CMPs in France

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Lonely Ford in a French scrapyard. . . . .
Source: http://www.travellerdave.co.uk/?s=27

[cliff]

I like the way they moved the headlights lower and covered the original openings.

Cheers
Cliff

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

You can see this typical postwar alteration in our new book. In the UK it was much easier to plate over the original hole/holes and add Lucas or perhaps Marchal lights mounted on the front

[Rod Diery]

Originally posted by David_Hayward
You can see this typical postwar alteration in our new book. In the UK it was much easier to plate over the original hole/holes and add Lucas or perhaps Marchal lights mounted on the front

What was wrong with the original headlight positions?
Rod

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

This is an example of a rebuild...note civvy axles. The rego appears to be Southend on Sea, Essex Borough, late 1946 possibly, which explains the use of the blackout light?

The big problem with reusing the original lamp holes on # 13 Cabs was that it was difficult to find headlamps to fit thereinto, and far simpler as well to plate them over and mount new lamps on brackets. They also seem to have got smashed a lot from period shots when they were rebuilt post-war and then used on the road.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Rod Diery
What was wrong with the original headlight positions?

I can't fully agree with David. In some countries the headlight position of CMPs was too high to comply to road regulations. So, if one wanted to register a CMP for use on the road, you had to fit new headlamps in a lower position.

The picture below shows a Chevrolet Wrecker altered to comply to road regulations in Belgium.

H.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
I can't fully agree with David. In some countries the headlight position of CMPs was too high to comply to road regulations. So, if one wanted to register a CMP for use on the road, you had to fit new headlamps in a lower position.

Hanno,

I agree with you on that. Another vehicle this applied to was the Bedford QL, if you look at photos of any in service postwar, the headlamps have been refitted in a lower position.

I had to reposition mine to the original height as the Danish Army had lowered them.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I was of course referring to the British rebuilds! In the new book will be examples of the myriad of British civilan commercial conversions. Some entered the British market with just one headlamp! There were also examples where headlamps were indetalled in the original positions. General Motors Limited did this style for instance.
I did find other countries' regulations interesting. I did think that as so many of the rebuilds used new axles and tyres that this may have affected headlamp height as well, so this may well be another reason why it was a popular decision to remotely mount the headlamps. I am sure I have seen lamps that must have been spotlights with no dipping facility and thus fixed in an anti-dazzle position but I may well be mistaken.

This is a view showing a typical arrangement with new sidelights on the wheelarches and lamps bracketed in almost the original positions.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Ah yes, in CMPs in France, of course!

Another picture of the same truck:
http://club.caradisiac.com/emile-dj/...5ac-210994-jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

Yes I agree David.

Tony,

In case you expect a reply from David, I would like to kindly point out he sadly passed away one year ago. . . .

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

The headlamp itself would have been readily available, but it would have been very difficult to find an original CMP headlamp bowl to replace the blank plate on the driver's side. Interestingly this problem doesn't seem to have arisen on Australian CMPs, as they all appear to have been fitted with two headlamps at assembly.
[snip]
I'm inclined to query the lowering of headlamps to comply with road regs - could it not be that the bumper bar was simply the easiest place to mount new headlamps?

Tony,

It is a known fact that in some countries (Belgium, Denmark) the headlight position of CMPs was too high to comply to road regulations. So for registered use on the road, one had to fit (new) headlamps in a lower position.

In other countries without this type of regulation like the Netherlands they had no trouble finding a second headlight bowl from the vast post-war spares stocks, if they hadn't one fitted already (like in Australia).

Hanno

[Tony Wheeler]

On reading this thread I'm reminded of my first blitz, which I bought as a kid in 1973, and which Keith and I later realized was Canadian built, having a circular roof hatch hole and distinctive Canadian checkerplate floor. I've also just noticed (40 years later!) it had early type CMP bonnet catches, which were never used on Australian built cabs. Evidently it had been fitted with only one headlamp too, and in the absence of a replacement headlamp bowl, this required fitment of complete new headlamps on brackets as seen below. This problem didn't arise with Australian built CMPs, as these were all fitted with two headlamps at assembly.

Naturally the new headlamps in this case were fitted in the original position - here in Australia we don't have bizarre regulations prohibiting truck headlamps! I'm curious to know what possible reason could exist to outlaw CMP headlamps, which are barely higher than bicycle headlamps, and what possible use are headlamps at road level!

[Jacek Nitkiewicz]

French lamps CIBIE on my C15

[Gordons]

Hello Jacek

Would it be possible to get a close up picture of the door window frames, they look look to be metal, and not the original canvas window frame.\


Thank you
Gordon

[Jacek Nitkiewicz]

My chevy has quite few french modifications , I will open new thread for this project.