Old Bill Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 21 hours ago, radiomike7 said: No 5 looks like Barry Weatherhead as I remember him from 40 years ago?? Quite right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Simmonds Posted February 28, 2023 Share Posted February 28, 2023 On 2/24/2023 at 11:12 PM, Great War truck said: Fantastic photo of one of the Peerless being recovered from Washington in Sussex, some years ago - about 40 I suspect. You may recognise some faces. L to R Mike Sutcliffe, Brian Brown, Steve ?, Mick Giles, Barry Weatherhead, Oscar Schneider, ? , Clive Peerless and my dad Mike Simmonds. My dads Seddon Atkinson lorry transported the Peerless back to Milton Keynes. The date was Feb 1981, I was 13 years old and as I'm not in the picture I think I might have took it as I remember one of the team handing me a camera. Keep up the excellent restoration work !. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) There are four things preventing us from reassembling the box (apart from time!) and these are the selector forks, the mounting bolts, the bolt spacer tubes to avoid the channel crushing and the gear tooth damage. I have picked up the selector forks. As you may remember, the wear surface of all three forks was pretty rough. I started off by polishing each with a piece of emery on a sanding block. Although this one is pitted, I reckon there is a enough metal left to create a rubbing surface so I have left it alone. One down! The other two were just too bad so I chose to machine out the corrosion and then silver solder some replacement metal into place. The replacement pieces were secured for soldering using 6BA brass screws tapped into the parent metal. Ready for the heat. First edge dressed off with a file. Then clocked in the mill and dressed back. They came out well and I was very pleased. The drive spindles had had it, however with no thread left and a spare cross-hole for a pin drilled as a 'fix'. I turned up some studs as replacements. After sawing off the original, I drilled and tapped the ends in the lathe. The challenge here was to get the threads straight in the ends. Once started in the lathe, I resorted to a tap wrench to finish off. The spigots have slots in the end to allow for adjustment of the actuator rods. The sleeves are screwed to the correct position and then a split pin is put through both to prevent rotation. Actually, I don't think this is a particularly good arrangement as the thread isn't secured and can fret as the selector is pushed back and forth which is probably what caused the initial failure. Possibly some locknuts should be given some consideration. Set up ready to screw into place. Selector rods ready for use! Another job ticked off. Dad is pressing on with the bolts and spacer tubes. More shortly! Steve 🙂 Edited March 5, 2023 by Old Bill 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 Dad has been making up the gearbox mounting bolts ready for the grand reassembly. They are actually studs and UNF at that. We are pleased about that as UNF nuts are available! The bolts go right through the channel cross-members from top to bottom so tubes were provided to prevent the channels from crushing. Unfortunately for us, two tubes had gone missing at some time in the life of the lorry resulting in severe corrosion of two of the bolts, hence their replacement. In the mean time, Dad has cleaned up the two remaining tubes ready to fit. I have done as much gearbox as I can from here so my thoughts have turned to the cooling fan. Unfortunately, we don't have one so it has to be made up. These are the bracket mounting holes on the front of the engine. The Bovington armoured car mount is quite different so nothing to copy there although I did measure the fan and drive pulley diameters. The Sandstone lorry has the same bracket mounting holes as ours but the bracket is an obvious later addition. However, the Banfield lorry is exactly the same so that is the one to copy. I even found that we have the Y-casting in the heap so that has been cleaned up and fitted. Just recently, I was given this fan by a great friend who thought it might do. It doesn't look anything like the cast fans we had seen. However, I remembered that the Wheal Martyn example had something similar but with only five blades. Then I found this picture in the collection which has a six bladed fabricated steel fan so we have precedence! The bracket is slightly different so I wonder whether there was a weakness there and the extra steady bracket was put on top later? First job was to get it to bits. Heat and brutality as usual. The drive pulley is mounted on a left hand thread which, very fortunately, I twigged before trying to unscrew it. Bearings might have fought again but I have bought new straight off the shelf., The original spindle was mounted eccentrically to allow for belt adjustment. The fan was a bit undersize and one of the blades was broken. Also, the curve on the blades had been set so that it was a pusher fan and we need a puller so I took them all off and cut out some new ones. Then I had to rivet them back on. I suspect that this