Pete Ashby

Its been an absolutely marvellous restoration considering what you started out with.

I just have to sit and admire your enthusiasm and dedication to the project which surely must be recognised.

 

I so look forward to seeing more of your innovations and the total revival of the rare vehicle.

 

best of luck and continued success.

Ian

Ian much appreciated :thanx:.

it's very much a labour of love to do this commercially for a customer would not be viable. But I'm doing this for myself and have a family connection with the type so it's always a pleasure to work on.

As you can can see I take one bit at a time and treat it as a project in it's own right, I find that way it focuses both effort and funds and prevents getting overwhelmed by the amount of work still to do. Each separate project completed is a step nearer to the finished whole............. pleased your enjoying the thread.

Pete

I'm not. There is a tool called a bead roller for doing them, but I don't have one...... yet.

Useful bit of kit can be used for all sorts of things, I missed one in a closing down sale a few years ago, sadly went well beyond price I could justify :-( had a full set of different sized rollers to match.

Pete

[ATTACH=CONFIG]117294[/ATTACH]

how are you going to put the cross pressings into the seat pans ?

Pete

Next job was to fabricate the frame work that the carrier pivots in and attaches the whole assembly to the truck this is an angle iron and steel plate construction.

First thing to do was to bend up the two side arms the angle is 50mm x 50mm x 5mm thick this was very close to the Imperial original size

Next the hinge locking plate was bent up and drilled and filed out to take the bow pivot pins (that’s the bar in the lower front of the photo that joins the two angle irons) The side irons were mounted on the truck and the flat bar cross braces cut, drilled and added….. it was beginning to look a bit more like it, all be it still very wobbly.

The wobbly problem is cured by the addition of the steel plate cheek pieces these bolt onto the fuel tank support angle irons and are cut from 5mm plate. They are a distinctive shape so a cardboard template was made up and adjusted until it fitted properly.

The rails were then taken off and drilled to take the rivets that hold the cheek pieces on.

Once the cheek pieces were cut out the edges were draw filed flat and square (no plasma cutter here just sweat, 1mm slitting disks in the angle grinder and a jig saw for the curvy bits )

The cheek pieces were then hot riveted onto the rails, the originals have a distinctive head shape on the outside and appeared to be machine closed on the inside face (no snap used apparently) after searching various catalogues the nearest to the shape and size I could find was on a long shank black iron coach bolt. So out with my machinists digest to work out the correct rivet length required cut the threaded portion off along with some of the unwanted shank then repeat 30 times.

The cheek pieces were then hot riveted on using the anvil to hold the head, the Oxy torch with fine nozzle to heat only the rivet shank to just short of melting then thickening up the shank and dressing down with a medium weight ball pane hammer.

The whole assembly ends up looking like this when fitted back on the truck

Pete

A significant piece of kit that was missing from the truck was the spare wheel carrier so it was now time to turn my attention to this.

Studying in service and factory photos showed that two types of carrier were fitted to the Retriever. From the start of production to mid1940 a bow type structure was used to support the wheel then from mid1940 to the end of production in November 1941 a simple angle iron ladder and rack was fitted.

My truck should have the bow carrier fortunately the truck that was in the defunct Beverly RCT museum and Monty’s caravan at IWM Duxford both had the early bow system so these were used to produce drawings and scaled photos.

The problem of bending some fairly heavy gauge pipe was solved when a post war carrier turned up it may possibly have come from an AEC Militant but I’m not sure.

The problem was it was too tall had extra inertia brake fittings, the tubes were joined with a solid web and the hub was a four arm carrier as opposed to the original two arm……apart from that it was perfect….. hmm that’s a good buy then :???.

The result was several days with my petrol cutter and an angle grinder. That did the trick, I did ponder changing the hub to a two arm configuration but decided I’d live with it the way it was.

After cleaning and de-rusting it ended up like this

Pete

It must be time for another update on progress. Work on and around the cab area is nearly complete with the instrument housing is repaired and waiting for a top coat. It’s taken some time but I managed to track down a full set of suitable instruments (trial fitted for the photo) the ignition / light switch is a NoS unit, it’s post war but I’ve fitted an early brass turn key, I still have to fit a brass bezel for the warning light fortunately I have a couple that can be cleaned up the only difference then will be the number of rivets in the face and possibly the part number but I can live with that.

Before:

After:

Pete

Movement for movements sake?

Still a fair amount of paranoia, so it could be a "false" movement in the run up to the operation - send lots of units out to different places and it could disguise the movements of the actual raiding force.

Hmm, no I don't think so, the party didn't leave Rushmore until three days after the failed raid.

I rather have the feeling that they went to do a job of work or perhaps attend a relevant course but why only 20 odd men out of 230 in the unit?

The men who went were all MT fitters and what ever they were doing warranted the CO driving there and back to Rushmore on the first day to oversee something????

I rather hoped that there would be a RAOC field Depot on the redundant airfield but so far I haven't found any reference to anything of that nature there.

Pete

Fair point David, however at that stage of the war I'm not sure we had too many PoW's, in fact they had rather more of ours than we had of theirs I fear :undecided:.

The only thing of note at the time was that the abortive Dieppe raid had taken place three days before, but I can't see how there could be any connection with three sections (about 20 men and two junior officers ) of RAOC, having said that there must have been some driving force to initiate travelling over 100 miles east when there must have been other units closer.

Small personal mystery for which there never be an answer I fear.

