Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[lynx42]

I have sent you a PM with an email address.

Tony try Dean in Allora QLD.for tyres

I purchased 5, 9.00x16's, for $1600.00 with tube and rust band delivered to my door. They are lugs but look good and dropped straight onto my Lynx rims.

Regards Rick.

[Private_collector]

Rick,

Are your rims the same as CMP?

The reason I ask is because Dean is where I got my current tyres from. The ones that won't fit!

The grey truck was his also, and I bought it from him.

[Mike Kelly]

If Ricks Lynx rims are 6 stud like the C8AX, I believe these 6 stud rims are different to the normal 8 stud CMP rims eg for a unknown reason they will accept any tyres whatever the bead angle Mike

[Private_collector]

So far I've had knock backs from Tyre Traders and Marathon Spares.
One has had these on 'order' for three years, the other said no tyres this size in stock at present. Now I don't know if they have some coming, or if they won't ever be getting any ever again, but if it were me taking an enquiry, I might think about giving more information in case the buyer wasn't in a hurry. I'm not in a hurry, yet!

Still making enquiries, but no luck so far.

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

So far I've had knock backs from Tyre Traders and Marathon Spares.
One has had these on 'order' for three years, the other said no tyres this size in stock at present. Now I don't know if they have some coming, or if they won't ever be getting any ever again, but if it were me taking an enquiry, I might think about giving more information in case the buyer wasn't in a hurry. I'm not in a hurry, yet!

Still making enquiries, but no luck so far.

Have you tried Agtyres at Moree ? I have forgotten the guys name, its been years since I dealt with him . He was importing MRF tyres for us guys with MV's.

[Private_collector]

Thanks Mike!

I'll try them next.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

If Ricks Lynx rims are 6 stud like the C8AX, I believe these 6 stud rims are different to the normal 8 stud CMP rims eg for a unknown reason they will accept any tyres whatever the bead angle Mike

That's correct, for some reason the 6-stud CMP 16" wheel rim has a diameter which differs from the 8-stud 16" wheel rim. Tyres for American rims fit right on.

The latter, as you know, has a 1/4" larger diameter. That's why tyres for American rims do not drop right on....

Hanno

[Private_collector]

While awaiting 25 pounder parts from several recent purchases, I have returned to working on the truck. More specifically, repairing the small dents on my Sunshine Cab roof. Most of the holes were very simple to remedy, and I even managed to file finish two of them. The others, they required a skim coat of filler. Now I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I HATE PANELBEATING! I'm not good at it, and I don't enjoy the process. That is partly why this particular task has been delayed for a long time. I knew it would annoy me, and I was right in expecting so.

Urgh, ghastly work! At least it's done now. Before priming, I had to remove the remains of snapped off bolts and the caged nuts that they go into. Most came away willingly, but two had to be enticed off with either grinder or cold chisel. Not every hole contained a caged nut and bolt. Ther are at least 3, possibly 5 holes that just have a plain piece of steel rod. Those would be to assist in aligning the roof with the windscreen frame upper section. I hope all the holes align OK!

This is only the first application of primer and spray putty. It gets dry sanded smooth, then further primer is applied. Any remaining low spots get another load of spray putty and/or wiping/hand putty. I already know two areas which will require a second splatter of putty.

Next weekend the inside should get painted.

[Private_collector]

Unbelievable! He actually did it.

.....and is happy to do my others as well.

[David Dunlop]

Well no more spinning your wheels with THAT project, Tony!


David

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

Unbelievable! He actually did it.
Attachment 85093
.....and is happy to do my others as well.

G'day Tony,

Who did the tyre for you Tony? Was it a tyre place or the bloke whom you bought the truck off? Plus how did they achieve this feat of dexterity?

What are the rims called when they are in two halves and held together by the special bolts?

Would there be a Chevrolet equivalent iof the bolt together wheel rim instead of the suicide ring rims like my truck has?

