Old Bill

Nice job Seb!

Where are you taking it this year so we can come and see it in the flesh?

Steve

As always, we just cannot give the project the hours we want to and progress is slow. Our deadline of May 2018 seems a way away but it is going to creep up on us very quickly and I predict a race to the finish line! Anyway, we have done a little.

Last time I was down, we tried the brake drums on the rear of the wheels. After clearing the paint and rust from the locating blocks, they simply dropped in with a thump from the mallet to push them home. Very satisfying!

The first one did rock a bit so I blued the rear face and rotated it to try to find the high spots.

These were dressed off with careful use of the angle grinder. The next task was to mark the bolt holes. To do this, Dad turned up a transfer punch from Silver Steel (Drill Rod to our colonial cousins) and hardened it. This was placed in the holes from the back and gently tapped with a small hammer. The effect was to leave a faint centre pop which could be enlarged and then drilled through.

A straightforward set-up on the drilling machine and the drums could be loosely bolted up.

I am currently making up a spot-facing tool so that the bolt heads will sit flat and can be done up properly. The wheels will then be ready to fit.

Steve

If that is you not doing very much then there is no hope for the rest of us when you get going!

Cheers!

Steve

Hi Mammoth.

I have seen plasma cutters used at work and they are wonderful bits of kit. Worth a good looking at I think. Many thanks for the tip-off.

Steve

I have had some lessons in welding but I am still dreadful. We have reached the conclusion that I am so poor because I can't see. My eyesight has never been very special but now I am suffering from short-arm-syndrome as well and have varifocals so really, I am on a loser. The best way to get a good weld is to get someone who can, to do it for me! I am very fortunate in having a number of friends who will do it when needed. It still irks that there is a manufacturing skill which I can't do to an acceptable standard though!

I was fortunate to go down to Devon this weekend so I took the opportunity to dig out the radiator bottom tank and see if it fitted our new bracket.

A quick bit of attention to the spigots with a file and the brackets fit OK.

Even the bolt holes line up with those in the chassis.

The casting needs a little dressing back at the ends as the mounts are slightly too far apart but that won't take long once we get into the radiator properly. Now is not the time to get too diverted!

Progress seems to have slowed a bit recently as I have had to get a boiler test for my engine and sort out a deranged gearbox in the car. In between times, I have been earning a living. There is always something needs doing! Anyway, a few more bits to look at.

Firstly, the wheel bearings are lubricated with grease using Stauffers mounted on extensions screwed into the wheel hubs. We have six fronts and one rear of course! I have, therefore, turned up a second extension piece for a rear hub.

The next item we have spoken about is the track rod end and how it tightens on the ball joint when fully screwed down. I had planned to lap a couple of thou out of the cover to give clearance but in the end, cut a shim from a piece of 0.003" steel which I happened to find in a drawer. We will try that and see how it goes. I am sure that 0.003" clearance will not be noticeable.

Whilst rummaging in the back of the garage, we turned up a radiator mount and the beginnings of a second which had been started and then given to us by the chap who did the Hampshire Museum's military J originally. He turned up a better pair so these became surplus. The casting is tired but usable. The steel parts were intended to form a fabricated version for the other side so that one just needed finishing off.

I started by setting up a fly-cutter to the correct radius and then used it to bore the curve in a piece of angle.

Then it was square the ends up with a mill.

and file up the profile.

I put the tube in the lathe to barrel it slightly to more closely mimic the original casting.

I cut a wedge to go underneath the tube and drilled and tapped a hole for a bolt to hold the job together whilst welding.

As you know, welding is not my greatest skill but this lot would embarrass a pigeon! I should have asked a friend to do it but it really annoys me that I can't seem to get the hang of it!

Fortunately, a good file and some filler hides a multitude of sins!

All ready for a topcoat and fitting.

We won't need them for quite a while but I just felt like doing them!

Steve :-)

Oh! You were testing us!

Steve

They look like FWD fronts. The company name should be written on the face around the hex but only engraved and not very deep. A lot of weight to pull around for a flower cart!

This is Graham Attwater's FWD:

Steve

Very impressive to see. Thanks for bringing them to our attention.

Can anyone tell us what vehicles Sir Peter has and give us some idea of their history?

Steve

Steve, the brake rings look great.

 

The old lathe is interesting, no tailstock and the toolpost looks as though it belongs on a capstan lathe; presumably it was intended to do a simular job as you have done on the brake rings with repeatable accuracy on large batch machining.

 

John

There are locations for a long bed to be attached to the end of the lathe. I don't know whether this one had the bed and it has been lost at some time or it simply never had it as it had been purchased for a specific job.

