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

[Darrin Wright]

Like an excited kid at Christmas I was up at 0530h and out in the shed to vacuum up the left over garnet and start blowing off the dust.
Ducked inside at 0600h to put the hot cross buns into the oven (left over from Easter) quickly tidied up so that I can go to work.
Back inside to have breakfast with the kids before having to go to work, then off to work.
Who wants to be at work when there is so much happening at home? so knocked off at 1100h to go home and start painting.
Anyway, here are some pics...

[Darrin Wright]

More progress pics of painting.
I used 4.5Lt of etch primer, bit worried that I might run out, so I thinned it down slightly to extend it that little bit further.

Also while painting the main PRV or check valve into the tank on my air compressor failed and drained the tank slowly, so the electric motor driving the compressor had to cut in and cycle more often.

I eventually finished at around 1500h, so approx 4 hrs to paint.

The pic of the RHR of the hull clearly depicts the base plate brackets, hand rail and also the footman loops for the straps to stow the ammunition tubes into place.

[colin jones]

Looks excellent Darrin and what a great hull too. I gather your air scoop is welded in.

[Paul Dutton]

Originally Posted by Darrin Wright

More progress pics of painting.
I used 4.5Lt of etch primer, bit worried that I might run out, so I thinned it down slightly to extend it that little bit further.

Also while painting the main PRV or check valve into the tank on my air compressor failed and drained the tank slowly, so the electric motor driving the compressor had to cut in and cycle more often.

I eventually finished at around 1500h, so approx 4 hrs to paint.


The pic of the RHR of the hull clearly depicts the base plate brackets, hand rail and also the footman loops for the straps to stow the ammunition tubes into place.

Nice going there mate! Beautiful hull and project.
Second pic, is that an Aussie hard at work....??
And the colour, is that Aussie laid back blue....??

[Dale Jordan]

Really nice Darrin , it must have been hard to go to work knowing all that bare metal was just waiting for some paint , anyway she is done now and what a nice looking hull well done . The carrier hull looked so small on the back of the truck ...keep us posted on progress . Dale

[Darrin Wright]

Mid week started painting a little bit of green in to the critical parts that require other work and where I will not be able to get to later.
The green is close to what I want but not 100% right, so just using it as a base coat.

[Darrin Wright]

After painting both sides of the tow eye/mount and a test fitting with the rear armour cover in place, the tow eye was welding back in.

The front water bottle bracket was removed due to rust, so after having a new bracket fabricated by Simon Allen (0402 220 367 if you require one) and painting both sides, it was time to put it back in. After measuring to ensure it was in the right spot it was welded in. Once in, cleaned up the welds and a little bit of undercoat and green ready for painting later.

[Darrin Wright]

After painting several coats of green in the engine bay where the tube axle goes, it was time to put into place the engine bay divider plate that I had measured and lazer cut.
It is possible to have the plate in and then fit the fuel change over linkage rod, but I decided to fit the linkage first and then weld the engine bay divider plate in over it. Later I will get the bolts and brackets fitted to secure the linkage so that it does not fall out.

Also started welding in the metal brackets/guards that protect the brake rods running to the rear of the hull.

[Darrin Wright]

During the week spent time tapping the threaded blocks that secure/locate the brass blocks that mount the gear change mechanism in the engine bay.
Slow going as it was close to the floor and had to use a 6" shifter.

[Darrin Wright]

Busy week, collected the engine from the reconditioners on Thursday.
All the valve seats on the left side have been replaced and 2 on the right. All valves have been ground to suit the valve seats and all remaining seats have been cut & ground.
Also had paint samples dropped off on Monday/Tuesday at the local paint shop. This is from NOC samples and Colin Jones.
So I have now collected 12 Lt of paint, thinners and Universal Flattening Base- this should get me started. The paint shop have also kept the formula for future paint purchases.
So this weekend I intend to clean and scrub the engine and commence re-assembly and paint the underside of the hull floor twice (?).

[Darrin Wright]

Saturday it poured with rain all day, so my son and I painted the hull underside by hand with the new paint.
Happy with the colour, later when spray painting and final coating I will flatten it down.

My son did the edges and I did the bulk of the surface are with a 4" roller and then I touched up the edges and finished the exhaust guards.
Also used up the remainder of the paint (.5Lt goes a long way with a brush & roller) on the front interior floor and the edges in the rear where the armour comes together. The idea was to get the paint into all those little gaps so that water cannot lay there causing rust in the future.

