Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

The engine I got last weekend is now sitting outside the workshop, as opposed to filling the trailer! I have no intention to start work on the engine for now, but couldn't resist taking the heads off for a little peek inside. Couldn't stand not knowing what lay beneath the surface. Looks quite good doesn't it? It didn't before I did a bit of wiping with petrol.

Would I be correct in believing that this had never been rebuilt before?
I ask because of the "Ford" script piston tops which are also stamped "STD". Don't worry about the scratches I left on piston, there is slight pitting to the bore so these pistons will be removed and replaced once cylinders are honed.
Attachment 44712 Attachment 44713
The intake manifold and heads were all easy to get off. No broken studs, and while heads and intake are OK to reuse, I have another intake and carburetor I have been rebuilding over the past few months. Mostly at night.............on the lounge room floor! I hope it is compatable with this engine!!!!!
My wife wants me to ask "does anybody else clean or wet sand parts in the shower?" We have our own water supply so don't worry about wasted water!


One thing did concern me. Upon removal of the intake manifold, I found small amount of water in some of the valve chambers. I had not been expecting this, but have been informed it is not a great problem as engine is to be completely rebuilt anyway. The water was removed and replaced with a spray of WD40. I did same to cylinder walls. Why is there a little 'divit' in middle of the pistons?

Try though I might, I couldn't seem to remove the valve assembly retainers, so I retire shortly to read my "Restoring Flathead V8's" book to see what I have been doing incorrectly. I do have the original Ford tool for relieving the valve spring and that's not the issue. The problem lies with being unable to budge the retainers. Suspect that may involve another tool!

[Private_collector]

After a full days work, the rear end is back together and finished with exception of new brake lines and brushing damaged paint on wheel nuts, brake line bracket & tailshaft attachment. Brake flaring tools won't arrive until late next weekend so that will not be done for next 2 weeks, so I can practice a few flarings prior. I bought new brake line and brake line nuts, but the nuts are longer than the originals and i'm not sure if I will use them. No luck with replacements yet, but I haven't run out of sources to check either.

Not sure which of two paths I will take next. Plan to do either the front axle/diff or pull the truck out of the shed and strip down the chassis, to start on that. It would be nice to have something to put bigger bits back onto rather than slowly filling the workshop floor space.

Nose panel has been returned from engineering works, and welding repairs are very good. They have left repaired areas with excess weld above desired level but this is how I wanted it to be. Any grinding/filing I want to do myself.

[Mike Kelly]

The split valve guides can be a pain to get out . I had a aftermarket tool that Ryans used to sell ( remember Ryans in the city , Melb., with the overhead cable payment system, a employee sat in a little cubicle in the roof and the cash was sent up by a overhead cable system, the change returned the same way).

You inserted the specially shaped tool down around the valve head ..onto the guide and hit the guide downwards ( after removing the C clip ) . The tool is made from round bar with the end grooved to fit around the valve head ,it's a odd shape..like a C shape at one end , its curls upwards. Don't know if you can still buy them . The bar is awkward to use. MIKE

[Howard]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

...You inserted the specially shaped tool down around the valve head ..onto the guide and hit the guide downwards ( after removing the C clip ) . The tool is made from round bar with the end grooved to fit around the valve head ,it's a odd shape..like a C shape at one end , its curls upwards. Don't know if you can still buy them . The bar is awkward to use. MIKE

I have one of those tools, and have seen them in the Mac's catalogue. I am not home at the moment when I am I'll look up the part number.
H

[Private_collector]

Thanks for the information on valve tool.

I have a Macs catalog here somewhere and will see if I can find it in there.

Mike, I don't know of the business in Melbourne, but your description brought back memories of the old pneumatic transfer system used by businesses and large supermarkets in the 60s. The ones that had a plastic or glass capsule with opening to put $$$ inside (or other things I guess), and it was then sent back and forth between checkouts and..........well, buggered if I know, but I suppose it could be the accounting dept or similar.

Ah, the memories! Wish I had those days back for many reasons.

