Bill Coates Posted May 16 Share Posted May 16 Amazing work Steve; congratulations to everyone concerned!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Thoughts are turning to the bonnet. Nigel will make it for us but doesn't want to do the hinges so I have made them up. First, though, I had a rummage and found 22 hinges hanging on the workshop wall on a piece of string. I rescued them from the bonnet of a 1911 Daimler that I had been given thirty years ago thinking that they would come in handy. I was right! I burned the paint off them and cleaned them up and they will be fine. The only trouble is that I need forty four of them so I set to and made the tools to make some more. I turned up a block to go in the press which has a slot in it and some grub screws to hold a blade. I also cut a groove in another block using a ball-ended end mill to use as the die. A trial run proved quite satisfactory. Then I had to form the rest of the tube. This was done by pressing it into the die again but this time sideways with a flat plate and a bit of bar in place of the hinge pin. That was satisfactory too. Having done a test I prepared the steel for the remainder. More sections of Daimler bonnet! Another 30 of them to give a few spares. They were soon pressed to shape so I made a simple drilling jig to get the holes in the right place. A few were left plain in case Nigel needs a few spares. Now it just remains to package them up and send them off. Steve 🙂 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Part of the equipment on this recovery lorry are half a dozen screw-anchors hung on brackets on the side: For a bit of light relief, I have bent them up. It is so nice to have the tool for the job! Here are all six, bent up. I mis-calculated the length for the first but fortunately, the right way. Trimmed to length and drilled for mounting. Back to the paint shop! Steve 🙂 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asciidv Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Steve, screw anchors are new to me. When would they be used and how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Hi Barry. They are just a way of making a strong point in soft ground for securing tents or aeroplanes and such like. You screw them into the ground and tie a rope to the end. These are the modern ones I have managed to obtain but I suspect that they are a bit small really. They are also powder coated which isn't very period. If anyone has any military versions about 24-30" long then I would be very pleased to hear from you! Steve 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyakyak Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Could you use these pig tails, found in the Somme and Normandy. they would be the right age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Hi Mark. They look very much like the right kind of thing. Certainly the sort of style we are after. I think they should be about 3" dia or thereabouts. It is always amazing to see what keeps turning up. Thanks for sharing them! Steve 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 Had a nice time in Devon last weekend and did a bit more. We are getting very close now so it is time to think about getting a licence number for it. To start that process, we needed some photographs so the first job was to push it outside. Moving it outside is quite hard but not half as hard as putting it back again as it is uphill! Dad took the opportunity to look at his paintwork and was satisfied with the results. The whole thing suddenly looks quite big! Once we had got it back inside, I fitted the angle brackets at the rear end, ready for the tailboard. Fortunately we have the bolts in stock and I didn't even have to trim them to length. Very satisfying. Dad has been pushing on with the tailboard as well and has been painting the planks. And also the ironwork. I have yet to make the hinge blocks. Then we cut and drilled the side capping strips and fitted them. Dad had already got them up to the undercoat stage. I made a start on turning up the fan pulley. I couldn't get a good enough grip on the centre to cut the belt groove so I have brought it away to cut the keyway and to make up a mandrel to hold firmly in the chuck so that I can cut the groove. Once that was done, we positioned the wing and remains of the running board so that we could confirm the size of the boards. The timber for them is now on order. Dad has painted up the brake rigging so I installed the last rod and connected it to the pedal. Another functioning control! Behind the brake pedal, you can see the unpainted throttle rod which I cut to length and fitted. I also propped up the floor support angle and screwed it to the dash board. A bit more throttle rod cut to length here, ready for finishing and also the new petrol line. I found a bit of old copper pipe in the workshop which I straightened out and it proved to be exactly the right length with no trimming at all. I just soldered on the end fittings and ticked another job off the list. I fitted the petrol tap extension. This went exactly through the brake rod! I resolved that by putting a kink in the middle of the tap rod. I was tempted to kink the brake rod instead but that would have made the brake a bit spongy and it is that already ! Today, I have made up the last of the thottle and ignition rods, turned up a sleeve for the water pump drive and turned some insulating bushes for the HT leads so it has all been quite productive recently. # The current focus is to get the engine running as soon as we can. To do that, we need HT leads and oil pipes so we are very close. It is all getting rather exciting! Steve🙂 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted June 15 Share Posted June 15 19 minutes ago, Old Bill said: Had a nice time in Devon last weekend and did a bit more. We are getting very close now so it is time to think about getting a licence number for it. To start that process, we needed some photographs so the first job was to push it outside. Moving it outside is quite hard but not half as hard as putting it back again as it is uphill! Dad took the opportunity to look at his paintwork and was satisfied with the results. The whole thing suddenly looks quite big! Once we had got it back inside, I fitted the angle brackets at the rear end, ready for the tailboard. Fortunately we have the bolts in stock and I didn't even have to trim