ArtistsRifles Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Back up to Sible this morning for a bit more work on the Militant. Checked the cab - and yes - the bloody spiders are back!! Got to find a way of banishing them - at least from the cab!! And it doesn't end there! Next job tackled was the passenger door. Not matter what I had tried it would not open from either inside or out. Last time I was up I soaked the hinges in penetrating oil just in case. but it still would not open on just the handle today. Must admit I was kacking it a bit fearing perhaps the cab was distorted on that side. I slipped the end of a pry bar under the lower edge of the door lip and, with the handle held down, exerted gentle but increasing pressure using rags between the bar and the body. Slowly the door began to move and then I heard a ripping sound. I wasn't expecting this and wondered if there was any fabric involved in the door shut so stopped and shot round to the drivers door just to confirm. There wasn't so I kept applying the pressure, the door kept moving slowly accompanied by this ripping noise and then the door popped open. The reason for the sticking was plain to see and I admit is stunned me. More bloody spiders webs,. So thing they had gummed the door in place - all along the top ed and down the lock side. The inner door panel needs replacing as expected - I think I need to do something about water sealing it as I suspect the window regulator is rusted solid. For sure the lower edge screws are looking like removing them will also remove the bottom edge of the door. Having that sorted next task on the list were the sheeting lockers under the front of the load bed. Two of the three Tee locks were free but one each side wasn't releasing. Again last time out they were pumped full of penetrating oil and today, grudgingly, the keys turned. The pry bar was required again to get the gates to open - this time the problem was corrosion and eventually I had both of them open. Interestingly both lockers had two arc-shaped pieces in that I don't recognize. Any one else seen them before?? Once these were sorted it was up onto the front bumper with a mallet and persuading the radiator cap to undo. Looks like one of the next investments is going to be a large bottle of blue antifreeze - before winter gets here. :-) With that done it was time to get under - the air distribution valve that is leaking needs to come off and be stripped down to stop the constant air leak. Although the system holds air currently that constant leak drains the air tank within a minute of shutting the engine down. I do not feel it would be safe to take on the road with that problem - not for long distances anyway - so I guess W&P will not be seeing the Militant this year. Bummer :cry: :cry: Any way - slid underneath with the tools and the penetrating fluid , cleaned off the loose muck then coated all 3 unions with penetrating fluid as also the 3 nuts/bolts that hold it to the chassis member. I did have try at undoing the unions but it was a no-go. Interestingly - as I was crawling out I noticed this: Looks like I have a 24v feed to the rear of the vehicle - maybe for a flashing amber beacon?? If so it will make fitting one a lot easier. That was as far I could go safely working solo so I packed up and headed home to do some more on the Landie and UAZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Those air pipes look like they wont give up without a fight to the death. Bit of gentle heat will help them out, but mind what else you heat up at the time. Passengers door doesn't look too bad, needs a new skin I grant you, but at first glance the frame looks reasonably intact, so it might not be the major job you think. Regulator is probably not worth a light anymore, but the glass is good. It's all mendable, just takes time and of course money. There is no rain seal at the top, water is meant to drain through and out of holes in the bottom. However, over time the holes rust up and then the water just sits there rotting the door skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Those air pipes look like they wont give up without a fight to the death. Bit of gentle heat will help them out, but mind what else you heat up at the time. Passengers door doesn't look too bad, needs a new skin I grant you, but at first glance the frame looks reasonably intact, so it might not be the major job you think. Regulator is probably not worth a light anymore, but the glass is good. It's all mendable, just takes time and of course money. There is no rain seal at the top, water is meant to drain through and out of holes in the bottom. However, over time the holes rust up and then the water just sits there rotting the door skin. I was kind of worried that might be the case with those pipes when I saw them. Unfortunately another item on the long list of things I don't have access to is an oxy-actelene set up..... Can do a hot air paint gun and thats it That said - I rang the guys who do the bus and commercial repair and restoration up at Gt Yeldham when I finished They are going to pop down after W&P finishes and have a look at the welding required so I'll bounce the heating off of them. Hoping they will do what they've done in the past which is allow access to their facilities for the owner to get their hands dirty and they just get involved in things like panel forming and welding etc. In this case also heating up of unions :-) Incidentally - the 3 securing bolts to the chassis member - am I right in thinking that they are Whitworth threads? If so that would explain why none of my spanners would fit!! Passenger door frame is also pretty terminal along the bottom edge for the reasons you give. Both regulators are BER so replacements have been sourced - morris minor units? Locks/handles might also need replacement - I'll know for sure once the doors are apart. Possibly I can refurb them - lots of slop in the handle movement though and the lock on the drivers door doesn't work. Drivers door is certainly in better condition than the passenger one. I am loath to take anything like that apart at the moment in case measurements are needed to rebuild anything that decided to crumble I was thinking maybe it