1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[Wayne Hingley]

Wow, that's an intense inspection Robert. I kind of suspected the process was like that though. I'm happy to see you can still meet the requirements without changing all of the original attributes of the vehicle. And you obviously had a good inspector who did his job, but was fair.

I will need to go through a similar process in Alberta with a jeep. I'm trying to make sure I cover off all the critical components as I go, so I can be as confident and successful as your experience. Your story helps me greatly. I heard some bad stories where guys restoring old "civilian" trucks had issues, but I think they were taking shortcuts (that's not my strategy).

Enjoy your awesome truck!

[RichCam]

Robert,

Can't wait to see pictures of the Radio Box interior renovation! Great work so far and it is pleasing to see that this project has continued to progress after our hand off. This truck is going to be a show stopper next spring!

Cheers!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Robert

When they did the inspection how did they check the brakes or did they?

When I first had my HUP inspected years and years ago (37+) the inspection station wanted to pull the brake drums to inspect the brake shoes. I said fine go ahead then he said how do I do it. So I explained the process and he decided it really wasn't necessary. That was the last time I was even asked even with the two C60 trucks no inspection station has ever even tried to inspect them. All three trucks are totally exempt from inspection now here in New Hampshire because of their age. But what a lot of people with antique vehicle plates here don't realize is that they are still subject to inspection if an officer suspects defective equipment.

Good looking truck - lots of driving enjoyment ahead.

Cheers Phil

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks Richard and Phil.

To answer Phil's question :To check the brakes , The truck is mounted on a ramp with kinda of a slide on it. He asks you to apply the brakes and the slide moves or it doesn't . A reading is taken, Pass or fail.

Now back to the restoration. Today my friend Daniel and i managed to do a lot. We insulated the walls with styrofoam and a vapor barrier made of aluminium. The product is called Iso R. It is 3/4 '' thick and gives an insulation factor of R6 plus depending on how well it is sealed with the red Tuck tape . We then started trimming the 1/2 '' plywood and fixing it in place with metal screws on some of the walls ( pictures below ) .

I then reinstalled some of the original accessories back in their original place . Good progess was made. Good laughs were had. We had fun !

Tomorrow we should finish the walls and start with the ceiling. The day after that we plan on will attacking the generator compartment. We should be finished by next week end. I will wait till summer for the white paint. I will be doing it outside , it will be easier to vent the fumes.

Voilà, all in a day's work.

[Bob Carriere]

Bonjour Bob

The old plywood you removed was it 1/2 thick or very thin 1/8 door skin plywood?

.... and is the plywood for the ceiling the same thickness as the walls???

Nice job by the way.

Cheers

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi Bob,

The plywood i removed from the box and kept as samples for placement of the accessories was around 3/8 '' thick all over , walls and ceiling . 1/8 '' would be paper thin and could not of supported the original shelves . My decision to go with 1/2 '' was based on durability , soundproofing and the ability to anchor heavier shelving if needed . Resistance to moisture was also a factor.

The plywood i removed was all wavy from the moisture, humidity and water seeping through from all the years it spent outside.

Going to 1/2'' instead of 3/8 '' should not detract too much from original and it will not show. Neither will the insulation.

What will detract from original is the floor . I will be putting in a 3/4 '' plywood floor instead of the original '' Decktread'' . I hate cold feet . I will paint it battleship gray. The floor that is . The walls will be white of course.

Thanks for your comments. I am open to ideas , this is an ongoing process.

Cheers and good night.

[David Dunlop]

Factory original, from WilsonTruck Bodies, these wireless boxes were fitted throughout with 1/4 inch plywood. The ceiling is the first to be panelled and then the two end walls. Sides last. This way, the wall plywood adds support to the ceiling edges. As the vehicle moves, the roof will flex and there are dozens of screw holes up there just eating for water to leak in. Since the exterior roof is curved, water flows out to the sides where it could collect on the exposed ply edges, if the walls had gone in first. With the ceiling ply in place first, the water flows completely off the ceiling ply and down the backside of the walls. This prevents the ceiling edge from falling apart, or at least getting too warpy looking over time.

The plywood was made with animal glues back then and with time and exposure to dampness, the glues dissolve and the ply delaminates in situ. You end up with wavy crap as Robert described, very difficult to get a good measure from because some sections swell and others shrink.

Robert,

If you are going 1/2-inch on the plywood, you are going to encounter fitting problems with the ceiling light channels and copper bus bar at the very least. The Gen Box is also going to end up misaligned with the exhaust port in the floor.


David

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Wayne Hingley

Wow, that's an intense inspection Robert. I kind of suspected the process was like that though. I'm happy to see you can still meet the requirements without changing all of the original attributes of the vehicle. And you obviously had a good inspector who did his job, but was fair.

I will need to go through a similar process in Alberta with a jeep. I'm trying to make sure I cover off all the critical components as I go, so I can be as confident and successful as your experience. Your story helps me greatly. I heard some bad stories where guys restoring old "civilian" trucks had issues, but I think they were taking shortcuts (that's not my strategy).

Enjoy your awesome truck!

I bought an M151A2 from Alberta and had to submit to an inspection for plating in Ontario. The key is to find an understanding and knowledgible inspector. Mine is an ex-RCEME mechanic who has his own shop now. I spoke to him ahead of time to learn what he will look for, so that I could fix those things. Then I got a 10-day trip permit, and drove over to his shop. That was fun! Stopping with brakes that had little use for a couple of years. He found a few things to do, made some comments and gave me 10 days or two weeks to show my fixes. That included a two and three step wheel and tire rotation to get rid of ones with cracked sidewalls, removing the back seat (no seatbelts) and some hole filling. Once he was happy, he signed the inspection. I took it to the licence bureau and we're done! I keep a copy of that inspection with the registration.

[Robert Bergeron]

Thanks David for the nice details. I think you are right. 1/4 '' sounds logical but it was difficult to determine because of the deterioration.

I am using 1/2 ''for the reasons i said previously and it will mean small adjustments.The Choreshorse exhaust pipe hole i am going to move a bit , same for the generator cabinet itself .

As for water seepage , there isn't going to be any anymore . The next job after the ceiling will be the sealing (pun intended ) of the roof with silicone .

I will be applying so much silicone on all the screws and any cracks or holes that it is going to float inverted . Is it is going to sleep inside indefinitely. It certainly deserves it now after 71 years.

Finished the walls today, tomorrow the ceiling and gen cabinet.

Cheers.

[Robert Bergeron]

Friends , here is a picture of a finished wall with some of the accessories.

On the right upper wall between the windows there is a small shelve and two footman loops each holding a canvas strap. Anyone know what was stored there ?
The shelf is rather thin metal and the scews small. Can't be a heavy item that goes there. Between and below the windows will go the No 5 Cdn Charging panel, the lighting switch and all the battery wires coming from the gen sets. On the floor just below the left window , the batteries .

Comments ?.

On the front wall just to the left ,we see one of two microphone and earphone holders for the 19 set.On the lower right the generator compartment venting door.

On the bottom the wheel well on the right of wich there will be a wood shelve for the rifle butts for the rifles stored standing on the exterior of the gen compartment.

[Robert Bergeron]

More pictures.

On the left front wall , again a mike and phone holder for the 19 set.Here will go the table for the 19 set .

On the left sidewall again the little shelf, the fire extinguisher bracket and the file or message holder underneath the field phone connections and ground post.

There is a little telephone and message table that will be going here tomorrow.

It is the cypher clerk position. He was sitting sideways as can be seen by the holes for the seat base in the metal floor .

On the right rear backwall nothing yet. Metal storage shelves will go here eventually when i find or fabricate them.

On the left backwall the generator cabinet venting doors. This is where the gen cabinet will go tomorrow.

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Robert Bergeron

Friends , here is a picture of a finished wall with some of the accessories.

On the right upper wall between the windows there is a small shelve and two footman loops each holding a canvas strap. Anyone know what was stored there ?
The shelf is rather thin metal and the scews small. Can't be a heavy item that goes there. Between and below the windows will go the No 5 Cdn Charging panel, the lighting switch and all the battery wires coming from the gen sets. On the floor just below the left window , the batteries .

Comments ?

Could the shelf be for a clock?

(I suppose it depends on how strong the shelf is, since I have a Clock, Signal Centre in a heavy cast case which is possibly post-WW2, but it weighs 10.3kg (22.7 lb.), measures 11" x 11" x 4.5" and looks like a squared-off antitank mine when the protective lid is on.)

Chris.

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi Chris. Thank-you for your message . No , the shelf is too flimsy. I cannot see anything weighing more than a couple of pounds on there.

My friend Daniel and i made good progress today. We installed the 1/4 '' plywood ceiling and the antennae and ventilator tunnel reinforcements . Nice thing about this thickness ( 1/4 '' ) of plywood is that it conforms to the curve of the ceiling pretty easily.

We then lifted the metal generator compartment inside the box , shifted it around , turned it around twice and over again out from the box it went and back in . After a pause , i tought of some other way we could go at it and without breaking anything and hurting anybody it went in it's place.. right over the generator exhaust pipe hole in the metal floor. Could not fit any better. Screwed the compartment to the 1/2 '' plywood walls . Very sturdy.

We then built a temporary wireless table up front, put the original battery supports back in with a repro battery box and built a small shelf over the right wheel well to support the butts of the No 4 rifles sitting upright in the holders affixed to the gen compartment.

I then installed the No 5 Charging panel and the original black-out curtain holders over the windows.

I screwed the covers over the ventilators and then loaded the Chorehorse in the gen compartment.

All in a days work.

Tomorrow some finishing to the door , building a cypher clerk desk, and sealing with silicone around the windows and on the roof.

I will paint the interior white as original either this winter if the snow doesn't come and i can't ski or next spring .



Enjoy the pictures.

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi all,

Half a day's work today.Odds and ends.

Made a Cypher clerk table, a little border around the right

wheel well shelf and lined the rear door with plywood.

Re installed the BO curtain holder over the rear door.

Applied silicone to all the screw heads on the roof and around the windows to prevent water infiltration and damage.

Tidied up and started making inventory of my Wireless equipment after a nice chat with my friend Michel , a new member on MLU.

The Wireless No 19 installation poster on the wall over the wireless operator' s table is a gift from Jon also on MLU.



Stay tuned , same time same channel.