1944 C-15A-Wire-5 Restoration

[Jordan Baker]

Bruce.

Thanks for the pictures. I'm wondering if that sliding rail setup may have been used to some extent for the Wire-3 mounting?

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

A couple taken on the right side to show the wiring and terminal strips for the batteries and switch boxes. The first shows screw holes in the wood paneling above the rifle boots that I took as the mounting holes for the C5 Charging Panel. As I didn't have a panel at the time I couldn't test out this theory.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

As an impressionable young lad of about 16 years old (although I did own my MB already) it was the Paisley show that cemented my love of CMPs and carriers. At the show was Steve Alford's carrier, somebodies 13 cab F15A painted desert yellow with a dark green mickey mouse pattern and your C15A wireless that I ended up buying. Somewhere I still have photos of the event I'll try and dig out.

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

Bruce,
Processed and printed my own B&W film back then..Jeez…who could afford colour..

Very nice to see the 83-385 on the door of the radio van. Going to follow up on that for sure.

Never discovered that as I had done a quick repaint of the whole vehicle after the valve job...using Duck Hunters Brown paint purchased at the Canadian Tire store in Port Elgin. A surprisingly close match and semi-matt to boot.

The box was a bit Tatty after being rescued from a wrecking yard..and the cab and chassis was post war glossy green. So the quick repaint really tied things together.

Now it can be told…the paint was still wet the next morning for the Paisley Rally and Parade.

Here it is as found..about a half hour drive from Paisley. Parked out the back of a man's place.. after the engine died.

He told me it had come out of a Borden auction. He had thrown away the useless radio box and substituted a more useful one from a pick-up truck.
Plywood sides for hauling firewood and sections of galvanized culvert for rear fenders..

Totally stock ..still had the original tires and side curtains.. but the round canvas roof hatch cover was long gone.

That little boy is now in his mid 40's…and the father of two..

God help us.

Wonder where your jeep ended up.

Dennis.

[David Dunlop]

Robert. You will not find any hidden nuts or retainers inside the roof rail holes. I can assure you, these items were all secured by lag bolts, through the aluminum skin and into the underlying 1/4-inch plywood. They relied on good, solid wood to provide a secure anchor. If Gord Falk reads this thread, he may be able to obtain one from his 2K1 box and provide exact dimensions and/or photos of these lag bolts. The roof structure consists of an outer steel frame. A set of curved steel channels, identical to those used in the wall framing, run from side to side. The ends of these channels line up to the tops of the side channels. A layer of 1/4-inch plywood was then fastened to the top of the roof channels. Sheet aluminium was then placed down over the plywood, folded up under the edges on all four sides and the corners neatly welded. A series of predrilled holes were around the perimeter. The roof was placed onto the box and the roof channels were welded to the tops of the wall channels. Aluminum rain gutters were then slid in place around the perimeter of the roof on the outside. Three inch long aluminum, truss head slotted screws were then inserted through all the perimeter holes and screwed into steel fasteners on the upper inside of the walls to secure the gutters in place. These steel fasteners are identical to the two Jordan has posted photos of on the Signal Buzzer thread. Once all that was done, the interior 1/4-inch plywood would have been installed, starting with the two ceiling pieces. So, long story short, there is only the depth of the steel channels to work with on the roof to fasten anything safely. If you try and pour anything into this cavity, it will just flow down to the walls. Gord is in the process of taking apart the roof on his 2K1 box to replace the upper plywood, which has rotted out on his Wire 5. It is a huge task.

Bruce. Fantastic photos of the Gen Box for a special reason. The upper framework shows the portable chorehorse setup perfectly. This was standard for all 2K1 and 2K2 Wireless Bodies. The standard setup on the floor of the Gen Box was a second, permanent chorehorse. This can be confirmed by the wiring diagram found inside the fuse panel on the wall of the wireless body between the two right side windows. The wiring for the 110V Onan Generator is denoted with dashed lines around it stating it is an optional installation. The 2K1 boxes all came from Wilson, however, fully wired for either installation.

I do not know how exactly the permanent chorehorse was mounted to the floor of the Gen Box. Of the dozens I looked at at Princess Auto, I could not make sense at all of the surviving hole patterns in relation to the mounting holes for the chorehorse. I did find three 2K1 boxes with the same heavy steel plate shown mounted to the floor in your photos. The one with the two big grab handles. Coincidentally, those three 2K1 boxes also had a steel bracket holding a metal shroud mounted to the upper right corner of the Gen Box, above the two rifle brackets. Next to one of these brackets was a paper notice advising the Onan Generator must never be operated before this shroud was clipped in place over the exhaust pipe. It mentioned the model number for the Onan Generator, but it was unclear what was actually being protected. The other odd thing was that the presence of this plate setup strongly suggested that if an Onan 110V Generator was installed in a 2K1 Wireless Box for whatever reason, it must have been portable. Must have been a damned brute to move as well.