Steve

would the fronts have been faced off originally?

The original ones are faced to width. I was very annoyed to break one when we took it all apart!

Steve

Our current efforts are directed towards getting the back axe and wheels fitted to give ourselves a rolling chassis. To that end I have been working on the brake drums. Readers may remember that we managed to break one whilst trying to take the back axle apart and that the remainder were in very poor condition. Our joiner friend, Mark, did the donkey work for a pattern which I finished off and Father took to the foundry. Well, the castings have been in my living room for a year, leaning against the book case waiting for the day when they would be machined. Well, that day has come! Thanks to our good friend Adrian who once again very kindly made his huge Oldfield and Schofield lathe available, the job is done.

Set up in the jaws on the face plate, I started by boring the first one through.

The odd toolpost arrangement forced me to mount the tool inverted and cut on the far side. This was not as stiff as I had hoped but I managed to keep the chatter to a minimum by taking only modest cuts

Then a knife tool in a conventional position to face the front and finish the diameter.

The bore and rear faces completed I reversed the chuck jaws and faced the fronts.

Job done and it only remains to drill, spot face and fit them to the wheels.

Thank you Adrian! We couldn't do this without our friends!

Steve :thumbsup:

Hi Steve,

I have come across this type of ball joint before and they often have shims, this way as any bedding in takes place it can be tightened up by re-shimming.

Just a thought!

 

cheers Richard

Yes, we could shim it and that was my first thought. However, none of the joints we have dismantled have had any shims at all and it is so nearly there that it only wants a couple of thou to get it right. We will have to see how my patience lasts whilst lapping it out!

Cheers!

Steve

I wonder if there might have been a clip on the prong to keep the drain plug captive in the sump?

In fact, it was to locate the bottom of the oil level float. This is a brass float on a piece of aluminium tube with the top of the tube poking out of the top of the crank case. We had two originals from which I made a good one (See post about 18 months ago). On one, the float was secured by swaging the tube and on the other by split pins put through it. I replaced the tube and used the split pin method for simplicity. Unfortunately, the split pin prevents the prong from entering the tube! One of our sumps had ththis long prong and the other a simple plug. Father repaired the prong and I made the float to suit the plug!

I suspect that the float arrangement used to stick as it is only located in the top so the prong was a later mod to keep it all in line.

Some things do not become obvious until you try to put it together!

Steve

It seems a pity that there are no short or long links available to take up the slack on the fan belt, but maybe it did not need any.

 

trevor

I have been thinking about that. If I make up a couple of the steel pieces 1/8" longer, I will be able to lose a link and set the length much more closely. Something to do for the weekend!

Steve

Good luck with your spinning, Ben. Let's see if it can be repeated! The secret which really made it for me was to have a selection of chucks at different angles against which to lay it down. They allowed me to work the wrinkles out each time.

Yesterday, we made use of the wonderful weather to start cleaning the axle casing up. We did so well between us that Father even finished painting it!

Father has also been busy today. He had the brake shoes sand blasted and got a coat of paint on them as well. Now we need some drums to try them in!

We fitted the track rod onto its new ball joints and wll went ell until the last fraction of a turn on the nuts on the RHS when the ball locked up solid. I need to lap a couple more thou from the cup end just to give some clearance. There will be no back-lash anyway!

Finally, I fitted the fan belt. As you can see, there is no adjustment and the belt worked out to be almost a whole link too long so there is a lot of slack. I'm not sure how this will work out or whether there will be enough tension to drive the fan so I guess we will have to suck it and see. We may well be back to link belts very shortly!

With the brake cams removed, the remains of the dust covers could be taken off. These are very battered and corroded and need replacing but under the gunge, there are still signs of service green paint. Very nice to see!

After all of this, we sorted out the brake shoes ready for the sand blaster as they will be needed very soon.

Finally, the axle stowed away ready for cleaning tomorrow. Lots of wire brushing and elbow grease needed!

Thanks Paul. You just have to want to do it and stick with it until you have got there. Anyone can do it if they have those!

With the front end all but there for the time being, we thought it time to start looking at the back axle. We eyed them up and picked the least corroded of the two we have before pulling it out of the shed.

The spring securing bolts were still there but a few good swipes with a lump hammer soon drove them through.

Then we removed the last remaining diff securing stud. It wouldn't go at first but some heat soon sorted that out.

Then it was the turn of the brake cam shafts. First thing was to remove the pinch bolt from the bottom of the actuating levers. This was done with heat and a cold chisel on the nuts. The bolt was then knocked out before driving the shaft from the lever with a piece of rod and a hammer.

Once the cam shaft was out, the thin sheet dust cover could be removed.

