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

[lynx42]

During the strip down, the original sandy yellow colour appeared under fittings which had not been removed or exposed to the sun and rain since the day they were made.

Here is the colour under the lifting ring on the left front.

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Inside the left locker was a small bracket bolted to the bin side. After removal the original colour was found, unchanged from the day it was painted.

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There were two basic colours used for the finished coats, either this sand colour for the desert and green for Europe etc.

A decision was made to paint the whole vehicle in this desert sandy colour as it was visible all over the whole vehicle. I took 4 or 5 bits to the local paint shop and had them computer match the colour for me. It is still a bit shiny, but a few days in the sun will soon fix that.

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You can see here in this photo, (thanks Peter Duggan) that there were two finish coats. Desert Sand and Green. There are about 140 Lynxes in this photo with the green ones in the background.

Regards Rick.

[lynx42]

I’ve got a bit ahead of myself here. The chassis tear down commenced and each part was photographed and documented. Thank heavens for digital cameras. I commenced stripping the chassis by first removing the fuel tank armoured protection tubs which were bolted to the chassis. With these out of the way I was able then to get to the smaller fittings.

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The hydraulics are a bit different to most vehicles. The accelerator is hydraulically operated with a master cylinder under the accelerator pedal and a slave at the carburettor. I have had a new slave cylinder for many years having purchased it at a Corowa Swim-In auction. The brakes, clutch and accelerator all work off the one reservoir tank mounted in the engine bay.

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With this set up there are quite a few hydraulic lines going all through the chassis every whichway. All of the pipes and master and slave cylinders were photographed, measured and labelled as they were removed and stored carefully away. Later all of the chassis hydraulics were carefully disassembled. Photos were taken as each piece was stripped down.

[lynx42]

The chassis was slowly being stripped with Graeme and Jills help. The gearbox and transfer case were removed along with the steering box and all mounts. The remote gear change and fulcrum were removed at this time as well. This fulcrum changes a push to a pull and vice- versa. This is because the engine and gearbox are behind the crew compartment facing rearwards with the radiator right at the back.

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The chassis was almost bare by now except for the axles and a few fittings. The shock absorbers mount to the hull sides and to large fittings on each axle. The front axle mounts had been oxy cut off to be used as the spring mounts for the speedboat trailer. I was fortunate to locate a pair of mounts in South Australia 20+ years ago.

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Regards Rick.

[lynx42]

The wheels were taken off.

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The tyre size is unusual being 9.25 x 16 run-flats.

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This Lynx had only 4,206 or maybe 8 miles showing on the old speedo but the tyres were well worn.

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The warning plate on each wheel was still clear.

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I purchased new 9.00 x 16 tyres tubes and rust bands from Queensland ($1,600 for five including freight to the door.) These are not bar treads but lugs which are good enough for me.

[lynx42]

As you can see, there is quite a bit of wear for 4,206 miles.

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There is quite a bit of extra diameter in the new tyres but that will assist with cruising speed and fuel economy as well.

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Regards Rick.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by lynx42

I purchased new 9.00 x 16 tyres tubes and rust bands from Queensland ($1,600 for five including freight to the door.) These are not bar treads but lugs which are good enough for me.

Rick,

Could you share the brand and type details of the tyres you bought? The tread certainly looks good and it is a bit different than those "boring" bar threads.

Thanks,
Hanno

[Peter Duggan]

Rick,

I am confident that many MLUers eagerly wait for your updates as I do. Micheal R. deserves credit for the pictures of the lineup of Lynxes, on my thread.

The Lynx 11 reverted to the traditional cable and linkage with springs system for the throttle and clutch. What has been your personal experience with the hydraulic systems?

Peter

[lynx42]

WOW! 500 views in only 7 days. I guess I will have to continue my story.

Regards Rick.

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Could you share the brand and type details of the tyres you bought? The tread certainly looks good and it is a bit different than those "boring" bar threads.

Hi Hanno,

I will PM Deans email address to you for security reasons (I am sure he doesn't want heaps of spam mail from the lurkers.). He lives just outside of Toowoomba, Queensland. The tyres were sourced by him from India (MRF?) but were actually made in China. What isn't these days?

The brand is "FORESTER."

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This is how they arrived at my place on a pallet.

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The price included the tyre, tube and rust-band and slipped straight on to the Lynx wheels.

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Regards Rick.

[lynx42]

With the chassis gone to the sandblasters the next few days saw me stripping and cleaning the rear springs.

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There was no rust between the leaves which was a great bonus. All the shackle pins showed no wear so that was a bonus as well but the new second-hand lathe was in for a workout with new bushes needed.

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New centre bolts were easy to get so I replaced all 4. Large ‘G’ and ‘F’ clamps did the job well compressing the leaves to refit the centre pins.

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Regards Rick.