How To: 1944 Chev HUW restoration

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

A long tapered punch is your friend for getting all the holes lines up.

Oh yes indeed. The inner right (where it contacts the RH engine vertical) will take some 'adjusting' before the punch is an option. I'd rather deal with this now than when the engine is back in and everything is painted.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Well, it's now officially a Chevrolet. I've carted this bowtie around for quite some time and today it finally got installed. I can stop my irrational fear that one day I'd lose it.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Roof hatch, front fender halves on and brush guard installed just for fun. Looking a little more like a HUW.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Without a heated garage winter slows things down.

However I'm happy to report the 216 engine is undergoing an expert (no, more than expert) overhaul and so far there has been nothing but good news. A company called the Filling Station in Lebanon Oregon had been magnificent in providing parts...highly recommended.

The plan is to assemble the complete engine on a test stand and run it before putting it in the HUW.

A nice inside job was rebuilding the correct Carter W-1 carburetor. What are the chances that I remember where all these parts go and I don't have one or two left over? That seems to be the way...

Note also the Carter marketing on the cover: CAR bure TER ...very clever!!!

[David Dunlop]

Nice to see work proceeding, Bruce.

Well done and stay warm!

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

The HUW's 216 is being overhauled by a master mechanic friend. His work is impeccable and much appreciated!!! A big shout out to the Filling Station in Lebanon, Oregon that was able to provide gaskets, rings and a bunch of other parts. Highly recommended.

[Bob Carriere]

Nice job Bruce...... did you get it machined for inserts or done in babbitt?

Sad to say there are no rebuilder shops left in the Ottawa area anymore.... now some will claim to do it all but it is usually just the re-assembly as most of the dirty work ( cleaning, magflux and machining) is sent to GTA or Mtl.....and guess who pays for the shipping!!!! So scary stories about not getting back exactly the same parts......like rod caps restamped with new numbers.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

The HUW's 216 is being overhauled by a master mechanic friend. His work is impeccable and much appreciated!!! A big shout out to the Filling Station in Lebanon, Oregon that was able to provide gaskets, rings and a bunch of other parts. Highly recommended.

Are you fitting a Aluminium timing gear ? I have been told these Al. gears are noisy but at least they are reliable unlike the original fibre timing gears Been two cases of a CCKW stripping it's timing gear during the Corowa MV event , one of these breakdowns occurred during the return trip home in 1980.

The valve guides in these 216 need to be in good shape, the engine will sound noisy and will not run smoothly if the guides are worn. Don't ask me how I know this ! Lesson learnt.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Sad to say there are no rebuilder shops left in the Ottawa area anymore....

Same here, it is a fast disappearing skill set and the situation will only get worse as EV's take over.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Nice job Bruce...... did you get it machined for inserts or done in babbitt?

Sad to say there are no rebuilder shops left in the Ottawa area anymore.... now some will claim to do it all but it is usually just the re-assembly as most of the dirty work ( cleaning, magflux and machining) is sent to GTA or Mtl.....and guess who pays for the shipping!!!! So scary stories about not getting back exactly the same parts......like rod caps restamped with new numbers.

Original babbit (my second block is machined for inserts, that was Plan B), fiber timing gears (here's hoping for the best) and the head was rebuilt with all new guides. My master mechanic numbered everything (even the lifters) so everything will go back where it came from. One of the rocker arm bushings was loose (how??? why???) but that's an easy replacement from my 216 spares shelf. The engine is a CMP one and obviously re-done at some point (there's gobs of red silicone gasket sealer...they must have used a case of the stuff) but the engine is stock size and has virtually no wear. Just tar in the crank case and a broken oil scraper.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Same here, it is a fast disappearing skill set and the situation will only get worse as EV's take over.

Agreed, just wait until they ban gas engines and gas itself. Even if gas is around for the clunkers it will be ethanol and many $$$$ per litre.

[Bob Carriere]

Proprietory "Coleman" naphta can at CTC.....3.7 liters.... not even a full gal. sells for 29.95,,,, I plan on eating my wieners cold next summer!!!

[chris vickery]

I think the solution will be alcohol or some other variant. Perhaps av gas LL100.
We’ll figure it out, unless the Greenies absolutely outlaw ICE vehicles, which I somehow doubt, but who knows.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by chris vickery

I think the solution will be alcohol or some other variant. Perhaps av gas LL100.
We’ll figure it out, unless the Greenies absolutely outlaw ICE vehicles, which I somehow doubt, but who knows.

Av gas cut with a little of Bob's pricy naphtha (stirred with a celery stick) might do it. Or get one of those new ready to drop in electric motors. That would put to bed the whole Chev 235 vs. 216 and 6V vs. 12V arguments.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

...using the wreckhouse 'sawzall' method (when you absolutely completely don't care about saving the tire). One down, 3 to go. And if it goes like this one 'sawzall' is my 'tyre remouveure' method of choice for the rest.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

In preparation of the engine coming back I used some of the brown paint I had mixed for the first time. Due to new (very frustrating) rules I can no longer get the chalky matt I wanted and was used on CMPs. This semi gloss alkyd enamel was the best I could find. The first coat dried more glossy than I liked but the second coat using more reducer and a slower application gave me a respectable matt I can live with. I'm quite happy with the No. 2 SCC Brown colour match.

Pics of the engine bay ready for the 216, the painted right door frame and of course the engine as pretty as it gets.

[David Dunlop]

Nice progress, Bruce, in spite of the challenges modern paints seem to throw at us.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Nice progress, Bruce, in spite of the challenges modern paints seem to throw at us.


David

I was talking to a restorer at the Oshawa museum a week or so ago. They are restoring a 1942 HUW that I sold them decades ago. The work in progress had a nice very matt brown paint applied to parts of it. Apparently you can get the new water based paint in any colour you like and as matt as you like. I didn't know this was possible when I mixed my paint and even today I don't like the $180 a gallon price tag, and there's something about a base coat required first?

Still, it's nice to know that if I win the lottery I can get some decent CMP paint.

[David Dunlop]

One of the things I still have to look into for the 52-Set is possibly powder coating the flat No. 2 Brown onto the Carriers No. 4 and Remote receiver Case. Fortunately, still down the road a bit.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

One of the things I still have to look into for the 52-Set is possibly powder coating the flat No. 2 Brown onto the Carriers No. 4 and Remote receiver Case. Fortunately, still down the road a bit.

David

The big thing that got me in the past was radio gear wrinkle paint. For a while you could still get wrinkle paint but only in black (and some times it didn't wrinkle too good). I was able in most cases to paint the right colour over the black and it was OK until it got scratched. Sadly I haven't seen wrinkle paint for many years now.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

...using the wreckhouse 'sawzall' method (when you absolutely completely don't care about saving the tire). One down, 3 to go. And if it goes like this one 'sawzall' is my 'tyre remouveure' method of choice for the rest.

Been there. I used a chain saw . It works well, just be careful. The original Morris CS8 tyres were run flats - no spare wheel was provided.

BTW thanks for the info on the modern water based paints, your engine is looking better than new !

[Harry Moon]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

The big thing that got me in the past was radio gear wrinkle paint. For a while you could still get wrinkle paint but only in black (and some times it didn't wrinkle too good). I was able in most cases to paint the right colour over the black and it was OK until it got scratched. Sadly I haven't seen wrinkle paint for many years now.

the trick to applying crinkle paint is to preheat the object to be painted, in my case Hemi valve covers, about 110F in the oven for ten minutes and then spray from a well ajitated can that was sitting in a pot of hot water for a five minutes.
Try performance shops as Mopar used crinkle paint on a lot of things in the 60's 70's

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

I'm doing a hundred and one little things in preparation for ***THE BIG PAINT JOB***

I've already painted the cab interior and engine bay. Because the rear interior is white, the floor brown and the sliding roof hatch a little of each I've been agonizing over the order to paint things and how much masking it will take. Lots, no matter which way I go.

Anyway, after tomorrow the exterior should have 100% of its widgets and be ready for paint, likewise the interior.

I installed the dash finally. The gauges are all correct CMP and the switches/switch plates are original, not reproductions or decals. I shall baby them.... I left the temp gauge out because I don't want to risk damaging its cable during the engine install.

