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mazungumagic

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  1. Gordon, Thanks for the reference to the Dodge light support bracket. Henry thought the 1917 Model T (and its predecessors) had no need of expensive instruments, so there are none. The dash is non existent (I'll try to remember to take a photo of this area next Wednesday), apart from a 1" vertical lip on the cowl. Whatever is attached to the cowl needs considerable support from someplace solid and in this case that can really only be the chassis rail. There must be a clue in one or other of the IWM/AWM's photo collection but I haven't yet come across it. David, I noticed that when I posted the photo ! I think however that the actions of the fellow with his back to the camera, are possibly more sinister. That may be one of the happy owners, extolled by Gordon. Jack
  2. Apart from the guards, most of the body is now bolted up and the firewall is back in situ where it belongs. I just had to consult with Mr Dykes, to make sure I correctly attach the magneto and battery connections, on the coil box. So, here's the LH side ... ... and t'other side, While I'm happy with the colour, I'm not that keen on the gloss. We have been mixing in some flattener with the full gloss paint, but so far it doesn't seem to have achieved much. I think we'll have to experiment with an increased dosage, in an attempt to get a more satin finish to the paint and then give the lot another coat. I also made a blue with my hammer on the RH side paintwork, when I was attaching the sheet metal to the vertical dash pillar and the result was some chipped paint, so that can also be fixed along with a few bug strikes from last weeks painting. Just after the Second World War, some of the British Commonwealth armies used a range of vehicles with a gloss coat of Deep Bronze Green, in effect thumbing their collective noses at all the camouflage "lessons learned", but that was an aberration which didn't last long. Gloss just doesn't seem right for a military vehicle. The next thing I have to put some thought into, is the Lewis Gun post. While I have no clear evidence of how it was located, from all the photos I've seen, it seems to be attached to the rear of the cowl (LH or passenger's side) and would logically use the chassis rail as the base. The Lewis weighs in at around 13kgs/28lbs, so a solid connection is obviously needed. To finish off this week's contribution, I found the pic I had taken of the muddy jeeps on display at a Virginian museum open day, in 2011. All the happy owners must be in the beer tent, Gordon ?
  3. "It's looking better all the time. Nice little thing and doesn't break the bank to restore or to own." The rebuild cost is interesting. I've done a few restorations to date and probably with the exception of a WC 52, this Model T is the most expensive. In defence of the Dodge, I paid far too much to acquire it - the cost of the actual restoration wasn't that high. The T is a 1917 and therefore relatively rare, probably due in large part to the demands of the Great War. Although I got a couple of 1923/25 engines with the initial buy of T parts, I had to source a 1917 engine and the cost for that was $1k, even though it was picked up locally, ie 1200kms round trip. "Thing is all the in service photos, all those lovley panels...are left off" I know. Many of the photos I've seen from the archives of the Imperial War Museum and the Australian War Memorial, show that (as often happens), the crew modified their vehicles to desert warfare. I would also guess that, as Henry Ford may not have expected his vehicles to be used in this way, the design might not have taken due account of the conditions under which the vehicles operated in the desert. Perhaps things simply fell off and that photos show the results. Unfortunately perhaps, local road rules these days will insist on having mudguards and I need to install the hood to display a Light Car #. So when it's finished, the vehicle will be complete and able to pass the licence muster, though it may not look quite like a 6 month veteran of the desert ! It is the question most restorers think about and resolve one way or the other, ie that of presentation or realism. I saw a couple of WW2 jeeps at a military display in Virginia a year or two ago and was taken by the showing of these vehicles in a very muddy/unkempt state. They looked so very different to their pristine companions, but they were displayed in a condition that combat veterans would recognise and applaud. I'd imagine you've probably seen that sort of thing and thought about both sides of the question yourself, Tony. I much prefer seeing someone else's vehicle in a dirty state ie making a deliberate statement, but I'd be reluctant to do that to my vehicle. Jack
  4. A little progress is being made. The weather here, which has been inclement for some time (not really complaining, mind you), has hampered attempts to top coat the undercoated panels. However the skies were promising today, so we gave everything a final rub down and erected a convenient structure on which to hang the panels. The front and rear guards as well as the LH door frame .. The rear inside tub is also partly finished ... and the door .. All the smaller bits such as the hood shelves, windscreen fittings and frames and the myriad of bolts, have been top coated as well. Hanging space in the workshop is at a premium, but it won't be for long. I've got a little more paint to spray onto the rear tub, both inside and out, but I'll hopefully get to that next Wednesday. You can see in one of the photos (rear tub), that the wheels are now on omnidirectional dollies and it's much easier to move the vehicle into any required position. The next step will be to fit the left and right door sheetmetal together with the LH door and once all that's pinned and screwed into place, the sequence will be bulkhead, splash guards, running boards then mudguards. At that stage it will start to look like a T.
