Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Keith Webb]

Now you'll have to search for one of the bent tubular light machine gun mounts to go in it. Curious they are so hard to find seeing so many must have been made.

[Jacques Reed]

Good Day Keith,

I am in the same boat as many Blitz restorers, I have the cabin bracket for the machine gun mount but not the L shaped pipe. The only photo I have seen of one is the attached from the book "A History of the Ford Motor Company in Australia" by Geoff Easdown. It was from Ford's WW2 archives.

Not really enough info in the picture to make a good repro but it gives you a bit of an idea.

Probably the the straight pipe section was more usable post war on the land hence none are around.

Brgds,

Jacques

[Grant Bowker]

It wouldn't surprise me if many Blitz owners decided the pipe structure had caught in one too many trees and just heaved it to be rid of it.

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

It wouldn't surprise me if many Blitz owners decided the pipe structure had caught in one too many trees and just heaved it to be rid of it.

I think you're right, although probably it happened even before the vehicles were disposed of, you see them in the factory or official images, then rarely in service pics. Probably if you weren't in an area under possible threat of aerial attack they were a major nuisance.

[Mike K]

The little 12 cwt Plymouth utes were also fitted

I owned two of these utes in the early 1980's , another project I should have kept, along with the 41 Pontiac ute .... that I sold to Colin Anderson . Mike

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Now you'll have to search for one of the bent tubular light machine gun mounts to go in it. Curious they are so hard to find seeing so many must have been made.

And here's why!!



Regards Rick

[Keith Webb]

Great illustration of use Rick!

Originally Posted by lynx42

And here's why!!



Regards Rick

[Euan McDonald]

Lets play spot the gallows!

[lynx42]

Originally Posted by Euan McDonald

Lets play spot the gallows!

I think that there is more fun identifying all the other bits.

2 Lunettes for No.27 Limber,
numerous Limber draw poles,
25pdr. Limber tray,
P.O.L Holder of a Blitz
and a
Rusty limber No.27 complete with spring bumper in lower right hand corner of photo.

[Mrs Vampire]

Hi Euan I am looking at building a Limber any help with parts would be welcome
p

[Private_collector]

Originally Posted by Euan McDonald

Lets play spot the gallows!

Well looky there.

I would ask if it's for sale, but I haven't paid for the last bits yet. Don't forget to tell me how/where to send $$ via EFT. All I know how to do is paypal.

Would be hard to wrap for postage too

T.

[Private_collector]

Rusty cab 1.jpg Rusty cab 3.jpg
Took the scrap cab I got yesterday off the trailer this morning and started removing the sunshine roof frame, Bren Gun mount thingy and some other little but potentially useful parts.
Sunshine Cab 1.jpg
The roof frame is in excellent condition. It cleaned up very well, with the wire brush, and I will take it in for blasting later this week.
Bren Gun Mount 1.jpg
This bracket is not tooooooo bad, I guess. It will need the remains of both the locking bolts to be drilled out and retapped. Also, where there is two layers of steel plate laying together, the rust between em has forced them apart a little. Thats not hard to fix but takes time I don't want to waste now. Onto the parts shelves it goes for later.
second windscreen 1.jpg
This is the windscreen frame (passenger side) that I intend to use for driver side. I can't think of any reason why I couldn't turn the lower part of frame around, making the opposite side frame. I did try to drill out the bolts that hold the top and bottom sections together, and that's when I discovered that the drill bit/s I had available would have trouble going through cheese, let alone good steel. New drill set to be bought tomorrow, when i'm in town to dispose of the cab remains.

[Private_collector]

Bumper tow brackets.jpg
Got a ratty bumper bar yesterday, I wanted it for the two towing loop brackets that also secure the sprung bumper frame. That spring frame is not bad either, and will be kept. The bar itself is bent like a banana. Useless except for scrap value.
Bumper brackets 1.jpg Bumper brackets 2.jpg Bumper brackets - Ford.jpg
The bumper bar brackets are worth keeping, but I don't understand why the larger one (with Y piece) has thick metal spacers between bar and bracket. The other bracket does not. They don't look to have been butchered, and look as if they may have been there from original production?!?!?
Tyre pump assembled 1.jpg
Reassembled the tyre pump, last Saturday, for something different to do.

