timbo Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Pavl For the turret basket you should get some of the plastic rollers, FV840475, from xmod. You will need a total of 10. Seb Brady had a selection of shonky J60's for sale, if you could squeeze a couple into soemone else's container you might be able to make a good one.... Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 I did find what I assume to be the driver's name. Not sure if it''s Belle or B.Elle though. Having found more sharpie under the paint just forward of Belle... I guess it was Memphis Belle. It seems likely my vehicle had a name and a very unexpected one for a Belgian vehicle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Pavl For the turret basket you should get some of the plastic rollers, FV840475, from xmod. You will need a total of 10. Seb Brady had a selection of shonky J60's for sale, if you could squeeze a couple into soemone else's container you might be able to make a good one.... Tim Aw, heck. I just had the lads at xmod ship another big box a couple days back too. Well, thanks for the heads-up, I've added it to my favourites for next batch since it seems unlikely I won't need more spares! I notice my originals are steel ball-bearings underneath and phenolic around the perimeter. I imagine the steel ones might work better when new but be more likely to seize up, any thoughts as to why the change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Well, today I decided to experiment with strippers. Methods of hull prep that is. I decided to see what worked best for me so prepped one square foot of hull with each method, I have more to do but here are the initial results: As suspected, you really should have at least two. I did a 1sq' patch in two passes, remove the top two coats with the Crud Thug and finish with the Dynabrade. It used less paper and effort than either method alone and gave me results nearly equal to just sanding. Elapsed time 6:42. If you hold a vacuum hose near during sanding it gets more than half of the mess, not nearly as clean as my electric sanders but with the reduced tool weight still feels like a more ergonomic option for this job but I might feel differently if I were doing more than a few sq' at a time. While I was at it I thought I'd try a couple more options. Perter-Cable "dustless, take-about" Well, I said option but not really. This sander belonged to my great-grandfather who was clearly a better man than I. It is massive and unwieldy, it does however take off paint and anything else it touches. I lost some time wrangling the rather effective but highly awkward dust hose, I lost more getting the low spots on the sponson, the 120 grit belt took some time too but left the shiniest patches yet. Elapsed time 4:39 for much of it but it took 6:15 to get a look at what I was doing and hit the dips. I'd consider it for large flat areas if the belts weren't an obsolete size that is expensive if you can even find them. Porter-Cable 448 These sanders are pretty legend in woodworking circles and though discontinued years ago command high prices on epay for even a parts donor, the previous model ran a little slower and is the most controllable tool of it's type I've ever used. I am lucky to have this one because a friend retired and moved to a country with no 110VAC so he loaned it to me. The nice belt speed coupled with somewhat reasonable size makes it more usable than you might think and not just for sponsons. You can run it nose-up and the belt traction will hold it up, you just have to push it against the hull and move it around. Even at that, I managed to ding a footman loop pretty good with a moment of inattention! That said, they are messy! This is reflected in the time taken to strip a chunk of hull. 3:31 I've just ordered a wet blasting add-on kit for my pressure washer so I'll have more experimentation to do as I hope to add information for: wet blast wet sand with dynabrade Jasco paint and epoxy remover Hopefully I'll figure out the best way to remove paint before I run out of paint to remove! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Aw, heck. I just had the lads at xmod ship another big box a couple days back too.Well, thanks for the heads-up, I've added it to my favourites for next batch since it seems unlikely I won't need more spares! I notice my originals are steel ball-bearings underneath and phenolic around the perimeter. I imagine the steel ones might work better when new but be more likely to seize up, any thoughts as to why the change? Pavl Youve got it in one! Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 I bought a new driveshaft but it's not right... I have a brand new FV770171 FV770172 pair but they won't slip together. Looks like a bit of pounding will mate them but surely that's not right. Have I got an out of spec part or is minor hand-fitting the norm? It's not much, a little time with a file and grinding compound will make them as tight or loose as appropriate but how much is that? Am I after a light drive fit, tight hand fit, or easy slide fit for these? Interesting that I ordered some new rubber couplers to go with these, they came with an expiration date of 2008. Oh, they were well packaged and I'm sure they are just fine but it does give one pause about the condition of ones in service. Oh, my clutch bolts from ba-bolts came in and they look fine so once I'm done sandblasting the shoes and digging out the broken bolts I can put the clutch back together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Pavl These should not need hitting with anything to get them together...! It is basically a quill shaft so should be able to move quite freely. When I've removed any of these they have been reasonably loose. The rubber doughnuts should be fine provided the engine crankshaft is aligned with the gearbox input shaft. Provided the alignment is good they should last for years. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Pavl These should not need hitting with anything to get them together...! It is basically a quill shaft so should be able to move quite freely. When I've removed any of these they have been reasonably loose. The rubber doughnuts should be fine provided the engine crankshaft is aligned with the gearbox input shaft. Provided the alignment is good they should last for years. Tim loose sliding fit, coming right up. I seemed to recall when I handled a used set they were pretty loose but I just thought I'd see if there was any sort of spec for the fit. I wonder why my new ones need fitting? More interior work done, I got the remaining electrical out so once the remaining bits of fuel system are out I'll have a hull ready for stripping. thanks for the help, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadawg Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Pavl, any more photos? Keep 'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Pavl, any more photos? Keep 'em coming! I had to take a break to deal with work and life stuff. I did finally put a long-term project to bed so will have more time coming up. I can't get any sandblaster outfits to help me out so I've bought a wet-blast attachment and hope to test it late in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted November 9, 2015 Author Share Posted November 9, 2015 (edited) 4 months, dear dear, how embarrassing. I could talk about my forklift, truck, and commute car all needing repairs but really I just got in a funk about having to deal with so much rust and old paint. Luckily I had a couple friends who came over and gave me the little nudge I needed to get the project rolling again. I'm still stripping the last of the details off the hull, the turret ring came right off and was surprisingly lightweight, I think about the same weight as the loading door on the back which I think too more time to remove due to the rusted fasteners and such. I'm slowly building a clutch. I had sandblasted the shoes and they flash-rusted so heavily and quickly I decided I was going to use electrolysis to do the next pass and that's where I got hung up for months. Wanting to make some concrete progress NOW, I just put them back in the blaster cabinet and then acid pickled them, then washed, baked, and re-dipped the acid. One wash later I applied some preservative (Starrett M1 tool preservative/lube) and did a second bake to drive out any remaining moisture and harden the lube. Looks like I forgot to remove one of the several broken 2BA bolts that hold the pads on the shoes so that's up next. Here's what the main clutch body looks like after sandblasting, three coats of zinc paint, new studs, and clips: With the shoes on and ready for garter springs: Remaining broken screws removed and garter springs installed: I set the garter springs so the ends were opposite, for what tiny difference the balance and spring expansion might make. It is interesting to note that the 2BA fasteners are very close to standard ASE #10-32 screws but about 33TPI, so if you are really hard up you could use a #10-32 tap to start cleaning out the hole or a screw if you just can't source BA screws. I did go ahead and buy some 2BA screws from a specialty manufacturer and sort of wish I hadn't as they look lovely but the heads are too tall and had to be shaved to match the original screws. Edited November 9, 2015 by teletech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datadawg Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 4 months, dear dear, how embarrassing. I could talk about my forklift, truck, and commute car all needing repairs but really I just got in a funk about having to deal with so much rust and old paint. Luckily I had a couple friends who came over and gave me the little nudge I needed to get the project rolling again. I'm still stripping the last of the details off the hull, the turret ring came right off and was surprisingly lightweight, I think about the same weight as the loading door on the back which I think too more time to remove due to the rusted fasteners and such. I'm slowly building a clutch. I had sandblasted the shoes and they flash-rusted so heavily and quickly I decided I was going to use electrolysis to do the next pass and that's where I got hung up for months. Wanting to make some concrete progress NOW, I just put them