44 cargo

Hi everyone I have been absent from contributing to this forum for the last 18 months. I fell off a ladder and aggravated an old back injury that has had me watching a lot of TV and unable to walk, however things have improved a lot and the last 6 months I have been rehabilitating in the shed working on the MW.

I got the MW in many pieces and I was not the one that dismantled it so its been a mission getting it back together - many thanks to Fayjo and Mr Rivet and others for their pics on this forum these have help me so much, work to date has been gearbox overhaul made 1 out of 2 had the chassis and scuttle sand blasted, lower seals replaced in the motor brakes all done wheel cylinders and pads were in excellent condition, master cylinder was resleaved, rust repairs to the chassis and scuttle which had 19 holes that had to have patches welded in, some of them it was the third repair, painting and at the moment doing the wood work.

I will endeavour to post some pics - cheers Charlie.

I am following your thread with interest I bought an MWD in a dismantled state and the pics you are posting along with others on this forum are really helping me, keep up the good work and the pics - Charlie

looking good Paul :-)

Great work , its really coming along, I appreciate your pics they answer a lot of questions for me, keep up the good work I am keeping an eye on you. regards Charlie

To me there part of her history. She was rebuilt in 1952, and some of those repairs have been on longer than I've been alive. Yes, I could replace repair and refit, at great cost and time. Then all you'd have a clone. The repair pattern makes her unique! Ambulances to me are special. These were not Rich men's toys. They were built to keep men alive! They belong to those who served, those who they saved , and most importantly, those who did not.

Thanks guys for your input, there is a lot of work to do but it is far from being a hopeless case, there are a lot of redeeming features there is absolutly no rust at all in the chassis, the engine has good compression and it seems to be complete with stretchers and all the bins and brackets in the back. My priorities at the moment are to finish an MWD I have however I want to get the ambulance going so I can give it a run periodically so it won't deteriorate any further and keep it out of the weather. This would be great to have at shows because I can use it as a camper and sleep in the back that is If I can get rid of the smell of rat urine. cheers Charlie

I found this in a shed in the mountains after been tipped off by a guy who knew of a military ambulance that was rotting away and the lady owner did not want to sell it because it belonged to her deceased husband and did not want to see it wrecked, I convinced her I was in to restoring these vehicles and she was keen for me to have it. - I thought, I have a shed full of unfinished projects, I am not getting any younger and another project I did not need so after thinking about this, I went ahead and bought it. It came originally from France to Norfolk Island ( of mutiny on the bounty fame ) and then to New Zealand in 1985. The owner died in 1989 and it has been in this shed ever since. here are some pics for you - enjoy, Charlie

It's time to sort out the antifreeze in the trucks. I know the WOT could use a good flush as there's some greasy crud in the top (possibly radweld from a previous life - not sure) that I'd like to remove so I can see if there are any problems.

 

Can anyone recommend a good radiator flush product I could use before putting fresh antifreeze in?

I have heard but never tried it that the detergent used in dish washers is the best as it is non foaming put it in when the motor is hot and run it for a while drain and flush with clean water a couple of times before putting in the anti freeze - Charlie

There was an article on this landie in last months Land Rover Monthly; Rather a good read, too.

Funny enough there was an article in a newspaper here (New Zealand) about this landrover, and it being a local owned one, It must have been sent to the UK to be sold seems strange they didn't try and sell it here first, its not likely Winston got two on his 80th birthday

I forgot to mention to you at the swapmeet that MW headlights are the same as Series 1 Landrover and are very similar to some Fordson Tractor headlights. We have some of the tractor headlights, I will take some photos of one beside a genuine Bedford MW one for you.

Thanks Alex thats great I have just found a Dodge ambulance (same as mash) on a farm that I will buy if the owner will part with it I don't really need another project just yet but its rare and its available so I will have to get it.

Charlie, I think this is your truck.

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yes thats it, in the day when it had head lights, spring catches on the engine side panels and the fuel tank trays. I now know what the registration number is thanks Alex. If you are ever up this way let me know - cheers Charlie

here is a pic of the bumperettes on my cargo as you can see they are different from a GMC. I checked out the cross members on my truck they seem to be the same as yours here is a pic of the bumperettes

Never knew Jeeps were used on Carriers!