would be worth investigating fitting a rain seal to the top edge of the door to minimise the amount of water that gets in. I know it won't be as original - but what MV ever is. 6 months in service and its builder would be hard pressed to recognize it sometimes. What I could REALLY do with right now is a way of getting the bloody spiders out of the cab at least - if not off the whole vehicle!! Getting a tad monotonous having to clear a ton of webs before any work can be done in the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armouredfarmer Posted August 2, 2016 Share Posted August 2, 2016 "Back up to Sible this morning for a bit more work on the Militant. Checked the cab - and yes - the bloody spiders are back!! Got to find a way of banishing them - at least from the cab!!" I've had my lightweight for over ten years, its my daily driver, and every morning I get in and remove the same cobweb from between the steering column and the windscreen:mad:. Not sure if its me or the spider that owns that truck, mind you the spider doesn't pay the tax..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 2, 2016 Author Share Posted August 2, 2016 "Back up to Sible this morning for a bit more work on the Militant. Checked the cab - and yes - the bloody spiders are back!! Got to find a way of banishing them - at least from the cab!!" I've had my lightweight for over ten years, its my daily driver, and every morning I get in and remove the same cobweb from between the steering column and the windscreen:mad:. Not sure if its me or the spider that owns that truck, mind you the spider doesn't pay the tax..... My FFR has the TUAAM boxes festooned - I clean them off and they are back by the end of the day. :mad: The UAZ has one that goes from the top of the windscreen to the bonnet and covers the fuel can container and tail gate release at the back - both return the same day too. :mad: Got a couple of bug bombs for the Militant so next time over there I'll be using those to clear the cab. :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 No work update as such - well not strictly true. The oddball fitting on the inflater has been replaced with a modern push-on fitting now and the radiator topped up with 5 litres of antifreeze and 3 litres of water. All this so that yesterday we could pump the soft drivers side front tyre up and then move her back up to the top yard as the farmer wants to build a hay barn where she was originally. Good news is she started first flick of the lever and rolled back sweet as a nut. I think once that air leak is sorted driving will be a pleasure. Only cause for concern was the temperature gauge. Needle was flicking back and forth like crazy with the engine running faster than idle speed. As we rolled back with the engine having been running for about 10 minutes the needle was hard right on 240 deg. That seems excessive so I suspect either a faulty sender or faulty gauge. Probably sender (I hope!!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Neil, Check out this thread from the 432 forum: http://wwwfv432couk.freeforums.org/temp-gauges-t1623.html It relates to RR K60 engines but the senders are the same as B series which use the same dash as your Militant so electricly they should all work the same way. I think your problem is most likely in the wiring. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Thanks David - made a note of that so when we get the engine covers off I'll give it a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share Posted August 25, 2016 Had a stroke of luck this week - been looking for a replacement radiator badge as mine is missing. The firm that used to advertise them on the web told me that the firm they got them from (who were to original suppliers to AEC in the day) had folded after the EU introduced some weird law regarding red vitreous enamel. Very nice chap I spoke to asked why I wanted one so I told him and, long story short, a very nice OEM badge arrived in the post today in exchange for the appropriate amount of beer tokens. This will now be put away safely until the cab is repaired and painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 Another day working on the Militant.... Although the work content was not quite what I intended - plan was to use a pressure washer to get rid of all the loose crap, muck and algae. Just got the air pressure up to roll forwards when the farmer banned me from doing it as I'd block the yard. Seems I'll have to find a time no one else will be there to be blocked. Anyways - rather than waste both the day and the 1/4 of a Range Rovers tank of fuel getting there I set to and stripped the drivers door down. That took a lot longer than expected as some screws were VERY reluctant to shift. But in the end the door inner panel was free. Currently the screws and most components are on the drivers seat, the door panel itself was put back on at the end of work with a couple of screws and and the bolts into the lower fixed hinge. That left trying to release the window winder handle. Took 3 people inc. me to find the pin holding it in. Once it was done off came the panel revealing the winder mechanism and the problem appears to be two fold. 1) the crank teeth are just skipping on the winder quadrant so the glass won't move. 2) the carrier was stuck solid -- likely with rust. A liberal dose of WD40 finally freed the window which will now go up and down manually. The window winder is FUBAR though and needs replacing - apparently Morris Minor ones will fit. Bottom 2 securing screws and nuts came out OK but the top two will not budge - think they may need to cut unless I can find a cranked screw driver. Struck me as being an odd choice - countersunk screws rather than bolts. The drivers inner door panel looks like a new one: The bottom of the door frame is seriously rusty though and will need repairing whilst the inside face of the outer panel needs a disc over it and then treatment with rust neutralizer as can be seen here: Next step is to get some replacement regulators to install. I would have carried on and done the passenger door too - but there is a horse box up against that side of the vehicle so to open the door I'd need to roll the vehicle