UC recovery part 1

Cletracker · #1 19-03-10, 23:05

Hi
You have now waited nearly 3years since I posted this: Universal Carrier found
I finally made a try to recover the UC today but I was beaten by the weather gods. The snow condition was way to extreme than I had planned, there was 10-20cm with water between the ice and the thick layer of powder snow. There was no risk for going through the ice but we had been stuck on the middle of the lake if we went through the powder snow. The Hägglund BV206 did a great job but I called of the expedition and now we wait for a couple of cold nights.
The skis were perfect and I could move the UC myself sideways.

Cletracker · #2 19-03-10, 23:14

Some more photos showing water coming up in our old tracks (did not take any pictures of the worst parts, sorry) and snowdepth where one of our snowmobiles got stuck.

Alex Blair (RIP) · #3 20-03-10, 00:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletracker

Some more photos showing water coming up in our old tracks (did not take any pictures of the worst parts, sorry) and snowdepth where one of our snowmobiles got stuck.

Excellent find and great job getting it out..Looks like the bush in Northern Canada,..
Keep up the great pictures of your adventures..

cantankrs · #4 20-03-10, 08:16

Hey Erik,

Great work so far. Amazing conditions. Love the ski/sled idea. Best wishes for a safe recovery to you all. Hope she firms up when you need it.

Regards

Alex

Ron Pier · #5 20-03-10, 08:50

So near Erik! Makes me want to come over there to cheer you on

Ron

RichardT10829 · #6 20-03-10, 10:10

FANTASTIC !!!! good work..... i love the BV206 mind very sexy !! not carrier sexy but sexy none the less !!! well done another one saved from a lonely death of rust and pilfer.

Rich

maple_leaf_eh · #7 22-03-10, 04:16

Great recovery job, and probably the smartest tool for the job.

How much experimentation did you have to do to get the sled right?

Cletracker · #8 22-03-10, 16:14

Thanks for all kind words.
This expedition has caused me a lot of problems not only that I had to cancel it but due to other reasons. We managed to do some damage to the prepared snowmobile iceroad (don´t know the right word, sorry) that I now have to repair and as you know I´m a long long way from the scene of action. In my search for someone to help me repair the iceroad I got a tip of another UC stranded in the mountain! I called the owner and he confirmed it was an UC and it sits not that far from nearest road, about 2km. Will make a trip there this summer. Pansar is cut down and a Volvo engine has replaced the V8, don´t know anything more other than that for the moment.
Erik

maple_leaf_eh · #9 23-03-10, 03:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletracker

....

We managed to do some damage to the prepared snowmobile iceroad (don´t know the right word, sorry) that I now have to repair and as you know I´m a long long way from the scene of action.

...

How to fix ice road? Apply cold water. Smooth slush and snow with scraper blade. Inspect in 24hrs. Repeat if required.

In all seriousness, there are parts of Canada where the trucking companies run 18-wheeler semi trailer trucks on the frozen lakes to haul fuel, cargo and building materials to isolated communities, diamond and gold mines, and oil rigs. This winter the season was only 6 weeks long for one particular road in Manitoba. That is about 800km (500mi) north of Winnipeg.

jeff davis · #10 29-03-10, 18:36

Great Job love to see another great adventure unfold.
Jeff

Alex Blair (RIP) · #11 29-03-10, 20:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletracker

Thanks for all kind words.
This expedition has caused me a lot of problems not only that I had to cancel it but due to other reasons. We managed to do some damage to the prepared snowmobile iceroad (don´t know the right word, sorry) that I now have to repair and as you know I´m a long long way from the scene of action. In my search for someone to help me repair the iceroad I got a tip of another UC stranded in the mountain! I called the owner and he confirmed it was an UC and it sits not that far from nearest road, about 2km. Will make a trip there this summer. Pansar is cut down and a Volvo engine has replaced the V8, don´t know anything more other than that for the moment.
Erik