Years later when I worked at a large hospital in Brisbane, they STILL had the same device. Never used it myself, but I believe it was to/from the pharmacy department and was in use at that time. From memory, I think that one was called a "Lampson Tube". Someone told me you could also send a softdrink can but I never saw that done. Wish I had tried it now!!!! Though I am sure you wouldn't have got it back. If you shook it up first then sent it, it would have been funny as hell, even if you weren't at the other end to see the kaos.

[Private_collector]

Engine & gearbox are now out of the chopped chassis piece they came on.
I have been working on the trolley required to have engine mobile within the workshop and on/off trailer.


It's nearly finished, with just the bell housing mounting plate to be done & a couple of bits of reinforcement.

[Private_collector]

Got a lot of useful bits off the piece of chassis that came with the engine.

For example:
Front crossmember, front engine crossmember, gearbox mount crossmember, cab mounting brackets x2, axle bump block brackets x2, full set of spring mounts, pedal mounting shaft & bracket, brake master cylinder, brake vacuum booster and associated hardware.

The pieces don't look like much now, but will be good as new once I run the blaster over em.

[Private_collector]

With engine out, I removed the gearbox and spent a lot of time removing the decades worth of dirt & oil buildup. At least an inch thick in some places. Several coats of degreaser and a high pressure water blaster removed a lot, but not all. Wire cup on grinder is next, this weekend.

Once the top cover was unbolted and gear oil drained, I flushed the case with petrol. When cleaned out a bit, the gears all looked in very good condition. I couldn't find any evidence of damage. No metal bits in the oil and everything inside is quite rust free.

I plan to replace both main shaft bearings and any seals, but everything else inside can remain untouched. There was obvious signs of considerable oil leakage both fore & aft of main shaft, so seal replacement is a must.

The gear shifter assembly was stuck fast and I had feared what I would find inside the gearbox. As it turned out, the reason was simply that the selector slides were held in place with light surface rust. They are now moving again, thanks to WD40.

The parts manual will be studied this weekend and the desired part numbers will be emailed to Ross Prince at Hervey Bay. He'll have all the stuff I need!

Ironically, the gearbox is NOT the main focus at present. The chassis is next on the list for refurbishment, but until I can find a pair of axles & some wheels to put under it, I can't make it suitably mobile for sending to the sandblasting place in town. I'll call the local scrappy next week, they sometimes get junk trailers & might have some usable axles and wheels.

P.S: What is the deal with the little 'hydraulic' line from the throw-out bearing to top of gearbox case??
Does it carry lubricant to/from the bearing, and if so, is it automatic or does it require maintenance???

[Lynn Eades]

The hose is a grease hose from a grease cup, that you tighten the cap on periodically.
Put a slot filled bearing on the spigot (input) shaft. (6208 or 6308)
Mainshaft bearing 6307 (double check all these)
The bearing between the spigot and mainshaft is a Hyatt 99000
I dont know the numbers for the cluster bearings, but Ross prince will know.

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

The hose is a grease hose from a grease cup, that you tighten the cap on periodically.
Put a slot filled bearing on the spigot (input) shaft. (6208 or 6308)
Mainshaft bearing 6307 (double check all these)
The bearing between the spigot and mainshaft is a Hyatt 99000
I dont know the numbers for the cluster bearings, but Ross prince will know.

Cheers Lynn,

I'll get onto ordering those in next couple of days.
Will have a closer look at the grease cup thingy too.

I know some people feel it's better to build using components that are still OK to use as is, but I would rather get 'intimate' with how things work, and I reckon there's no better way to do this than pull the stuff apart and put everything back together. It's the best way for me to really understand how & why things work the way they do! (or WHY they fail)

Thanks again and have a Happy Christmas!

Hope you NZ cousins don't have any more quakes. Christ knows you've suffered enough.

[Keith Webb]

That looks like a nice low-use gearbox. You usually see some (or a lot) of wear on second gear... yours looks very good.

[Private_collector]

With weather far too hot for outside work, and the workshop ideal for fast drying of paint, I started refurbishment of the instrument pod.

New faces for the gauges have been ordered from USA.