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Private_collector]

Indeed, David. I think it is time I gave that truck a bit of panel work and a new coat of green paint. My only fear is that the wiring system may not have connectors which will allow me to easily remove the nose panel. I may be wrong though. The former owner is the same fellow who has succeeded in getting the troublesome (for me and every local tyre place) tyres to fit CMP wheels. He is a retired engineer, so it won't surprise me if he thought of any future need to remove the panel/s. An extraordinarily talented man who can do anything he turns his fancy to.

The installing of these wheels (once all have tyres, of course) will make the rest of the vehicle look ridiculous in grey, and the mismatch appearance will drive me to do something quickly, I expect.

I've been making enquiries about sourcing a quantity of suitable canvas, for rear body, rear window cover, front window bags, mudflaps, door curtains (and it's carry bag), gear boot, cabin roof (read on, for why), and retrim the seats. Naturally, the rear body will chew up majority of the canvas. I will be making those products myself, so I think it best to start on the smaller, easier things first. Painting will be done before all that. That's the easy bit.

The good news is, I have new sets of side mirrors and front wing lights which are already green, and ready to install once painting is finished. A new set of rear lights are on hand also, but don't require painting. None are original, but are direct replacements for what is already in use. This truck is more of a daily driver than a restoration project. The roof has had some very poor treatment in the past, and lost its hatch, in preference for a badly finished replacement sheet of steel over most of the roof. I discovered some months ago there is water getting through the weld in two places, and it's too much trouble to do further welding to remedy, so the entire upper surface will get a healthy coat of Stone Guard. That'll seal it off. Stone Guard looks horrible, and I'm not driving around with that visible.......so...I plan to attach a raised steel piece from a spare sunshine roof frame I have, and a canvas cover will go over that. From the outside, it will look entirely like a real sunshine roof. A glance upward inside will confuse though. Now you know why I'm comparing canvas prices!

From a quality perspective, this range looks the best I've seen: http://www.wilsonfabrics.com.au/Outd...oductView.aspx
Download the product data Spec file, and compare! They has several thicknesses available, and all are Australian made.

[Private_collector]

Hi Lionel,

I know those wheels as a 'Split Rim' style. Don't know if that's correct term, but folks seem to know what I'm talking about. Is your vehicle 8 stud pattern hubs? I have no idea if there are substitutes for your locking rim type. One way to find out though, call in next time you're down this way. I'm sure I have a wheel you can borrow, for a test fit, provided yours are 8 bolt wheels.

The tyre installation was done by the fellow I bought the vehicle from. He was my last hope, and I was sceptical about getting them on, but you see the results. Sounds like he didn't even work up a sweat. He texted me this afternoon, to say he succeeded, and the photo I posted was an attachment to that message. Hence I don't have a lot of info on the method, BUT the huge hint about the method is the four sets of long threaded rod with nuts on them, that you see in the photo. Those and a quantity of rubber grease, combined with a good compressor, are the remedy. When I get the chance to speak with him properly, i will quiz in depth.

I should have realised he would get them on. He can do anything at all, and does it very well! Next time you're coming past my place Lionel, call in and have a look at the 'modified' wiring on my grey truck. Same guy did that, and it's quite a complex system designed to run several voltages of equipment. He designed the electrics to be functional, as he has travelled east side of Australia in that truck. 25,000km in all, I believe.

[Mike Kelly]

Hi Tony

I am also looking for canvas , for my 1950 land Rover . I was lucky to have on loan , an original LR top from the 1950's to measure up . The original canvas on these was very heavy 24oz stuff , like cardboard .

The problem with modern domestic canvas is, it always has some synthetic thread in it, its not 100% cotton. It also has a fine weave and it looks very wrong for a 1940's truck ! It's typically meant for house awnings and marine use .

All is not lost ! The old coarse weave canvas 100% cotton stuff is still made in places like Pakistan .

I look on ebay for ' canvas tarp ' , you will find heavy 16 oz tarps in various sizes. It's usually imported from Asia . I cut these up and use them . Being all cotton means you can dye it , opposed to the synthetic stuff which wont take dye . Mike

BTW a few years ago Aussie disposals down here had a sale on WW2 1" webbing straps . I bought 3 huge boxes of them .

[Private_collector]

Thanks Mike.

