Cmp c15a gs

[chris vickery]

RE: Tarps and Bows
Perhaps I can offer some insight to this issue.
When I rebuilt my 12 cab Ford 15cwt, I required bows as well. NOS or even original ones are difficult to come by. Brian Asbury was kind enough to loan me the use of an original in order to o btain the measurements and details that I needed to replicate some.
If I recall correctly, I used regular 3/4" black gas pipe, an electrical hickey and some good old fashioned elbow grease. Now, I think that I may have also made each bow in 2 pieces, welded at the center top. It is difficult to bend one piece of pipe to obtain the exact dimensions from center to the leg down on each end. I bent two pieces leaving extra from the bend on each side of the leg and measured and cut to size matching up against the original as a pattern. The bends at the top are not 90deg, as the center also has some hip to it (the center of the bow is taller than the outside corners)
When I welded in the center, I fitted a plug that was ground to fit inside, torch bent to the correct hip angle and cut the ends with a slight taper to facilitate the hip angle. I also laid the pieces on a very flat floor area in order to tack weld in the correct position and square.
Part ways down each leg is also a pin which the bracing fits onto. I believe it was 3/8". I used a machinists v-block with a modified clamp which utilized a drill bushing in order to squarely drill the holes for the pins in the right area.
I also made the bracing, this requires an industrial press capable of flattening the ends of 3/4" gas pipe. Holes are drilled in the ends of the braces as well to fit over the pins in the bows.
I never fitted a tarp, but, I do know quite a few guys that had NOS duece tarps cut and sewn to fit. They are a lot cheaper and more readily available than NOS 15cwt tarps or even repros.