My Blitz's

[Keith Webb]

Hi Scott

A vehicle with that amount of rust should I think be split up as a parts source. You'll save yourself a huge amount of time, cost and stress by finding another in better condition, and that's not too hard to do here in Australia. I don't think I've ever seen springs as bad as those, they take the cake!

The modification on the end of the chassis is a civvy one and another reason to not use it.

The likely reason the date is not on the data plate is it may have been built in the Sydney factory as they put the date on the other plate on the engine cover as a rule. What are the details written on your data plates?

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Hi Scott

A vehicle with that amount of rust should I think be split up as a parts source. You'll save yourself a huge amount of time, cost and stress by finding another in better condition, and that's not too hard to do here in Australia. I don't think I've ever seen springs as bad as those, they take the cake!

The modification on the end of the chassis is a civvy one and another reason to not use it.

The likely reason the date is not on the data plate is it may have been built in the Sydney factory as they put the date on the other plate on the engine cover as a rule. What are the details written on your data plates?

I have to agree with Keith. But having said that , you come across more and more WW2 era trucks now, with bad rust in the chassis. It is really a time thing.. back in the 70's , these vehicles were 30 years old..now it's more like 60+ years old and mother nature takes its toll.

[Keith Webb]

The paint on your transfer case looks like it's Deep Bronze Green indicating post-war use by the Army.

[lynx42]

Whilst I haven't used the company for their wiring looms, I have purchased rubber window seals etc. from them.
I was restoring a 1923 Rolls-Royce in 2000 and was quoted, by another company, $450.00 just for the two vent window rubbers . Scott supplied the entire cars rubbers for $158.00. (Windscreen, vent windows, rear and side.) I didn't tell him at first that it was for a Rolls. I learnt that mistake quite quickly, but unlike the other company, it made no difference.
They were good to deal with.
Rick.

[Mike K]

I think the Chevs had a larger version of the Jeep style IG switch ....

[sth65pac]

Scott,

I have not used them but they would be of sufficient rating to handle all the electrical tasks as replacements for the originals.

Ian

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

Wondering if anyone has used these ball toggle switches for their dash restorations?

They are made in the US by Leviton are SPST and have a rating of 3A @ 125v for the switch with leads and 6A @ 125v for the heavy duty switch.

Can be found on ebay.

[Mike K]

I think that steam pipe is there mainly for off road use. If the vehicle is pointing downhill for a time, the steam will accumulate at the rear of the head .

Not sure about that . Somebody else will know more

[aj.lec]

You need the original cast brackets that bolt on to chassis end

[Bob Carriere]

I am runnign a Chev 261 in a cab 11...... I have connected the stream line and a turn off valve.

Now everyone one knows that 261 have extra steam relief holes in the head/block.

I ran my engine using a clear vinyl line....... you run the engine to full operating temp.... about 160 degrees..... not hot enough for steam.

You run the engine for a while and when you open the valve..... the line filled with green antifreeze turn white with froth moving to the radiator...... after a while the line goes full of green fluid again. My conclusion is the engine can used it even if it is a modern 1959 chev 261. When I redid the line with the proper steel line and rubber connector... I removed the valve and am now running with the line fully open.

what did they know in 1940 that we don't know now....?

Bob

[US6]

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

I have found a supplier in Australia who can supply complete wiring looms for Chev and Ford Blitz's. They can make a loom to suit either the cab 13 version or the 'monkey face' cab 12.

I have been advised that they use the original style wire (laquered, cotton braided wires) and then the harness itself is cotton braided as the original. Terminals are fitted and they number each of the wires and provide an instruction sheet to aid installation.

The harness is designed for 6 volt systems so use heavier gauge wire.

They can supply for different chassis lengths ie C15 - C60.

http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au/

Has anyone used this particular supplier for their wiring harness?

These are made by Vintage Wiring Harnesses in Melbourne. I have dealt with them directly and can vouch for their quality and accuracy.

[hrpearce]

http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ht=spedo+cable I had mine made at 100" just to be safe.

[aj.lec]

It is my understanding that all Chev blitz motors are based on the 1940 model .So regardless of year model all have he 1940 base motor with the single hole water pump and domed pistons
Civilian models changed in 1941

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Scott - I am a bit of a purist and am glad you are sticking with 6v. I have heard so many reasons why people has resorted to 12v. None of them wash with me. 6v was more than adequate in those days and as long as you use heavy cabling and ensure good earths, you should have no problems. I think 12v is a lazy option.

