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MORRIS COMMERCIAL - restoration project


Florian Geyer

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Help, intel and knowledge wanted for restoration project!

 

Hi everyone,

 

I hereby would like to inform everyone interested that I am willing to completely restore my MORRIC COMMERCIAL CW4 MKIII radio wagon back to its original looking. A follow-up nlog will be created so everyone will be able to see the advance as soon as it takes off.

Now before I start the restorations, I'd like to ask you all for any possible help since I am not a hero in the mechanical part. If anyone maight be some kind of MC engine specialist, please let me know.

atm the vehicle is located in Belgium but I am willing to bring it over to the UK if people are willing to help me out with this. I so far also need more intel about the original interior of the radiocabin and the marks on the exterior of the vehicle.

 

More about this, including pictures are on the way!

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'P' Phantom signals! Over to the experts on vehicle markings. Would a Phantom signals vehicle have carried the Allied star? Or more likely an RAF recognition roundel? Ron

 

That's indeed onde of the reasons why it needs restourations, Overtime it seems like the Morris has been re-painted and was given some unouthentic signals, therefor I need information obout the exact camouflage and signals which I should have to adjust to the vehicle to bring it back to its original exterior looks.

 

The same has been done to the engine. You will see when I post some photo's of the engine that it needs some work as well, also some more "modern"parts have been adjusted in the engine, therefor i need a MC engine expert to have a look at it and to help me by restoring the engine as good as possible to its original looks.

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That looks great! Where did you find it? i still have some steering box parts and linkages knocking around in the garage if they are of any use.

 

Hi there,

 

That sounds just great, As I told bove, any tools, tips, etc. are hulpfull, if you want, can u send me some pictures. I'll pm you for further agreements. Thanks in advance!

 

regards

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If you post some pictures of the engine and engine bay we can tell you what needs to be replaced.

 

This photo shows 2 Morris wireless trucks of the 15th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, going ashore in Normandy in June 1944. You might be able to see the 7th Armoured Division Desert Rat symbol and the number 73 on a red/blue square.

File0002.jpg

Edited by Ivor Ramsden
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  • 4 weeks later...
If you post some pictures of the engine and engine bay we can tell you what needs to be replaced.

 

This photo shows 2 Morris wireless trucks of the 15th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, going ashore in Normandy in June 1944. You might be able to see the 7th Armoured Division Desert Rat symbol and the number 73 on a red/blue square.

 

Is that a Bofers gun on the back of a CMP in the foreground? I knew they put them on a Morris chassis butw asnt aware of the CMP version

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Your spot on Ron it's a Polsten 20mm cannon, if you look at the truck just in view in the bottom left corner of the shot you can see the barrel.

Ford built 13 cab CMP F15A 4x4 chassis cab. Most were to supplied to the British under contract and were used mainly in the ground support role in NW Europe. The gun platform and fittings designated 2L1 were supplied by Frost and Wood of Smith Falls.

 

CMP's did mount the Bofors but it was on the 3 ton chassis again manufactured by Ford F60 444-S-Bofors-1, this truck had the specially designed open top full width cab with flat folding windscreen and leveling jacks integral with the rear body.

 

Pete

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi again everyone,

 

I hereby would like to ask the MORRIS COMMERCIAL specialists out there if anyone is willing to help me with the engine restauration of my MC. I therefore would like to come over to the UK bringing the MC with me for as long as needed. So if possible I'll need someone having the necessary abilities, goodwill and lots of time. So far the engine is working well but it still needs a complete review.

 

Any suggestions and questions are welcome.

 

Kind regards,

Nico

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  • 4 weeks later...

ATM the Morris in in Belgium in the region aroud Aalst, like 20 miles Nort-west of brussels. I am willing to come over to England if needed for a week to bring over the Morris to have it checked by someone to see what needs to be done exactly. Then we can see further how we will do the actual restauration.

 

I hope to hear from someone willing to help soon.

