Old Bill Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 The pivot pin came out but will need replacing. That will be a nice turning job. We had to have a trial fit. Fortunately, all was well! Then on to the other change lever. A stiff wire brushing left it ready to paint. Next job was to rescue the correct but bent gear lever. The usual heat and hammers were applied. Then it was time to try to remove the reverse latch mechanism. First, cut the split pins off with the Dremel pencil grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 And heat of course. A pin punch to knock out the bolts. And then a straightening exercise. This gear lever is very corroded but is the right pattern for the lorry. Next, the brake lever. This, again, is very corroded but is the right one for the vehicle. Theshaft had been sawn off behind the lever long ago and needed to be removed. Once again, heat and the trusty press came to the rescue. Then, remover the broken handle. And straighten the handle out. It has corroded very heavily in the area of the quadrant so this will be built up with weld. I shall ask an expert to do that..... Finally, Dad has continued to paint the radiator. It will be assembled and fitted the next time I am in Devon. Well, we are making progress once again but we have a long way to go. 'Watch this space' as they say! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2lofty Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Great progress, look in here every night for my fix, outstanding work and dedication, a credit to the restores art. Thank you for this wonderful thread.:bow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo.T Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Steve, Good to meet you at Dorset, very pleased to see further progress. This thread has long been a regular pilgrimage. Tomo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 and pay attention when working on the rails no to be run over by a train....:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 2, 2016 Share Posted September 2, 2016 Steve, Good to meet you at Dorset, Tomo It was great to meet you too. The great joy of this forum is in having so many friends I have not yet met! Steve :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 This week, I have the great good fortune to have a few days off so these are being devoted to the lorry. There are a lot of small patterns needed so I thought I would concentrate mainly on them. Firstly, the silencer brackets. These photos show one on the Carlton Colville lorry which we inspected and measured up earlier in the year: I started roughing it out and sticking a few bits of MDF together to see how it would look. I used a flap wheel in the mill to get the main curve and then the Dremel with a sanding drum in it to generate the profile. A bit of filler and some more Dremel work and it is ready for the paint shop. We had previously rescued the hand brake catch from another Thornycroft brake lever so, for a bit of light relief, I cleaned it up with a nylon brush in the pistol drill. New pins needed and then it is ready to fit. As we are concentrating on the controls at the moment, the next pattern was the pedal shaft pivot. There are two of these castings bolted to the subframe to carry the pedals. The lower boss carries a peg to limit the brake pedal travel. This shows it roughed out. After some work with some filler and the Dremel again to to give it some shape and tidy the fillets. Gear shift quadrant tomorrow! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Well, I want to get some pattern making done but I also want to get some unfinished jobs off the bench! One of these is brazing the brake arms to the cross tube. The original tube ahad been bent so Father scrapped it and bored the arms out to suit a new one. Originally, they had been brazed onto the tube. I have little experience of this process but much more with silver solder. I looked into the relative strengths of the two processes and found them to be very similar. The only downside of silver solder is the expense which I decided to live with so here goes. Flued up and ready for some heat. Well, that worked OK. As I was using my biggest burner and my workshop is wooden with a 74" headroom, I decided that for the second, I would do it outside! Drill through and tap for the stauffers and the lob was done. We are without a gear change knob as the original had rotted off of the lever altogether leaving only the special securing nut. According to the parts book, it is described as 'Ebony Change Knob'. I don't have any ebony that big so I opted for a piece of oak instead. I wonder whether they were actually using ebony at this stage of the war? Special nut cleaned up. A nice piece of oak from the stores and away we go. A ball shape turned by eye. Don't put the micrometer on it! I decided to simply wax it as a finish so I held the block against it whilst it rotated and then polished with a piece of paper. I don't use rag anywhere near the chuck as I value my fingers too highly! Another job ticked off and I am pleased with the result. Just need to do the lever so it can be fitted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Now back to the original plan. We have no gear change quadrant. As you can see from the Carlton Colville lorry, it is a big bronze casting so it is not surprising really. A pattern is therefore required. I have been introduced to some exceptionally flexible plywood by our joiner pal, Mark, and wondered whether it could be laminated and remain curved. Well, that worked OK so it was a case of trimming it to size and then cutting the slots. This pattern is a bit delicate so working out how to cut the slots was a puzzler. In the end, I reversed the blade in my coping saw and supported the whole lot on a piece of wood in the vice. Add a leather fillet to the back and job done! Well, almost. I then remembered the reverse gear catches on the top. I placed them this evening and will taper and radius them tomorrow The handbrake lever also has a quadrant casting with teeth for the ratchet bolted on. A job for tomorrow. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nz2 Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 The ebony gear change knob raises again the interesting points of when parts changed. Looking through the photos I have amassed of various Thornycrofts, where a gear change knob exists they are brass. There is only a few images with the shaft complete, most having the top of the shaft lever bare. If they were all a brass item it would be attractive to scrap collectors. Could the brass item be an export item or a replacement part? My parts book copy is dated 1920 and lists the ebony knob, but if only an earlier copy was about that could well show a different knob. This is a quandary for me as what should the knob be therefore on a 1912-13 model? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 With all the constituent parts of the Radiator now completed, painted and with Gaskets cut ready for assembly, we await the arrival of the other members of the team to put them together and then finally mount the finished Radiator on to the chassis. In the meantime, there are two other small parts to make and prepare, ready for the fitting of the Bonnet covers and these are the small almost triangular pieces described as “Brackets holding front bonnet rest angles” in the Parts Book. Two photographs of the same parts in the Carlton Colville Thorny are attached. These have been sketched out by Steve for Tony to make. Two “blanks” were obtained from the local sheet metalwork firm and bent to 90 degrees on their big Press. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 These were then cut to their final shape from the “blanks”, but with the feet left over length to be finally cut back to their correct length when the Radiator is on as they must be accurately measured from the assembled job. Similarly the two bolting holes to the chassis can only accurately located from the job after the Supports are properly located. The two photographs of our chassis show the original bolting holes in it and will also give some idea where the Supports go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 (edited) Well, I want to get some pattern making done but I also want to get some unfinished jobs off the bench! One of these is brazing the brake arms to the cross tube. The original tube ahad been bent so Father scrapped it and bored the arms out to suit a new one. Originally, they had been brazed onto the tube. I have little experience of this process but much more with silver solder. I looked into the relative strengths of the two processes and found them to be very similar. The only downside of silver solder is the expense which I decided to live with so here goes. Flued up and ready for some heat. [ATTACH=CONFIG]118464[/ATTACH] Well, that worked OK. [ATTACH=CONFIG]118465[/ATTACH] As I was using my biggest burner and my workshop is wooden with a 74" headroom, I decided that for the second, I would do it outside! [ATTACH=CONFIG]118466[/ATTACH] Drill through and tap for the stauffers and the lob was done. [ATTACH=CONFIG]118467[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]118468[/ATTACH] We are without a gear change knob as the original had rotted off of the lever altogether leaving only the special securing nut. According to the parts book, it is described as 'Ebony Change Knob'. I don't have any ebony that big so I opted for a piece of oak instead. I wonder whether they were actually using ebony at this stage of the war? Special nut cleaned up. [ATTACH=CONFIG]118469[/ATTACH] A nice piece of oak from the stores and away we go. [ATTACH=CONFIG]118470[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]118471[/ATTACH] A ball shape turned by eye. Don't put the micrometer on it! [ATTACH=CONFIG]118472[/ATTACH] I decided to simply wax it as a finish so I held the block against it whilst it rotated and then polished with a piece of paper. I don't use rag anywhere near the chuck as I value my fingers too highly! [ATTACH=CONFIG]118473[/ATTACH] Another job ticked off and I am pleased with the result. Just need to do the lever so it can be fitted! [ATTACH=CONFIG]118474[/ATTACH] so.. how did you ensure both them arms were in line? pre scribe for square on the lathe? Edited September 11, 2016 by flandersflyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 I looked along the tube and propped the other end up until they looked in line! The ends are within 1/8" and are uncritical as any difference can be accommodated by adjusting the brake rod length. Steve :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8_10 Brass Cleaner Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Gents I found this cutting in a file last night. Thought it might be of interest Also found some pictures of the pumping house/pump it used to drive. Ive linked them rather than taking up space in the thread. The pump was driven by a belt from the brake drum on the gearbox. http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/14/008_1548.jpg http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/14/008_1549.jpg http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/14/008_1550.jpg http://www.steamscenes.org.uk/tti/14/008_1551.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 "up to five years" to restore in 1983, anyone here NOT got that particular teeshirt? :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I also said that to Mike when I bought the bits off him in 1989. 27 years and counting! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 The last pattern of my week was the mounting for the hand brake quadrant, the black casting in this picture of the Carlton Colville lorry. As before, I laminated Mark's flexible plywood and glued on the flanges. I turned up some bosses from a handy bit of ash and then just dressed the profile to shape. Leather fillets finished it off. I have painted it this evening along with all the others and will deliver them to Father for his next trip to the foundry in a fortnight's time. Incidentally, the actual ratchet teeth I am having laser cut. The next job is the clutch pedal and the brake and gear levers. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 This weekend, I was fortunate to attend the Bedfordshire Steam Rally at Old Warden where I found this Thornycroft M4 Engine. It is a lovely engine but that con rod looks suspicious. It had, unfortunately, been started without a return spring on the throttle and had raced away until it went bang. This is the number four piston. Although this is not a pretty sight, he actually got away with it quite lightly and needs only a new crankshaft, piston, two con-rods and a sump to sort it. Any spares out there? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 (edited) The sump can not be welded? As it is normally a good pure quality aluminium. On my citroen 5hp engine there are several old welds visible. And holding well. Edited September 21, 2016 by Citroman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cel Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Ouch! The crankshaft looks repairable if it can be straightened. The repair we had done on the Peugeot still holds out well. Regards Marcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8_10 Brass Cleaner Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Started recently? or is it an old calamity?. I ask as it doesn't look like the engine is freshly overhauled..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 It might be possible to weld the sump but this old aluminium is very variable in properties. The chap who has it is very enterprising so I am sure he will find a way. This is the lorry from which it came. I took this photo over twenty years ago in the Thornycroft factory yard. It is a completely original vehicle of 1919 and was still with the original owners at the time. It was later sold, about twelve years ago I think, and the new owner suffered the disaster the first time he tried to start it. Since then, it has been laid up in a shed until purchased earlier this year. What are all of the small pipes all over the engine? I am confident that it will now be repaired and run again although the owner rather has his hands full with other projects for the time being. We shall see in due course. The factory, by the way, has been demolished and turned into a supermarket. Shame! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nz2 Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Before you race off and get the gear shift quadrant cast in bronze, it would be interesting to know how common is the bronze casting compared to steel. All those I've seen about NZ or Aussie are steel. Bronze and brass suggests of a fire engine application. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 I have only ever seen them in bronze on this side of the world. so ours will be too. You can see in Hedd's photos of the recovery that the gearlever quadrant was missing, as were the brasses from the pump itself. I think the bronze thieves had got there beforehand! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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