(click for a larger version)

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Don't you just love those jeep drivers just drove out in front of that poor guy trying to land his corsair

I have been following your thread with interest. I have a chev cargo and i think I see some differences that you may want to know about. First of all the bumprettes on a cargo are different to the GMC the spare wheel carrier is the same and fits, the pintle hook is the same on both and the back mudguards are the same. the GMC has a 5 speed gearbox and the chev a 4 speed one, the GMC transfer box fits the chev but the gear ratios are different. On looking at your pics it seems to me the back cross member and the cross member by the hand brake are different to my truck, If this is correct it may only mean that there was subtle differences between the years or the countries they were sent to or the different applications the chev had. If the fittings on the chassis are riveted on it means they are original if they are bolted on then most likely they are not original. Tomorrow I will take some photos for you and post them here. When you are over all these hassles you will enjoy driving the chev. cheers Charlie

Hi,we are coming over to New Zealand next February(2013) and i was wondering if anybody could recommend any good museums/shows,starting in the north island( mid feb) and them moving to the south were our friends live(Dunedin),Any idea`s would be greatly recieved as i will be limited to how many i can go to(as both my wife and her friend arenot really into it),but would be ok for me and her hubby to wander of occassionally.They live there so would need to give them some notice as they are planning the trips etc.

Thanks in advance Simon:-)

Hi Simon, I live in a place called Taupo if you look at a map of the north island you will see a large lake in the centre of the island, thats where I live it is a thermal area and very popular with tourists if you are here I will certainly show you and your friends around with some visits to MV restorers - so keep me in the loop ! cheers Charlie

Absolutely wonderful

This pic would look good above the bar in the clubhouse :-) ..... Charlie

Hello to all from Auckland, New Zealand,

 

I found this forum whilst googling vintage truck restoration and have been fascinated by the threads. I have restored a few Citroen cars over the years and am part through my 57 DS19. I have been heavily involved in heavy vehicles, buses & coaches, for many years. With more free time now I am thinking of a commercial restoration, preferably a vintage truck. I am hoping (all fingers crossed) to find an AEC, my favourite chassis. If Santa reads this then a Y Type would be top of my wish list.

 

I'll be keeping my eyes skinned on my travels.

 

Regards to all,

 

Danny Robins.

Hi Danny, There is a QL Bedford just waiting for you, if you drive north out of Kamo it is sitting in a yard on the right easily seen from state highway 1, also in Matamata there was a matador that the owner was prepared to give away it was in bad condition but definitley restorable - cheers Charlie

here is the latest video on you tube. The first flight is on Wednesday and the airshow where it is starring is on Saturday. I will be there to check it out. cheers Charlie

Could someone out there tell me what the torque settings for the big end and main bearings on a Bedford J1 engine are ?

This motor came with my MW and I had to renew the front and back oil seals, I removed the back bearing cap before I realised I didn't have to - I must get a manual. :embarrassed: cheers Charlie

Some pics of the front panel of the Bedford (before and after) I had to to cut out the rust in places and weld in patches which caused a lot of distortion and twisting of the panel I had to do some relief cuts and re weld using a wet towel although it took longer than i thought I am happy with the end result. The bumper was a mess when I started on it and now I am finished it still looks a mess :cry: but it will do for know. At the moment I am working on the floor of the dodge I would like to get that finished before I start back at work at the end of October. cheers Charlie

Really pleased with my weekends work, what do you think?

 

 

Its looking good - slowly slowly catches the monkey as they say cheers Charlie

You must have tried sanity once. Didn't you like it? That is one big project! But you've come to the right place for help support and understanding. Also you qualify for immdiate membership of the VIP Rubber room.

soooo you have a key for the VIP rubber room as well as the club house :-)

Just like to say "HI" to all the other military enthusiast out there. I have bought a 1944 DUKW, that I will be restoring hopefully over the next two years. It needs alot of work but I am going to put the time and money into it so I can end up with a piece of history. I will post pic's as I go, so feel free to comment, and ask any questions you might have. My restoration project is on the rough side, but will be well worth it in the end. If you have any DUKW parts you might be willing to sell, drop me a line as I need all the parts I can get, to get this DUKW a rolling and swimming!

Cheers!!

 

I love these things, first job get rid of that yellow paint - good luck with the project keep the pics coming cheers Charlie

Did you make a whole new bulk head from scratch? Looks very nice.

 

All the best, Richard

Hi Richard, no I didn't build from scratch the top panel was patched retaining the form on the sides and the pressed front piece where the top panel meets the firewall I had to double skin the joints to give it strength and spot weld it. I folded the edge that folds over the dash before I welded it in. cheers Charlie

Very impressed with the dodge scuttle a lot of work there.

 

Pete

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your kind words, sometimes I think that someone has turned off the light at the end of the tunnel, at the moment I am working on the front panel of the bedford while I wait for the water pump for the dodge. I will post some pics when I am finished. cheers Charlie