Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

As usual, it was into town this morning, despite the rain & cold!
Did manage to find two suitable yellows at paint shop, so I can now touchup the paint chips on the bridge plate.
Cabin front signage 1.jpg Side curtains 6.jpg
Speaking of bridge plate, it's finished now. So is D ^ D markings on door tops.
Cabin front signage 2.jpg
All signage on cabin now completed, thank goodness. Apart from a thorough tidy of the workshop, that's the sum total of todays output.

I still have to finish the repair work on radiator air duct, after that its about time to return focus of attention back to chassis work.

Tomorrow I am on the road to retrieve some parts a couple of fellows are holding for me. Into Brisbane first and then up to Warwick way. From memory, it's a 8-10hr round trip from home, so don't expect to hear from me tomorrow, unless I show the bits I have brought back

[Euan McDonald]

Tony,
I have a few sets of side curtains and the ww2 set has a bit of freedem to allow the door to open.
Most blitz only need a LH side curtain as its only required to keep the driver mate happy.
Check out Keiths site for more pics.

http://www.oldcmp.net/canvas.html

Cant wait ot see engine in and running.

[Private_collector]

Euan,

Your photo shows one of the very few curtains I have seen which are made with the steel rod instead of the flat bar construction. I note there is also the triangle access flap like mine.

I suspect my originals would have had a bit more 'slack' in them too, but the need for them to be disassembled for examination of construction method has now reduced them to a pile of rags. Very old and stinky rags at that. Mind, the the canvas was in dreadful state, so I don't feel any remorse with not being able to keep them as they were.

The truly odd thing is that the rod frames were different to each other. One had the angle of windscreen slope, other was a simple rectangle. The rectangle one had a longer portion of canvas at front to accomodate the shorter frame, and still allow it to fit sloping windscreen. very strange!

I still have the frames around. They will be kept for "Justin"

[Private_collector]

Air duct 2.jpg Air duct 3.jpg Air duct 4.jpg
Didn't get a lot done yesterday. It was too cold to even put decent primer on the radiator air duct once I got the welding finished. Managed to put a light bit of etch primer, so long as I used the heat lamp to warm the panel before and after spraying.
Rotten window frame 1.jpg
Amongst the things I retrieved Sunday, were two window frames. They both looked to be two of the most inact I had seen..............that was until I pulled one apart and found it completely rotten inside. Still, they didn't cost me anything, and perhaps the other one will be better. If nothing else, it has shown me how to get the glass out without breaking it. Only the bottom portion was rusted badly so I may use these to make one good one from both (they are both passenger side).
Booster seals.jpg
Further items retrieved include (but not limited to): The 2 window frames, a good brake booster, repro reflectors x 4, Ford generator, some switch plates, brackets for side curtain bag (that hold the bag to cab rear, I think), V8 distributor caps, spark plug conduit tubes x2, Ford gearbox..................and last but not least............a new set of seals for the Ford vacuum brake booster. Not NOS, these were made in last couple of weeks by a company in Brisbane. They were not cheap, but very important to rebuilding the booster!

I left home at 0600hrs Sunday and got home again 1900hrs. Took my boys new car and put over 800km on the clock! He wasn't too upset about that, but didn't appreciate the dirty, oily, crud covered gearbox being carried in the boot . Andy, if you are reading this, the rags did the trick. Not one bit of oil on the floor carpet of the car, and I didn't scratch the bumper getting it back out.

While travelling one of the back roads 'en route', we 'discovered' an intact and very restorable Cab 11/12 in a paddock. Had intended to go back and call in there, but when we spoke about it to our host, he already knew the vehicle and it's not for sale! Apparently it's a fairly elderly gent that is going to restore it 'one day'.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi

Here is what I did when for a replacement windscreen frame rebuild, this was on my Pat 12 but I've been picking up spare M series frames to eventually replace one of the Pat 13 frames. http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/C...Windscreen.htm

Cheers Phil

[Andy Cusworth]

That was a good result not getting any oil leak out in the boot ....... the downside could be a gearbox ran with no lubrication

On a seperate note, you are doing a superb craftsman's job mate

[Andy Cusworth]

forgot to ask you sunday, there is a rear convoy light sat up in my rear chassis crossmember that I think used to shine down on the white paint on the rear axle centre, its no use to me, not sure of condition ..... sat in armchair, not shed at mo but you are welcome to it to refurb or copy etc

Let me know if you want it and I will take it off for you ?