Armour dreams 2: Humber Mk IV
 

Evening All,

Firstly let me appolagise to all those that hate replicas, my son is sure that I will get kicked off the forum when I announce my intention to create another one.

So here goes, my intention is to make a replica Humber Armoured car mkiv, I haven't got any original parts so it will be constructed from parts that I do have in stock from and I will make the rest. How long will it take, I have no idea.

I have started by constructing the instrument panel, why there you may ask, well I had to start somewhere.

Jon

Another great project - look forward to seeing the progress.

Tim

Jonathon I enjoy these builds and am continually amazed at the ingenuity and level of skill involved. Can't wait for more.
Barry

I say build on :thup:

The replica haters, IMO, are a very short-sighted bunch. As shocking as it seems... WW2 will be 100 years ago before we know it. Bovington no longer runs their original WW1 tanks out of fear of damaging irreplaceable parts.

WW2 tanks have superior metallurgy and engineering which will keep them running longer than their predecessors but lack of spares will eventually park them all without new-production components. The very original, rare tanks will likely gather dust in museums and the more common ones will continue with increasing amounts reproduction parts. At what point is it no longer "grandad's axe"?

And let's not forget the cost factor... when I was a teenager (had I known in early internet days) I could have bought a tank project for the price of low-end used car. Now as I barely approach middle-age people want 100k for shot-up wrecks and nice tanks cost more than most people's homes.

For people like me in the USA we also have a geographical disadvantage. There are very slim pickings here... the US for the most part didn't bring back any tanks or spares... getting projects from Europe has become prohibitively expensive. When I first started project shopping, getting a container shipped from Europe was 6-8k, last time I looked it was 20k. Even I was to obtain one of the "scrap-price wrecks for the brave restorer" I'd probably be looking at 30k before it even got to my shop. How much of a Swiss-cheese wreck would actually make it into a finished restoration?

I'm doing my best to try take some of the heat off of you buy starting my own replica build... I've spent the last 3 years working to obtain documentation from archives in half a dozen countries.

Morning,

Thanks for the positive comments I have started the chassis so the projects moving, time appears to be my only constraint at present. So Chase, let us all in to your secret, what are you planning to build?

Jon

I honestly don't know... I have don't have enough documentation on anything that makes me feel comfortable moving forward yet. I've narrowed it down to a few tanks and tried to focus my efforts on them.... I've been devoting a large part of my spare time (and spare $$$) to research for the last 3 years with no end in sight.

I'd like to build a replica of a tank that does not exist in the USA, or at least a tank that does not exist in private hands.

I'm very interested in the convertible drive tanks, such as the T3 Christie or the Russian BT Series. I have probably 50-60% of the documentation I would need to move forward on a BT-7... but dealing with Russian archives is an exercise in frustration... I've all but given up moving forward on these. The sole surviving T3 Medium is a "prisoner" at Ft. Lee... off limits to us mere peasants.

I'm also interested in the early British Cruisers, I have everything Bovington had on the A.10... I still wouldn't try moving forward without examining the original... but I'm not confident I could replicate the suspension... which means trying to source Valentine components... might not make me too popular with Valentine owners.

Almost no original documentation survives on the A.13 save for the operator's manual.

I have a decent amount of documentation on the Matilta I infantry tank, but I'm not sure I can physically cram my 6' 2" self into one... and casting a turret would be extremely difficult.

I'm currently focusing my efforts on the Czech LT Vz.38 and variants... Panzer 38(t), Panzerwagen 39, etc. I've requested that the Bundesarchiv in Freiburg digitize all of the manuals that they have for the 38(t) and the Hetzer... they have completed most of them and they are freely available for anyone to download. I'm also currently waiting for a bill from the archive in Prague for more documentation. There is a Marder III and Hetzer trapped at Ft. Lee, and 2 Grille in Oklahoma... but the Grille has very little left in common with a basic 38(t).

For the most part I'm trying to limit my efforts to a light or small medium tank, something with relatively thin armor... minimal castings or bent complex curved plates... with simple (preferably leaf-sprung) suspension.

