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1938 LIU Bell Canada Truck Back Arrived!

Started by DavePEI, July 07, 2015, 06:13:30 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: DavePEI on July 14, 2015, 05:05:28 PM
I finally broke down and bought the plate
NorthernElectric mentioned below. The seller lives quite a distance from me, but is going to mail it to me. I should have it early next week! The perfect plate for a 1938 LIU!
I was going to say; that isn't something you should pass up, even if you blew your budget for the month! It's more than perfect for the box!!!

I'm sure there's a pair of rear truck fenders from some '38 Ford out there for sale in the coming months! It doesn't look complete without a couple of those!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

NorthernElectric

Quote from: DavePEI on July 14, 2015, 05:05:28 PM
I finally broke down and bought the plate
NorthernElectric mentioned below. The seller lives quite a distance from me, but is going to mail it to me. I should have it early next week! The perfect plate for a 1938 LIU!

Now I feel a bit guilty for instigating a further strain on your budget.  Did I mention I sometimes have trouble controlling my own spending?   :)

Glad you got it though; seemed perfect for the LIU.
Cliff

DavePEI

#17
Aside from buying the 38 plate for the LIU, I got a bit more done today on it.....

The roof is now coated with aluminized elastomeric roof coating, and yesterday I spent some time replacing one small rusted section of metal in the front corner. It is completely sealed from rain now, and looking great!

Later, I cleaned and vacuumed out the front cargo compartment and sprayed the rust there with Rust Stop - there is a lot of work to do in that compartment, but it is small, and I will do it as I find time. At least now, no more moisture can get into it, so any developing rust should be arrested now, and all from now will be uphill!

I am going to take it easy now for a couple of days, and rest up this tired old body! The trailer is safe and sound, and the back compartment is 100%, except that I will probably put a new coat of aluminum paint on it and the drawers eventually. If I get ambitious this afternoon, I may load a bit more in it!

I don't know if I ever posted the PDF file I made of the tool layout chart for the LIU. If not, here is a copy!
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
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Mr. Bones

Super-Nice, Dave! 8) 8)

Keep up the good work, keep us posted, and don't over-do yourself, my friend!

Best regards!
Sláinte!
   Mr. Bones
      Rubricollis Ferus

DavePEI

#19
Here is the result of today's work on the LIU. The inside is painted, the back door lock replaced, and the sun fried weatherstripping on the back door has been replaced. Third photo shows the deadbolt mechanism on the back door which locks it top and bottom, and in the middle.
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

HarrySmith

Very nice progress. You are doing an outstanding job on this. Where did you find the correct lock mechanism? That is one of the things I was curious about on the earlier pictures, what was there did not lock right. Keep up the good work!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

DavePEI

#21
Quote from: HarrySmith on July 15, 2015, 10:32:01 PM
Very nice progress. You are doing an outstanding job on this. Where did you find the correct lock mechanism? That is one of the things I was curious about on the earlier pictures, what was there did not lock right. Keep up the good work!
Hi Harry: What was there was the original lock minus its handle, and the fellow who had it for the past 30 years or so had simply mounted a hasp over it. To rotate the lock and release the locking bars, he used a key fabricated from bronze which mimicked the normal handle. To access the hole for the home made key, one had to open the hasp. The problem with that, is if his home made key was pushed in too far, it would pop the inside cam and it's bearing off the door, leaving it next to impossible to open. The cam and bearing fit loosely in the retainer on the door, and were designed to be held in place by the correct handle.

So, what I did was buy a garage door T handle, and modify it to fit the lock (involving only cutting the shaft shorter, and drilling a hole through which a cotter pin could hold the interior part of the lock in the correct position. Fortunately, these haven't changed that much over the years, so it fit the original mounting holes (which had been hidden under the hasp). So now the hasp is gone, and it locks with a key just as it would have originally!

Thank goodness the design of these lock handles has remained pretty well the same since the late 30s! Other than cutting the shaft shorter and drilling the cotter pin hole in the shaft of the new handle, I didn't have to drill or enlarge any holes. Thank goodness, as I doubt very much I would have gotten very far by going to the nearest auto parts store and asking for a lock handle for a 1938 LIU box!
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

DavePEI

#22
Well, I finally earned my break from working at the LIU. I had been hoping for a day of rain to force a break, but it didn't happen - instead, I finished what I had to do, then put my tools away! I will still have to work on the front compartment of the LIU, but for now, I am satisfied. Now back to regularly scheduled programming!

After I finished the work on the LIU, I spent a while getting a better scan of its layout chart, and did it in 3 JPG files that can be easily stitched together to produce a replacement chart for another LIU. I may in fact, use the copy on mine, since I was able to digitally remove a lot of the bad areas caused by 70 years of use, and improve the clarity.

