Tomo.T

Thanks for the replies, I will consider my options ! I think I will start with the brass and see how that goes, then possibly use some to create a mould and cast them from resin. I was intending to build up the spokes with filler anyway and apply a couple of coats of satin black to simulate the celulose.

The rather sorry remains of the steering wheel have been dug out and appraised for suitability. Didn't look too promising at first, but the centre is good and after some careful straightening the arms have come back in line. Note the tags which locate into the tubular rim and were then riveted over from the outside before the necessary holes were filled with lead and a covering of celulose applied all over. A 15 1/2" tubular rim, has been ordered (after a bit of a struggle) and will be supplied in two pieces. This will greatly aid the fitting of the centre spigots, which we intend to braze in place. Next problem is how to re create and attach the small finger grips that surround the underside of the wheel, originally these would have been formed with the celulose coating, any suggestions please chip in.

Ok then, we went the extra mile ! Unfortunately Mr Colchester does not have a rest, so Stan improvised with a file and some abrasives and very soon we had a much closer representation of the original. I suppose you'll be wanting a bigger handle now ! It is interesting to see how this post Edwardian item has been slimmed down, presumably for economy reasons. ( Tap shown upside down for effect.)

A dip into the jewelry box reminded me that the cylinder drain cocks required some attention. One has a wonky handle, the other is mismatched and has no handle at all. Not a great start. I have kept an eye out on e bay without success, but this time I got lucky and turned up a fairly good replacement. This came with the added attraction of being NOS and reasonably priced. It will pass muster at a distance and will doofa now. The wonky handle will stay for a bit of character as I am persuaded that straightening it would be a bad idea.

The sand colour maybe original ?

Moving on, we have some better progress to report on two other fronts. TI engineering have produced a fine set of big end bolts. These were originally made in a (complete) bastard thread of Mr Thornycroft 's own design. We settled on 7/16 BSF as the closest standard size, which also meant we could use these little treasures from 1956. Also, after another final clean up from Stuart on the blaster. It is time to complete the cylinders, with the previously aquired G&S valves and newly arrived Tested Springs. Onward and upward.

Another coat was applied to the crank case and all was looking well............. Until I set in motion a series of events, by trying to clean out the threads of the oil filler pipe holes. I found an old 1/4 " Whit tap and was nearly done when I struck a burr or something at the end. The tap broke off flush, leaving a 1/2 inch of carbide steel stuck fast in the thread. What you might call a 'whoops' moment ! Three 'super hard' drills failed to make any impression and I was left with a days work chipping out the remains in tiny pieces. This was successfully accomplished, but not much original thread remained. I stepped up to 5/16 whit and drilled and tapped two new holes, which were fitted with a couple of engineering studs. Just about got away with that ! Twat.

The cam followers have presented their own problem in the way of finish. They were usually made from bronze, but wartime expedience led to ferrous replacements, which is what we have. Painting them would have been a bit of a cop out and the condition was not too bad........ So, I invested two days hand polishing into the job and seven of them now look quite presentable. ( one is best viewed from a distance ! ) I also got a first coat of Service Colour on the crankcase. A good productive weekend was had at the cost of two sore thumbs.

Little end update ; A close examination of the other three connecting rods has revealed strange things. All four have the little end oil hole in the bush, set at 9 o clock ! This was a deliberate move. There is a shallow channel cut into the external centre of the bush which feeds oil down to the lower hole. I have no idea what the plan was, but the set up apparently worked fine until the oil pump got a little tired and no. 4 began to be neglected at the end of the line. There was no scoring or signs of distress, just a little wear, which was quickly sorted by Mike, who re-made and fitted the bush and just got away with re cycling the old pin. I should add Mike has already dealt with the oil pump in a previous thread, it's had its endfloat adjusted and is now raring to go.

Thanks Tony, I will be in touch soon. Tomo.

A sudden surge by Stan has produced the Mk.1 engine stand, which is good and strong, but will need slight alteration in order to accommodate the crankcase upside down for crank fitting. I only sat the blocks on top to draw round, for the gasket surfaces to be avoided when painting the crankcase. However the photographic opportunity was too good to miss ! This was a considerable moral boost and has spurred me on to paint the crankcase.

Hi Ian, Yes that is also possible, if so, it was the only slip up we have found and I'm prepared to give 'W' the benefit of the doubt! METRIC sizes do appear on Great War British lorries, notably in tyre and wheel sizes, which are always marked in mm. Tomo

My decision on the cylinder liner pins has been to leave well alone and allow the chemical assistance to do it's job. This has meant I can focus on the paintwork, which is where I'm on solid ground ! Next in line for engineering is No 4 little end who was found wanting on parade, with a sloppy gudgeon pin. Considerable wear was apparent on the pin. The reason for this was quickly spotted by Mike Lewenden. Ello, where's the oil hole then !? Ah ! There he is, awol on the side. Must have slipped round and shut off the oil. More glue required. Plus a new bush and a new pin. Mike has been tasked and is on the case. The rest have passed muster and are fit for further service. 🙂

Yes, and I don't suppose the designers were expecting many high speed collisions to be fair !