forwards - and there was that ban in place today. Today's red face moment - went to stall the old girl out in 5th as the normal cut-off needs looking at, put her in gear and nothing. Was starting to feel annoyed and upset thinking I had a major problem due to not being able to kill the engine suddenly sprung on me when one of the guys suggested the hi/low might have moved into neutral. Doh!! :red: :red: Completely forgot this one was 6x6!! Turned out it wasn't that but the 6x6/6x4 selecter lever had lifted and was in a neutral position. Pushed back down into 6x4 and all was OK. I can only assume I must have caught it getting out of the cab last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 (edited) A bit more progress - totally unexpected admittedly - but still progress. Stu Sandford messaged me the other day - seems they had been down working on his vehicles and one of his lads got a bit bored - so they pulled the Militant forwards enough to access the cab and let him loose with a pressure washer. Looks like he's done a good job :) What - possibly - is not so good is that as he waited for the air pressure to build up after coming forwards the engine cut out! Turned out the fuel tank was now empty so once the job was done she had to be pushed back into her bay by hand. Glad it wasn't me having to do it :) So the next job will be taking some jerry cans of diesel down - was planning on that anyway - I think I have a couple of 20 litre and one 10 litre - pouring those in the tank and then bleeding the fuel system. Should be a case of loosening the nut on the front of filter on the passenger side and turning her over (or there was a hand primer on some models down by the fuel pump- odds are mine won't be that easy). If she won't fire after that then its a case of wait for diesel to reach filter, loosening a injector pipe and trying again. Messy but that should get her kicking over. Also thinking now the best thing is going to be to give the cab at least a coat of green paint to cover over for the winter and make a start on the metal work next year. This summer weather can't last too much longer and working with bare metal out in the open during the winter surely cannot be a good idea. Edited September 13, 2016 by ArtistsRifles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Neil, I would suggest you bleed first at the filter , then bleed at the injection pump and finally crack an injector pipe at the injector and she should start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Good news is Militant engines are fairly easy to get going after running out, and will fire up even with a bit of air left in the system. 50 ltrs in the tank should be more than enough to bleed up As Degsy says, bleed at the filter first, (trust me there will be a primer lever on the side of the lift pump). Once there is a good flow of fuel here lock the bleed screw in and move onto the injection pump. Again use the primer lever until diesel flows. shut that screw and you are ready to go. She should crank up then without opening messy injector pipes. A reasonably good indicator is if your finger doesn't ache with all the pumping of the primer lever, you haven't done enough :-D:-D!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 Thanks guys - I'll be going up on Saturday so will give it a whirl. Diesel is only £1.05 a litre around here so I'll fill the cans before I go. And will repeat the refuelling exercise in a couple of weeks time so as to avoid a repeat performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 Popped up to the AEC today ("popped" being a relative term - its a 90 minute journey each way) and put 50 litres of DERV in the tank. I plan on doing the same next week so as to have 100 litres in the tank. Doesn't help that both the big 20 litre cans have leaking seals now but I took the precaution of laying a ground sheet in the boot floor and standing the cans on a puppy training pad. 10 litre can is fine - and without a funnel it proved awkward pouring the 20's into the filler so I emptied the 10 in first then got as much as I could out of the 20's before pouring the remainder into the 10 and then emptying that in again. Then came the fun of trying to start her and - red face time again - I failed. Only priming lever I could find was the one in the photo below on the front of the Fuel Injector pump. That had 2000 pumps applied in total - and my right hand was cramping up but every time I tried to start she would fire for a few beats then just spin over. Had a word with the AEC guys and got some alternate ideas to try next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 Good news - the old girl is running again!! Stuart popped over today to have a look to see if he could spot what I'd missed and found the lift pump wasn't running one side. A short, sharp application of percussive maintenance and all was well. I'll add more fuel next week - I suspect at 11.7 litres capacity 50 litres won't last very long Might have a crack at getting that air valve off th back and stripped down - then she can be safely driven on the road to a filling station! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) Looks like autumn/winter is setting in now - got soaked trying to work on the old girl on Saturday so she is now sitting in her bay with a 9x9 tent canvas draped over the cab to keep the rain off. Replacement window regulators are on order - Moggie Minor units which have the added plus that the handles are secured by a screw in the end rather than the (in)famous hidden pin of the originals. Moggie window winder handles look identical to the Militant ones so it will not notice unless you look really hard. Many thanks to Rob (Zero-Five-Two) for this information!! Looking over the cab before the rain started with a Stuart (Saracen Stump) it was decided that the best plan of action is to get some sheet steel in the appropriate thickness and just replace the rotted panels entirely rather than try to patch the existing ones. as this will then give us access to the underlying structure and we can also treat that with rust killer too. The fact a lot of lower panels are held on with pop rivets rather than snap rivets suggests that this has been done