The weight of the engine in the hull will help compress the suspension when it's sat on the tracks whilst you tension them. It will take less effort to pull the ends together if the suspension is compressed. I speak from no great experience just what I did, have a spare link or two ready and to hand.

Rich, tracks go on last, you can run your engine up check gear change, check axle noise and burn your brakes in before fitting the track.

Kev.

Busy afternoon was had today in the garage, jnr and I built up the last air box minus it's graft, culminating in the last major rivets to be set into the Carrier.... The radio battery box still needs doing, but this today being the last of the mandatory rivets. He managed to set 27 rivets in three and a half hours, this included cutting them to length on the lathe, and setup time too....... Not bad for a 14 year old ! I very much doubt he will have lessons of this nature at school, what with the health and safety crackers society we live in !

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps83fqbsbh.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psqkchq16a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psi8nrxjqe.jpg

A mix of 5/16 snap, and 3/8 Liverpool in that there bit !

Also we riveted the last of the rifle rests onto the drivers side armour, then set about plugging holes with the required bolts !
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pslnqtr7sv.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psel5us0w3.jpg


I then mounted the front rifle rest and plugged more holes in the front armour and fitted a pair of 12v mini lamps I had in the loft to replace the 6v sealed beam units. Not original yes I know, but they can be pulled out and changed in due course.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psnomdqxju.jpg

All in all she is coming together ! The front flappy armour plate that Bill and I made is away getting the hole milled to mount it.

Well as time draws nearer towards July... The urgency and pace has risen dramatically !
Today's list is more of the same... "Stuff back in" the drivers bin has gone back in, the front half of the clutch linkage has gone back in, the rear half was cut into two pieces so will need to weld that back together. The choke cable has gone back in but I need to order some scroll pins for the clevis.. The long brake linkages have gone back in.. And some conduit has gone back in... The conduit was pretty badly rotted so has taken some time to clean it up, but I am getting there !
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps581lsghi.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...ps2vw1e9yd.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psv1g96f25.jpg

I have also re fitted the oil cooler and re coated / re fitted the solid copper oil feed lines and flexi's
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pspen3na8s.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...psjdmoefm1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pst6mkieom.jpg

nice riveting job by the young guy. better watch out or he will claim part ownership. :) I also noticed the oil cooler brackets near the inlet and outlet fittings, if they are original,could you post a good pic of them? I am missing those 2 parts.
Very nice job you are doing ,Rich.

You're going well Rich. Can you explain the seat back mount? I would have called it MkII*, but your drivers front plate is MkI* I know MkI*s were converted, but as yours came from Canada recently, did they (the Canadians) also convert MkI*s to MkII*s? (as Britian did)
Can I suggest a (wiring friendly)radius inside your brass conduit bezels?
You have about 6 weeks. No pressure of course! :devil: :salute:

clutch rod
 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pst6mkieom.jpg[/QUOTE]

I'm far from an expert on carriers but doesn't the clutch rod go around the other way so the stop on the clevis rests on the divider plate? :cheers:

Euan is correct. Your clutch rod from pedal to pivot bracket is in backwards.

A simple error to make as the parts manual illustration pictures it installed the way Richie has it.

Looking good Richie. It's well worth the effort!! How far off are you getting the noisy bits in?

I wouldn't care I had it the other way then read the book illustrating it went the way I have put it.... Will take it to bits again hahahhaa

Yeah, Lynn, the seat back bottom rail has not been out the machine, but looks to be a later fitting... I will check the brackets etc for part numbers, but basically by turning the handle at the end it tilts the base of the seat back and forward, I wondered if it had been a post war thing jerry's rigged, but there are remains of the gunners seat too.

The carrier is 1942 dated, and I am unsure as to when the mods from Mk1 to Mk2 began to filter through.

I'm waiting for Michael R. to explain that later production MkI*s were fitted with the MkII* seat back hardware.
It's probably not the case, that all the changes/ improvements were introduced at the same time. I would guess the introduction of the MkII* was more a collection of re-design features hitting the production line at one time, justifying the re designation to reduce the confusion in the parts supply and r&m instructions.