fan was French as everything on it is metric. Interestingly, the six rivets on each blade were of three different sizes which was an added headache. I set the blades to curve the other way and it started to look quite nice. I sweated a ring around and it is ready for cleaning and painting. We need a new spindle of course and this was a nice turning job. Then bore and tap a hole through it taking care to keep the tap square to the spindle. Annoyingly, the spindle has and extra flange on one sideso I had to turn that up. Silver soldered and cleaned up ready for some paint. Dad has made up the support rod. I am currently pattern making for the base casting and hope to finish that tomorrow. We will need to think about the drive pulley as that is missing as well. Another pattern needed! Steve 🙂 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 (edited) We have done a bit more today although I was a bit slow getting going this morning. It is taking me longer to shake off work these days! Anyway, Dad has put a flat on the fan support rod and finished that off. The hole in the Y casting has a flat to locate with it and stop the fan rotating on a vertical axis. The rod is supported at the base by a casting and I have been making the pattern for that. It is mostly MDF with a bit of oak for the boss. That smelled wonderful whilst I was turning it. Radii created with Isopon and dressed all round with the Dremel. It is now in the paint shop. The two missing support tubes for the gearbox bolts just need the ends trimming to fit the channel. I will do that next time I am down. I did try fitting the clutch but could not get the spring tensioning nut to bite. I have therefore made some clips to hold the spring compressed whilst it is being fitted. I squeezed the spring up in the press and tried them out. They work fine but I have been advised to treat the arrangement the same way I would treat a live hand grenade! Steve 🙂 Edited March 11, 2023 by Old Bill 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Great War truck Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 2/28/2023 at 8:37 PM, Andy Simmonds said: L to R Mike Sutcliffe, Brian Brown, Steve ?, Mick Giles, Barry Weatherhead, Oscar Schneider, ? , Clive Peerless and my dad Mike Simmonds. My dads Seddon Atkinson lorry transported the Peerless back to Milton Keynes. The date was Feb 1981, I was 13 years old and as I'm not in the picture I think I might have took it as I remember one of the team handing me a camera. Keep up the excellent restoration work !. These are the names as remembered by Clive. Mike Sutcliffe, Brian Brown, Steve Burburrah, Mick Giles, Barry Wetherhead, Oscar Schaudaa, Ken Peerless, Clive Peerless and Mick Simmonds. Nearly a match. Are you in this photo Andy: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) Bind it together with a wire. Edited March 13, 2023 by Citroman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuffen Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I was going to suggest a large Jubilee clamp around it for safety sake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Thanks Chaps. Good thoughts both. Springs can fire bits off with some velocity and no warning and I place some value on my 'bits'! Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Having cut through quite a few MacPherson strut springs of similar dimension (even when broken) using hacksaw and grinder 15mm slitting disc - I would have fear of going near to get some clamping on. That is unless the press ram was with a bit of weight-on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuffen Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I agree with Ruxy. Put it back in the press, load it up enough that it can't escape then clamp it. You're right your "bits" are valuable and fragile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 We have just had a splendid weekend in Devon celebrating parents' diamond wedding anniversary. This is completely off-topic, I know, but bear with me. Father bought a brand new Austin Healey Frog-Eye Sprite in 1961. He and mother did all their courting in it and eventually they took it away on their honeymoon. Whilst my thoughts have been on the subject, I casually googled the licence number and amazingly, it still exists! I was unable to track it down in time for the party but we would love to see it so if any of you ever come across it, I would be very pleased to hear from you! To return to topic, the second half of the weekend was spent working on the gearbox! Tim and I started by fitting the replacement self-aligning bearing. The mainshaft was then ready to fit but it is a heavy lump and almost all I could do to lift it. This was the point at which we remembered that the bearing carrier has a locating hole in it which should face upwards. More heavyweight wrangling needed here to get it onto the top. Then the input shaft was inserted over the new bearing. That was all satisfactory. Next, the layshaft. Everything turns! I squirted quite a lot of oil around but it was all most satisfactory. Then the selector forks. Despite my repairs, there is still a lot of