Rob.Brindley

Day 5 of the big Christmas push and it's an early finish for us! (We'd come to a little bit of a halt waiting for parts and figured after 4.5 days of solid work we'd earned a break!) First thing this morning we set about notching out the rear crossmember that sits at the back of the arches. As we'd had to remove a rotten plank, we had much better access to this one and, after a couple of test fits, it was secured into place in less than an hour. With that in place, we then set about working on the rear most crossmember. This would require some careful measuring and chiselling it is notched where it meets the main beams that run the length of the bed. Unlike the 2 centre crossmembers, this notch is only about half the thickness of the beam. With the sections chiselled out, we did a test fit and it fits like a latex glove! One of the corners has a little damage, that is yet to be repaired, that had caused the floor to sag on one side. With the use of a jack and a couple of bits of wood, we raised it to the correct position and the rear crossmember was bolted into place. Operation crossmember is hereby complete! Back to it tomorrow...

Looking great, Simon! We've got our order in for canvas, too.

Day 4 of the big Christmas push - What a pig of a day that was! When I arrived at 9am this morning, Dad had already got the support piece fitted on the opposite corner. With this in place, we then set about removing the first crossmember. Having not taken an MW apart before and not having the drawings, we were not entirely sure what to expect. That said, we were working in reverse anyway as we really want to avoid taking the bed apart if possible. Unfortunately, we soon realised that the centre planks would have to removed and we worked very carefully to avoid damaging any parts we wanted to reuse. Following the removal of the old crossmember, we than began preparing the replacement to be fitted. We marked out the notches why they sit of the main beams that run the length of the bed and test fitted. Thankfully, it's a great fit! With the test fit successful, we secured it in place and moved onto the rear crossmember. As we moved to the rear crossmember we found two problems... Firstly, the small crossmember that goes between the centre planks and underneath the hatch has a large crack in it and will need replacing - It's not a big issue, but another job we didn't know about. Secondly, the plank running width ways that overlaps the crossmember that we're replacing is rotten at both ends and will also need replacing. More wood to buy tomorrow...

Day 3 of the big Christmas push... Another full day of work on the Bedford today but lots of solid progress made! We've nearly got one corner complete. The supports on the bulkhead were mounted first thing this morning before the front crossmember was fitted. This involved some uncomfortable drilling from inside the bed to get them in place. When I tell the lads at work that I spent Christmas day in some of the most awkward positions I've ever been in, I don't think this is what they'll be picturing! We then turned our attention to fitting the replacement plank (dark plank near the top) that we'd cut on Saturday. The pieces fit perfectly (we must be getting good at this!) and it was secured in place temporarily with 3 coach bolts. There is a large wooden block that mounts here that we'll refit later. Tomorrow, we aim to get the opposite corner to the same standard before start attempting to fit the next crossmember. Merry Christmas everybody - it's time for dinner!

So, the big Christmas push has started... As we discovered last week, there was some rot present in our cross members. The rear would require replacing entirely and we were undecided whether to replace or try and repair the middle two. In the end, we decided to replace them all whilst we had the bed upside down as we don't want to have to repair it again later... Saturday was spent measuring our original crossmembers and cutting / shaping the new pieces. We also took the opportunity to cut the last few remaining pieces required to repair the bed. First thing this morning we started to paint the crossmembers with red oxide to help protect them - particularly in the areas that we wont be able to get to once the pieces are fixed in place. We then set about removing some rotten pieces from the cab side of the bulkhead ready to fit the replacements that we cut yesterday. Unfortunately, as we removed these pieces, we noticed the the lower plank on the bulkhead was also rotten in the centre (This had been hidden by one of the pieces we removed). So, it was off to work with some of the extra wood that we had bought to make a replacement. A couple of hours later we were back at Dad's with the plank and it was also painted in red oxide before a test fit. The plank is now in position and will be fixed in place tomorrow (Yes, we are working on it tomorrow...). Whilst the red oxide was drying, we set about removing the rear crossmember ready to fit the replacement. Once again, we discovered some hidden rot that needs to be dealt with before can fit the rear crossmember. No big deal - there's plenty of other work to be getting on with! Tomorrow we're hoping the get the bulkhead tied up... Merry Christmas!