Also cleaned the engine down to get rid of any/all metal shavings and grit, dust. While doing this discovered a small indentation in #4 Right cylinder bore that has been sleeved. It is approx 1mm in diameter and approx .5mm in depth and is in the middle of where the oil ring will travel.
Will take the block back to the engine reconditioners to get there take on it and possibly replaced under warranty if required.

[Darrin Wright]

Went to the engine reconditioners and had them check out the flaw in the sleeve. Nothing to be worried about, it will not catch the oil ring and there is a lot of meat in the sleeve and the engine casting, so the coolant will not penatrate through.

Finished cleaning out the engine and a gave it a blow out with the air.

Cleaned up the crankshaft and placed the bearings and crank in, used flexi-gauge to check the clearance between bearing and journal (.002" gap).
End float was .003".
Installed the oil pump drive gear, sealed it up with gasket goo.
Also installed the rear main seal, took a fair bit to get that rope into the small gap/wedge. Eventually I used the bearing cap and gently & evenly pulled down the bearing cap to install the seal.
The crankshaft is quite firm and tight to rotate, this should become easier later as they bed in.

Some pics of my efforts so far...

[Lynn Eades]

Before you get too far, I may need to be enlightened here. I thought that with that alloy insert, and the flange (slinger) on the crank, that there was not supposed to be a rear seal in that set up?
My understanding is that a new alloy insert is installed, and the slinger is ground off, by the crank grinder, and then a (dog turd) seal is installed.

[Darrin Wright]

Going by my Repair Manual for Ford V8 engines, 1937 to 1947, (pic attached) it states that "one has to coat the upper & lower rear main oil seal retainers with shellac and install the upper half of the retainer in the cylinder block.
Engines built since April 1944 have the lower oil seal retainer integral with the cap. On earlier engines, install the lower half of the retainer in the rear main bearing cap".
There is no clear pic showing the bearing journal at the rear of the crankshaft.

The book leads me to beleive that the seal retainers have the rope seal and the retainer listed as one item.
When the engine was pulled apart there was a rope seal in the seal retainers, this does not neccesarily mean that it was correct.
The gasket kit that I bought has the rope items in it, possibly a modern day way of economically supplying the parts as seal retainers do not wear out (unless incorrectly installed).
The engine rebuilder did give my a bit of V8 history regarding my engine, it is a 1940 block but he thought it had a 1949 crank whick is quite rare (ie a good crank for hot rods & racing). That all means that this engine was possibly rebuilt at some point. The engine number confirms that it was in a BGC as referanced to the AWM records.
I beleive that the rope seal has to go back in to the seal retainers and runs along the edge of the slinger, I think it will be a very effective seal.

I am open to any input and corrective advice at this point in time...

[Lynn Eades]

I am waiting for others to chime in here, because I don,t think you are supposed to install any seal in your set up ( 3rd picture post #102) It is purely a slinger.
I would be buying the later seal carriers, and having the slinger ground off.
Before you do anything, get the info.
Your last picture is of a later engine, with no water holes along the sump line. Have a look at Van Pelts web site or jump on Fordbarn.
I,m just trying to save you some grief.

[Lynn Eades]

Darrin, here are some pictures of what the later seal carrier looks like. This one is for the rope seal.
There is a listing on E bay for one #360661747859.
Van Pelts sell them.

[Darrin Wright]

Lynn,
having read the 1943 workshop manual, it describes the 1940/41 engine as having a slinger on the crankshaft and the seal reatiner fitted to catch the oil.
On the 1942 engines (and earlier engines fitted with a later model crankshaft) the slinger is machined off and a different seal retainer fitted with a rope seal to keep the oil in the sump.

I visited and joined the fordbarn website/forum and have posted a question there to see what info I get.

I think I have the earlier crankshaft and rear main bearing and do not require the rope seal, the slinger should do the job. At this point in time I will not modify the engine as what was engineered originally should work well providing I put it back together correctly or as originally designed.

[Darrin Wright]

After reading and getting some additional info regarding rear main seals, I have removed the rope seal and gone with the original oil slinger set up, should work fine as Henry Ford intended.

I have installed the crankshaft and bolted it down, bearing caps have been torqued down.

Have also cleaned and installed the cam shaft, making sure to align the timing marks correctly.

Used my floor crane and sling and lifted and rotated the block so that I can start on the valves, working the right way up.

Washed the adjustable valve lifters and installed them making sure that they were a light fit in their holes.
Read the instructions that came with them, realised that I had to loosen the adjuster nut before installation, removed all lifters and using a screw driver and 7/16 socket moved the adjuster screw 1/2 a turn in each direction. Then re-installed the adjustable lifters making sure that I had plenty of lube and oil around them.

