[Bob Carriere]

Good evening everyone.

Truth of the matter is that the average WWII soldier had survived a depression and his overall "growth" had been affected ... so say a typical Canuck, even if coming from a farm, was probably in his late teens and about 150 pounds full clothed. He will no doubt get bigger but that is a post war issue.

I am 6 foot 2 1/2 inches and weight as much as 247 at one time...... now working hard at staying around 214 with a waist that went from 44+ down to 40 inches....and maybe shrank 3/4 of an inch.

Sitting in my cab 11 was a tight fit but can now squeeze my but a little better as the belly allows me to bend my legs better. My truck came with NO wooden spacer on the driver's side and a one inch rotten hard wood on the passenger side...

See pictures of the original condition ......

The foot well space is so small that I cannot drive the truck with safety boots with hard steel toe caps..... I need dress shoes or running shoes.
But I do have sufficient space to raise my left leg and double shift the clutch.

Howeever, I sat in the driver's seat of a CGT owned by the boys in Petrolia.... an amazing restoration previsouly features in MLU...... well in the gun tractor the front seat is hellish.... you actually have to step in a foot well and although I was 247 at the time, I would not fare any better today.
As I sat erect in the driver's eat the top pf my left leg was touching not pressing on the bottom of the steering wheel. No way that I could even try to drive it.

NOw my neighbour across the street is an old post war gunner who trained in the early 50's when the old CMP cgt where still in use.. when I explained my experienced he pointed out that it was regualr practice in his days to remove the reat cushion for the tall guys anf give them a bunk woolen blanket to sit on....OUCH!!!!

Now my cab 11 is not fully assembled yet and the set is bolted to the floor pan using a 3x 3 pine block of about the same height as the steel sliders with out any wooden spacer...... so my dimensions will be the same.

As anybody noticed the modification done to the cab 12...... just behind the seats back..... at the belt line where the top portion bolts on to the bttom section.......all the cab 12 I have seen have the angle iron relieved, section cut out by about 3/4 inch allowing the seat back upper most pipe to travel slightly more to the rear......it seems that every little bit helps.

The tight cab may also explain the propensity of soldiers to loose the doors in North Africa.... and the hood/bonnet if you had any maintenance to do....

I have riden in Phil's cab 12 and not having a top does make it like walking in to an open carriage...... much more pleasant.

Early parade square pictures in Canada do show the door of early cab 11 fully opened back to the cargo box...and may have been driven like that " a la jeep style"... which probably made a few sergeant angry when dents showed up in the prestine war machines..... so they retro fitted restraining straps which became standard on the cab 12.

Now the question of raising the steering wheel is interesting but from my rough measurements the most you would gain is one inch maybe 30mm at which point unsufficient clearance with the windsheild/windscreen would mean squeezing your knuckles.... no cheating allowed the cab 11 windows did not open forward.

So we have to suck it up... wear narrow shoes..... and expect back apin and sore bottoms if you intend to tour North America..... I had big plans of long re-enactment trips.... now I will settle to trailering the little beast whiel driving my air conditioned pick up to the site. Rets assured it will see dirt and mud but not about to re-enact driving from Ottawa to Gagetown NB

While on the topic of limited foot well area....... as anyone noticeds that soemn cab 12 actually have an even tighter foot well.... and that the inner fender is knotched to fit further inside and around the spring shackles....?
Not sure what the explanation is but the floor plate is narrower and the inner fender more rounded. I have one such example and it's the only one I have seen.

As usual, I will eagerly await comments and the wisdoms of others..... ain't it great!!!!

Bob C.