them to length. Very satisfying. Dad has been pushing on with the tailboard as well and has been painting the planks. And also the ironwork. I have yet to make the hinge blocks. Then we cut and drilled the side capping strips and fitted them. Dad had already got them up to the undercoat stage. I made a start on turning up the fan pulley. I couldn't get a good enough grip on the centre to cut the belt groove so I have brought it away to cut the keyway and to make up a mandrel to hold firmly in the chuck so that I can cut the groove. Once that was done, we positioned the wing and remains of the running board so that we could confirm the size of the boards. The timber for them is now on order. Dad has painted up the brake rigging so I installed the last rod and connected it to the pedal. Another functioning control! Behind the brake pedal, you can see the unpainted throttle rod which I cut to length and fitted. I also propped up the floor support angle and screwed it to the dash board. A bit more throttle rod cut to length here, ready for finishing and also the new petrol line. I found a bit of old copper pipe in the workshop which I straightened out and it proved to be exactly the right length with no trimming at all. I just soldered on the end fittings and ticked another job off the list. I fitted the petrol tap extension. This went exactly through the brake rod! I resolved that by putting a kink in the middle of the tap rod. I was tempted to kink the brake rod instead but that would have made the brake a bit spongy and it is that already ! Today, I have made up the last of the thottle and ignition rods, turned up a sleeve for the water pump drive and turned some insulating bushes for the HT leads so it has all been quite productive recently. # The current focus is to get the engine running as soon as we can. To do that, we need HT leads and oil pipes so we are very close. It is all getting rather exciting! Steve🙂 Good 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 (edited) We have been doing a bit more and are getting ever closer to the first swing. Dad has started painting the rear wings. As always, we are tight for space! I have installed the throttle rod so the pedal now operates the carburettor. I made up the other rods and installed them too so we have a hand throttle here And magneto advance linkage. As the magneto was in position to set up the linkage, I did the HT leads and ran the wire through the dash to the magneto switch. All controls are connected and functional! Dad wanted to push on with painting the wings so I cut the mounting pads and then drilled them through and screwed them down. I suspect that the fasteners should be 1/4" x 1" bolts with 1" dia mushroom heads but I have yet to find any. I didn't want to make them so we have settled for round head screws for the time being. Making 24 of them will be very tedious! Dad has masked the area up and started painting them. The last items to complete before swinging the handle are the oil pipes and I have been tackling these today. It really is a weird oil system of unreasonable complication. The big ends are splash lubricated so the engine driven pump is only for top-up purposes. However, the sump is divided in the middle so there are two independent reservoirs, hence two feeds. The first pipe I put in was the overflow return to tank. This is the main feed line from the back of the pump housing to the sight glasses. Access to make the connection is hopeless. The gap here between the crank case and the pump is about 1". How I am supposed to connect the union nut to the banjo, goodness only knows. Wangling the pump in with two feet of pipe attached to the back will be challenging too. A job for tomorrow. All the pipes are cut and bent and have their end fittings silver soldered on save the pressure line where it fits to the back of the pump. That joint has an olive so I shall have to turn up one of those tomorrow as well. Once all of those pipes are fitted and clipped, there are two more delivery pipes from the bottom of the hand pump to the two sumps which is a ridiculous level of complication! Steve🙂 Edited July 7 by Old Bill 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 Well, I carried on by soldering the ends of the brass hand-pump delivery tubes. These were then wangled into place. Fortunatey, I had already made up some gaskets for the banjo couplings. Then, the soldered and completed copper pipes were fitted. it only remains to make and fit a pipe clip to go between them at the bottom. Dad has just taken delivery of these beautiful pieces of sapele for use as the running boards. I am going to break the edges with the plane and he can get on with painting them With the fitting of the oil pipes, the engine is ready to start. It just needs some oil and we can have a go at swinging the handle. Something to look forward to the next time we can visit! Steve 🙂 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minesweeper Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 The next stage forward has been achieved! The DVLA has agreed that the civilian registration number originally issued to the Peerless, after it left military service, may be brought back into use again - YC2640 - and the appropriate Form V5 has been issued to us. This was a "Somerset" registration and is appropriate where the first original civilian owner lived in the Bridgwater area. We must acknowledge with gratitude the help given to us in dealing with DVLA by the Verification Officer of the MVT. The lorry is now taxed, insured and ready for the road although there is still some final work to be completed on it. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Coates Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 I'm so pleased that the DVLA re issued the original number. After all the hard work you have put in you deserve it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted July 28 Author Share Posted July 28 This is Mike Davis, the Grandson of the first civilian owner who still had the original licence plate 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flandersflyer Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 start soon...