2018 at the Hammond Barn
 

A new sticky album for a new year.

COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON TO ALL YOU GUYS :thup2:

Thanks Cliff
 

Rob Clarke with his Dodge M37 and my C15a did our New Years deed by charging around the pristine snow cover of the backfield this morning..... we are just processing the pictures and video....stay tune.

Snow is just deep enough for the axle to drag....... we used low range 4x4 2nd and 3rd gear in my C15a revving around 3000 rpm flat out....... oil steady at 40 pounds and temp never getting above the 165 F with a 160 thermostat. Almost like steering a boat in choppy water steering slow to respond...... lots of fun.

Cold at minus 25 C but very refreshing,

Cheers

More from the Barn at Hammond
 

Like Bob said: Happy New Year!

It may be cold but we are still at it......Roof rebuild.
 

As much as I enjoy driving the cab 11 as a "roadster" we always planned to have the roof done.

Over the cold months we slowly worked at it. First thing to do was to repair the cracked sheet metal on each side by the door frame...... a very common fault of the cab 11/12 is the metal eventually sheers even with the small reinforcement L bracket inside the corner.

I carefully remove the existing L brackets by grinding them away and replacing them with new 14 gauge corner L brackets that were welded in place then POR 15 to seal behind brackets.

Next step was removing the dings from the dents from the creased and bulges.

It is not perfectly smooth yet but has improved 99%..... what a task. Impossible to hold a dolly on one side and hammer with your other arm unless you are built like a gorilla..... you just can't reach that far. so with the help of various hammers and large rubber mallet Grant wacked away on one side while I either held the dolly or pushed with my hands on the other side.... which was noisy and easier to describe than actually do. Amazing how the metal eventually stretches back into place..... thank God Grant was patient and persistent.

We have been pondering the eventual surgery to the bottom 8 inches of the roof which in some areas was completely eaten away by rust. Our concern was to remove and reskin while insuring that we maintained the same dimensions. The roof needs to be braced before removing any steel and to today was the first amputation.

We first braced the rear angle iron using a 1 inch square tubing bolted to the bottom of the angle iron..... the tubing is low enough to carry the top[and leave clearance for the bottom edge of the skin for alignment and ease of working. Then we bracing the rear window opening that will be cut through.

Then installed a brace so we could sit the top flat on the work table at the proper angle. Now the roof weights an extra 50 pounds but is very stiffly held.

We will do the reskinning in two steps...... so we cut on one side to the center of the rear window where there will be a center vertical weld. By cutting through the window opening we reduce the butt welding by about 40.

The new skin has already been rolled curved and we will crimp the bottom edge using Grant's bead roller before installation. The butt welding is the next nightmare and exercise in patience.... it has to be perfect to look good from both the inside and the outside. Grant gained some experience when doing his cab 13 roof a few years ago. We will start near the door opening and slowly tack weld our way around to the middle.

Will need to do some sandblasting to properly clean the existing angle iron that will be welded to the skin...... following the Jordan pattern of "rosette" welding around the curve.

By the time we get all done welding it should be warm enough outside to do the painting. Then the wood support, from Brian Ashbury, will go into place as they are already painted/sealed with POR 15 against water.

Still have to fabricate the ceiling rubber pads.

Thanks to Grant for all the inspiration and perspiration.

Attache are a few photos of the bracing. Yes it took a fair amount of square tubing but it was purchased specifically for this job..... we will salvage the good pieces after the job is done.

Cheers

Bob,

How dented was your roof when you started? I have seen pictures with soldiers sitting on the roof, which resulted in a completely caved in roof.
My cab11 roof is also waiting treatment and from the pictures it seems it is in similar shape to yours......so, have to find a gorilla first....

That bracing is a good idea indeed!

Alex

That’s a lot of welding to do and make it look good from both the outside and inside on some pretty thin sheet. When I was redoing my roof I initially thought to do what you guys are doing. However I found it easier to simply replace the entire panel. I slowly ground down the spot welds along the top edge from the inside. Hen just popped the panel off.

Little feet and snow......
 

Hi Alex

My roof was reasonably sound considering all the wood had fallen off ad numerous "roof light" had been installed by the previous garage owner.

Heavy things must have fallen on it over the years has a few creases had straight ridge marks....... and when stored for 16 years at a friends place it had been a play thing for his kids. The worst was the kink in the welded hat shape bracket re reinforcement that runs across the roof. It is still not perfect and will get back to sorting what is left...... there must have been over a dozen holes drilled for wires and lights. When the sheet metal bottom section is all replaced we will have another go at the roof until we are satisfied that a light skim coat of glazing compound will finish the outside.

For it's size, it is by far the most complex part of the truck to finish.

Will be building a rotisserie to tackle the repro of the 2B1 box copied form 3 rusted hulks.

Cheers

Will try....
 

Hi Jordan

Will try it this way first........ we were encouraged by the previous efforts of Grant when he did his cab 13 roof.......... plan "B" will be to do like you and replace the whole sheet.

Time will tell.

Bob C

I have accidently popped the glass out of folded Jeep windshields. Not out of the realm of the possible.

Tolerable Mud Levels
 

The Spring melt is on, and off, and on, and off, and on again. Mother nature sure is a bit unpredictable! Finally, we got some sunshine at the barn. While the mud was omnipresent, it was tolerable enough to roll the HUP out of its shelter. Unfortunately, the tell tale signs of leaking wheel cylinders showed up on the tires, precipitating a brake job. We usually do a brake check every season to ensure that we can stop at least once with some authority. The HUPs backing plates were soaked with brake fluid which leaked out after rust got under the rubber end cups and broke the seal between the cups and the cylinder.

