CCKW CANVAS DOORS
Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 2:36 pm
NOS originals are expensive and difficult to find.It is not unusual ti invest $250.00+ per door. When found, even if new in the original box, the lights are usually yellowed with age and they may be translucent. Dry rot may also have occured. The vaporization of the chemicals used in treating GI Canvas is what causes the opacity that occurs with original plastic windows after years of storage. I bought several NOS LH Doors and the canvas was perfect, the doors were US Army Issue and dated 1956. To get NOS RH I had Judith at New Live recover some with new canvas to make them RH. The frames are identical, but one of the hinges is not. Russ Jones and I bought the doors together, and thanks to the craftmanship of Russ, the RH hinges were no problem, and we have two sets of perfect CCKW canvas doors plus spares. There is much bracing and riveting on the doors in order to make them rigid. Judith being a a friend, agreed to recover two doors to make them RH, and also installed fresh plastic in the LH ones. It cost over $150.00 per door to recover them and rivet the stiffners back on. She normally discouraged taking on these fussy projects, but thats' what friends are for. I supplied many NOS canvas items and hardware to her in order for her to have accurate samples to copy from. Her 1 Ton Ben Hur Cover and many of the Dodge, Jeep and other rare items were done from NOS examples I provided over the years.
There are European virsions of the CCKW Canvas Doors, they have many cosmetic differences, theydo work well, are lighter in shade and the differences are noticeable.
NOTE:
I understand Judith has sold the business to someone out West, and am confident that the new owner will continue to manufacture a superior product to the competition.
There are European virsions of the CCKW Canvas Doors, they have many cosmetic differences, theydo work well, are lighter in shade and the differences are noticeable.
NOTE:
I understand Judith has sold the business to someone out West, and am confident that the new owner will continue to manufacture a superior product to the competition.