Another very busy few days on our MW project! After work on Friday, Dad stopped to collect some new wood to make replacement wheel boxes as ours were to damaged to save. We then set about cutting all the pieces to length and chamfering the edges as before (using the original pieces as a pattern). On Saturday, we had a trip into town to collect a lovely NOS Air Filter, with thanks to Nigel Silver. On our return, we then started to assemble the wheel boxes using a mixture of screws and glue. We've matched the original screw positions against the original pieces as closely as we can! Dad recalls a story about his school woodwork teacher telling him "the only good thing you'll ever make out of wood is a bonfire"! Well, it's taken 40 years but I think we showed him! With lots of careful measuring and accurate cutting, the new wheel boxes went together a treat. Our original plan had been to fit the wheel boxes on Sunday. However, when we loosely positioned them, we noticed some damage to the floor that needed repairing first. With Christmas looming and the shops soon to be shut, we decided to invert the bed and take a good look at the cross members underneath. This would allow us to gather any materials required and form a plan of action to meet our goal of having the rear bed complete and painted by the time we return to work after the Xmas holidays. There was also lots of drilling out and grinding of old screws, nuts and bolts that refused to budge... With the body inverted and the toolbox / fuel can holder removed, it did reveal some rot that needs to be dealt with... Big thank you to Ian & Paul who gave up their time to come and help us turn the body over - We couldn't have done it without you!

Some great progress on our MW project this weekend as we started repairing the bed! Our plan is to reuse as much original material as possible but, unfortunately, some parts are just too far gone to repair. Where replacements are necessary, we're very keen to try and use period materials to keep it looking authentic. Last week, Dad spotted some reclaimed wood from an old church floor (the correct 7/8" thick) in Leek. We managed to acquire the wood on Friday and spent yesterday morning cutting the planks down to the correct size. Each plank on our MW also has a chamfer on every edge so there are no 90° angles - This was a detail we were sure to replicate. After cutting the wood on Saturday, we spent today removing the damaged planks (It proved to be the correct decision as, on removal, we found there was more damage than what was immediately apparent), fitting the new planks, re-fitting the protective metal strips on the top edge and also adding the 3 additional planks that are specific to the MWR (bolted to the tilt frame). Not a bad days work! We have the planks cut down to make the wheel boxes next weekend. Unfortunately, the front / sides are too far gone to use but we should be able to save the tops. I think when you look at the photos, you'll see that the decision to use reclaimed wood was well justified. Other than the lack of paint, it doesn't look out of place at all. There is a small amount of wear and tear that help tie it in to the rest of the woodwork quite nicely. A lot of effort, but a job well done. Another update coming next Sunday!

It's gone to John Newbould & Chris Allsop. The engine that was built up is going to be restored first, whilst our original engine is done. That should help us get the truck on the road sooner and we'll have a spare after. (There's 5 MWs in our club now so having a spare between us isn't a bad thing).

It's been a quiet couple of weeks, as we've both had a lot going on, but we managed to make some good progress today... Previously, we had cut down the OYC bars that we had bought, made a jig, welded (with Alan's help) the main hoops / bars that are common across all MW's. Over the last week or so, Dad spent a few nights making the additional MWR specific bars that we were short of. Alan and I arrived at Dad's at 9am this morning to weld up the additional bars and weld the entire frame into one piece. There's also a new addition at the end! Big thank you to Chris for collecting it from Kidderminster for us and delivering it to us yesterday.

Only a short update this week as both Dad and I have had a busy weekend with gigs and remembrance day events. On Monday evening, we went to collect the parts that we purchased on Friday (more on this later). Saturday morning we returned and refitted the bars that we had borrowed from John's MW. We also bought back the bars that support the cab canvas and had a trial fit. This is probably the first time these parts have been together in 40 years... Hopefully a bigger update next week!

A very productive weekend working on our MWR! On Friday afterwork we had a trip out and managed to acquire some very much needed parts for our restoration! Saturday morning was spent up at Dad's garage cutting up the rest of the framework we acquired last week to make our tilt frame. Just after lunch, we went over to John's farm to meet Chris who had come over from Bolton to collect the engines for overhaul. We can't wait to see what they look like when they come back! On Sunday, Alan arrived to come and weld up the bars that we had cut down over the last few days. We now have the standard MW layout. There are some extra bars on the MWR and now we have the basic framework created, we can measure up and cut the additional bars!

