Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Headlight driver.jpg Headlight passenger.jpg Headlights both.jpg
Once the paint was almost touch dry, headlights went on, as did the upper mudguard bracket that sits under nose panel. I also did a very brief trial fitment of the bonnet late this afternoon. As usual, it fits in a way that touches a number of areas where it shouldn't! It also will require addition of a shim under each hinge attachment point. Here we go again!!!!
Accelerator linkage.jpg
Now that I have a new vacuum, i'm back in the business of blasting my own smaller parts again. Started with the accelerator pedal and associated hardware. These are now painted (black) and drying for fitting on Sunday.
TAC sign for nose.jpg
I have been stuffing around with ways of spraying the TAC sign onto the nose panel. A lot of unusual ways have been suggested. Hair spray has been rumoured to have sufficient 'stick' to hold the stencil in place. It doesn't work. I tried using a paper glue stick around the edges. This works but can bleed through the edges and spoil the edges.

Tomorrow I go into town and buy a pack of A4 size labels, which I will print a copy of the TAC sign onto. Then the white bit gets cut out and the remainder gets put on the nose for spraying straight through. No problem, simple, unless the label sticks No........it won't......will it?!?!? We will know by end of Sunday.

Tomorrow is a 'CMP free' day. Next SitRep Sunday. The vehicle serial numbers might be on then too.

[Private_collector]

As it turns out, today not quite so CMP free as I had originally thought
Pedal plate 1.jpg Pedal plate 2.jpg
Once I got home from Brisbane this evening, I found myself an indoors project to do while watching Heartbeat. Decided to reassemble the accelerator parts on pedal plate.

Once the throttle linkages are in place, the accelerator pedal sits nearly in the vertical position when returned by the linkage spring. Is this normal? I have sought of figured that if it is, there must be another mechanical 'stop' somewhere from here to carburetor that holds this in a more reasonable position.

As you can see from the photos, I still need to find the other two plates that go over clutch & brake lever holes.

Would I be correct in believing that the absent cover part for clutch & portion of steering column is one combined piece?

If you have either of these bits for sale (or a correct accelerator stop rubber), I would love to hear from you. It will save me a lot of running around. At my age, that's important!

[Private_collector]

With help from friends, and a fair deal of speed reading, I now know exactly the unit sign that should be on my truck. If you recall, I want to restore this vehicle with the signs of 29/46 Infantry Btn, and the vehicle number will be my Father's service number.

Late last night (or possibly early this morning), I had finally discovered the unit sign should be:

29-46
----- (one solid line)
56

with a solid red background.
P8240082.JPG
When I first discovered this, it occured to me that this seemed vaguely familiar for some reason. I started searching where I had seen this before, and came across the photo above which shows the men of 29/46 Btn on parade, being reviewed by the Duke of Gloucester! In the background is the precise sign I had been searching for. I didn't realise this was same as that on their vehicles. I thought it meant there were two groups present on parade, 29/46 & 56 Btns. Wrong!
TAC sign for nose.jpg
As planned, A4 size labels were purchased this morning and I had the shop print a few copies of the Division sign onto label stock. Tomorrow I will spray a matt black patch, and attempt to copy this sign, as a stencil to the nose panel on R) side.

Hopefully all will go well!

[David DeWeese]

Hi Tony,

Are these what you are needing?

Thanks, David

[T Creighton]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

Once the throttle linkages are in place, the accelerator pedal sits nearly in the vertical position when returned by the linkage spring. Is this normal? I have sought of figured that if it is, there must be another mechanical 'stop' somewhere from here to carburetor that holds this in a more reasonable position.

Hi Tony,
I solved my problem with the pedal by fitting a rubber piece and washer on the connecting rod so that it bears on the out side of the foot plate. This acts as a stop and to a certain extent a seal. There are no other stops from there to the carburettor.
It may not be what was there originally but it is simple and works well.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Terry

[Private_collector]

David, PM Sent.

Terry, thats a good idea! I will effect something similar.
Though it seems that this is normal............well.......it will drive me mad just looking at it, and usability will be even less difficult unless I have my right foot broken and recast in an ackward position!!!

I cut out the stencil template for division sign late last night. It is about time I finished my coffee and got to painting the black background for it to go onto! I peeled off a bit of sticker backing from a portion not required, and found something interesting / disturbing. When the label gets wet, it easily de-laminates, leaving the glue stuck to whatever surface it is applied to! This will occur regardless of substrate or tack UNLESS it is allowed to dry completely. At which time it becomes sound again. Glad I thought to test this prior to application. Well, I simply wouldn't have used unless it was tested anyway, but the requirement to get this done today will be to spray the black backgrouhd as early as possible (now) and leave to dry well before spraying white onto it.

We will see how this theory goes in a few hours, won't we!

[Private_collector]

Well, today was a nightmare of biblical proportions.