Pete

Google earth imagery for 1940s shows a large number of what look like long Nissan huts on the site, so it looks like it was used for something other than flying.

Indeed, that was the conclusion I came to, as there appeared to be much more covered accommodation than would be required for the Lysander squadron that was based there in the summer of 1940. The RAF ceased operations from the field soon after the withdrawal from France so it must have been used for something else.

My interest was raised by an entry for 22 of August 1942 in the war diary for my Fathers unit 10th Army Workshop RAOC currently in the process of forming up at Rushmore Arena prior to taking part in the Torch operations.

Three sections (one of which included my Father) and an 'F' lorry (this is a house type electrical or instrument repair workshop) were sent on detachment to Bekesbourne Canterbury; some time before the 1st of September however the detachment had returned to Rushmore.

Nothing particularly remarkable about any of this except it struck me as interesting that a detachment should be sent all the way from Aldershot to Canterbury to carry out less than 8 days work, it begs the question why couldn't a closer unit carry out the work and what were they doing at an an abandoned grass airfield. What ever it was it obviously did not make an impression on my Father as he never mentioned it at any time in any of his recollections.

Pete

This is a bit of a left field question but perhaps some one can help.

I'm interested to know if any army units (Canadian or British) were stationed on or around the air field around the time or immediately post the date of the Dieppe raid 19 August 1942.

I know the RAF were not using the airfield by this stage of the war but the infra structure such as it was was still in place

thanks

Pete

Hello Ian, David did mention he'd met you there, yes the Chev is rather early and rather rare

regards

Pete

Look forward to following this one

Pete

Pete even the Canadian built 7 1/2 ton recovery trailer has 2 ford master cylinders actuated by 2 air wheel brake booster like on a Diamond truck , and then 2 1 1/2 inch wheel cylinders per side

Interesting.... so a universal fitment on most common usage Canadian trailers

Pete

You might give these guys a try not used them myself but know others who have sourced some fairly rare kit from them http://www.gosnays.co.uk/acatalog/Veteran___Vintage_Parts.html

Pete

Thanks for confirming that Maurice I guessed that it might be the case , it seems all Canadian trailers up to 3 ton were fitted with the Ford master cylinder activated on the over run.

Pete

Your right Jeremy is so much as it is a Canadian side/rear light however it is the later type that was brought in with the 13 cab series of trucks when rubber was getting in sort supply.

Pete

Found it this is taken from the Design Records Canadian Developed Military Vehicles World War 11. So these are factory photos and specs

Pete

Pleased you like the photos Ian and Jeremy, somewhere I have the data sheet for the 180 gal Canadian tank I'll have a root around in the morning and see if I can find it and put a scan up on here I may also have some more factory photos on disc I'll have a look.

One small point worthy of note on the photo of the rear of the tank is the Canadian 'rubber light' rear lights these would not be fitted to British trailers. These lights are the same as fitted to 11 and 12 cab Ford and Chevrolet CMP's.

I wonder if the over run brake is hydraulic on the tanker? the 10cwt trailer is and it's activated by a Ford CMP master cylinder

Pete

Pete, given your comment above I assume that's in an 'as low as reasonably practical' context?

Indeed it is Sean with standard controls and back up in place and a contingency plan filed

(all in another life and another place now)

Pete

As one lawyer said to me 'It's the word 'Reasonable' makes us our money. :-D

Just so Tony.... 'the reasonable act of the reasonable Man/Women' :readpaper:

I have sadly wasted many hours of my life trying to define and justify just that.

Pete

Pete, yes, with you.

 

I am only working from memory, but I am pretty certain that magistrates' court cannot set precedent.

No I'm not sure either Sean, my limited experience is confined to health & safety and contract law :yawn:, however I do wonder if Persuasive Precedent may have a part to play that's why I included the link to the definitions so that people could make their own informed judgment. The finer points of the legal system are well outside my scope but as NoS pointed out further back in this thread... that's what Briefs are paid to do..... for both sides.

Nothing to get hung up about but worth bearing in mind.

Pete

Nice find here's a couple of photos that may be of interest taken from the manual for the Canadian 180 gal tank

Pete

As Richard has said lapping will do the trick provided there is not excessive ware or damage of the spindle or bore I've never done a drain cock but have had some success on fuel taps using jewelers rouge which I guess will be very close to Richards suggestion for injector lapping paste.

 

If all else fails you might find something suitable here https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/categories/vintage-car-parts-taps-pipe-and-fittings-taps-drain

 

Pete

One thing I forgot to add.......when lapping make sure you use plenty of light oil for lubrication...... I didn't on one occasion and had to junk the whole tap assembly the very fine paste dried and welded the whole assembly up solid :-(

Pete

As Richard has said lapping will do the trick provided there is not excessive ware or damage of the spindle or bore I've never done a drain cock but have had some success on fuel taps using jewelers rouge which I guess will be very close to Richards suggestion for injector lapping paste.

If all else fails you might find something suitable here https://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/categories/vintage-car-parts-taps-pipe-and-fittings-taps-drain

Pete

What i am trying to get over is there is no victimization going on no need for paranoia common sense will win in the end who ever it was turned out to be a total jerk despite his expert advice

Not sure there is a suggestion of paranoia or victimization in the threads so far cosrec :-), it's more about a timely reminder for all of us to be aware, the point of interest regarding the actual speed at which the fine the was imposed is that it is close to the speed that a number of our larger vehicles travel at around the average 25mph to 35mph mark.

Pete