T16 restoration starts in earnest

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by andrew honychurch

I looked at that when I bought the black stuff, but they didnt have it in the correct size and I didnt like white! So far its cost me £120 in Physio appointments after putting those tracks on myself, now I have to do it all over again.

Actually the asbestos packing that was in Ben's unused axle was white, and I am sure it will soon go grey in use.

[kevin powles]

Hi Andrew, The bearing keep/valve packing I used was 7/16" square, Its graphite lubricated, It does not spill out grease when it gets hot, it's nuclear grade and has a max temp of something like 450 dergrees C, 20 m/s speed and I was told it cost £150 a metre by my freindly storekeeper. I think it sounds as if your packings is too tight, On a universal carrier with the track removed, the hub should spin freely with very little effort to spin them, I would remove your hubs to check the seal and perhaps take a 'rasp file' to it to profile it down.

Like Jordan says, run the carrier on a hard surface to free the tracks.

kevin.

[andrew honychurch]

hi Kevin thanks for the intel. The gland material i used was tight when first fitted but I reasoned that it would have to be or else it was not going to do its job. Of course, I did not bank on it dumping graphite grease everywhere. Boring! Nothing else for it in my view but to get the hubs off again and put it right.

[RichardT10829]

I was going to leave the asbestos packing out... based on the theory that i dont intend to go through many deep rivers etc etc. plus any water that gets in could drain quicker. i appreciate that any water in with the pads can have an effect on braking efficiency but i never encountered any issues when rallying (and those hubs had no rear seals on)

just a thought if its easier until something better (seal wise) comes along

[ajmac]

Old land rovers never had any sealing material fitted and neither did the Loyd Carrier.
A job well done Andrew. Do you intend to take the T16 to any shows when you are happy with it?

[andrew honychurch]

I will take it to a few shows without doubt. I am fortunate in that the War and Peace is only 18 miles away, and the IMPS new show, which is great, Combined Operations is less than 1.5 miles away!!

I have quite a lot to do to get it as I want, so although its driving and doing all the right stuff, as you will all know, the devil is in the detail.

losened off the left rear brake adjustment and what a difference that made! Took it for about 1 mile round trip this morning, and it is freeing up very nicely. I reckon the tracks are well on their way to being normal. I did apply a little duck oil this morning. Anyway, back to the grind stone,Loads to do

[eddy8men]

shaun gave me a good tip on brake adjustment leaving the tracks on, just get someone to bounce the top run of track up and down, this will move the drum/sprocket back and forth which will enable you adjust the brakes, personally i adjust them tight then slacken them off until the drum starts to move and then give it one more 1/4 turn to be sure then take it for a spin and see if the drums getting overly hot. as for the tracks i'd leave them just for a while and see if they settle in on their own.

rick

[andrew honychurch]

As we had a superb bit of weather here in Kent today, I tool the opportunity to top coat the T16. Really pleased with the result, but as I am sure you all agree its very tricky to keep it looking nice and new when you are constantly crawling in and out of it. Not a great deal to do to finish it. I have to fit the fuel tanks, and finish the wiring. I am awaiting front side fenders and the rear tool box to be fabricated and then they can be fitted along with the rest of the side track guards. The devil is in the detail and I am not sure I will ever finish it completely but I suspect it will be pretty much done in the next 6 weeks. Hope you like the photos. Andrew

[RichardT10829]

looking great Andrew...you should post a before and after pic, she has scrubbed up real well, are you going to keep her or sell her on ?

[andrew honychurch]

Thanks Richie, its taken longer than I thought but I have been involved in other projects as well as the T16. I cannot think that I will sell it, its going to have a bit of use first and I am thinking of trying to get booked in to the Armour and Embarkation this summer which should be a really good test. Anyway, we will have to see , not finished yet so lots of shaking down to do I know. cheers

[ajmac]

If you make A&E in the summer I'll see you there, sin Loyd, but hey ho, should be a great time if it is anything like 2010. Your T16 is looking smart, I have really enjoyed following your work.

[andrew honychurch]

thanks Alistair, sounds like a great plan. I have a friend who went in his Stuart and he told me 2010 was superb. I would be there in a shot but for the cost of transportation down to Dorset. I know need to make friends with someone with a beaver tail truck that I can borrow and we will be all sorted.

Glad you enjoyed the posts, its been fun doing them. Not quite finished yet though!