Had a setback on the engine and had to start looking for a camshaft for the Chev 216. Spent 4 hours on the phone and ended up driving up to Pilliga. Found several old Blitz’s and more importantly got two doors and the hatch I was missing. Ended up finding the camshaft 13km from front door in the end!

The door has:

46119
KKK

Then three coloured bars under it. Thats the best pictures I could get.
Any ideas?

(Not that it matters as the doors will be under a new identity soon.)

Rain In Coona....
 

G'day Mick,

According to the television news it seems that it has been a bit wet down your way of late, are you anywhere near the rising rivers?

We have have rain off and on each day since Christmas Eve. The local newspaper said that the last three months in Bundaberg were the driest on record since 1942.

I sent you a PM last week - did you get it? Please send a reply via another PM cheers.

Regards
Lionel

(PM sent)

Got a few markings painted back on while waiting for the call that the engine is ready.

When this project arrived it had the Mirror Bracket (shown in green) in the picture. While the Ford and Chevy brackets mount differently does anyone know is the bracket in the picture an add on or a piece of Kiwi manufacturing?

Also, I was looking at a few pictures of these Puddle Jumpers driving in the Solomon Islands and noticed the side mirrors on them were round, not the square shape on the normal Blitz’s, question is, are the round ones just maybe mirrors the Kiwis knocked off the Americans or was it the normal mirror the NZ used?

Mirror Brackets
 

Those mirror arms look like solid rod. The ones I have found are all two piece tube with a folded clamp that bolts to the casting you have that goes on the top hinge of the door. I'll get a pic for you.

I'm not sure about mirrors now. Perhaps they used the round ones as replacements, but then if all the solomons vehicles had round ones, that suggests the whole vehicle fleet left NZ with them.

Certainly the round ones are simpler and cheaper to make, with the flat glass mirror. This is going to need some study!

seasons greetings
Rob

Axle lamp
 

This project has been on hold for a while. Had big rain here and washed out a heap of flood gates and with Christmas New year finding a camshaft wasn’t easy. Got one out of the States for $110 US, brand new, so no complaints there, was here in 9 days.

Have one door up and ready but the other door, while solid, has the latch mechanism missing altogether so will need to track another one down, or at least the mechanism ( does anyone know if another sort of truck used the same latch parts?).

Axle lamp was turned out by a mate of mine. He used 1¼ solid rod and the results were just what I was looking for.

Question......did the axle lamp have a lens (what colour) inserted into the barrel, if so, was it in the end or just infront of the globe?

Thankyou Rupert from Perth for the Delco shock - its been painted and bolted on Rupert

Here is a 'before' and 'after' of the Dashboard
Thanks Bob. Another step closer.

Hi Mick,the axle light would have a clear lens,and pointed at the diff head which is painted white(the diff head that is)

As the axle lamp is basically the same as the convoy marker lamps on the front guards, you could use a clear lens inside the body under the spring (as opposed to the opaque white on the front lamps), but the axle lamp originally used an external lens slipped on the front of the tube, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find an original one.

What source do you use for the lens for the side lights?

Are they something that can be tracked down or have you had to manufacture them?

I haven’t got any so a will be looking for the full set.

1 inch hole saw
 

Hi

I've been making replacement lenses for the marker lights for years, lacking a source of NOS. I'll have to check the hole saw size, but I have one that the ID of the cut out is just right for the marker lamps. I've used red lexan for tail lights and clear for the front. If you want he white sand both sides with 220 grit wet sand paper gives and acceptable white. Or if you can find white plastic boxes saw the holes out of that. Best done by clamping the plastic on a drill press with some wood underneath for saw clearance on a drill press.

If you use 1/8 inch thick lexan you don't get the warping of the thinner originals.

Cheers Phil

Hi Mick,
If the insides that hold the bulbs are rusted away an LED replacement insert for a "magnalite" flashlight will fit in quite nicely. I found some tiny connectors off an old computer hard drive fitted exactly over the two prongs on the insert. Wires could be soldered to them but keep the heat from getting to the LED's . Lens's cut from a diffuser cover from a flourescent ceiling light worked well.
Wire a 1watt 100R resistor between the led and ground if it is a 6 volt system. Polarity is important. If it doesn't work
swap the leads around.
Some gasket sealer will keep the dust and water out.
Cheers,

I got mine off a guy in Qld called Wayne Kotz. The contact details I have for Wayne seem to have changed, so perhaps you could contact him through MLU Member Oztankboy, who I understand drifts within his circle. :cheers:

Was the single stop light, thats located on the inside of the two light back right hand side, a red colour as well....the same as the back two red tail lights? I have researched it a bit from here but I thought I read somewhere it was green but carnt find the post again.

I spotted the rear three light set up on a post by Tony smith.

