Lost HUP Pilot Model Found?

[RHClarke]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Here are the coach built doors on the C15:

Hanno, Do you know if there was a post war (1950 onwards) Dutch motor vehicle law that directed that vehicles have proper doors fitted with windows? If so, then there should be lots of examples of coach built doors on left over or ceded CMPs - in theory at least. I ask only because I surmise that it would take a bit of work by a good body man to change the doors and add the side front windows. Why do it unless directed to do so? Or perhaps it was a necessity given the damp weather one may find in Holland during three seasons? Adding a weather tight door and good window certainly would address weather issues.

These two theories (law and weather) may have pushed the owner of the HUP pictured in the first posting in this thread to add the doors and windows. The fact that they look somewhat like those doors and windows found on the Pilot Model sparked my curiosity.

100_1975.jpg Pilot Model Door

prototype wins.jpg Pilot Model Windows

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Richard

Suspect that you hit the explination, for the work to install good side windows on HUPs or CMPs in general, weather. If you add to that the truly poor visiblity of the standard slip in side curtains you have the major reason for the effort.

As not many of us really spend much time driving out CMPs in winter, we don't appreciate that the side curtains, are not really air tight. But the bigger issue is that your visibility to the sides is limited during the day and forget it at night. Of course in comparison to say a Jeep or open cab CCKW with top and side curtains any Pattern 13 CMP is luxury.

Over the years I have had the occasion to drive my HUP in very cold weather or heavy blowing rain for long trips and it has to be really really cold or rain blowing from the side before I will stop and put the side curtains in the front doors. The Pat 13 designers did a pretty good job of designing the cab so that in moderate to heavy rain with no wind very little comes in the front door windows.

The other possible explination for the effort to install better windows on HUPs being used as work vehicles is security for tools stored inside.

Cheers Phil

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by RHClarke

Do you know if there was a post war (1950 onwards) Dutch motor vehicle law that directed that vehicles have proper doors fitted with windows? If so, then there should be lots of examples of coach built doors on left over or ceded CMPs - in theory at least. I ask only because I surmise that it would take a bit of work by a good body man to change the doors and add the side front windows. Why do it unless directed to do so? Or perhaps it was a necessity given the damp weather one may find in Holland during three seasons? Adding a weather tight door and good window certainly would address weather issues.

Rob,

There were no laws necessitating ex-military vehicles to be converted. After the war there were hardly any motor vehicles left, as the country had been robbed of anything valuable by the Germans.
So people running a business had to get a permit which gave them the right to buy a surplus military truck from the stock left at Deelen and other Canadian Army collection yards. There was not a lot to choose from, it was either taking the next in line or nothing.
Many vehicles were converted, chassis lengthened, other bodies fitted etc. to make them fit for purpose and then they were driven to death until newly built vehicles came onto the market.

The surviving truck was used by a garage in Lommel in the North of France, so conversions were not a typical Dutch thing, although CMPs were used more here than in other places because of the large Canadian dumps. Cabs were converted to increase crew comfort - The Netherlands has a sea climate with precipitation throughout the year - or possibly replace damaged cabs. These vehicles were used for transport not only locally, but on transport lines throughout the country and into the rest of Europe. I think the similarity stems from the fact that common coach building practices were applied building your prototype and the post-war conversions.

Here are some more pictures from other threads on here like Dutch CMPs and CMPs from all over postwar.

Coach-built doors on Cab 13:


All new coach-built cab fitted: