The Restoration of Austin Champ 1824

[mazungumagic]

I have to do a Ural tank and I am thinking of ratchet strapping it to a cement mixer bowel

 

G'day Mike,

 

One of the team has a cement mixer and we thought about doing just that, but the mixer probably wouldn't do the whole tank - as the tank is long and narrow, it would only fit into the mixer lengthways, so there would be areas at the mouth of the mixer and above which wouldn't see any of the secret ingredients. I suppose though, it would just be a matter of mixing one end for a few minutes and then end for ending the tank in the mixer and begin again.

 

Must give that some thought - it might be easier on the team !

 

 

 

Jack

[mazungumagic]

We didn’t get a lot done today, though we did sort out the fuel tank. Decided not to use the POR 15 on the tank, as it looked very good on the inside, but in lieu we put a little petrol in the tank and checked for leaks.

 

There were none, so we undercoated the tank and will top coat it next week, before installing it.

 

I’ll use the POR 15 product on a Model T Light Patrol Car that I’m also restoring. It is a much simpler tank and only 10 gallons capacity, so swinging it around to swill the mixture into hidden nooks, will be much simpler.

 

One of the work crew brought in his Chev Blitz as it needed a winch rope installed and we spent a little time during the day, doing that. The rope was 5/8” and went on relatively smoothly, after a trial run, which gave us the length we needed to fill the winch drum – there doesn’t seem to be any detail on winch rope length in the various Blitz manuals.

 

 

Then we turned to the remaining section of the exhaust. I am fortunate to have an exhaust business located near me and they pretty much always have a bin full of offcuts, which seldom fails to produce the bits I need. It didn’t let me down this time either. I got a section with a right angle bend which I needed for the last part of the system, where it comes out of the muffler and exits near the left rear tyre.

 

This was trimmed for length and test fitted before welding to a couple of flanges I’d made up and then bolted to the rear lateral bracket. The Champ now has a reasonable facsimile of the genuwine article.

 

 

 

We didn’t make it for ANZAC Day (on tomorrow), but that was looking very unlikely quite a few posts ago.

[Rick W]

All very nice, well done on a good job.

[Rickety]

Never mind Jack there's always next ANZAC day!!!! Or do we need a "T" by then as well!!! We used tank sealant in the ferret tank successfully . You don't need to move the tank all the time so much as to move it every few minutes depending on the surface and distance so that it has time to really soak into the seams and let any air bubbles surface. The product we used was slightly more runny than honey, We kept moving it over an hour or so . Carefully greasing worked best on the threads to keep them clean as it was hard to do afterwards and you don't want to risk disturbing the skin inside. Champ is lookin good. See ya.

[mazungumagic]

Hello Rick(a)Dee,

 

Your list of vehicles continues to be impressive ! Thanks for your help yesterday.

 

 

So... onto progress to date -

 

The last of the metalwork was attacked today – the rear seat base.

 

It had been loitering in the darker area of the shed till now, but with the vehicle pretty much finished, it was time to remove the last of the rust and fix this item structurally, so that the rear upholstery can be attended to.

 

The seat base is made of very light sheetmetal and as a result, it has weathered poorly. A couple of significant rust patches were evident where the design called for a double skin and there were a number of tears in the metal combined with some stretching and general springiness.

 

First job was to cut out the rusty bits and make up new pieces to be sewn in.

 

 

After a fair bit of work, the new patches were welded in and the result was quite satisfactory. As mentioned above the metal had stretched, where loads had been injudiciously placed and we tried with some success, to heat and then shrink the metal which resulted in a much firmer and flatter base. You can probably see evidence of the heated areas of the metal. Very satisfying when the metal does what it is supposed to do.

 

 

The fuel tank and the guard were installed today, though not without some drama. Rubber strips were attached to the tank where it contacts the upper parts of the vehicle and above the bottom securing straps – perhaps that rubber may have been a tad thick (it was about 3/16”), because when the guard was lifted into place, we found it very difficult to locate the various bolt holes, at the rear of the guard where it is secured to the tailgate area of the body. So some re-arrangement of the guard was in order and sad to say, we were obliged to resort to a BFH.

 

“When in doubt give it a clout – the bigger the doubt, the bigger the clout.”

 

Using that motto, combined with a tightening of the tank securing straps, we finally managed to get all the components in place and have crossed off that job.

 

 

A start was also made on the electrics at the rear RH junction block, though I didn’t get a photo of that, yet.

[mazungumagic]

First up, we finished the parts painting – or so we thought ! It was only when we sat down at the end of the day to our usual refreshments, that the canopy bows were mentioned. Oops – they were primed the other day and hung up out of the way – so far out of the way, that they were completely forgotten during our very last paint ! A job for next week.

 

A canvas hood has been ordered from the Worthington’s in the UK, to go with the newly painted canopy bows !

 

The snorkel got another coat, as the support rod and clamp hadn’t been done in DBG. The rear seat base was also treated at the same time

 

 

 

A bunch more wiring was also completed, mostly concentrating this time on the instrument panel, ie the switchboard and gauges. I’ve still got a bit more to do here, mostly related to the lighting and horn, but managed to get the instrument panel back in place. It's a very tight fit and a bit of jiggling was required, but it'll probably be easier the second or third time around.

 

 

I found a few problems with a test run of the Lucas SD 84 indicator switch, using a spare set of lights. Couldn’t get the organic tell tale light to function, when switched to the right. The lights would all blink as they should, but the internal switch light would not function. I guess there must be something awry inside the switch, or I wasn’t connecting it to the correct wires, so I decided to forgo the internal light and patch in a separate light located more centrally to the driver’s vision, ie in front of the steering wheel. The picture above, tells that story.

 

The vehicle is now well on the way to being another finished product –

 

 

I’ve been thinking of embellishing the vehicle, as it’s a bit bland and because I served in the Royal Tank Regiment (1RTR) in the second half of the sixties, I thought that would be the appropriate livery, with which to decorate the front and rear of the vehicle.

 

Does anyone know what the respective tac signs (unit and formation) would have been for that period ? Any photos available ? I regret being inattentive at the time.

[mazungumagic]

Started to connect the wiring thingameejig, a few days ago. I had done a little bit of this last week and actually bolted up the instrument panel, but then on the bike ride home, I started to realise, I may have been too hasty. So I unbolted the panel, slid the combination out a little and found there were some missing wires. I noticed for example, that the wiring diagram details the earth wire for the fuel sender and the panel lighting, is funnelled directly from the large distribution box earth, so having had that made clear, I ran a wire from battery earth directly to the Lucon connector behind the instruments, joining up the two earth wires previously mentioned. That fixed that ! There's a bit more to do, but I'll follow the wiring diagram, marking off connection on it, till the page is a sea of pencil marks.

 

I have done the rear junction block and the front lights/horn, with all the wires now back at the instrument panel ready for the cut and the Lucon connectors. I managed to find enough of the little yellow wiring descriptors, which aids identification and now just need the essential double check, to ensure all the wires are connected to their mates.

 

A pic of the instrument panel as at 4.00pm

 

 

I’ve also been thinking about the 2 x 12 volt batteries and after reading the description of the battery box base (which I didn’t really understand), I’ve devised some battens to support the batteries and will cover them with a sheet of 5 ply, on which the batteries can rest. Might even add a rubber mat.

 

 

also painted the last of the metal work - the canopy bows.

 

Other than that, the day was spent soldering wires, cutting out a rear number plate holder for the Champ and for some light relief, removing a tyre from an old and rusty Dodge WC rim. This vehicle had been converted by the post war Austrian Army into a radio van, which subsequently found its way out to the diggings at Coober Pedy in South Australia – thence to WA.

 

It’s our next project and some of our effort is now being diverted to the stripping of body from chassis.

[mazungumagic]

The first part of the morning was spent on our new project, a LohnerWerke Dodge. As I mentioned last week, this is a WC 51 which was refurbished by the Austrians after WW2 as a radio van and, after spending a part of its new life in the Austrian Army as a chook vehicle, it ended up in Coober Pedy, in the back blocks of South Australia. After various adventures, it was purchased by one of our crew and is our next but one, project.

 

We tasked ourselves today, with removing the Dodge's rear radio shelter and the cab. The process was not overly professional, but nonetheless everything came apart. The vehicle is now in three pieces, waiting for a good clean and a start to be made on the restoration plan.

 

 

Back to the Champ - I’ve now completed the wiring front and rear -

 

 

 

…. and today, I ran some jumper leads from the 24v Pinzgauer to the Champ’s battery leads, to see if I had successfully managed the task, or if I failed. It was a 50 percenter.

 

I was able to get the ignition and oil lights glowing, when I turned on the ignition and the starter turns over, but the head/side/tail lights are not working. Probably just an earth somewhere, though given the fact that all the lights are non functional, it may be that the live wire (Aux Pos) from the Distribution Box, needs checking. Anyway, it’s probably not too much of a drama and I’ll have a good look at the wiring path during the week.

 

The shed is also now home to a 4.2” towed mortar which was recently bought from an Artillery Historical Society. One or two items are missing from the CES, but we can fabricate them – it’ll be a good accessory to the jeeps in the fleet.

 

 

Also made up a wheel alignment tool during the day, to check the alignment of the Champ's front wheels (and any other vehicles we restore) – I’ll try to remember to get a photo of it during the week.

[Gordon_M]

The first part of the morning was spent on our new project, a LohnerWerke Dodge. As I mentioned last week, this is a WC 51 which was refurbished by the Austrians after WW2 as a radio van and, after spending a part of its new life in the Austrian Army as a chook vehicle, it ended up in Coober Pedy, in the back blocks of South Australia. After various adventures, it was purchased by one of our crew and is our next but one, project.

 

 

Oh, that would be the famous Brian from Perth, then?

 

He has a thread running on it here;

 

http://forum.ww2dodge.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11128&hilit=lohner

 

I owned a Champ, once, now sticking to a collection of Dodges as I know how to fix them .....

[mazungumagic]

Oh, that would be the famous Brian from Perth, then?

 

I owned a Champ, once, now sticking to a collection of Dodges as I know how to fix them .....

 

 

Correct, Gordon.

 

I agree with your estimation of Champs - I doubt I will want to do anymore. I'll move on to finish off something a little simpler - say, a Model T Light Patrol Car !

 

 

 

Jack

[mazungumagic]

There’s not too much to do on the Champ now, though I did manage to get some work done on the electrics. The problem I had with the inoperative lights, was traced to the fact that I had no live feed (Aux Pos wire) from the Distribution Box into the switchboard. Hardly any wonder that the lights didn’t work ! I didn’t get a great deal of time on the Champ today, but did manage to rectify that omission.

 

I was also able to do a wheel alignment with a tool that I welded up out of scrap. It worked very well, once we got the hang of the track rod adjustment set up.

 

 

 

We also attached the canopy bows and are now waiting for the canopy to arrive from the UK.

 

 

This Friday, I should be able to collect the front seat upholstery from a motor trimmer and I’ll also drop off the rear seat metal work for him to complete the job with the slightly more involved rear vinyl.

 

We spent most of the day rubbing back and painting a few of the Model T parts that I’ve had in the workshop for around a year, while our main effort was focussed on the Champ. With that work now coming to an end, we are now switching to the T. So, today we got out the two pack “Sand Glow”, mixed it up with some thinners, a dollop of hardener and a little flattener (to take off some of the gloss). The Sand Glow is a Leyland colour and while no one seems to be able to provide any positive evidence about the colour used by the Light Car Patrols in the Sinai and Egypt, I’m quite happy with the result.

