unique wireless truck

[Gord Falk]

I purchased a chev wireless truck a number of years back. The markings on the truck were a Prairie Command sheild and a Royal Canadian School of Artillery formation sign and battery markings on the doors. The truck was sitting on rims and tires whichI belive are from 25 pound feild guns. I have been able to purchase 2 wireless van bodies, new roof from a signals truck complete with round hatch, the two tool boxes for under the van body and located a replacement engine. Hopefully I will soon have time to start restoration.

Gord
M 38 & M100
Iltis
Ferret Mk2/3
UC Mk2
UC Mk1 to be restored
Ford 15cwt GS

[lynx42]

Yes, they are certainly either 25pdr.Gun/howitzer or Limber wheels.
There are a few CMP's here in OZ with the same wheel conversion. I don't think that it is a military ok'd conversion but more of a convenience thing post WW2.
Rick.


BTW. Nice body.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Gord,

A very nice project; A few days ago I had the oppertunity to have a look at one of these at Dirk Leegwaters yard.
Am I correct in assuming that the sheet metal of the Wireless body is Aluminium?

Alex

[Gord Falk]

The wireless van is clad with aluminium on a steel skelton and lined inside with 1/4 inch plywood. The better van body has no insides, which is probally a good thing as I will use the other van body as a pattern for the wood work. I do have some of the cabinets, the big item will be making the radio table and the folding steps.

Gord

[Dennis Gelean (RIP)]

Would love to see pictures of cabinets
what goes on the top of the spare tire housing?

[Jon Skagfeld]

Yep, 2K1s they are.

How fortunate you are, Gord, to get these two beauties which are very good resto projects.

As I'm sure you are fully aware, these types of bodies were sliced, diced or otherwise gotten rid of by the post war owners who wanted only a flat bed load bearing surface.

Good luck, and keep us posted, from time to time, with your progress.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

I reckon one of us here might recognise this pic...

[Robert Bergeron]

Gord,

I know this is an old thread but if you are still on this frequency how is the project going ?

I am currently restoring such a truck. Could we see pictures of the inside of the original box please ?

Thanks.

[David Dunlop]

Been a while with this thread and not sure you ever got an answer to your question.

It's more a process of elimination and deduction than anything else, but from all these wireless boxes I have been able to inspect, the most likely candidate for storing in the angle iron frame on top of the spare wheel bin is the remote control units. The Nearby RCU would be perfectly located there for connection to the wireless control box in front of it and a short run of land line could be readily fed to the two terminal posts on the wall underneath the cypher clerk's folding table. There are also a couple of tin shelves readily available for storing the extra Cells, Cry, X Mk II, needed for the two RCU's.

For the longest time, the only RCU's I knew of were the Wireless Remote Control Unit No. 1 (Canadian) built by RCA, NE and DE here in Canada. They size in at 12.75 x 9.75 x 7 inches and 22.25 lbs each. The footprint is a bit small for the angle iron bracket, which seemed odd for many years. Then I became aware of a number of other styles/versions of remote control units, which were probably also in service and capable of working a 19-Set. Still have no idea how any of then size up dimensionally, but it is quite likely the bracket in the wireless box is a 'catch all size' to readily accommodate whatever was available in the supply system.

The other odd thing about this rack was I have never seen one with any form whatever of surviving canvas straps. Always missing. Every other possible canvas strap, inside and out for these wireless boxes showed up sooner or later in situ, but never these. They seemed to be a popular item. Eventually it occurred to me that perhaps the bracket setup on the spare wheel bin was meant to hold the Nearby RCU on the bottom and the Remote RCU was stacked on top of it when not in use. It would be logical to keep them together in the Wireless Truck. In order to hold down nearly 45 lbs of kit, however, one would need a long and hefty canvas strap assembly, kicked up a notch as it were from all the others on the truck, That would make those straps much more useful and more likely to disappear from the trucks.

Be interesting to start a Remote Control thread in the Wireless Section here to document all the versions known to be out there, sizes and what wireless sets they could work with.

Cheers,


David