Our LRDG Chev

[leo tomaiolo]

i like to use a sawzall to cut around the tire and let the rim drop out. if you cut it out close to the rim it's easier to cut the cable in the tire. i use a air tool (die grinder) with a 2" cut off wheel to get in close to the cable but not to damage the rim. plus with the tire cut of in this way you would have good access to the split between the rims. your truck looks great. can't till i'm able to start mocking up the body on my ford.

[Lynn Eades]

Andrew, Run flats usually have a collapsable (jeep is not) steel ring in them. They can rust to the rim as well.
R.H. in Hamilton had some halftrack runflats that were solid all the way through with a soft red rubber inside the tyre (permanent in the tyre, non inflateable)
Run flats were identified by type RF1, RF2, RF3. I cannot recall the differences.

Can you try setting the wheel up on solid ground,(concrete?) park the tractor on one side and then drive the digger onto the otherside as close as you can get to the rim. You will probably have to relocate a few times.
Be careful!

[Andrew H.]

Thanks Lynn,
Yes that will be our next move, in a few days time.

[Grant Bowker]

Another tool sometimes used for the rubber cuts.... chainsaw. I'm basically lazy so I then use the angle grinder for the rubber and wire left in the bead area rather than a cold chisel. Using a thin cut-off wheel can reduce but not eliminate the smell of overheated rubber. With a little care you can avoid any nicks in the rim.

[motto]

One and a half inches thick in the walls and extremely heavy, sounds like runflat to me whether marked RF or not.
I would also be curious to know where they were made and if they were intended for American or British wheels. If they are American it would go some way to explaining why they are so difficult to remove.

David

[Andrew H.]

We bought the wheels from a local collector here. He has a very large collection of ex WWII military vehicles, so we don't know which one they came off.

[Andrew H.]

Lately we have been working on the front bumper. First we found that the correct military style bumper is straight (with two distinct bends) but the original civilian bumper is curved throughout. So we need to make a new correct LRDG bumper. However, the correct dimensions are different from standard sizes of channel steel bought over-the-counter, so we had to have a new one folded up. Then we discovered that the original dumb-irons as used on the civilian Chev make the bumper hang far too low. The bumper has to be high enough for the crank handle hole to align with the holes in the grill and radiator apron. First we made up a plywood template (see pics) to get the angle of the new dumb-irons right and the bumper to hang at the right height. Then we made new dumb-irons out of 12mm steel (work still in progress - no photo of that yet).

We also discovered that LRDG trucks used the same kind of D-shackles on their bumpers as the Blitz trucks of that era. Modern D shackles are the wrong shape so we are now looking for two original WW2 D-shackles. Can anyone in NZ help us out with this? See pic of correct D shackle attached.

[motto]

I have some of those towing shackles Andrew. One is identical to the one in the photo and the two others very similar except the mounting plates are straight rectangles instead of having that bulged appearance.
I may have a cheap way of getting one or two to NZ.

David

[Andrew H.]

Thanks David for your generous and helpful offer, but since hearing from you I have managed to find two new WW2 D shackles of the correct type here in NZ

[Andrew H.]

Today we finished off the bumper and attached it to the truck. Next we will attach a "brush bar" of the standard army pattern to the bumper. We had to scale the dimensions off several WWII photos before we could get all the bumper measurements and angles right and also to attach it at the right height above the ground. We are now pretty sure its right. One more step on the long and winding road!

[cliff]

looking at war time photos of these vehicles your bumper is missing the holes located at each end.

[Andrew H.]

Yes, we will do that later. That's a good place for the indicator lights.

[Andrew H.]

I have a perplexing question about the studs on our 16-inch split-rims. I am referring to the studs holding the two halves of the split-rims together (not the actual wheel studs).

Some of the split-rim studs need "chasing" with a die nut. The diameter is 7/8 inch but we cannot work out what the thread is. They are not BSF as there are 12 threads per inch. They are not like anything we are familiar with. The thread is right-handed. We don't know what vehicle they originally came from, but we understand it was CMP.

So what size studs were used on CMP trucks and how much variation was there? I hope you knowledgeable guys can help with this

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Andrew, see http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=24318

[T Creighton]

Hi Andrew,
The wheel bolts are 7/8" BSF 11 TPI. I have a die nut and a tap you could borrow if you are stuck. My address details are in the NZMVCC register or you could PM me on this forum.
I have been following your thread from the start. Congratulations on the progress.
It will be great to have another LRDG vehicle for parades.
Regards Terry.

[Andrew H.]

Thanks Hanno and T Creighton,

We must have counted the threads wrongly We will have a closer look this morning.

[Andrew H.]

When we checked the rims this morning we again counted 12 threads per inch, so I am still confused. But in the meantime we managed to borrow a special die tool that can be used on any thread and that worked well. Thanks again to all who responded.

[Andrew H.]

We are now making our "bush bar" or "scrub bar" (I am not sure what the correct term is) to attach to the front bumper. Judging by wartime photos (see pic attached), the LRDG appear to have used the same type of bar used on all of the Blitz type of CMP trucks. Can anyone tell me what diameter the horizontal pipe or bar is? I assume one inch?

[Andrew H.]

Nobody responded to my query (above) about the bush bar or scrub bar. Maybe it was a silly question, but I still need to know the answer. Could someone please measure their original horizontal bar and tell me its diameter? Thanks in advance.
Andrew

[Jordan Baker]

Im working on making one of the brush bars. I will get the diameter and wall thickness for you tomorrow. I will also post some detail pictures of the parts.