Sorry for the long winded rant.

David

[Dennis Cardy]

Bruce,
Would definitely like to see some photo's from the rally. Have a bunch buried somewhere.
Came across this newspaper shot from the Owen Sound Sun-Times. Do you recognize any of the people or the vehicles..??

Dennis.

[David Dunlop]

Bruce. One more small rant.

I think you are right regarding the lower half wall painting. It showed up on a few boxes at Princess in a choice of ugly hospital green, bright blue or grey/black. Most boxes were still done in the original overall white, but I suspect as these vehicles became long in the tooth, rot became more and more evident in the lower wall sections. A darker paint to hide these stains was probably used at whatever unit level, to make do.

Interesting, the thought that went into the construction of the walls in these boxes. The inner ceiling was installed first, running fully side to side. The end and side walls went in next with a beaded gasket fitted to the top edges. This design meant that any water leaking into the roof would flow out past the top edges of the walls, and these edges would also be protected by the gasket. Water infiltration in the upper walls was thereby minimized. The walls were split at the midpoint horizontally and the seam covered by a trim strip. They probably expected any water getting in behind the walls would eventually accumulate at the floor level and cause problems in the lower portions. You will notice the lower wall sections of these boxes are basically solid. No fancy holes or cutouts. Nice and simple wood work if a lower wall section needed replacing. Remove the fiddly bits, unscrew the offending panel, cut and install a new piece of plywood. Paint it and reinstall the fiddly bits.

Done. Time for a drink.

David

[David Dunlop]

Here is a photo of the gasket bead that runs along the join of the 2K1/2K2 Upper Wall Plywood and ceiling plywood junction. Basically a very thin oilcloth fender welt tacked onto the upper plywood wall ends before installation of the panel.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

Bruce,
Would definitely like to see some photo's from the rally. Have a bunch buried somewhere.
Came across this newspaper shot from the Owen Sound Sun-Times. Do you recognize any of the people or the vehicles..??

Dennis.

Driver of the first M38A1 is the venerable Dennis Cardy. The M37's driver behind I think is Ted Dente. Brian Asbury is driving the M38 following.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Bruce. One more small rant.

I think you are right regarding the lower half wall painting. It showed up on a few boxes at Princess in a choice of ugly hospital green, bright blue or grey/black.

David

Throw in a pale blue green and I think you've got the range covered.

I'm soooo glad I have my HUW wireless to work on. Without it I'd be in a sorry nostalgic state with all this talk about 2K1 wireless bodies. The big difference between the two is one has a lot of wood and the other is almost all steel. I do better with steel.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Thanks for the pictures. I'm wondering if that sliding rail setup may have been used to some extent for the Wire-3 mounting?

I have no idea. In both the similar and contemporary 2K1 and HUW trucks the chorehorse mount was set up for quick removal so it's reasonable to expect the WIRE-3 mount did too.

[Jordan Baker]

Thats why I am enjoying the Wire-3 so much. Its all metal except for 3 pieces of wood. The down side is a huge lack of information and knowledge on this version.

[Dennis Cardy]

Yep…that's Ted and Brian……and yes...the Venerable Me….
Boy..are the family going to get a laugh out of that..Never been called that before.. (grin).

Think it's fair to say..that group could be considered the founding members of the organized military vehicle movement in Ontario.

What a great weekend that was.

Felt it was important to add this photo taken on that weekend..of the man I consider to be the God Father behind much of today's military restoration movement

Donald G. Smith…sitting on top of Carol….just after demolishing an abandoned shed.

A polarizing personality no doubt..But a good friend to me…and I honour his memory.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Boy, could we ever start a 'then and now thread'. And boy do I ever have stories about Don Smith and CAROL (most of which involve crushing things. Some times on purpose...some times not).

Here's CAROL as she currently exists. Alas Don passed away some years ago.

...also, I found my Paisley pics and will scan and post them...

[Dennis Cardy]

Yes..Don passed away a few years ago…brave to the end..

Can you tell me where your shot was taken..??
I note it has the white star on the hull side....ie Yankee markings..Seems to be inside some kind of a heritage fort.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Dennis Cardy

Yes..Don passed away a few years ago…brave to the end..

Can you tell me where your shot was taken..??
I note it has the white star on the hull side....ie Yankee markings..Seems to be inside some kind of a heritage fort.

