New member, please help me ID!

[ww2steel]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and Bren Carriers. I bought a very cheap one off EBay about a month ago and am simply looking to get it running and drivable. I will worry about looks later.

I would like to be able to narrow down exactly what it is, but it is missing many (most) pieces. It has the hull armor and drivetrain remaining. What can I tell from that? I don't know even how to tell a MkI from a MkII yet.

The obvious parts I need are for now the front idlers/ tensioners which were removed and about 100 track links. I also need a few springs. Other than that the suspension is good and functional.

Next to get the engine running and clean up the transmission and rear end.

Thanks guys!
Mike

[Jordan Baker]

Hi Mike.

Glad to have you join us

My best bit of advice would be to post some pitures of what you have. Also contact Alex Blair for the manuals. I got one from him and it has been an excellent resource to have.

For the engine a lot of the components can be found with hot rodders. Stewart Loy and myself highly recomend "Dennis Carpenter reproductions" for anything with the engine.

There was someone not that long ago who posted they had some track adjuster wheels for sale. Try looking in the For sale/wanted section.

My other bit of advice is to set reasonable goals for yourself and work on one part at a time.

As an example with mine. I first got the engine running. Once it was running I rebuilt the electrical system. When the rad blew it forced me to stop driving and get it fixed. Now I have a brand new rad with original fittings. While i was saving money for the rad I decided to pull off both sets of track and re build them. My plan now is that over the winter I wil try to get as many parts as I can so that when Spring comes I can start building it.

I know that others here will be able to provide much more info than I can and best of luck.

Sincerely
Jordan Baker

[rob love]

Does it have the upper armour or just the hull up to the fender skirts? Either way the easiest way to tell mk1 from mk 2 is that the Mk1 will have two rectangular holes about 8 X 12" to the upper left and right of where the differential bolts on to the hull. The mk2 will not. There are probably about 100 other things to look for but this is the most obvious and easiest thing to spot.

Please post pics; we all love to see the challenges someone else faces. It makes ours seem a little more bearable.

[ww2steel]

Hello,

I am brand new to this so bear with me...

My first OOB is to get it rollable. I have 267 track links total with? usable- though they appear to be in good condition. Most importantly I want to get the front idler wheel and tensioner setup installed which were removed for some reason.

Anyone find a good substitute for the springs?

Once I get this stuff ready I will work on the driveline.

Unfortunately this thing was in working service and when something broke it was simply removed.

The vehicle appears to be a 1943, and I am working on ID'ing it in my other thread.

I must say it is intimidating when I see all of your pristine vehicles!

Thanks,
Mike

[ww2steel]

Hello,

Working on IDing my new Carrier, but there's not much left of it! Please help!

Purchased in Peterborough, Canada, appears to be a early 1944- most of the dated parts say 1943, but there are a few 44s. I see a million markings, but don't know which ones are any type of ID number.

[ww2steel]

A shot of the engine:

[ww2steel]

Hello, my IDing efforts are now under a new post name to make it easier for people to know what I need:

http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/sh...1648#post21648

Thanks!
Mike

[Nigel Watson]

Well done at saving another of these wonderful machines. Although the pictures show a very altered carrier I reckon it certainly started life as a MkI*. If you have the front armour in front of the driving position its id details should be stamped along the edge of this armour almost directly in front of the driver. There is also an upper hull no. stamped in the bulkhead angle iron behind the commander/gunners head and a lower hull number on the rear angle iron that that supports the rear 'shelf' and the vertical rear compartment armour. (Boy it isn't have difficult explaining the positions in words!). But what you need is the armour!!

Hope this helps

Nigel

UCMkI*
Daimler Dingo Scout

[ww2steel]

You mentioned this lower hull armor tag- I think I might still have that one and I would really like to track down this guy's history! Can you help me find it?

Thanks,
Mike

[rob love]

I don't think you will find any complete numbers on what remains of that hull. The front armour is gone, so those numbers will be gone, the right side of the division plate (area to the right of the drivers head) has been cut, so the data plate will be gone, the left side of the division plate has been cut so there will be no CB number on that angle iron, and the angle iron nearest where the rear armour would be attached over the rear left sprocket has been cut, so that serial number will be gone as well.
As a general rule of thumb around here, when the fenders over the track have been cut off, the carrier becomes a donor vehicle, although I guess with enough will, anything could be restored.

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

Where in Peterborough was this carrier found?

This is the only one I heard of as being available, and that was at an auction in the summer of /03.

Steve

[ww2steel]

HEY, THAT'S IT!

That's her- any more info on it?!?

Mike

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

It was part of a farm-cum-scrapyard auction just west of Peterborough in the summer of 2003.

I went because it was listed as a 'Former US Army half-tracked vehicle'.

It's not, but it seems the farmer bought it years ago after it was converted into a log skidder. He apparently bought it for the engine, but never got around to doing anything with it. There was nobody that remembered the thing arriving or why the left hand suspension unit was mounted the way it was. There were literally hundreds of items to be auctioned so I couldn't hang around to see what happened to the carrier, but when I ran into the auctioneer later, he did say it was sold and not for scrap, unlike a lot of the other vehicles in the sale.

The only other carrier I know about in the area is at Harold Carlaw's museum in Campbellford.