Had rain here today (still going) and out of absolute boredom, decided to see if tools for this project had any marking when new? Found a few pictures and one of interest I have posted here of New Zealand Army store depot Guadalcanal. Noticed the new shovels and spades on the left and did the same to this one.

Thanks to Mike Kelly for his C8AX tray plans I am starting to bend the tray up this Wednesday.

I love these little attentions to detail! You realise you will now also have to carry a rusty shovel for digging latrines :doh: Ron

Probably done to stop those thieving Aussies from borrowing them long term :D

Probably to stop comtaminating Aussie Pits with Kiwi Droppings!

Mick, shouldn't you have marked the shovel with the same tac number as the truck? Now it looks like YOU'VE nicked the shovel from another unit! :eek:

Thanks Tony for the guidance with the colour of the lights. (And you’re right, I should have put a 102 on the shovel, I thought the 20 was a item number or something! With the rain we had I was on a two day bender so didn’t pay much attention)

Cut the rust out of the back of the rear of cab and had it in one spot on roof rear. All painted green now anyway. Fitter rang up and I can pick the engine up so will do just that Friday. Made a start on the C8AX tray from the plans Mike Kelly sent me.

Good job you are doing there Mick

Tray Cut and pressed
 

Finished all the cutting and pressing for the tray from Mike Kelly’s plans.
Weld it up next week and on the weekend - its green. Might not look like much but its another part of the project out of the road.
A – Headboard
B – Tailgate
D- Tailgate (upside down) sitting on back ends
F - Support struts that will eventually have the strapping from the canopy bows feed into it.

Took 5 sheets of 18 gauge.

Just as a matter of interest - has anyone any knowledge of just how many parts/bolts/pieces went into one of these trucks?

Engine
 

Just picked the engine up. Will paint it tomorrow so then I can finally start to rebuilt the truck.......the long wait is over :)

Need Advice
 

In the first picture - am I correct in saying the blue line is for a T piece that houses the Oil Pressure guage sender and the oil hose to the oil filter inlet? The Red screw is where the return hose from Oil filter taps in?

The next picture - is this where the PCV line plugs in and/or does it share this hole with the windscreen wipers?

Lastly - A few people have said not to bother even putting the oil filter back on as if it let a hose go etc you can imagine the problems. Whats the thoughts on that?

Thanks..........Mick

Locker door hinges
 

Hi Mick,
I can't work out how to send pics via the private message thing.
This will have to do.
The original hinges were 3" I used 3 1/2"stainless steel butt hinges. Quite cheap at the local hardware store.
I found some 1/4 solid rivets to attach them to the doors and used 5/16 bolts threaded into backing plates for the sill.
The original ones had silly little machine screws.
All my doors bar one are off the original deck.
If you are stuck for the twisted link chains mine came from car tyre snow chains. (no common in your part of the world)
Regards,
Terry

Deck details
 

All our PJ decks have butt hinges welded on the locker doors.

On the deck of NZ25051 build number 891 the chains are twisted, and there are two holes for the hook.
On the deck of NZ25791 build number 833 the chains have straight links and a single hole for the hook.

My Ambulance deck NZ22899 Build no 087 has straight links, of a heavier guage chain and single hook holes.

I think they are all standard fittings, though 25051 had RNZEME colours on the bumper, so it may have been modified/improved. (It had little details like an angle iron strengthening of the tailgate, and an angle iron frame on top of the engine cover).

Rob

metal work
 

MICK

Do you have a folder ..or are you getting it done by a workshop in town ?

Glad to see the time I put in measuring it all is coming to fruition ... :cheers:

I have a mate who has a ‘home’ engineering works. I don’t know how he manages to do it, but he seems to have one of everything. Another semi retired guy who lives here was a tool maker by trade, and said he’d love to cut and press it up with me. Nothing like calling in every favour from everyone I know to help out. Think the town will be glad when I'm finished!

The engine I will drop into the chassis after work tomorrow. The good thing about being an Aussie doing up a Kiwi truck is if anyone tells me the colour or something isn’t quite right all I have to say “it’s a Kiwi thing”!

Mike - The plans you sent me have been invaluable to this project.

Timber type?
 

Engine in and most of cab on. Spent the afternoon with a mate getting the tray ‘plum’ and a bit welded together. Hope to work on it more this weekend.

Any comments on what Aussie timber to use on the truck decking – ran into an old farmer in town tonight and he said some trucks had bearers of ironbark but with Apple Gum floor boards in his day. More incline to stick to all Ironbark. Any ideas?

getting there
 

Having a spot of trouble with where the end of the hand throttle cable attaches to the carter carby......anyone know or got a pic?

sorry can't help with your cable problem but you are doing a fantastic job of restoring her so congradulations! :thup2:

throttle cable goes through longer bracket and centre core links on to throttle linkage :thup: