POPPY

Hi all !

Sadly I received the news that my 1943 Flathead V8 engine had failed its pressure test today due to a long crack in the block. I also have a seized valve!

I've been quoated £1100 for the crack to be stitched!

Does anyone know where I can purchase a reconditioned Flathead !

Ps This was going to be my first year on the show circuit ! But now I will have sit at home with the girl friend 😁

regards

Mark

1944 Ford CMP LAAT

1942 Canadian Bofors Gun

You have come to the right place 👍😄

regards

Mark

Thats about right. Remember the gear ratio of an artillery tractor is set for torque, so its not going to be a speed demon. You can reach 40 to 45 downhill, but about 30 climbing slowly to 35-40 (takes a while) if you are flat out.

 

Its also worth noting that these rev faster for a change up than you may be used to. Try putting your foot down for a bit longer before changing up. It took me a bit to get used to.

Hi Lauren,

Thank you for your reply!

I feel much better now after reading your post ! I thought somthing may have been wrong with the low speed ! So that's good. And yes I know what you mean about them revving high ! I'm slowly getting used to her now.

Ive got to sort out my dynamo that is'nt charging , then I should be ready for the historic vehicle show season HAPPY DAYS :-)

Good to hear from you Lauren !

regards,

Mark

Mark

 

I guess it depends on gearing as well but my petrol V8 SUMB with a little bit bigger Ford flathead (4.2 vs 3.9 litres I think) and about the same weight (3.5 tonnes unladen) could quite happily get to 50mph on the flat, so 30 sounds a little underpowered.

 

Iain

Hi Iain,

Thank you very much for your speedy reply !

Mark

Good evening,

Could anyone kindly let me know a healthy top speed for my Ford CMP LAAT F60 Bofors gun tractor.

She has her original Flathead V8 and today I managed a top speed of 30mph at a struggle. (No Bofors gun included)

when on a flat I select 4th gear, she feels under powered and takes forever to reach 30mph unless I decend down a hill.

I have read in a book that top speed back in the day was 45mph.

Mayby she is alittle tired after 70 years or I need to give her a service

kind regards and Happy Easter.

Mark

Someone on here should be more able to help, but my thoughts are possibly a 17 set and a telephone set L or J would be best. A 38 set would be too short range and is basically a platoon set.

Thanks very much for your reply 😄

kind regards

Mark

ex BSA M20

1944 Bofors Gun Tractor F60S

Good afternoon all,

As an ex Royal Signals driver Lineman (1996-2013) I would like to kit my 1944 Ford CMP LAA Bofors Gun tractor with some authentic radio equipment!

Question

1- Did each gun tractor have an 18, 38, or 68 set radio installed to link the gun battery with RHQ or did they use another method of communication ?

2- I have read in my copy of 'True Loyals' that a wireless truck assisted the SP Bofors guns at Pegasus bridge on D-Day, Did each gun battery have an F set field telephone laid to each gun with cable ???

Im fortunate to own a Ford CMP LAA Gun tractor and am planning on taking her to Pegasus bridge for the 70th !

I'm dedicating my truck to the True Loyals (92nd) and the Royal Signals and would like to display the correct radio equipment.

The True Loyals took 6 x SP Morris bofors guns to protect the bridges (Pegasus + Horsa) along with 3 x support trucks (Ford CMP LAA Gun tractors to assist with extra 40mm Ammo and vehicle winch if needed.

any help at all will be greatly appreciated !

kind regards

Mark

Count me in!!!

I will be taking my Ford CMP over evan if i got to drag her over

Mark

1944 Ford CMP Bofors Gun Tractor

(Ex) 1940 BSA M20

Hi Nige,

Hope your getting on ok with your Rifle racks! Question... Do you have the grey pads to stick on to your upper rifle securing clips (Protects your head if you have a mishap) ? And stops you picking up 2 x A Jobs on your MEI inspection report lol

If not i will try and find you 2. Private msg me when you get time.