before. Looking inside the drivers door - the inner face of both the skin and the door panel are bare unpainted steel. Which might then explain why the other panels are rotting if they were replaced the same way with bare inner faces. Not so good news is the tank senders are not working - either for the gauge in the cab or the gauge on the side of the tank. Possible the one on the side might be seized as it has sat a long while with only a little fuel in it - gauge is fixed at approx 1/8 tank. I just added 29 gallons of DERV over the last 2 weekends (I assume the tank capacity is 30 gallons) so maybe soaking in that will free the side gauge float off. Cab gauge is not working at all and I suspect the sender is fubar. Need to find a replacement to try out, looks like its a standard part. And it seems the fuel lines are also severely corroded and in need of replacement. Fun, fun, fun Oh yeah - a good way of getting the spiders out would be nice. Got a bug bomb for the cab - but currently there are so many gaps using it would be a waste of time. Edited October 2, 2016 by ArtistsRifles Photo added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julezee001 Posted October 4, 2016 Share Posted October 4, 2016 Fuel gauges not working might as you say be down to being seized, but I would check your cab wiring from behind the drivers seat junction box to the instrument panel. My instrument gauge has been dodgy for years only reliably working with over half a tank of fuel, which I suspect is wiring. I had an awkward moment in a petrol station a few years ago when for the first time ever my Militant wouldn't start. Not turning over at all. Problem was the wires along the engine cover at the instrument end had largely turned to dust. How it had started so reliably up to that moment I find hard to understand? I hotwired the starter solenoid at the junction box to get going and replaced the wonky wires asap after, and she's been faultless (well starting) since. Jules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted October 4, 2016 Author Share Posted October 4, 2016 Fuel gauges not working might as you say be down to being seized, but I would check your cab wiring from behind the drivers seat junction box to the instrument panel. My instrument gauge has been dodgy for years only reliably working with over half a tank of fuel, which I suspect is wiring. I had an awkward moment in a petrol station a few years ago when for the first time ever my Militant wouldn't start. Not turning over at all. Problem was the wires along the engine cover at the instrument end had largely turned to dust. How it had started so reliably up to that moment I find hard to understand? I hotwired the starter solenoid at the junction box to get going and replaced the wonky wires asap after, and she's been faultless (well starting) since. Jules Certainly the wiring is on the to-do list for the cab gauge. However the gauge on the side of the tank is, I believe mechanical (I remember them reading all the time, not just when the power was on). So I think this one is definitely a seized through lack of use problem. Next time I go up it will have been soaked for at least a week so if it has not freed itself either a thump on the tank or, if possible, reaching in through the filler neck should be able to free it. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 (edited) You'll need thin arms to reach down the filler neck, and a double elbow I should think. Better bet would be to lift out the dashboard sender. You can then get, and see, straight in. Edited October 5, 2016 by Zero-Five-Two Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
militant-nick Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 Tank gauge on mine is certainly mechanical and works therefore all the time - seems fairly accurate unlike the dash gauge which my dad repaired the wiring to, which is over optimistic in its reading by comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 Tank gauge on mine is certainly mechanical and works therefore all the time - seems fairly accurate unlike the dash gauge which my dad repaired the wiring to, which is over optimistic in its reading by comparison That's how it was back in the day. We always referred to the gauge on the side of the tank first thing as the cab gauge was always reading low above half a tank and then high below that level. One of the idiosyncrasies of the Militant. As regards the cab - I'm more worried by the temp gauges behaviour - keeps flicking over to max deflection (overheating) even if the engines only been running a mixture or two. Either a dodgy sender or a dodgy wiring connection perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
militant-nick Posted October 5, 2016 Share Posted October 5, 2016 That's how it was back in the day. We always referred to the gauge on the side of the tank first thing as the cab gauge was always reading low above half a tank and then high below that level. One of the idiosyncrasies of the Militant. As regards the cab - I'm more worried by the temp gauges behaviour - keeps flicking over to max deflection (overheating) even if the engines only been running a mixture or two. Either a dodgy sender or a dodgy wiring connection perhaps? You've reminded me I need to sort one of the temp gauges on mine, once the gears are good again 🙂 The old old girl has come up good with that splash of water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 New delivery today - replacement window winders that should, by rights, be for the rear N/S and O/S doors of a Morris Minor. But will in fact be for the Militants doors. Once these are in I will have a look at the originals to see if they can be repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Guess what I got delivered this morning The only problem is they don't fit! Not very impressed with the ebay gang that supplied, they are completely different from the ones shown in the advert photo. These have a recessed mounting plate, whereas the real ones (and Militant ones) have a flat plate. I feel a bit guilty now having recommended you get some Morris ones. Sorry mate, didn't think I was giving out duff information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.