 

 

 

So, I'll be fading out of the Champ restoration blog soon and opening up another, on the completion of the Model T.

[mazungumagic]

While rubbing back the Model T parts we painted last week in preparation for their final coat, we did manage to get some Champ jobs done.

 

Adjusted the brakes and obtained an improved pedal. Also adjusted the handbrake and managed to get that working well, at the fourth notch.

 

After that, we started the Champ and did a few adjustments on the carby and the distributor, to the extent that the vehicle is now running very well. There was some rhythmic noise from the fan which sounded like the fan blade ends were contacting the circular metal of the shroud, so we shimmed the shroud a little further to the front of the vehicle and the noise has now abated. It could be that the fan and its internal gubbins may be faulty, producing a bit of wobble so I will dust off the spare that I have and tart it up. If we have to replace the engine fan, it won’t be a major drama, though removing the radiator to get at the fan at this stage will be a minor and unpleasant challenge.

 

The electrics are now mostly sorted – the indicators weren’t working, but a change of flasher can has proven that the original Hella type I had installed, was faulty. The new one is only a two pin, while the original was a three and that’ll require a bit of thought to rig it, so it works externally and lights up the internal tell tale.

 

I’ve also got one headlight (LH) which is dimmer that the other – possibly an earthing problem, but now that the grille is in place, the light and its surrounds are proving difficult to extract, to check what the problem might be. I’ll keep working on that.

 

A working 24v horn is hard to find and those that are available, are ridiculously expensive, so I picked up a modern 24v type for $20 and wired that up inconspicuously, while leaving an original looking (but only 12v) horn, prominent on the RH side. The setup works well.

 

The last of my electrical problems appeared when I connected the batteries - the brake lights were on. It wasn't hard to trace this fault back to the brake light switch, which is obviously stuck in the closed position. I'll have to get a new one and work out some way of preventing air from entering the system while I change the switches over.

 

Still have to complete the fuel line from filter to pump, but that’s coming along and I should have that finished and secured in place, this week.

 

No pictures this week, though I’m working on mastering the camera so that I can get a sight and sound video of the engine running.

Edited June 6, 2013 by mazungumagic

[Jerrykins]

Well done Jack, lovely proper job. How about turning your hand to a Stalwart restoration next, just to keep up your skills of dealing with levels of complexity! Jerry

[mazungumagic]

Thanks Jerry - there were some who said it couldn't be done, but it was. It is really a tribute to the skills of my fellow workers and their perseverance, though I doubt I could convince them to sign on for a Stalwart !

 

The Model T is next - I'll get a blog going on that - it only needs a few weeks work to complete it. Then we transition into the Lohner Dodge.

 

 

 

Jack

[mazungumagic]

The fan noise from last week created a gnawing suspicion that I might have assembled the fan incorrectly when I was putting it together, many moons ago. So I found another fan, pulled it apart and checked it, as well as re-familiarising myself with its features, via the Tech Manual. Once I was happy knowing how it was way it was designed to work, I took it over to the workshop. Today we removed the radiator and the original fan, to find that one of the five nuts holding it onto the fan boss, was missing and the remainder were untight. The stud which was minus its nut, was so badly scored and bashed, that I was obliged to run a die down it, before I could start a nut.

 

The other thing that was noticeable about the radiator and particularly the shroud was that the fan had been fouling the canvas closest to the metal ring. That was what had been making the noise on the first start up.

 

That done and the fan secured, the radiator went back in and was bolted down with all tubing re-connected.

 

The fuel line was next. I had completed the run of the line from filter to pump, during the week and now it was time to test for leaks. A few gallons into the tank – no leaks at that end. Much priming at the pump produced no result, so we added some compressed air to the tank and were rewarded with some fuel exiting from the top of the filter. We realised after a few false starts, that the aluminium washer on the top of the filter, was not seating properly and gave the top a good clean. That produced the desired result and we then got fuel through to the pump and thence to the carby. Again no leaks along the fuel line following the chassis from rear to front, so we started the Champ again and - the canvas shroud rubbing noise re-appeared. We spaced the shroud away from the fan with a set of 1/8” washers and the noise has now been eliminated. Perhaps the repro shrouds may be too bunched at the ring ?