Steve

[ww2steel]

Well, good thing he didn't use it for the engine considering I found yesterday that it had THROWN A ROD! ...but anyway, I figured on rebuilding it regardless, it will just cost a bit more. As for the suspension my estimate is that they did something wierd while operating it or something as I simply lifted the front end up and rotated it back to a normal looking position. I am building a big gantry crane for the trailer to pull the engine but finding tables even for approximate strengths of steel beams and tubing is proving quite elusive...

More later- and thanks for the history!

Mike

[ww2steel]

Has anyone found suitable replacement springs for the Carrier (Canadian) and/ or know the spring rates so I can look some up? I am looking for front and rear.

Thanks!
Mike

[ww2steel]

Okay,

All I have is a routine maintenence manual... and it doesn't show how to pull the engine. Before I do anything stupid and crack or bend something...

I was planning to pull the engine and trans together so I don't have to fool with the bolts that are right under the bellhousing. I've done this many times on cars and trucks but the wierd thing now is that there is no simple driveshaft to disconnect.

Any advice? Any suggestions that I may not have thought to ask?

Any supply for good repair manuals?

Thanks!
Mike

[Tony Smith]

Originally posted by ww2steel

Any advice? Any suggestions that I may not have thought to ask?
Thanks!
Mike

If this is the first time you are working on an unfamiliar type of vehicle, take MILLIONS of digital pictures of how it comes apart to help you when it comes time to put it all together. You can never have too many detail shots. When the job is finished, you can delete them or keep them as a momento of your first rebuild. A picture is worth a thousand words. As opposed to a film camera or video record, you can take them for free and blow them up on the computer, compare them to a parts book or manual, and print them on plain paper to get all greasy in the rebuild. You might have greasy hands when dissambling parts, so might be a good idea to get your Wife/Girlfriend/Beer Drinking Assistant to take pictures for you.
It also helps to tag all wires, cables, pipes, tubes and bolts. Put bolts from a particular part into a ziplock bag and tag it. Don't assume that you will remember how it went together again tomorrow, next week or even years from now (face it, it happens: )

[alleramilitaria]

remove the cooling system (leave the oil cooler), unbolt the 3 linkagas, unbolt and plug the oil lines, unhook all cables, unbolt the 2 motor mounts, hool chain up to the heads via 2 or 4 bolts depending on your sling. then the fun begins.

check to see if your trans to rear end cover is still there, if so unhool it, and slide it out of the way.

lift up on the eng/trans slowly about 3 to 5 inch. dont pull it stright up, pull it at about a 30 deg slope with the eng nose up.

push the eng and trans forward and the trans will slide out of the rear end. then just go stright up.

did i miss anything???????? nope.

the fun is getting it back in.

and yes take LOTS of photos. dont throw away anything, you may need to take something to the local parts place to make a match.
if you can use a digital camra, that way you can take thousands of pics.

thanks, and good luck
dave

[Phil Waterman]

Never fails that an engine (what ever) will come out much easier than it goes back in. My son and I once pulled the engine in the C60 in under 2 hours from the time we drove it into the shop till the engine was out sitting on the floor. But it took us 2 days to put it all back in place.

[Phil Waterman]

But to your question, do you have Bill Greggs CMP profiles book because it has a number of interesting drawings in it. I've attached one which shows the engine being lifted out was is of interest is the point of attachment for lifting for the center of gravity for the engine and transmission.

[ww2steel]

Okay,

Thanks guys- so it is not bolted together at the rear there about 3" from the rear wall and will just slip out.

No, I do not have this illustrated manual. I will try to find one.

Thanks!
Mike

[ww2steel]

Very quick question today- are the road and idler (front) wheels interchangable?

I ask as I still need these front wheels (both) and wonder if any road wheel will do.

Thanks!
Mike

[Snowtractor]

There has been an earlier thread on this and the answer would be 'no' the diameter or profile is slightly different and the rubber will come off after short usage. Hunt back some and I sure you'll find the thread.
Sean

[ww2steel]

Looking at photos it appears that the front towing tiedown was cut and reattached on a fabricated lower tiedown. Is this stock original, a military conversion, or a civilian mod?

Orig or mil conversion I will leave- if we can be sure it is civilian I would like to remove this part and reweld it to the original bracket.

I was also looking at different parts and these lower brackets look like they might be part of a towing attachment from the rear of the vehicle?

Thanks!
Mike

[Snowtractor]

Civilian mod for sure. the should be mounted on the top of the front glacis.
Sean

[Nigel Watson]

Snowplough mod snowtractor?

Nigel

[Snowtractor]

Originally posted by Nigel
Snowplough mod snowtractor?

Nigel

Dive vanes for the experimetal SAS assault carrier ..CARRIER, MKI,SUBMERSIBLE ASSAULT.

That would be 30-LOVE

Sean

[charlie fitton]

looks kinda like the lift rings from the back of the hull that would have stuck up through the back deck....


do you need replacements?

[Nigel Watson]

Originally posted by Snowtractor
Dive vanes for the experimetal SAS assault carrier ..CARRIER, MKI,SUBMERSIBLE ASSAULT.

That would be 30-LOVE

Sean

Na...twin fishing rod holders make it the amphibious version of the UC MC MkI (Mine Clearing) !!

30 all !!!

Nigel

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Snowtractor
Dive vanes for the experimetal SAS assault carrier ..CARRIER, MKI,SUBMERSIBLE ASSAULT.

That would be 30-LOVE

Sean

For godsakes, Sean, don't make him start talking tennis!!!!!