Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Cool, David! Ta very much. Awfully nice of you. Don't send too much. I'll probably balls it up anyway.

The following is an email I sent to a friend of mine. After I sent it, I thought you folks might find it enjoyable too.

Well I spent $55 on computer examination, only to be told the bits I thought were shagged......actually were shagged! Excellent detective work, guys.

Here is how today unfolded. Sit down and get yourself comfortable.

CD Drive is buggered. New ones are different type, won't work. They don't make the correct ones any more, and they don't have any second hand ones.

Hard Disk is good. Yippee. Unfortunately Windows is corrupted and needs reloading. I don't have the disks, and if I did, they would be a CD rom, which doesn't work. If CD did work, can't register old versions of Windows anymore for two reasons.
First reason - they don't have licence to sell old windows versions.
Second reason - the windows site to register old versions has been shut down.

This means even if I DID get a new disk, and if the CD rom DID work, and if the computer guys DID have a licence to sell them, I STILL COULDN'T REGISTER THE SOFTWARE, so it wouldn't be any use!!!!

Moving on. I went to another shop that sells obsolete computers and parts, and asked for an IDE type CD rom. Was given one, and paid $50 for the privilege. Took it back to the guys that had my computer, and gave it to them to install. At this point I had just about had a gut full of the whole process, so you can imagine how I felt when the guy picked up the CD rom and promptly exclaimed.......it wasn't an IDE drive at all. It was a SATA (or something similar). I took it back to the place I purchased it from and got my money back.

By this point, it was looking ever increasingly like that computer wouldn't be getting used for anything. They did have some second hand computers for sale, but none that had the parallel port I needed, so they weren't considered an option either.

I go back to searching forums for problems documented on the type of cutter I have, and hope to see a glimmer of hope in the replies to those problems. I find several similar complaints about modern computers not having a parallel port, which means the cutter can't be used. After reading all of these, I see a common theme, where an adaptor cable has been used. This cable, instead of parallel to parallel, is USB on computer end and parallel on printer/cutter end. Hmmmmm. I ring every computer place in town (OK, well maybe I missed a couple) to ask for one. Nobody has one. Some didn't know such a thing exists! Damn. I ask the original computer store if they can get me one. They can, but can't let me know ahead of time how much that would be, because the worker with password to THEIR SYSTEM is out of the office and they can't unlock the computer they order with. About this time I'm really having doubts about these guys, though they were to redeem themselves in a minute or so (in two VERY DRAMATIC ways actually). They suggested I try the local electronics shop, they 'usually have everything'. The other redeem nearly saw me give him a kiss on the lips, but I resisted, as he probably hadn't kissed anyone since he became an IT nerd anyway. He casually mentions, oh yeah, nearly forgot, we found what was wrong with the cutter AND FIXED IT! Nice one lad. At some stage, vermin had gotten into the case of the cutter and gnawed two wires. The wires were easily repaired with a soldering iron. No charge. CUTTER IS NOW FIXED, although I still need to replace the pinch roller, but that will seem an anti climax compared to todays adventures.

With fresh vigor in my step, I go to the electronics shop. I ask for the desired cable, and one is taken down from the shelf. Bugger me. After the quickest trip home since we moved there, I start what will be a lazy 2 hours trying to get the appropriate device driver to work. After running several diagnostic tests (within the cutting sortware I had bought) the cutter comes to life and commences what I call a "phantom" cut. I had removed the cutting pen, and covered the sensor that detects the roll of vinyl, so it would think things were right to commence cutting.

All in all a painful day, but a VERY satisfying end to that day. Once the new pinch rollers arrive, I'm set to start using the machine. I will use the wait time to familiarise myself with the software and the cutter user manual.

Stencils anyone?

Tony Baker

[David Dunlop]

Just love the spin off information on stencilling recently developing in this thread! Do you think it might be worth our asking the trusty Mods to set up a new "Stencilling Information" thread to move this information to? As a topic, it may really take off, and it might benefit being a resource in its own for all of us.

Hope you are having a good Spring before things start to get toasty down there again.

Cheers,

David

[David Dunlop]

Forgot to mention, Tony, I love your Field Gun project! It is looking VERY impressive! If you were building it here in Canada, you'd probably be arrested.

[Private_collector]

Thank you for the kind words, David. I agree, a stencilling/sign making thread would be a good idea. Anyone can kick the thread off. I might do that myself, once I get the new rollers for the cutter, and actually have something for show and tell. I fear mail delivery may be like a watched kettle. It never boils, or in my case the package is painfully slow to arrive. In over 700 items purchased online, I have only lost one in transit. Bet the pinch rollers become number 2. You watch!

I wish the weather would get all the rain out of the way, then fine up. Been drizzling here, off and on, for the last.........well, roughly ever since I got my CMP wheels bck from the sandblaster.
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So, with time on my hands, I started playing around with making designs on the graphics software. The above image was modified from a JPG file, so that it could be cut with my machine. Although it is not applicable for my trucks, I will print a couple of small copies when able. The combination of dead straight lines, sharp points, and long curves will show up any calibration and alignment issues with the cutter. Apologies that the two photos look like I took them through a screen door. It's the combination of computer screen and digital camera.
9th-Ppus.gif
I just came across this 9th Division sign in my photos, so I'll have a go at tidying it up tonight.

[Private_collector]

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Between drizzles, I made a run into town to get my Sunshine Roof back from the sandblasters. I am always very satisfied with my blaster. Everything is ready when promised, and the quality of work is great. When I took the roof there on Tuesday, Glen the owner, was in the process of dabbing black paint onto back edges of bolt heads and behind brackets of a truck chassis they had blasted and painted. Only a man who takes pride in his work would be bothered doing this. I didn't say anything, but was suitably impressed.
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I knew there was one or two dents on the roof, but the smoothly primed surface now reveals a few other small knocks I was previously unaware of. I will need to be careful I don't 'repair' any of the spot welds or areas which appear to have been there since manufacture. For example, the third photo shows front passenger side corner of the roof. One or the two visible imperfections is an acquired dent, the other is a buckle in the panel, which looks like this occured during welding process. That one is raised up, not pushed in like wear and tear damage would be. One I will repair, the other stays as it is. It'll be covered by either canvas, or the metal piece that tensions the canvas (with 2x wing nuts, to tighten).
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Some of the spot welding is pretty average. I intend to drip-check the gutters, so they can't rust again. I know it's not authentic, but will avoid those unsightly corrosion stains. Nobody wants those pesky stains anywhere, right!

[Richard Seymour]

If you can come up with a 9th division stencil I will be happy to purchase one from you

[Private_collector]

Drove the grey truck into town this morning, to treat it to a pair of new batteries (as it turned out!). While there, I looked into having a wheel alignment done some time in near future. They did a preliminary check of all the components which might impact on alignment success. They found most things OK, but (and there is ALWAYS a but) there is play in noth king pins and a moderate amount in the steering box itself. The steering box issue I had already known about, but king pin wear was somewhat of a surprise.

Can anyone tell me a spurce for King pin bearings and/or bushes for the Ford 4x2 CMP, please? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, if someone can tell me the measurements of the pins, bearings, and/or bushes, I can start scrounging for them.

On the brighter side, the truck actually sounds like is WANTS to fire up and get going, since the new batteries went in.

Thanks,

[cliff]

Tony I think the kingpins and axle are the same as the 1940/41 Ford civilian models so maybe one of the rear Ford spares places can help?