[Jordan Baker]

Picture #1
The bar is 36" long, outside diameter 1-1/8", inside diameter 3/4" The ends each have a stopper on them. 1/4" thick, outdiameter 1-1/2", inside diameter 1-1/8" They are welded all the way around on the inside edge.

Pictures 2,3,4 and drawing
The metal is 3/8" thick, 2" wide flat stock. The drilled holes are all centered on the 2" width. They have a diameter of 7/16" The measurements for the bottom pictured brakcet were taken from the far right end of the bracket working left to each hole's centre. The top pictured bracket I only measured the first hole from the left end. You can then bolt them together to get the holes all lined up. The bolts that went through the bumper also had spacers to act as a stop for the bracket on the rear side of the bumper.

[Andrew H.]

WOW!!
Thanks Jordan for your comprehensive reply! That will be a big help.
Andrew

[Andrew H.]

A little more progress yesterday. As suggested in some other threads, we have now ground off a narrow strip around the split rims to make it easier to fit the tyres (that is, when we can find suitable tyres! ). After sandblasting, the rims received two coats of primer, a coat of gloss enamel and later they will receive one coat of matt desert colour.
Then we started assembling the gearbox. All the bearings and seals have been replaced except the roller-bearing, which was replaced by a phosphor bronze bush (that size of roller bearing could not be found). We are still missing the "oil slinger" at the output shaft, and hope its not needed as we are using sealed bearings. We decided not to bead-blast the cogs and have just wire-brushed them, leaving some surface rust. Not happy about the rust, but when the truck is mobile we will drain the gearbox after a short run, to get rid of any small particles. The gear teeth are slightly worn, but at least none of them are missing!

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

A little more progress yesterday....... Not happy about the rust, but when the truck is mobile we will drain the gearbox after a short run, to get rid of any small particles. The gear teeth are slightly worn, but at least none of them are missing!

Hi Andrew

Would not be to worried about the rust on the gears, both of my C60 transmission had rust and pitting, I just polished the gears, on my transmission they are a little more noisy. The C60S went about 20,000 miles before it broke a tooth. On all of my transmissions added a magnet to the drain plug.

Your truck is looking great, have enjoyed watching your build progress.

Cheers Phil

[Andrew H.]

Thanks Phil,
That's good to know. Yes, we will use a magnetised drain-plug and keep a close eye on things.
Cheers,
Andrew

[Lynn Eades]

Andrew,I have a few questions for you to think about;
Hopefully you flicked the inner seals out of your bearings.
And.....With a bronze bush in your gearbox, make sure you don't use an E.P oil.
E.P. oils are inclined to eat bronze. (It is to do with the sulphur content, I think)

The gearbox probably only takes an ordinary 80 grade anyhow, so maybe no problem.

Phil could probably tell you (off the top of his head)what your bearing is and tell you where to get one, if you can't buy one here.
Personally, I would find a bearing unless the condition of the running surfaces precludes its use. (have you turned the main shaft down?)

The last thing, Is how do you stop the excessive mainshaft end float without the slinger in place?

[Andrew H.]

Hi Lynn,
Thanks for your helpful comments. We turned the shaft down a little, as it was slightly pitted, so the standard-size roller bearing will probably no longer fit. We won't use an EP oil in the gearbox, if that is not compatible with the bronze bush. I understand that the bush will only be under load in low gear and reverse. I am pretty sure we took the inner seals out of the bearings, but will check that again before we bolt the top cover on. Is the oil-slinger on the output shaft really necessary if we use sealed bearings? If so, we will have to find one from somewhere (maybe someone here has a spare one?). I should mention that we are a team of three, and the other two have a lot more expertise in gearboxes than I do.
Andrew

[Lynn Eades]

Andrew, I don't know what the inside of your g/box looks like.
It's just that the slinger is usually held with the bearing on the mainshaft, by a circlip. If you don't have a slinger in there, the shaft can then float back and forward. This affects other things, which is not good.
The slinger is usually to divert the oil from the seal, but it may also be there for a secondary purpose, to lube the selectors forks, selector shafts, interlock, detents etc. I am just having a guess and may well be wrong.

In saying that there must be someone around that has a donor Chev g/box, with a slinger in it.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Andrew H.

Hi Lynn,
Thanks for your helpful comments. We turned the shaft down a little, as it was slightly pitted, so the standard-size roller bearing will probably no longer fit. We won't use an EP oil in the gearbox, if that is not compatible with the bronze bush. I understand that the bush will only be under load in low gear and reverse. I am pretty sure we took the inner seals out of the bearings, but will check that again before we bolt the top cover on. Is the oil-slinger on the output shaft really necessary if we use sealed bearings? If so, we will have to find one from somewhere (maybe someone here has a spare one?). I should mention that we are a team of three, and the other two have a lot more expertise in gearboxes than I do.
Andrew

Hi Andrew,
Using a bronze bush is OK as that is what the Bedford version of the Chev box had, but you should have oil scrolls in it to allow the oil to get around the bush, inside and out.
The other point, if you have left the seal in the output bearing on outer side, this will not allow oil to get to the speedo drive (I see this is a 4x2 so drive should be fitted).

[Phil Waterman]

HI Andrew

Here is the link to the page on my C60S so you can compare what my gears looked like, also has the Canadian Chevy parts book explode parts page showing 1938-1951

http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/C...ansmission.htm

Cheers Phil