Andrew Rowe

The Mk V is only powered by one 671 engine that has a blower ( supercharged ) on the side that I think produces a constant flow of air of only about 5lb. And remember this engine is a 2- stroke. This same engine can range quite a bit in HP , depending on the setup . The Sherman M4A2 has the twin Detroit's , one going one way and the other going the other way. There was probably landing craft or PT boats that used a similar twin configuration as well. Cheers Andrew.

Well, fresh in this week is the new Fuel Tank. I engaged a specialist stainless sheet metal fabricator to craft a tank as close as we could get off the original. The tank is made from 2mm stainless and has all the correct baffles and will use original brass fittings from the old fuel tank, that was too far gone. I have opted for stainless as these give far less trouble in the long term, through my experience , and keeps the fuel nice and clean. The finish of the tank will stay as polished natural stainless. Just as a bit of technical info, the Mk5 Val uses a larger fuel tank, 40 gallons for the Detroit power pack, and the AEC 190 power packs in the MK3 Valentines use 31 gallons as a main tank and these also have a pressure tank of 5 gallons extra, ( total 36 gallons ). The last couple of pictures show an electrical junction box for up in the turret. This box takes power in from a conduit running up the inside of the turret basket from the RBJ under the turret basket and then distributes power to the radio and also the interior roof light. It also has small "spikes " on the top , as it is also used as a footstep when entering the Tank from the commanders hatch. This coming week we are aiming to start bolting parts on the hull, so I look forward to this progress. We have completed the instrument panel wiring, so we should soon be seeing "real " progress. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

I checked on progress today on the Detroit 671 model 6004 at the engine rebuilder. Good progress has been made after a few holdups sourcing some .003 thou shims to go under the liners, so they could get decked to the right height. The pistons had turned up in their boxes with no gudgeon pins either, and this had not been noticed until the pistons were getting put in! The blower is getting overhauled at the moment, and the housing has been found to be not the best, so this has been changed out for another complete blower unit. We are using N55-series injectors , which have all been overhauled. I believe this to be a better injector than the old HV6's and HV7 ones. This will put the engine at about 180HP. Doing this change requires changing the "rack " and also 6 of the fuel pipes are slightly longer on one side, as the inlets to the injector are slightly offset on the N-series, as opposed to the old HV's. Elongated hole liners have been used, brand new. We have also gone for a brand new 24volt MT39 starter motor with 11 tooth profile. These replacement starters have a higher torque and cranking speed than old originals. The only problem is the tooth diameter on the new one is about 3mm larger, so I had to employ the talents of the local specialist hydraulics company that has a wire cutter, so this cog was CAD drawn up to the new diameter and profile of tooth was recut for depth and diameter. This was all done to match up with the original 103 tooth ring gear at about 400mm diameter for the engine. Just out of interest the clutch used is 15 &1/2" diameter x 10 spline at 1 & 3/4" diameter x 3/4" thick. Once the basic engine gets back to my wkshop we will proceed with all the extra bolt on parts, blower , water pump , oil cooler, etc. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

I have been testing the DFT ( dry film thickness ) of the paint in the last day or two while it fully hardens, at the moment we are around an average of 200 microns which is really good, as there will be at least another 2 coats applied when the Tank is finished. A while ago I had started making the test bed for all of the electrical gear. The two generators , the rotary junction block, the turret hand controller, the turret motor and the regulator. Today was a combination of quite a few weeks of work for the electrical department. We finally managed to hook all the wires up for the big test. We have re-wired the rotary junction block, as wires had fallen to bits through old age. There are about 9 connections that run through this. The flexi-able leads all had new wires run through them to make them as good as new. When the main power switch in the Tank is turned on, power runs directly to the hand controller to energize the turret motor, that's why if the Tank is not in use it is advisable to turn the master switch off, so to avoid draining the batteries. We turned on the test bed motor, and we found we were discharging and nothing worked!. The wires on the amp gauge were the wrong way round. So start again, this time the reading is 20amps charging and gradually fades back to 5amps, which I think is what we are looking for, and also the generator warning light correctly goes on and off as it should do. The test bed runs at about 1450rpm and all the pulleys are original ones and right size that will be used on the engine. Next was to sort out why the hand controller was not putting any power into the turret motor, this took another couple of hours as we have found out that the electrical wiring diagrams in the manual do not match up with what should be happening in reality. They were showing 24V going in when 12V was required to energize, and 12V connections on one drawing and showing they were Earth on another! But it worked!, quite a few sparks coming off the brushes, but once I had run it in several directions for a while the brushes have "bedded" in and now no sparks and a smooth action from the motor as it engages from the moment you turn the handle for R/H or L/H rotation. It has a reading on a scale 0-50, not sure what this really relates to, but when we first got it going it only started from the 35 position, now it powers up as you approach position 5 on the scale, very pleased with the idea of setting up a test bed. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

They are not Valentine, the profile is different and all the M3 Stuart, Sherman, Valentines were all bonded to a ring of steel. The M3 and Sherman press on to the wheel hub, and the Valentine has rims either side of the hub and bolt together.