The foam seal between the cream bezel cover & the glass (hard to see in the pics), was cut from a spare strip supplied with my sandblasting cabinet.

[Private_collector]

The seperate instruments are in poor cosmetic shape but do actuate once power applied. They are King-Seeley brand and I have an original King-Seeley maintenance & repair manual, that I bought some months ago when I first thought it may be needed. An acquaintance of mine has the electronical ability to test the accuracy of each gauge for me.

A set of mileage wheel decals is on the way also. Some disassembly required to remove them without damage. I will need just the right amount of coffee the day I do these!

The speedometer needle is easy to remove if speedo is out of the pod and you can get to the needle shaft below where it is attached. Hold the shaft BELOW the needle itself with thin pliers, and twist needle GENTLY while pulling up GENTLY. These things are so lightweight that they bend if you just look at them, so take it easy.

[Howard]

Good on you Tony, I am enjoying the regular updates & details of your work.
I you!
HH

[Keith Webb]

Me too. It's inspiring!

[Howard]

Originally Posted by Howard

I have one of those tools, and have seen them in the Mac's catalogue. I am not home at the moment when I am I'll look up the part number.
H

Just re-read these posts and realised I did not follow this up. Sorry!
The tool is listed by Mac's as being for '4 cylinder Model B" but I found it usefull for freeing stuck guides in my V8.

Link to Mac's
Cheers, HH

[Private_collector]

Yesterday I got the truck out for the first time since it arrived here around nine months ago. A solid tow link has been made to enable me to shunt it forward & backward using the car.


This is the engine block that came with the truck. Previous owner (a mechanic) left it out in the weather for years without covering it. This is the result. Engine had been a nuisance, just sitting on the cab floor, in the way and a dead weight. It isn't the original engine from this vehicle. Original engine had been 'rebuilt', but got cooked when it was run. He had bought this engine to rebuild one day. Did I mention he was a mechanic? After I got the engine block down from the cab floor, I had a play around practicing swearing, bruising & valve removal. It now rests (rusts) peacefully at the Gympie dump!


More to follow, once I find out why attachments are not loading as they should!

[Private_collector]

After I got the cab floor off, I had the first real opportunity to examine chassis properly. I'm happy with the condition. No rust outs or serious damage, and it is quite straight. You might notice that in the third & fourth photos that right chassis rail is sitting slightly higher. This is due to it sitting on a higher part of rear axle case than the left is. Also visible is the strange way rear chassis has been modified to form a short section of closed box at the very back part. I will remove the additional steel plates when I get a chance. Someone has been playing a tremendously successful game of Silly Buggers with this poor old truck!

[Private_collector]

The cab floor & framework has no rust holes, but all the flat head screws are rusted solid. No doubt trying to remove them without breaking would get me in more trouble than Flash Gordon, so I will grind or chisel caged nuts from underside of floor frame. Some of the diamond pattern floor is starting to lose definition of the pattern from corrosion. I am giving serious thought to having new floor plates manufactured, unless I locate a new set of originals. Is this pattern of steel still available????? I have access to a new rear floor plate, but it is the checker pattern. May have to change all to checker pattern, and i'm ready for that if required.

While out in the sunshine, I thought it was time to try removing the steering wheel nut. A spanner was quite out of the question, but a cold chisel wasn't! It came off without damaging the thread further. With the steering wheel now off, I attempted to remove the outer tube of steering column. Imagine the lovely surprise I got when I had removed the clamp at column base, to be met with a flood of virtually black, watery, oily mud. 15 minutes to clean up! The outer column tube wouldn't come off anyway, because it hit on the keyway where steering wheel locks into. I suppose that means it has to come off after steering box is disassembled!

I gave the chassis a good high pressure water blast to remove a lot of the grime from 70 years, replaced steering wheel and then shunted it back into the workshop.

You may notice I welded a pair of supports onto the engine trolly yesterday as well. I was concerned that over time the box section where front mounts bolt onto might bend. Because it will be sent with engine to any outsourced services required, it will get bounced around on my trailer during the trip. Anyone who knows the Bruce Highway in QLD would know it can remove teeth fillings in some parts, it is that uneven in surface.

