Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Got a lot of useful bits off the piece of chassis that came with the engine.
chassis bits 1.jpg crossmembers small.jpg chassis cut up.jpg
For example:
Front crossmember, front engine crossmember, gearbox mount crossmember, cab mounting brackets x2, axle bump block brackets x2, full set of spring mounts, pedal mounting shaft & bracket, brake master cylinder, brake vacuum booster and associated hardware.

The pieces don't look like much now, but will be good as new once I run the blaster over em.

[Private_collector]

gearbox 1.jpg
With engine out, I removed the gearbox and spent a lot of time removing the decades worth of dirt & oil buildup. At least an inch thick in some places. Several coats of degreaser and a high pressure water blaster removed a lot, but not all. Wire cup on grinder is next, this weekend.
gearbox 2.jpg
Once the top cover was unbolted and gear oil drained, I flushed the case with petrol. When cleaned out a bit, the gears all looked in very good condition. I couldn't find any evidence of damage. No metal bits in the oil and everything inside is quite rust free.

I plan to replace both main shaft bearings and any seals, but everything else inside can remain untouched. There was obvious signs of considerable oil leakage both fore & aft of main shaft, so seal replacement is a must.

The gear shifter assembly was stuck fast and I had feared what I would find inside the gearbox. As it turned out, the reason was simply that the selector slides were held in place with light surface rust. They are now moving again, thanks to WD40.

The parts manual will be studied this weekend and the desired part numbers will be emailed to Ross Prince at Hervey Bay. He'll have all the stuff I need!

Ironically, the gearbox is NOT the main focus at present. The chassis is next on the list for refurbishment, but until I can find a pair of axles & some wheels to put under it, I can't make it suitably mobile for sending to the sandblasting place in town. I'll call the local scrappy next week, they sometimes get junk trailers & might have some usable axles and wheels.

P.S: What is the deal with the little 'hydraulic' line from the throw-out bearing to top of gearbox case??
Does it carry lubricant to/from the bearing, and if so, is it automatic or does it require maintenance???

[Lynn Eades]

The hose is a grease hose from a grease cup, that you tighten the cap on periodically.
Put a slot filled bearing on the spigot (input) shaft. (6208 or 6308)
Mainshaft bearing 6307 (double check all these)
The bearing between the spigot and mainshaft is a Hyatt 99000
I dont know the numbers for the cluster bearings, but Ross prince will know.

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

The hose is a grease hose from a grease cup, that you tighten the cap on periodically.
Put a slot filled bearing on the spigot (input) shaft. (6208 or 6308)
Mainshaft bearing 6307 (double check all these)
The bearing between the spigot and mainshaft is a Hyatt 99000
I dont know the numbers for the cluster bearings, but Ross prince will know.

Cheers Lynn,

I'll get onto ordering those in next couple of days.
Will have a closer look at the grease cup thingy too.

I know some people feel it's better to build using components that are still OK to use as is, but I would rather get 'intimate' with how things work, and I reckon there's no better way to do this than pull the stuff apart and put everything back together. It's the best way for me to really understand how & why things work the way they do! (or WHY they fail)

Thanks again and have a Happy Christmas!

Hope you NZ cousins don't have any more quakes. Christ knows you've suffered enough.

[Keith Webb]

That looks like a nice low-use gearbox. You usually see some (or a lot) of wear on second gear... yours looks very good.

[Private_collector]

With weather far too hot for outside work, and the workshop ideal for fast drying of paint, I started refurbishment of the instrument pod.
P9190248.jpg PC260507.jpg PC260533.jpg PC260536.jpg PC260539.jpg
New faces for the gauges have been ordered from USA.

The foam seal between the cream bezel cover & the glass (hard to see in the pics), was cut from a spare strip supplied with my sandblasting cabinet.

[Private_collector]

PC260516.jpg PC260517.jpg
The seperate instruments are in poor cosmetic shape but do actuate once power applied. They are King-Seeley brand and I have an original King-Seeley maintenance & repair manual, that I bought some months ago when I first thought it may be needed. An acquaintance of mine has the electronical ability to test the accuracy of each gauge for me.
PC260519.jpg
A set of mileage wheel decals is on the way also. Some disassembly required to remove them without damage. I will need just the right amount of coffee the day I do these!
PC260520.jpg PC260523.jpg
The speedometer needle is easy to remove if speedo is out of the pod and you can get to the needle shaft below where it is attached. Hold the shaft BELOW the needle itself with thin pliers, and twist needle GENTLY while pulling up GENTLY. These things are so lightweight that they bend if you just look at them, so take it easy.