T16 restoration starts in earnest

andrew honychurch · #1 30-07-11, 21:11

I wrote a long and detailed account of the days work and then accidently lost it!

Cant bring myself to do it again so here are the photos anway!

eddy8men · #2 31-07-11, 00:10

there's nothing worse than spending half an hour doing a post then the bloody thing gets lost somewhere and you have to start again, been there many times. great thread by the way.

andrew honychurch · #3 31-07-11, 07:21

Thanks for the kind comments Rick.
indeed it is most frustrating after all that typing! Anyway, the short version was that I managed to get the front bogie bracket bolted into the hull, but it was more tricky than the rear. There are quite a few, approx 16 or 17 bolts and screws to line to get it fixed in ok. There is quite a bit of flex thankfully for this task in both the sponson side and the bulkhead which enables one to line up the inner fixings near the centre of the vehicle. The TM states that mating sufaces should be sealed to enable deep fording, so I applied a straight forward black silicone which I am able to trim off when its set.

I fitted new rope seal around the rear of the suspension unit and front where it seals up against the inner edge of the bogie bracket and the outer thrust washer. I imagine this is a two way seal, one to stop water and grit ingress the other is to retain as much as possible of the grease held within the suspension unit. As I am sure many of you will have already discovered, lifting these units onto the bracket is really a two man job, but somehow I managed now I have a weeks recuperation on holiday and plenty of mental planning for the next stages of the restoration. Eventually got hold of Nordian Services and I should be in receipt of some NOS main bearings awaiting my return. More soon.

andrew honychurch · #4 19-08-11, 18:31

Well onwards and upwards. Picked up the Tracks from the blasters today, and pretty pleased with them, although some of the pins look like they have seen their best days. Do these pins break? I mean of course they break, but do they break readily? Not too sure I am ready to break a track driving around the country roads of Kent. Also need a lot of washers, as most of mine , where fitted seem to have disintegrated from the blasting. Are they special in any way, I doubt it.

Found the ideal tool for handling the tracks, in fact I took them for a little work out on the field to try and free them up a bit more. Mostly they are free but one or two sections are stuck and will no doubt make it tricky to fit the tracks.

anyway, the tracks are in place ready to be fitted when I finally get the front idler wheels on. I just need to put the bearings back in and get them on. I did want to pull the T16 off the concrete barn where it is, but as the engine is still not finished if I pulled her off I may not get her back up the brick wall and thats the place I want it to stay. So I will labour on with fitting the tracks where she lies.

Got all the control levers back in and fitted the plate, just making up new control rods and finishing a few little brackets that need welding in to locate return springs etc.

As for the engine, I started to build it up yesterday but ran into trouble with the rope seals for the rear main bearing. It was a complete nightmare to cut as it came over length and then frayed badly. I have sent off for some more and also decided to invest in a new rubber seal for the front of the crankshaft/pulley. Tell me that was a good idea guys?

real shame about the corrosion in the sponson sides, but I guess its 65 years old and spend a long time on its side in a scrapyard, so its to be expected. I decided against filling it as I felt sure it would look false and crack out in due course. But hey, when the seats in and if I could get some orginal blanking plates that fit over most of this corrosion it wont look to bad.

D Ellery · #5 20-08-11, 05:53

Keep the pics coming please. Its quite good to see the pitted rust look,tells the story of age and restoration. 60 plus year old MV's with smooth panels and shiny paint jobs, although fantastic restorations in their own right just don't seem to have that, done the hard yards I survived look. Anyway keep up the good work, enjoy your posts.

andrew honychurch · #6 20-08-11, 08:37

thanks, I am glad someone is reading it, and finding it interesting. There is no rocket science here, you all do it, but its fun loading up the photos and keeping the story going. If I can escape from some chores at home, I may try to get those tracks on. We will see.

I noted, bearing in mind the tracks were very rusted and seized before, that there is a lot of lateral movement now they have been blasted. I was discussing this with my Dad last night and we concluded that there should be a steering element to the tracks, other wise they would lurch around corners. Anyway, hope I am right , otherwise they are quite worn on the pins and link!

eddy8men · #7 20-08-11, 11:24

hi andrew
we're all following your thread with interest and you seem to be cracking on at a blistering pace, at this rate you'll be driving her soon

if you're worried about the tracks then you could remove a link and inspect the pin for wear, a normal used pin would have a stepped wear pattern of maybe 10 thou or so but this is just my guestimation. another method which is actually the official way of track wear testing is to count the links, i don't know how many links a new t16 track has but there will be a figure of so 10 or so less when the track is deemed to be worn out. you'll have to get one of the other t16 guys to give you the correct figures but you can only use that method if the tracks are original and haven't been swapped around with different sections from other vehicles (my tracks are made up from all sorts so the pin is my only guide to track wear)

all the best

rick