Restoration of Canadian Scout Car Ford Lynx I, Mk.III No.1726

[lynx42]

John Ross, Charlies executor, told me after the auction, to go through the shed again as there were probably some other parts still in the shed. When I returned to pick up the boat with new wheels and tyres and a tin of grease I was also set to go through the shed with a fine toothed comb. It was a stinking hot day and after fitting a replacement set of wheels and tyres and greasing the wheel bearings I started sifting through the shed. The first thing I found was another Lynx fuel tank, in mint condition. Unfortunately it turned out to be a second left hand tank. Why there were two left hand tanks I have no idea but this tank was modified to a right tank during the restoration. Then the air cleaner was unearthed from under the bench totally buried in the rabbit burrow spoil. Many other parts were found and finally I thought I had missed nothing. I went and had a wash as I was filthy with dirt and got into my car to head for home. Something stopped me, and I decided to go and have another look around the shed. I entered through the PA door and went anticlockwise around and through the shed without finding one more single piece. As I closed the PA door I noticed a David Brown tractor badge screwed to the door jam. I have a mate with a David Brown tractor so I went and got a screwdriver to take the DB nameplate off for him. Underneath the DB badge were two other plates. One was the Ford Lynx ID plate with the Hull, Serial and Engine numbers and the other was the gear change plate, both in perfect condition. (Thank you again Charlie for pointing me towards them.)

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On the day of the estate auction, Jill and I literally stumbled across a missing piece of armour. As we were walking from the boat’s shed towards the auction area, I spotted a 2” long ½” wide piece of steel sticking out of the ground. This turned out to be the missing bit of plate still with the hatch, hinges and mechanisms. I was missing the gunner’s hatch on the left side and had had one made in Melbourne a few months before. This new piece was cut from ½” plate using high pressure water jet with garnet in the water. I was able to get a few made and the water jet cut out the hatch as well. I then sold the extras to other restorers. You can see the condition it was in. Had we walked a few feet either way, we would have missed it.

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Also on the day of the auction, the auctioneer in his preamble, stated that there had been a fully rebuilt Ford V8 engine for the boat, stolen from the shed. Charlie McCallum had told people that it was there and it was not to be found. That did not concern me as I had the engine I wanted and an historic boat as well. More about this engine later.

Regards Rick.