It's the "Timelines' event run (very well) by the Lincoln & Welland Regiment in Fort George at Niagara-on-the-Lake. The 2017 version is scheduled for August 26-27. See http://www.friendsoffortgeorge.ca/events/

CAROL has a new owner who is giving her a very thorough makeover. The results are stunning.

[Frank v R]

Dennis if you take a good look on Clive's site you will see that many of our M4A2E8's had the star on them,

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Instant camera photo...remember those?...and back side (showing its provenance linked to Dennis Cardy) of C15A 484440001 (2K1 WIRE-5) in the parade through Paisley at the premier Ontario event in 1976. Driver is no doubt the inveterate Mr. Cardy (proof of his inveteracy is that he is here on this forum 40 years later).

I shall post my remaining Paisley pics in the shows and events section as to not to derail this WIRE-5 thread any further.

[Dennis Cardy]

Frank,
Did as you suggested and took a good look at Clive's Easy-8 page.

Could only find the same shot posted 3 times showing the same 3 Sherman's at Meaford Ranges Sept. 1966…that shows white stars.

Did a Google…on Sherman's in Korea…Same thing…very few White Stars on Canadian tanks.

There is a reason for that. A white star automatically means it's US Military.

No offence meant to our US friends…but Canadian Forces personnel tend to find that a tad annoying.. But Yankee and Canuck forces people understand and respect that.

If you would like a more in-depth insight on that subject…ask a Vet..(grin).

[Robert Bergeron]

I am blessed : Pictures and comments by knowledgeable veteran Wire-5 experts , and pictures of Shermans . Life is good . Keep'em coming .

[Robert Bergeron]

Had an original butt rest thanks to a friend in BC.. made copies and finalised the rifle installation in the box.

Original on the right on the picture to the left.



Need to adjust the colour.

[Robert Bergeron]

Working on a home made charger control box.

Will do pending i get my hands on an original.

[Robert Bergeron]

Hello friends,

Taking care of odds and ends while vacationing home.

Found a nice canvas observer hatch cover in Victoria BC from undisclosed source... Brought it home after receiving a briefing by friend Harry M. on how to install it. Forgot to take pictures ... and forgot how to install it .


Installed handrails on top of the box. They are lower than originals because i could not back out of the hangar if they were. The door is too low ! Notice also the very low clearance with the ceiling fan !

The handrails closest to the ladder are removeable for the same reason and we can all see it would be a smash if i tried to back up... I need a higher garage door.

Anyway , work is coming along pretty well . Will remove the ceiling next winter to replace the plywood nearest the aluminium sheets under the railings and handrails to improve the anchor of the lagbolts used .

Also in the works for next winter will be finishing connecting the Chorehorse chargers to the batteries . Missing the correct fuses and cut-off and the steel box containing them. Will be asking for measurements soon.

Sweet .

Cheers.

[Robert Bergeron]

Friends , tomorrow i am installing the original radiator coolant bottle under the engine cowling. Would anyone have the installation instructions please ? Does the rubber hose go to the top or the bottom of the bottle ? Wich way is up ? What's that other hole with piece of tape over it when its NOS ? Another nice find from an undisclosed source in BC , near Victoria. I have been told that on a 1944 Chevy C-15 A the bottle goes under the cowling on the passenger side instead of on the front of it . The passenger side makes sense since the overflow tube is on that side anyway. Cheers and thanks .

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi ,

I had some accumulated leave time so i spent some of it in the CMP shack lately .

I installed the No 19 HP set above the regular set to see if it was a fit.

It's a nice fit as far as i'm concerned . What do you think ?

Here are the pictures .

Now i need to build the metal table and tray that will support the HP components above the regular no 19 set .

Could someone knowledgeable post dimensions of the HP tray and table please ?



Thanks and Happy New Year . All the best .

[Jordan Baker]

Looks great. I'd love one day to get your truck, Bruce Parker's HUW and my Wire-3 together for some pictures.


If you need some shock vibration mounts I can set you up. I know a guy.

[Robert Bergeron]

Hi Jordan, i would love to see our three types of witeless trucks together for a meet . It will have to be next year cause i am leaving Monday for the West Coast on a tasking for most of the year. Cheers . Bob

[Robert Bergeron]

Gents,

Spent 48 hours at home on leave this week -end.


Made time to fabricate and paint a table/ tray for the two specific HP units.




Cheers.


Bob

[Larry Hayward]

Robert,

By chance do you have any scale plans for your Wireless body, as I'm looking to create a model of one?

[Robert Bergeron]

Sorry , no scale plans my friend . A model would look good .

[Robert Bergeron]

.

Completed the stand to put the HP units atop the No 19 Wireless.

Found some paint that closely matches the original .

Will put the HP units on top in the next few days.

Stay '' tuned '' ...