another Aussie humber fv1601

[Dave Mills]

Now here is a picture of the right tool in the brackets. I also added a shot of a spare pick head holder if you are after one.

Dave.

[john piercey]

Dave ,yeah would be interested in pick holder,can you let me know what you want for it and the postage price ,i have sent private message (i hope) let me know if it didnt work
Is that the crowbar in the brackets on tub?
cheers John.

[Dave Mills]

John, yes, that is the original crow bar. I picked this up from Tim at Winton, unfortunately it was his last one, however, I have been informed that they are the same as a Ferret. Not sure as I am not an expert on Ferrets. They would be fairly straight forward to make if you wanted a replica. You could try Tim as he may have found another one in his treasure trove of spares.

Dave.

[john piercey]

Dave dont think i have quite got the hang of this pm bit,but just let me know all up $ and how you would like payment
cheers John

[john piercey]

.
Manual


Son's Diamond T


Cabin


Gearbox


Rear core/welch/cover was corroded, made a new one

[john piercey]

Just wondering has Anyone adapted rubber clutch and brake pedal boots from any other vehicles a bit more common than Humber , also gear lever boot as well as it is an odd shape hole in transmission cover not round or square like most vehicles have , although the main waterproof/sealing gearstick boot is round did the floor plate just have a flat rubber that sealed around the gearstick boot or did it actually rise up in convoluted form as well like modern vehicles do as a secondary sealing setup. maybe someone has custom made leather/vinyl stitched type boots?.
john

[john piercey]

It never ceases to amaze me how after 60 yrs or so grease mixed with a bit of dirt etc turns in to a form of sticky-hard-concrete that is only removable by scraping and scrubbing for hrs,i spent most of a hot 37 degree celsius saturday just cleaning the engine which wasnt disgusting but where acummulated heavy deposits had been left for decades refused to shift easily.
Same with g/box oil/grease had melted in to a sort of smooth/glazed layer on outside of casing.
john

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Clutch/brake boot is a rare item, can't help you there.
The gear lever has a boot (LV9/BOE/FV17601) with a large (lower) and small (upper) hose clamps. There is also a canvas dust cover that goes around both levers, see pic.
Roy Elvis did have some gear lever boots : http://www.champ-sparesukltd.com/
Re. your pics.
Had a quick look at the rifle brkt upper, divers side. It is longer than the pass. side, and runs towards the rear, with the rifle leaning back at an angle to help in egress/exit. The pass. side is shorter due to the mounting of the spare wheel.
The water jacket cover's are prone to corrosion, well spotted. There are three of them and are probably all worth replacing. I have ,made them out of Stainless and Brass.
The rectangular cover block on the back of the head, ditto.
The block with all the pipes on the back of the block ditto. These are breather pipes for dissy etc. and no doubt full of crud. The blocks are available NOS.

Wait till it hits 45, all the grease will run out, hey presto, job done!
Rich.

[john piercey]

Thanks Rich never thought of waiting till it hits 100f good idea.
will be checking other water jacket covers now you have shown me your ones for sure.
that canvas boot cover was what i couldnt picture in my mind thought it may have been something like the pic you have put up ,now its cleared the path i need to take to manufacture said item.
the pedal boots look familiar ,i have seen vintage cars with the thru the floor pedals so will just have to find some in a restorers rubber list that may have the same base size.
the rifle pic, i have tried standing with magazine forward and facing backwards hadnt quite worked out which way it would have stood i thought most prob the other way to one pictured would be it. cheers
John

[David Herbert]

The corrosion problems around the water jacket are caused by operating without corrosion inhibiter / anti-freeze. If it had a good strong solution in it all its life those covers would be perfect.

From a UK perspective, your truck is in amazing condition. Ours rotted to nothing years ago, cabs first. Great to drive when they are right.

David

[john piercey]

Hi David,colder clime folk probably treat their engines with more due respect re anti freeze/inhibitor,Aussies tend to forget how extreme temps can be elsewhere in the world and more care is needed,we treat aluminium parts commonly now with corrosion inhibitor as more components are alloy than previously where only a thermostat housing or water pump was aluminium and the rest was cast iron,we just simply replaced these after after a couple of years as they used to be fairly cheap.
modern all alloy engines and radiators are not my favourites along with modern electronic fuel and ignition systems,and dont get me started on the ticking time bomb cam belts,they may put out more HP and give good economy etc,etc but drag me out of the bush a mid 20th century cast iron head/block and points/carby engine that still turns and i pretty much guarantee i can get it running(maybe not well) but running all the same,B60 RR point in question.
i always wanted a Humber but thought i had missed the boat especially seeing so few came here,but when i saw the condition of this one and the fact the guy wanted to sell (stumbled on all this by accident)i leapt at the chance.
Seeing what you UK boys tackle,and even some Aussie stuff,i have the utmost respect for your patience and skills and determination.
cheers
John

[David Herbert]

Hi John,
I regret that there are very few preserved Humber 1ton in the UK as they rotted away faster than people got interested in them.