From my understanding all MK1* have the same seat style as Richie's

Lynn you are probably more familiar with the early style which has the two bars top and bottom same as Richie has on the top. This was the standard up until the MK1 not sure about a British MK1 compared to the * version.

The Scout, Bren and LP1NZ will have the two bars and corresponding extra set of hooks on the div plate.

There are very few examples of the British style double hook lower seatback brackets on MK-I* hulls made for CD contracts. The image is from one such example. The lever style (104806 & 105807) bar is more common on the later MK-I*. It is always found on the CD2609 contract MK-II* driver only. Could a update have been done during service life to the early MK-I*? I am sure, particularly with the later production, pre-seat belt backrest frame being issued, as pictured in the attachment from FUC-03. The FUC-03 drawing can be misleading, it contains other anomalies. Never and always?

As Per Michael R's comment on my carrier the hook imaged is used for the top mount however rather than being double slotted, it is single slotted (I would image them, but Shaun has them in suffolk for patterning hahahahaha.

as it happens i am after a pair of the top seat bars that bolt onto the wood :)

Lynn my Feb 1943 Canadian MK 1 has the same seat back fittings .

Richie ...... I'm in Norfolk !!! I haven't got webbed feet !

Yer all the same soon there in my book hahahaha fudge lovers !

looking good mate.

when it's done it will put a cheesy grin across your face for a few years to come.

rick

You must stand out then.......... :D

Yes Adrain , none of my six toes on either foot are webbed ! -:-)

Right back carriers ! We must not hijack his thread he he he

Seat back fittings
 

We have a Sentinel Wagon 3" mortar carrier (T 80068) and a Ford Mk I* (lower hull 4200c) which both had the double slotted clips at the bottom of the seat back.

It's looking good Richie, and I'm looking forward to seeing it running at W&P.

Rob

Rob, have you ever seen that lever type on a Universal in N.Z.?
I don't think any of them came our way. Even the Canadian Mortars which were MkII* Correct?

With Rob's lower hull 4200 being a MK-I*, perhaps it was produced for an NZ contract, which called for the hook style bracket? That is four brackets per seat back, each with two cut-out positions.

The carrier is looking swell Richie. Web feet, cheesy grins, six toes... that will be quite a gathering.

A pic is worth lots of words...
 

My MkI* hull has had an LP engine fitted at some stage, with the front engine mounts and radiator shifted forward, and an LP rear mount fitted on the floor.
Hence it could have had anything done to it in the past.

Michael can you tell anything from the bolt hole pattern in the bulkhead?

Lynn, were any Mk II* in NZ? I haven't seen or heard of any.

Rob

Rob, see my above post. I think Dave H's Mortar is a MkII*. I think the Mk designation is only relevant to the Mortar carriers as it is, in all other respects, a MkI*
I have seen a T16 dash for sale, I think there is a guy up near Thames with a T16, and there is probably the odd MkII around, but I don't think any MkIIs or MkII*s arrived during WWII or relevant to the war effort or as a result of government purchases in that era.
Daves T number is 30080 isn't it?
I think Jeff P told me we took delivery of 300 MkI*s, to N.Z., during the war.

Robin, re bulkhead: e-mail sent.

Daves carrier is a Sentinel built Mk1. T80030.

Well I have started to feed the wiring back into the hull, well..... The front lights hahaha.

I have also started to setup the air duct scoop to graft the new steel back onto the original... I have the remains of an end piece that bolts to the sides of the ducts, but I am unsure as to where it is welded to the scoop if that makes sense ? Does anyone have a pic of this bit ?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...pse56ztfmy.jpg

I am also on the hunt for detail on the front rifle rest angle bar if anyone can help.

And finally the pintle mount bracket that mounts to the above mentioned angle bar ? If anyone has one to sell, repro or original, I would be interested.

Cheers

Richie