My first carrier: some assembly required

[super dave]

Well its been almost a year since last posting but it seams to be the only time I get to working on my own projects. Since the last post I worked on the oil cooler and lines to it. I picked out the best one I had and still needed quite a few of the fins straitened as they were bent and found using a pair of needle nose pliers worked quite well. After that I painted it with some high heat BBQ paint and cleaned up the lines to it.

[super dave]

When I got time to mount it in the carrier it had some material wrapped around the cooler fins I guess to keep it from wearing through ?? any how I found using wide hockey tape worked good and is very close to the original.

[super dave]

After having done those I went back to my dash panel and assembled it with all of the gauges and bits, Looks great .

[super dave]

Recently I got around to run up the engine on a test stand I made up from a couple frame rails from a MK2 carrier that came as parts when I purchased mine. It worked out really good as all the mounting holes were there to install every thing. I used my dash panel with all of the gauges so I could test them as well to make sure everything was working before installing it into the carrier. I had it running for around 4-5 hours total and fixed a few minor issues I had and was well worth making the test stand. In the end it is running great and only needs to turn over 1 revolution to fire and very happy with the results

[Jordan Baker]

What a great idea for a test stand. Love it.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Dave

Great work on the test stand, using the frame rails like that is such a good idea. Should make fitting in the eventual vehicle a lot easier. As you said now is the time to fix all the little problems and run in the engine.

I always try to schedule engine testing for the winter great way to heat the shop each morning, ended up doing one engine in the summer and it got a little hot in the shop.

Your whole project has been an interesting read. Keep up the good work.

Cheers Phil

[super dave]

Thanks Phil, the stand will be put to good use as I have 4 more engines to run up. Recommend it to anyone if they can test run their engine before installation as it is a lot easier to do any kind of fixes before hand.


Today was another great day as I had a chance to install the engine into the carrier. Doug Lavoie came by to give me a hand to install it and he was a great help

[super dave]

A couple more. next is to make up the Exhaust down pipes and start on the conduit and electrical.

[Robert Bergeron]

Great job there Dave.

[super dave]

Thanks, Its moving forward again. Hopefully if everything goes right it will be mobile by spring time.

[super dave]

Well I was able to get the exhaust pipes made from the engine to the cast outlets in the floor and installed this week with the help of Lynn's pictures and measurements of an original one . I used a J pipe that is mandrel bent and did both sides with it, Also had the lower part that goes into the cast outlet machined up and it slides right into the pipe and then welded up..

[super dave]

Also I got a couple of the flex hoses made up from an example and installed from the oil cooler bypass valve to the lines on the frame, Its nice that they had the fittings for it as it was British thread. As for the lengths the parts book says 27" overall length for the long one and 23" for the shorter one. In installing them I would recommend going to 24" overall length for the shorter one as the crimp on ends are a little longer than the originals and give a little less to the flex points so a little longer on the shorter one will have a better curve out of the fittings, Just my 2 cents.



Next in line will be the conduit and wiring, Will be nice to get that over with

[Paul Dutton]

Nice work, flying along. The ads on hoses should be standard BSP, common size even even over there. Waiting for my two carriers from NZ now!

[lssah2025]

Looking good, glad to see another carrier coming along, Paul did you buy the 2 carriers from "Mark" NZ that have been listed recently?

[super dave]

As I have had some PMs regarding my recent posts I edited the one on the oil cooler lines on the lengths of the hoses. Also here is the measurements of the ball/sleeve on the Exhaust down pipes so you can get some made up for your project. Just a side note that if the cast L bows in the floor were new it should be 1 1/2" ID but with mine i found that they were both different in sizes and I got the Sleeves custom machined to fit each side as I found that they can be as much as .070 larger ID.

[super dave]

Well I had a pretty good week overall and I got all of the conduit installed as well as the wiring. The rear engine compartment is now all wired and hooked up, Installed the rad and I was able to install the frame work around it as well as the rad side covers. This coming week I have some more fabrication to do as I have to make up some engine covers as well as a few more pieces.

[super dave]

A few more pictures.


I also installed the air cleaner and tube to the carb as well as the overflow tube from the rad.

[super dave]

I got this decal from I believe Derk and does anyone know where it goes IE the side or top, Left side or right side of the air cleaner ??????

[Lynn Eades]

Dave, Great work and great photos. They will help me and I'm sure, a few others as well. There's a lota bits in there!

[Jordan Baker]

Dave, when I applied my decal I put on the top of the main body in a place you could see it from through the air screen and also when the engine cover was removed.

[Ron Pier]

Originally Posted by super dave

I got this decal from I believe Derk and does anyone know where it goes IE the side or top, Left side or right side of the air cleaner ??????

I see Dirk has those and also a 'yellow' one with 'Made in Canada'. Would the Yellow one be correct for my MK2? Ron

[Peter Duggan]

Dave,

That is an impressive amount of quality work, in short order. Glad to see that Doug's coveralls still fit.

Peter

[super dave]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

Dave, Great work and great photos. They will help me and I'm sure, a few others as well. There's a lota bits in there!

Thanks Lynn, Yes I hope it helps a lot of people who are building there carriers as when I just started mine I did not have a clue as to where everything went as I got mine in a million pieces. It has been quite the journey from not knowing anything to almost knowing every thing about the carrier as well as all of the help you have supplied me over the years as that is what this group is about

[super dave]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

Dave, when I applied my decal I put on the top of the main body in a place you could see it from through the air screen and also when the engine cover was removed.

Did you place it there from a picture of an original one or just looked like the right place to put it ?? did you put it on the side or at the front ?

[super dave]

Well finished a small project today as I had a MK2 tool box and of course it is DIFFERENT than a MK1 . Luckily my friend had a MK1 bottom half so that I could get the dimensions to do the cutout on the side as well as welding up the bolt mounting holes and re drilling them as they were in a different spot as well.

[Michael R.]

Coming along nicely!

[Wayne Hingley]

Looks very nice Dave.

[super dave]

So far this week I moved to the rear and installed the rear tool plate and most of the tools and brackets as well as the jack and block as well as the ration box and and tray. Also installed the rear convoy lamp. its starting to look more and more like a carrier

[Jordan Baker]

Looks great Dave.

Whereabouts did you get the strapping material. That is one item I have had issues trying to find. I can't see to find the stuff that matches the originals closely.

[super dave]

Jordan I purchased the rubber (2 and 3 ply) in sheets from Granger in the US, They have a great selection as well as all of the felt I needed to do the carrier as well.