I didnt look too far into the cheaper canvas, because I was afraid it may not be colorfast or waterproof. I suppose if it's cheap enough, I can afford to let it wear out. Perhaps 'weather' may be better word to use. My friend Andy, another MLU member, gave me a nice big dark green tarp that I have been cutting into to make the canvas goods for my gun project. It is nice and pliable, easy to work with (including sew with domestic sewing machine), and it does stretch a little. Guess stretch is a good thing in some instances, not all. The down side is, it freys easily, and is definately NOT colorfast. The freying isn't an issue really. All edges get seamed. The dramatic fading is a concern long-term. Im about to cut a chunk of it out to make a flap that seals the front of a bookshelf I bought to store my tanks. Was going to make a canvas bag to carry all the rechargable battery packs, then I realised it may look like a suicide vest! Good idea, bad time to make it.

You will note there is room for one more tank. Two more if small.

[Private_collector]

Bought a 100% cotton canvas tarp this afternoon.

Popped into the local disposals store after work, just to look around, and found they have a range of quite suitable, Indian made canvas tarps. Colorfastness (is that a word?) is an unknown yet, but this is as good a starting point, as any, for the roof cover of my Sunshine Cab. Don't think dyeing would work if the damn thing fades too much. The tarp has had a wax treatment during manufacture. The presently primed roof is begging me to paint it, so I've really got to do the canvas bit before I get the paint on, and DEFINITELY before I get the impulse to install the roof onto the rest or the cab itself. Once on, it would be VERY difficult to manufacture the canvas cover. I'm not tall enough to reach that height, and there is no room for scaffolding im my workshop.

Elvis put it best; It's Now Or Never!

[Mike Kelly]

Looks good Tony !

I noticed that ALDI currently has canvas drop sheets 3.6 X 1.5 size for 10 bucks , these are plain undyed cotton . These would possibly be strong enough for seat covers if you layered the stuff, eg 2 or 3 layers . You would need to dye them. I use RIT dyes , they work quite well on cotton . Dying yourself means you can choose your own preferred colour !

[jack neville]

I have a couple of those cheap Pakistan tarps and whilst the are nice and heavy, the color did fade quite quickly and the stitching and brass eyelets are pretty ordinary. But they were cheap and useful.

I bought a set of Worthing canvas for a Diamond T project and in the deal added enough of the same good quality 18oz US canvas to do a few other projects. It was £20 per metre (If I remember correctly) but you can't get that good stuff readily in Australia unless you find some old heavy tarps.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Guys

Another problem that I have run into is buying new canvas tarps is that some that I bought actually mildewed in the plastic bag sitting on the shelf. I'd bought them to make covers for equipment and before that could be done the tarps had mildewed and developed natural black on tan camouflage patterns.

Now this may just have been a batch of traps that had been sealed in the bags wet or gotten wet in handling. Response I got from the local Tractor Supply was it seems that for environmental reasons they no longer can use the same stuff used on Military canvas in the 40s and 50s. They did replace the tarps and didn't even want the old ones back.

Cheers Phil

[Private_collector]

Wow. There's some very interesting and useful information in last few postings.
Sure sounds like every silver lining has a cloud. In comparing the modern er...quality tarps against the widely acknowledged cheap, Indian made products, I wager there is justification for deciding one over the other, regardless which option you go for, depending on your individual needs and circumstances.

Let's compare:

Indian/Cheap tarps
Good weight
100% Cotton
Weave looks right
Much cheaper
Tend to fade dramatically
Stretches
Prone to ripping where sewn
Original stitching can rot
Not as hard wearing
Questionable waterproofing long-term

Modern/High quality tarps
Superior weatherproofing
Superior materials used
Less prone to ripping
Doesn't fade (much, if any)
Little stretching
Won't rot
Often a blend of cotton & Poly
Rip-stop has noticable chequered pattern
Weave too fine, doesn't look right
Considerably more expensive

Anything canvas I put onto the grey truck, needs to be able to withstand the elements, because that vehicle lives outside. The restoration truck, on the other hand, will enjoy a life of being returned to full weatherproof, sun proof shelter inside my workshop. What I'm about to say next, will sound a bit 'bass ackwards'.

