CMP-Phil

Hi All Trying to get a idea of the general health of MV Clubs, out there, one gauge of that is how many Local Club Newsletters, either print or electronic do we have out there? How regularly are they published or updated? Does your Local Club have a regular publication give us the name of the club and region, please. Cheers Phil I'll Start - MVMVC (Merrimack Valley Military Vehicle Collectors) Northern New England, USA- monthly printed newsletter and club web page

Hi Paul Glad you enjoyed my site, got to get to updating it again. Every now and then the gremlins get in an break links with photos and I have to go in a relink things. Also got to update the restoration section on the Pattern 12. Your fleet is quite a thing of beauty. Cheers Phil

Hi Paul The S56 Shelter Box is just over 12 feet long and was designed to go in the back of Duce and Half cargo, there were several very similar design units being used mid WWII into the 1980s. o I have a page on my Web Site on the box http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/RadioBox.html Noticed that there are number of broken photo links including the current interior shots, which I'll dig out and post. My interior fitment is not of your level quality and are all done so that they can be stripped out and restore the box to the radio configuration. My shower/toilet area to go were the big transmitter was and is painted radio gray. There is some history to covering radio trucks with tarps to make them look like standard cargo trucks instead of high value targets. As to heat the box is well insulated so 1000 watt electric heater will keep it toasty down to -20F. In my consulting work I used my truck as a field office for a number of years. Cheers Phil

Hi Paul Like minds, one of my CMPs 1942 Pat 13 C60S with a S56 Radio Box with shower, toilet, bed etc. Much nicer than sleeping on the ground or tent. If the weather is going to be hot I bring along the generator trailer and big air conditioner. Yours looks to be excellent workship, do you have a floor plan drawing? Cheers Phil

Hi Tom Great 2nd life for a military vehicle, much in keeping with military vehicles being used to entertain the troops. I'll try and find some photos. Sure the truck will draw attention itself, along with the stage performances. Cheers Phil

Hi Paul Has far as my experience goes the limiters either work or they don't and are not serviceable. I've used thermal circuit breakers as replacements. It's one of those little parts that nobody ever sees, I had a wiring harness fire on my Pat 12 when the speedometer cable shorted to brake light switch heated up the cable that melted/burned through the insulation on battery cable which burned through the main harness an nearly through the gas line. Fortunately I had just back into the shop smelled the smoke grabbed the CO2 fired short blast up under the truck, saw what up disconnected the battery. Hit the extinguisher again. That's why I've added fusable link. Keep us posted on what you find for the cause of the light problem. Cheers Phil

Hi Is your Pat 13 the older or later instrument panel? One shown in my post is the later and has plug type connecter these are subject to corrosion more than the earlier screw and ring type connecters. The load of connecting more lights just caused the corrosion to become an open. Even with a new harness with orginal style plug connecters I run in to the problem with individual lights not working every now and then, learned to start at the bulb unplug clean each connection working forward to the switch. If it is only the rear lights check the harness connection right side around the transfer case frame member. Hope this helps Cheers Phil

Hi As originally built there were not any fuses only a current limiter. Do you have the wiring diagram? You may find this link to it my web page on wiring CMPS helpful. When you say you lost all the lights, do the lights come back when you disconnect the trailer? If someone has added a fuse start tracing the power for the harness where it leaves the starter lug. If you don't find an added fuse or fuseable link I suspect that you may have just fried a connection. The current limiter is located on the back of the instrument panel The harness on Chev CMPs have mostly steel wire so burning a section out is not that difficult. The current limiters get tired and will stop working as intended, they have a vibrating contact that limits current flow to about 30 amps if I remember correctly. I've ended up completely replacing the harness on all three of my CMPs and have added a 40 amp fuse in the main lead. Do you still have ignition and instruments? Will the engine still turn over? Cheers Phil

Hi Had the same problem with my CMP HUP overhaul couple years ago, engine ran perfect with all the cables and battery on test stand one day, installed engine the next hooked everything up had voltage to coil and starter but would not crank. Problem turned out to be as Richard suggest above paint on chassis connection point. Problem was hard to find because it would carry the voltage but not the cranking amp load. In the end it took unbolting all the ground lead locations and spot polishing each to bare metal adding star washers and the engine spun right over and started. Cheers Phil

Hi All Interesting thread, I have a question how did they beef up the front suspension and axel? Cheers Phil