Mark

Ford CMP Bofors Gun Tractor

Ex BSA M20

Hi Andy,

I can see you have had a lot of helpful info on your question, but to reassure you a little more.....

My late friend Les (3rd Infantry Division Royal Signals) was a radio operator who landed on D-Day with Montgomery's wireless operator.

He double hatted as a Don R (Despatch Rider) through Normandy and up into Bremen (Germany) on a good old BSA M20:-)

His personal weapon was a Sten gun!

Hope this was of use.

Rgds

Mark

Welcome William,

Most helpful forum! Enjoy

Mark

This might help. See wires 16 and 24.

 

I notice that wire 16 runs through one of the junction strips on its way between the resistor and the ignition switch, so it maybe worth checking that the screws are tight (if they are still used).

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]81046[/ATTACH]

Thats most kind ! Thank you

Mark

Good evening all, i am back from my third night of working on my broken down Ford CMP and the story gets worse:cry:.

I managed to pick up a new top of the range 6V ignition coil from Rex Ward (who is currently on holiday in sunny Barnstaple and had one with him) and fitted it in no time but there is still no power to the distributor?

The kind chap i purchased the Ford from informed me that the Ford is running on a 6V system (Thats why i purchased a 6V Coil).

But it turns out the Ford vehicle battery is a 12v batt, the starter motor is a 6 volt type, the front head lamp bulb is 6 volts, and the rear indicator bulbs are 12 volts???

I really dont know if i am to fault find and repair her as a 6 volt or a 12 volt system? If it is a 12 volt system then i have now probably fried the 6v Coil that i drove all the way to devon today to collect.:blush:

The Farmer has been good as gold letting me keep my Ford in his drive way(after breaking down 3 x nights ago) but i a keen to sort the electrics out and get a spark going to the distributor so i can get her under hard cover I am sooooooo confused . com:embarrassed:

Mark

Hi Mark, You could try Rex Ward or Universal Jeep Supplies both should have a coil their numbers and contact details are easily found on Google. I have used both for parts and their postage times are usually next day and service second to none. Hope all goes well, best wishes. Dave

Thats brill! :laugh: Thanks Dave

Kind regards

Mark

Good evening all i am back from my broken down Ford CMP,

Firstly thanks all for all your very helpful tips. After eliminating all the possible faults that you instructed me to investigate, it quickly became apparent that it is most probably the COIL that is to blame for the engine not firing up!

There is power to the coil but nothing coming out! On closer inspection there appears to be a large hairline crack on the top of the coil, (also the coil is heavily dented?)

I am now looking at sourcing a new 6V Coil to hopefully get her back on her feet:-)

Does any one know where i can purchase a 6 V Coil? (Preferably one close to Bristol)

Thanks again to you all for your help earlier, it made life so much easier to a guy that has very limited mechanical knowledge:blush:

Regards

Mark

Good evening all i am back from my broken down Ford CMP,

Firstly thanks all for all your very helpful tips. After eliminating all the possible faults that you instructed me to investigate, it quickly became apparent that it is most probably the COIL that is to blame for the engine not firing up!

There is power to the coil but nothing coming out! On closer inspection there appears to be a large hairline crack on the top of the coil, (also the coil is heavily dented?)

I am now looking at sourcing a new 6V Coil to hopefully get her back on her feet:)

Does any one know where i can purchase a 6 V Coil? (Preferably one close to Bristol)

Thanks again to you all for your help earlier, it made life so much easier to a guy that has very limited mechanical knowledge:blush:

Regards

Mark

I picked up a fantastic set of books at the weekend - The Modern Motor Engineer - dated about 1950. In the first volume is a lengthy chapter drawing on pre and post war breakdown data from the RAC and it includes what I consider to be an excellent troubleshooting chart which would be perfect for owners of older vehicles. If anyone is interested I will scan and paste the chart for folks to download as they see fit.

 

As for the data, both pre and post war data list ignition as being the commonest cause of breakdown by a long chalk. But who can guess what the next commonest cause was?