Both wheel cylinders were pulled and cleaned up. The backing plates were scrubbed down and repainted. Everything came apart and went together without a hitch. Once the brakes were bled, the HUP was driven back into the sea can. Too much mud prevented a maintenance run. Maybe in a week or two we will experience dust. Wishful thinking...

Chevrolet hand crank
 

A couple of weeks ago, it was decided to replicate the Chevrolet hand crank. Bob had an original that matched dimensions found on stovebolt.com.
3/4" steel rod was cut to approximate length.
Scrap pieces of electrical conduit were also cut to length. The conduit bits were then heated and beaten to form a partly closed end.

More Chevrolet hand crank
 

Grooves were ground into the handle end of the crank blanks to allow for securing the spinner grip by crimping into the groove. The grooves were done before bending as it was easier to spin the straight shaft than to work with the bent shaft. Also for ease of set-up, it was decided not to drill for the drive pin until after bending.
The rods were bent in 2 stages after being heated with oxy-acetylene. First near the grip, then the other bend.
Final fabrication was to cut to length, cross drill for the drive rod and braze it into place. An alternate to the pin would have been a roll-pin driven into place. Minor adjustments to the pin length and length of shaft beyond the pins were made to fit the support bracket on the bumper and the crank pulley.

Moving forward.....
 

Spring as sprung and new project are in line.....

In my spare time I am still taking dings out of the dents and dents out of the dings of my roof....coming along nicely but slow.....

Meanwhile back to the old truck.



Finally got the truck back on the road today after sleeping in the sea can since New Years day. Started without a glinch and brake pedal still very good....... the old M37 needed a brake job every Spring. I drove it for about 40 miles in the last two days........ and the brakes are lower ad could use and adjustment and possibly bleeding, engine oil is still dripping and the paint on one gas tank has peeled from gasoline spillage.

It is now resting on a cardboard coverd floor of the barn (including an old foam pillow block) where I will stretch out and check every nuts and bolts..... look for new leaks, check all fluid levels, etc. Even got a new LED trouble light of the occasion.

Engine oil leak is now causing the 3rd and 4th gear to slip when shifting.

First step will be to remove the bottom sheet metal tray and spray as much "brake cleaner" cans as I can.... blow it dry and road test.

Step two..... the more permanent fix.......... remove the short drive shaft using a propane torch to heat up the U joint bolts that were Loctite.......

....remove the inside engine cover to access the tranny from above and use the opportunity that without a roof I can easily lower the tranny in a sling from the overhead crane. This will be an opportunity to install the ceramic felt insulation I recently purchased.

....disconnect all the linkages, Ebrake, 4x4 levers, etc. drain the tranny, and remove the tranny from the bellhousing.

Remove the clutch pack and examine for oil contamination..... may need to replace the disc plate lining if saturated with oil....

remove the bell housing and inspect the rear main seal. My seal came from a regular complete gasket set.....apparently there are some aftermarket neoprene that are higly recommended on Stovebolt......

That implies draining the engine oil. removing the oil pan...... raising the truck from the front with the overhead crane to allow the axle to droop to the lower point allowed by the springs....... block every thing in place with multi engine stand..... that should give me enough clearance to access the engines crank/bearings above the front axle....... or I remove the engine from the frame by first removing the cab and all its wiring....... or remove the front axle as a total assembly by just disconnecting and rolling it out from under the truck.

In any event the crank as to be loosened..... the rear main removed and the new seal installed.

The reverse all of the above and the job is done. If it still leaks... I will by more oil!!!!

....and I will document every frustrating steps on camera.

Cheers

Not Hammond Barn specific but one for the guys
 

Last weekend I got gas in VKH, and spotted a 15CWT in a garage yard on the road out the Herb's. (Speaking in code for a reason. There is more to this story.) Do you know the fellow?

Can'tbreakthecode......
 

If it's a Ford and located East of Hammond near the PQ/ON border, south of the buried hawk, it is a well known truck....hardly used.

Why don't you send me a PM in plain English.

Bob C

Done and answered. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Recently I've been puzzling over how to recreate the bars supporting the fenders of the 15 cwt trailer. The bars are made of solid 2"x1/2" material, beyond what we've normally formed at the barn. Some of the bends are clearly made on a press brake as seen on the stubs left on the frame by a previous owner. Other bends are about 1-1/2" radius, similar to the fender edge. With few remaining to study, this has been an exercise in making something that looks like what is found in photos.
To create the radius bends, I had a choice - either pay the local steel supplier/fabricator or think of a way to bend the bars. Being cheap and stubborn by nature, and not being wise enough to know I'm not supposed to be able to figure out how to make something we decided to have a go. Heat seemed unlikely to work nicely so it became how to press form the bend.
The male (round) former was made from a section of 3" OD pipe (probably nominal 2-1/2") found in the barn's spare parts bin. It was reinforced with steel discs set every inch along its length and welded in place. A piece of 2" channel was added along one side for the press to bear on. In retrospect, I should have trimmed the legs of the channel a bit more so it bore on the pipe at its centerline as well as at the legs (for better support under pressure). The support for bending was made from more rusty scrap - two pieces of angle welded to a plate. I don't think there's any special magic in the spacing of the angles except that they need to be close enough to each other that the bar being bent will reach the full 90 degrees (if too widely spaced, 90 will not be possible) and far enough apart to permit solid welding. the worst of the rust was polished off the corners of the angles for smoother sliding of the bar stock and the corner radiused a bit for the same reason. Trials were performed with thinner and narrower bars to confirm the tools would work, then moved to the actual size. I was pleasantly surprised how well the 20 ton press worked to do the job. To overcome the springback in the bent bars, I did need to press far enough that the inner legs of the angles bent a bit to allow a bit of overbend in the bar stock.
As shown, all 4 bars came out very much the same for radius and also very close to the 90 degees of the framing square.

Nice job Grant. Those bent nicely.