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

[Darrin Wright]

I managed to spend most of Saturday working on the BGC and achieved a fair bit.
Removed that front left wheel and inspected the stub axle. There were several small burs or gouges that were catching the outer bearing. So filed and polished these off and then the wheel slid into place, installed the slotted nut and split pin.
Bought more nuts & bolts for the rear armoured diff cover, painted these and located the rear cover into position. Had to run the electric drill through some of the holes to get the bolts through. Prior to fitting this, it was easier to run the rear wiring loom and install the conduit in position and drill and mount the half saddle that holds the conduit in place. I am using modern wire and running additional earth wires were required.

Fix or adjusted the front conduit so that it sits correctly and ran a new (longer) wire in position as I was not happy with the other wire.

Installed the steering box onto the steering column, had to clean the splines with a file and wire brush and used plenty of lubricant to get them together. I do not fancy trying to separate the 2 items later...

I then installed the drivers floor plate into position to check fit, got carried away with the progress and installed the steering column into position. Still waiting on the 1/2" UNF turn buckles to be machined, but they can be installed later. Will install the mounting bolts for the floor plate this weekend.

Went to install the clutch rod, which I had made previous, and found that it was too long. This item I had made from the measurements in the parts book, minor oversight back then. Will cut down the rod and re-thread.
I also painted several items for installation in the coming weeks.