Canadian CMP truck restoration

I hope you are good with sheet metal looks like its going to need some new also really check over that flathead v8 some cracks are repairable but with water in the block they tend to freeze crack I wish I bought the ones I seen for sale 2 years ago 3 of them for $3500 1 was a ambulance

I'm not bad in the fabrication department plus I have a few pieces of sheet metal forming equipment already so It's not going to be too too bad just time consuming. I also read about the issues with the Flathead blocks cracking, but right now its still an unknown although by the sounds of it when it was last used it was running which was probably 40+ years ago.

Lucite, looking at your pics I think you may have a 60cwt Ford instead of a 15cwt. The frame looks too long (is it been added to?) and the tires too big (are they 16" or 20" rims?) Another give away would be to look at the front brake drum hubs just in from the middle cap with the three screws. If tapered, its a smaller 15cwt axle and if bulged outwards its a 60cwt. Also, I'd say your truck is 1942 because of the square instrument panel. By 1943 they were using round military type gauges. PM me and I can put you in touch with some Canadian sources for parts.

I'll have to take a closer look at it when I have the chance to get out where its being stored and take more pictures and I'll be sure to PM you in the next little bit about those parts. Thanks.

You should check out Classic Military Vehicles magazine. Besides articles on old military vehicles, it also has a classifieds section for people buying/selling these old vehicles and parts. It also has ads from various companies that stock old parts, etc..

I'll be sure to check them out, right now I'm only subscribed to the MVPA supply line magazine.

ever go over to mapleleafup.com good website on the old kit.

I glanced over some of their stuff, there was a couple posts about cmp restores that I found helpful.
 
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I saw two of those on the Alaska highway many years ago. I tried and tried to get back up there to buy them tore store them but by the time I got up there it was too late. They were gone and nobody remembered them, I would have tracked them down too. Such is life. I love the look of those cabs.
 
Good save, well done.

I know where there are some more CMPs. Anyone who has the money and a tandem flat deck trailer ready to go can PM me. Otherwise don't bother!
 
A few posts back I mentioned one sitting in Hawkesbury Ontario - I thought about that a little more and it is actually in Vankleek Hill Ontario. I found it on google street view! No stinging nettle around this one. I think it is the same sort of truck ? A guy down the road from me has a six wheeler sitting in his field, kinda looks like yours too.

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THATS MY HOME TOWN HAHAHAH!!!!
That trucks been sitting there since I rode the bus to school in the early 90's.

Fun fact, that red and white building used to be a chip stand.
 
A few posts back I mentioned one sitting in Hawkesbury Ontario - I thought about that a little more and it is actually in Vankleek Hill Ontario. I found it on google street view! No stinging nettle around this one. I think it is the same sort of truck ? A guy down the road from me has a six wheeler sitting in his field, kinda looks like yours too.

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is that a 63 or 64 impala I see
 
Learned to drive in one of those. :) Jean D'or Prairie, northern Alberta 1967. Came from Princess Auto, as I recall. Flat head ford, stick shift on the left. Synchro Mesh ? Ha, Ha. Our go anywhere truck. Betting it's still out there.

Grizz
 
With the weather warming up I thought I would give a little mini update. So far I've started to do a little work on the CMP, right now I'm just starting to tear down the doors and fab the window frames. Now while i was looking over the second door I noticed some white paint in the form of lettering so for ####s and giggles I decided to wipe it down with some snow and after a couple seconds more and more lettering began to appear through the dirt and grime and this is what I found

Top left corner: 8 or possible s
Center top: A-19-C.A.S.C.T.C
Middle: L
--
Bottom 50-183


All I've been able to find so far is A-19 C.A.S.C.T.C is the Canadian Army Service Corps Training Center at Camp Borden, as for the other letters and numbers I have no idea what they mean
 
Why don't you give the Borden Museum a ring?
http://www.cg.cfpsa.ca/cg-pc/borden/EN/facilities/pages/bordenmilitarymuseum.aspx

They might have someone or some records that may assist you :)
Do not go holding your breath on that one. OP, get yourself logged on to Maple Leaf Up and ask there and all will be answered. If you are going to sandblast that door take a piece of plastic talc and trace the info as it is the history of the truck OR just super carefully blast off the old dead paint around the stencil details and save the actual lettering. Doing a restoration along the lines of what you are undertaking is more then just saving/preserving the truck but also the history that goes with that particular vehicle. You are VERY fortunite to have the door stencil work.
 
Another mini update. So I decided to remove the skin on one of the doors to see what I was dealing with and while I was expecting rust I didn't think it would be enough to make a pound of rust flakes. That being said their still in pretty decent shape for 70 years old, and thank god for 16ga steel. So to get the skin off required a bit of brute force in the form of a hammer and a flat screwdriver to pry up the roll crimp with the occasional drilling of a spot weld. Once I had the crimp unfolded I regretfully had to drill out a majority of the screws to get the door fully disassembled thankfully I was able to save some for a reference when buying new ones. I also found the locking mechanism to be seized so I treated it and a couple other small parts in evapo-rust followed by a 3 day electrolysis soak and I must say I'm very pleased with the results even if it is heavily pitted. After the small parts were done and the electrolysis method was tested I've moved onto doing the main door sections so hopefully in a couple days weather permitting I should have a door ready for sheet metal repair. Below I've included some pictures of the cleaned latch mechanism and the main door body in the electrolysis "tank".



 
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