Then it was the turn of the tie bar. The nuts were ground through and split off. Unfortunately, the strap is paper thin in places and will have to be replaced.

Then the brake shoe anchor pins had to come out. Lots of heat and the 3/4" drive socket soon sorted them out. Again, they are very corroded so Father will make some replacements in due course.

It needs some more polishing but it is now on and there is a great sense of relief!

The videos which were so kindly pointed my way showed proper spinners laying down pewter and copper in one go in about ten minutes. I am not a proper spinner so it took me yesterday afternoon and this morning to do it, annealing in between something like fifty times altogether. This is probably not very cost-effective but the job is done and I did it, with a little help from my friends.

On to the next challenge now!

Steve :-D

Yesterday was the moment of truth for the king pin cover! First task was to mount the new chuck and turn a 30° angle on it.

Then mount my 20swg disc.

And have a go, using the borrowed spinning tool.

The tool actually seemed too big at this point so I reverted to my own tools.

A couple of goes, annealing in between, and it went down quite well.

Re-cut the chuck to 45° and have another go.

The chuck behind allowed me to push the brass against something and push any ripples out.

And again. 60° this time. The ripples are becoming more pronounced.

75° this time.

Serious ripples at the edge this time. This scrapped the last one so, with nothing to lose, I took the job out and beat the ripples out with a hammer and a block of wood. I also took the opportunity to trim 1/2" of excess from the end.

One more go and it was down.

Change the chuck over for the finishing one, parallel and to size this time.

It's down! Home straight now!

Cut it to length

A quick buff and it is done!

That's very neat Roy. How did you achieve the curve right to the centre? All of mine so far have had a flat in the centre where I have pushed it up with the tail stock.

Steve

Quite right! Nothing like peace of mind!

Now, king pin cover. This was probably a deep drawn article but the tooling is a bit excessive for just one so I determined to spin it. First task was to turn up a suitable mandrel or 'chuck' as spinners call it. I found a nice piece of oak under the bench, hard as hell!

I tried rubbing it with a piece of beeswax to aid the release of the job, should I get that far.

Then it was time to anneal the brass and mount it in place.

A quick rub with some bathroom soap as a lubricant and off I went.

I attacked it steadily, annealing in between pushes until disaster! I broke through.

I trimmed it off and carried on but it didn't go well.

I managed to develop a crease which just wouldn't go away.

Then the edge began to ripple.

I tried to trim it off but it tore up properly and I decided to write the job off to experience at that point.

So, I must have another go. I have gone back to my books and found that it was getting thinner towards the edge because I kept starting in the centre and working outwards. This stretches the material, ever thinner. What I need to do is start at the outer edge and work in as this compresses the brass. If I work both ways, it should maintain its thickness. The book also suggests that at 16SWG, the material is too thick and that I would be better of with 20swg so my replacement disc is just that size.

For a deep spinning, it says that it is a lot easier if one has a couple of intermediate chucks at progressively steeper angles so that I can spin the disc to them and push out any wrinkles before going to the next stage. I have had another rummage under the bench and found a suitable piece of timber to make them so I will try that as well

Finally, I have had the great good fortune to be loaned some professional spinners tools rather than my home-made variety. As you can see, they are much more massive than mine. With 16SWG, I could feel mine flexing and I was in danger of splitting them at the ferrule. I am not going to break these!

I will have another go very shortly and report back on progress

Yes, Andy, very! Modern link belting to replace the belt in the parts book described as 'Whittle' perhaps? Worth a phone call. Thanks for the link!

Steve

We don't plan to run the engine until it is in the chassis. Safest place for it!

There is still a good chunk to do on the engine though. The latest item I have been working on is the fan belt. Both the Dennis and FWD have flat belts but Thornycroft fitted vee pulleys. There is no access for an endless belt so it must have a joint to feed it around the pump spindle. The type that was used was the 'Whittle Belt' made up from leather and steel. I have had the great good fortune to be given sufficient to do the job, albeit second hand.

It is constructed of a flat strip of steel with two pegs which engage in a sort of fibre board on each side, faced with thick pieces of leather held together by a wood screw through the centre. When the steel pegs are rusty, they act as a file in operation and the belt soon fails. To prevent that from happening, I dismantled each link, polished the steel, greased the pins and reassembled it.

Two hours later and an original belt to use again.

The reputation of the belt is not actually very good so I will find some modern link belting to keep in the tool box. It is nice to start with the proper stuff though.

Remaining tasks on the engine include the air inlet shroud, HT Lead conduits, magneto coupling, magneto advance mechanism, the water inlet manifolds and, of course, a carburettor. Still a few hours needed!

Wonderful!

Steve:D