Bob

[Mike K]

Scott

If you look at the engine block , you will see a code cast on the dissy side towards the starter . It's the casting date of the block . I've forgotten how to decode it but .... the letters = month . A = January etc.

The code is also found on the gearbox housing and gearbox lid .

this is good to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrol...aight-6_engine

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

I have found out some details of my vehicles, altough there are still some historical gaps that will need to be filled.

C15A - Built in Brisbane. Was disposed of in Qld and was apparently sold to General Motors Holden @ 1946? No specific information of what rear body was fitted.

C60 - Built in Sydney. Was disposed from 1 Base Ordnance Depot in NSW in 1964. No specific information on what rear body was fitted.

Who would I need to get in contact with to find more details?

If the AWM had that degree of detail they would also have the body type. You should ask for more info.

[Mike Cecil]

Scott,

Tell me the ARNs and I'll see if I have the body type listed.

Mike C

[Mike Cecil]

Scott,

Your in luck, I have them both listed:

You wrote:

"C15A - Built in Brisbane. Was disposed of in Qld and was apparently sold to General Motors Holden @ 1946? No specific information of what rear body was fitted."

I have the truck assembled in Brisbane (chassis number is 38444B00075), and taken on charge by Army in Queensland. I don't have a year or place of disposal recorded, but just post war is reasonable, since the disposal SAN number is 5908. As you know, it was sold to GM-H.

To add to what you were told, the truck had a General Service body, so probably the all-steel body with valances (storage lockers) over the rear wheels, given its 1943 model year (so assembled in Australia 1943+).


C60 - Built in Sydney. Was disposed from 1 Base Ordnance Depot in NSW in 1964. No specific information on what rear body was fitted.

To add to your info: It was a 'Truck, 3 ton, Garage', and is a C60L. The reason it was disposed of so late was that it was a specialist body type. Those bodies in serviceable condition were transferred to Studebaker US6 6x6 trucks, and later, to Inter F1 6x6, so your truck was quite possibly disposed of as a cab-chassis.

Regards

Mike C

[Mike K]

this is the only DP Lancashire listed on WW2roll.gov.au

Service Record
Name LANCASHIRE, DOUGLAS PAUL
Service Australian Army
Service Number Q201673
Date of Birth 16 Feb 1925
Place of Birth DALBY, QLD
Date of Enlistment 3 Apr 1943
Locality on Enlistment REDCLIFFE, QLD
Place of Enlistment REDCLIFFE, QLD
Next of Kin LANCASHIRE, SAMUEL
Date of Discharge 16 Aug 1944
Rank Private
Posting at Discharge 2 BATTALION VOLUNTEER DEFENCE CORPS (QLD)

He may have been conscripted into the AMF after leaving the VDC .... he would have been 18 by then. That's if its the same person who owned that drivers handbook.

[Keith Webb]

They do turn up from time to time and are an amalgam of the individual Canadian ones. Surprising there aren't more of them around. The Ford one was the same format. The only Canadian handbooks here are the F15 because we imported numbers of them in their Canadian configuration.

As to your chassis in your next post, better by far to find a good one rather than spend a lot of time and effort on a bad one.

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

Just recieved a driver's handbook for Chevrolet that I won on ebay. I haven't seen many of these books around so I'm guessing that they are hard to come by.

I have seen many Ford driver's manuals, but not many for the Chevrolets.

These are an invaluable source of information which covers details that are not covered by the standard maintainence manual.

The manual was issued to - Driver DP Lancashire, 2nd Batt / 3rd AATB.

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Scott - looking at what you have, you need help. With your bits and pieces $350 will get you a fully operational panel. Another $230 gets you a working temperature gauge built by an instrument technician.

Bob

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

I have removed two water pumps from two of the engines that I have. The exterior of the pumps is ok, but the internal components are pretty well rusted. Have tried to remove the backplate of the pumps without success as the screws are very tight, any ideas as to remove these seized screws?

-

You might try a impact driver . You can buy them anywhere . Its a kit with 3 different bits eg, phillips head and normal type . You place the driver onto the stuck screw and hit it with a hammer , the twisting action will loosen the screw. Make sure the slot in the screw head is clean . A little heat will help loosen it as well.

