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

Darrin Wright · #1 22-07-13, 12:42

One the weeeknd had some family time; however, I did manage the following:
bought a pair of top radiator hoses with the script "Ford" from a friend who had purchased the incorrect items from Mac's.

Given some header wrap from a friend (left over from an auto shop) so that I can wrap my exhaust pipes to hopefully channel the heat out the exhaust pipes, works on motorbikes so hopefully it will work in this application.

Purchased a Ford Timing Fixture, model 60 made is Australia so that I can set up and adjust the distributor. There are instructions on the tool and I will have to read up on the manuals so that I have some idea on what I will attempt to do. There may be a bit of trial & error involved with this.
Has anybody used these and have a tip or 2 to share?

Lynn Eades · #2 22-07-13, 13:28

Hi Darrin, looks like a good tool. Basically 1 set of points triggers the spark (all cylinders) and the other extends the quench time of the coil, so the dwell is different for both sets of points. Your jig looks like a good one. It looks like it does both types of dizzy without a mounting adapter.
Go onto Fordbarn and search Bubba's threads. He has covered it in the last 2 1/2 months.

Darrin Wright · #3 31-07-13, 00:38

Continued to work on the engine, have done the following:
installed R head
torqued all head nuts
painted and installed front timing/engine cover
installed intake manifold (found, cleaned & painted all bolts)
installed exhaust manifolds
placed sump on, then realised the clutch assembly will not fit- left for later...
installed new carby
installed accelerator linkage on R head at rear
installed PCV valve and pipe

Have some pics on the camera, just do not know where the camera is right now.

Picked up the armature from my friend, placed it into the starter motor and appears alright. Will assemble it later in week.

Lynn Eades · #4 31-07-13, 02:00

Darrin, I am enjoying your thread. Can I ask you to do some photos of the PCV valve system, exactly where each end goes. cheers.

Ian Fawbert · #5 31-07-13, 13:56

Hi Darrin,

Looks like its coming together nicely!

One thing i thought worthy to share was:

Quote:

Champion H10-C from Repco @ AU$3.90 each.

We recently fitted some new champion plugs in our 1928 Oldsmobile tourer, new off the shelf. The vehicle ran very well for about 2000k's around Victoria over 2 weeks in october last year before not making it home to Sydney from Corryong (spelling?-somewhere in the snowy!). It came home on an NRMA flatbed (lucky for the top cover!). It continued to muck up and was eventually tracked by the local mechanic and myself (i didnt have time to determing exactly and mum needed to go on a 800k run) as the plugs. He said that they had quite a few cars in recently (does alot of 70's fords) with not long old/, not many miles or 0 miles Champion plugs which ran rough- tracked back to the plugs.

So, i guess what im trying t say is, if you have running problems in the not too (or immediate) future, check the plugs! He fitted NGK plugs and the Olds now goes like the rocket it used to!

Thanks for the posts on the carrier resto- very interesting for us non (and im sure those in the know) carrier people.

Cheers,
Ian.

Darrin Wright · #6 02-08-13, 00:32

Here is the PCV set up on my engine, as depicted in my BGC manuals.
Lucky to have this as I think most people back then would have discarded additional stuff on an engine.
When reading the manual, I am not sure how this works in conjunction with the filter at the rear of the intake manifold and the sump breather/outlet.

I have also noticed that early engines did not have an oil filter, perhaps the PCV is a later engine item.
As I have an early BGC, the lack of an oil filter makes the routing of the oil lines at the LHR of engine a little bit easier. My engine also lacks the oil filter return bolt/fitting on the fuel pump mount to intake manifold.

Lynn Eades · #7 02-08-13, 02:24

Darrin, the normal sump vent on a car is sucked clear by the draft of air going under the car. This doesn't happen in a carrier because the engine is fully enclosed. The positive crank case ventilation is activated in a high manifold vacuum situation drawing the "blow by" fumes in the crank case into the inlet manifold. Clean air is drawn through the breather at the rear to replace the scavenged fumes. I imagine it was the poor filtration of this breather, as much as the air cleaner that caused such early engine wear in carriers in the north african desert campaign. Nigel Watsons book mentioned that The life of an engine was as low as 2 to 3 thousand miles. Trucks were probably not much better.
Thanks for the pictures.

Euan McDonald · #8 02-08-13, 02:44

Darrin and Lynn,
Referring to the carrier manual the early carriers with the 38-41 engine uses a different system to the one on Darrin’s engine (42 and on )

Lynn Eades · #9 02-08-13, 03:06

Euan, the first and last pictures are what I have tried to explain. The first picture is a standard set up, which can't really work when the whole engine is enclosed. It needs the road speed draught under the forward lower vent to draw the fumes out and away.
I believe the 1942 engine had no outlet vent at the bottom (as you were pointing out) If your engine doesn't have it, it should definately use a PCV system. If you have a PVC system, that vent could be blocked off.
Thanks for the pictures, they help a lot. I'll be looking for the wafer (adapter) for under the carb now)

Darrin Wright · #10 05-08-13, 10:47

Found the camera, so here are the pics from 123

Pics show the Right head on, accelerator linkage bolted to the head and my youngest tightening the exhaust manifolds.

