New Member from the UK

[ron]

Hi Richards,
I have been following your various threads with interest, but am a little puzzled,have you got a carrier as yet? I am still chasing up leads for you, but we are a long way from you here,
Regards Ron

[RichardT10829]

this one looks to be a go'er but await the track count before full funds transfer (i have paid deposit which will be returned if the tracks are caput) so yes it looks like i now have a Mk1 carrier (pending the results of the above enq) basically it is a bare tub but a pal has scourced me a load of stuff for it. Shuan was mentioning that the track looks to roll in over which suggests its finished (worn pin lugs)

[Lynn Eades]

I would guess from those sprockets, that the track is pretty badly worn. when they sit around for a few years the rust tightens them up, and the look pretty good...... In your words "Caput"
Yes new track with new sprockets.

[RichardT10829]

here are the rest of the pics for it, if anyone has any bits they can see is missing and would like to dontate towards the cause please feel free to shout up. I have emailed Dirk a few times to get some info from him but he must be busy, will ring him when in a minute.

[RichardT10829]

also not pictured but included is the engine top cover, the tank, the rad and shroud.

for sure missing:-
speedo + gauges
switch assembly
hand brake
some linkage peices
armour !
gunners seat.

[ron]

Hi Richard,
Looks like congratulations are in order,well done, just hope that you have a money tree at the bottom of your garden,here is a pic of N O S track ready to be fitted to my Met Gas carrier, note with new track just how straight it lies along the floor,if the pins are worn along with the track it would resemble the shape of a worm, note the N O S pins awaiting fitting to the remainder of the track and the N O S sprockets fitted with track support rings If the price is right first get your carrier, they are not making them anymore, the replacment track and sprockets will turn up,I have been doing it like this for more than 30 years and it has always worked for me,once again well done,
Best Regards Ron

[RichardT10829]

cheers Ron. the tracks are a worry, am i wrong in thinking there is no real way of knowing how bad they are until they have been broken free and laid out ?

if they are worn i take it that the carrier will throw them off at a drop of a hat or is it a case of avoid hard turns and driving flat out accross the Grigliano straights whilst shooting mag after mag after mag through the bren ?

what i need is the salvage squad !!! bring back Claire, Suggs and the gang !





Richard

[RichardT10829]

got quoted 10k to get a set re cast machined and pinned OUCH !!!!!

[ron]

Hi Richard,
A good indication or at least a quick one is to count the links of the track on both sides to see how many if any have been removed to take up the slack for the wear,by the look of the track its very unlikely that it will free up but you never know, when you get it home see if you can tow it a short distance, that may free it up, but if it is badly worn and the sprockets are worn, yes it will throw its track either at speed or on a turn,first thing first count the number of links,if its cheap enough buy it, then you have the rest of your life to restore it,every hour you put into it is in memory of your Grandfather,and you can be rightly proud of your acheivement,
Good luck, Regards Ron

[charlie fitton]

The real measure for track wear is the angle that the tracks sit on when viewed from the rear, The individual pads should lie parallel to the ground, a moderatly worn set will start to tip in towards the dif. equal wear = equal angles. Worst case is tracks which both tip to the left or right indicating a cobbled set of tracks.

Regardless, you may have as many as 1000 k of use/wear left on a worn set.

You are going to learn - fast- that screaming down the road in top gear and full throttle is a very reckless activity in a vintage carrier (oxymoron I know) when all that is at stake is dismemberment and probably death.

The end state here is that a worn set is not a show stopper. You will find a set later and bolt them on if you need them. Base your purchase on the rest of the machine.

[RichardT10829]

Dont get me wrong i wouldnt be going flat out or anything daft, perhaps stretch her out accross my mates farm but nothing daft.

i thought you would have to guage the build on its running gear, as most other bits dont cost so much to replace / find ? i dont know guys thats why i am here after all.

the armour is all sorted and i have access to a hydraulic press and oxy torch for the rivets. and having seen what Martyn has done with two scratch built carriers (ie from only having road wheels and tracks) i feel this one is very dooable now, but we will see.

Cheers for the comments guys and please keep em coming experience shared is always better in my humble opinion

Richard

[carrierbarry]

Richard
Just to confuse you more.

The price seems fare, but were in the world is she.?
Remember shipping carriers around especially in the UK is not cheap.
Our friends in Oz remind us track comes up in there part of the world but not so easy in ours.
What would it cost to ship a set of tracks only over ?
Please remember LP track is differant and won't fit a canadian carrier.

Regards

Barry

[RichardT10829]

she is within half an hour of a port in Canada

[George McKenzie]

Take a look at the carrier armour site on this forum .I put in the measurements for the armour thickness and most of the sizes George

[cletrac (RIP)]

I hope you're talking about an east coast port.

[George McKenzie]

I got a shipment of military parts from Isreal The water didn't cost that much .Where you have a problem is loading and getting it to your place . mine was shipped from Tel Aviv Yafo to western Canada .The politics can hold you up as it is military parts Somtimes a plane ride can help to get it from the country that it is from .The small container was under $3000 .The lads in Isreal wanted to ship to Montreal ,3000 miles from my town .Any place in Isreal can be 50 miles from home . George

[Jordan Baker]

Hi Richard.

best of luck with your possible new purchase. I can sense the happiness in your posts.

Don't let the other guys scare you with their posts. Concentrate on what you have and as things become available pick them up if you can. I would get all the engine stuff out of the way and the controls done now. ONce the side are on the other bits installed its a pain to work in the depths of the hull. As for your track. Best bit of advise given to me was to pull/push/drag the carrier in a straight line for about 20-30 feet and then go the other way. Keep doing this all day long or until your bored. that will give the track a chance to slowly loosen up. or you will be able to see if any areas are frozen due to rust.

My track has some nasty worn spots but its never given me any problems.

Check out my big post and see what I started with. Its been almost 5 years since I got mine and im nearing completion.

Another bit of advise given to me when I started (really helpful) rebuild it one piece at a time and spend the time to do it right. It may seem really slow but at the end of the day all those little parts done right will add up to a well done restoration. Plus I always found it went in spurts. it seemed like nothing was getting accomplished for months then I spend 1 weekend and have umpteen bits suddenly installed. That cycle repeated itself constantly.

[RichardT10829]

yeah cheers. Rob got back to me tracks only have 161 links left in them...

he has provided me with the chassis number which is 10131 not sure if we can id its CT number from that ?

I think a call to Don is in order.

Port is Toronto.

cheers guys, still a downer about the running gear though.