[RHClarke]

The long weekend in Canada is about to end. The weather in the Ottawa area was unsettled with no shortage of rain. Saturday was fantastic but hot by our standards: 31oC by 1100 hrs. Sunday had its moments and today was quite overcast. However; the weather did not keep the boys from the barn (well, except for Bob, who spent Saturday and Sunday either on a photography or pornography course - not sure which...).

I joined Grant for CMP work on Saturday. He had the barn to himself on Sunday, and today Bob joined us. After catching up on the news of the CMP world, we got down to brass tacks. Grant's focus has been on shimming his steering and working on his brakelines. Bob played with his support rod while I played with my HUP's rear sliding windows.

Bob reworked his support rod and it now looks ready for installation. Will it fit? Time will tell. Grant tested his brake system today and apart from two small leaks which were quickly sorted out, all looks goods. Next step - engine! It is great to see the progress on Grant's truck frame.

The HUP rear window frames - These are interesting items. Each frame with glass weighs in at about 30 pounds. There is one fixed pane and one sliding pane of glass with a small tab handle to make opening and closing easier. The metal frame has a flange that rests against the skin of the HUP. It has 16 fine thread, pan head, slotted machine screws. The top six screws screw into a U shaped metal channel that is welded to the top inside of the window opening. There are six screws on the bottom flange and two on each side flange. As I had replaced all of the sheet metal from the cab rearward, new holes had to be drilled and tapped for both window frames. This turned out to be a fairly easy task, except for one screw that wants to go in on an angle.

U Channels - The U channels had moved somewhat due to rust wedging, so I cut them out, ground off the rust and repainted them. Once the paint was dry the channel was loosely screwed to the top flange. The window frame was reinserted into the opening and the side and lower flange screws were inserted drawing the frame nice and snug to the outside metal. The next step was to reweld the U channels back into place. Once done the top flange screws were tightened. A quick blast of black paint over the screw heads, and that task was done.

Weatherproofing - The original windows had a thin piece of rubberized material lining the opening. While it did manage to reduce vibration, its design tended to trap moisture which in turn caused rust to build up. The restoration of the window frame has already been covered somewhere in this Hammond Barn thread, so I won't bore you with the details. Instead of using the rubber, the window opening and the corresponding surfaces on the window frame were given a coating of black silicone sealant and a good sized bead of the same. The small spaces between the window frame and the body were also given a silicone treatment. Short of total submergence, that should keep the moisture out.

The window war is by no means complete. I have to reattach a fully assembled window frame on the driver's side and re-assemble the pax side and side door window frames. The hold up is finding the channel for the sliding glass. I know I have a good length of it hiding somewhere in the barn. The trick is to find it. What will probably happen is I will buy another length from our friend John G and magically, the other piece will show up.

Next Project - Once the door mounted windows are completed the next project is to find a solution to the rear door dilemma. The rear door has puzzled us all. I am guessing that there were special hinges for the rear door - I don't know for sure as my HUP did not have the OEM hinges when I go it. Instead, three large barn hinges were gorilla welded to the door and sheet metal. They worked but looked like hell.

The hinges that I have fit the original openings in the door and in the frame. Once attached they do not afford enough clearance for the door to close. The door binds where the door frame meets the frame of the opening on the hinge side. We figure that we need at least another 1/4 inch of clearance in order for the door to close properly.

Since HUP rear door hinges are as rare as rocking horse dirt, I am tempted to improvise. My solution would be to take the existing hinges and modify them. Once taken apart, I plan to cut down the body side hinge arm and then weld it to 1/4 inch plate that will fit into the frame opening. The plate will provide the needed off-set and in theory the door should shut without binding. Bob is still thinking about the problem. Any other approaches?

This sort of challenge is what keeps us coming back to the barn as much as possible.

Photos
1 - Inside of the HUP - the freshly tack welded U channel is on top of the window frame. The screw holes in the top of the window frame are for the metal bar that holds on the black out curtains.
2 - The other side window - the tab above the windows is one of the mounts for the horizontal rifle rack.
3 - The installed window and author self-portrait.
4 - HUP starting to look a little more complete.