LP2a SAR restoration

[Phillip]

Well it’s been a busy 2019 but not enough movement on the restoration front. Fighting my end of year apathy, I pulled my finger out (as well as smacked several of them with a sledge hammer) and finished sorting out the track enough to get the old girl mobile.

It steers so just fine-tuning, get the rear tool rack and engine cover restored as well as continuing with all those ‘small details’ to get it finished for April 2020

[Phillip]

I was lucky that one of the covers for the mortar rounds survived from being turned into a BBQ plate and provided a reference for the missing cover. Darrin Wright kindly supplied a laser cut ‘kit’ the same as he used in his restoration.

It was good that Darrin had the original drivers side cover, whilst mine still had the opposite side cover. Between the two covers, this has formed some excellent reference points as they are not mirror copies of each other and there are varying construction techniques between Darrins cover and mine.

Not quite finished, but almost there...

[Andrew Rowe]

Hi Phillip,
You say this lid is the cover for the mortar rounds, I always understood this cover was for the radio set? cheers Andrew.

[Phillip]

Andrew,

When I first saw this carrier, I also thought that the brackets were for a radio cover and that the other odd brackets were a few civvy mods. It was Wayne Henderson who pointed out to me that it was one of small number of converted carrier given the nomenclature ‘Carrier, M.G. (Aust) Mortar Carrying’.

Darrin Wright documented his outstanding restoration of other Aust Mortar carrier on this site and also did a lot of research into these vehicles at the AWM.

The covers themselves are very much simpler than the radio covers, being simple flat plate with no return around the lip.

I’m trying to work out where the bipod was stored?

[Lynn Eades]

Isn't the bi-pod stored in the left rear up the front? Does it go into a ring welded to the floor?.... or is that for something else?
Andrew will know.

[Phillip]

Good question Lyn.

Vickers tripod stored left front of engine bay - I did wonder if the tripod was thrown away and the bipod placed there, but there is no change to the fittings here. Ring on the floor is usually for the spare Bren barrel cover - not present on this carrier, nor any of the SA carriers I’ve had/ seen up close.

Hmm, who does know the answers?

[Darrin Wright]

Hi Phil,
I have watched with interest as the restoration continues and enjoy your pics.
I spent some time this afternoon and photographed my fixtures to show you how it is all set up.
I still do not know what the 2 threaded blocks on the left inside of hull are for...maybe you do?

In the Vickers tripod mounting brackets I store the cleaning rod for the mortar, there is no fixed bracket or position for it, I just figured after reading the 3" Mortar pamphlet that that was the most logical spot for the crew to place it and I also doubt that they would have ground mounted the Vickers MG as mortars usually fire from the rear.

Can we see a pic of your left cover?

Regards