My only non-tracked documentation project is the Sd.Kfz. 234 series, mostly focused on the 234/3. Very little information seems to be available... and there are only 3 survivors... all in relatively poor, incomplete condition. I know of a gentleman in Europe who claims to have 500 pages of photocopies of original blueprints... but I'm honestly afraid to reach out. I also feel like the suspension and steering actually make the 234 a more difficult project than a small tank.

Blimey Chase, sounds like you have been over some of the ground that I have been over, although I am not a patient as you sound. It was my intention to make another tracked vehicle and I even looked into a A10 but the tracks put me right off, hence the Humber. It will be interesting to see what you decide to make.

I have started the chassis, Its an old chassis that has had a previous life and I have altered it to suit, its not a perfect replica of a Humber chassis and it never could be because of the components that I intend to use for the build but I will try and stay as faithful as possible, to the Humber design.

I wonder If some nice person could answer me a question, what is the ground clearance from the bottom of the chassis rail at it's thickest point, approximately mid length. I can find the clearance under the axle but that's of no help to me.

That's all for now.

Jon

Evening All,

Things are progressing in the right direction. The floor in my workshop is nowhere level enough to finish weld the chassis on so I made a jig out some RSJ and leveled it using a laser level. I had to put a temporary cross member approximately two thirds of the way along because until the wheels are on and I have decided the position of the engine gearbox etc I am not sure where they will be or what they will be like.

Then I turned it over and finish welded the top and fitted the spring mounts.

One cock up I did make, was on the rear spring hangers. I fitted the hangers only to find that the angle of the spring was all wrong, so I had to increase the length of the thickest section of the chassis by about 6" towards the rear of the chassis in order to lower the front hangers and correct the spring angle. We live and learn.

The springs aren't the ones that I intend to use but they will do for the now.

That's it for this update.

Jon

I'm honestly approaching the point of burnout with research and I'm not getting any younger...

I told my wife if I'm not content with the documentation I've collected on anything that is a reasonable size and weight next year... I'm just going to build a Mk. IV tank from WW1... I have copies of the surviving blueprints from Bovington and they are a far better starting point than I have ever found on anything else... save maybe the early M3 light tank variants. I would also be able to examine a Mk. IV female tank in person at Ft. Moore here in the USA.

Best of luck with the Humber I eagerly await more updates :thup2:

There are a number of replica's/ movie props in Europe. I recall hearing that Guy Martin got a lot of help from a German enthusiast to build his WW1 tank. This gentleman had made a full set of engineering drawings, IIRC.

It is a humongous task, would you consider building a replica at 1/3 or 1/2 scale? That would make it a more viable option from engineering, cost and transportation point of views and still be an interesting vehicle to display

I have seen the Guy Martin documentary several times and all I'll say about is that the exterior of the tank is lovely and that I very much disagree with some of the engineering choices made in the replica.

Evening All.

First let me thank Nielsv for all the fantastic pictures that he had on file and for letting me have copies of them, they are a fantastic source of information.

Chase, personally I think that anything that you are going to build will be a massive challenge and part of the enjoyment, at least for me, is working out how it all works and how it was constructed Just choose one and make a start.

It's on it's wheels and I am slowly working out how everything on the front cross member is attached but some of the brackets are quite complicated, life would be so much simpler with some drawings but that would be too easy.

I am glad that they where useful.
Its looking good already

Evening All,

It's seems ages since the last update but I haven't given up, just busy with other things and work.

I had a Jaguar 3.6 cylinder 6 cylinder engine and autogearbox so that is what I have used and as you can see from the pictures both have been fitted. The engine would have had an electric fan so I had to do some alterations to fit a standard fan. I thought using the existing autobox would make my life a little easier in regards to the clutch mechanism and the gear linkage but I may regret my decision, we will have to wait and see.

The transfer box is also fitted and I have made and fitted the opperating levers but only one lever is used as this transferbox has no seperate diff lock, so the other lever is to make everything look as it should.

Todays job was to make the gearshift lever and then I started the handbrake lever but I was ejected from the workshop as my son was spraying his digger. Kids, who would have then. What else can I say, you can see from the pictures the progress that has been made but it's got a long way to go.

Jon