Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Jacques Reed]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

I discovered yesterday that the welded on brake backing plate (driver side) is also marked RF. So is the left hand side! That means I already have my replacement for the one I will be cutting off, but will need to find a LF one.

Hi Tony,

I have one if you want it. Was going to use it then two NOS plates came along my way many years ago. It's for a F15A but I think all the backing plates are the same, just the front drums are different between the big and small Blitzes, but maybe someone can confirm.
I removed the broken brake adjuster springs, a common problem I have noticed on these vehicles. There is a slight bit of pitting on the bottom corner but otherwise it is in good shape. It was cleaned up in molasses and painted so all you need to do is repaint it to match yours.
Had some new springs made up so can include them with the cams, bolts, and washers so all you need to do is weld the bolts back on to the two cams.
It yours for the postage if you want it.

Cheers,

[Private_collector]

That would be great mate! Thanks very much. I'll send you a PM.


I ordered a strip of felt for the pivot grease seal yesterday. Today it turned up. Wasn't even o/n delivery, but got here fast.

It's just about 8mm x 8mm in section.
When I enquired, they only had this one piece in stock, and at 1.5mt length (5ft) it's more than enough. The store said I might as well take the entire length as it wouldn't be any cheaper if cut because the remnant would be unusable to them. At less than $20.00, I don't mind that at all!

If anyone needs any of this, or anything similar:
B & S WASHER PRODUCTS,
Unit 1, 22 Belconnen Crescent,
BRENDALE, Qld 4500.
Phone: 07 3205 1344
Fax: 07 3205 5049
Email: bswashers@bigpond.com

They are good people to deal with.

[Private_collector]

Earlier this week, I ordered new bearings and seals for the front end. Most were picked up today, but there is still a pair of seals that hasn't been delivered to the bearing shop.

There is a new equivelent of the seal that goes into each axle tube.

Original one, solid metal case with leather seal surface.

New one, only one sided case and seems to be made from a lightweight plastic of some sort! Feels strange to touch and VERY light.
The bearing guys tell me this is the modern version, and will perform exactly as the original, but has a synthetic seal surface. Lasts longer than original materials too.

These bearing components are replacements for both the wheel bearings/cups and the diff carrier bearings/cups.

The pinion seal, identified in the modern part nos. spreadsheet on MLU as "CR13739" is not correct. I know that for sure. Ordered that part and it's too small! Does anyone know the true part no., please?

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

Always amazes me that the bearing and seals for CMPs are still off the shelf items. Wonder if the trucks being built today will have similar parts availability in 70 years?

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

Phil,

In 70 years time the trucks of today won't be around. There'll be nothing left of em, so bearings won't be a problem!

Don't be too upset about that, there won't be any furniture, electronics, or much of anything else still around either. Oh, I tell a lie. According to the Supersize Me documentary, the burger buns from a well known fast food outlet will still look fresh, cause of the preservatives! But that's all. Everything else will be rotting beneath the ground. Including me.

something else about food.........they're NOT bloody 'fries'...........they are chips

[Bob Carriere]

Tony

Frunch Fries are done in pork fat sprinled with Vinegar and salt.

Chips are the paper thin crunchy stuff you get in a cello bag.....

Both go well with cold beerssss!!!

On to the seals..... hard to tell what the seals are for these days.... the shop I go to does not care what kind of machine or vehicle it comes from..... you give hime ID and OD and thickness and the search engine finds who makes them, where they are in stock, how much they cost and what freight will be for regular or fast delivery........ all because of the web.

On the large front hub 6.5 in. seals the Industrial Solution shop beleived they were used on industrial bread making machines and that is why they have them stock.

Tony on the pinion seal ...... could the Ford seal be different than the CHev seals...??? from my failing memory we found the seals but them had to cut our own 1/2 thick felt as we could not find them anywhere.

The only bearing I had no luck finding was the bottom rear bearing for the tranny..... everything else including T-case bearing were found.

New neoprene seals are often less thick than original but will fit nice.

The opposite of the coin is the local flap where a teenager with pimple wants to know what make, size engine, color of the rear seat and time of day of your vehicle before he can find you a simple Delco AC 44 plug for our engines.

One shop uses technology to provide service... the flap uses what is easier for them.

Bob

[Lynn Eades]

Over here a "flap" is;
a lid on a bag,
A cut of meat from off the ribs,
A panic (one might be in a flap),

What is a "flap" over there?

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Lynn

A "flap" is Friendly Local Automotive Parts store ..... were they sells parts but not tyres.... you get them from the tire shop.

