John Comber Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Evening Sam , well done , good progress since we saw you at Cerney, the old girl will be a masterpiece once complete , I still think you have too much free time though !! :clap: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 12, 2017 Author Share Posted September 12, 2017 well being young and single helps John cerney next year you can drive 1531 and let me know what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Share Posted September 17, 2017 large torque rod pin nuts finished just got to clean the split inserts up and the pins can be installed. rear pintle hook spring case has been stripped painted and re fitted. thank you to Andy Blackford for screw cutting the nuts, and showing me how easy it is to do. large torque rod pin nuts being made from scratch, threads are screw cut as they are an unusual thread for the dia. rear pintle hook spring case being reassembled and fitted back to the chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 22, 2017 Author Share Posted September 22, 2017 Dam good day, torque rod pins & rods fitted, steering box stripped & blasted ready for paint tomorrow and 2 brand new 1200,20's turned up as well happy days 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 front axle break valve/pipe work cleaned & serviced the valve was in exceptional condition internally considering it looked rough as hell on the out side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 got to say your doing a great job on that truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 thank you cosrec can't wait to drive it down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utt61 Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 I'm loving this thread! Truly outstanding work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcollection Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 large torque rod pin nuts finished just got to clean the split inserts up and the pins can be installed. rear pintle hook spring case has been stripped painted and re fitted. thank you to Andy Blackford for screw cutting the nuts, and showing me how easy it is to do. large torque rod pin nuts being made from scratch, threads are screw cut as they are an unusual thread for the dia. rear pintle hook spring case being reassembled and fitted back to the chassis. lovey bit of old school machining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governor Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 Sam, that main chassis looks like it's been welded. Has it ? The Governor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted September 29, 2017 Author Share Posted September 29, 2017 thank you for the positive comments every one, yes Mark the chassis is welded some by me and some during it's service life, i have welded two small sections into the top of the chassis rail's just under the ballast box as they had rotted right through plus building up other corroded area's. Also the British army cut a piece out of the rear cross member and welded a thicker piece in then welded webs in the back to make it stronger for towing the 50 ton Dyson trailers as post war the T's were grossing 90+ tons when they were only ever design'd for 60 ton during the war. i have been told stories by T drivers from the 50 - 60's that rear cross members were ripped clean out of the chassis but i think this was more to do with the cross members being bolted back in after modification instead of being riveted. regards sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 couple of late evening's after work has got the wire rope roller under neath the ballast box made and fitted, with thanks to Jason Jeffries for lending me his to copy as 1531's original wasn't good enough to get measurements from. today me & Dan Jones got the first NOS rear axle out of the box and got some clean oil in side it and know terns over very nicely by hand. so getting a bit closer to rolling on all 10 wheels again, have also made the decision to only paint the hubs/drums as the original 1944 olive drab paint is to good to paint over and i think it is always nice to keep good original paint were possible, but am open to peoples opinions on painting the axles. know the forum is back up and running i will keep the updates coming on 1531's progress. regards sam WP_20171029_17_59_39_Pro.mp4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Ashby Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Real old school machining and craftsmanship Sam, so many now can only use computer controlled machines. keep the up dates coming it's always a pleasure to see your workmanship Pete 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted November 4, 2017 Author Share Posted November 4, 2017 thank you very much Pete i am not a fan of electric technology bad enough the diamond has lights etc to wire in! got the first rear axle in today which is not as simple to fit as you would think specially when doing it single handed but got there in the end just need to top the oil level up and paint the hubs/break drums. the rest of the axle/diff i will leave as it is as it would be criminal to paint over all that original 1945 olive drab paint which has survived for so long so it will be painted with a oil/paraffin mix. the second axle needs reconfiguration as it is turned 180 degrees to the first axle so the left hub moves to the right and vice versa so i got to swap the hubs rounds so the right & left hand wheel studs are the right way round. also the drive flange needs removing and the bearing dust cap fitting then it is just the simple task of following the same process as the first axle. plan to have 1531 rolling on all 10 wheels by new year so should manage that goal. regards sam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Comber Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 Well done Sam keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 cheers John can't wait to get her rolling again. lots more work done on 1531, rear axle hubs have been swapped around so the wheel studs are on the right side and very surprised at how clean the brake drums and shoes are in side as they have been sat in the box for over 70 years and never turned a single rev. started on the winch rope tensioner mechanism as it is completely seized up so will need a lot of work to get it back to a usable standard. finished the weekend off by getting the last rear axle in to 1531's chassis and really looking forward to breaking the 8 rusty rear wheels down for blasting & painting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug fleet Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 the lorry is looking good clearly a lot of work has gone into it . you see a lot of steam engine owners with ex army lorrys for moveing dead engines around . cound,nt help notice the steam bits . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 hi Doug yes it is kind of funny that john keeley used it for moving engines about and i will do the same ounce it is finished, got plenty of engines in the yard to shift. regards sam goddard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted December 10, 2017 Author Share Posted December 10, 2017 not a lot of bolting parts to the truck at the moment as at the stage of just cleaning and painting various parts ready to be fitted, have sent the wheel rims off to be blasted and painted. last few days have been spent repairing the air tanks as there were some pin holes and small area's of pitting which i have built back up with weld. this after noon i also got very lucky and a very nice gentleman, Graham Upchurch actually photographed 1531 at the 1991 Knowl Hill steam rally and boy doesn't she look so much better back then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrev Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Is patching air tanks a good idea? How much pressure do those things have in them? As far as I know, any pressure container must be "in test" just like a boiler has to be "in test" for safety reasons. I can't imagine that a patched air reservoir is in any way safe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted December 16, 2017 Author Share Posted December 16, 2017 the air system is 110 psi and is perfectly safe and if you go worst case scenario you would just hear air leaking out. the air system on a truck does not have to be in test, the air tanks on a truck are not pressure tested they either hold air or they do not. i build steam engine boilers for a living and i have seen boilers hydraulic tested to 300 psi or more and even when they are down to 2mm of thickness and they don't leak or fail. worse they do is start to drip or hiss and not much more. trust me if i thought they were no good i would have scrapped them but having had a boiler inspector thickness test, put a camera inside and pressure testing them to 150 psi on air they are sound part from one spot were it had managed to make a hole which the inspector said to patch it as it is a very common practice. thank you for raising the questions though as it is nice to see someone taking an interest in these things. regards sam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrev Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 Sam I am really surprised. Not that I have had anything to do with this subject other than own a typical compressor and religiously drain the condensate after each use. In Australia any pressure vessel used commercially (I do not know about truck air tanks) must be tested every 10 years, this includes air compressors (which typically go to about 110psi). of any size. I do recall a boiler failure a few years ago, I think in Melbourne, where 2 workers were killed and a building effectively demolished. How do you patch? I can understand putting on a doubler plate. But your description seemed to indicate a flush patch? In which case how do you achieve uniform thickness without weld undercut on the inside of the tank? Regards Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBelle Posted December 16, 2017 Share Posted December 16, 2017 "110 psi is perfectly safe". No it is not. Even a gnat's whisker above atmospheric is a dangerous pressure. A 0.5 psi pressure is enough to penetrate the skin, an eyeball to cause an embolysm, usually fatal. Higher pressures than that, even under 110psi have proved fatal and I too have witnessed the aftermath of several fatality incidents where the blast from an unintended pressure release, three from air (receivers and tyres), another of nitrogen from a pressure vessel (and far to many from hydrogen, propane and acetylene - it's my core business, gas and pressure safety - but they don't call me in until its to late and after the event!). Pressure testing of vessels/tanks is a serious affair and, for certification purposes would normally be performed hydraulically (water) or with an inert gas (nitrogen). Air, with 21% O2 is not inert for this purpose. Oil under pressure, easily defeats skin and eyes too, causing the most horrific of flesh-eating type injuries. Amputation normally required. Always make the effort to be safe, stay safe. Perhaps a chat with someone from the DoT or elsewhere regarding Safety, Design, Construction and Use Regulations may prove advantagous. After all, you wouldn't want a catastrophic failure of your air receiver, I'm sure, especially if someone is nearby. What a great job you're doing with your DT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 to answer doug's question we use a steel plate equal in thickness to the original tank in this case 2.5mm and i make it big enough so that all the weld is on good thick base metal (tank). in this case a 2" x 2" patch which i curve so it matches the radius of the air tank and helps retain strength. then i just do a single run all the way around with a stick welder at around 35 - 40 amps which gives good penetration with out under cutting. in the UK it is very common on older vehicles to see patched air tanks or brazed copper air lines etc. i know were BlueBelle is coming from but from working experiences with steam boilers which i have hydraulic tested old riveted boilers to 300 psi which have a working pressure of 200 psi in steam. these boilers have known thin spots like 2 mm thick or less and a hydraulic test does not make the boiler fail and that is fact they always fail when hot and when they do fail they just drip and hiss. either way i know the air tanks on the Diamond T are sound and i know to keep an eye and a ear on them as with any old vehicle. i have seen air tanks on another diamond t with braze repairs and never give a problem. of course a repair is only as good as the person who does it. besides a modern air tank is only 1.5 mm thick when new and the tanks on the diamond t are 2.5 mm thick and run at a lower pressure than modern trucks so i can't for see any issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhound32122 Posted December 18, 2017 Author Share Posted December 18, 2017 Christmas holidays have started so have 2 weeks to spend on the Diamond and not wasting any time getting stuck into the long list of jobs. started with refurbishing all the different air valves and switches for the brake system which only needed cleaning as all were internally very good with no perished diaphragms or bad springs. also stripped the radiator as i am making one good rad out of two as i wanted the header tank with the "DT" emblem but that rad had a bad bottom tank so a lot of work but worth it. lastly i started on the range box this evening which had water in it which is no surprise at all with these and the gear set is very good being the upgraded helical set which was fitted to most Rolls Royce powered Diamonds during the upgrade process in the 50's - 60's. hopefully it will be just a simple strip down, clean, paint and re build. that is 2 days down 12 more to go can't wait to get back into the shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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