back in the blaster cabinet and then acid pickled them, then washed, baked, and re-dipped the acid. One wash later I applied some preservative (Starrett M1 tool preservative/lube) and did a second bake to drive out any remaining moisture and harden the lube. Looks like I forgot to remove one of the several broken 2BA bolts that hold the pads on the shoes so that's up next. Here's what the main clutch body looks like after sandblasting, three coats of zinc paint, new studs, and clips: [ATTACH=CONFIG]109720[/ATTACH] With the shoes on and ready for garter springs: [ATTACH=CONFIG]109721[/ATTACH] Remaining broken screws removed and garter springs installed: [ATTACH=CONFIG]109737[/ATTACH] I set the garter springs so the ends were opposite, for what tiny difference the balance and spring expansion might make. It is interesting to note that the 2BA fasteners are very close to standard ASE #10-32 screws but about 33TPI, so if you are really hard up you could use a #10-32 tap to start cleaning out the hole or a screw if you just can't source BA screws. I did go ahead and buy some 2BA screws from a specialty manufacturer and sort of wish I hadn't as they look lovely but the heads are too tall and had to be shaved to match the original screws. I understood very little of what you did and the problems you faced, it's admittedly over my head, but results look good!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrev Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 That's the Jacques Littlefield lesson right there. I was told that it was Prostrate Cancer that was the primary cause. Nobody till now has ever mentioned work exposure. Are you sure of what you are saying? Regards Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted April 12, 2016 Author Share Posted April 12, 2016 Back to work after a long pause. I spent much of the day removing track and road wheels. They were really difficult to get off as the discs were well stuck to the hubs with dirt and oxidation. Is there something I can use when doing the reassembly to prevent this, anti-seize, grease, caulk, or ...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 A sample bolt on one side, the freshly purchased BA bolt on the other and in the middle a new bolt cut to length and head thinned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted April 15, 2016 Author Share Posted April 15, 2016 An electric vibrating knife made fairly short work of getting the interior foam and most of the adhesive off and in good condition for use as patterns. It's getting very empty inside, just the fuel tank left to remove but first I have to get the last inch of foul liquid out of the bottom of it. I've still got some of the roadwheels and axles on the hull so I can move it for sandblasting but otherwise the exterior is finally ready as well. I do have some welding to do on the front and rear sponson so I'm trying to decide if I'm going to do that before or after blasting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Do the welding before blasting so that the blasting can blend it in a bit. It is nice to see a CVRT being gone through in this much detail. Have you sourced the replacement for the PVC covered foam panels? The covering was a material called "trakmark" which was also sold for lining the interiors of the engine rooms of large motor boats. It is very difficult to find in the UK so those of us here that need it would be very interested if there is a US equivilent. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted April 16, 2016 Author Share Posted April 16, 2016 Do the welding before blasting so that the blasting can blend it in a bit. It is nice to see a CVRT being gone through in this much detail. Have you sourced the replacement for the PVC covered foam panels? The covering was a material called "trakmark" which was also sold for lining the interiors of the engine rooms of large motor boats. It is very difficult to find in the UK so those of us here that need it would be very interested if there is a US equivilent. David Good point, welding first is a better plan for that reason. I don't think they are PCV covered but rather silicone due to flammability issues and likely special foam as well. I've got nothing as yet but I'm thinking if I can find the material for the top layer I have a friend who does auto interiors who can fix it onto some foam. I'll post when I have a sample worth showing. I looked at the pictures of the trakmark and didn't feel it was an especially close match to what I have so perhaps the product changed slightly over time or the Belgians used something slightly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 (edited) Trakmark itself has a diamond pattern embossed into it and is described on the lable as being "plastic sheet,PVC,cotton fabric base" and also "flame proof" the diamonds are about 5mm crs. However, after about year 2000 a substitute material took over that had a slightly less yellow colour and a much much finer pattern. I have not seen even a trade name for this but I need lots for my FV434. I understand that the change was caused by the end of commercial production of Trakmark. The new