panzerjager bren project

[leo tomaiolo]

still making progress. working on linkages and pivots. took the front armor off to get at the floor. the screws for the pivots were rusted good. so i had to tac weld the heads to remove the nuts.

[leo tomaiolo]

trying to remove the bearing clamp from the tub. the bolt is blocked from removal till i take the exhaust guards off. they needed to come off anyway, they will need some repair too. now with the tub empty it's off to the blasters. hope to be looking at primer and paint in the next couple of weeks. started to put together a list of what i need for replacement armor. coming up quick.

[Michael R.]

easy-peasy. . . enjoy the journey Leo !

[leo tomaiolo]

so after looking at the center divider i decided to make a new one as i think it will be easier than repairing what i have. the rivets came out surprisingly easy, not complaining. there was some damage to the strip that covers the seam on the floor. decided to cut out a section of strip and replace that too. there's a little rust on the hull floor but it's not worth pursuing. getting close to blasting time.

[Dave Newcomb]

From Fordbarn.com and the Early Ford V8 Club Please do not mount [hang] your Flathead V8 from the bellhousings '32-48. there are numerous examples of those castings failing and dropping the engines. The safest method uses an exhaust mount plate of 3/8th " steel. Purchase or fabricate yourself, and still fits your engine stand rotator socket. newc

[leo tomaiolo]

Originally Posted by Dave Newcomb

From Fordbarn.com and the Early Ford V8 Club Please do not mount [hang] your Flathead V8 from the bellhousings '32-48. there are numerous examples of those castings failing and dropping the engines. The safest method uses an exhaust mount plate of 3/8th " steel. Purchase or fabricate yourself, and still fits your engine stand rotator socket. newc

Since that picture was taken I made a side mount. And you can't see it but I do have a jack under the front of the block. But you are correct, hanging them by the Bell housing is sketchy.

[leo tomaiolo]

got my block back from being stitched. he did an incredible job. it needed a few spots done. ended up have to stitch in 2 of the cylinders. so he sleeved them after he was done stitching. he tested the block to 60 psi for 2 hours. judging from the amount of high hp block repairs he has done mine should be no problem. so next stop off to the machine shop.