Another week and some more progress made on our MW! During it's post service life, our MW was used as a recovery truck by a local firm (Hissey's Garage). At some point, the rear canvas was removed, along with all of the hoops and brackets that support it, to allow a jib to be fitted in the rear bed. The original plan was to make the hoops from scratch but, last week, Dad spotted an OYC listed for sale on Facebook. Whilst the framework is not identical to an MW (It's both longer and wider), it would give us all the materials that we need to make our bars. Not only that, the bends are the same radius and, because they're original bars, they will be in keeping with the look of our truck. We got in touch with the owner (David) and made a deal to buy just the canvas framework. Friday resulted in a trip down to Norfolk to disassemble to the framework and bring it back to Stoke. Big thank you to Malcom (David's Dad) for all the help, use of tools / power and copious amounts of tea! On Saturday, we went over to the farm where the chassis is kept. John, the previous owner, also has another MW there and he kindly allowed us to borrow some of his framework to use as a pattern. Today, we made a start cutting down the OYC framework to match the MW dimensions. After some measuring and cutting, the 3 main hoops are now cut down to size and ready to weld. The bars that run the length of the bed are next... For anybody interest, the rest of this OYC is for sale - The owner is asking £500. I can forward contact details if anybody is interested.

Very well on the sales side, not so well for buying the parts we were looking for. We took all of the SAS parts that we removed from our Jeep earlier this year and managed to sell them all to one chap who's currently building one (with thanks to his friend who spotted them and phoned him to broker the deal). We found a nice radio battery box for our Jeep and bought some more primer / paint for the Bedford, but no major parts that we're looking for unfortunately. It's now when I realise that MW spares really aren't like Jeep spares... How did you get on? Find anything nice?

Small update this week as we spent Sunday at Malvern selling some surplus parts to help fund the Bedford restoration. On Saturday, we rolled the body out of the garage and brushed out all the dirt, dust and grime that had accumulated over the last 45 years... Once it was brushed out, we scrubbed the bed with degreaser to try and remove some of the oil as the truck was previously used as a recovery vehicles. We also managed to free the tailgate off which hasn't moved for nearly 50 years! The brass latches in the floor hatch are still present but currently seized. Hopefully we'll be able to free those off too and keep them. After scrubbing out, we rolled the bed back into the garage and built a sealed polythene tent around it that contained 2 dehumidifiers. Other than emptying the dehumidifiers periodically, we'll leave it alone for a few days to try and dry the wood out as much as possible before we start repairing the damaged sections. Pictures attached.

Cheers! There's a couple of small things that we want to do first, but we will look at protecting the chassis before the bed / cab and engine are refitted. We picked up a kit for the master cylinder last week and we're looking at what pipe is required to replace the brake pipes so that will be the next job (Along with priming / painting the wheel hubs). Rob

Thanks David - Trying to post on here as often as we do on Facebook. The wheel hubs are now blasted and ready to be primed. It's been a productive couple of days up at the farm this weekend. Whilst I was at Duxford yesterday crewing a couple of Spitfires, Dad was removing the old brake lines and prepping the chassis ready for paint. We arrived at the farm at 9am this morning armed with 2 tins of paint, a few brushes and a radio. 4 hours later, the chassis is green and ready for the new brake lines to be made and fitted. The external over the truck will be sprayed (Dad was a professional panel beater / sprayer for years), but the chassis has been brush painted as we want a nice thick coat to help protect it from the elements for years to come. Whilst we're working on the truck, we're constantly on the look out for more parts. This week, we managed to acquire another fuel tank and tray (Still on the lookout for another tank tray) and a couple of manuals that will definitely help with the rebuild. Dad's heading the Malvern next weekend on the lookout for more parts. I'll stay back here and start cleaning up the wooden bed as we have our wood working expert turning up the following week to make a start. Anyway, here's a few photos....

