Jessie The Jeep Posted November 19, 2011 Author Share Posted November 19, 2011 (edited) Today, I took the Jeep out for a run over to the farm. The Jeep has almost clocked up 11,000 miles in my ownership, and I want to reach this figure before the year is out. Today's trip out leaves me only 8 miles short, which I'll easily achieve before the end of December. Once at the farm, the Dodge was given a six mile trip to stretch its legs, brakes, transmission etc., before hiding away in the barn for the winter. The pictures below show the Jeep and Dodge coming and going, and the Dodge about to get wrapped up before the rain and snow come. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 (edited) I managed to spot this FT-151 mounting tray on Ebay recently. They don't seem to come up very often, and I was lucky to get it in the last few seconds of the auction. This tray is for the BC-375 transmitter. While I haven't yet got the transmitter, I do have most of one set aside for me by a guy who has the bits of three, and is using them to restore one working version. He's got it packaged up for me and needs to find out a shipping cost for me. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Look what turned up in the post today; my BC-375 transmitter. It needs some sides, top, back and the front louvred panels finding or making, but will look great next to the receivers in the back of the truck. I've already fitted the BC-191 Tuner and fitted the Transmitter to the mounting tray purchased in January. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted March 25, 2012 Author Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) I started work on the missing panels for the BC-375 transmitter today.The first to be tackled is the left side where there are only three connectors. After measuring up, the holes were marked and 'chain drilled', before the centres were punched out and the holes cleaned up with a file. Some UNC screws were also ordered for attaching the panels and the replacement voltmeter. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 I put my back out a couple of weeks ago, and haven't been able to work on anything recently. As a result, it's also been eight weeks since I last checked on the Dodge, so I went over to the farm today. After priming, I climbed in and hit the starter. 68 years old, still with 6 volt electrics, not run for eight weeks, lots of cold damp, wet weather, and it still started second press of the button! It warmed up nicely, and was running smoothly, so I took it for a short drive for a few miles just to exercise its joints. The last time it was out of the barn was November last year, and it was running a little lumpy, so I'm guessing the damp must have got to it a bit. Today was great and after five months without driving it, I only crunched the gears twice! I'll bring it home in a couple of weeks, and give it a look over ready for the first two events of the year later in May; Blyth Battery Goes to War and the Wheels & WIngs event at the Yorkshire Air Museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) On 'Star Wars' day ( May 4th ), I brought the Dodge home for the bank holiday weekend to do the Spring servicing before the season gets under way. The various fluids were checked or changed, the battery level topped up and given a good charge. While home, it was the first chance to see if the BC-375 transmitter would fit on the shelf, since when I built the shelf, I was only working from transmitter dimensions I found on the net. Fortunately it fitted ok, so the mount was bolted in place. I'll keep the transmitter at home to continue work on the missing panels. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) Another small job done was to trim the pioneer rack bolts on the tailgate, as I'm in constant danger of ripping my HBT's climbing in and out. I've been close a few times, and I know sooner or later it would happen. Until I can find original panels, or get louvred replacements made, I wanted the transmitter presentable in the truck. So for now, I've started making this plain cover to fill the opening where the valves fit. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) The aliminium sheet was notched at the top, same as the originals, to fit under the rivets, while the bottom was drilled to fit over the pins where the retaining catches fit. Since I don't have any wrinkle finish paint, and don't want to waste buying some for a temporary panel, I decided on a different approach. I placed some 120 grit sand paper on the aluminium sheet, and hit it with a hammer to put a slight texture into the aluminium. I have plenty of satin black from the Jeep restoration, and it's a fairly good match for the transmitter colour. The combination of the colour and texture mean the new panel won't look too far out of place. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) Fortunately I've got two of the catches which can be used. The catches have already been riveted in place at some time, so I've carefully filed the rivet enough that the catch can be disassembled, the the cover plate drilled in the appropriate location for the rivets. The pin at the back of the rivet is a hollow tube, and I should be able to flare the tube out again to hold the catch onto the cover plate once the black paint is dry. I finished today by spraying the panel satin black, and this has now been left to dry before the catches can be fitted. Because of the position of the transmitter in the truck, the other missing panels aren't obvious. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 (edited) The panel was dry this morning so the clips were glued and riveted in place. The panel was fitted to the transmitter while the glue sets to make sure the clips are aligned correctly. Inset is the warning sign on the front of an original louvred panel. I'm planning on reproducing this to take away some of the plain look of the temporary panel. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) A picture of the original warning sign was cleaned up in my photo program and then printed onto clear waterslide decal paper. Because I have an inkjet printer, rather than laser, the ink then needed sealing with a clear varnish to make it waterproof before application. This was applied and left to dry yesterday. A piece of 1mm aluminium sheet was cut to the size of the sign and drilled in the corners for the mounting bolts. This was given a clear gloss coat to help to create a smooth finish for the decal to stick to. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) The valve cover was removed now that the glue has fully cured on the retaining clips, allowing it to be drilled for the warning sign. The plate was positioned higher up the valve cover than it would be on the louvred panel to better balance the expanse of the plain panel. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) Some small brass bolts hold the warning sign in place. It can be removed and fitted to the louvred panel once that is made, but for now, the transmitter is looking pretty good. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) This morning, a small 12v battery was installed in the transmitter today, which was connected up to the voltmeter, milliampere meter and power light. A new lens was also turned on the lathe for the light, and a red acrylic reflector added behind the lens. Here's the bulb shining at the 45 degree bevelled end of the red acrylic rod. This reflects the light out towards the lens on the outside of the case. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) Here's an animation with the transmitter powered up to show the light and meters working. A new clear cover was also made for the calibration chart as the original cover had badly yellowed with age. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 12, 2012 Author Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) Last thing for today was to paint the end panel and once dry, it was screwed to the end of the transmitter. It is all ready for my first event this year next weekend at Blyth Battery. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) Here's a few pictures from the first day at Blyth Battery. With a fresh NNE wind, sitting right on the coast was rather cold, and I spent much of the day hiding in the back of the Dodge out of the wind. The forecast is slightly better for tomorrow. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) Here's a few of the other displays. First, the field kitchen and part of the battery itself, the range finding towers. The grey and pink paint in the buildings shows the different ages of various parts of the gun battery. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 (edited) Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 nice one thanks for sharing ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 If there's anything new there tomorrow, I'll get a few more pictures. I missed the battle on the beach because I was watching over the truck at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) Here's another couple of pictures from Sunday. Only a few more days and it's off to the show at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) Something that has annoyed me for a while are the two AA batteries that run the two clocks on the meteorological panel. The cold sucks the life out of them, the clocks start running slow and then the front of the panel needs unscrewing to replace the batteries and reset the time. Today I replaced the two AA batteries with a single 2 volt rechargable cell powering both clocks. A charging socket was then fitted in the side of the panel to make topping up the battery a simple affair. The next job was to add a 12 volt battery inside the front left locker. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) This battery will power the radios dial lights, and also in time, an airband radio and amplifier. The wiring has all been done with cotton insulated cable which runs up the seat back and along the window edge to the radio trays. Cable grips were made from a strip of aluminium folded around the two wires, and drilled for a fixing screw. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) The final small job was to add the spare aircraft first aid kit to the front right panel in the rear body. The beginnings of a first aid symbol has been painted to clarify what the small wall mounted bag is. It still contains some WW2 era sealed dressings. Edited October 20, 2020 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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