At the risk of upsetting people in the UK I must say that you don't have to go far for inspiration. The Humber that Dave Mills has restored is a superb job and must be one of the best in the world and the Tilly project being done now by Jack Neville and Chris Collins is a masterclass in bringing a soft skin vehicle back from the dead. The are both written up in the 'Restorations' section of this forum.

David

[john piercey]

Hi David,i hadnt had time to check in the restorations section yet,but you are right some outstanding work going on now with the tilly and yes with Daves humber which i have followed with interest.
Having tackled some old car restos in the past i know the process can be long and drawn out/painful/costly but ultimately rewarding,but there is a point where i have had to decide that some projects are just going to be "too much" EG work/time/money/skun knuckles/oxy acetylene burns/impossible to find parts/or just plain above my skill levels prone,but it is good to see others who can and do tackle such tasks especially when it is well photographed and documented, more so when the vehicle is indeed rare and or on the endangered list.

John

[john piercey]

Richard ,where you found auction disposal dates etc is there any mention of where auctions took place,i am wondering if they took place over east and new buyers transported them elsewhere like to WA,or did WA units just dispose of them at local level hence these few here are maybe ex 10th light horse vehicles or poss other Western Aust regiments.
I may be wrong(correct me otherwise)but i assume they transported vehicles back to a central holding yard in Vic or NSW or QLD back then, nowadays i think they spread auctions around the states thru Grays,or is it all online?
You said other vehicles had same disposal info / numbers etc on them same as 105-691 any ides how many?,1969 must have been the last batch to go surely, as 64-67 seems to be the stated main period for getting rid of them or did they just sit around for years?.
John

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

The little information available is handwritten, by several different clerks, with various acronyms used, depending on who did the writing.
I can tell you that yours was one of 15 sold off with the notation 5B/VSD/B27, all written by the same hand, and among the last to be demobbed.
I'm reasonably confident that the notation 3BOD/SEY/ is 3 Base Ordinance Depot at Seymour (Puckapunyal), this could mean the 5B/VSD is 5 Base Ordinance Depot at VSD?
I believe that your batch would have been sold in WA. In those days I'm pretty sure the disposal was done through a specific army base in each State, not subbed out like today. So it would not have made sense (even for the army...) to bring them back East.
A few went in '66, the bulk was sold mid '67 to late '69. There were a few with no date, and the odd anomaly, but it appears none of them made it to the 70's.
I hope this is of some help.
Rich.

[john piercey]

Richard,thats interesting info,i may never ever know its full story but if theres a chance it was last used in WA i could probably take artistic licence and mark it out as at least some WA regt with some glimmer of truth behind it.
Midland was a transport depot and another was alongside Canning hwy in Sth Perth area from memory all long gone now,just trying to decipher the VSD bit?.
Removed tub to get at everything eventually, but concentrating on roof rust at moment so dont want grinding grit every where it doesnt have to be.
rubbed back doors yesterday but not a hint of markings left,i presume it was rubbed down prior to red fire unit paint which may have been the cause of said marks to have disappeared,also may have been when tool brackets etc went walkabout.
John

[Robert Sexton]

Richard, my research for WW1 and WW2 personnel all refer to the 5th Military District when dealing with WA. You are most likely correct to assume that "5B" means 5th Base and when we get to Nasho's all the regimental numbers for personnel WA start with 5.if the.Hopefully when I am in the big city again I will see some people at the Fremantle Army Museum as they have a collection of records (and vehicles).
I still am thinking that the crow bar on the Humber shown be Dave has been pinched from a railway gang.
regards, Robert

[john piercey]

Just as an aside to Humber movements this shows the lengths of travel some service vehicles saw,the ex RNZIR 66 kiwi land rover i have which is closer to british MOD ones spec wise than Aussie landys, went to NZ then shipped to singapore and may have seen vietnam service was imported to Perth in a batch of landys and bedford RLs may be 20 or more vehicles in mid 80s for auction here instead of returning to NZ, so army type decisions can be a bit puzzling in any country,unless they WERE sold off in Singapore and then imported by a private concern.
I saw 6 or 7 of the landrovers some were rotten as a chop chassis wise others were near perfect all with low mileages ,some made it on to WA roads but havent seen any recently,the sole Bedford i saw was very nice all hood bows and canvas present went to a collector i know not where,there is a bit of a write up on REMLR re the auction and numbers but i cant remember it clearly.
John

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Thanks Robert, my assumptions may be correct.
Don't worry too much about the crowbar, while I know the brackets were designed for a crowbar, I have yet to see any proof of them being fitted. Dave has gone to the trouble of sourcing a period correct military issue item, I like to think it is the first Humber to finally get it's own bar.

