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A.E.C Matador Restoration


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I'm impressed with your approach to this project it's meticulous to say the least and very methodical. 

I'm interested in your style of  carrying out this project is your plan to collect everything  you will need for the restoration before you start working on the truck itself?.  

Pete

Edited by Pete Ashby
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Thanks Richard, the NOS steering wheel cost several hundred pounds. The original finish will undergo polishing at low RPM to achieve a high shine, removing the light abrasions which cover it's surface. I think vapour blasting the central boss with the right media at the right pressure, would remove the rust without removing metal or the original coating. Mixed with a rust inhibitor to prevent flash rusting. I need to find an original set screw and washer or have them machined from an original, which at an educated guess, would be sherardized. Thus completing that section of Matador. 😎

Very nice box earlymb, they were indeed used for a variety of munitions. There's a comprehensive list on another forum, I'll see if I can locate it. 

Thanks Pete, I'm somewhat hampered by the lack of tooling at present. Progress is slow, my funds only go so far between the purchase of parts and tooling. I've just purchased a drill press, I still require a micro hone, compressor, paint system, induction heater, ultra sonic cleaner, hand drill, Dremel, torque wrench, drill bits etc Once I'm in a position to strip and re-finish parts, the project will gather momentum. 

I'm also hampered by space, working from an attic room, half a lockup and an outdoor location (rented). Ultimately, I'll need to find an indoor location for final assembly, which is dry, clean and secure. I can't afford to rent such a place outright, so that's a work in progress. 

Goal is to finish the project as a 30th Birthday present to myself in January 2024, failing that, to be ready for the D-Day 80th six months later. Hard work and a bit of luck...I may just be there. 😳

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Rear end rollers pictured here with a few hard to find original pieces, including the 0853 Warner brake bracket (with it's original socket), the axle-flood lamp bracket (with the remains of it's original lamp) and a small aperture tail lamp. Not pictured but present, the trailer cable brake unit.

The Matador was equipped for trailers with pneumatic, wire and electric braking.

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16 hours ago, Matador_Doris said:

Very nice box earlymb, they were indeed used for a variety of munitions. There's a comprehensive list on another forum, I'll see if I can locate it.
 

I think we looked at the same post. 😃

Size: Length 24.7" Breadth 15.25" Depth 10.125"
Empty Weight 11 lb. 8 oz.

Used for:
3-in. Q.F. howitzer Smoke

Number Packed: 12
Gross weight: 144 lbs

4.5-in. B.L. gun Cordite W- 1st Charge

Number Packed: 6
Gross weight: 57 lbs

4.5-in. B.L. gun Cordite W- 2nd and 3rd Charges

Number Packed: 6
Gross weight: 90 lbs

5.5-in. B.L. gun 3rd and 4th charge

Number Packed: 6
Gross weight: 88 lbs

6-in. 26-cwt. B.L. howitzer 4-lb. 6-oz. 4-dr charge

Number Packed: 10
Gross weight: 80 lbs

M.L. 8-in. projector, Generators Smoke, No. 23

Number Packed: 12
Gross weight: 100 lbs

 

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17 hours ago, Matador_Doris said:

Thanks Pete, I'm somewhat hampered by the lack of tooling at present. Progress is slow, my funds only go so far between the purchase of parts and tooling. I've just purchased a drill press, I still require a micro hone, compressor, paint system, induction heater, ultra sonic cleaner, hand drill, Dremel, torque wrench, drill bits etc Once I'm in a position to strip and re-finish parts, the project will gather momentum. 

I'm also hampered by space, working from an attic room, half a lockup and an outdoor location (rented). Ultimately, I'll need to find an indoor location for final assembly, which is dry, clean and secure. I can't afford to rent such a place outright, so that's a work in progress. 

Goal is to finish the project as a 30th Birthday present to myself in January 2024, failing that, to be ready for the D-Day 80th six months later. Hard work and a bit of luck...I may just be there. 😳

As my old Grandmother used to say "there's more than one way to skin a cat my boy"  and so it is with restoration,  the basic principal is always the same however you choose to achieve it, starting with a pile of rust and decay and ending with something that matches the owners expectations in terms of  accuracy and finish is the key. 

 I've seen a number of different approaches used by people to achieve this,  some good, some not so good and some doomed to failure and disillusionment from the start.   Iv'e also tried a few variations of the basic principal myself which prompted me to ask the question of you.

After restoring a number of my own and other peoples vehicles over the years I've come to the conclusion that there is no definitive way to carry out the work but have developed a methodology that suits my particular skill sets and resources.   As you rightly note above it's dependent on a range of factors not least availability of space, tooling, availability of spares and most importantly cash flow to fund the project. 

I take it this is your first large vehicle project?. 

 For what it's worth this is my approach,  the key for me is a clear vision of the end state ( and you appear to be very clear on that point) and a fixed plan of how to achieve it.  I break the overall restoration down into sub tasks so that as each task is completed it can be added to the previous assemblies to work towards the completed whole My starting point after an initial assessment is to break down into component parts the vehicle all the while taking 100's of photos.

