Great stuff Ben.... Are you taking the bren and the scout to W&P or just the scout ?

One at a time. Assuming the momentum continues I'd like to take the Scout in 2014.

Ben, that is interesting to see the seal in the diff/gearbox adapter.
I thought that was a later modification.
Has Richard done an upgrade, or is that how it came?
I remember a thread with discussion about these seals, and Richard talked about having seals made. It is a good idea in as much as the lube in that area seems a little vague (grease/ oil falling onto the speedo drive)

The seal is the only "update" we did on the axle. As its hidden and a carrier mod that was introduced later we both thought it better to have it in there than not. It might help protect the other parts and make maintaince a little easier in the future.

Hi Lynn,
The seal stops any axle oil getting through to the gearbox, there being no seal in the back of the box either. Considering this was a pre-war axle the housing was actually machined as if to take a seal, but we had it machined out to the size in the modification sheet and I had a metal cased leather seal made. another thing is that the female splined coupling was already polished where the seal runs, so looks like they had this in mind to do.

regards, Richard

Hi Richard, Thanks for the reply. I have wondered for years why there were no seals. I suspect that the original design was the have a seal, because as you say, the only change needed was to finish the housing. I guess it was an area that the demands of war considered unnecessary
I have seen quite a few housings and never seen one finished for a seal, until I spotted one for sale on Dirk Leegwater's site. Since then Michael R has posted the mod info, and a parts blow up from the Windsor Parts book.
Did you happen to do the one for the gearbox rear housing as well?
I think the bulk of carriers,(British or Canadian)were built with neither seal.

some pictures

Hi Lynn,
The easy answer to the rear gearbox seal is to fit a rear bearing with seal in.

regards, Richard

PS thanks for posting the parts list page, there is another question answered on there!

Richard, good point on the sealed bearing. What was the question?
A lock tab/washer question was it?

Yes Lynn, the one holding the gearbox drive pinion on the mainshaft, the manual did not show or mention a locktab.

Richard, I think that book is about mid 44, and covers Windsor(from Micheal R.) The lock tab was probably a later improvement. As you would know, a bit of Locktite would do it now days. (unless you happened to have the tab)

Lynn,
I would use Loctite anyway. :)

I have been very slack with taking photos and updating the thread. Work has continued and all the suspension has been cleaned, blasted, painted, new seals and re assembled.
I needed to make a spring compressor to do the job so I copied the one from the workshop manual. The pictures should speak for themselves showing the process from start to finish.
All four units have been done and are on the hull.

I've got the engine and gearbox ready and with luck it should be ready to go in next week.

90% of the bits have been cleaned, blasted and painted so its pretty much assembly from here on in.

I'm waiting on a very lucky ebay find to arrive which (if correct) could be a couple of the last missing bits.

I've also been looking at some old photos to help understand the stowage. I took a closer look at a shot that I'd had a while and noticed the "T" number 5332. That makes the third carrier shown in a period photo all within a couple of numbers of each other from the same Aveling Barford contract.

RMY 681, T5327, Capuzzo North Africa
RMY 683, T5329, Perth Australia (assumed returned from North Africa)
RMY 686, T5332, Captured BEF

It made me wonder how carriers were issued. The T5332 shot shows what I believe to be the first scheme they were painted when they left the factory.

If anyone has any info on how vehicles were issued early in the war and if any records survive I'd be interested to hear from them.

Thanks

Ben

Hi Ben,

Making good progress then it appears! Hope you get it ready in time for W&P.

Cheers,

scout
 

Hi Ben

do you know this one ;-)

The light at the end of the tunnel
 

Its been a busy few weeks. Engine is in after a false start, There's some plumbing left to do and the starter wiring.

Exhausts are all in and connected. I used a woven cloth welding matt to simulate the asbestos heat shield, after sandwiching a few layers together it looks really good and no worries about toxic dust. The steel frames are the original ones.

I got all the wheels back from the blasters so they were painted and put on. New seals and bearings. The axles are newly made, I had just enough useable originals but the condition wasn't the best, new ones made more sense incase they ever need to come out.

Once the wheels were on, it meant only one thing. Track!!!

It went on easier than I expected but took some effort and a LOT of swearing to close up by myself. A combination of ratchet straps and a spring compressor did the job. Its NOS track so there's very little play in it, It needed a couple of extra links to allow it all to go on. I suspect after a couple of miles they'll be able to be removed.

Theres a couple of stiff links but again I think they'll free up after a little use.

Lots of little jobs left to do but it's first run isn't too far off. :)

Great stuff Ben, it will put mine to shame :-)

:-)
 

Simply brilliant work Ben !

Have those small parts arrived yet ?

Regards

Phill

Looking awesome Ben, Great work. looking forward to seeing her again.
Phillip, I went through Nungarin a couple of weeks back. I visited the museum and saw Bill. He said he'd love to have you back! Some nice gear there. I could fall for the Dingo. It has classic lines!

Thanks. Lynn, It should be interesting you'll get the perfect before and after!

More small bits to get ready this weekend. I hope to get the seats in and the throttle control rods in.

The radiator has been in once already so once the throttle rods are done I can put it back in and finish the plumbing.

The instrument panel is close to being done too. I've tested the (British) speedo, it works ok but the needle isn't the smoothest. Is this because I ran it up using a drill or do they always search a little at lower speeds?

Ben

If the drive is loaded one way it may a cause a drag. It may also be an old lube issue having sat for a few lifetimes.

Looking awesome Ben .... Can't wait to see it move under it's own power!

looking nice mate, not long til the first test drive :D

No real Scout progress today (that'll have to wait until tomorrow)

I did go over to Norfolk today so I could borrow one of Shaun's vehicles to take my track test, we ended up doing it in the MK2*, it wasn't plan A but fortunately it all went well and I passed.

Thanks to Shaun for his patience especially as I crunched my way up and down the gears :doh: I think I'd got a better idea of how to drive one by the time to go home!!

Next box to tick is getting the DVLA to recognise the original reg number so it can be road registered.

link to video http://youtu.be/yAkCMe4I-oc

Congrats, if you can pass it in a carrier you can pass it in anything !.... Did he make a course for you like he did for me with cars and trailers and god knows what as obstacles :-)

Well done Ben , yes it was a good day in the end ..... It was a good baptism of fire into carrier driving .... First time behind a carrier steering wheel and it's your test !! And every type of road hazard as well , surprised we did have any horses to deal with .

Now get that scout finished !!

No, we thought it'd be too easy at the airfield, that's for soft northern girls :thup2:

We went into Old Buck for what seemed like an age. The kids at the primary school thought it was good, not sure what all the other folk in cars thought though?

Ben

Well done Ben, I did mine in a digger. I guess the rules are quite different