I think I will go with cheap canvas for the restoration truck, and the better canvas for the grey/unsheltered vehicle. I really want the right look for the resto truck, and fading, diminishing weathproofing, and stretching are not things that will be of significant concern under the above circumstances. In fact, the stretching in particular is something I feel may be of good use. Especially so with the sunshine roof cover, provided the stretch is finite! I may even look into having a second pair of side curtains made, so all the canvas matches.

The currently grey truck will require much better canvas, to survive all day out in the sun. I should add that I will also purchase a good big plastic tarp to throw over the whole thing, when not intending to drive it for extended periods (? Greater than few days). I had a missed call from a canvas company in Victoria yesterday, and assume they are responding to my enquiry about supply and cost of the modern, high quality canvas. We are attending a funeral today, but I will return the call this afternoon, if an appropriate time arises.

So, in summary, I expect best course of action is; Best canvas I can find for the daily driver out in the open, and the cheap Indian canvas for the permanently sheltered restoration vehicle. The cab roof is where I will start working with larger size applications, and we'll see how I fare. Plans may need to be revised, depending on how successful I am with the sewing. If I bollocks it up, I will stop and turn the job over to my auto upholstery guys. I hope that isn't required. Am actually looking forward to making the roof cover. Always satisfying to know you made something that (I hope) looks good. I'll make a start on Sunday.

[David Dunlop]

Hello Tony.

I found Phil's experience interesting. It had not occurred to me that anti fungal and anti mildue products may no longer be used on canvas, and it would not surprise me at all if there has also been a big shift away from the wax and oil based waterproofing compounds of the war years to more modern silicone based agents, which are very effective.

Not sure how much humidity you get down your way, or for how long it hangs around, but I have seen mold and mildue set up very quickly on fabrics stored inside in these parts, when the heat and humidity combination gets just right.

The Canadian Tire Company out this way carried a canvas waterproofing product for tents in their camping supplies that was silicone based and anti mildue. It was available in colours at one time but I think it is now neutral. Comes in one litre and four litre cans and can either be brushed or sprayed on. I used it to revive an original M38 CDN canvas top once and it worked a treat! It did darken the canvas down a bit when finished but that was actually an improvement in this case as the colour had faded quite badly over the years and it looked a bit closer to original when finished.

It might be worth your while to see what is available locally and test our a small tin if you can. I'd hate to see a batch of warm fuzzies set up home on all your hard work!


David

[Private_collector]

I think I will look into doing that, David. It's a lot of potential benefit for not a lot of money.
Humidity here can get VERY bad during summer. I hate it. Really wears me out and can make working outside quite uncomfortable.

I'll start checking available types, this evening.

Thanks for your thoughts, David!

[Private_collector]

Well, today I have received quite a few samples of currently available canvas types. The modern canvas is dramatically different from the raw looking stuff we are used to seeing on vintage military vehicles, but all types seem to have positive and negative aspects.

The fabrics below, are all from one supplier. They sent me three different types to inspect. The serated edges of the majority afforded me opportunity to test their resistance to tearing, with impressive results.

First style, and by far largest selection, are obviously rip-stop material. They are a thick, quite stiff material, and feel like a Poly fabric. Rip-stop isn't for me, because of the chequered pattern. I think you could tie a piece of this to a bogged 4X4 and pull it out without tearing the stuff. It really feels that strong, and I did try (without success) to tear it apart. It just laughed at me! The weave is too tight for canopy use anyway, in my opinion.

Next ones are similar density and weave, minus the tell-tale rip-stop chequered pattern. Poly fabric again. It looks good, and would be worth considering for some projects. It is very stiff though, so you may not want to use it where 'billowing' canvas look is appealing. This stuff wouldn't flap much in a tornado. Probably good thickness for home awnings, vintage caravan annexes and squatters chairs. You foreign folks, look up squatters chair in google. As with the previous selection, weave is much finer than military canvas of decades ago. This type also mocked my puny attempt to damage it.