 

During the week I had removed the LH headlight to check the earth circuit and found the wiring connection to the globe needed a bit of cleaning, which was done and I now have perfectly balanced headlights. The only electrical problems left are the indicators, which will be fixed as soon as an ebay purchase of a three pin flasher can arrives (shortly) and the non functioning instrument panel light. I may have to pull out the speedo portion of the panel and check how/if I connected the IL wire.

 

I’ve also now picked up my upholstery and installed the front seats – the rear ones will have to wait a few days till I’m completely satisfied that I can secure the rear axle cover, before they (the rear seats) are attached.

 

[mazungumagic]

After the fan trouble I had last week, I thought it was time to change the fan belts, The C51s which were on the engine, were very tatty and the breather hose on the genny was hitting the RH mudguard, so reasoning that a set of C50s would solve the length problem, I went and got a couple. That was not the right decision !

 

I was not in the hunt to get them fitted. So back to the shop and exchange those C50s for a set of C51s. After struggling a bit to get the belts onto the pulleys for a second time, past the tiny gap betwixt top pulley and radiator, then around all the fan blades, I was finally successful. Once the radiator had been unbolted (yes you have to do that on a Champ), it wasn’t that difficult. At full tension, the genny breather hose now sits a good 25mm away from the mudguard, so it’s clear that the old belts had significant stretch in them. i didn't realise they would have stretched that much.

 

My duckboards are now nearly completed – just the RH rear one to finish and they’re done.

 

I’ve now got the indicators working. I had initially used an old 24v flasher can I’d had sitting around for a few years, but it was clearly inoperative, so I ebayed a three pin can and fitted that. The result was perfectly functioning indicators as well as the tell tale light, positioned in front of the driver.

 

The panel light is now working. Not sure what I did there, but it’s now good to go. Shouldn’t question why, when problems fix themselves – it happens so rarely.

 

I’ve now narrowed my problems down to a mere two in number. Neither the fuel gauge nor the temp gauge, is cooperating. Not sure I can do anything about the temp gauge (they seem to be a universal complaint with Champs), apart from installing another modern capillary type, tapped into the unused plug in the water pump. The fuel gauge though, may be fixable if, as I suspect, the problem lies with the sender unit and I can locate a serviceable replacement. I’ve got power at the sender unit, but nothing registering on the gauge.

 

The gearbox cover is now on – I forgot to run a tap down the myriad of ¼” UNF captive nuts before engine and gearbox were installed. They should have been attended to when they were easily reachable. Everyone of those nuts, needed attention before the bolts would start and at that stage using a tap in the very confined spaces, was a true test of stamina.

[mazungumagic]

As mentioned last week, I replaced the C50 fanbelts with C51s which I managed to instal with the minimum of fuss…

 

 

The vehicle is now near enough to finished and we moved it last Monday, from the Workshop where it has been for over twelve months, to my place - where it will be for a little longer.

 

 

There are a few things which still need to be done, but I can easily do these minor tasks at home rather than cycle the two hour round trip to the workshop and back !

 

I still need to swap over the brake hydraulic switch which just arrived from the UK at a cost of $A26 delivered, compared to $A48 from a local brake shop !

 

A bit more tidying up and the vehicle will be taken to the licensed vehicle inspector (a Veteran Car Club appointee) for his roadworthy check and, all being well, the licence/registration will follow.

 

At this point, I need to thank the four people together with the occasional "ring in", who helped immeasurably with this restoration. The work could not have been even contemplated without the team of Tony, Murray, Brian and Peter. Thanks to you all. Bravo Zulu.

Edited June 27, 2013 by mazungumagic

[mazungumagic]

Still working on a few essential bits.

