Restoration of Hull 731- Carrier, MG (Aust) Mortar Carrying

Darrin Wright · #1 19-01-14, 11:13

Well the weather has not been good for working out in the workshop, so have only spent a few hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the late afternoon/evening. Did not feel like working in 42 to 47 deg C heat.

Picked up an accelerator linkage rod from a local person and utilised it to bend my new rod. Having the correct angles & lengths, it has now been installed.

All items sandblasted have several coats of paint, most importantly the electrical conduit. Discovered the junction block (RHS hull near engine) to be cracked, so have bronzed it up. I have also repaired the flexible conduit from the engine rail to the engine, this carries the generator wiring and oil/temp sender wires. It is all painted green ready for assembly and installing the wiring.

Over Christmas I had a new stepped bolt machined to replace the item that destroyed itself when it had too much heat applied to it, when trying to remove it from the hull. This is the bolt that holds the track adjuster arm in place, on the hull. This has all been painted and it is now installed on the hull with new castellated nuts and new springs from Colin Jones (on MLU).

One evening I made a stencil that replicated the original hull number that was painted to the side. Fixed it in placed with little magnets and gave it a heavy coat of white. This is not the final marking and painted location. I wish to copy the original location and sequence of markings that I found on the vehicle. So when the hull (or that part of the hull) is painted again, those markings will be painted over and the new markings with the Mortar Section markings will be applied.

Darrin Wright · #2 19-01-14, 11:28

Painted the 2 smaller boxes (Box Iron Rations & Box Cooking Utensils) and installed them into the hull in the later model LP2A configuration. Bit of a tight fit to get them in with holes drilled to suit the mounting plates.

The local tool shop had a sale, so went down and bought a large G clamp to assist in pushing the wheel pins out. Utilising Colin Jones' method and having picked up a bracket and 2 hook bolts that my Dad had made up 30 years ago to do the same job, I commenced removing the wheel pin from the LHR suspension unit. It eventually came out and I removed the wheel, due to the heat, that's as far as I got with that.

Found my complete engine oil cooler lines and cleaned them up externally with the wire wheel and washed them out with thinners (that's all I had) several times. They have since been undercoated, test fitted in to the hull & bent back into the correct position, and are now painted green ready for installation next weekend. Once the oil cooler and pipes are in, there's no reason not to get the radiator installed.

Used the weather to paint quite a few parts and let them dry during the day or overnight. These parts are either on the vehicle or in a box of like items ready for assembly.

Darrin Wright · #3 30-01-14, 10:31

Little bit late with this update from the weekend, and like the new thumbnail size for the uploaded pics.

On the weekend I completed a number of little jobs and finished some tasks off, like the RHR suspension 2 engine rail bolts. My hands were too big and I didn't want to pull the starter motor off again, so my eldest son got down in the hull and, with assistance, installed the bolts & nuts and we did them up.

Another task, another son, we installed the painted oil cooler lines into the floor of the hull. Use some thread paste to seal the tapered fittings so that they do not leak later. Fitted the oil cooler lines through the air scoop slot and connected the lines to the cooler fittings. Next we installed the relief valve and positioned it onto its mounting bracket. As much as possible, I primed the cooler lines with oil.
Fitted the 2 saddle clamps that hold the oil lines to the engine rails, this presented a problem as the original holes may have been threaded and with
time and rust they are now holes. This required a longer bolt and a nylock nut, but to install the nut required small hands & arms to reach in under/around the engine and around the tube axle.
Interesting fact from the manual, to check the oil level the engine must be running when the oil level is checked. This is so that the oil cooler system is full and does not give a false reading and the operator has the incorrect oil level.

Utilised a thread tap to clean out the holes for the hull plates and installed the coolant drain hull plate.

Darrin Wright · #4 30-01-14, 10:37

Little bit late with this update from the weekend, and like the new thumbnail size for the uploaded pics.

On the weekend I completed a number of little jobs and finished some tasks off, like the RHR suspension 2 engine rail bolts. My hands were too big and I didn't want to pull the starter motor off again, so my eldest son got down in the hull and, with assistance, installed the bolts & nuts and we did them up.

Another task, another son, we installed the painted oil cooler lines into the floor of the hull. Use some thread paste to seal the tapered fittings so that they do not leak later. Fitted the oil cooler lines through the air scoop slot and connected the lines to the cooler fittings. Next we installed the relief valve and positioned it onto its mounting bracket. As much as possible, I primed the cooler lines with oil.
Fitted the 2 saddle clamps that hold the oil lines to the engine rails, this presented a problem as the original holes may have been threaded and with
time and rust they are now holes. This required a longer bolt and a nylock nut, but to install the nut required small hands & arms to reach in under/around the engine and around the tube axle.
Interesting fact from the manual, to check the oil level the engine must be running when the oil level is checked. This is so that the oil cooler system is full and does not give a false reading and the operator has the incorrect oil level.

Utilised a thread tap to clean out the holes for the hull plates and installed the coolant drain hull plate.

Darrin Wright · #5 30-01-14, 10:51

With the cooler weather in the morning I started work on the rear armoured diff cover. This required a lot of heat to removed some broken studs, straighten brackets and straighten the angle iron that secures it to the rear stowage box shelf.
This armoured cover has a mounting block welded to the inside, not sure what it is for, possible the diff breather hose. Have asked the question on MLU.
http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=21602

Carefully cut the mudguards off with the angle grinder and this allowed me to straighten the angle iron. This BGC is fitted with a shorter, curved 1/4" thick rear mudguard. I have not seen too many BGC with this. Most are flat and a little bit thinner in construction. Just an observation, just that bit harder to panel beat.
Positioned my NOS 42 & 43 shovel to check the fit and brackets that I will fabricate soon, a tight fit between the exhaust pipe outlets and where the shovel is.

Next step will be to fabricate the missing brackets and weld them on, them straighten and weld on the rear mudguards. Then off to the sandblasters for a clean up.

Lynn Eades · #6 30-01-14, 12:35

From the manual

Darrin Wright · #7 30-01-14, 21:16

There may be several references, with a slight variation, on checking & topping up engine oil.
Thanks Lynn

Darrin Wright · #8 04-02-14, 12:55

Brief update from the weekend, due to the hot weather minimal work got done and no pics.

I have removed and drilled the diff fill plug and have braze welded in some steel tubing to make the diff breather pipe. Still have to finish the tubing/hose and make a P clamp to secure it to the rear armour plate.
Straightened the rear mudguards and tried to square them up.
Straightened and corrected the hinges of 2 of my rear stowage bins, so now the lids close/open easily. This was just a matter of pulling in the hinge so that it aligned with the remainder of the hinge and was closer to the body of the box.
Done some work on the Jeep & cleaned it in preparation for going to Corowa.