If you wish to use this, print out the three JPG files located in the .ZIP file below, trim the right border off the first, and the left border of the third, and overlay 1 and 3 over number 2, lining it up, then tape. This is the best quality I can get considering the discoloration and mildew caused by 70 years on the LIU.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

NorthernElectric

Quote from: DavePEI on July 16, 2015, 09:47:08 PMIf you wish to use this, print out the three JPG files located in the .ZIP file below, trim the right border off the first, and the left border of the third, and overlay 1 and 3 over number 2, lining it up, then tape.

Here it is stitched together digitally.  With minor scaling, it looks like it could be printed on tabloid paper (11x17).
Cliff

DavePEI

Quote from: NorthernElectric on July 16, 2015, 11:16:28 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on July 16, 2015, 09:47:08 PMIf you wish to use this, print out the three JPG files located in the .ZIP file below, trim the right border off the first, and the left border of the third, and overlay 1 and 3 over number 2, lining it up, then tape.

Here it is stitched together digitally.  With minor scaling, it looks like it could be printed on tabloid paper (11x17).
Thanks! I didn't have the software to stitch it together! Just did it the hard way using tape :-)
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

NorthernElectric

Quote from: DavePEI on July 16, 2015, 11:35:35 PM
Quote from: NorthernElectric on July 16, 2015, 11:16:28 PM
Quote from: DavePEI on July 16, 2015, 09:47:08 PMIf you wish to use this, print out the three JPG files located in the .ZIP file below, trim the right border off the first, and the left border of the third, and overlay 1 and 3 over number 2, lining it up, then tape.

Here it is stitched together digitally.  With minor scaling, it looks like it could be printed on tabloid paper (11x17).
Thanks! I didn't have the software to stitch it together! Just did it the hard way using tape :-)

I used FastStone Image Viewer (free for personal use) to straighten and crop the images.  Then I made a blank image in Paint (comes with Windows) more than large enough to accommodate the combined images and copied and pasted from FastStone into Paint and dragging each pasted segment into place.  Then saved and opened the combined image in FastStone to crop.
Cliff

DavePEI

#26
Here is a bit more cleaned up version, done from Cliff's combined scan. I have been able to decipher and clarify all markings.... Save a copy to disk, then take it to Staples, or another printer, and have it printed out on tabloid paper (11x17).

You will want to have it laminated to a stiff 12x18 backboard for mounting in the LIU chart frame. I am thinking the best backing would be a piece of corrugated plastic board as opposed to straight cardboard as was used on the original. This just slides into the frame from the right hand side with the door completely open.

It has taken a couple of days to clear up this copy completely due to the bad shape of the original, but I wanted to have a clearer copy to put back in the LIU, so I thought it best to post a copy here for others to use.

Just a note: Re: the box labelled Parker Kalon Screws. No, I didn't know what they were, either. I was curious, so I Googled them, and found they are self drilling screws!

Now, the one box which remains unlabelled which should have been labelled in the original chart is the box directly above the three Material Drawers. That is the area which was scraped clean of markings on the original. It is essentially an Equipment area. There are a couple of other unlabelled boxes - they are also unlabelled in the original.
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

DavePEI

I just got the news that a 10 foot wooden extension ladder had been donated by Brian Gough as an accessory for the trailer. It is in a bit rough shape, but a bit of repair and some good wood sealer should make it a great part of the display.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

AE_Collector

#28
Everything looks great Dave. Good job! You still have way more energy than I do when it comes to getting projects done.

Where is the "2 Piece Twenty" ladder located? Will it be another long road trip before it arrives? Too bad we live so far apart. I have 3 or 4 sets of three piece 30's that i woukd gladly donate to get them out of here!

Terry


DavePEI

#29
Quote from: AE_Collector on July 17, 2015, 11:26:18 AM
Everything looks great Dave. Good job! You still have way more energy than I do when it comes to getting projects done.

Where is the "2 Piece Twenty" ladder located? Will it be another long road trip before it arrives? Too bad we live so far apart. I have 3 or 4 sets of three piece 30's that i would gladly donate to get them out of here!

Terry
Not energy to get them done - I am too stubborn, and I want to get them done, so I keep at it until they are  :) I used to be the opposite until I was in my 30s, when one day I realized that if I wanted to finish them up, I had to keep going at them. Now, its a lot harder, but as long as I use common sense, the exercise is good for me. The only difference is I now have to remember my limitations, and take plenty of sit down breaks and Advil!

Shortly after I moved to the Island full time, I had 6 loads of pit run gravel dumped at the road end of my driveway. They didn't try to distribute it at all.There was I with my shovel, rake, and wheelbarrow, looking longingly as the farmers drove by with their tractors and loaders, and then I realized the only way I would get it done was to muscle my way through it. That I did, and I had it all spread by the end of the day. It felt good to get it done, and it is the same feeling I get now when I finish something up.

I will have the ladder in a couple of weeks. I don't suspect you recognized the trailer the ladders were leaning against. It is the same one the LIU came down from Ontario in shown at the bottom of the topic unloading the LIU. It is on the Western part of the Island right now, but Brian says he will drop the ladder off some time in the next week. Brian is the same fellow who picked up the LIU in Ontario for me and who brought it to the Island two weeks ago....

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001