Whilst I was away all this weekend gigging with my bands, Dad had a busy few days up at the farm. This project has been stored at Johns farm for the last 12 years or so and had slowly been blocked in with other projects - Some that could be moved under their own power and some that required some muscle. Friday was spent clearing the main shed and moving vehicles to allow us to position the chassis in the area that John has very kindly let us use to work on the truck. This also allowed us to get the engines that we palletised last week near to the door so that we can get them sent off for refurb in the next few days. In the process of clearing the shed, we also found the bow bars for the cab canvas! The truck is now in position, the wheels are nearly finished and we hope to be able to get them fitted and start painting the chassis this coming weekend. On Sunday, the bed saw the light of day for the first time in 11 years! If anything, it actually looks in better condition than I thought. We have a friend, who is a very talented wood worker, that will be coming up to help us repair the damaged pieces in the next few weeks. The body was transported to Dad's house on Sunday afternoon (thanks again to John for the use of his flatbed) to allow us to work on the body in our own garage over winter. It should mean that we're able to do bits and pieces on the body during the week and spend the weekends at the farm finishing off the chassis. We do have a facebook page running for the restoration that I'm using as a diary - It will be nice to be able to look back once it's complete and see the progress easily in one place and interact with other Bedford owners. If you fancy following the page, you can find it here: Facebook Anyway, Here's a few photos and we'll post another update in a few days.

3 down, 1 to go. Slowly making progress.

Stayed late last night / tonight and started cleaning up the first few parts. I've started with the wheels hubs as we plan to have a rolling chassis in pretty short order. Here's a before and after shot. One down, 3 to go...

Indeed - We should be shipping out both engines to a friend who has a lot of experience rebuilding these engines and has most of the commons spare parts required on the shelf (saving us a big headache as neither of us are true mechanics). The chassis is already mostly complete. I've got the wheel hubs here for blasting at the minute and, once they're cleaned up and painted, we should be able to get a rolling chassis relatively quickly. The brake pipes need replacing and we need to get master / slave cylinder kits. Dad was a panel beater / sprayer for years so the metal work wont be a problem for us and we have a friend coming to assist us with the woodwork side. If all goes to plan (which it rarely does), it should be doable...

Little side note - We also took our Jeep to Crewe Heritage Centre this weekend for the Wheels of War weekend. We followed John there and back in his Ward La France. Great event hosted by some very friendly folks and well worth attending in future if you can.

The deal is now done, the truck is ours and we spent Friday up at the farm collecting all the small parts together that we know of. We can now do an inventory and get a better idea of what we're missing and need to look out for over the next few months. We also palletised 2 engines one complete (with all the ancillaries) and another disassembled but substantially complete. John, the previous owner, has very kindly allowed us to take both engines and make a decent one out of the pair before we return the unused parts. Hopefully, in the next week or so the rear tub will be coming out of the barn and over to Dad's house so we can work on that at home. Fortunately, most of the woodwork has survived very well and we shouldn't need to replace much (if any). There are a few damaged pieces, but we have a friend who is very good with woodwork and he's going to help us repair the damage pieces whilst saving as much of the original as possible. With the exception of the brackets which hold the hoops for the canvas, all of the metal brackets are also still present. Once the rear tub is completed, the tub will head back to the farm to be fixed to the chassis and the cab will be taken to Dad's. The chassis will be staying at John's farm as the finally assembly will be done there (simply because it wont fit up Dad's drive and I have no storage space at my house). We'll be working on the chassis intermittently as we can only get to John's farm at certain times so having parts at Dad's home will allow us to make sure work is constantly happening. All being well, we plan to have the MW In Arnhem in September... (Yes, it's definitely ambitious). Here's a few photos from Friday:

Just spent the last couple of hours reading through your thread - fantastic work! Some very impressive fabrication going on there. We think we're going to need to make the tank trays and I noticed you had to do the same. There's parts scattered across the farm so there's a small chance we'll find the originals, but we don't think they're there.

Thank you for the link - I've just applied to join. I'm sure that will be very useful over the next year or so as we work on the truck. Would love to see some photos of your MWC! All being well, I'll post regular updates in here as we work. The first real job is clearing some space at the farm to work in, collating all the parts so we can do an inventory and figure out exactly what is missing and then blasting the wheel hubs / wheels so we can get a rolling chassis.