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted July 28 Share Posted July 28 Oh yes. We are very keen to start it as soon as we can. Living 200 miles from the project does make it frustratingly difficult some times! In the mean time, I have finished off the edges of the running boards so Dad can get stuck into the paintwork as soon as I can deliver them. With the three oil pipes in place it can be seen that a clip to hold them and stop them flapping is needed so I set about making one by starting with a press tool. Making the tool took the time! Result is satisfactory, however, A lot of hand dressing and a couple of hles finished the job. I also made up the drive dog for the oil pump. These parts can be fitted before the crank-up. After my comments on here about wing bolts, I have been given twenty four 1/4" coach bolts with oversize heads. After machining the squares off and giving them a polish they were ready for the paint booth. I had a call this week to say that the bonnet panels were ready for collection so I hauled up to Preston and back to bring them home. Nigel has left me to fit and rivet them so that will be the next job when I go down. We have been puzzling over the floor panels as there is no space in the thickness for the centre panel without having a small step as a tripping hazard. There are no original survivors to look at so after a bit of thought, I realised that a steel floor would get over the problem. I therefore drew up a copy of the Autocar floor panel and Dad had it bent up. Unfortunately, the fabricator misread the drawing and bent the ends incorrectly. I hammered them out flat again and gave some thought to the surface. A smooth steel panel will be very slippery in the wet and I think some sort of tread texture would be advisable. The Autocars have pimples on so I elected to press some in. Positioning them is tricky as I have nothing to control the relative positions of the punch and die so I drilled a 1/16" hole through on each centre to allow me to insert an aligning wire. There are 224 pimples on the panel so it was a bit tedious but successful in the end. After riveting the replacement end pieces on which were miss-bent, I fitted a centre rib to give it some stiffness. There are a couple of cracks which need welding up after which, the panel is ready for the paint shop. Dad is continuing with the paintwork and has been coating the pick and shovel brackets and also the rear wings. Next visit will see the engine filled with oil and the bonnet trial fitted with pilot holes drilled. After that it will be a case of getting us all together to give the engine a swing. Exciting times! Steve 🙂 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 Still pushing on with the job and looking forward to swinging the handle the next time we can all get together. The first thing I did on my most recent visit was to try the incomplete floor panel. I was very pleased to find that it dropped straight in and looked like it was meant to be there! Since then, the cracks in the ends have been welded up and the the whole lot dressed off. I have also cut the finger hole which is the only detail that can be made out in any of our publicity material. A good spot by Tim. Then fit the oil pipe clip. That was satisfactory. Followed by the fitting of the new wing bolts. Unfortunately, one sheared off so I had to make another up from scratch as I only had exactly the correct number. My usual silver-soldered fabrication. That sorted that out. Time to think about the bonnet. It sits on bonnet tape secured with bifurcated rivets. I have always found the things a pain to spread so I made an attachment for the mole grips. That proved quite satisfactory. # Then a trial fit of the bonnet panels. I was very pleased with the outcome although the ends did need a little trimming just to square them up. The gaps for the hinges came out a little larger than planned so I now have to make up some more hinges of larger proportions to fill the space. Not the end of the world. The whole effect was really quite pleasing. Getting closer to running so it was time for some oil. Three pints in each sump. It really is a weird system with two sumps, two level cocks connected by a linkage and twin drip feeds but only splash lubrication. It now drips so it is coming to life! R Roll on the next visit! Steve 🙂 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prague1996 Posted August 22 Share Posted August 22 Like a lot of your admiring followers, we all hope there maybe a 'team Gosling' gathering this BH weekend and there is an opportunity to 'swing the engine'. Good luck and fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 We had a very interesting day today. This is going to be a long post, which i will have to break down into sizeable chunks. As you will remember, we have completely rebuilt the engine (making new pistons), obtained the correct mag (an American built Bosch DU4) which we had professionally rebuilt and found the correct Peerless carb which was badly damaged and which Steve rebuilt. So, with all these variables today was the day when we hoped to start the engine for the first time. So we topped up with oil, water and petrol and swung the handle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 (edited) Post duplicated Edited August 25 by Great War truck Photo issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 Actually, it is probably easier if i just upload it on to youtube and add the link here: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 After a great deal of cranking the starting handle we removed the spark plugs and rested them on top of the engine to so we could see if there was any spark. Our professionally rebuilt magneto should be chucking out massive sparks, but nothing happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 It seems that our rebuilt magneto was not up to scratch. So the day would not be wasted we rummaged around in the spare magneto bin and pulled out this Sims. Not sure where it came from but it did give off a significant spark so we pulled out the Bosch and replaced it with the Sims and a block of wood to take up the extra space and see if that would be better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 With the new mag in place we obtained a very brief success. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 Steve briefly turned the engine over on the handle hoping to get more petrol through the system. While i was not filming the engine burst into life, but just for a few seconds: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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