Erik..
To build an ice road over a lake..
Step one...
Wait until the lake is frozen hard enough to support a light weight motorized plow or scraper..
Then plow the snow off the route that you want to make a road on..extra wide usually triple the width of the actual road surface..
That gets you down to ice only on the surface..you must do this as snow is an insulator and keeps the lake ice from freezing..
Next step ..
Every hundred meters bore a hole through the ice down the center of your proposed road..
Pump the lake out on the ice to spread out from the hole all around to over lap the next hole..
The water will start to freeze from the center of the road out to the edges..if it is cold enough this water will freeze in a matter of minutes..and start to thicken your ice road..
Step three..
Using pink fiber glass insulation form a plug to plug your ice hole to keep it from freezing..
Move on to your next hole and repeat procedure..
If it is cold enough,you can move quite quickly ,hole by hole along the route..drilling ..pumping..flooding..plugging..
When you get to the end ..go back to the start and go again..but this time you just have to pull out the frozen plug and start pumping..
In no time

you will be able to drive a tank on your road..you can easily build two inches of ice on the road in a day..,depending on the temperature and length of road..lots of help is nice to have..
And Whiskey..!!

Each flood will add strength to your road..
The trick is to move quickly..keep the snow clear from the road and keep pumping and freezing water on it..By this method you are building the ice thickness from the top down..that is the way you build ice roads ..drilling pads..to drill for gas or oil or gold under muskeg or lakes that you can not access in summer time..
The ice will melt from the top AND the bottom so care must be taken when transporting anything by ice road..
Good luck..
Keep pictures... all of us want you to succeed..

Step

Hendrik van Oorspronk · #12 25-04-10, 15:51

Hello, any news from Sweden?

Hendrik

Cletracker · #13 07-05-10, 13:06

Yes, I have great news from Sweden. Yesterday night my friend draged the UC over the frozen lake in ideal conditions with his very very very nice diesel Hagglund BV206. Winter up in the north is still holding on, very late though. At 24.00 it was up on the truck and heading back, a 5h trip. Did get a picture from the cellphone and hope to get some more pictures soon.

This has been a long adventure but this little crawler will get a special spot in my collection. This summer I will interview some people who remember when it came to the village and driven out to the mountain farmers in the 50's. Will also take a hike and investigate the other UC I've found (much closer to a road and not behind a lake

).

More info soon

Erik

Cletracker · #14 07-05-10, 15:02

If I want to buy sparkpluggs, distributor cap, rotor etc, which engine modell shall I quote when buying parts?
Thanks
Erik

eddy8men · #15 07-05-10, 18:54

hi erik
i've been following your adventure and i'm happy to see your hard work and determination has paid off finally.
i've just acquired a mk1 for restoration but i took the easy route and bought it from a dealer, i think your way is the best

well done and all the best for the restoration.

eddy

Philliphastings · #16 11-05-10, 05:10

Hello Erik, I absolutely love your post. Please keep up the pics once you start the restoration. Great work !

Cheers

Phill

Cletracker · #17 18-05-10, 17:03

Got delivery of my UC yesterday. Must say it was a great moment after years of struggeling getting it home. My primary goal is to get the motor running. Everything seems to be there except for the starter motor.

I started with getting all birchleafs out of the hull. Started digging with my hands and then used a vacumcleaner. Remember, this UC has stood outside since 1950, never been under cover! Found a couple of tracklinks and some more trackpinns in a box on the right side of the engine (Ammobox?). Also found the screwcap for the hole where the starterhandle goes in to.

Cletracker · #18 18-05-10, 17:06

Found some lettering inside the lid of a box infront of where the gunner sits. As you can see there was a great deal of birchleafs in there. Instruments needs a bit of TLC.

Cletracker · #19 18-05-10, 17:14

This is how it looks after getting rid of all the leaft, actually really nice. Former owner made a preheater letting hot exhaust through an adaptor between carb and engine and also letting it through a pipe in pipe on the intake. Fuel was also preheated. Last pictures of a couple of extra tracklinks I found.

Can´t find any part of the hull in need of welding or replacing except for the cut away armour and front part of front fenders.

Cletracker · #20 18-05-10, 17:18

Box where I found tracklinks and pinns. Lid has broken hinges and there was a lot of rust in here.

Please, can anyone help me with an engine parts source. Are engineparts "of the shelf" parts or special for the UC?