 

The temp gauge refuses to function, so I obtained a capillary type to fit, but am waiting for the right fittings (into the water pump) to be sourced.

 

I also found a second hand fuel gauge sender unit, but before fitting this one, I decided to check the original - which didn’t seem to work, despite having four gallons in the tank. When I removed this one from the tank and raised/lowered the float, the gauge made no effort to respond, till the float was around the halfway mark and then it bounced into life. So clearly something is wrong with one of the Fuel 1, 2 or 3 wires. The Manual doesn’t give much guidance here, in regard to which of the three wires may be at fault, so I may simply have to put up with its vagaries. The second hand one I acquired, doesn’t work at all – it was a little corroded around the small wire joints, so I’m assuming it’s stuffed.

 

The non working brake hydraulic switch which I located under the removable rear seat panel, has been replaced by the UK one and it functions perfectly. The operation was done with only the loss of a micro drop of brake fluid – so a pretty successful transfer all round. The panel is now bolted down securely and I’m hoping I won’t have to go in there again, in the foreseeable future.

[mazungumagic]

I managed to get an adaptor for the temperature gauge bulb, but it still isn’t the easiest to fit.

 

I’ve used the blanked off hole on the water pump and the adaptor I picked up, has the correct tapered thread to fit that hole. The second internal plug however, is not tapered and water is sealed off by a very small shoulder on the bulb, coming into contact with a raised flange inside the outer adaptor. I had to find a thick copper washer to sit inside the smaller adaptor and that now gives it room to seal correctly - I hope.

 

This first pic is of the adaptors screwed in to the water pump hole...

 

 

... the second pic is the capillary tube attached - It had a garish red sleeve, but I managed to find some spiral wrap to tone down the colour a trifle.

 

 

and the last is of the gauge itself, inside the cab...

 

 

I think I'm now ready for the vehicle inspection.

[Jerrykins]

I managed to get an adaptor for the temperature gauge bulb, but it still isn’t the easiest to fit.

 

I’ve used the blanked off hole on the water pump and the adaptor I picked up, has the correct tapered thread to fit that hole. The second internal plug however, is not tapered and water is sealed off by a very small shoulder on the bulb, coming into contact with a raised flange inside the outer adaptor. I had to find a thick copper washer to sit inside the smaller adaptor and that now gives it room to seal correctly - I hope.

 

This first pic is of the adaptors screwed in to the water pump hole...

 

 

... the second pic is the capillary tube attached - It had a garish red sleeve, but I managed to find some spiral wrap to tone down the colour a trifle.

 

 

and the last is of the gauge itself, inside the cab...

 

 

I think I'm now ready for the vehicle inspection.

 

You'll have no trouble Jack, after all that quality work it'll be a piece of cake - best. Jerry

[mazungumagic]

A few more little bits added.

 

The canopy arrived today after being shipped from the UK, a mere three days ago ! It is a first class fit.

 

 

...and a fire extinguisher has been found, polished and installed.

 

 

 

 

Jack

[Manylandrovers]

Jack, this is a really enthralling thread although I realise I am a little late to it. My interest in it stems from the fact that I bought a champ engine to do up, and I need a reference point to work From. I'd like to put it in one of my land rovers but could be a little tricky.

i noted in the previous page you were in 1RTR. Don't suppose you bought a 1RTR sign recently did you.....?

Andrew

[BrianT]

Hi Andrew, my name is Brian Thomson and I am a friend of Jack's. Unfortunately Jack passed away suddenly last September. His vehicle has been sold to a member of our club, the Military Section of the Veteran Car club of WA. He is sadly missed.

[Scarab]

Well I just spent the last hour reading this thread from start to finish as I haven't picked it up before and to read that news at the end is absolutely heart wrenching and the most unexpected ending!

 

His enthusiasm and enjoyment for the hobby must really be a terrible loss for all who knew him.

[Brian ilaria]

Fantastic thread thoroughly enjoyed reading it,absolutely gutted regarding the ending RIP Jack what an achievement