  5. The guards have now been undercoated - in some cases a fairly thick coat has been applied to cover the rust pitted areas, particularly on the rear guards. The front ones look good at this stage - All four now required a good sanding down to provide a decent base for the top coat and I'll hopefully get to that, this Monday. As I mentioned, the rears will be harder to get smooth due to their very average start point, but I think there;'s enough primer on them now, to allow me to sand them smooth. Depending on the weather we hope to wheel the body/chassis out into the sun next Wednesday and give it a top coat of "Sand Glow". That'll be obvious progress and worthy of a few photos ! Jack
  6. A few more little bits added. The canopy arrived today after being shipped from the UK, a mere three days ago ! It is a first class fit. ...and a fire extinguisher has been found, polished and installed. Jack
  7. Concentrated on the guards (fenders) today. By knock off time, we reached the stage where, after a final check of fitting, some further welding and a little panel beating, we had fully prepared both front guards and laid on a coating of body filler where it was needed. I was advised by those who know on the Model T Forum, that the tapering lip on the front of my guards was incorrect for a 1917 model. That lip only arrived with the 24 model. So I removed the lip and took one of Henry’s products back a few years to reduce the likelihood of “well meaning” folk telling me I’ve done it wrong when they see the T at a Show. The old guards ... If you compare those guards to the ones above, you'll note the removal of the lip. The rear guards also came in for a bit of attention, but they’re not as far along as the fronts. Last time, I left the story at the point where we had almost tacked in the new panel around the LH rear guard. This was the old guard... …we have now removed the old patch, inserted a new one, cut the fender iron hole where it is supposed to be, trial fitted the guard to ensure it fits and given the rustiness a good scrub. I haven’t finished removing the rust yet and hopefully will get some time before next Wednesday to do a little sanding of the front guards as well as more rust removal on the rears. We’re at the stage now, where we can finish off the front guards, fill whatever needs filling and prepare them for the undercoat.
  8. Hi Kuno, Gustaf responded with some information about tyres and Goran is quite right - the tyres are readily available, though the ones he identified (Lucas @ $99) would seem to be suspiciously cheap ! I obtained mine (the Wards Riverside variety) from a fellow here in Perth West Australia, who imports quite a number of different tyre sizes. They retail at $152 from the US suppliers, but I paid $160 here in Perth. A very good deal. All these Model T tyres are made in Vietnam and that fact is embossed on the side of the tyre. As Gustaf mentioned, there is significant comment on the US Model T forums about their quality (or lack of it), compared to tyres that used to be made in the US, but I've no first hand knowledge of that, yet. Jack
  9. Some days you don’t seem to have much to show for the hours worked - and this is one of them. However, we did actually get a fair bit done today, but it took a while. Firstly we trial fitted the two rear guards and made sure that we had the right curves and shape in the guard to match the running board connections and the fender iron. That took longer on one side than the other, due to the fact that the LH guard had been broken away at the skirt and another skirt had to be enlisted to make up the shortfall. That required a good deal of bending - you can see the results of the bending process in the three welds on the guard lip. We also had to unroll the 3/16th rod in the guard and open up the roll sufficiently, to allow us to insert the “new” skirt and then secure it in place, by re-rolling the metal over the 3/16th rod in the “new” skirt. That may sound confusing, but here’s a couple of photos of the new skirt going in … The “new” skirt was not without its own flaws as you can see around the elliptical opening for the body stay. Although the photos don’t show it, we’ve now cut out the piece which was let into the skirt and are in the process of inserting a new heavier piece, which will have the correct elliptical hole and be rivetted to the fender iron bracket, integral to the guard. I’ll try to have a photo of the finished article, in a week or two. We also did a bit of undercoating on the front panels and the product looks very good. Firstly a photo of the RH side panel with the false door - And a reminder of what it was made from … …. and now the LH side panel … … and again – where this originated … We’re at the stage now, where we can finish off the front guards, fill whatever needs filling and prepare them for the undercoat. It is starting to look pretty. Jack
  10. Thanks for that, Gus. I know we're getting a little off topic here, but do you find it intriguing that after nearly four years of the European War and the fact that the machine gun was more or less an American invention, when the almost inevitable happened, the US Army still had to forage among foreigners for an LMG ? I suppose parallels could be drawn to the British invention of the tank in WW1 and their near complete disregard for armoured progress after WW1, with predictable consequences in the next war. Jack P.S. I was involved in a live firing exercise on one occasion at what was once our Jungle Training Centre and we used Vickers MMG to provide overhead fire, as troops scurried below carrying out contact drills. The .303 ammo we were using was made in India and very poor quality. Some of the rounds fell short in among the troops and we were obliged to call off the practice. That maybe the only source for .303 rounds these days, but I would hope that quality control has improved !
