Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

Yes David. There are a couple of hoops to throw ones self through!
Not needed yet. Its still a big pile of bits. Some assembly required.
Once I have enough parts that require 'good' welding, I will get those all done together. My welding is simply atrocious, and not anywhere near the quality needed for structural joining. I can do minor MIG welds and tack welding, but anything beyond that is out of my league.

[Private_collector]

Now that things have cooled considerably, it's time to get animated again. I was thinking the front of my new truck looked a little bland, so I set about adding a wee bit more militarisation. This dear old truck has so many modern changes to make it a vehicle worthy of long distance travel, and only a serious effort will return the exterior to authentic (more on that plan in a minute ), but a couple of choice touches wouldn't hurt.
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I put on a vehicle number of family significance, several weeks ago. Today I added a 9th Division formation sign, and a bridge plate. The business in town that made the TAC plate for my other truck has closed down, and I am yet to find a suitable place to make the one I want for this truck. In readiness for it's eventual manufacture, I have negotiated with a gentleman in UK who is making a decal to identify the truck as an AEME vehicle. It will have the three horizontal colors, with the Corps logo in the middle. Another version has been ordered also, being the Corp logo alone, on a clear background. In that scenario, I would paint the three colors myself......the old fashioned way.....spray cans x 3

That was my Play for the day, though i did put one of the piston/rod units into the flathead engine. As usual, it's only a test, for now. I will need to insert all pistons from the bottom of the block. The super strong racing rods have a big end which is so heavily built that they cannot be installed from above, meaning that they will all have to be put in below and tapped towards the crank, which must be put in place once all pistons are already there. I have been told this is not unusual. It bloody well is for me, but because I have NEVER built any engine before, I wouldn't know how unusual.

My Wife and I took the 'grey' (I'm considering nick naming it Gandalph) for a drive this afternoon. Drove to Theebine, which is normally a 25min drive. The return trip took about an hour and a half. We did call in to visit an older gentleman who had been unwell, so I guess thats not too bad. Unfortunately, I now have a very splendid headache to contend with. Not sure if it was the symphony of sound that we call a diesel engine, of if it's all the bouncing and bumping around that has tried to make my brain into a cocktail, shaken but not in shock! Either way, I'm suffering for it now. My Wife is the smart one of the outfit. She took earplug. Incidentally, she doesn't have a headache. The trip was fun though. Got ever so slightly LESS fun when it started raining. The wipers work! Previous owner has rigged them so the passenger side wiper won't come on unless the seperate switch for driver side is activated first. That's the extent of thought which he put into his electrical work. I am still on a voyage of discovery, and new things are being realised every time I drive the truck.
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How's this for a find? A friend of mine came across this Sunshine Cab roof, and contacted me. I had told him I was wanting one of these for the grey truck, but really didn't have any expectation that one would be found intact, let alone the nearly perfect one that this is. To my eye, it appears to have all the bits that it should have, and they all look to be in very good condition. What is the flat strip which goes across the front of the roof opening? Is this the thing that the canvas is attached to? If so, that is a real bonus. Never seen one so intact and unmolested. I can't see a single dent or rust hole, only surface rust. As you would expect, I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. I won't upset everyone by saying what price I paid. That would just be cruel. I have also purchased a full cab that takes the canvas covered doors. Another friend and MLU member has taken some photos and measurements of the steel frame for canvas doors, and my thanks to him for all his efforts in doing so. Without the help of people like you, restoration would be sooooo much more difficult, if not impossible. Thanks Rob
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The chap selling me the roof has option to buy these trucks. They also are in remarkable condition. Look closely, you can see they still have a number of the original military items. I believe he will purchase them both. There is a significant cache of other CMPs he has located, but I will not speak about them yet.

[Keith Webb]

That sunshine roof is really nice, looks like the original piece for the front canvas too - it should have a grab handle (same as the ones in front of the hatch) to help open and close it. The F15A in the lower pic looks to have the ARN on a diagonal.

[David Dunlop]

Nice finds, Tony.

It's amazing how much fun you can have when the weather cooperates, isn't it!


David

[Private_collector]

Absolutely, David! Despite the sudden storm and no door tops, it was still fairly warm and dry inside the cab. Wouldn't have wanted much heavier though, or we might have got damp. The rubber window surrounds don't seal entirely and water was being pushed through, from the pressure built up by driving straight into the wind. Not surprising when you consider the great speeds these vehicles can get up to! When I get my other cab, I plan to use the window frames of it and use fresh rubber seals of another type, which are readily available at the local foam & rubber shop. I put the same rubber on window frames of the green truck. They seal much better and are considerably more flexible. I think the age of ones on the grey truck have made them stiff. Also the entire frames on 'grey' were manufactured from scratch, so they won't take the other type of rubber anyway, or I would put that on immediately.

I have been waiting for the cooler weather for such a long time. Might now get some well overdue jobs done.

As a foot note; It always amuses me, when going from driving the truck to driving my little Micra, it feels like a rocket ship to the moon, by comparison. Only by comparison, you understand. That tiny thing wouldn't pull a greasy sausage off a plate.

[Private_collector]

Well, my plan to get the pistons & rods into the flathead block came to nothing when I had difficulty removing the rod bolts. The SCAT rods have 12 sided ARP bolt heads. Tried hard, but came close to damaging one of the bolts because I only have six sided sockets and no soft vice jaws to hold them in while doing the job. Decided to bundle them and take to the engine rebuilding shop in Gympie. The guys there will do the job in minutes, and they will treat them carefully, while using the right tools. I did put the pistons and rods together beforehand, so achieved something planned, I guess. When they come back, it will be full steam ahead and they should be into the block this coming weekend.
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Had to make a steering wheel puller. The wheel in the grey truck required a lot of care to restore to original condition. Wait, I take that back. The once barely discernible grooves around the top surface are now gone completely, so not that original now. Bloody lot cleaner than before though! I will give the wheel a second going over with finer grade glass paper I will buy tomorrow. Used 240 grit first, then 600 grit, and next one will be 1000 grit. Burnishing cream will bring the final sand to a very nice finish. With any luck I will still be able to hold it while driving. The degree of shine seen, is after polishing with Brasso, which doesn't work all that well. Brasso stinks too, and as a result of doing the polishing on lounge room floor while Mrs B watches TV, I am not very popular. The lounge room has an aroma akin to old cats urine. You can read that both as old whizz, or whizz from an old cat. The smell would be the same, terrible! Yuck. My snoz will be running for days.

[Bob Carriere]

Almost looks like a picture from a sales catalogue ...... I always believed that they needed to be repainted to look good......never crossed my mind that they could be sanded and polished.

...and where did you gain your expertise in "old cat whiz???"

Bob C.