moisture rotting away the bottom portion. I will try and rebuild it with some replacement laminate pieces.
Dave also said the carrier originally came with leather handgrips. They are complete enough to replicate. The problem is I look at their construction and wonder what kind of sewing machine could sew the pieces together?
The rubber handgrip must have come from Dave’s Mark 2 carrier.

[derk derin]

Hanno, thank you as well!

Another tool Dave gave me was a mystery to me. It was etched with a C broad arrow in it so an issue tool. I did an internet search punching in the makers name and part number and I had success in finding out what it was used for!

[David Dunlop]

Dark

Look for an old shoe repair shop that knows how to work with real leather footware. They will have the sewing machines you need. Give Canadian Footwear a call. They should know who is available in town still.

David