Ford Blitz Restoration/Rebuild

[Private_collector]

The inside areas of my wheels are finally painted. Was in town this morning, and when I got home in early afternoon there was still enough time to splash some colour around.
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Normally the paint would be touch dry within a couple of hours, BUT this time I had decided to try the pre-packed pressure cans. Nah, it's not something I would go looking for again, unless there was a reason only a spray can would do the job. I can't imagine what that would be! Apart from having a sore 'trigger finger', my main issue is simply no hardener in the spray cans. I don't know what this will mean in the long run, but there is a chance the edges of the rims may react to the paint I apply to the outer surfaces. Sometimes enamel which has dried only a short time, can 'fry' when a fresh coat of paint (it's the solvent actually) hits it. Doesn't matter that it's the same paint, and this can occur without warning. Trial and error, im afraid. Hopefully nothing happens. I will sure be putting the coats on lightly as I can. I think if I put a light first coat (quite a good idea with enamel anyway!) and let it dry a bit, everything SHOULD be fine.
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The rim nuts don't look too bad once cleaned of crap, do they? Hah, it's a trap! Read on...
I realised today I hadn't sent all the rim securing nuts to the sandblaster, so they needed my attention. I started cleaning them up while the wheel paint was sort of drying. I'll blast them myself, in my cabinet, but it's not a job I look forward to. Will be rather uncomfortably warm this weekend, so sticking my arms into elbow length rubber gloves is NOT attractive. I don't know how veterinarians do it! At least my arms only get stuck into a blast cabinet. There's no poo involved in that. .
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This is the innards of the same nut. Not so great looking now, is it? Absolutely rotten to the point of having virtually no thread visible....at all. Imagine having 8 like this one holding the two halves of a fully inflated rim together. There WOULD be poo involved in that! I think I have a couple of spare nuts around somewhere. Probably somewhere 'safe', I expect.
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Last bit of progress. I literally stumbled across the C & B cats-eyes I bought several years ago, so put them onto the gun shield before I lost them again. The 'safe' location had struck again. Searched all over the place when I wanted them, couldn't be found. Gave up, then kicked my toe on em. If you doubt things are currently that disorgainsed, ask Lionel, he paid me a visit today, while in the area. Always good to catch up with MLU bretheren.

[Private_collector]

It's heart warming to see that my luck continues to hold true.
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My NOS king pin replacement set arrived yesterday. Take a close look. Notice anything unusual? That's right, one of the bronze bushings is a 'some assembly required' item. Broken into 4 pieces, to be exact. Neither the USPS box, nor the Toledo Steel box that contains the kit, had been damaged in any way. I am therefore suspecting the damage didn't occur in transit. Seller has indicated they will rectify the situation, in some way. Don't know if I will be having to search for replacement bushings yet, but with my luck of late, that could very well be the outcome!

I tell ya, it could be raining gravy and I'd be the one caught holding a fork!

[David Dunlop]

Well, Tony, as long as you are not waving that fork madly above your head at the height of the storm, I suspect you'll be OK.

David

[Jacques Reed]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

That's right, one of the bronze bushings is a 'some assembly required' item. Broken into 4 pieces, to be exact. . Don't know if I will be having to search for replacement bushings yet, but with my luck of late, that could very well be the outcome!

Hi Tony,

You might be able to get a replacement bronze bushing from a local bearing supplier or at least one that is close in size and can be machined and/or reamed to the size you require. The bearings places I have visited, often have a range of standard sized bronze bushings in stock or can get them in.
It all depends if Ford used off the shelf bushings or made up their own sizes just to be difficult.

Anyway it may be worth a try if you get no joy from the supplier.

PS: When I read your trials with parts and service suppliers it at least makes me feel I am no longer alone!
Experiencing things like receiving used parts from overseas being passed off as NOS, Khaki Green paint tinted but no record of the formula kept, and a part welded on upside down despite the welder being supplied a photo of the correct position are just a few of my recent experiences too.

Cheers,

[Private_collector]

G'day Jacques,

I must be about due to write you another novel soon.

Can totally empathise with your experiences. My most frustrating episode of 'you just didn't listen, did you' was back when I had a local welder (what is it with welders?) attach a pair of land rover axle stubs to a length of steel tube, which would then become my gun carriage adle. I made a point of telling them to be sure to align the 6 holes in the two stubs with each other. The brake backing plates had to bolt onto those, so it was VERY important to me that this occur. Do I really need to say what they did? Yes, they were out by a good 10 degrees, requiring me to drill another set of holes in one of the backing plates. As a consequence, I don't go there any more!

On a happier note, the seller of my king pin kit has indicated he will send me another bushing, so unless it gets lost in the mail I have a good outcome. As it turns out, the seller is a pair of Gentlemen who deal privately in vintage vehicle spares. The fellow I have been corresponding with is the younger of the Father and Son in Law team, and is a very decent guy to deal through. Quite apologetic and honest! Their motivation is the preservation of vintage vehicle, so I admire them for that. Kinda restores you faith in humanity.......some of humanity, anyway!

The set of replacement wheels for my grey truck have been painted, last Sunday in fact. I placed them laying down on my trailer once able to be touched, then put a tarpaulin over the entire trailer, so they could cook through this working week. Cook they would have too, because we are already having mid summer type temperatures. Ghastly! I was initially at a loss for best way to paint the wheel nuts red while suffering least amount of damage torqueing them up. Came up with the decision to spray full coat of etch, then turn em upside and spray the red onto the bevelled edge. Once they are all in place, the rest of the nut will be brush painted. How it will go, anybody's guess, but I'll know on Sunday. That's when I will put them all together.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Private_collector

Neither the USPS box, nor the Toledo Steel box that contains the kit, had been damaged in any way. I am therefore suspecting the damage didn't occur in transit.

