Restoration of Canadian Scout Car Ford Lynx I, Mk.III No.1726

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Rick,

Good luck with your back operation. Get well soon!

Hanno

[lynx42]

I continued on with the steering. New bearings and seals were the order of the day for the box and a really good grease for the universals.

I carefully removed the shims under the worm adjusting cap and luckily put them away carefully as I needed them when I reassembled the box.

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The steering sector extension shaft was a right mongrel to get out of the housing. It has a flange on each end and it goes through the right front spring hanger. Fortunately the bush was in good condition and after cleaning up the shaft, it all went back together.

With the steering box and extension shaft ready, I started to re-assemble the chassis.

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I had painted the chassis as soon as it came home from the sandblasters and was quite pleased with the colour match. Overall the Lynx is just a bit shiny but will soon dull down as the sun gets onto it.

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I started to fit the parts that had been removed from the chassis including the spring packs, fuel tank protection armour and a myriad of brackets and clamps.

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The fuel tank hold down straps spent a few weeks in the molasses tank and then I had to re make the hold down bolts as the originals were rusted away. The hinge pins were also rusted solid in the mounts but the molasses cleaned them up.

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I found that there were many captive nuts which meant that I had to make up quite a few holders and weld them into place before some things went back on.

The steering wheel was really hard to remove from the top shaft. I say top shaft as there are two steering shafts connected with a small universal joint. The top shaft was seized in the tube and I had to work it for hours to free it up. I then made new top and bottom bushes for the tube. Five new woodruff keys were made for the 4 uni brackets and the steering wheel as I was not able to buy them. To do this I machined down a shaft to the correct size and using a 1mm cutting wheel split them in half. That worked well.

Rick

[Peter Duggan]

Rick,

Very sorry to hear about your back problems. You impress me as an individual who overcomes roadblocks in life. Therefore I will wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to your updates. You have created quite an inspirational story.

Fellow Lynx owner, Peter

[lynx42]

Thanks Peter, Hanno and Daryl for your thoughts. I am not looking forward to it but hopefully this op will be the last one.

Back to my story.

I continued to refit the restored parts onto the chassis. I had painted it but most of the parts I had pre-prepared were in some kind of primer.

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Front and rear axles and spring packs were refitted and as I said earlier, with new bushes in the springs, the shackle bolts being ok.

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New transfer case insulators were cut from neoprene and the transfer case re-fitted. Here the universal flange nut is not on. Why? Because I could not find it. It took me about 3 days off and on to locate where it had been carefully put away. Eventually it was found, thanks to the little lady, and bolted up tight.

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Next was the gear change tower and then the gear linkages.

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New welsh plugs were fitted to the front of the gear change tower to keep the dirt out and oil in. Here two still have to be fitted.

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This is the fulcrum refitted before the linkages were connected up. I do not know if I have the rods adjusted correctly but that can be done later.

The colour top coat was painted on to the primed parts mostly in place. I used a long handled paint brush where the spray gun couldn't reach.

Rick.

[lynx42]

The steering was all connected up, well not all, as the steering wheel, steering tube etc cannot be connected until the hull us bolted on.

The bearing adjustment of the front wheel bearings is the same as for a Ford or Chev Blitz it is a trial and error job. This adjustment involves the use of a 8" long spanner so that not too much torque is applied. The axle nut is tightened with this spanner and one corner of the nut is marked. The nut is then backed off 3/4 of one flat and the nut marked on the nut opposite the mark on the hub. The hub is then disassembled again and a thin shim fitted. The hub is then re-assembled and tightened up with that 8" spanner once again. If the mark on the axle is within 1/4" either way of the mark on the hub, then the bearings are set correctly. If it is not, you have to do it all again putting in thicker shims until it is correct. Good Luck.

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One thing that surprised me is that the steering tie rod between the two front wheels has a gentle curve. I thought that it needed straightening but no, that is how it was made. You would think that it would flex when a bump was hit. It is bent to curve past the front diff.

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The clutch master cylinder brackets were next and what a mongrel they were to fit. You need about 5 hands to locate the bolts and the master cylinder to the brackets which bolt to the cross member and the steel cross brace which helps keep the fuel tank armour in place.

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Andy Seymour at the Berwick Brake Place located the front and rear axle flexible brake pipes and here one is hanging out of the left front brake fitting.

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Here the chassis has been painted, the new tyres fitted and sitting on one of the most handy tools you can have in your shed.Go Jacks. With these I was able to move the chassis around all over the workshop when I needed to. No effort or lifting required. These ones have hydraulically lifts and are so simple to use.

There gear box is in place and linked to the gear change tower as well.

Rick.

[Ian Fawbert]

Hi Rick,

This continues to be a wonderful story! Not only am i learning so much about a Lynx, i am learning so much in general! Thanks for taking the time to post it up and i hope that your surgery and recovery goes well. I, like many before, eagerly wait seeing that new post has been made to this tread to see what happened next in the life of your Lynx!

Cheers and thanks!
Ian.

[lynx42]

Thanks Ian, It is good to know people are enjoying my restoration.

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Me with the spray gun onto the rear axle.

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When I paint, I always think of something one of my old teachers said to me back in 1964. She said, "A coat of paint hides a multitude of sins." She was in those days referring to the fairer sex as I was 16 and pretty keen on the girls.

It is very easy 2 years on to get things out of sequence.

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Here is Jill, my wife, my T/A, my nurse, my workshop cleaning lady, my tea lady, etc. etc. painting primer onto the rear springs. This restoration could not have progressed as it did if it was not for Jill.

Rick.