Bob C.

[cliff]

I'm TIRED of this where did you say you get vehicle TYRES from Bobby?

[Private_collector]

Bob,

According to the spread sheet of modern part numbers, the pinion seals are different indeed. With hindsight, the size of stated Chev seal is more the size that I would have expected.

It has only been in last few days that the chaps at Gympie Bearing Supplies ( http://www.gympiebearings.com.au/ ) have begun educating me on how to 'read' specifications of a bearing/cup/seal from the suppliers part number, and vice versa. While his edumacation is far from completed, if I had known then, that which I am now starting to understand, I would have realised immediately that the part number is wrong. Still, these things happen. I will rectify the situation by taking some measurements and presenting these for the computer search at the shop. I am in two minds about removing the pinion seal until I know I can secure a replacement. It's not in bad shape, and if brand new one or NOS from Ross Prince cannot be found, I'll keep using this one. I would be really surprised if both of those avenues didn't produce a result. I got the rear one from Ross P., and it looked brand new, though NOS.

Chips don't come in a plastic bag, that's a packet of 'crisps'.
Hence the phrase, going out for 'fish & chips', or the insult "Face like he's been bobbing for Hot Chips".

[Private_collector]

I was watching the evening news tonight, and heard that the original Shingle Inn cafe & tea-room has been relocated to Brisbanes City Hall building.

http://www.shingleinn.com/

http://www.shingleinn.com/shingleinnhistory.html

The Shingle Inn was a genuine Brisbane icon, originally opened in 1936, in Edward St. It was known to be one of the favorite hang-outs for Australian & American servicemen, while on leave during WWII. It was outside the Shingle Inn that a huge fight (riot possibly better description) occured between Autsralian and American servicemen in war time (don't know exact year, sorry). I know a lady that had worked at the 'Inn' and she was at work when the fight developed. Her description is a little vague now, she's now not far short of 90yrs of age, but i'm sure she will be pleased to hear that the 'new' Shingle Inn will have all of the original fittings and hopefully retain the atmosphere of the late 30s and war years. I don't think we need to reenact the fight though. Rather a poor display of comradeship, but Aussie soldiers resented the 'Yanks' for being around the place. Just as well they were, I say, or we might be in a whole different Australia right now!

Shingle Inn has been franchised since the 40s and by 2012 there were 30 stores throughout Australia.

I'll be down that way within the next two weeks, to get Fathers medals for Anzac Day. Must make a point of dropping in, and i'll take a few photos to boot.

[Private_collector]

The front end parts are awaiting sandblasting. Some, like the axle tubes, are too big for the rear of the car, so I can't take them until a Saturday when the business is open and able to receive the parts. The rest of the pieces have been in the back of the car since Monday. Too wet to deliver them Monday, Tuesday they were not open when I got there just after 1610hrs, Today was my late day so couldn't get there. Maybe tomorrow??? Virtually no chance of getting the bits back Friday, so this weekend will be a complete loss for front end work. Expected to be raining anyway.


The last piece to get off the hubs was the old grease seal (National 35070). I managed to get both away with virtually no damage to the seal itself. The minor scratches would buff out easily, but it's getting replaced so I don't think I will bother with that!

[Lionelgee]

It was outside the Shingle Inn that a huge fight (riot possibly better description) occurred between Australian and American servicemen in war time (don't know exact year, sorry).


G'day Tony,

In response to your being uncertain when "the Battle of Brisbane" occurred - there is a link which provides quite a bit of information about the event. Accessed 11th April 2013 from http://www.ozatwar.com/ozatwar/bob.htm

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Private_collector]

G'day Lionel,

Really interesting site you brought up. So much to read, I will do so thoroughly, tonight.

Thanks,

[Private_collector]

The welded front brake backing plate is now off, thanks to a little bit of grinding, followed by a bit more grinding and some sanding once the plate came off.


Following that, I got curious about what may lie.......lay......be hidden, under the sump of the engine. For some time I have been dreading the thought of looking, in case I find a rusted mass of useless metal parts. Fortunately that was NOT what I found. I had drained the oil many months ago. Upon removal of the sump (part way, to peek inside) everything looked to be in good condition, and it was obvious that the previous owner/s didn't pay too much attention to the oil change intervals. Thick sludge everywhere, but NO RUST!


Also removed the timing gear cover, and found the gears in good shape there too. Notice anything interesting? See the two bolts sitting inside the water entry to the pumps? Against my expectations, and contrary to what my Flathead Restoration Manual warned, neither of the bolts inside the water jacket broke when being removed! Yay!!!!!

[Keith Webb]

Good to hear your engine is looking good inside Tony!

In my younger days I pulled many flatheads to pieces for reconditioning while working for Hughes Auto Spares and fortunately never had any trouble with the bolts inside the water pumps apart from occasionally having to hammer on a slightly smaller socket when the head was a little too corroded to fit the correct one. The water seems not to get down into those threads.

Good luck with the rest of the engine, enjoying this unfolding thread.

[Private_collector]

Does anyone have any information on ball park prices fetched for good quality CMP Tool Box, the type that mounts immediately behind the cab, in line with the spare wheel carrier? I know I have seen a couple or these go on ebay in last couple of years, but for the life of me I do not recall how much they sold for.

Any input welcomed, gents.

[Robert Farmer]

Tony, have a look at this page
http://www.southerncrossmilitaria.com/whats-new.html
Scroll down near the bottom of the page.
Robert.

[Private_collector]

Cheers Robert, thats a start.

Judging by the tyre carrier price in the previous advert, that the tool box would be roughly $250-300 ish, if on its own. When I get back to my home computer, I'll show a couple of photos that will explain why I am asking for the info.

[Private_collector]

Righto, thats better. Over a week ago, I took a call from a third party that passed on a message to phone an acquaintance. The message concerned some parts he discovered while clearing out the shed of his recently departed uncle. This morning he arranged for me to look over the parts.

The first interesting piece is this seat, which still has the original canvas covering. Obviously it's not good enough to actually use as is, but the canvas is all there, including the tabs that attach the base to the seat cushion. This will come in extremely handy to take a pattern from, for it is my intention to manufacture a limited number of reproductions at some point in the future. That won't happen for some time yet though.

This is the other item which was of interest. Apart from the addition of some small holes the original owner drilled to add legs, there is no damage to this item. Not one patch of rust, and no dents!

Even the shelf inside is virtually undamaged, as is the door hinge.

I don't need more seats, and I already have a tool box (not this good), but at the purchase price, I couldn't pass them by. Each one cost me $50.00. I did tell the seller that I considered the box might be worth $200.00 or more if advertised in the right location, but the fellow didn't want the bother, and only wanted to see them go to a good home. I have a good home for them.


P.S: Although I haven't been able to continue working on the front end in recent weeks, I have put considerable time researching best sources for the many engine components I want to buy. I'm aiming to retain original specifications where possible, and comparing costs of replacement items VS regrinding or reboring etc. has shown that if buying right, replacement can be cheaper that getting engineering done to tired old bits. I'll write more about this in coming days or weeks, and show some of the examples I have found.

Also got in touch with Ajays Ford V8 Parts in NZ (http://www.fordv8parts.com/). They now have the B7557 grease hoses for clutch throwout shaft. Two should be on the way to me Monday. Don't remember exact cost, but certainly less than $20.00 and that's New Zealand dollars, which means it's about $17 to $18AUD. Get em while they're hot, guys!

[Private_collector]

Thought it was about time to get back to work on the front axle assembly.

A number of parts were returned after sandblasting. Wheel hubs, hub caps, steering end brackets & both backing plates are now either under primer/putty or painted. One of plate needed a little cosmetic work before priming. I HATE panelbeating!

The plate I got from Jacques needed to have the brake shoe cam adjuster assemblies welded back on. Not a diffficult job, just fiddly, and as usual I had to make a special piece of steel with a hole through it to access the surface of the cam while allpying MIG weld onto it. I used two pieces of metal box, one pressing the bolt & spring upward, and one pressing the cam plate down at the same time. A pair of screw clamps were used to press the two lengths of box together so there would be sufficient compression on the springs. Didn't want them slopping around of their own free will. They don't! In fact they are very firm. I'm grateful that Jacques sent me the required parts for the cam adjusters, when he posted the backing plate. Cheers Jacques.

I'll put the wheel hub pics in a seperate post.

[Private_collector]

The wheel hubs required quite a lot of attention with the wire cup before I was happy to start the painting. Primer first, obviously. Try as I might, I could NOT get rid of the gloss. This can of paint has given me strife a few weeks in the past, and being aware of the issue, I tried several techniques to reduce the gloss that souldn't be there. No luck at all!

I'll get the paint shop to contact Protec and see if we can find out why this paint is so glossy.
Monday morning mixing? Friday afternoon mixing? Employee just had an unhappy love affair???
Everything I painted today, will need to be given at least one further coat with a fresh can that has the appropriate lack of 'lustre'.

This is the valve spring compressor I have been working on over past weeks. Nearly finished now.