Installed the 2 baffles in the valve/lifter area.

Started on assembling a valve unit together so that I had a clear idea on the next part of the engine, then time to wash up and have tea...to be continued...

[Darrin Wright]

Today I commenced putting the valve assemblies in to the engine. Individually washed each valve and its items and then fitted the valve into the guide and checked it for free movement, installed the valve spring and with a bit of lube, placed it into its hole in the block.
With a screwdriver made sure the guide was down far enought so the keeper could be installed.
Then using the pry bar lifted the spring and fitted the bottom retainer.
Managed to get 6 out of 8 valves installed on the right side of the engine and 2 on the left (these were the ones where the lifted was all the way down).

This took me about 5-10min per valve. Remember, it's not a race.

In the afternoon got sidetracked and painted the rear interior compartment, left hand side hull and the outer bottom right side of the hull. Not ideal painting conditions as the paint is still tacky after 3 hours.

[Darrin Wright]

Friday saw us drive to Shepparton in Vic, to collect my rebuilt diff and other parts that had been rebuilt by my Dad.
It was brought across by a friend and I just had to drive down the road to collect.
Saturday morning it was unloaded, with difficulty as it was bl___y heavy for my floor crane, and moved inside.
Some of the items to keep me going are the Gearbox internals, NOS steering wheel, steering box, conduit & water pumps.

[Darrin Wright]

With the parts that have arrived I have now rebuilt the water pumps for the engine with kits from Mac's Auto and painted them a light/mid grey colour.

Last night I stripped down the diff because it would not fit as a complete assembly into the back of the hull due to the top adjusters having to go into the hole in the hull. So off with the backing plates, this then allowed me to paint it. I also painted a number of smaller items so that they can go into the hull- fuel tank brackets, steering cam plate and gear linkage assembly.

I also had a parcel arrive this morning, a new carby from Mac's Auto. Not sure what happened to the other items that I ordered??? Another parcel???

[Ric Davies]

Lookin real good Darrin. Bet you were thrilled to have to re-strip the diff!!
Speaking of the cam plate and rollers,I replaced the bearings with a new sealed roller bearing that fits inside the original housing. If you want the numbers I can dig them out. Ric

[Darrin Wright]

Thanks for the feedback, the positive side to stripping the diff is that I can get a good coat of paint onto the backing plates and drums.

Euan found that the bearings that go into the 2 rollers are the same bering that locates into the centre of the steering cam plate, I already have 1 bearing for the cam plate so will have to get 2 more later.

Today I concentrated on painting the items to mount the diff into the hull, getting slightly side tracked with the diff, but I do need some room to put all the parts and I figured it is just as easy to place them into/on the hull.
I also painted more of the hull, so I would estamate that it is approx 80% green.
I have the gear linkage and some other small items ready to bolt in, so that may be tomorrows work.

[Darrin Wright]

commenced fitting some of the rear compartment items and gear linkage.
Also mounted the diff brackets into the hull in preparation for the diff to go in.

Important to get all tools, nuts & bolts and anti-sieze and anything else you may want in the hull before climbing in, otherwise there is a lot of climbing in & out which results in sore legs and wasted time.

[Darrin Wright]

Some pics of the diff, which I beleive to be a 1938 diff with the machined axle tubes and modified brake backing plates. The housing does not have the modification to fit a diff breather.
The backing plates are marked 'LEFT' and 'RIGHT'and are both different in how they were modified for a BGC. This diff is out of a BGC and the backing plates are from this diff. To my knowledge they have not been messed with until my Dad rebuilt it.
These pics may help someone who is looking for these items in correctly identifying what they are looking at.

[Darrin Wright]

Installed the diff into the rear of the hull, took a bit to align and bolt up by myself.
In the afternoon I fabricated and welded in the bracket for the handbrake lever, so that it can be mounted up under the front armour by the drivers right knee.
Also had a tidy up as I could not find parts for painting, hopefully tomorrow morning I can paint some green and install more items in the afternoon.

Fixed the binding gear linkage in the rear, now just have to figure out how the linkage moves around the right floor exhaust elbow.

[Darrin Wright]

Managed to paint items and install some of them, including my refurbished air cleaners. I am now seeing space on my parts shelves for other things.
The air cleaners were refurbished with a modern concertina element out of a diesel electric loco, they just had to be cut down the correct length to fit and installed new felts at each end.