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

One of the things I still have to look into for the 52-Set is possibly powder coating the flat No. 2 Brown onto the Carriers No. 4 and Remote receiver Case. Fortunately, still down the road a bit.

David

Dave, what you really want (and me too) is the correct colour of brown wrinkle paint in a rattle can. Oh to dream...

[David Dunlop]

Hi Bruce.

I fear that might be a thought that walks the line between a Dream and a Nightmare these days.

On doing some research into wrinkle paints a few years ago, the magic ingredient is apparently a product known as 'Tang Oil'. The ratio of it, the reducer and the oil based paint can be varied to alter the final appearance of the wrinkle finish, but an additional requirement, as Harry mentioned, is that the drying temperature and time are also factors that assist in obtaining the desired wrinkle finish. This can range from a smooth 'frosty' look, rather like Black Granite Countertop all the way up through grained leather to very heavy wrinkle.

The principle is basic enough. The paint is mixed as required and applied. The reducer evaporates at the surface creating a skin over the Tang Oil still in the mix. As the Tang Oil dries out underneath, the paint skin created on top collapses and starts to wrinkle up. changes to temperature and time dictate how much wrinkle forms as the trapped paint shrinks and drys up.

Back in the 1980's, Don Wright in Edmonton, looked into No.2 Brown wrinkle fin ish for his 52-Set. Very few paint shops back then still knew how to work with it. Those that did advised the tang oil came in very large quantities and was expensive. Now we are dealing with rapidly disappearing oil based paints in general and to my knowledge, water based wrinkle paints don't exist.

A local machine shop to me does work with powder coatings and I am going to visit them this summer to see what I can find out about them in better detail. Will keep you posted.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

More...data plates. Repair on the right hand window frame, before and after included.

[David Dunlop]

Hello again, Bruce.

The interior paintwork for the rear section (working section) of your HUW sounds interesting. I am quite familiar with the original factory paintwork in the WIRE-5 2K1/2 Boxes, and you have peaked my curiosity as to how similar the logic was for painting up the interior of the HUW.

I would anticipate all interior walls and ceiling of the working section of the HUW to be done gloss white. The floor, if not given a layer of battleship Lino, would be painted either a dark grey, or done matching the exterior colour applied to the vehicle at the factory. The key here is that if the rear roof hatch is open, the floor colour should not give away the vehicle location to passing aircraft.

For security/safety/camo reasons in the field, the doors accessing the working section should all be exterior colour inside and out. For the same reasons, the exterior colour should cover any exterior metal work that wraps around any door and window openings they are acting as frames for, and end wherever that metal ends on the inside.

The rear roof hatch gets a bit interesting to sort out. You may have to stand somewhere to look down into the opening to fully figure out what needs to be done.

First thought would be the exterior colour would wrap down over all the metalwork forming the frame of the hatch in the roof and end wherever that metal ends. The exterior colour on the hatch itself would also likely wrap around the four side/edges and follow that metal to where it ends. The main ceiling of the underside of the hatch should be gloss white.

When standing looking down into the opening for the rear hatch. What you would need to be looking for are any parts around the perimeter of the opening, like tracks, rails, handles etc. that would stand out if painted gloss white and ensure they are all painted to match the exterior colour. Again, you do not want to accidentally give away who you are and where you are, if you can avoid it. The rear hatch will definitely be the most exciting bit of the HUW to sort out for painting. It will probably not look very uniform when finally completed.

It always amazed me that the basic concealment processes in wartime vehicle painting were lost so quickly in the Canadian Army in the postwar years.

Keep us up to date on this, Bruce. It is going to be fascinating stuff, worthy of your skills and attention.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

You pretty much nailed it. The interior bins, ceiling and walls are gloss white. I even found areas where the white didn't quite cover the original grey primer. The inside of the doors of course are brown, as is the seats, wireless table and battery trays...all meant to be removable. What is odd is that the angled portions of the cab/body division panel nearest the body door windows are white and stick out quite visibly (wartime photos show this a lot). There are of course black vinyl covers for these windows but they would have to be rolled down to cover all that camouflage-ruining white. The floor is checker plate and brown. I wasn't sure if this included the insides of the wheel wells but now am convinced they were white. I may resort to painting the floor last with a brush. What is linoleum and I'm having a hard time finding material for is the wireless table top.

