I have begun my carrier's transformation

[Jon Bradshaw]

So with a bit of warmer weather and a few helping hands I got the Bofors breach mounted in the turret. As you can see there is no barrel, I will weld a dummy barrel onto the stub that screws into the breach. It will never fire but will look the part.
The front mounting pin is in the existing mounting position on the breach, the rear elevation is a work in progress. Using the left over bits that came as part of the breach I think I will be able to rig up a nice elevation mechanism. It will be complicated to build but fairly simple to operate.
The cocking handle was a project in itself since the turret limits the space to make it work in, both for the size of the turret ring and the operator in it. Some of you will be wondering, it is not easy to see in this pic but I am using a handle with a lever that when pulled allows the breach to operate. Makes it work like a safety, that's what the sliding part and the big welded plate on the lever shaft is. Bofors experts will recognize the part that I welded on to. In this pic the breach is fully closed.
The remains of the "loading tray" is what I plan to attach the elevation mech to, my plan is to not compromise the actual breach with any welding.