[Private_collector]

Today I received a set of Ford rear hub inner seals from USA, made by Felpro.

They are NOS. The leather is firm but not unusable.

I'll just do as the instruction says, and they will be fine. In all honesty, I didn't really need these at this point in time, but saw them on ebay & struck while the proverbial was hot. They cost $21.15 AUD for the pair. Shipping was not expensive at all.

The purchase was basically a 'fishing trip' to get a close look at them as an alternative to other brand types & seal numbers which are previously known. By having a close look at the first photo, you can clearly see what other makes of vehicles they are compatable with. I notice they are described as "Rear Outer Retainer" which is curious, because I know them (and used identical ones) on rear inner wheel hub!

Hows this for a box!!!! Isn't the corner strengthening brilliant?
Tell me ONE place where this still occurs!!!!
Ah, the nostalgia.

I will add these to the archives of "Modern Part Nos for CMPs" on this site, though they are not really applicable but may assist someone.

[Private_collector]

Over several hours, yesterday and today, I removed the cab floor plates for better access to what lies beneath. Thought it would take ages with a grinder, to remove all the weld nuts. I was wrong. It took ages with a cold chisel instead. I couldn't bring myself to use a grinder in case I slipped and marred something irrepairably.

All in all, the cab frame is very good. Worst corrosion is on mates side wheel arch inner, where the mud would have sit & festered! It is pitted but does not go right through. I know this because I ran over it (and the floor plates) with a descaler & then the twisted wire cup.

This is the typical state of floor plates, but mates side front piece is worse than other side. I had initially reached a decision to replace all the floor plates due to the degree of pitting (no rust through, just ugly appearance). Now i'm having second thoughts. It still looks sort of ugly, but it IS original, and it DOES add a vintage patina (spelling ???). I'll sleep on it. Will go ahead and take patterns from all three pieces for puropses of manufacturing repros in future.

Can someone please tell me if the irregular shaped hole, second from the right, is original or a bodge job in later life. It does have bolt holes tapped in the floor plate but it doesn't look as 'neat' as the work on the other holes. It doesn't have any support plates or other things underneath it either.

[Keith Webb]

I've done this job several times and have been surprised how many of the countersunk screws actually come out OK with a bit of heat and an impact driver to get them started.

What's the extra hole in the floor? Looks like someone added their own front axle declutch lever.

[Private_collector]

Thanks Keith!

Thats all I need to know. I'll get the engineering works to fill it in again when I take it for sandblasting next Saturday. Thats assuming I have got a 'donor' piece of metal by then. I have an acquaintence with a few Ford CMPs and a good oxy torch.

I didn't give a moments thought to saving the floor plate screws. Some were damaged, some were fine and some were already missing. There is a fasteners supplier in Gympie where I can buy new ones. I bought samples Saturday.

The getting of new weld nuts seems to be quite a trick though!

I'm awaiting return emails from 2x manufacturers with prices.

[Keith Webb]

Some of those caged nuts are tricky to access.

It may indeed be better to find another rear floor without the butchery.

Originally Posted by Private_collector

Thanks Keith!

Thats all I need to know. I'll get the engineering works to fill it in again when I take it for sandblasting next Saturday. Thats assuming I have got a 'donor' piece of metal by then. I have an acquaintence with a few Ford CMPs and a good oxy torch.

I didn't give a moments thought to saving the floor plate screws. Some were damaged, some were fine and some were already missing. There is a fasteners supplier in Gympie where I can buy new ones. I bought samples Saturday.

The getting of new weld nuts seems to be quite a trick though!

I'm awaiting return emails from 2x manufacturers with prices.

[Private_collector]

I know a couple of fellows with Fords, but most of the floor panels are as poor or worse than mine. Some are checkerplate, not diamond pattern, too.

I have a mate about 1hr away who might have one. The catch is that I would have to remove it from a cab still attached to the truck, which in turn is in an overgrown paddock and sinking into the mire.

From an illness a number of years ago, I have difficulty working with my hands above my head. I can do it, but get VERY fatigued, fast. The discovery of a good rear floor substitute may overide this caution, but if the bolts are too ackward to get at, I will end up crook for hours.

