Another C60L Restoration

[Tony Mathers]

I visited the Army Museum Bandiana today to measure up and photograph the Blitz and Studebaker Workshop trucks. The very informative and helpful WO2 Ian Pullen was on duty and was able to show me around.

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I was able to get lots of measurements and information on the little known parts and toolbox's on the workshop body. Including these bits:

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After that I visited Empire Trading & Disposals Company near Wangaratta and got some lovely new bits for my truck, including M113 lights for the taillights, a 1940 pick and a WWII Camouflage net to hide the truck from my wife.

[Tony Mathers]

I just finished my Phil Waterman style engine stand this morning (Thanks for posting the design mate) and put it to the test straight away.
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My son who happened to be home from school today woke up before Midday (I was stunned!) and decided it was a good time to start playing with my Truck.. (Its mine son, mine!)

So we cleaned the crud off the gearbox and then tried to take it off, Boy was it on tight... so we kept going back to cleaning the engine. I rang Euan for some advice (Did I remember to say thanks?) Since we were positive it was the gearbox that was stopping the pistons moving we started pulling the gearbox apart where it was...
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Yuck was it a mess, it appears condensation or something had over a period of time filled the gearbox with water.. It was a great excuse to set up the molasses bin and after buying a 3/4 ring spanner and an extra half hour of toil the whole lot went for a swim in molasses.

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The best part is, the pistons and bearings appear to be in great shape. The head needs a lot of work, but appears to be fine as well.

My son and I had so much fun we decided we should complete the engine rebuild ourselves.

Thanks Euan and Phil for all your help.

[Keith Webb]

I have a spare Chev gearbox if you need... that one looks like it will sound like one of the ones in Tony Wheeler's collection...

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

You may be surprised how well that transmission will clean up. I've seen worse that have cleaned up and worked for years. One of mine was like that it was half full of water when I got it. Completely disassembled and cleaned everything polished the gear teeth with the scotch disks, replaced the bearings drove it for a lot of years. Not the quietest transmission I've ever had but was worth it.

Engine stand looks good.

Keep us posted on your progress

Cheers Phil

[Tony Mathers]

Thanks Gentlemen at this stage I will see how it cleans up, as most of the rust came off before I put the gearbox in the molasses.

[Mike K]

Tony

I will find some more pics ...........Mike

BTW you should find a wartime MACSON lathe for your truck .. MACSON lathes were made by McPhersons in Melbourne , the large industrial hardware business

[Tony Mathers]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Tony

I will find some more pics ...........Mike

BTW you should find a wartime MACSON lathe for your truck .. MACSON lathes were made by McPhersons in Melbourne , the large industrial hardware business

I am looking for a lathe, but couldn't remember the right brand, thanks.

I don't suppose you have pictures of machinery A, B, C, E, F etc as well do you?

Thanks and have fun...

[Mike K]

You may have these pics already ?

Seen on the RH end of the pic next to the lathe is a CAMEL BACK pedestal drill press

[Tony Mathers]

Today I went to a secret treasure trove, a wonderland of blitz heaven, armed with a machete and thick leather gloves, I hacked and slashed my way through miles and miles of blackberries until I was able to unearth several treasures.

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I needed a bumper, and I got this perfectly straight and only a little bit rustic marvel.

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I then proceeded to unearth another much needed missing piece, the last 800mm of the chassis. Unfortunately my generator let me down halfway through the job and I need to go back and finish cutting it off later.

My brother came over tonight and has offered me his generator, so I will visiting him tomorrow. Yay!

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Tony Mathers

I needed a bumper, and I got this perfectly straight and only a little bit rustic marvel.

It's times like this I remember the two complete Chev bumper assemblies I tried to save from the scrappy last year. Having slaved in 40 degree heat with a crook back to remove the rusty bolts, I dragged them up a steep hill and hid them behind a tree for collection next day with a trailer. When I got there at 8 AM the bastard had somehow sniffed them out and grabbed them with his excavator. They were already in the crush bin, along with a jeep trailer I'd asked him to put aside.

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[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Tony Mathers

Thanks Gentlemen at this stage I will see how it cleans up, as most of the rust came off before I put the gearbox in the molasses.

No doubt it will clean up OK, but personally I wouldn't bother with a rusty gearbox after it's out of the vehicle. I'd rather start with one that hasn't seen water, since they're easy enough to source. Or at least replace the rusty gears, which are often just the upper ones. The cluster gear never rusts if it's fully underwater, even after decades, because the oil layer seals out all oxygen.

The main consideration of course is tooth end wear/damage through crunching the gears, which mainly effects 2nd and 3rd gears. This damage is self perpetuating, because once the rounded ends are flattened and splayed and chipped they're much harder to engage without crunching. Eventually this can lead to a tooth breaking off, or even several stripped teeth. When that happens you need a complete rebuild, as the bearings are likely to be damaged by case hardened fragments of steel floating around in the oil, and likewise the seals may be abraded. In fact there will always be loose steel floating around inside a crash gearbox, so it's worth making sure you have a magnetic drain plug. They often get lost over the years.

As Phil says you can happily run a rusty gearbox provided the bearings are replaced. One of my Ford gearboxes was so rusted out it took me two days work with a crowbar and sledgehammer to get the gears and selectors moving again. It works fine now but makes a tremendous racket because the front bearing was completely rusted solid. It's OK in the back yard but would no doubt shatter if it were run at speed on the road for any length of time.

The gearbox in my road blitz was also rusty, and I didn't even know at first, because the truck had supposedly been restored. All I did was check the oil level, never dreaming there'd be a litre of water underneath! It wasn't until I did a 200 km trip and lost reverse gear along the way that I realized there was anything untoward inside. What happened was the oil/water/rust powder emulsion whipped up inside while driving caused the oil to lose its lubricant properties, and the reverse selector fork started to bind on its shaft when pushed sideways by the gear lever. It took me a while to figure out, because it worked perfectly when pushed gently with a finger, but every time I put the lid back on it stopped working! Anyway it was easily fixed by flushing with petrol and refilling with clean oil. The bearings seem to be OK for the moment so I have no plans to change the gearbox.

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[Mike K]

This one may fit the bill ..but its in S.A.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/metal-lat...item20e5207996

[Tony Mathers]

Mike lovely photos, love the interior shots especially, I like the fact that they are named for the model, which is what I have lacked.
I already checked out the SA lathe... a bit much and a bit too far... and even though it may be the right size, I want something smaller for my truck. (I still need to carry hay, building materials and firewood, etc, so everything must be easily demountable)

Tony your photos don't turn me on just as much sorry.... but I do feel the pain.

I will first see how the gearbox likes the molasses, but maybe get a spare just in case.