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Morris C9/B


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I wonder how successful the concept was , were any enemy aircraft confirmed as actually shot down by one of the MCC C9/B.

 

The idea didn't seem to last post WW2 , mounting Bofors AA on vehicles or am I wrong .

 

BTW at least one of these made it down under as pictured on the AWM archives. It hasn't been found anywhere...but I'm looking .

 

Mike

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I wonder how successful the concept was , were any enemy aircraft confirmed as actually shot down by one of the MCC C9/B.

 

The idea didn't seem to last post WW2 , mounting Bofors AA on vehicles or am I wrong .

 

BTW at least one of these made it down under as pictured on the AWM archives. It hasn't been found anywhere...but I'm looking .

 

Mike

 

Mike, if you look at the photo of the Manx Regiment (15th LAA Regt, RA) C9/B in post no. 70 you can see 2 "kill" marks on the top corner of the gun shield. The Regiment used these vehicles extensively from D-Day onwards and they were entirely SP from January 1945. They were the highest-scoring LAA Regiment in the British Army and SP Bofors were responsible for several kills.

 

C9/Bs were used until the mid-50s. This one was struck off census in 1955.

 

Good luck with your search.

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Here's the Morris at what will be its eventual home, the Manx Aviation & Military Museum/Museum of the Manx Regiment. We're going to extend the Nissen hut over the concrete pad that the vehicle is standing on to provide a display area for it.

 

It won't be on permanent display at the museum until later in the summer but if the weather's decent during the TT Race period it will be making an appearance.

C9B 6.JPG

C9B 7.jpg

C9B 8.JPG

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:yay::yay:It's mine! MINE! Nahahahaaaaa!

 

 

The ST900 starter solenoid on Ebay, that is.

 

I'll no longer have to gingerly reach down the side of the block to push the starter button on the end of the duff solenoid. And I can fit the engine cover plate again. :yay:

Solenoid.jpg

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  • 10 months later...

After a long period of silence on here due to building a Nissen hut at the museum in which the Morris will live, I thought I'd do an update.

 

If you've read this blog before you might remember me mentioning a certain reluctance to start on the part of the truck. It would start best if I took off the air pipe between the filter and carb and blocked it with my hand. After pondering long and hard I reckoned that the choke flap mustn't be working right. On these things the choke cable disappears between the carb and the block and is completely inaccessible for examination, never mind for adjustment so I took the carb off and sure enough there wasn't enough movement on the cable. This was easily fixed by shortening the outer cable and now the choke works as it should. Even better, and to my great relief, the engine now starts almost immediately every time.

 

When we got the truck the fuel supply was by gravity from a jerrican placed on a passenger seat. I stripped and rebuilt the original Autovac but I never reconnected it because I suspected it might be part of the starting problem. However when the engine was running the Autovac seemed to be filling with petrol as intended so I removed the jerrican and reconnected the Autovac which works perfectly. They are so simple, why are people reluctant to keep them in use?

 

I need to find a better oil pressure gauge now because this one sticks at 45psi, which isn't much good. It's a standard 2 inch Smiths one.

 

There's more work to do. I've located a Bofors gun and mounting which will replace the replica gun and weirdly modified original mounting that's fitted on the truck. The replica is pretty good but, well, it's a replica! The mounting has been increased in height by about 8 inches by the Norwegian military and throws out the whole appearance of the gun. I'll keep you posted.

 

Towards the top of the photo you will see with the excessively long outer choke cable. The cable tie that fixed the air pipe to the carb has been replaced with a rather more period fitting.

Carb 2..jpg

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I drove the Morris to its new home today. It was an interesting experience. The brakes are appalling but they do actually work. No doubt they'll be better when they've bedded in. The only trauma was the loss of the spring that operates the brake light switch. It was there when I set off but it vanished somewhere on the road.

 

Whilst clearing out the restoration shed this afternoon I came across a couple of metal boxes that were bolted to the truck when we got it. Both of them have been stencilled with non-original marks but one has got first aid instructions on a label inside the lid. Can anybody tell me what they are?

New home..jpg

C9B at museum 1..jpg

Box 1 1..JPG

Box 2 1..JPG

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  • 1 month later...

The Morris is causing a lot of interest at the museum. This afternoon it was visited by the former commander of "A" Troop, 1st Battery of the 15th LAA Regt. He had 6 C9/Bs in his Troop when they went onto the Normandy beaches. Not only has he got perfect recall of everything that happened, he's got a notebook which lists the C9/B serial numbers, the serial numbers of the Troop's 15 cwt trucks and all the crew names. Absolute treasure!

 

I think this just about rounds this thread off. Thanks for watching and for the generous help that many of you have given me. I just wish I'd become a MV owner years ago.

 

The museum's next vehicle has been secured and will soon be heading to the Isle of Man. Watch this part of the forum for my next restoration blog.

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  • 3 months later...
I drove the Morris to its new home today. It was an interesting experience. The brakes are appalling but they do actually work. No doubt they'll be better when they've bedded in. The only trauma was the loss of the spring that operates the brake light switch. It was there when I set off but it vanished somewhere on the road.

 

Whilst clearing out the restoration shed this afternoon I came across a couple of metal boxes that were bolted to the truck when we got it. Both of them have been stencilled with non-original marks but one has got first aid instructions on a label inside the lid. Can anybody tell me what they are?

Hi Ivor, I was very interested in the C9 as I believe it was profiled in the magazine of the Morris Commercial Club of which I am a member. By a strange quirk of fate I have just located a C9 which was converted to a recovery truck and is missing much of the original fittings. It would be beyond my scope to restore it but I wonder if you know of anyone who might be interested? I have some photos but would need my children to send them as I don't know how. The chassis looks ok and it has the basic body work but only half of one jack at the back.I know who has a bofors gun but much work would be needed to convert it back to original.

It would be a shame to see it being scrapped but that will happen soon unless someone comes forward.

Doug Matheson

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Hi Doug, that's a rare find. I knew of only four survivors but this one makes it five now. It's got to be worth saving. I'd have a go at it but I'm just about to start on a Morris CDSW 6x4 gun tractor. Why not try an ad on here. I'm sure someone will take it on and I'll be pleased to give advice.

 

Please get your children to post some photos on here or PM me for my email address, I'd love to see it.

 

Our C9/B is the one that was in the M-C Club magazine.

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It's arriving on 14th August so I'll be starting a new restoration blog then. Meanwhile, I'm trying to gather as much CDSW material as I can. Can anybody let me have a copy of a workshop manual and a spare parts list?

 

Here's a photo to keep you drooling until then.

CDSW start.jpg

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Nice one :)

The manual you're after is "Repair aids for service vehicles" September 1940. I've got a pretty poor copy of one that came with my CS8, so somebody must do them, although the best manual for the engine is the later CS8 & C4 publication, which is available from Groucho publishing. The CD/SW spare parts book is not up to much as it only covers the engine, chassis and running gear and only has illustrations of the major sub assemblies, but still useful. Owners manuals ("C.D. type range six wheelers" - green cover) come up for sale on Ebay from time to time so shouldn't be too difficult to find. The best people to get in contact with will be Rory Ballard or Tobin Jones - they might even have the literature relating to the Bofors tractor body. If you have no joy I'll get copies done of mine and send them out to you.

Good luck with the CD, it really is a wonderful thing.

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