to Champ or not to Champ......

[Lynn Eades]

Didnt I see a fine Dodge laying around in the back ground at some point in your postings? (are they too common?)

[aj.lec]

The person to ask on here is Richard Coutts-Smith
He has one

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

They do have some good points, and I have never regretted going down the Champ path.
From the pics 2k is about $1500 too much.
Your main supply of parts would be in the UK, which is going to factor heavily in the cost of parts. Nearly everything is still available, mostly NOS, some repo.
Rusty sills are a common problem.
The motors are a B40 Rolls Royce (made under licence by Austin) and are generally a long lasting unit, fully waterproofed, which also adds a little complication.
Torsion bar suspension all round, which provides a comfy ride, but there are a lot of moving parts to look at during a rebuild.
Transfer case is integral with the back diff, it is not of the High/low variety, but supplies a change in direction: giving 5 forward and 5 reverse gears.
Most back diff problems were resolved during service life ( I see they are military, not the rarer civilian model).
I could go on for sometime, but I will spare you. Yes they are a complicated little beasty
but I imagine a right hand drive Rolls Royce powered convertible will help you stand out from the crowd, but there will be a fair bit of work involved.

If you have the vehicle No. (on Brass plate, upper firewall under the hood, passenger side,) you should get a little info from the register:
http://www.austinchamp.com/
Not to mention a full history of the Champ in general.

Just to show what waterproofing was for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VLTlMr7qYk

Let us know what you decide.
Rich.

[Mike Cecil]

Richard,

A sensible answer for David to work with! Nicely done. My comment on parts is, of course based upon having to source internationally: no 'quick fix' when you are in the USA.

Was I right with regard to the back axle? What were the problems they had in service?

Mike C

[David DeWeese]

Thanks everyone for the great information!

I also thought 2k was a bit high, but I didn't know for sure...

I think I will stay away from them for now, but they sure are cute!

Thanks again,
David

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

David,
A Champ was the last vehicle I ever thought I would own, now my only regret is not buying one sooner, go figure....
(This is not a reflection on your decision, purley musing on my behalf)
If you have the oppourtunity to get the vehicle numbers, could you pass them on to me. I would like to pass them on to the Champ Register if they are not currently shown as still in existence.

Mike,
The head of the Champ project was asked to go to the US and explain the diff issue that was giving problems to the vehicles on trial there. He was adamant that all the problems were due to lack of oil, either due to poor maintenance, or possibly the sealing of the PT0 cover on top of the back diff. The studs were long enough for the proposed winch fitment (which never happened), and a little long for the cover supplied. This minor problem could be fixed with an extra washer under each nut.

Totally unrelated to his report, I'm sure, back in the UK orders were issued to replace all crown wheel bolts with a higher tensile grade, and all driving flanges on the hubs modified for a further three bolts.

My personal opinion is that despite a long and expensive gestation, the Champ was pushed into full production before the results of the extensive trials were acted upon, in an attempt to save the British Fighting Vehicle concept which was rapidly losing favour. As a result, the problems plaguing the early production Champs gave it an unenviable reputation that still exists today.

Rich.

[Lynn Eades]

Rich, I thought their main problem was rust and corrosion. I was going to say also "over complicated", but that is just another British identifier.