Then  starting with the frame it's cleaned repaired and painted then sub assemblies follow on overhauled and painted as required they are then bolted onto the frame as finished units.   I tend to work along the the route of axles, hubs, brakes,drive train, gear box, engine then body work and fitting out then a last top coat of paint over everything and then wiring and markings to finish off. 

For me this approach maintains focus of effort and funding while producing visible progress of the project.   Restoration is undeniably challenging for all of us in terms of time and cost and not forgetting the all important factor of onward motivation,  sadly I have taken on several projects over the years where one or a combination of these factors have defeated the previous owners.

Iv'e just reread this and it sounds like I'm a classic old fart preaching away,  I do hope you don't take it as such it is not meant to be in any shape or form, as I mentioned in a previous post I admire your attention to detail and those of us who are the 'Old Farts' of the movement ( and there is a disproportionate number of us) should do everything in our power to encourage younger chaps like yourself to take on these projects so I wish you the very best  keep posting the up dates and photos 

Regards

Pete  :thumbsup:

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Pete, I feel some empathy as we both ended up with a Jeep carrying the same British census number, you by research and me by choosing a number at random, based on the age of the vehicle. As you say always two ways to skin a cat.

The jeep was a ground up restoration from a bare chassis, but my Bedford, because of its distant and open fronted, rough floored, location has to be a bit by bit restoration. Much as I’d like to strip it to a bare frame, it isn’t practical. The result will be the same... I hope.....but will take longer. Flexibility and the ability to develop alternative plans are therefore always helpful as well.

The Christmas cracker joke metaphor.....”how do you eat an elephant.....one bite as a time” also pertains. I also treat individual parts, such as the manifolds or areas such as the driver’s cab or the engine compartment as an individual restoration project to be completed before moving on to the next sub project. Some of the smaller sub projects can be brought home to work on. On long projects, it gives you a psychological boost to complete sub projects rather than feeling the whole thing stretching into infinity.

Just the views of another old fart to be used or ignored as appropriate.

Edited by simon king
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I'll be on the lookout for an original body over the coming years. Very much open to a second purchase, the right vehicle would yield the majority of parts required to complete 7837. 

That's the one earlymb, have you a link?

She is indeed Pete, not only my first large vehicle project but the first vehicle I've ever owned (bar a bicycle) since I don't own the car I drive. As noted, I have a clear image of her end state. Whilst I have a general order in mind, it is necessary to have ones fingers in several pies, rather like plate spinning. The general idea for re-assembly is (though not necessarily the order in which parts will be restored), chassis, road springs and axles, wheels, engine, radiator, driver's structure, gearbox(es) and drive, winch, upper cab, body. 

The vehicle will be used for living history purposes, with long expeditions to France, Holland, Germany and Italy. She'll be found harboured up in the Norman countryside, perhaps in an orchard covered by her net as her driver (yours truly) carries out maintenance using her original toolkit, sleeping under the vehicle wrapped in blankets, washing and shaving, doing laundry, answering the call of nature,  preparing meals, all in the original manner. I hope to release a book detailing the vehicle, accompanied by a series of living history photo shoots, detailing the life of a R.A driver during the second world war. 

My Matador, 7837, will be named after my great-great-auntie Marg (b. 1928). Not only does this name suit the Matador, it brings the Matador full circle, tying her into a large part of my families wartime history. Both my great-great-aunties went on to marry ex-servicemen. Their older brothers also served, in both the army and air force. In northwest Europe, Italy, India and Burma (large family). 

Upon restoration, a sign writer will be commissioned to paint 7837's name above the cab, using Marg's own handwriting (photographed) for the design. It was common for Matador, particularly in northwest Europe to be named after places they'd served or after their crews female acquaintances. Pictured, my great-great-aunties Marg (right) and Doris (b. 1927). Photo circa 1942 and December 2018. 
 

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Edited by Matador_Doris
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  • 2 weeks later...

Breaking radio silence! 

New in today, the freshly reproduced winching plates for the bonnet! They are absolutely spot on, copied directly from the original. I just need to source the correct fasteners and match the hole size to the original using the bench drill.

This is what it's all about, for me. Bringing history to life and experiencing the past as it was for those who lived it. The plate is no longer faded and worn but bursting with life, giving clear information to the driver.

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  • 1 month later...
11 hours ago, Scammell4199 said:

Thats a shame, he had some lovely NOS bits. I'd like to get my hands on that steering wheel :)

 

It is a shame but not uncommon I'm afraid, have a look on e-bay under the military vehicle parts sub section there are NoS parts from this project appearing on there recently, if your interested in particular items give the chap a shout you might be lucky

Pete

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Not me on eBay I'm afraid, I've sold most of her accumulated parts on Facebook including the steering wheel. The project was based out of an attic room and a rented outdoor space, which was less than ideal to begin with, unfortunately due to family relations the restoration became impossible maintain due to lack of work space. I can't afford to rent a workshop large enough for a Matador and I don't own my own property. 

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I'm very sorry to hear that you've decided you can't continue with your project.   You certainly seemed to have the right driving force and an eye for detail,  it is a sad fact however that cost and space are often a problem and defeat the best intentions.

I hope you'll not give up on MV's completely and perhaps try something a bit less challenging to your circumstances for your next project I keep a look out for it here.

Regards

Pete

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