1940 Chev C15, Cab 11 restoration in Holland

[jaap de wit]

thanks for the goodluck guy's
this weekend I started the engine up for the first time since......
and after a small pull on the choke and a little bit of throttle it started
right away and it runs quite nice if I say so myself.
it needs a little adjusting and then it runs purfect. when I turnup the rpm's there comes a little bit gray smoke from the exhaust ,but that can be helpt
i think.
this was a great moment for me during this restauration.
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

now the engine is running, and it stay's running I hope
it is time to start on all the other parts so I started with the fenders.
the previus owner cut the sides off and rounded the front.
now after some praktice in welding I am sure to start on this job and after .... time they where ready and I am happy with the result, yes it could be done beter by an expert, but it have to do.
cheers jaap

[cliff]

Nothing at all wrong with your workmanship my friend and I to your talent as I have none when it comes to welding. I think you are too hard on yourself but then again I also know we can be our own worse critics and enermies too

[Bob Carriere]

HI Japp

You are an inspiration...... I also bow to your courage, determination and great results.

Boob

[CWO (ret) Gilles Aubé]

Très beau travail BRAVO.
Gilles

[Keith Brooker]

Hi Jaap,
Are you going to Arnhem in Sept with the Chev. Great work you have done
Keith & Nel

[jaap de wit]

thanks for your reactions cliff, bob and gilles it is good to hear.
you probebly right about we are to hard for ourselfs when we do this restoration work.
keith, I want to go with the chevy to arnhem this year, but i still have alot to do before i can register the truck and go on the road so up and i try. I will be working on it for 3 weeks on a row (no holyday) this summer so maybe it's finisht by then
but first i placed the wiring for the rearlights in so i can place the floorplate on the frame and a seat to go and make a proof drive before building the cab.
only one problem was the seats they were bolted straid on the floor and one was cut 4 inch short ???
so i have to correct this before driving the truck. ad dirk leegwater we found the parts that belong under the seats and made the missing 4 inches for the other seat. so time for a
cheers jaap

[Bob Carriere]

Thanks of the pcitures Japp.....

why did you have to cut the seat.....??

The structure under the seat for a cab 11 is different than the cab 11/12...

The cab 11 has a wooden spacer and they are bolted directly to the floor through the wood which is different from the cab 13 which is clipped onto the floor....

Can you explain or put up more photos of hwat you had to change...

Just trying to learn for my own cab 11....

Thanks

Boob

[jaap de wit]

hi bob
about the seat, the previus owner did cut the 4 inch peace off I don't know why ? but I had to replace it again so I made the peace and bent the two pipe peaces that go underneath the seat.
about the rails onder the seats I cut the rails loose from the angle iron so they can be bolted to the floor the right way. I have to leave the wood away otherwise the seats sit to high for me, but they do belong under the seatrails on the cab 11 / 12. i hope this helps bob.
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

before I can make the testdrive there have lots of thinks to be done like...
the floor plates. I made the woodplanks of hardwood and drilled the holes in.
these are nessesary otherwhy's the floor is to low and hits the gearbox.
now it is time to place the floor and they are heavy, before you bolt them on you need to suffle them a littlebit so they are in place and then bolt them on.
next I will putt a seat and batterybox in place, but this next time....
cheers jaap

[Bob Carriere]

Nice job..... did you cut/make a new floor or was that the original..?

I plan to do the same as you on the seats..... I may use a 5/8 piece of wood instead of the 2 inch spacer to give me more head room for the beer belly.

Carefull you install a temporary brace between the steering wheel frame and the radiator support.... other wise the top hose is the ONLY support for the radiator.....if you cross a ditch the frame will twist and the rad support may hit the fan...... ask me why I know....

Good luck on the test run and take more photos.

Boob

[Alex van de Wetering]

Excellent work again, Jaap. About a year ago I spoke to someone who restored a cab11 C15 for a friend and he said it was quite a challenge to get the cab and all the sheet metal lined up, because the owner took the truck apart and threw all the wood in the bin without taking pictures of measurements.

It would be excellent to see the truck at the Ginkel Heath in september....with or without rear body!

The shortened seat is strange indeed....you wonder if the former driver was very long....or maybe just very short

Alex

[jaap de wit]

I used the original floorplates bob, they are stil very good.
and alex I don't now way the seat was shortend I am nearly 2 mtr tall and I fit in it so ? I putt the seat in and the battery box so I can make the test drive when the weather is good some day. for now I can show you how I did the doors last winter. the doors were rusted all over and on the bottom there where some small holes. so after sandblasting the doors I cut out the bottom part and welded a new part in, I also cut the inside bottom bracked out and shortend it 2 inch at the bottom so when there is water in the door by any change it can drip out of the door and not pillup and rust the door away.
I painted the inside with textiel paint and the rest with iron primer and when this was dry the green was putt on.
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

now the green is on I neaded new doorhandels and I found these at dirk leegwater in the original paper, thanks dirk. first I had to clean the lock and I got a good tip how to do this, I used lemon powder solved in hot water and then put the part in and let it stay there for the night, the next day you won't beleave you eyes ( see the picture ) the lock was the same as the backplate. this works very well great tip. I painted the lock and put some grease on it and then bolted it in place and putt the handels on. I also put in some new bushings and pushbuttons for the side curtens in I bought them at macsautoparts webside, now it neaded some last paint and the doors are ready.
cheers jaap

[pauljboudreau]

nice werk!

[NORTH-SHORE(CANADA)]

Hi Jaap,
Where did you got the handels i am looking for one to put on the gun tractor and the look to

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Eric

Door handles are Ford 1938 commercial truck variety.... Dirk in Holland has them NOS or you can get brand new repros form Mac Auto in Niagara Falls.

Nice job on the doors.

Boob

[Ganmain Tony]

Originally Posted by jaap de wit

now the green is on I neaded new doorhandels and I found these at dirk leegwater in the original paper, thanks dirk. first I had to clean the lock and I got a good tip how to do this, I used lemon powder solved in hot water and then put the part in and let it stay there for the night, the next day you won't beleave you eyes ( see the picture ) the lock was the same as the backplate. this works very well great tip. I painted the lock and put some grease on it and then bolted it in place and putt the handels on. I also put in some new bushings and pushbuttons for the side curtens in I bought them at macsautoparts webside, now it neaded some last paint and the doors are ready.
cheers jaap

Really really good work Jaap.

Great to hear you can get the door handles and pushbuttons from Mac's as well.

I'll have to get myself into gear and do the doors on my truck.

Thanks Boob for your info as well.

[jaap de wit]

thanks guy's for the thumps up.
he tony come on you can do it, you can do those doors

for me I can't stop so here are some more parts I have done. some neaded some welding like a new rain gutter cup ? or something.
I did the front two noseparts they neaded some hammering to get them into shape. the nose pice was easy it was like new and I putt the chevy embleme on it, looks nice now. I did the inside driverside pannel to and the bonnet pannel.
chees jaap

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Hi Eric

Door handles are Ford 1938 commercial truck variety.... Dirk in Holland has them NOS or you can get brand new repros form Mac Auto in Niagara Falls.

Nice job on the doors.

Boob

As Bob says the handles are available from various Ford restoration supply houses. There are a couple of things I find interesting about the door handles:

Once again we have a Ford part on a Chev, now I suspect that this was done in the name of standardization of parts, or alternatively Ford had a warehouse full of them. Another thing I find interesting is their selection of a handle design with a forward facing hook see picture to get caught on branches? When almost any truck door handle of the day had the same size square shaft, if you look close at the pictures of my Patter 12 you will note it has a smooth curve handles, reason I had a pair of NOS Dodge military handles on the shelf, shorten the handle shaft a little and they are a perfect fit.

[jaap de wit]

last saterday it was nice and sunny weather so time for a short test drive.
so I had my video camera ready and someone to hold it.
the chevy started and I stept behined the wheel and of I go.. in first gear...
it rolled nice. I stayed on a quiet road in my village, I drove only about 1.5 mile or so and then parkt her backup in the garage.
everything went well the engine runs very nice I think. so now I can start to buildup the rest of this beautifull truck.
cheers jaap

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by jaap de wit

last saterday it was nice and sunny weather so time for a short test drive.
so I had my video camera ready and someone to hold it.
the chevy started and I stept behined the wheel and of I go.. in first gear...
it rolled nice. I stayed on a quiet road in my village, I drove only about 1.5 mile or so and then parkt her backup in the garage.
everything went well the engine runs very nice I think. so now I can start to buildup the rest of this beautifull truck.
cheers jaap

Ohhhhh Jaap!!!
What a beautiful vehicle...!! A real chick magnet..!!

(Translation provided..."A person or object which attracts the ladies. ")
Now you need a trailer to pile them all on...

[hrpearce]

Well done Jaap The first drive is great and helps your resolve to finish.
the only downside is that as you finish the cab the leg room disapears

[Alex van de Wetering]

Jaap,

You have come a long way over the past few months. Excellent work. Good to see it driving down the road.

Did you manage to find any other remains of markings, apart from the census number?

Alex

p.s. starting to get jealous....

[jaap de wit]

thanks guy's for the reactions, it looks cool do's it but I have no time for all the chicks how want to see me (ehh the truck)
alex I only found the census number nothing else
I did some more parts like the inside fender parts they are on the truck now.
I also did the 2 strips of the rear window and 1 was so bad I had to replace it.
I only could find 1 of a GMC and these are to big so I cut it to the good size and welded it to gether ready to install. the engine covers were done to and some new brass plates were riveted on (dirk leegwater has them, very nice)
the old ones weren't there anymore.
now these are ready I think I can start on making a dashbord, yes that was missing to but that next time.
cheers jaap.

[Bob Carriere]

I am curious about the oil filter location...... can we see more pictures of the installation.....

Will the engine cover still fit with the oil filter location.....??

How will you service / change the oil filter element when the full sheet metal covers are isntalled.....?

cab 11 are such a nightmare...!!!

Boob

[jaap de wit]

bob at the moment I have only one picture, but I think you can see that there is some free space between the filter and the engine covers.
so when I have to change the filter I take the back cover away and I can change the filter.
I can take some more pictures if that neaded just let me know.
hope this helped bob.
cheers jaap

[Bob Carriere]

Have you considered locating the filter in the original location..... horizontal... inside the frame under the passenger side.....?

Removing that engine cover can be a bitch even if only done twice a year..

Bob C.

[jaap de wit]

hello bob yes I did considered to put the filter there, but I didn't see anything on that place that there was a filter before. and when you change the filter the oil leaks everywhere, so the place it's in now saves me a lot of cleaning.
now it is time to start on the making of a new dashbord because of the few things that were missing this was one of them.
I started with meassering the engine covers for the size and then bent a sheet of iron in to shape.
I instolt the covers themperary to fit the dash and then draw the squear holl on it for the gauge cluster to fit in. I welded some bolts to attache the gauge cluster to.
cheers jaap

[jaap de wit]

to go on with the dash the gauge cluster was in nead of some paint and cleaning up, and a new bezel. it fitted nicely in it's place and then was painted. I also put a extra earth cabel to the cluster for the dashlights, just to make sure. because with the 6 volt system a good earth is everything.
I drilled the 3 holls for the switches when I have the right ones they can be fitted.
cheers jaap