 

Anyway with regard to a dead CMP I would check the points for gap and cleanliness, then the plugs for a spark.

Thanks Paul !

Hi Mark, Sorry to hear you're have problems an easy way to check it's a fuel problem is to take along a separate gravity feed fuel tank and connect this direct to the carb if she fires up then you have either a no fuel in the tank or a blocked pick up pipe or filter. Have you taken the cap off as if the vent is blocked this can cause an air lock you usually hear a rush of air when you remove it if this is the problem. If she doesn't fire up once you've done the above then are you sure it's fuel could you have a wire off the coil or closed points ? I agree with the previous post ethanol causes a lot of fuel problems especially when a vehicle has been standing for some time, carbs can gum up and seals break up but as she got you nearly home it should be something fairly simple. Check fuel as described, then remove a plug and see if there's a spark, if not remove the distributor cap and check you have power to the points and there is a gap when on the highest part of the cam, I once went to help a friend who over the phone told me there was a gap at the points and it still wouldn't go ! There was, unfortunately there was a gap the whole time and if the points don't close at all they won't create a spark Hope that makes sense :-) Good Luck mate, Dave

Dave,

Thank you for the great tips!

Regards Mark

Thanks Tony!!!

I will have a look at them points you mentioned and let you all know how i get on!

I hope i don't run the battery out tonight:-|

She is on her original 6v system, do you know if will i damage her if i slave the battery off of my VW Golf?

Mark

Afternoon all, last night i proudly collected my 1944 Ford CMP from Bristol. :laugh:

I was almost home when all of a sudden she cut out on me. (Like it had ran out of fuel) and is now in resting in a kind farmers drive way! :undecided:

On inspection there was still half a tank of petrol remaining. I repeatedly tried to fire her up (Good strong ignition) and (i can hear the fuel pump working well too) but she will not fire up.

I am going back tonight to try and solve the fault.:nut:

Any ideas from anyone if possable will be greatly appreciated!!! Regards all..... Mark

Welcome!

I'm a new-bee to, you will find every one here a great bunch!:-)

Regards,

Mark

Mark, try this link http://www.trueloyals.com/index.html a lot of information here.

 

regards

 

Pete

Thanks very much for the link Pete!

Very helpful.

Regards

Mark

The Division's light anti-aircraft unit might have used Fords as its towing vehicles for Bofors guns as an alternative to Bedfords. I haven't found concrete information for the D-Day period but by October 1944 the regiment would have had one troop of six self-propelled guns on Morris 4x4 chassis. These vehicles didn't have winches so each troop had two 4x4 LAA tractors because they were fitted with winches and could drag the Morrises out of the mire.

 

So you would be right in marking up your Ford as a vehicle of the Division's LAA Regiment, which was 92 LAA Regiment, RA. It will carry the divisional sign and the LAA arm of service marking which is number 47 in white on a red/blue square. It will also carry an individual vehicle identification marking. On the gun tractors and SP guns it's a battery marking (blue square with one quarter red, the position of the quarter signifies the battery), the troop letter or number, and the vehicle number, which would be 1 to 6. I assume that the extra Fords would have been marked in a similar way, possibly with a number above 6.

 

The photo shows one of 92LAA's SP Bofors vehicles of F Troop early in 1945 and the markings are just about visible. The divisional mark is faintly visible on the left hand stowage box. The white F4 shows that it's vehicle number 4 of F Troop, and it belongs to the Regiment's second battery - (with a bit of faith you can see that the bottom right hand quarter of the square behind the white F4 is darker than the rest, so this is the red bit. 92LAA's second battery was 318 Bty.)

 

Simples, as they say....

 

I can't remember where the photo came from but it appears on several websites. If there is any copyright problem I will happily remove it or acknowledge source.

Thank you very much Ivor!

That is superb information indeed. Thats going to be very helpful. I have now got that warm fuzzy feeling that i have purchased the right vehicle for the job:-)

Thanks Tony! Thats defiantly worth a look at .

Mark

Welcome aboard,

Mark