Painted the brake backing plates but have found that the section where the brake actuator shaft goes through the mounting plate/bracket interferes with the hole in the backing plate, so may have to remove some metal to allow for it to fit.

Fitted all the internals to the gearbox and have come to a halt as I require a new shaft for the clutch fork. I also have to repair the rear cast mount as it has a crack in it. Have installed some new items that I bought at Corowa this year, so that should remove some movement within and hopefully make it a bit quieter, but being in a BGC I will probably never know with all the other noise.
Will get a new shaft machined up in the next couple of weeks.

[Darrin Wright]

With the parts that I had, I have finished the gearbox. It turned out that I did not have to weld the rear mount as I had the correct item on hand, so that is now bolted on. The output shaft willl have to be machined and sleeved as it has rust on the sealing surface from sitting all those years.

Painted the hull except for the front section of armour that has the new section of steel, that still requires work with body filler to get it flat. Hull looks good all green, bit glossy but that will change in the coming months.

Engine now has all valves installed and adjusted. I found that when you buy 'ädjustable lifters' what they really mean is that one must still follow the original method to adjust and insatll the valve assemblies, but the lifters are adjustable which speeds up and makes easier the installation. I thought with ádjustable lifters' that they would be more modern and be able to be adjusted in the engine much like my Chev or Jeep. Anyway that was 2 days well spent... I am now at the pint of installing the pistons, conrods and bearings.
I have painted the sump, intake manifold and carby choke/throttle bracket.
I also have a new carby from Mac's Auto and the other little items that I ordered have arrived.
Water pumps have been installed and that has allowed me to mount the engine into its stand so that I can work on the underside to install those bearings.

Found the original elec conduit from the front of the hull, so using that as a guide have welded in a replacement threaded block that secures the conduit into the hull.
Fitted 2 of the 3 oil cooler brackets.
Oil cooler valve and bracket installed into engine bay.

Work will slow down as I finish holidays and return to my normal job...

[Darrin Wright]

This weekend I commenced fitting pistons to conrods and placing them into the engine.
Washed and inspected all parts, checked rings in piston grooves and also checked ring gap. As it was 8 deg C I used a little blow heater to keep warm and heat the cast iron rings, also went into town and bought a ring spreader as I did not want to break any rings. Once I had this, I assembled up the front 2 pistons and got them into the engine. Then on to check the bearing gap. Either the wind or the dogs tail has brushed the plasti-gauge strip off my work area, but unable to find it (therefore unable to check bearging) so I moved on to the clutch bearing.

I ordered a grease hose for the clutch throw out bearing from AJay's Ford parts in New Zealand and that had arrived early in the week. Great value as I do not think I would have been able to get this made in Australia for the price I paid. NOS and in good condition. Cleaned out the grease cup and fitted it and the hose to the gearbox housing.

I also collected a new floor plate for the drivers controls/linkages, from the lazer cutters. Placed it in/on the drivers floor to check the bend angle and shape. All good there, so in time will fabricate and fit all brackets and drill holes to bolt it into the hull.

[Darrin Wright]

This weekend I continued (and finished) assembling the rings onto the pistons and placed all pistons & conrods into the bores. As I went checked all clearances on the bigend bearings and crankshaft journals.
Still very cold and had the blow heater going to keep myself and the rings warm.
Placed the oil pump into its location and tightened it up, book said to lock wire bolt in place, but with only 1 bolt not sure what to lock wire it to. So the lock wire now runs around the shaft of the oil pump, if it was to come loose it won't go too far (1/8 to 1/4 turn).
Cleaned out the sump of dust and debris and have front oil seal soaking in oil for when it gets assembled. In the front of the sump is a little 'receptacle' which is part of the PCV system, so cut some felt and placed in so that it will have semi-filtered air.
Installed all head studs on the left side with a little thread sealant so they will not leak water. Then installed the head and done up the head nuts. Not tight at this stage.
Also using copper head gaskets from the gasket kit.
Installed some new spark plugs into the head so that dust does not enter the cylinder, bought Champion H10-C from Repco @ AU$3.90 each.

I have the starter motor armatures at a friends being straightened as they are a little bit bent, with a bit of mild adjustment they should be right to be re-assembled later.

Also bought an air fitting for my die-grinder, so enlarged the hole in the left brake backing plate so that it now fits over the section of mounting plate where the brake actuator shaft goes through. Backing plate is now sitting on the diff, still to be done up.

My youngest son climbed up the ladder to study/check on my progress 'inside the hull, his comments were 'my you have done some work....."
Little bit more work yet before they can ride in it.