Both front axle/ diff casing halves are with the sandblaster, and I may get them back this weekend. I'll bet they are just as much fun getting out of my wifes car, as they were getting them in. I won't be attempting to progress beyond primer unless I have another can of paint.

[Private_collector]

Yesterday, I got the diff carrier bearing cups out of the casing halves. Well, my father-in-law did the required welding, I just pulled the cups out once cooled. The case is now ready for painting. The second of the steering knuckles got it's coat of etch this afternoon. I would have gone ahead with the painting today, but it was far too windy, or more to the point, wind direction was constantly changing. I only wanted to paint the truck parts, not our weekday car or the neighbour's, so no top-coat today.

Got further with one of the brake backing plates, which now has the full system installed, with one exception, I don't yet have two new banjo bolts to attach the new brake hose/s. I get those Monday afternoon. I need to buy one of the brass cams that are used for adjusting the lower end or brake shoes. Looks like the former owner wasn't good with keeping his parts in the one place! I did find the required brake retracting springs though. With a good cleanup, they were fine to paint & use.

This photo may be useful, if anybody wants to copy it. The new outer wheel-hub bearing and wheel hub seal have been installed, so I can confirm the part numbers shown in the photo are correct. Just be aware that the seal is thiner profile than the original. That suits me fine, because the contact surface (there's two actually on the new style) will now sit on a slightly different part of the shaft, and won't be sitting in the small valley created from wear of abrasion against original seal.


During the week I will be looking into having new U bolts made for the rear axle. Mine were too long and need the threads turned down about another 75mm (3"). That was to be attempted by the engineering folks, but they haven't had the opportunity to do it.

[Private_collector]

Painted the major parts of the front end this morning.

Once sufficiently dried, I moved them into the workshop, and found a way to store them without damaging any paint. Sliding each steering end & axle shaft into their respective axle case was the best I could do.

Work came to an abrupt end when I was sliding the passenger side axle shaft into it's case when it caught on an internal rivet head, and came off the rivet just as my hand was trying to get a better grip. The bloody thing dropped about 8" onto my hand which was flat on the top of the axle case, squashing it and keeping me there for about 30 seconds until I could lift it a little to get the hand out. Oh my goodness, I exclaimed! All fingers move OK. Painful and swollen, but not broken. It'll be an interesting color by tomorrow, I would wager.

How's this for a well worn groove! As mentioned earlier, the new seals sit in a slightly different location, due to thinner profile. That will work out well.

[Private_collector]

The engine parts are rolling in now. I'm mainly ordering upper engine and valvetrain stuff. NOS valves and slightly o/s main bearing set should arrive this week. I'm bidding on a set of adjustable (new) tappets, so I don't have to stuff around grinding the bums off valve stems!

The NOS valve guides cost me $3.50US each, from a place in New Jersey.

Also received a new set of Flathead exterior bolts, but forgot to photograph.

I will be re-sleeving any cylinders that would require oversize boring, to retain original displacement. Saves me buying o/s pistons.

[Richard Farrant]

hi Tony,
All looking good.

Hope your hand is alright, a hazard of the occupation, I can vouch for that

regards, Richard

[Phil Waterman]

Hi

Ah yes the common grove, isn't that we are all stuck in?

But yes almost every CMP front drive hub seems to have this. Yes you are correct one thing about the new seals is that they ride in a different area.

One of my trucks has two of the new seals in the seal seats so that it is doubly sealed, pact the seals with wheel grease before installing to be sure the outer seal had a little lubrication.

I've looked in to Speedysleeve for this area if the grove makes the wheel leak to much but so far none of mine have ever had wheel hub seal leak that would require it. If my memory is correct there is a Speedysleeve that would do the job.

If I was going to do a serious water fording I would actually be more concerned about water leaking in.

What ever you do don't forget the axle nut keeper. That will really put a grove in the hub.

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

Hope your hand is alright, a hazard of the occupation, I can vouch for that

Hello Richard. No great harm done.

A slight injury like this, is a good reminder that it's best to call for assistance in heavy lifting.
In this case, not that heavy, but bloody ackward to move around in the manner I wanted.

[Private_collector]

Phil,

I don't believe either of the ends had a keeper on there when I removed originally.
You don't meen the thick washer do you? What does it look like?

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

Not sure of how yours was put together but below is a picture of type mine has, the other version I've seen is a big castle nut with pin.

The first photo shows the bent tab keeper, 2nd shows the nut and pin, 3rd and 4th show how close I came to loosing a wheel after a keeper failed.

Cheers Phil