material discolours, cracks and curls up at least as badly as original Trakmark which is why mine needs replacement after only 14 years! If you do remake your pads, they look much better if you tuck the edges of the covering right under the edges of the foam so they are trapped when the pads are glued in. The originals usually don't do this and the edges lift and then get caught and ripped. Also use an electric heat gun to soften the covering to get it to fold over the edges better. Please let us know what you find as a covering as most post 1950's British armour needs it. David Edited April 16, 2016 by David Herbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted April 18, 2016 Share Posted April 18, 2016 I've had a hard time getting media-blasting businesses to return my calls but I'm open to the idea, especially if I decide to fully strip the interior.Doing it myself would be a challenge since a had a neighbor call the cops on me when I just washed the vehicle outside my shop. (worried about radioactivity, yes it was in the wrong conflicts and even then the 20 years since it was in service... but you can't argue with crazy) I suppose I could set up an indoor space but it's *awfully* messy. Stay tuned as I plan to try some more expensive strippers for a better outcome. my old granddad once told me theres much to be said about garden fences: "they say nowt, mind their own business and get on with what their supposed to be doing" theres much to be said for a good fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 This is what Trakmark looks like (the reverse side of one of my remade Abbot panels): Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Clutch progress: re-blasted the flash rust off my clutch drums and powder-coated them along with the driveshaft mounting plates and fan pulley. Fairly heavy pitting is typical of these parts and mine are sadly no exception, none of it looks structural though. I went with gloss even though it shows the pitting just because it's easy to clean. Impressive how much pitting the steering caliper adapters show but they too got blasted and coated. I finally ordered and received the final lock-tabs for my clutch. It is interesting that the ones X-mod are selling look and work correctly but are 1) not the same as the originals I removed and 2) need to be bent outward to accommodate a socket. I also spent some time on my other gearbox, I was pretty impressed by just how badly hardened the output shaft seals were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 I'm still working on hull prep, some welding will need to take place before long. I decided the rear sponson was irredeemable so got out my Sawzall and removed what was left, a bit of grinding and the new one will be ready to fit. Next I turned my attention to the side sponsons which needed a bit of pounding and bending but were pretty decent so I moved my strong-bar, hydraulics, and 6lb sledge to the front. I had previously managed to improve things from something so warped you couldn't even stand on it to this: The metal was so stretched a 8-ton hydraulic ram wasn't improving things any more so I made a thin cut through the deepest part of the depression. After more press work and pounding the gap had closed I ran the saw through again and so-on. Now I just need to weld up my relief cut and dress the weld so it's ready for metal prep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teletech Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 I've already decided to job out the sandblasting but I thought I'd test out the fancy 3M abrasive the sales rep gave me to test. I forgot to take a matching picture but I'll say it tool 7:45 to prep a 1 sq' section of painted hull to mostly bare metal and ready for priming. The abrasive held up very well and would have been good for several more square feet of hull but it wasn't any faster than other methods of prep I tried so nothing game-changing there. I broke out the pressure washer and cleaned out the torsion rod tunnels, I'm not sure what the rods were coated in but with the grease/mud/water slurry that cam out of those tunnels I was running out of nasty smelling parts of hull. That just left the fuel tank. I had pumped the nearly hundred gallons of fuel and water from the tank but the pickup was about an inch above the bottom leaving a nasty smelling crud that looked like this: I did my best to skim off the little bit of fuel floating on top and then used a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to get the rest out, it worked well but stank up the shop to an impressive degree, leaving me with a pretty clean fuel bag: [ATTACH=CONFIG]114977[/ATTACH] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Great to see you are still making progress with your vehicle, I was worried at one point that it might have become all too much for you, all credit to you. There is a CVRT facebook group and some of the Belgians have been on there and some people have found in service vehicle pictures through it. Hope to see you at Aquino Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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