I have found painting the machine like this is way better, because you can get at every angle and good even coats without having to walk anywhere on the Tank itself. I turn the Tank over both ways. Painting time is approx 1/2 hour per coat ,(whole Tank ) with 2 litres applied each time. Consumed approx 8 litres of top coat for the inside. I am even thinking of assembling parts inside the Tank with it on it's side, as once again, way better access, you do not have to keep climbing in and out as more often than not once you get inside, you find you have forgotten a nut or bolt or something! It does help though that I have over 10 tons overhead capacity in my gantry cranes. The Valentine has it's original makers plate, so no need to replicate that, nearly all parts we are using are original. Cheers Andrew.

After 4 coats of white for the interior, it was time to mask out, so the external hull could get it first coat of DBG on. It took most of a day for the masking out, and rubbing down with scotches.Pics show before and after. The external hull will also get 4 coats in the next two days. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

The green colour you see is only primer, the DBG is darker and Flat, cheers Andrew.

The Painting of the main Hull has started, with the first of several coats being applied within a 12 to 16 hour window for the paint to adhere well between layers. We are still having temperatures here of 20 to 25 degrees C , so a good temperature for application. The first pic shows the Hull that is hanging off the hook of my main crane that itself weighs in at 35 tonne. The Hull stripped down like this is around 7.5 tonne. Once the inside has had enough coats of white, I will mask out the interior and apply the finished top coats in DBG. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

I got the temp. gauge back the other day from the instrument specialists, who re tubed and caliabrated it.These units are NOS, but just wanted to make sure everything is working correctly before install. The master battery switch is a standard CAV turn switch. We stripped and cleaned and reassembled, the unit having done no work as there were no signs of "arcing" on the contacts, a little bit of grease on the handle shaft added for smooth function. Both 12V and 24V connections will come off the terminals when installed on the hull wall. The 30amp slydlok fuses are also NOS, that I have managed to find also, the dash ones are 5amp ones, that I also had a box full of. Have also had the wiring diagram laser- etched. This attaches to the L/H hull wall next to the driver, and also a pic of the ever elusive fuse cover .Cheers from The Tank Factory.

Now the hard part, to find an original Fuse cover....where are you hiding? cheers Andrew.

We have finally managed to complete the shock absorbers. With the pulling down of a dozen or more to get good componets, I think we have spent over 200 hours on them ( 4 ) .... but they look good! Another little project on the bench is the 24V generator for the engine , for recharging the main batteries. The Tank runs 2 generators coupled one behind the other, the front one is 24V and for charging the batteries and the other is 12V one for running the electric turret traverse, when the engine is running.Last pic shows more parts to the instrument panel, have fitted the insulated terminal block with threaded studs. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

Thanks for the idea's Richard, but I believe there must still be a few out there somewhere. I have an original Loyd one , but they attach with a screw through the middle, which is also the common after market type that is made at the present. I have a few original bases that take the fuses , but just no lids, Cheers Andrew.

Hi Alastair, the Valentine speedo cable comes straight out of the back of the speedo, as it virtually goes straight to the front inside corner of the hull to mate with the other cable that heads out to the little "hub cap" on the wheel flange. I thought my Loyd one also comes straight out as the loyd dash is mounted on an angle and heads down hill. The second picture shows the CAV fuse box No. 5 that I am trying to find a lid for, it measures: 4 1/2" wide x 4 3/4" x 2 5/16" high and has a little groove for a spring clip to locate in. They were used on mainly early British vehicles, trucks, Tanks ,etc, even if I can get one to remanufacture a lid I would be greatfull, any help? Cheers Andrew.

Yes, Alex , the Loyd uses the same Smiths speedo. Some of the other British tanks of WW2 used basically the same looking speedo, but went to a higher mph figure, like 50 and 60mph , as in the cruiser tanks, Cheers Andrew.