What is going to be hard to duplicate on the interior is the yellowing of all that white by years of chain smoking signalers. Forget wrinkle paint, where oh where do you find nicotine varnish in a rattle can???

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Hello again, Bruce.

The interior paintwork for the rear section (working section) of your HUW sounds interesting. I am quite familiar with the original factory paintwork in the WIRE-5 2K1/2 Boxes, and you have peaked my curiosity as to how similar the logic was for painting up the interior of the HUW.

I would anticipate all interior walls and ceiling of the working section of the HUW to be done gloss white. The floor, if not given a layer of battleship Lino, would be painted either a dark grey, or done matching the exterior colour applied to the vehicle at the factory. The key here is that if the rear roof hatch is open, the floor colour should not give away the vehicle location to passing aircraft.

For security/safety/camo reasons in the field, the doors accessing the working section should all be exterior colour inside and out. For the same reasons, the exterior colour should cover any exterior metal work that wraps around any door and window openings they are acting as frames for, and end wherever that metal ends on the inside.

The rear roof hatch gets a bit interesting to sort out. You may have to stand somewhere to look down into the opening to fully figure out what needs to be done.

First thought would be the exterior colour would wrap down over all the metalwork forming the frame of the hatch in the roof and end wherever that metal ends. The exterior colour on the hatch itself would also likely wrap around the four side/edges and follow that metal to where it ends. The main ceiling of the underside of the hatch should be gloss white.

When standing looking down into the opening for the rear hatch. What you would need to be looking for are any parts around the perimeter of the opening, like tracks, rails, handles etc. that would stand out if painted gloss white and ensure they are all painted to match the exterior colour. Again, you do not want to accidentally give away who you are and where you are, if you can avoid it. The rear hatch will definitely be the most exciting bit of the HUW to sort out for painting. It will probably not look very uniform when finally completed.

It always amazed me that the basic concealment processes in wartime vehicle painting were lost so quickly in the Canadian Army in the postwar years.

Keep us up to date on this, Bruce. It is going to be fascinating stuff, worthy of your skills and attention.


David

[David Dunlop]

I think you are on the right track, Bruce, if you start at the top of the interior with the gloss white and work your way down to the floor. If you can, consider doing the roof hatch assembly as a separate item with the required exterior colour and gloss white and mate it to the vehicle at the appropriate time. Once the interior white is finished, detail in the exterior colour around the relevant openings and leave the floor until last. Again, if possible, give the white a couple of weeks to dry cure before starting the floor paint work. Makes cleaning up an 'Ooops' so much easier.

I am not a fan of masking/painters tape available to us plebes at the local DIY stores. There is a yellow one, about 2 inches wide that autobody paint shops use that is a lot better but still not perfect. Years ago, I stumbled across a painting aid at a store somewhere here in town called a "15-inch Painting Trim Guide". It was made by a company called DYNAMIC and looks like a strip of heavy-duty aluminum Venetian blind with a flat handle in the middle of one side. Over the years it has removed about 80% of my need for masking tape, inside and out.

I just did a quick internet check and it looks like this product and a very similar one made by BENNETT should still be available at Home Depot, RONA and Lowes and are running less than $5.00 or so. You might want to test one out.

One last thing. Have you thought of using a roller for the floor work? A 3-inch would allow you to cut in around the edges with a couple of light coats and then follow up with the standard 9-inch Roller for the main floor area. I have found the roller gives a much closer look to a sprayed paint job than I can ever get with a brush, and I use fine nap rollers. Never bother cleaning them. I just keep enough on hand to see the job through and throw them away after each painting stage.

On that note, Bruce, it is time I ventured out into the 32 degree Back garden and decide if it is worth working the BBQ for dinner tonight, or ordering in from the nearest Bar and Grill.


David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

On that note, Bruce, it is time I ventured out into the 32 degree Back garden and decide if it is worth working the BBQ for dinner tonight, or ordering in from the nearest Bar and Grill.


David

BBQ steak with a Sleemans's Honey Brown tonight. I don't know about yours but my BBQ doesn't work without beer.