T16 restoration starts in earnest

horsa · #1 30-07-10, 15:15

The choke looks like the one I have mounted to the engines intake manifold. They can be hard to find but weren't a T-16 specific item.

andrew honychurch · #2 30-07-10, 17:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by horsa

The choke looks like the one I have mounted to the engines intake manifold. They can be hard to find but weren't a T-16 specific item.

Having read the manual last night, I just worked out why we never managed to get the choke to work properly. i assumed that it was a thermostatically controlled unit when it appears that it is also controlled by electrical current. Mine has never been wired to any power supply, so I guess it was never likely to work! The guy who has these chokes has a few, not sure how many but will report back. Andrew

tankbarrell · #3 30-07-10, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by andrew honychurch

Having read the manual last night, I just worked out why we never managed to get the choke to work properly. i assumed that it was a thermostatically controlled unit when it appears that it is also controlled by electrical current. Mine has never been wired to any power supply, so I guess it was never likely to work! The guy who has these chokes has a few, not sure how many but will report back. Andrew

The electrical function is activated by the starter circuit so you get full choke whilst cranking. Upon releasing the starter button it reverts to partial choke, this gradually goes to no choke as the bi-metal spring warms up.

andrew honychurch · #4 30-07-10, 21:50

thanks Adrian, i guessed it was something like this. I had never seen the small terminal on the choke control and the previous owner had not wired it up . Anyway, will start from scratch when its all back together once more.

Had a big day today, and stripped most of the rest of the internal rear hull compartment. this included both oil coolers and pipes to rear, and the main gearshift control bar. that took some getting out . Most of the bolts are either rusted away, so a spanner/socket will not fit or rusted solid. anyway, a combination of a cracking set of Mole Grips and the old blowtorch has sorted most of the fitments. Am thinking of taking the tracks off tomorrow and the back axle out. If its quite as hot here as it has been today, it will be hard work. Stuck down inside a Carrier with legs bent and feeling my age, it has been hard work stripping the hull. Anyway, its well on its way now.

David, did you replace all the oil cooler lines with copper? If so why? I am hoping I can keep mine, although I am going to have to recore the oil coolers , they look dreadful Good news is the chap who will do that is only about 3 miles from where I live.

andrew honychurch · #5 31-07-10, 22:21

boths tracks cracked today and the back axle out. I take back what I said about the worst job being the drivers compartment. The axle removal was horrible. Nothing particularly hard, just a long and ardous job made less appealing by the need to bend double under the rear decking. Tracks came off quite easily but I am definitely not going to be able to put it back in without a track tensioner and link attachment too. Anyway, not too much more to go before it is ready to go off to the sandblaster and fabricator to weld all the little bits back in.

Still trying to understand what the hull drains plugs look like. Does anyone have a photo or schematic of them off the vehicle. All I have is holes in the floor where they fit.

horsa · #6 03-08-10, 17:50

Took awhile to research the code in the parts manual for the drain plugs. But they come from the Ford T-17 Deerhound which was an armored car that was in the running for U.S. government contracts during the war. Guess the Greyhound was the winner since it received an "M" number (M8) with the T-17-E1 Staghound a close second since they were also produced in limited numbers. The T-18-E2 Boarhound was another in that contest.

I've not found a source for good replacement drain plugs and nothing modern has the same dimensions. A machinist friend that has a T-16 milled plugs for my vehicle which are installed in the rear section where they wouldn't be visible but can be removed from underneath if needed. He patterned them with large hex heads that are the same size as the hub nuts in the rear end. That way the same large socket tool would work for them since it would already be part of the tool set carried on the vehicle.

These are a good alternative but would only work on vehicles that still have useable threaded flanges on them.

andrew honychurch · #7 04-08-10, 09:21

Thankyou David, as always thats very informative. My T16 has two of the bosses/flanges still attached to the floor with the plugs still in them, but all the others seem to have come off their fixings. I cant really imagine why, unless they were either presses into the floor rather than welded or badly attached. The rest of the floor is not so bad that would have rotted off. Anyway, my plan is to try to aquire some bungs here in the UK and then make some new females to weld into the floor. I am off to see a load of T16 parts that I have tracked down, but I have no idea what is in the bundle until I go. I will report back. If the worst comes to the worst I suppose I could have some new bungs cast and then machined up but this will be a lot and money.