Have started to fill in the holes of the dash panel with gauges. The speedo gauge is NOS and runs clockwise. I also managed to find some NOS speedo cables the other day that run from the dash to the front left hand inside corner of the Tank hull, then there is the larger diameter cable that is shown in the picture that runs through the armour plate of the hull, through the front left hand wheel, and then into a little "hub cap" in the centre of the wheel hub , that this end of this cable "dogs" into. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

More suspension components coming together. The top idler parts as laid out, and the shock absorber parts that we are now assembling. We have sourced new vee pack seals form a local specialist hydraulics company , that we can use in the original bronze housings, which seem to work well. Am considering pumping the cylinders to pressure to check for leaks. I have got some 8 weight mineral oil that is used in citron car shocks , of all things, it is a nice green liquid, so should flow well through the 4 little jets inside the main tube , when the shock loading comes on from movement. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

The top track support roller brackets now have their axles machined for the oil seals to run on , and have all been blasted and painted, ready for install. There are 4 per Tank of this type and 2 larger type for the centre support stations. The instrument panel has now been stripped and painted, ready for the install of gauges as well . There is a near side panel ( large one ) and an off side instrument panel. The smaller one takes a light, temp gauge and a clock, so you know when it is time to brew the tea! Cheers from The Tank Factory.

Thanks John, after restoring and working on Valentines for over 25 years, there are a few lessens that I have learned. We have found even in this restoration, that we can not leave anything to chance, because the minute you take a short cut it will come back and bite you in the a__se!. The idea is to aim for a high quality job, we may not reach 100% , but hopefully we are pretty close . Cheers Andrew.

The Turret gearbox is now installed, although I did make the mistake of getting paint on the teeth of the Turret ring when I painted it , so I will have to go around all of these teeth and polish them, as the thickness of paint is enough to make the meshing of the gearbox cog tighter than I would like, lessen learned. The 2nd pic shows the Besa's bronze mount, this is now ready for install, should work a treat. We are still playing around with the components for the suspensions, so many rims, hubs, etc, and there is a bit of a backlog in the painting department also. The 5th pic in this series shows the top return roller brackets , with their axle stubs pushed out. This was necessary because I am going to re-machine the oil seal surface so it is perfect for the seal to run on. These run a bronze bush in the housing of the return roller and use more of a slurry/ gear oil mixture for lubrication, rather than a straight grease, as the wheel bearings do. In the next 2-3 weeks we will be pushing to get the Tank on tracks , so all our hard work on these components will work out great. The final pic shows my Turret electrical test bed, with the generator cradle rebuilt with new bearings and seals , and I have fitted a 2hp electric motor to drive the two generators, which should in turn power the Turret traverse electric motor. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

I have this Ferret .30cal MK7 no.1 mount, I am looking to sell it, what would a fair price be on these? Any help, Thanks Andrew.

The "red stuff", is a product over here called " Res - Q - Steel " , designed for it's anti-seize capabilities, and proven by us in the trade to be one of the best for this sort of application. Every bolt we screw into the Tank gets this, so in a 100 years time when it is due for " Base Overhaul " the fitters won't be cursing the assembly guys! Cheers Andrew.

Hi Rick, I thought the 6pdr is just a scaled up version of the 2pdr. A few more items have been worked on recently. The first pic is of the Turret traverse gearbox. This has an electric 12 volt motor that bolts on the end, so you have both manual and electric, to rotate the Turret. I have come across a couple of models over the years, and am using the later series 3 version, which the MK5 Val. used. Next up we have the pistol port window handles and catches, and then there are the components for the fan blade hubs, that stick out at the back of the engine , on the bell housing to take the fan blades, two sets required per Tank.Cheers from The Tank Factory.

I married the mantle to the 2pdr the other day. There are 6 x 1/2" BSF bolts that secure the bronze recoil housing to the nose cone, these are a snug fit. Then it was onto fitting this whole unit into the Turret. First I lowered the Turret stand over the gun and then the Turret was put back on the stand and then the gun was raised up to height with the strop through the roof hatch hole. I had my other gantry crane pulling the barrel through the Turret at the same time. Even with all this gear, it still took the best part of a day, as it is pretty hot over here at the moment ( 30C ).The 4th & 5th pic's show the gun depression stop being refurbished, and reassembled. This important little unit stops you blowing the back corner of your Tank off when you are in combat! The next pic shows the gun travel lock ready for installation, and the final pic shows all these bits installed at the business end of the Turret. Cheers from The Tank Factory.

David is 100% correct with his remarks, the only thing we have done on the Bronze casting is to apply a clear Laquor, to hold it's sheen. When larger shafts are chromed more than , I think about 5 thou , they need to be centreless ground for trueness , and normally industrial coatings for wearing end up at about 10 thou at least. The following pics show the manlet nose cone and the 60mm inner shield being mated together, Cheers from The Tank Factory.