  11. G'day Kuno and Gus, Gus - I saw a thread (http://www.forgottenweapons.com/lewis-gun-at-the-range/) recently from a fellow in the US who stripped a Lewis and explained its workings, before test firing it on a range. It was a first class weapon in its day and far better than the French Chauchat, that your soldiers were issued with on arrival in France in 1917/18. Was Pershing a Francophile ? Whatever the reason, the "doughboys" were done no favours by that decision. http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/that-damned-jammed-chauchat/ As an ex infantry soldier, I'm sure I would enjoy the experience of handling a (heavy) gun like the Lewis. Jack
  12. During the week, I’d been thinking about the hood shelves and the wooden blocks under them. While I am aware that these blocks (2 per side) were all that was used, I thought it might be stronger, if the two blocks became one long one. As a result, I made up this wood piece to fit under both hood shelves. I know I’ll have to let in some of the bolt heads where the guard/fender is secured to the chassis rail, but that won’t be a problem. We began our day, by trial fitting the RH side sheetmetal and curing a few ills, where bolt holes didn’t actually match up or where metal needed the slightest of tweaks, to fit properly. The RH guard in place … The front section of both guards seemed to be drooping a little over the tyres, so some gentle persuasion was provided and the guard front, is now at acceptable levels on both sides. This readjustment resulted in a metal tear or two, which was MIGed up. The result, with both guards on, looks like a significant step along the way of this 4 year restoration (so far). This pic shows the part-finished RH side sheetmetal – a little additional elbow grease during the week, will see this panel just about ready for undercoating. Gustaf, The possession of any weapon has become much more difficult here in Australia - but I do have access to a Lewis on the rare occasions when I need it.
  13. I managed to get an adaptor for the temperature gauge bulb, but it still isn’t the easiest to fit. I’ve used the blanked off hole on the water pump and the adaptor I picked up, has the correct tapered thread to fit that hole. The second internal plug however, is not tapered and water is sealed off by a very small shoulder on the bulb, coming into contact with a raised flange inside the outer adaptor. I had to find a thick copper washer to sit inside the smaller adaptor and that now gives it room to seal correctly - I hope. This first pic is of the adaptors screwed in to the water pump hole... ... the second pic is the capillary tube attached - It had a garish red sleeve, but I managed to find some spiral wrap to tone down the colour a trifle. and the last is of the gauge itself, inside the cab... I think I'm now ready for the vehicle inspection.
  14. Hi Gus, You've a sharp eye for detail. The radiator shell is a "Peerless". There's a bit of info about the item, from MTFCA contributors here - http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/320955.html?1352430496 This shell is only temporary - the one I'll be using has been painted and is on the shelf waiting to be installed when the time is ripe. Jack
  15. We concentrated on the LH side today and trial fitted the splash guard, running board and mudguards (fenders). I’ve removed the firewall/bulkhead to allow us to nail the forward edge of the door sheetmetal to the wood frame, so at the moment, the T is shamelessly showing off her underwear. Most of the trial fit went well, but I still have some uncertainty about the wooden blocks which I understand go between mudguard and running board. There is apparently general consensus that a wooden block is used at the rear, but the jury remains out, on the validity of one at the front. Everyone is agreed that blocks are used under the running boards, where they mount to the brackets. More research required here. We finished off the sanding needed on the LH sheetmetal forward of the door and added a certain amount of body filler to the RH side sheetmetal. There’s still a good deal of preparation to be done to the front mudguards, before they can get the body filler treatment, but that’s a next week possibility. The rear guards are more or less 100 years old and look their age, but can and will be re-introduced into 21st century service, with some well trained elbow grease. We should also be able to trial fit the panels on the RH side next week. Gustaf and Tom, I've done a search on the MTFCA website and found conflicting views about the mudguard to running board blocks. It seems to me however, that there were no front blocks on the 19197 model, but that the rear blocks were used. As you say Tom, the tags holding the rear mudguard to the splash guard don't seem to line up, unless a block is used. The other thing about a block at the front, although it's hardly conclusive, is that a step up from the guard over a wooden block, to the running board would look pretty awful. Thanks for the help.
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