Hi Found the gang winch of the tank interesting example of what not to do, I'm referring to the tank driver with his head out of the tank and the guys standing around in the cable whip area. Having seen what happens when a cable or attachment point breaks or let's go, if I had to be involvedone in a maximum pull effort I'd pick the tank drivers position but looking out through the vision port. Yes, it may not be an maximum pull with the three winch vehicles only at half power. Cheers Phil

Hi Nick Wonder how many of us got into the military vehicle hobby via Dinky Toys? Wish I had saved the boxes for mine, how many hours of play do these trucks have on them. The Scrammell was my first. Cheers Phil

Hi Robin The practice of marking repro parts is laudable, and one practiced by museums such as the Simthsonian Air and Space as a guide to future restorers. But your (others) practice of recording the restoration process with photos which is and will be of equal value to the next owner or next restore of the vehicle. The documentation of what the rusty missing part that has been reproduced is valuable as well. keep up the great work. Cheers Phil

Hi Guys How about splitting the difference and come to the Weare Military Vehicle Rally in New Hampshire end of July, it will be our 29th year. Cheers Phil

Hi Checked my photos taken at CMP84 Conference of Bill Gregg's collection, no photos of the engine compartment. Here is the link to the photos from the event http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/CMP84.htm Cheers Phil

Hi Matt Only once in 35+ years, and l am willing to bet was and will be the only time that guy ever goes pulling safety pins an pushing levers. He discharge large dry powder fire extiqusher in the cab of my HUP. Nozzle was pointed straight at him, yes made mess in the cab. Several times over the years I've found the little safety cable tie on the safety pin broken, only real problem was finding source the breakable cable ties. Finally asked extguisher service centers gave me a bunch. I would far prefer to carry CO2 extguishers just for the no cleanup, but business of getting the tanks recerfied got difficult or expensive in our area. Cheers Phil

Hi Steve Hope you will report back on your progress and eventual inspection. Even though I'm on the other side of real enjoy here about the registration and inspection in other parts of the world. You can imagine the fun I had registering and inspection of 3 right hand drive CMPs in the US. As you suspect each experience has different, so rules maybe rules but interpretation of the rules vary. Cheers Phil

Hi Deanna Good to have another member on, who's interested in Canadian Military History. Looking forward to where that has lead you in terms of military vehicles. Cheers Phil

Hi Wonderful find look forward to seeing it's restoration and or preservation. Do you have the manual? Also there a whole series of shop bulletins which cover all the running changes and modifications, good reading and interesting information. Will try and find the source for reprints. Also some good information in Bill Gregg's books on CMPs also if I remember correctly in some of Bart Vanderveen's writtings. What does the interior look like, got to spend some time looking at the one in Bill Gregg's collection back in 1984, can post the link to those photos if you are interested. Cheers Phil

Hi All Remember the age of average soldier, then think about the young lady. Using her to keep the troops attention is no accident. Similar thinking behind US Army PM magazine that was criticized for being to comic book in presenation. Point being if this type of presentation reaches 5% who didn't hear the Sargent then is worth the effort. Cheers Phil

Hi Now that is a new one, definitely going in club newsletter under tech tips. Wonder how much size and freshness matters? This one that I've got to try. Cheers Phil

Hi Agree more restoration threads the better. Given that this post military service use is often responsible for the vehicle survival makes its restoration as a "fair ground" vehicle sounds good. When it is done and you are proudly showing, make up a vehicle display showing it's history from military to vehicle thru civil life. Good luck on your restoration and keep us posted. Cheers Phil

Hi All Interesting show, found 1st episode on YouTube broken up into a couple of sections including some 1980s commercials, there are some interesting military vehicles couple of CMPs. Wonder if any of them have survived in collector's hands? Cheers Phil

Hi So much for the news media not having a clue as to what they are talking about or bothering to check, would have made a better story if they had pointed out that the sign on the tank misidentified it as a Sherman. Leading to the real question what is British tank doing in Cube. The fact that the news editor did not know the difference is a sign of a generational change. No one in their 60s would have said Sherman heck even my wife knows the difference. Then again she was a reference librarian as she said doesn't look like a Sherman. Cheers Phil

HI All Here is a link from the Australian War Memorial Archives of direct Sherman vs Churchill tank trials to examine the differences in performance for operation in the SW Pacific Theater. This link was posted by Mike a very knowledgeable and frequent contributor to MLU. There is much discussion of tracks and one of the Sherman's in the test has a type of track I have not seen before. Cheers Phil https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F07352/