I've had varying success with 216 rebuild kits .... some of them come with low quality bearings that virtually fall apart as you press them in. The older NOS kits tend to have good bearings but beware as the lube inside the old NOS bearing may have dried up and it wont last long in service. You normally have to reface the surface where the carbon seal runs as it is usually pitted .

hope that helps .

[Lynn Eades]

Some options;
Use an impact driver. Give the head of the screws a hit with a flat faced punch, (square on)having carefully supported the casting at the other end of the screw. This is to jar it free. (do this first) Judiciously use a blunt cold chisel to chase the screw head in an anticlockwise direction. (one well judged blow)
Carefully heat the screws and let them cool. If that doesn"t free them, heat them again, and quench them with water.
One or a combination of the above should free them.

[Bob Carriere]

In similar circumstances....... we use the oxy-acet to heat up the casting to a pale cherry red...... than with a handy dandy impact screw driver start impacting the screw head. The screws can be hard rusted to the point of shearing the flat end of the screw dirver attachements..... but they sell spares.

As mentioned if it does not work at first quench with water....let it sit.... repeat heat process.

Prefer it to drilling heads off 10 to 1.

Another way would be to grind some clean shiny meatl on the screw head and weld a 3/8 nut on the head using the mig welder....... let the nut glow red....wait for the heat to bleed into the casting..... when parlty cool torque gently back and forth until loose.... if nut breaks off weld another one.....

Good luck.

Bob

[Grant Bowker]

The screws holding the back plates onto the pump body are usually staked in place against vibration by using a punch to drive some of the metal from the plate into the slot in the screw from the edge. If they overdid it this could be adding to your trouble. Heat should soften this as well. They might have used loctite or similar against vibration - heat tends to break that bond too.
I can't think of anything in the top corners of a Chev water pump that should be hurt by judiciously applied heat. Don't go so crazy with the torch that you melt the casting but you should be quite safe short of that.
You may be able to get enough heat from a propane torch as used for soldering domestic water pipe fittings but oxy-acetylene lets you put in more BTU/min and keep the heat more where you want it instead of spread so far through the whole casting (and perhaps cooking the lubricant in the bearing), possibly actually using less heat than the lower rate torch.

[Keith Webb]

I think I have some of those electrical filters new old stock. Will check for you.

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

As I mentioned in my last post the condition of the seats not too bad.

The seats out of the C15 are very good with only minor repairs to the seats and seat runners.

The seats out of the C60 are a completely different matter. Although the seats themselves are restorable the seat rails are completely stuffed. I may be able to salvage some components from them but I will have to do a complete rebuild.

I am in the process of buying parts for the future restoration and I was wondering about the electrical system on the Blitz's. There are two filter / supressors fitted to the electrical system connected to the voltage regulator.

I was wondering if anyone has found a source for replacement filter / supressors or are they re-using the original ones or are they leaving them out of the electrical system altogether?

[Keith Webb]

Made in Canada




Part # 5810320





Price is $15 per pair plus postage if you'd like some. I do have more if anyone else is interested.

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

Unfortunately Keith they are different to the ones that I have fitted to both vehicles.

Both vehicles have dual input suppressors (two wires).

According to my Chevy maintenance manual circuit diagram one is a suppressor - condensor (dual), and the other is a suppressor - filter. See photo.

Just checked the parts book - the one I have is for "first jobs" which I think means cab 11/12.

[Keith Webb]

You could well be right - I have no way of checking them electronically!

Originally Posted by Scott Hamilton

I will still be doing search for these items. Thanks anyway Keith.

As I have some experience with electronics, I understand that component internals do deteriorate over time so I don't think that these components would be working at the same specification values when they were first made. So I don't think it would be a wise idea to re-use these filter / suppressors as they also have some slight signs of corrosion.

I think that it is important to obtain the correct type as they are an integral part of the battery charging system and overall electrical system, also because of the amperage that is being used in the electical system would cause some spectacular system failures, including damage to the generator.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Scott

The gasket on the glass itself is a standard flat tape like rubber which good sized Auto-Truck glass places should have. If you can not find that I've used the thick rubber tape used to seal underground electrical cable splices.

As to the gasket that goes in the channel of the frame to seal around the out side of the window frame to the body this is also a standard glass shop material sold by the foot or if you are doing a couple of trucks buy a spool box of it think it comes in 50' boxes.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Phil

[hrpearce]

I got all the rubber I needed at rare spairs.