AndyFowler Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 Lovely colour mate ! I've just got in and now off to shed for some similar activity ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted March 28, 2012 Author Share Posted March 28, 2012 The saying "make hay while the sun shines" springs to mind. Done a few more bits today, now bored watching paint dry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Due to the nice weather we have been experiencing lately, I have not done much. In between rain showers yesterday, I braved the cold and after finally aquiring all the conduit I needed, rebuilt my generator cable, as originally I painted it, and later decided it didn't look very good, and made it very stiff to bend. Armed with new flexible conduit and tinned copper sleeving, my first problem was that the new flex didn't mate up to the old cable ferrules, so with much head scratching and wandering around the garden, I remembered I had some old copper refrigeration pipe laying near the shed. With a bit of cleaning up and a quick bore out with a cone cutter, I modified the ferrules. The old ones were cut up, and knocked into the copper piping, a bit of solder was added later when the flex was inserted. One end was soldered up and the leads threaded through to check everything mated up ok. Then I took it apart again to enable me to get the flex length correct. With the other end now cleaned up, I slid over the sleeving, which was a lot less painless than I thought it was going to be. With the sleeve on, I the began to solder up the end of the conduit. With this done, I set about getting all the components of the plug, which considering the size, has a lot of parts. After working out which bit went where, and in which order I had to put them together, for the last time I fed the leads into the conduit ( masking tape was removed as it was fed in) with the cable all together, I started to assemble the plug components, it went together quite easily, the terminal ends being soldered and finished off with a small piece of heatshrink tubing. The rest of the plug was then assembled and the pieces tightened up. Now I just have to paint the plugs when I get chance to. Almost as good as new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Proper job, well done..:bow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Making use of the sun again this week, managed to get some more bits painted, though only undercoat so far, as I have run out of paint filters. Priorities were the air compressor and drive gearcase, steering hydraulic tank again, as something didn't go right first time! Most of the 2 accumulators were done too, among other bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 I have also been working on repairing a couple of horn push & dipswitch units, as I've got a small collection, which was in some stuff from Withams. I think they must've been left outside for a long time, as they were all seized solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Daymond Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 did the horn pushes come apart easily? Mine is not right, sometimes it works, sometimes not, I think it's due to some bad contacts inside? Didn't want to strip it and end up with bits everywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 No, they were blooming tight! Aluminium corrosion internally being the main reason. A couple of nuts on each stud, a vice and oil filter wrench eventually worked for me to loosen the metal cap. There should be no loose bits inside them, as all bits are screwed together in some way, shape or form. I have somewhere an ISP drawing of the whole assembly, when I find it I will scan it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 It's the little bits like those that seem to take ages to get done, but they do look good in the end and well worth doing. Nice job there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 There is some satisfaction about these jobs, taking a crappy old unit and turning it into something presentable. The finished articles. Not really done a awful lot lately due to inclement weather! Trying to get little bits and bobs painted while there is a bit of sunshine, and quickly whip them back into the shed when the rain starts again!!! Giving the air compressor drive some paint, the air line and hydraulic adapters and other whatsits have also had a bit of paint to hopefully keep a bit of rust away till required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 I had a little ride up north to Jacksons, to collect some bits on Saturday, by the sounds of things there may be many more to come. I got another exhaust silencer, steering control valve, clutch cover, clutch plate, and a LH and RH handbrake shoe, to add to the growing spares list. Hopefully not required, but you never know. A transfer box has been put to one side too, as mine has a horrible knocking which I believe is coming from the input shaft. All in all a good days shopping.:-D:-D:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Nice one mate ! Just got to keep pluging away and eventually it'll all come together ! That's what I keep saying to myself anyway ! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Another week with not a lot done due to work and weather, why is it always sunny when at work, and wet, windy and generally miserable when at home? Post man was busy though, have had some interesting items delivered, some nos hydraulic filter elements, and a couple of original manuals, artillery tractor user handbook, and parts list for recovery vehicle, as they were built on the same running gear and chassis. On the working front, just done a little bit more panelwork, measuring and marking to drill holes for rivetting, trying to line them up to utilize the existing rivet holes, not easy when working with channel section frames. Maybe a little bit off with some of them, but I'm sure they'll line up and not look too bad when done. Also managed to get a bit of undercoating done too, as the sun shone for a while in the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 Been rather quiet again on the Martian front due to weather, but in yesterdays bit of sun I did get a bit more painting done. Managed to slap some DBG on the compressor and half of the drive gearcase, got a few little brackets cleaned up and primered. I have also removed from the truck the complete speedo drivecable/gearbox assemblies for cleaning up and servicing, the cable from the auxiliary gearbox is a bit worse for wear, as it sits too close to the exhaust silencer ( slight mod there upon refit I think), and begun stripping the tyre inflator unit, mostly bits that I can do sat in the shed out of the rain, nothing too exciting unfortunately. Angle gearbox before and then in pieces, not a lot of lubricant inside, mostly caked up too. Straight gearbox too, lubricant not too plentiful. Gearboxes primered and topcoated. Intermediate drive cable is otherwise in good nick, just the conduit stiff from being in the same position for 55+ years, a good soaking with WD40 and some oil helped free it off a bit, and a good clean of the outside, and looks good to use. The rearmost cable I may have to completely strip and rebuild, I haven't really got into it that far yet. I had done the tyre inflator originally many years ago, but only really did half a job, so completely stripped and blasted ready for fresh coat of paint. Just got to wait now for the sun to shine again!