The fixing of the seat was another black mark on the overdue task list, which I was keen to finish off. Armed with the necessary fixings I first marked and drilled the holes for the rear struts. This went well and all that remained was to drill through the holes in the struts to attach them to the rear of the seat. Unfortunately, the mighty Bosch was too long to fit in the gap and I had to abandon project until a smaller battery drill could be borrowed from Stan. This setback gave me the opportunity to paint the interior with Service Colour, which was much easier with the seat on its back. I returned next day armed with Stan's drill and a very useful clamp which immediately proved it's worth by holding the strut tight against the wood. It was then a simple matter of drilling the holes and applying coach bolts. Once tightened up all round, the seat was secured in the original manner. Whether this would meet modern standards is open to question.

It may be worth noting that steeple jacks, by far the most prolific ladder users in the country, traditionally painted their ladders red. If It were good enough for Fred........

Phew, wot a scorcher ! The valve springs were re examined and the longest of them sent to Tested Spring for evaluation ,with a view to the manufacture of a new set. The valve spring caps were given a thorough beasting with the rotary whizzer and set aside to await their new partners. Some considerable sweat was expended in the process, but I was able to maintain fluid levels with copious mugs of tea, and thus managed also to tackle the cam follower clamps, after pausing to admire the delicate castings. The seat brackets were given a coat of Service Colour and the cam clamps were treated to some Bonda. And here they are looking much more cheerful ☺

I recently applied the finishing coat to Stan's Garrett's 2nd back wheel and with the resultant spare time, I had another go at the seat mounting brackets. Steve had very kindly supplied a sketch of an original, which showed up an error in my previous effort. They were re configured with slots for the cut down bolts to lie in, which is a much better and stronger idea and should have been spotted earlier tbh. ! 🙄 With a bit of prep (both sides,) they were set up ready to go, hoping to attract the attention of a passing welder ! Stan very kindly did the honours and with a small tidy up and a Bonda, the job's a 'good un' and the seat can finaly be fitted.

I'm guessing that 'EFC' on both sign and boxes stands for 'Expeditionary Force Canteen' and the fleet of J type Thornycrofts are at the loading bay of the wholesale dept. No markings are visible on the lorries unfortunately.

I am still in the queue for engineering and suffering a serious lack of funds, which obviously makes progress on anything requiring expenditure, somewhat difficult. Fortunately a number of paying jobs have turned up, and I am fully occupied trying to drag myself out of the sh1t ! I'm sure I'm not alone in the present circumstances. However, in every project there are jobs which lurk and get bypassed for various reasons and it didn't take me long to find some. A nice pair of suitable gate hinges have been hanging around long enough and have now been attached to the seat lid, which now opens, to reveal.... A newly primed tool box ! Anyone who has painted one of these will understand why this particular job took a while to get round to. While I had the primer out I found another cramped and awkward spot to paint, which had previously escaped my attention. And that was my Saturday. Time really does fly when you're enjoying yourself. 🙂

Lovely pics of a Karrier WDS, with attendant gentlemen of the ASC (They didn't receive the Royal prefix until 1918.) The chap with lighter coloured outfit is a fitter and is wearing a faded blue suit of overalls to protect his uniform Sadly it is not possible to identify the unit from the WD number on the bonnet.

Hi Tony, I was very impressed with the Belzona 1111, I used on my badly pitted sump. It went rock like very quickly, stuck well and painted over no problem. I commend it to the house !

Well the cylinders are back in the queue for further engineering, while I summon up the courage to drill holes in the newly refurbished barrels. There has been a further advance on the lamp front, when a familiar looking item popped up on e bay. This turned out to be the exact item we needed and well worth the asking price. Once cleaned up and re-wicked it was fitted into one of the sidelamps to make a good pair. This released the old civilian tank (with brass trim) to rejoin it's old mates the bezel and badge in the new rear lamp. That will conclude the lamp saga ! The old box the lamps are sat on is a genuine 1917 'equipment' container and will provide the design for a lamp box. Another little project !

Certainly looks like an ex WD body , maybe an Albion ?

Hi Steve, I'm sure the crankcase mouths are bigger on mine, I will check on Monday. Also there is a small ammount of possible upwards movement which would shut off the combustion chamber. I take your point about low temp, low performance, but I'm concerned about pistons picking up etc.