canadian mk1 restoration

[eddy8men]

hi marc thanks for the advice, i'll try to contact brian to see if he can help identify it. as for the restoration that seems to have slowed a little as the weather has stopped the carrier from being blasted so the armour can't go back on so there's nothing much in the way of progress to report although i did go back and check the frontal armour for a wd number but there were no markings there so i would assume that makes it an early 41 carrier as richie pointed out but i feel that the number marked on the angle iron behind the gunner is important can anyone shed some light on this.

all the best

eddy

[rob love]

That is the carrier body number. It is a fairly early carrier, so well may not have had the serial number on the front armour, but rather had the info on a data plate located on the right front fender. That number should be fairly close to the serial number of the carrier. Early production did not seem to have the wide variance like the later carriers, which could vary numbers by 500 or so between the body, serial, and hull numbers. You should have another number on the left rear angle iron behind the rear armour.

Somewhere in this mess of papers I have the numbers off a carrier in the 500 serial range, and all the numbers were within a dozen of each other.

[eddy8men]

hi rob

that's great, thanks for the reply. sorry but i'm not sure where the other number should be, could you explain where abouts it is on the pic below.

thanks eddy

[rob love]

On the outside of the area you picture. It is on the angle iron that is behind the rear armour plate. If you stand by the rear left sprocket and look down you should see it. It will be within the first 12" of the angle. (The angle iron is actually a T shaped piece, but the T is only in the center portion between the fenders.)

[George McKenzie]

A comment from Canada .I am doing a MK1 3 numbers from Richies .The carrier cores in the rad are heavier than a truck rad .So if you can find an original one to repare there is not much you can do about it. The track pads are made to slide sideways on the track pins to alow for warp steering .The tracks don't actually bend when forced by the warp steering .Good luck with your toy

[eddy8men]

hi rob thanks for taking the time to explain it to me, i'll let you know how i get on when i next visit it.
hi george i'm glad you mentioned the rad cores as i'm having one made for the carrier, i'll mention the cores to the guy that's fabricating it.

thanks again

eddy

[eddy8men]

hi fella's
been a while since i did an update on the progress so i thought i'd post a few pics. as you can see she's coming along quite nicely. most of the the steel fabricating is being done by a friend and will be ready for collection from his yard next week. the major components are ready to go on the only stumbling block now is the axle as i haven't checked it out yet but if that's ok then it should be on the road soon.

eddy

[r.morrison]

Hi Eddy ....for what its worth, if and when you find out whether the unit came from this side of the Atlantic or your side of the Atlantic, please let us all know! I am sure, but not 100% sure...that I am the only MLU Forum member born and raised in Welland, Ontario Canada (about 25 minutes West from Niagara Falls) for those not familiar with the city.

I am in touch with one of the journalists from the local paper and send him little stories about Welland and/or its military past, which he gets a delight in publishing. So if the unit served with The Lincoln and Welland Regiment, I would love to pass on some info to the newspaper(s) and create a bit of a buzz!

Who knows....if it was from Welland Ontario Canada, we could start the ball rolling with the history, crew and maybe even some photos of the unit during the war years. AND maybe, just maybe....people will help take up a collection of monies to help restore it.


Now see Eddy...Mid Life Crisis isn't all that bad....it's just exciting! See what you've got to look forward to.....Very Very Good luck in your venture and stir the pot boy, stir the pot....Robert Morrison, Vancouver Canada ( formally a Welland Boy)


Rob Love....get on to this, this is good Remembrance Day material....R

[eddy8men]

robert thanks for taking an interest in the carriers history. the carrier came from john bizal in minnesota so he might know a little about it's history but i haven't asked him yet as the last year has been a bit hectic (too many tanks). i'd love to get involved and will give any assistance you need for a story on it's history and i will be restoring it to the original paint scheme and name.
as for money, you can transfer any collections to my cayman islands account . seriously though it's not financial help i need but what i would appreciate is help with it's history as i'd like to honour the men that fought in them. the pic below gives a better view of the name and ct number but unfortunately i can only see some of the numbers and not all but it's a start.

all the best

eddy

ps robin i'll be running a 12v system

[r.morrison]

Eddy: If you have a contact phone number, address etc. of John Bizal, I'll see if I can get a hold of him for some info. Cheers....Robert

[Lynn Eades]

Your carrier does not have its number stamped above the drivers vision slot, because it is an early one. Its T number was on a brass plate which was riveted to the front guard on the drivers side. the holes can be seen in your photos.
What fan arrangement are you planning to use?

[JBizal]

You can reach me thru my website at www.midwestmilitary.net or phoning from the number listed there.
John