These next two are similar in appearance to the second photo BUT they are thinner material. I would be quite happy to use this for my side curtains and similar sized applications. It would keep it's shape nicely, in uses where that would be desirable, but this fabric is sufficiently thinner in feel, making it a better choice for a range of applications. This one ticks the boxes for any future side curtain manufacture I do. Remember, I still have the dismantled original curtain/s used as pattern to have a pair of new ones made, to copy from. I'll need to improve sewing technique before tackling those. The pair I had made for the restoration truck a couple of years ago were probably done in this material. A visit to the workshop tomorrow afternoon will confirm that, but I'm fairly confident. While maybe not the range of colors to choose from, I wouldn't be upset with using the one green shade shown here. There may be other colors available, but I didn't get them in the batch of samples I received. In keeping with the trend, material has the same feel and look of the previous two types, so I'm confident they are synthetic materials also. Oh, and I couldn't tear these buggers either! Is it too much to ask that I manage to rip one sample, just a little bit? Apparently it is!

This last image shows all the samples together. It's an impressive range. All are waterproof, surprisingly tear resistant, and none could be persuaded to fray. While no description accompanied my samples, I'm prepared to wager they are all very colorfast. Can't say that about the cheap, 100% cotton tarp materials, manufactured in India and the likes. As I said, all have positives and negatives, but if you're looking for longevity over replication of exact appearance, these will outlast religion!

I'll post another suppliers range in next posting, along with some visual comparison between both lots and the Indian/Pakistan made cotton canvas currently available everywhere on earth.

[David Dunlop]

Nice to see the modern options available, Tony.

Might also be worth seeing if you could get samples from any supplier of the 100% cotton items in as heavy a weight as possible. I think the original wartime stuff was in the order of 18 to 16 oz. I don't think they worried about thread count for that stuff.

Different mills probably have different production capabilities. Some can probably waterproof and mould protect on site, but most may not. Any dyed canvas is going to bleed like a stuck pig if it is not waterproofed, so the fact it might bleed just means the cloth has not been treated in any way. That probably opens up canvas products to a larger potential market for sales. If the buyer happens to be a tent maker, they may purchase bulk canvas in any colour and waterproof etc themselves, have it done by the canvas manufacturer or outsource that part of the work to a 3rd party company.

It might be cost effective to get a 100% cotton heavy weight canvas untreated in the colour you want and then apply suitable coatings yourself.

Also, I wouldn't worry about shrinkage too much. All canvas shrinks when wet, Even the treated stuff. It's the nature of the beast. My M38 top was a Beachwood Canvas product out of the USA. It was a nice relaxed fit in the summer heat and would snug up a bit in colder Fall/Winter weather. But get it wet in the Summer and it would tighten up so much a group of Taiko Drummers could have performed a concert on it! Same thing used to happen with my M37 top come to think of it, though not so much the end curtains for some reason.

You could always stitch up a one foot square of whatever you end up working with, soak it, toss it in the sun to dry and see what sort of shrinkage you get before and after waterproofing. That would give you a good idea of the wiggle room you would need to factor in for the actual parts making.

Keep up the great research!


David

[Private_collector]

Now another supplier.

This material is different again from the previous post. A considerably thinner material by comparison. Fine weave again. Not 100% cotton. Nice and strong is the theme with the modern materials, and this is no different. I did get the impression this one could tear, and I didn't test that to destruction. I only have these three narrow pieces, and did not want to destroy one.

This stuff is possibly woven even finer than the ones examined earlier. I don't know where this material would be best used, if at all. Yes it's colorfast. Yes it's completely waterproof. It's also OK colors. My hesitation is the thin gauge, mixed with the fine weave, makes this feel kind of like paper. Even multiple thicknesses, like would be needed to make side curtains, may look too thin. Although very thin, it is not as flexible as I would want, and I don't know where this material would be used on restorations. In all honesty, I wouldn't use this type.

Here is a closer view comparison between new canvas and the much more coarse 100% cotton fabric coming out of India & Pakistan. If a gun was held to my head, and I was forced to use modern fabric, I would prefer the canvas of second last photo (showing just khaki and black) from previous post. You can see from the photo above, that there is a huge difference between coarse cheap cotton tarp material and the modern, too fine looking varieties. I'm in no doubt modern fabric is MUCH better wearing, weatherproof, and colorfast, but I believe the desire for wider range of uses has forsaken it's widespread use in military restorations.