 

Kind regards

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everyone,

 

So far noone yet offered me a hand to help getting my MC restored. However I've even mailed to some canvas repairing company's but noone replied yet. Some of you have send me suggestions of people they know who are somekind into Morris Commercials which I have emailed as well but untill now noone replied yet. Anyway thanks for the tips.

Either they have all stopped their hobby or noone is willing to help so far. However, I won't give up and continue my search, meanwhile I hope some of you are willing to help me for finding a good soul willing to help me. So still, any tips are welcome.

 

Kind regards,

Nico

 

please do not hesitate to contact me in private (mail or mobile +32 479 50 97 73)

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  • 3 years later...

Hi everyone,

 

Here we are again with a long awaited update. My excuses therefore. Meanwhile many things happend shich made it hard for me to keep u informed untill now...

 

So at the moment I have found a good soul willing to help me with this project.

 

The vehicle currently is dismantled and many problems and misteries occured. Lets get us an overvieuw:

- First of all the cabin seems not to have been fixed on the chassis after privious retaurations, it was simply standing loose on it :o

- On the chasis and elsewhere we noted indications that the vehicle originaly was not a radio wagon but the radar wagon type. (i can get u a photo of a Fordson alike model if u'd like)

- Technical condition (such as engine and electronics) were either broken or on later age fixed in a non proper way. A new engine has been bought allready and is ready to be further assambled atm since a cylinder melted away in the original engine. :(

- The cabin seems somehow to have been re-assambled in a bad way, non-original and even modern tools and materials were used. Pieces of Landrover were found, wrong wooden parts were attached everywhere, roofing was used in the weelcases and on the cabin roof,...

- About the paintjob... well it doens't look like sh*t to be honest, paint was added just to get the vehicle painted.

... All in short, the vehicle wasn't treated with love and respect after all :(

 

So it seems like the restauration will take us quiet a while and also the cost is gona be a little higher than expected. So far it's current condition. A more detailled updat will follow soon as well as a follow up status report on the evolution of the proyect!

 

Because of the high restauration cost I decided to start a Crowdfunding. I'd like to share it however it is in Dutch unfortunatly. but do not feel obligated to make a donation at all!

http://www.worldofcrowdfunding.com/restauratieproject-morris-commercial-mkii-radar-wagon-1942-6#project-content-placeholder

 

kind regards!

Edited by Florian Geyer
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Hello, just will ad some pictures from this project that we will be working on together with my Morris Commercial C4 wireless.

Will be great to have 2 of this really unique vehicles back on the road in the future .

We are looking to made this C4 back in to a light warning truck ( radar ) but don't have match information witch equipment we will need to kit this one out . So all information is welcome.

 

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Found a real good engine for this project that had been standing for more than 30 year and after a complete strip to clean and check everything over we are assembling this one at the moment.

The original engine had connecting rod bearing failure and as the crankshaft had a bad time I think that the most economic way will be to swap the engine over .

 

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Started also on the rear box as this one was not in great shape, there have been done some work in it the past, but not really up to standards.

We will strip the sides and rebuild section by section as the hole side section is severely bend.

The roof will come in for the same treatment as this was also rebuild but not really with right materials and style.

So plenty of work and I also need to replicate the box for my Morris C4 W/T project that I will build up as a wireless model.

The nice thing about these 2 W/T models is that bought came from the same contract N° : 23/6778 and under

Cat. ref n°337.

With a bit of investigation these two fall in between census numbers Z5832027 to Z5832356.

So this one is 89 chassis numbers earlier than my project and one came from France and this on (if I am well informed ) Came from Norway.

 

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A few extra day's on the Morris! Now I can start to repair the radio box with new wood as the frames are in a very bad shape, some rot and a completely bend structure.

The floor looks good and think that it was replaced in the past .

IMG_2257.jpg

 

Took the drivers cabin of the chassis to replace just one plank on the floor and then will have this section a new coat of paint.

Looks like the chassis was repainted an few years back.

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