[Bob Carriere]

In response to Alex...... cab 11 and cab 12 windshield/screen are very similar in design.... both weak. The cab 11 has the same external tube frame as the cab 12 ...except the twelve has the inner window frame mobile on top hinges for opening...... whether the glass frame is in place or not it adds nothing to the structural integrity ( or lack thereof) of the design.

One improvement on the cab 12 is the addition of 1/2 inch steelplate on the outside corners underneath the cab floor which greatly reduces the tendency of the cab back wall to flex forward and backwards..... also keeps the doors better lined up for the simple latch mechanism to work.

There are three weak areas in the cab 11/12 design....both addressed by the cab 13......

One ....the rear most corner fo the window/door opening is entirely dependent ont he small hard wood timber overlapped at 90 degrees......as soon as the wood dries up..... and whatever glue/screws works loose you have lost the 90 degree integrity.

Solution....on the cab 13 that was addressed with an L shaped flat steel welded in place in the cab corner and NO wood used. A similar solution should be feasible on the cab 11 hidden behind the wooden framework.... I say feasible because I am not there yet on my truck but have ascertained that there is sufficient room/space to sandwich a steel plate behind the wood.

Two...on the cab11/12 at the leading edged of the roof / windscreen the windshield frame is attached to the roof by means of a funny shaped wooden board....roof to the wood and the wood to the tube windshield frame. The frame shakes...flexes on the rear wall...wood dries.....bingo

Solution.... on the cab 13 it is solidly bolted.... top of windshield bolted to roof. There must be a way of replacing in part or as a whole the wooden board with a steel tubing properly shaped to fit the space.

One note of caution.....some wood is required to allow screwing small wood screws ( but that could be a small piece of 3/4 inch square wood) that holds that funny moulding the folds around the edge of the cab from the driver's side to the pass. side....... not sure what purpose it serves except that it is needed to hide all the crew holes.

Three....... or as we say in Ottawa tree..... the corners of the tubing for the windshield frame is not the strongest design....although beefed up with a steel insert inside the tube.... the 4 small metal screws in each corner easily distort and work loose over a period of time......most frames I have the corners are loose.

Solution... in most of the trucks I have seen the screws are rusted or busted or the holes enlarged enough to allow movement. I propose to enlarge the screw holes in the tubing and solidly Mig weld the inside insert to the tube then weld the tube corner to create a more rigid framework.

The roof will never serve as a roll bar but with proper bracing should last for a few parades and Sunday drives.

Bob C.