T-16 S/N 5399 T.D. 97377 Restoration

[horsa]

Hey Jim, looking forward to seeing updated shots of your jeep project as well when you get a chance. I know its tough to find time to work on it with the kids and the day job keeping you busy. My youngest figures my carrier project is just a third job for me except she can help out now and then.

Hey Jordan, I've got the exhaust system parts and mufflers to finish assembly but have put it off while working out other issues on the fuel system which is now complete. Should be posting photos of the two fuel tanks and associated parts this week. For now, I've got two shots showing the gunner position with the seat and lower bins finally installed. Plus a pair of really nice 1942 dated reproduction rubber grips





Not sure on the tracks being too tight Pablo. I'm still a novice at this but each side has a sag between the track return rollers which matches the specifications in the T-16 manuals. If you were comparing some of the older photos, they were taken when everything was still tight and had not fully freed up yet. Think the links are still loosening up and will end up with even more slack by the time I can get it out into a field for some real drive time. Attached shot below is from today when I was cutting tracks into the front yard and side lot which is all hilly. No problems with the tracks so far doing spins or going up and down hill.

[Jordan Baker]

HI David

Your T-16 looks amazing. Its nice to see another vehicle restored to such a high standard. Plus those handgrips really finish it off.

[Ledsel]

OHH OHHH!!!!! BOBO on front fender!!

[horsa]

Yes, the off-side front fender got bent down into the tracks when I misjudged side clearance coming into the garage after a short drive a few weeks ago. To allow space to move around the vehicles in the small garage, I need to enter the garage with about 2-3 inches of space on that side and then once past the doors I have 12-15 inches to the wall so its only tight at the opening. I barely clipped the wooden beam on the edge of the bricks and it snapped as can be seen in the following two shots. Needless to say, it was a very sad Wyvern I used my floor jack with a 4x4 board to raise the fender up and out of the way from the tracks but have yet to repair it properly.





Maybe this was karma since the alternate unit designation I've been contemplating is 1st Battalion, Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (M.G.) of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. They were a 4.2" Mortar Carrier Unit during WWII so the 64 markings would remain the same but the 43rd Wessex Wyven would be replaced with a 3rd Division colored square with Maple Leaf.

[Ledsel]

Whaaad da wife say? Whaaad da wife say? That was close to a brick job!!

[horsa]

Bricks were the first thing I thought off once I stopped cursing...Fortunately the Cedar 2x8 chose to split and let go of the house framing as opposed to pulling the wall over with it. The wife wasn't too worried about the house since she knows I'm pretty good about fixing and maintaining things. She was more concerned with me damaging her art work since she painted the Wyverns on the front and rear fenders. It helps to have a wife that is into WWII history, weapons and vehicles. Course instead of jewelry and dresses, I have to keep her bribed with things like ammunition for her Sten. Then there’s the B-17 flight she went on last weekend so she could swing a 50 caliber MG around from the waist gunner position just for the experience. She said it was only fair since I’ve had the privilege of parachuting with the British Pathfinder Group at Normandy and Arnhem with round chute from an invasion marked C-47. Guess we all have to pay one way or the other but I consider myself lucky with her support of my interests.

[alleramilitaria]

dave
i just sugest that you move to flat ground, living on a hillside with about a 20% grade for about 1/2 mile like you do could make for a fun ride.

[horsa]

The following series of images show the gunner side fuel tank with all of the components progressively added. Figured they might be of interest since almost all of the T-16s seem to have an alternate fuel system from what they were designed to use, especially the Swiss modification of a single large fuel tank in the rear over the tracks and differential.

First image shows the fuel tank inside its protective liner with the top of the liner not yet installed.



Next we put the top of the liner on, attach the sender and fuel line, and then bolt on the fuel tank hold down bracket. It uses a bolt at the back to press the bracket down and it has two threaded rods at the front to pull the bracket down to a mounting point on the floor of the T-16. Its pretty close to how the manual shows it but not perfect.



A locker gets bolted to the top of each fuel tank hold down bracket and the fuel tank filler comes up through the bottom. The back of the locker is angled to provide clearance for the rear bolt in the hold down bracket.



This shot simply shows the locker with the lid closed. The four raised squares on the lid are for holding a seat frame in place.



And lastly there is a shot showing a seat cushion on top of the locker. I still haven't build the frames for the seats as I am sorting out how much space is needed for the 4.2-inch mortar bomb racks which will be over the track sponsons. The upper cover for the engine housing is sloped so the cushion can hang over the locker but the angle of the shot makes it appear to be in the way. Surprisingly it all fits fairly well but there won't be a lot of space for people once everything else is bolted up.



This final shot shows the fuel tank and locker on the driver side of the vehicle. The locker is virtually identical to the gunner side but it has a divider and a place for very pistol cartridges. As if sitting on top of the fuel tank wasn't bad enough, they had to build in a place for pyrotechnic devices which point downwards at the tank.

[horsa]

Just got finished reducing the size of all the photographs in this message thread by 20 percent. They are all hosted out on a public photobucket site so hopefully they will load faster now.

[RichardT10829]

I shall use this resto as inspiration for mine ! i just hope i can follw your lead what an absolutely fantastic job you have done !

[horsa]

Hey Richard,

Looks like you have a real challange there as well. At least most of what you need is flat metal and there are others who have fabricated what you are missing. Just a matter of tracking them down over time for patterns to copy so you aren't having to ship things internationally.

One thing on big restorations is to not get hung up on a single thing. If you can break tasks into groups, you'll be able to do little things on several different parts/sections during the same time period. Allows a change of pace and an easy way to transition from one thing to the next if you get stuck needing information or small parts. Makes for a lot of juggling but suddenly the vehicle will begin taking shape.

Two really critical things are to take as many digital photos as you can prior to taking things apart since they are good for reference when you put things back together. And anything that comes off should be labeled. Use a marker and make notes on the big parts and put little parts and examples of removed nuts in bolts into labeled bags to keep things sorted out. You don't want to forget how the puzzle goes back together when the time comes.

[RichardT10829]

Thanks David, through work I deal with alot of exhibits, i will be using the same method of labelling and boxing for the project.

[horsa]

Didn't get much done over the holidays but managed to finish the exhaust system. Attached a few shots below for reference.













Sure runs smoother and a lot more quiet now. Plus its nice to be able to direct the exhaust out of the garage while its parked and running. Need to install the rear armour that protects the differential and then its on to the wood pieces that go along the edges of the armoured walls.