For my needs, the coarser, (and potentially trouble prone) cotton canvas from India just looks so much better insitu. Provided you are aware of it's limitations, you can work around most areas of possible future issue. For example, yes it's gonna fade if left outdoors forever. So don't store the vehicle exposed to the element all the time, without some additional form of protection......... like a poly/plastic tarp over the areas of concern. Better still, give the poor old thing a sheltered home. Also, the cheap canvas is much more likely to fray around the edges, and avoiding this is simple. Make sure all edges are hemmed well, and take care with handling the product until this is done. I'm quite sure the original canvas of 70+ years ago wasn't given the same care and attention we provide now, so ours will have greater longevity, I hope!

While I am appreciative of receiving the canvas samples for inspection, their use in my applications is limited. I would happily use it on a number of areas on my grey truck, but I can't see it getting much of a look with the restoration vehicle. It doesn't give me the right visual appearance, I'm afraid. I know there are countless other manufacturers and types of canvas products which I haven't had opportunity to inspect, and I expect those too would be aimed at a market that clashes with the look and feel we are wanting. As long as the factories in second (or third) world countries are pumping out the coarse 100% cotton material, that will most likely be my choice. My truck will always be garaged and protected from the elements, so that makes a range of complications with cheap canvas nul and void. The propensity of cheap canvas to stretch, or indeed tighten under certain circumstances, can be made to work in my favour, provided I am aware of this and make allowances at time of fabrication and practical use.

[Private_collector]

Had a play around with my canvas tarp, draping it unceremoniously over the sunshine cab roof.

These 2 photos are taken from front driver side corner. The 'tuck' under at front, is how the canvas will sit over the metal piece that runs across and tightens into place with two brass wingnuts. I hadn't realised there was a very obvious seam down the middle. I don't fancy that at all. Apart from the seams having highly visible thread, it looks ugly to have a line right at the highest point, where the steel tube will hold it in prominence. Grrrrr.


The metal parts that form part of the rear cab window are now primed and ready to be incorporated into that project, which is the next thing i will tackle. I'm working my way up to the cab roof cover!

[Mike Kelly]

If you feel that the Indian canvas is not strong enough . Maybe consider two layers of it sewn together ? Nobody will notice any difference and it will have a heavy thick original appearance

[Private_collector]

I think it will be OK if I use strong thread (which I already have) on all stitching, and double seams all round. If I make allowances correctly, the slight stretch will work in my favor, because the raised up tube in the middle means without stretch it won't sit right at the rear. The tricky bit will be getting the stretch tension just right. If I am out by a little, that can be corrected, I think, buy the tension on the lacing through eyelets down at the back.

I'm happy with the cheap canvas. It looks right, when viewed in person, but when looking at the photos I took today, it looks all sort of wooly and overly fuzzy. In reality that's not the case. I also see the photos have highlighted very minor defects in manufacturing where a lump may appear in the weave. To be honest, I don't think the original canvas would be any better quality, so it's probably fairly representative of how it once looked, all those decades ago. Looking at examples in museum photos, theirs are rather poorly fabricated and sewn. If I get it taut and fitting well all round, I'll be alright with the result.

Incidentally, I made a remark some days ago, about having leftover material to use for my 25pdr spares roll. Noooooooo, there won't be enough for that or anything else larger than a gear boot cover perhaps.

[Mike Kelly]

You know this already. Before you do any sewing , throw the canvas over the washing line outside, give it a good soaking and let the sun dry it , it will shrink about 1" - 2" all round .

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Lionelgee

What are the rims called when they are in two halves and held together by the special bolts?

Would there be a Chevrolet equivalent of the bolt together wheel rim instead of the suicide ring rims like my truck has?

Kind Regards
Lionel

Australian Chev MCP trucks had the type of rims you are seeking, Lionel, but they were an 18" rim, which would open up a whole 'nother can of worms for you trying to find 10.50-18 tyres...

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/warwi...uck/1121358417