RichardT10829 · #21 18-05-10, 18:35

I think that box is the one that should sit infront of the gunner, as that box has the rebate for the push rod to move under it, does it still have the lid ? get it shot blasted and saved ! John Bizal charges circa 250 bucks for one of those (repro)

glad you got her home mate well done !

Richie

I could have sworn this was a mk1

it has the tank breathers on ala Mk1 and the gauge cluster looks mk1 however the gunners seat is mk2, the battery position is mk2.... i am still think its a Mk1 though

if the number on the side is original it deffinately is. The tank breathers mounted onto the side hull was a Mk1 only design (so i am told)..... like anything, stuff gets moved around and if broken it is superseaded by later available parts.... for instance mine is certainly an early Mk1 but has Mk2 seat back brackets.

As for the engine stuff 99% of the bits can be obtained no probs and not expensive either, you need to know what flathead you have, check for data plates, also by counting the head studs lets us know if it was a "Biggun" or a "Lillun" hehehehe

Lynn Eades · #22 18-05-10, 21:58

Richard that rusty box is not the tool box from the front left, because it would also have the rebate for the bell crank in it. I'd say it was made for where it is, due to the angle the rod runs under it at..... Underkistumble?

cantankrs · #23 19-05-10, 02:30

Congratulations Erik!

And I am astounded at the condition after all those years uncovered. Here in Australia Carriers seem to suffer far worse from rust than yours!!

Regards

Alex

pzrwest · #24 19-05-10, 03:38

You know you can always use the hand crank to start the motor if you don't have a starter for it.... just need a good arm, alot of determination, some elbow greese, and a good supply of cuss words!!.. I know that wasn't funny but I just had to throw that in .... LOL .... Harold

Philliphastings · #25 19-05-10, 08:03

In fact the Mk1 British manual for my Scout Carrier recommends always using the hand crank to start UNLESS the engine is already warmed up !

Cheers

Phill

charlie fitton · #26 19-05-10, 13:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philliphastings

In fact the Mk1 British manual for my Scout Carrier recommends always using the hand crank to start UNLESS the engine is already warmed up !

...mine cranks easier ( by hand) than the landrover, and it starts ever so gently...

Cletracker · #27 22-05-10, 22:15

After cleaning the tub I´m now focusing on getting some life in the motor. The distributor had had a hard life and is in need of a new rotor, coil, contact points, condenser and a few gaskets. When looking at new parts I can go for the original stuff or there is a coil adaptor kit making it 12V or I can go for an electronic distributor type MALLORY. What would you do? Primarily I´ll try to make this UC a driver so 100% originality is not a requirement for the moment.
Regards
Erik

cantankrs · #28 23-05-10, 05:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletracker

...or I can go for an electronic distributor type MALLORY. What would you do? Primarily...100% originality is not a requirement for the moment.

Hi Erik,

I'll be interested in others responses to your questions too.

I think the dizzy in these motors is rather hard to get to in-situ. So that makes me think a Mallory electronic dizzy could be a satisfactory way to go, subject to cost. Should be no point gap or dwell to worry about??

Regards

Alex

Lionelgee · #29 01-01-12, 01:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cletracker

Yes, I have great news from Sweden. Yesterday night my friend draged the UC over the frozen lake in ideal conditions with his very very very nice diesel Hagglund BV206. Winter up in the north is still holding on, very late though. At 24.00 it was up on the truck and heading back, a 5h trip. Did get a picture from the cellphone and hope to get some more pictures soon.

This has been a long adventure but this little crawler will get a special spot in my collection. This summer I will interview some people who remember when it came to the village and driven out to the mountain farmers in the 50's. Will also take a hike and investigate the other UC I've found (much closer to a road and not behind a lake

).

More info soon

Erik

Hello Erik,

It has been a long while since you posted about recovering the carrier - how are things progressing with its restoration?

Kind Regards
Lionel

Cletracker · #30 17-01-12, 14:45

Well what can I say... Progress is slow... Focus on family and a new home made me put this project in a kind of sleeping mode. Even the project with recovering a burried UC was put on a hold, new attempt this summer.
Regards
Erik