restoration Maud - The Sequel

[andym]

I thought I'd start an occasional thread on the progress of Maud the Stalwart. Please don't expect too much too often, but it might provide some interest.

 

As already mentioned elsewhere I bought her from Neil and transported her from the smoke of Essex down to sunny(!) Devon.

 

Here she is arriving on Andy Webb's lowloader, the only time it rained at all that day but luckily not enough to be annoying.

 

 

Getting her off the lowloader was "interesting" as she had flat batteries, wouldn't idle and the driver's seat adjuster was too stiff to let me bottom the clutch. It all worked in the end, though.

 

 

As the barn she'll be living in isn't cleared yet, she will be outside for a couple of months so I've sheeted her up to keep the engine bay dry.

 

 

Andy

[andym]

The first job was to tackle the batteries. I think the wet lead-acids she came with are a bit tired although they may respond to a good session later with the Pulsetech Xtreme charger.

 

 

Luckily I had a pair of NOS Hawkers left that I was intending to put in the Abbot's turret but I thought this was a more important duty. I cleaned everything up, replaced the battery clamps and neatened the bare cable ends with some heatshrink. The small black cable is the remote charging lead for the Pulsetech so you don't need to remove the battery covers to charge them.

 

 

Neil had warned me that the radiator duct was full of leaves so I hoovered them out, not just to aid cooling but because there was a thick mulch forming that didn't bode well for the metalwork.

 

 

I also cleaned out the carburettor idle jets which fixed the non-idling problem only for it to return after a quick trundle across the fields, so I think a good flush through of the fuel system is in order. The gearbox also seems to be running on chicken soup (albeit quite clean chicken soup) so a change of oil and filter is also on the list.

 

Andy

[andym]

Neil had already said that one rear light wasn't working due to a cracked bulbholder. The screw heads were past their best so I drilled them out.

 

 

On cleaning the holes up I discovered that the screws weren't self-tappers as I had expected but were bolts with nuts on the back. There's no obvious rear access to the light fittings without dismantling the rear load bed so I opted to tap them 3/16 UNF, slightly larger than the original bolts.

 

 

I couldn't find a plastic fitting the same as the original so I used the more common metal bulbholder that's used on FV430s and some Land Rovers, reassembled with the original lens.

 

Andy

[ArtistsRifles]

I used a metal one to replace the other side Andy - I think the plastic ones get too hot and thus brittle especially with a Stollys prediliction to have the brake lights stuck in the "on" position. :-)

 

Did I tell you the Hawkers were - allegedly - new in 2008 when she left the restoration firm down in Kent? Prior to this she had two large truck batteries clamped in place that were too big to fit in the wooden boxes. I guess the lack of use over the past year hasn't done them any favours.

[andym]

I used a metal one to replace the other side Andy - I think the plastic ones get too hot and thus brittle especially with a Stollys prediliction to have the brake lights stuck in the "on" position. :-)

 

Did I tell you the Hawkers were - allegedly - new in 2008 when she left the restoration firm down in Kent? Prior to this she had two large truck batteries clamped in place that were too big to fit in the wooden boxes. I guess the lack of use over the past year hasn't done them any favours.

 

The batteries may yet respond to the PulseTech charger, they're probably heavily sulphated. The Hawker 6TNMFs are a far better battery anyway, no maintenance, higher starting current and lower self-discharge rate.

 

Some of the problem with the overheating bulb-holder might have been because it had a 12V bulb in it! I'm wondering what to do about the brake lights, I might just ignore the check valve and fit a mechanical switch to the pedal.

 

Andy

[101 Ron]

Use LED replacement globes.

They are advailable in 24volt and use much less current and give the contacts on the stop light switch a easier time.

They also stop the glass light lens cracking with temperature stress when swimming.

The hot glass hits the cold water with a normal globe and cracks the glass.

LED stops all the problems.

[ArtistsRifles]

You may be right on the batteries, from what I remember they need to be charged/discharged regularly. Didn't help that some time recently the cab seems to have had an uninvited visitor who left the isolator on!!

I am surprised at the 12v bulb as I replaced all the bulbs when I got her. I suspect it may have been another case of part swappage when she was stored beside the Landie - which is why she got moved to where she was collected from.

The brake light switch mod is one I was considering - I know others have done this - but I wanted to try and keep the systems original. I was coming round to the idea though as no matter what I did it would work a few times then stick on again.

[101 Ron]

The stop light switch on mine I found the plastic piston had grown a little bit and the switch had been hot due to age and dirty contact points which heated up by the extra resistance of the dirty points and slightly melded the plastic the points bar sits in.

The answer was with a points file clean the contact points and file down the plastic piston and housing where needed and get everything back loose and working and straight.

I suspect the points get a high resistance though lack of use.

using the LED globes stops any heat up of the point bar in the stop light switch housing due to the very low current draw and the stop light lens cracking with swimming problem due to the reduced heat a LED globe gives off in side the light.

[andym]

Food for thought - thanks!

 

Andy

[the_shadock]

I like this vehicle, even if it is not part of my main interest, which is WW2 armor.

 

P-O