Darrin Wright · #11 05-08-13, 11:22

The engine is all together, I have timed the distributor as best as possible using the tool.
With all the reference material that I have, I have found that they all describe timing of the distributor slightly differently using different tools and methods, this has and has not helped.
Timed stage 1 (right points) fairly good, did not have much success with stage 2 (left pints), so got it to where it is. Not sure how/if this will work. This may also indicate that I have something wrong inside the distributor.

After reading Lynn's post/info on oil flow in these engines, I blocked off the external holes at the LHR of the engine and checked that there was no internal plug. I also bought a hydraulic packing plug, with an in-hex drive slot, that has the same thread as the internal thread in the oil gallery- this will be cut/machined down later to divert the oil into the oil cooler (when fitted).

Filled the engine with a cheap 20-50W oil, and with crappy weather outside decided to use the Jeep as a slave, and attempt to start the engine.
After a little while had oil at the sender unit (and down the side of the engine), blanked this off and then primed the fuel pump and carby.
I think the battery is getting down in the Jeep, as the V8 would wind over for a little bit then I would have to stop and let the Jeep recharge.
Will have to get a pair of 12V batteries to assist.

Engine did not fire, so checked the distributor rotation & timing, checked that a spark was going to the correct lead and plug, also re-adjusted the points. Still did not fire.

Will have to think this over a bit more...moved on to other tasks in next post.

Darrin Wright · #12 07-08-13, 10:01

After several months of trial & error a prototype leather axle bellow seal has been made and will be test fitted this weekend on my hull and axle.
This has been copied from a reasonably good sample and has been hand stitched like the originals.
The guy is interested in making more but unsure as to costing at this point in time.

Darrin Wright · #13 19-08-13, 10:21

Test fitted the leather boot last week and made sure it will fit both the tube axle (which is square) and mounting holes.
It does.
Have given the man the go ahead to make them.

Darrin Wright · #14 20-08-13, 12:34

During the last 2 weeks I borrowed a 12V battery to assist with winding the engine over to get it to start as I thought the battery/Jeep did not have enough power to turn the engine and get a good air/fuel mixture down into it.
The battery worked well; however, the smoke left the coil. I had some doubts about it as it had some damage on the case. I will have to look at replacing/repairing/upgrading the system.

I contacted Pertronix in Aust during the week to see if they do an electronic ignition system for the helmet distributor system. Unfortunately they do no. This leaves me with limited options as I always wanted to convert it over to electronic ignition to make it more reliable.
Option 1: replace the Bakelite coil and ensure all items in distributor are at 100%
Option 2: replace the coil with a remote standard coil and modification kit on the distributor
Option 3: convert to a crab distributor and upgrade to electronic ignition

I am leaning towards option 3 due to electronic ignition option and cost of like parts- but this will mean changing the timing gear cover, rebuilding a crab distributor and I must investigate the drive key/gear to cam shaft for the crab to see if it is the same as the helmet distributor.

After speaking with Euan and placing an add in the VMVC newsletter for ammunition carriers/tubes to suit a 3"mortar, I had some good fortune with the required carriers coming into my possession. I now have enough ammunition carriers to fill the right side with ammunition (6 in total, 18 rounds all up).
Just have to find a bi-pod...

Spent time on the front armour with a sanding board rubbing it back, some masking tape and it is now ready for a coat of spray putty when the weather improves.

Also replaced the thermostat in my Chev and gave it a bit of a run. Cleaned up the points, replaced the spark plugs, stripped the carby down and got some gunk out of the idle circuit in the Jeep.
Recovered a 42 CCKW front chassis section for another project and another thread much later.

Last task was to clean up the workshop a little, put tools away and remove the pallet workbench that was used to rebuild the engine on.

Nathan Clark · #15 20-08-13, 12:50

Hi Darrin, please keep us all informed about the guy making the leather boots as I no there are quite a few people on the forum chasing them at this time. I'm sure the members on the forum would make it worth his while to make a batch.

Regards Nathan

Lynn Eades · #16 20-08-13, 14:11

Hi Darrin, do you plan to treat the leather with anything?

Darrin Wright · #17 26-08-13, 11:00

Lynn, I was planning on using a leather dressing or Dubin boot dressing/water proof, brush on paste/mixture. On the inside will be grease from the lubrication of the roller and axle. This should keep the leather in good condition.

On the weekend I fitted the RH brake drum, drive plate & sprocket. I also filled the diff with a gear oil.
Started cutting & shaping the R exhaust pipe and adjusted the Mig welder for light gauge steel. Welded up the Y section (see pics) so that all that is left is to place the bolts in and find 2 wing nuts for the small end flaps.
These Y section exhaust sections are different to the later model exhaust in that they are very short. This must have directed the exhaust gas around the diff, hence the later model exhaust's are longer (to get the exhaust gas out from the diff and armoured diff cover). Then there are the BGC with no muffler fitted and just a straight through system.
Placed the remains of my original, old muffler into position just to see what/where I need to concentrate on next.
Beauty about a project at this point in time, no shortage of tasks to go on with.

Still researching into my ignition problem and options, but did fit an accelerator linkage ball to the linkage on the back of the RH cylinder head.

Had a tidy up of the parts that are painted and put them away (were stored on the back of the hull) and also organised some items for sandblasting and some items for painting next time.