Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Jacques, that kind of service is disgusting but typical. It SHOULD stand out as the extreme exception, but is fast becoming the norm. I do what I can to reverse that, by warning everyone I know. I also make a point of telling the 'server' exactly what I think of their shitty attitude, & wish them great success in their NEXT venture.

Bob,

Originally Posted by Bob McNeill

Tony, I must be lucky, as I work for a company where the boss recons " if man made it, man can fix it. ". Don is an old school Toolmaker.

Oh how I wish I could work for someone like that! Not only becuase it must be a dying art to manufacture that way, but I wish I could do that stuff for myself.

Several weeks ago the steering rack in my wifes car became very noisy and was diagnosed with a leaky seal on one end of the rack. That seal created problems that made repair a must ASAP. But, as would be expected today, you cannot buy the one seal. We had to buy a whole new steering rack and have it installed. The job was originally quoted at over $1700, but the service department staff got it down to ONLY $1400ish. All for a $20 oil seal. It's just crackers really.

[Private_collector]

Swapmeet buys 1.jpg Swapmeet buys 2.jpg Swapmeet buys 3.jpg
Early start for town this morning. The yearly swapmeet has rolled around again. Not a great deal of military stuff, but a few little gems to be found here & there. I bought two Flathead 'Divers Bell' distributors and two sets of plug lead conduits for $40.
Swapmeet buys cleanup 1.jpg
Started disassembly this afternoon, and the cleanup has started tonight. Tomorrow I get a few small things painted and pull some step parts off the other truck. I hadn't realised one of the step brackets is side specific until I realised it was curved to match the chassis profile. The penny dropped at that point!

The fuel filter 'dummy' will be finished tomorrow too.

[Private_collector]

Fuel filter painted.jpg Horn finished 1.jpg
Still working on some of the 'small' stuff. Fuel filter now painted (visually complete only, rusted to buggery inside). The horn is finished and ready to go on.
Distributor 1.jpg Distributor assembled 1.jpg
My distributor was incomplete, but thanks to the parts bought yesterday, it is now all cleaned, assembled, and can be sent for mechanical rebuild by a professional.
Steering wheel before.jpg
Nearing knock-off time, I turned attention to removing the steering wheel that is on my other truck. I had been dreading this and quickly found I didn't have the correct size tube spanner or socket to do the job. So I got the nut off with a cold-chisel. It was stuffed anyway, but the two halves can still be used to source another in town. The wheel came loose with a little encouragement from a few dead blows.

I have long wanted to get at the steering wheel, to see if it could be salvaged. The next posting shows what I discovered!

[Private_collector]

Steering wheel before.jpg
I have known for ages that it may be a long time (if ever) before I stumble across an acceptable steering wheel, so I decided to investigate how much success I might have in restoring the one I've already got. The dark stains you can see are from WD40.
Steering wheel before 1.jpg
This is a close-up of a typical section of the steering wheel upper side. There are several cracks on the rear side, near the hub. They are easily repaired with a special epoxy compound. The following couiple of photos concentrate on the upper side. More on the rear repair work another time.
Steering wheel during.jpg
This is how the cheesy, hopelessly rough surface looks after a few minutes of wet rubbing with 240grit. I only had enough time to do a section of about 1/4 the total outer surface.
Steering wheel after.jpg
And lastly, this is what that same section looks after a rub over with a cutting compound, applied by hand. A second go over with a finer compound will inprove the finish greatly.

I will finish the sanding next weekend. If using a cutting compound by hand, you should go over again with a burnishing cream. I don't have any yet, but it is now on my shopping list for next Saturday. So are polishing wheels for my Sons Dremel. I will follow up all the hand 'buffing' with a machine cut, then the burnishing cream. I think this wheel will do nicely. Pity the small ridges have all but dissappeared, but they were AWOL even before I started sanding. You can just see them in the finish of the above photo.

[Private_collector]

Gentlemen,

This afternoon, I became aware of a worrying new issue, which may have the outcome of bringing the restoration to a sudden standstill. It is not a health related issue, and I shouldn't go into this in any specifics just now, so I apologise for being a tad exasive or vague at this time. I will inform you of the outcome once I know how the problem unfolds, mid next week. I am hoping that my informant (snout, for you fans of "The Bill") has got his information VERY wrong, in which case it will be business as usual, LITERALLY! General hint. And, NO i'm not in trouble with the Police!!!!


Steering wheel first polish 1.jpg Steering wheel first polish 2.jpg Steering wheel first polish 3.jpg
In the meantime, this is the steering wheel after the sanding and first go over with hand cutting compound. The polishing has highlighted several areas that I should give more attention to, so it's back to the sanding. This time a going over with 1000 grit wet & dry. Next is a hand polish, machine polish, and finally burnishing cream with lambswool buffer. Mmmmmm........lambswool!

Tiny e-clips x2.jpg
Bought some of these tiny little e-clips today. Hoping one will be good size to be used for the business end of the vacuum booster, where the valve arm pivots. The paper-clip is just over an inch long!
Fuel filter finished.jpg
Also got the fuel line connections for the 'dummy' filter. Will attach the lengths of line tomorrow, but can't do any bending until I see the step assembly on chassis.

[Lynn Eades]

I guess its back there in the thread, but, why is it a "dummy" filter?

[Private_collector]

G'Day Lynn,

The original fuel filter looks OK on outside, but it's knackered inside. All corroded to buggery. It will be replaced with a modern version of similar size with glass viewing bowl. Though I want a better 'modern' version, I wanted to retain the original look, so the 'dummy' original one will be put in the correct spot, at rear of battery box, and the new one will be hidden on inside of chassis rail, where it can't be seen unless you get underneath and look up. The fuel lines to/from the original filter won't actually be attached to anything, but will route away out of sight where they will end.

Of course, if I do all this and aren't happy with the effect.....i'll do a re-think & probably cough up for a correct replacement. I think it should work though. Not really a fan of 'smoke & mirrors' but this will give best of both worlds!