[Private_collector]

TO
Dash instrument decals arrived late this week. They were fairly good quality, but could have been a bit sharper in definition. With that said, they certainly don't look bad.

I applied them to the gauges Thursday evening, and did the application of speedo mileage wheels last night. Not a job for anyone with poor eyesight, or if tired.

When tested, the speedometer and three of the gauges were in excellent working order! The oil pressure gauge was u/s though. This is only a minor concern because I have located a NOS one in USA which is now on the way. It still amazes me that I can buy something from other side of the world, and it is still cheaper that the bloke down the road.

Cabin floor and frame is now with sandblaster. I expect to pick it up again next Saturday. Might remove the transfer case and front driveshaft tomorrow, if weather holds out.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

This is the typical state of floor plates, but mates side front piece is worse than other side. I had initially reached a decision to replace all the floor plates due to the degree of pitting (no rust through, just ugly appearance). Now i'm having second thoughts. It still looks sort of ugly, but it IS original, and it DOES add a vintage patina (spelling ???). I'll sleep on it. Will go ahead and take patterns from all three pieces for puropses of manufacturing repros in future.

Keep the original metal! If you replace a floor plate as good as this one, the truck will loose much of the details which tells its true age.

And keep up the good work!

Hanno

[Private_collector]

Thanks Hanno,

I think you are absolutely right about the originality!

If I could find perfect plates from another truck, it would have been just too tempting and I would have used them instead, BUT if I don't look I can't find, so won't be trying.

Would really like everything to be perfect, but some things should deliberatey be left alone. Think this is one of those occasions. Besides, most of the deep pitting is located where the seat bases go and may even be fairly well hidden....ish.

I have ordered 4 solid wheel castors to put on a simple frame which will sit under the cab base and allow me to work on reattaching the floor plates, rear cab panel (not yet blasted), cab nose accelerator panel etc... With that, I can push the thing around & work where it suits me. Plan is to use steel box section in a way that will allow me to slide an additional tube through the frame, and this will be used to hoist the entire assembly onto chassis when it is ready for the cab. This may take a couple of weeks to complete but I want to have it done before I put the floor plates back onto the cab, because it is just too heavy to manipulate easily afterwards.

Wet weather is now setting in, and if I want to get the transfer case out, I had better strike now. Have to go into town for a large spanner to undo the big t/fer case bolts!

[Private_collector]

The final piece arrived this afternoon, allowing me to finally finish a set of instruments.

A good friend of mine swapped a spare set of pedals I had for some more instrument panels & two dashboards. One of the dashs still had the F15A data plates attached.

Unfortunately, both of the 'new' dashs (and one I already had) all have switch plates which have been....er.....modified where brake light isolation should be, on large plate, and some form of damage to small plate.

If anyone has a good set (or individual) Ford dashboard switch plates for sale, please get in touch with me.

I am hoping to purchase a quantity of ORIGINAL NOS Ford CMP dash switches, including the dual position fuel tank sender switches. The seller is not sure if he wants to part with them, but is considering!

Cab frame and floor plates are still with the sandblasters, and at time of my visit this afternoon, were still as I had left them! Am planning to discuss with the business owner, the possibility of him allowing me to do my own sandblasting on Saturdays. That way he won't be losing working time for his employee and I will get things done faster. Also I would know I could take my time but do a thorough job. It's hard for his guy to spend time+ on my stuff when it brings in VERY little revenue compared with their 'real' jobs.

[Private_collector]

Removed these plates from the dashboard I am working on / painting tomorrow. The damage to bottom switch hole is a common theme across the few of these plates I have. I assume they are solid brass.

Vandalism, sheer vandalism!

I think the stamped ones look better than the printed or etched plates. I sanded them clean of layers of diffferent color camo green, one over the other. The sanding was really as test to see if I could spray whole thing, then lightly sand the high areas to reveal the brass for raised parts & leave black for the low spots. It works, but looks REALLY dodgy.

Were these originally just painted the vehicle color, or lettering highlighted?