Firstly, if you are considering my lead and using photocopy labels as a stencil or template, DON'T. It's a really crap idea. Don't do it. You have been warned.
I'll start at the begining....
TAC sign 1.jpg
I realised yesterday that I hadn't any flat black for the background of the TAC sign, so I bought what I could find quickly. A 'generic' brand at that. Fortunately I had the brains to spray a test piece on a metal offcut to see paint performance. It looked great. Then I placed several strips of the label stock across the panel and sprayed the flat white over these. They also looked great and the label strips came off neatly. Hooray!!!!! BUT, and it's a doozey of a but, as I watched, the white paint took on a very crazed appearance. At that point....so did I. The black paint was not allowing the white to melt into it, and as it dried it took on the presentation of a fresco from Pompei. Only not that good.
TAC sign 2.jpg
Armed with this alarming discovery, the importance of correct spray technique became a scary thought. That being a larger number of light coats instead of the 3-4 medium to heavy ones I was planning. I'm not saying I was in any way worried, but I did find two bricks in my underpants later on!
Expecting more trouble from the label itself, I masked every bit I could manage before going near it with the white paint. I was quite confident that I had virtually eliminated any prospect of bleed through leaving visible damage on the black beneath or soaking through the label, causing glue to come off.

I was bloody well wrong on the second part. While last white coat was still tacking off I started to remove the masking and label..............or so I thought. Approximately half of the label glue remained on the fresh black paint, while the paper of the label was now on the floor.

Several outbursts of verbal abuse ensued. It took me a whole hour to gently prise the glue off the black areas. A fine pair of forceps came in very handy, as by now I had chewed my nails to bloodied stumps!
TAC sign 3.jpg
One brief shaft of light in this bucket of detritus was that I used some normal tack masking tape to lift off numerous very small sections of glue residue and it did NOT lift any of either colors. I fully expected it would come away in sheets, but it held fast! That means both colors are sound and should not give any further trouble in future. Not sure I am that lucky, but the final result is acceptable in light of the issues encountered.

As I said, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME, try it at someone elses home.

More to come...

[Private_collector]

Moving on from the trilogy in four parts that was the TAC sign, I started getting nose panel ready to attach.
Side vents 1.jpg
Side vents were treated to a strip of foam seal. Then I began re-installing the vents themselves, and made the re-discovery that hole size of the vent hinge and where it attaches to the nose are very much different. The little 'collars' that were in here had been thrown out as they were badly corroded.
Side vents 2.jpg
Here's a little wrinke which you may find useful! I discovered that steel fuel line is EXACTLY the right size to fit into the vent portion, and was a firm fit to the size of bolts I was planning to use. Firm but not tight enough to stop free movement of the vent during use. Just be sure to cut the fuel line a 'bees dick' thicker than the gauge steel on vent. That way the vent won't stick once bolt is tightened.
Side vents 3.jpg
I'm happy with the finished result. Low tack tape was used around the vent edge and nose panel opening, so I didn't damage paint while getting the fit correct.
Nose panel seals 2.jpg
I glued rubber stripping along the nose panel edges. There was no functional way I could use a single piece of rubber, so made the join at corners in a way that is intended to stop water from 'wicking' between the rubber pieces and into the cab. Little did I know that once bolted onto the cab front, there would still be gaps between cab and nose, even with the rubber. Very small gaps, but gaps none the less. I had even thought to ensure nose panel would be straight along that edge but it didn't make any difference. Guess the whole idea was a moot point really. I could use a silicone sealer, but it may get messy. I am not neat with that stuff!
Nose panel seals 1.jpg
The seals around the wheel arches worked considerably better.

More to come...

[Keith Webb]

Very much enjoying your description of the process, especially the fresco bit!

Incidentally do you have the upper bar for your front shell? It's supposed to be welded in but was often cut off to allow engine removal.

You do realise you will have to start another restoration once you've finished this one. Our lives will be empty without the daily updates.

[Private_collector]

Getting the nose panel onto the truck initially took three people. The boy and I holding an end each, and Mrs B putting in enough bolts to stop it from amputating my toes when we let go.
Pedal plate installation 1.jpg
Once in place, I saw that the driver side foot well didn't fit right. The bit nearest the engine cover would NOT go in as far as the pedal plate required it to be. Despite some careful whacks with first a rubber mallet, then a ball pein hammer, and finally a large and loud outburst of swearing, it STILL WOULD NOT GO IN. By now I had caused some damage. Rubber burns from the mallet, and lots of paint removed by the hammer.

The swearing was getting out of hand (so my wife said. I thought it was just right amount), so I switched from english to Italian, Estonian & German. I don't actually speak any of these fluently (effluently ), but I know sufficient curse words in foreign language to get my head punched in, all around the globe!
Pedal plate installation 2.jpg
Then I had an epiphany. I drilled a hole through the offending parts, and pulled them together with the tightening of the bolt. Propper job! What a shame this didn't occur to me prior to buggering the paint to extent that it will need to be sanded and repainted!
Pedal plate installation 3.jpg
By this time of the afternoon, I had re-offended my shoulder to the extent that it would only communicate with me in sharp bursts of morse code, and crouching down to tighten the inner bolts was a fairly painful and unrewarding experience.

More to come...nearly done!