Ford FAT Cab12 Restoration

[RichCam]

Guys,

I have acquired a functional FGT chassis that was used as a log skidder and a FGT Cab 12 cab. In order to move it to my shop, I am going to remove the large tractor tires, lift it and put it on a trailer. It has engine, transmission, winch with accessories, intact front and rear drive and suspension components. I am without good documentation, pictures and drawings, for the rear section of the cab that will need to be reconstructed. I see that Walter Brand of Petrolia has a complete Cab 11 FAT. As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be too much difference between the Cab 11 and Cab 12. I welcome any comments, suggestions or information that you might have.

Regards,

[RichCam]

Cab has already been moved, a shot of the rear of the cab and a close up of the driver's compartment.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Nice find. That rear wall seems to be constructed from the sloping roof of the rear body....probably upside down (small holes from spare tire carrier?) and with the frames of the front corner windows welded in.

Alex

[RichCam]

Thanks Alex for your input. I agree, I think that someone cut the rear roof off, after butchering the sides and the welded it to the edges of the front cab to close it off. I will gingerly extract the pieces of the cab and either use them as templates or reposition and reattach them, as much as possible. Any information that anyone else has regarding dimensions of the rear cab area would be greatly appreciated!

The cab was retrieved from a property south of my location where 3 brothers collected and refurbished CMP trucks and some Universal Carriers. The brothers have passed on and the property has been sold. The vehicles have been donated to another collector and I was able to retrieve some of the remaining "bits".

The chassis has been used as a log skidder for much of its post war life and has passed through numerous owners. The cab was removed early on and information as to where it ended up is "cold". I will remove the tractor tires before putting the chassis on a trailer to move it to my shop. I have a set of 4 good 12-20's here for it as well as a "straight" frame. (Lugs on the left of the vehicle are left hand thread, lugs on the right of the vehicle are right hand thread - clever.) I will transfer each part from the "bent" chassis to the new frame. Looks like I'm going to be at this project for a while.

Regards, Richard

[RichCam]

Attached are some pictures of a GMC Cab 12 that I have found under a tree. The leaves have at least protected it from the sunlight. I'm going to see if the owner is willing to part with it. Lot's of good bits for the Ford FAT Cab 12 project!

First 4 of 8 photos:

[RichCam]

2nd 4 of 8:

[cliff]

Richard we call the GM models Chev's not GMC as it confuses it with the GMC-CCKW's etc. Good find though but most parts may not be the same as the Ford as there was minor differences in the stampings between the two.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Is that an orginal Dash jewel???

Hope the owner wants to parts with it.....lots of good bits.....lots of dash hardware, solid miror arms, one mirror, seat bases.....lots of stuff that is missing on most trucks including mine....... maybe even to good to use as a parts truck(?)

Alex

[RichCam]

Alex,

Please clarify what "an original Dash jewel" is and I will take a better picture of it. Yes, I agree, this vehicle has lots of good "bits" that usually end up $10, $20 and $50-er-ing me to death as I struggle to get the little things that really finish up a restoration project. I will find out how much the owner wants for it, you never know until you ask.

Cliff, thanks for the clarification - being from Canada, we call Chevs - GMC's but I make sure I use the proper references in the future.

I'll keep you guys posted.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Hi Richard,

A dash jewel is a small round badge that General Motors of Canada fitted to the dash of CMP chevs. Being a "jewel" it is usually missing on most surviving Chev's. I think I can see on on the truck just left of the small knobs.

I hope you can reach an agreement with the owner. Chevrolet and Ford cab 11's and 12's share a lot of parts in the cab area, so you should be able to use panels, doors, roof, seats, some electrical components etc. Dash knobs, vents, gauges, cab floor and doghouse and smaller bits are specific for Chevrolet and differ from the Ford ones.

Alex

[RichCam]

Alex,

I looked at my pictures again and you are correct. The "jewel" is there, I thought that it was something that someone just stuck on the dash as an ornament. I will definitely make it a point to talk to the owner this week. Thanks for the heads up. As you stated, the knobs, cranks, springs, seats and pedals are in good shape so this vehicle will help out not only on the Ford FAT Cab12 restoration but for other Chev Cab12 vehicles out there on MLU.

Thanks again for the advice.
Richard

[RichCam]

Alex,

I spoke to the owners of the Cab 12 Chev CMP and I explained to them the restoration work that our group has done to the Huntsville Legion Bren Carrier and the current CMP projects that I am working on. They agreed, in honour of one of the owner's fathers who served with the Canadian Forces in WWII, to donate the truck to the restoration effort. Their donation will be greatly appreciated in my efforts to restore more vehicles to working condition.

So, I went back to the Chev, sitting under the trees, and looked more closely at the dash. The "dash jewel" was there and I safely removed it. I will be going back for other components over the next couple of weeks and the truck chassis will be moved to my shop in the next month or two.

What is the safest way to clean the tarnish off of this decal? All of the lettering can be seen with the red background but it has turned brown. I don't want to take any chances dissolving the lettering so I'm open to suggestions. Should I clear coat it once it is cleaned up?

Let me know when you have a moment as well as any spare parts that you might be interested in. (The rad is gone, engine block is full of water, running gear is operational).

[Alex van de Wetering]

Donated? Well done Richard! Good to hear that the C15A is part of your stable now.

That's very, very kind of you and indeed I would be very interested in some parts if you can't use them for your Ford Gun Tractor. Large and heavy stuff like engines and suspension parts could be very costly to ship across the pond ( I am in The Netherlands), but I would be very interested in some of the smaller bits like dash light, switches, knobs, hinges and small panels,
I will find some time to take a closer look at your pictures and will contact you asap by PM.

I don't have any experience with cleaning up a Dash Jewel. I have a nice reproduction one, but I don't know if the material and techniques used to make them is the same as the original. Maybe others can help out here. You could also just leave it as it is....some Patina is always nice and just give it a good home in your Wire 5?

Alex