to Champ or not to Champ......

[David DeWeese]

Originally Posted by gordon

There are more parts in a Champ back axle than that whole '34 Dodge dump, David

You might want to rescue them, park them in a corner, and sell them on, but that's as far as I would go.

Thanks again for all the helpful information.

Jack, I sat down and carefully read through all your restoration posts on HMVF tonight until about page 6, then I honestly developed a cold sweat of sorts!

I don't have the will, time or money to invest in the efforts to put into a new Champ project. They are very cool vehicles, but one has to REALLY want to restore a vehicle to see it through to the end....

Having said all this, if anyone want these Champs I will do my best to convince the owner to lower the price to a reasonable level, and get them into the right hands...

Thanks, David

[JackM]

Originally Posted by David DeWeese

Jack, I sat down and carefully read through all your restoration posts on HMVF tonight until about page 6, then I honestly developed a cold sweat of sorts!

I don't have the will, time or money to invest in the efforts to put into a new Champ project. They are very cool vehicles, but one has to REALLY want to restore a vehicle to see it through to the end....

David,

I was lucky that we have a small team of like minded folk - all retired - who have a collection of skills. I would not have attempted the rebuild on my own, as I don't have the knowledge or skill base required.

At one stage some years ago, I too vowed never to have anything to do with these British nightmares, but the opportunity presented itself, we were looking for a project and the team was willing.

I'm glad we gave it a go, but these machines are not for the faint of heart. There are any number of very good reasons, why these vehicles lasted only around ten years in British Army employ, despite the setup costs and why no other Army seems to have bought them in quantity - except for our 401.



Jack

[David DeWeese]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyKBI...ature=youtu.be

[JackM]

Good on you, David - you clearly relish a challenge.

I was surprised by the (rust) condition of the vehicle - it seems to be in very good nick apart from the rear seat base, which won't be too hard to repair. I think my blog describes the repair I did on my seat base.

I was also surprised that the vehicle started so robustly on 12v - could the starter motor have been re-wired ?

Good steering wheels though, are not that easy to find. Almost everything you need can be obtained from the UK spares folk - though you'll pay a hefty price, if you need their stuff. How was the steering wheel on the second Champ ?

What is your plan to repair this vehicle - will you start on it straightaway ?

You might want to check the Champ Owners Club site, which includes a rudimentary forum

http://www.austinchamp.com/

I looked for your vehicle # here ...

http://www.austinchamp.com/03%20Regi...dex/CT2001.htm

... but couldn't find it. If you get in touch with the forum organisers, they will be happy to add both numbers to the list.

If you need any help, let us know - although you seem to have made a very good start.


Jack

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Well done David.
You are in for an interesting time.
While a 24volt system in general, the ignition is actually 12v, gives more reliable starting, which is pretty evident from your clip.
FYI, the jack ( a surprising extra) fits across the transmission tunnel behind the front seats, along with the starting handle.
I would suggest inspecting the 3 round water jacket plates on the block behind the generator, they can eat out from the inside and let go with no warning.

This crowd in Tulsa:
http://www.khakicorpsimports.com/spares.htm
stock a lot of B series parts, Thermostats is one to take note of as they are quite unusual and hard to get at times. Most of the electrics are the same across the range of vehicles.
Most of the Champ fraternity is very helpful, so when in doubt, ask.

Just to give you something to look forward to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH6MtkUTmtI
The screeching sound heard occaisionally as the Champs hit the water is the fan declutching, a neccessary design feature as the fan is mounted on the crankshaft.

Best of British luck to your resto!!
Rich.

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Courtesy of Stuart at the Champ Register:

Chassis No: WN1-2380
Army reg: 23 BE 80
Engine No: 4222
Date into Service: 1st April 1953 when received from Austin at the 31st B Vehicle Depot Church Broughton, part of the 3rd Vehicle Group HQ, Church Broughton in Derbyshire and given Receipt Voucher: CBR/R/3 (Note: It was one of four Champs delivered under this RV number)
Struck Off: 8th May 1968 from BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) - This is one of the last Champs to leave service - 2 or 3 years after most had been removed.
Sold: Probably at auction in Monchengladbach a few months later.

BAOR service explains the low slung reflector at the back.
Interesting to see if the original motor is still fitted.
Rich.

[David DeWeese]

Thanks Jack and Richard for the very helpful information! I'm sure I will be begging for more of your Champ wisdom often.

Jack: That starter does crank over the engine rather fast for a 24v starter running on just 12v. The 24v charging system appears to be still intact, but the previous owner had been running the Champ on just the one 12v battery since he has owned it. It should have boiled that one battery within minutes of running if the original 24v system was working properly. Will check it all soon.

The steering wheel on the other Champ is not much better than the one on this one....I will figure something out to repair it.

The plan is to repair the brakes and do a cosmetic restoration only, at least for now.

Richard: Thank You for finding the history on this Champ! It's certainly has travelled a long way from home, hasn't it?

Looks like your group is putting those Champs through their paces in the video...and it also appears they are taking it well! They look to be very rugged vehicles, but this one will never see any off-road use.......unless I win the lottery and can afford to repair it.

Oh, and engine is original to the vehicle..

Thanks again!
David