ajmac

How will the proposed regulations impact wartime AT and artillery pieces? Would some of the wartime automatic AA guns be banned?

Has anyone had comment from any of the large deact dealers? They must be seriously worried about the viability of there businesses.

I'm 100% in agreement with you Rick, early war British armour is poorly represented. It doesn't mater how poor the basis of the project is, there always seems to be people around who have the little bits squirreled away to help complete the project!

Last little bit of work before Christmas. The Engine and Gearbox floor plates have been fitted, its very basic, if anyone thinks a Loyd can be prepared for wading they should think again!

Over complexity must have been (and still is) a European thing. It is often said that the German armour was too complex and thus slow and expensive to manufacture, not to mention resulting in more maintenance and more items to go wrong. The restoration just goes to show that early war British designs were similar to the Germans.

Nail, head.

It's coming along Pete, sorry for side tracking you lately! Were OYs widely used in Normandy? Any ideas what the War Department number was for yours?

That looks rather draconian, no exemption for collectors for category A, which would mean all deactivated WW2 MGs and SMGs would have to be destroyed! Surely an exemption for registered collectors would be a better compromise. Sadly I guess the UK will have little say in the matter, we will just have to implement it...by 2016!

Richard, what was the the reasoning behind the cupola? Just a convenient way to look over a hedge without having to open the door and stand on your seat?

Good project vehicle. All the engine parts are still available, gearbox too, all from the USA at reasonable cost. Has it been many years in France?

This bracket came from my Belgian range target Loyd TT. It was bolted under the propshaft tube just behind the gearbox. The conduit looks like the conduit used on other parts of the vehicle which makes me think that it may be orignal, however there is no mention of this part in the 1944 parts book. In fact, there are no photos or mention of this in any Loyd literature! Any ideas? Does it look like something radio related?

That's a very good point, the early Loyds took completed Ford chassis and and modified them to Loyd spec, if you look closely all the holes are still in the chassis rails for the missing lorry cross members, brake cable cutouts etc... However these plates are specific to the Loyd with an 'LY' part number prefix.

Spot on Andrew. I just looked through some wartime Loyd photos and the brake cables go from the back plate down under the chassis rail and out of the photo...the only way they can get back up to the chassis crossmember where they are anchored is through the engine floor plate. Thanks.

The Gearbox and engine floor plates have been cut out and folded to shape based on the originals. I have the shot up range target ones and a set of badly corroded early Loyd floors which together gave enough information to build these replacements. They are cut from 1.5mm steel. This afternoon I took the floors to Pete M's place and we worked through bending the plates and checking angles against the originals. The engine floors turned out perfect but the gearbox floors will need a little fettling to complete the install. Many thanks to Pete for his hard work and metalworking skill! After seeing my pile of Loyd scrap Pete offered to take all the fabricated bogie parts and try to build a good one....you know what, I think he can do it....he likes a challenge! Engine floor plates cut from 1.5mm steel sheet, I have yet to work out what the thumb shape cutouts were intended for. Following bending, they fit very well and just need the holes drilling for bolts and to clear the rivets. I still don't see the function of those rounded cutouts :confused: Gearbox floor plates were 85% correct WRT angles which were a best guess due to the originals being badly corroded and bent. Some tweaks should see them well fitted. Pete M has taken the remains of a couple of British fabricated bogies to try and build one complete unit.

Thanks for the tip Andrew, I swapped the pinion sealing nut the other day for one in near perfect condition......my only worry is that I am using a lip seal rather than a leather one.

Trying to get some progress made before the new addition to the McMurray family arrives! Completed the rebuild of the range target Torque Tube. If you know Loyds then you will know that they were designed with economy in mind and as such as many parts already in production as possible were utilized. The Torque Tube is from a Fordson 7V lorry, no alterations at all. The Torque Tube was acid dipped and hot tanked them externally primed. In the rear end is a double set of roller bearings which run directly on the drive shaft and on a bearing sleeve which is pressed into the body of the Torque Tube. At the same end is a skew gear drive for the speedo, it all cleaned up well and was reused, the only new part being a leather grease seal which I sourced from a Ford parts dealer in New York. In case you were wondering, there is no forward bearing for the drive shaft as it used the support given to it once engaged with the differential pinion. As removed from the range target in 2010. New leather seal installed and original bearing sleeve, note zig zag split. Original cleaned up and reused. All original parts cleaned up and greased. Original drive shaft greaaed up and ready to insert in the tube. Shaft and bearings installed along with speedo drive.

Jon, Are we thinking that the sale actually went through at 100k, or that as it was approx £50k under reserve it remained unsold? As you are not likely to find a more original Sherman today than one of the "originally sold to private collector batch" of Ian mcgregor Grizzlies from the 1980s that the speculative Sherman pricing over the last eight plus years may be waning?

Had a good weekend repairing the front axle breather and then putting the axle back together. The original diff was re-used along with its bearings as they were in fine condition. Even though a Loyd is a small machine, so much of it is heavy....that front axle is impossible to move once back in one peace! Copper pig tail brazed onto the breather plug (This would have been the drain plug when the axle was designed for Trucks). Diff is dated 8/5/1944, condition was near perfect - Thanks Bob Grundy! Pulling the rebuilt Pinion carrier into the diff housing, original wartime bearings were used but sourced from another axle - Thanks Pete M Looking much better than it has in many a decade :-) When retrieved from Clives yard.

Thank for posting such detailed photos Andrew. Those final drives look rather complicated.

That parts collection is looking bigger and bigger. Can't wait to see the final M4A4T rolling!

Thanks to Marco I picked up a full British fabricated bogie for the Loyd at W&P along with some other choice items to help along the project. Not much (that means nothing) has progressed since W&P as I an busy on a major project to keep one of the Brent North Sea rigs in production. It may be my job but it is still dealing with old sh*t as some people love calling it!

Finding all those factory fresh armour sections is the biggest hurdle, a wreck such as that from Weald would give you many of the little bits and the running gear is sure to be available from the East. I would imagine the biggest issue would be gearbox and transmission. After so many years rebuilding his three Panthers, KW will have the best panther parts network on the planet. Two years ago someone offered me a complete take out Loyd engine and gearbox removed form a Loyd that had been used in a quarry in the UK, the rest of the vehicle had been scrapped by the developer who brought the land....its all out there somewhere, just given time and money!

Great starting point guys. I am happy to be able have helped in a very very small way with bringing the old girl back to life... Well she is helping me a bit too Best of luck with the hard work Andrew.

Good luck with the test drive Rick. Can't wait to see the Cromwell at W&P, you have done so much since I last had the pleasure of a good look over her. I'll bring some refreshments....

Thanks Richard, so you pull it out by attaching to the thread in the end of the pinion....perhaps I can use a slide hammer in lieu of that special tool. I'll find out the thread, UNF or UNC.