John, you have plenty of artistic licence, you only have to please one person! Apart from which, there is so little information relating to the Humber in our service, I have only seen a handful of in service photo's. It will be a rare occurrence indeed to be called out on anything re: the Humber, although I hope you would resist the urge paint general stars all over the bumper as was the craze amongst Jeep owners a few tears back!
Rich.

[john piercey]

starting to pull panel back in to shape


second point of attachment


use what ya got


this and next pic 3/4 finished

[john piercey]

inside shed and coming apart

grille stripped ready for etch prime


rust area at bottom of spare tyre hatch opening


painted straightened grille(not that it was badly out of shape anyway)


new metal sections welded in

[john piercey]

Sorry pics are a bit out of order still getting used to all this.
Just been going back over Richard and dave and others stories,sees we all have a sharp learning curve when first becoming owners of these beasts,asking same questions back a few years as i am now doing,love all this research you have to do just to become a little bit "conversant" when you talk to others about the truck'
John

[john piercey]

Does the manual state 900x20 tyres or 8.25x20 as standard ,i have 3 of 900s and 1 8.25. Also i have seen all sorts of tread patterns on various pics,were they NDT bar treads or another aggressive looking v type of bar tread i know not of its brand or manufacturer?
john

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Love the photo's.
Ahhh yes, the Humber Learning Curve, the only graph with a line that goes past vertical.
Having a knob on the drivers seat adjuster is a plus, usually gone by now.
Tyres were a military pattern 9.00-20, can't be too fussy as there is not a lot of choice. Period photo's show a variety in use.
Rich.

[john piercey]

Thanks Rich,i just thought torsion bar settings were off until i realised LHF tyre was an 8.25,i will be leaving tyre selection till very last.
i see a lot of people race out and buy new tyres first off on a lot of car restos but you know what its like ,time drags,priorities change,loss of interest yada yada and then you have a car still needing full rebuild with brand new buggered tyres(radial cracking etc).

tub off,rubbing down on door looking for any old unit markings

rear of chassis reasonable cond really

roof with LMG 'rail'? mounts

lower back of cab is pretty well spotless for no rust

rear winch plate---- finally checked eng no and it is the orig no

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Tyres part B. 10.00-20 will also fit, although the spare probably won't (may with the bottom holder removed, but have not tried it yet). Not sure if you have actually driven a Humber at speed yet, they do feel as though they need a couple of extra gears and so the larger dia. tyre may be worth considering. I have heard of 12.00-20's (In civvy life)being fitted, but you would have to cut the guards. Not sure, but I think the Brits may have used a larger sand tyre in the middle east.
Yes, the mounts on the pass. side roof were for a LMG mounting rail (always remind me of Great Gazoo, off the Flintstones, for some reason.) You will have noticed the non slip seat base for the hobnailed boots....
Are you sure it is legal to keep Land Rover and Landcruiser in such close proximity?
Rich.

[john piercey]

Hi Rich,i wondered why those strips of canvas were on pass seat,is that what you are referring to?.
too late the landy and the troopy have had a moonlight rendezvous,just wondering what the offspring are going to be like,may be a cruiseover?.
Do you still get to give humber a run every now and then,i have never driven one but its bloody heavy on the steering just trying to push/tow bar in and out of the shed,i have fitted fan belts and fixed core plug etc soon as i get some sort of proper fuel flow happening i will see what g/box /diffs etc sound like in the back yard.
Whilst using 5' angle grinder with paint stripper disc yesterday i suffered my first "bite" in a long while ,deep gash and severe gravel type rash on L hand ,sort of suspended play for a while,my own fault a wire had come out of the 3 pin plug which i repaired but forgot to actually turn switch off on grinder,soon as i plugged it in it leapt off the roof and hit me on head then mauled my hand,jeez i love old cars'
John

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Yep, the canvas strips, passenger side only.
Steering is renown for it's heaviness. There are many linkages to grease on the steering, NB some of the rods are only greased from one end. Humber owner in Townsville has fitted electric assisted steering, but I find it OK as long as you are on the move.
Those stripper abrasions are more painful than cuts, I think it's worse when you only have yourself to blame.
Humber is mid way through a long paint job and tidy up, but it does get driven when required:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H9LzZoS32I
Rich.

[Dave Mills]

Keep up the good work, are you going to delve into the drivetrains at all? One thing I would recommend checking, cleaning and repacking are the two steering idlers left and right. These house two tapered roller bearings and adjust much the same as a wheel bearing, mine had almost been welded together by very old grease and once cleaned, repacked and adjusted the steering is not to bad. The wife drives ours and has no problem, however, has not driven it in Safeway car park yet.

[john piercey]

Rich and Dave,i will be going thru all the steering/suspension etc and brakes which will probably entail getting in to the tracta joints etc as well,i just want to drive it to assess what does and doesnt work`or may be damaged.like seeing if gearbox jumps out of gear/howls that sort of thing.
With a bit of a greaseup etc i hope the steering will be easier,otherwise i will have to get Daves wife to show me her technique maybe!
John