Restoration of Hull 731- Carrier, MG (Aust) Mortar Carrying

[Ian Fawbert]

Hi Darrin,

Thanks for that. Well the ARN matches the serial on the plate, so i guess they just wanted to paint it RAN- which, like your follow me, makes for a nice change! I wil have to keep an eye out for it at Corowa if it makes it along and try to have a chat to the owner! and your quite right, it is a very tidy looking slat grill MB (with the neatest stamped MV field spec/nomenclature/census plate ive ever seen!)

Cheers,
Ian.

[Darrin Wright]

Enough of Jeeps and back to the BGC.

Work has been a bit light on over the last 2 weeks due to various family events, but I have removed the floor steering cam plate and installed the clamps with the bolts and rollers that follow the steering cam plate. Re-installed the steering cam plate. Everything has a good coat of anti-seize as it is an area that collects water and prone to rust. I had new rollers machined up and have also installed new bearings into the rollers.

I flushed out an oil cooler that I had, it is a bit weathered but will do the job, with gunwash. This solution is good for dissolving paint & gunk, fortunately the oil cooler was quite clean. Cleaned the exterior with a wire brush and then attempted to paint is black with an aerosol can. I say attempted because of the large surface area of the cooler, it is very hard to get the paint onto all the surfaces.
When completed and dry, I then bolted the cooler into its brackets. At the moment there are only 2 brackets holding it in, I have mis-placed a bracket so will have to hunt that down or try and find another.

Installed what is left of my oil lines, between oil coolers and check valve. Someone used an axe to cut them and remove the brass valve. So the test fitting was to determine how much I have to repair. I have learnt that early BGC had one piece oil pipes and later BGC have a two piece pipe that aids in the installation process. I will try and repair what I have so that I maintain the one piece pipes.

I have also had stainless braided flex oil hoses made that go between the engine and the check valve, they reside on the shelf for when the engine goes in. The way the year is going that may be around Christmas.

I have run the engine some more, putting a litre of petrol through it on 2 occasions. It is running very well, I have not fiddled with the timing. The starter likes 12V DC, so I may change it over to be a 12V system. Within 1 to 2 rotations of the crank the engine has fired.

[Darrin Wright]

This weekend saw me drop the sump on the engine, remove the clutch and lock wire the flywheel bolts. Something that I forgot to do when assembling it back together. Then inspected the underside and the oil in the sump. Only very minor debris from assembly suspended in the oil. Nothing to worry about.
Placed the sump back on after re-sealing the gasket.
Taught my wife how to use the torque wrench, set it, supplied a drawing of the head torque sequence and let her go while I installed the starter motor and other minor things.

Placed the radiator into the hull and positioned it so I could measure and cut the vertical felt cushion/rub strips that rivet onto the air scoop.
Bunning's Hardware, of all places, have the bifurcated rivets used to secure the felt.
Also installed the radiator overflow/steam valve into the air scoop, measured and fabricated the metal line between it and the radiator.

I had the gear box top soaking in the parts wash tub for 2-3 months, removed it and dis-assembled it for rebuild.

During the week a friend machined up 2 new stepped bolts for the yokes that go onto the steering cam plate, now I just have to make the 1/2"dia rods that go to the base of the steering column.

[Darrin Wright]

Took Friday off so that I could attend a clearing sale and picked up some military items and a BGC rear stowage box (second from left in pic). I think it is NOS and when I got it back to the car found that it was full of V8 crab distributors. I also picked up a 1941 US musette bag, with the details of a RAAF Flt/Lt who was in a Transport Sqn as part of the BCOF in Japan. Will have to do some research on him to find out more.

I also picked up some imperial rod that I will utilise for the rods and linkages in the hull. The BGC parts list is quite detailed and gives all the specs etc to fabricate some of these items.
I made the 1/4" accelerator linkage rods and fitted the yokes to the engine bay rod. Will have to make 2 yokes for the rod in the front compartment.

Ran the engine some more over the weekend and fitted the choke/throttle cable bracket to the back of the carby.

Cleaned the gear box top and undercoated it.

[Darrin Wright]

This weekend I cleaned up the selector rails in the gearbox, removed burs and re-assembled it all back in to the gearbox top. Had a little trouble fitting the detent balls, did not have the correct tool as mentioned in the blitz manual, so used a flat tip screw driver. Those little balls sure can travel when the screw driver slips off or when the shaft does not quite go in as it should. Several times I had to turn the light off and look on the floor with my LED torch. And I did wear safety glasses....

I made 2 new 1/2" square yokes for the accelerator linkage rods, painted them and fitted them to the rods for final paint. I also painted the gearbox top and several other smaller items.

Utilising my floor crane, I fitted up the gearbox to the back of the engine. Not quite sure if there is a special trick to doing up the bolt that sits in by the starter bendix cup & clutch arm, I could only do this up part way and finger tight at that. Greased the service points on the clutch. Did not get time to run the engine with the box on, next weekend.
Removed the rear engine mount from the hull and fitted it to the back of the gearbox.

With some flat sheet steel, I measured & cut a new linkage access plate that goes into the base of the air scoop. It is now in the box to be blasted.

[Darrin Wright]

This weekend a few things came together and get done.
Ran the engine, with the gearbox on, and tested all gears. The engine, with the little bit of load from the box, quietened down and ran smoothly, also there was no noise from the gear box. Happy with that, which means it should not have to come off in the near future.

I cut the clutch linkage rods to size, and a friend of mine placed the 7/16 UNF threads onto the ends, then I undercoated them. Also picked up 12 clevis pins to suit the yokes, just have to cut them to length and drill the split pin hole.

I stripped down the Duplex coupling and cleaned it out, then re-greased it, fitted new grease nipples and fitted it to the output yoke on the gearbox.

During the week will look at the oil cooler lines and the fittings and look at reproducing them.