Advice from the engineering works has it that the chassis should be ready for me to collect tomorrow. I will want to see this for myself before I hire a trailer for return home. Unfortunately 'should' is a very loosely used word.

[Andy Cusworth]

Hey Tony,
Maybe the steering box is like old Land Rovers..... when its not leaking, it means its emply

I always used Robert's method of cereal packets as they are free and once in place absorb the oil, expand and help seal, with this homemade gasket along with the instant gasket I reckon you may crack it !

In this modern day world of Health & Safety .... ''This product will contain Nuts and this method could get you labelled as a Cereal Killer''

[Private_collector]

I had ordered a pair of brake & clutch pedals (Ford) through ebay on Tuesday. They arrived this afternoon, and are a perfect fit!
Initially, I was unsure what style the rubber should be, but saw two vehicles last weekend that still had their originals, albeit badly decomposed and dried rubber. Both matched the pads I have bought.
Pedal pads 1.jpg Pedal pads 2.jpg
These cost me $12AUD each, and both were shipped from interstate Australia for $9AUD. So for $33 I now have perfect pedals.

I'll be spending this evening modifying (cutting) a length of rubber windscreen seal that will be installed on the driver side. Didn't get a chance to do anything today, but should have the window frame sanded, reprimed, and possibly even painted tomorrow. Having said that, weather forcasts foretell heavy thinderstorms over weekend, so these plans may change.

[Private_collector]

Driver side frame primed 1.jpg Driver side frame ready for top coat 1.jpg
Windscreen frame for driver side is now ready for painting. Sanded the putty yesterday afternoon, and reprimed a single light coat for protection from elements until painting gets done.
Wiper motor driver side primed.jpg
I had forgotten what a pain it was removing all the paint from wiper motor body. It was original military dark green color, but had to come off as areas were flaking from 70 years of aging. Painting over this, even if I could have sanded edges, would be a very poor decision. For all painted surfaces, my preference is to remove ALL previous paint, no matter how sound it first looks. Some very unusual things can (and do) occur days, weeks, months and even years after finished. Painting is easy, preparation is a pain in the sphincter!
Hand brake lever primed.jpg
Hand brake lever assembly has been stripped, cleaned out and primed, to be painted with the windscreen frame. The lever assembly is a mox of parts from two vehicles. Some of those parts came from last weekends pilgramage to CMP wreck mecca.

The new windscreen rubber is now ready. It was created on Saturday night, by modifying an over the counter piece of Ll shaped seal, removing one of the two 'sides', making it an L shape instead. the long side of the 'L' goes on the outside, with butly mastic sealing the inner edge. Gives quite a neat look, but I would remove it in a heart-beat if I could get my hands on some of the original fibre seal. Now that I know what original jointing for screen glass looked like, i'm not surprised the glass channels rusted heavily. I expect the fibrous, almost cardboard, original screen seal would hold moisture very nicely, brining on the oxidising process+++. Still, as the original item, I would prefer it, but have never seen any!

I am hoping to get the parts painting done today, but that may not happen if weather does not change. There has been light rain all through the night, and lots of lightning. If not too much rain, it's a good day for mowing. Very little rain has fallen in many weeks and now is best chance to avoid the cloud of dust normally associated with mowing over dry ground.

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Tony

How or what method are you going to use to protect the inside of the windscreen frame to prevent this happening again?



As the frames always seem to rust out or suffer frost expansion if you live in cold climates wonder what you were or are going to do. I've poured paint through mine but I'm think pumping them full of some cosmoline like substance. Though my trucks live indoors most of the time they do get out in the rain enough to have water get into the frames.

Any thoughts?

As always I enjoy watching your progress and problem solving.

Cheers Phil