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 Almost forgot, I've got a new book to read, this one being the user handbook for the FV1110 LWB cago truck. In as new condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 Having finally seen a bit of sunshine this week, I have got a bit more DBG used up. Got a few more items painted, and left out for a day to dry off. Hydraulic fluid tank an brackets, accumulators and other odd brackets and bits got covered. Tank & brackets. Accumulators, took some thinking on how to paint in one go, and odd bits hanging. More odd bits hanging off whatever I could find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 I have also been beavering away in the shed stripping and repairing an indicator control box which was in pretty poor condition. Needed a bit of welding and infills on the box itself, and the plastic? panels were fine wet sanded to remove many years of gunge, and polished up with T cut. Quite a few new parts are being used, warning lamp, indicator switch, wiring and terminal connectors, and flasher unit too. Before. Repairs. New parts. Nearly there. Just waiting to get some short screws to finish off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 27, 2012 Author Share Posted July 27, 2012 Lastly, I have been busy helping to strip and repair a Matador, converted to breakdown wagon, and suffered an accident several years ago. Just a few views of current progress. Bit of a sorry state. Undercover and starting to remove panels. OS nearly naked. From the back end. I don't know how long this will take to put back on the road, as there is an awful lot to do to the old girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smithy Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 You have certainly been moving forward and it will no doubt continue to come together with every little bit you do. Great to see that the Matador pictured is still around as I remember seeing it pictured on here when the accident happened and I thought it would be just scrapped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 [ATTACH=CONFIG]65289[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]65290[/ATTACH] More odd bits hanging off whatever I could find! So that's where it went! I'd parked it in reception! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 You can have it back when I've finished with it. It may even be all green, as opposed to just odd bits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Been a bit slow of late on the Martian front, been doing a bit more on the Matador, going to a few shows, and also generally rubbish weather. But I've been out the last two days and pottered with a few things. Have rebuilt a hydraulic filter with new element, and affixed it to the hydraulic tank head, reassembled the hand throttle unit and made up a new floor panel to replace one that broke. Parts from the old filter, though new nuts and rubber washers are being used. New element. Tightening it all up evenly. Fixed to the tank head. Next job. After finally finding where I had put all the parts to the hand throttle unit, and getting new nuts and washers, assembly commenced with a few glances at the ISP to get it lined up correctly. Doesn't look too bad, only got one small bit to touch up where I dropped it! Lastly I made up a new floor piece, as I broke the corner when trying to remove the cam locks for cleaning. Various tools were used to make it. Measuring up with a bit of old scrap ply. Cut out with handsaw and jigsaw. Holes drilled using flat blade and cone cutter. Had to work the grey cells hard to figure the best way to mark out the cutouts for the where the ring pulls sit. I put the hole saw in my pillar drill, and taped the saw to get the correct depth. Because I didn't want the centre bit to bite too far I moved it right up out the way. Good old hammer and wood chisel were the tools to remove the unwanted material from the cutout. The edges were smoothed off with a dremel type tool and rotary sander. The old and the new. Good enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Still quite quiet lately, all i've done is aquired a few more bits of Unipren cable 18 and 50 amp, as far as I can tell from LR radio installations, but ideal for odd lengths that I need for Distribution box leads and such like. Decent price too. Also on the electrickery front, I have made up a new junction box to switchboard conduit, which I am quite pleased with, certainly better than the Mk1 I did earlier, which I will most likely redo, when I have more tinned copper sleeving. 18 amp unipren, about 12 ft x 4 lengths. Nice new 50 amp unipren, not sure how much. Junction box conduit. Looks half decent. I think my next job is rewiring another Distribution box. Also really hoping to get some panels rivetted on within the next month, fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted November 17, 2012 Author Share Posted November 17, 2012 I have to say I've hardly done a thing on the truck lately, so no panels back on yet, will probably leave that till spring now as days are getting shorter. All I have really done is a bit more parts shopping, and a bit of work on the removable flooring panels. Shopping has entailed laying on the settee and ordering stuff of the internet when I see something that will be useful for the rebuild. So it has been a case of ebay and a new one I've not heard of, makano surplus, whose website is oddly enough http://www.makanosurplus.co.uk , this site is full of bits & bobs for mainly Ferret, Saracen, Saladin and other armoured vehicles of the era, but as with commonality of parts at the time, stuff for softskin vehicles too. Quick service and delivery times too, 5 stars in my book, well pleased with them. Nos B80/81 plug leads, got a spare set too to put away. Also got these, good lengths of Unipren 12, hopefully long enough to do for rear lights etc, possibly originally Saracen/Saladin fitment. From ebay, you can find some real bargains/treasures at decent prices, I aquired 6 NOS red charging lamp lenses and 3 No plate/convoy lamp repair kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted November 17, 2012 Author Share Posted November 17, 2012 With regards to the floor panels, just been removing the old layers of paint and beginning to sand them down ready for an undercoating. Ready to strip & clean. Bit of filler, a good sand & slap some paint on. This one is not too bad as it's out of sight under the centre seat. Sanded ready for paint, unfortunately this also killed my belt sander! Santa I need a belt sander :-D. Lastly for now the metal cowl bits that cover the top of the auxiliary gearbox, I've got them stripped but not painted. I'm also in the process of rebuilding the electric fuel pump, with a new repair kit, will post at a later date. Also the floor panel locks are in the process of being cleaned by the good old electroloysis method, with mixed results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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