I disagree Tony. The outer box is fine but the inner box containing the bushes has clearly been damaged by shifting contents, some of which have lodged inside a bushing, and the heavy king pin has jarred into the side of another bushing, causing it to shatter. If the kit was transported upright with the bushes on the bottom, this would occur at the very first bump in the road! To my mind the seller is responsible due to incorrect packaging. I'm pretty sure Mr. Toledo designed the SQUARE inner box to fit SQUARELY inside the SQUARE SECTION outer box, so the bushings would be END ON to the heavy king pins. Plus of course he probably used a heavy cardboard divider as well. You may want to suggest this to seller.

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[Mike K]

The king pin bushes . I've seen some that are steel backed with a thin bronze lining rather than all bronze. I had some new king pin bushes made for my Dodge ute and the guy used brass which was too soft for the application . Some of these machinist guys are hopeless .


When I had 1/2 ton Dodges I went to a machining business and got some of the spring shackles bushed as they were terribly worn to a oval shape. They managed to stuff up the job and the bushes they fitted were out of alignment and it cost a small fortune at the time . That's why these days I do these repairs myself, buy a lathe ... its cheaper in the long run Mike

[Private_collector]

Tony,

I put the lock washers and nuts into the smaller box, and some of the damage to smaller box would be my fault. I accidentally tore away a portion trying to get better access, to take photos. In taking a closer look at the packing of contents within the original packaging, looks like you are probably spot on about the king pins jarring on the bushings. Don't imagine Toledo Steel ever meant their goods to be thrown around in the manner of modern global shipping.

Seller said everything was OK when he posted it, and he does present as trustworthy. Bearing in mind what you have pointed out, sounds like just pure bad luck.

Mike,

You reminded me I need to buy another flathead oil pump idler gear (think that's what it's called) for same reason. Reaming of the new bushing was bollocks up to point that the gear wobbles slightly on it's shaft. Second Time lucky, perhaps?

[Private_collector]

I have had the MOST BIZARRE day, today.

For what feels like forever, I have been working towards getting my spare set of 16" wheels ready to take a set of NDB tyres I was provided with at time of purchasing my grey CMP. For 9 months those tyres have been in my way, and served as a constant reminder that I have a job which should have already been done. I have kicked them, temporarily stored stuff on them, squeezed past them, and chased vermin from around them more than once!

Today, I had everything ready to finally complete the job, in preparation to then take the freshly assembled sets into town for balancing.

..........but the tyres don't @#&|$ing well fit. What the sodding hell is going on. I probably used more of my long dormant vocabulary today than I have ever done. I'm grateful wheels and tyres don't have feelings......(or lawyers!). Rotten mongrel B so and so's.

In desperation, I first slapped grease onto the mating surfaces, then removed all that goop in preference for a mixture of very soapy water. Nope, wasn't having any of it. The bead of the tyres were just a few millimetres too snug for the wheels. Never had this problem on my 20" wheels/tyres! Tried a little gentle 'persuasion' with a block of wood & hammer. Not a sausage. Ok, getting desperate now.......and very, VERY, annoyed. Rang a fellow who has put these on many CMP rims. He has had no problem with them. Oh thank you universe, another special treat just for me. I unloaded another wheel from it's slumber in my trailer, and another tyre from the stack in my shed. Ground hog day. Perfect copy of what I have just failed at. Could have been mistaken for Basil Fawlty in one of his less restrained moments, but I wasn't quite that composed, nor as slim. If muttering curses under ones breath ever becomes an Olympic sport, I'm ready to take gold for Australia. Lord knows I've had practice today.

Tomorrow I take the #*(@/, €¥~%ing, rotten @+\£§ swine, #+*ed things to a truck tyre place. They can share in the fun too. Probably only takes a tap when they give it a try. If not, I'm out of ideas........and swear words. Even the local motorcycle gang members blushed with embarrassment today.

The only positive out of todays train wreck, is simply that the tyres and wheels are now loaded into the back of my truck, and it will be another opportunity to drive it, which I really enjoy. That said, in context of luck today, I fully expect the truck will catch fire on the trip into town, then that fire catching an orphanage alight, followed by the smoke blinding a passing ambulance carrying a pregnant woman who has just been savagely mauled by a vicious dog, all topped off with seven kittens fleeing from under my vehicle....directly into the path of the fire engine! Still, it'll get rid of those damned tyres and wheels, I guess. Not my problem then!

[Wayne Henderson]

Hi Tony,
Welcome to the wonderful world of Blitz Rims. I've had Bridgestones fit on like a glove and no luck what so ever with MRF's. Bought some US tyres that were guaranteed to fit... didn't.

Don't take them to a tyre shop, you"ll just waste yours and their time, been there done that and no one is happy.
Find someone with a large lathe and take 2 ml off the rims. This cleans all the rust pits out and makes the tyres fit. Take care with the edge where the bead fits.
Also hammer wood in behind the rim when in the lathe to stop the ringing or wear 3 pairs of ear plugs

Yes it makes the rims thinner so don't carry 12 tons in the back or jump buses in it.
Some people claim a tapered or flat bead edge makes a difference but that made no difference in my case. Good luck.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Tony,

Sorry to hear about your aggravation....

Read 9.00 X 16 U.S. versus British wheels and new 9.00-16 tyres for WD split rim wheels: conclusion is that US size tyres are too small for British 16" 15-cwt rims.
You basically have two options:

• turn down the diameter of the rims on a lathe (like Wayne said)
• or increase the diameter of the tyre by shaving the tyre bead.

Because of production differences, of course some of us will find some tyres with just a little larger diameter bead, that can be fitted with plenty of soap and force.

20" British rims do not have this diameter difference, so US sized tyres fit without a problem.

Hope this helps!