clearance around them. Will have to see how they work out. Dad has made up some new couplings for the selectors. They are left and rh thread. Now finding LH UNS taps and dies really is tricky so they have been made with 7/16" BSF threads as they are the same pitch as the UNS equivalent and only the thread form is slightly different. They still screw over the original selector thread so I am happy with the compromise. They work! The nuts were all pinned and the felt seals were fitted into the carriers before screwing home the glands. The drive coupling was cleaned up and fitted at this stage too. Along with the PTO gear. This gear will never be used by us but it is an original part that was fitted to this box so we have reinstalled it to keep it safe. The box is ready to fit! We are planning the next visit to install the box. That will have its own challenges as it has to be lifted up from underneath but is too tall to slide under the chassis when on the lifting table. Something else to ponder on! Steve 🙂 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiomike7 Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 If you have an engine crane, place the gearbox on the horizontal girders using the crane as a trolley and manoeuvre the gearbox to the correct location, then use the crane to lift the gearbox in to place. If that doesn't work can you raise the chassis and put it on blocks or stands to gain a few inches? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 14 hours ago, Old Bill said: That will have its own challenges as it has to be lifted up from underneath It doesn't have to be done that way. You could turn the chassis upside down and lower the gearbox onto it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted March 31, 2023 Share Posted March 31, 2023 It's rare to find your first car. I still have mine for 40 years now 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted April 1, 2023 Share Posted April 1, 2023 Yes, finding that photo really made me smile. I just need to trip over the car at a rally now and my day will be made! Getting the box in is tricky because of the bracing bars on the sides of the chassis rails. As you suggest, Mike, I am planning to jack and pack the chassis up to give me the headroom. I think I need another four inches which is achievable. Something else I found time to tackle was the clutch spring. I found that I had to reduce the length of the hooks in order to slide the assembly into position so I took your advice and fitted a jubilee clip to secure it. That gave me a lot more confidence! It screwed on with just enough bite on the thread. Then it was a screwdriver under the clips to ping them off and we were done! I am hoping that the lining will bed in quite quickly and allow the cone further into the flywheel. I cut the lining as thin as I dare so I don't know why it protrudes so much. Anyway, we are now in a position to connect the box to the engine. The next visit is going to be an exciting one! Steve 🙂 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 (edited) Well, we have just had a splendid weekend in Devon and have made some very satisfactory progress. Here is the first instalment. Gearbox was all ready to fit so we pulled it out and lifted it onto Dad's lifting trolley. It is fitted by pushing under the chassis and then lifting it up into position However, as predicted, the combination was too high to go underneath. The solution was obvious in the end. Just jack it up and put it on stands! We then took the opportunity to trim and fit the spacer tubes and dig out the bolts previously made by Dad. The fun now was to align the bolt holes. A lot of fiddling and messing and with the help of a bit of rod with a tapered lead machined on it, we succeeded. The rearmost bolts needed some spacers to lower the box into line with the half-shaft outer bearings but this was soon accomplished. Now it was time to connect the gearbox to the engine. Father had previously repaired the propshaft and painted it. The couplings have a felt oil seal fitted. This is contained by a pair of bronze castings wrapped around the shaft and contained by the outer cover. The felt is contained by a spring clip which we were fortunate to have. The bronzes were fitted and then the cover wangled over them to hold them together. This was something of a juggling exercise! Tim and I carefully held all the bits together whilst we juggled the shaft into position. The steel bearing blocks were fitted to the pins and the cover slid over the lot to trap it. Four bolts (UNC this time) secured it with the cover carefully rotated to allow access to the grease plug inside. And the other end with both grease plugs facing the same way! We were then connected from front to back so it was time to add the pedal shaft and clutch pedal, again previously sorted by Dad. We realised that we were missing the two UNS pinch bolts so Dad turned them up Pedal shaft installed and the clutch works! I added a couple of Peerless greasers from stock just to finish it off. We had to try turning the handle and watching it all move. Very satisfying! Steve 🙂 Edited April 20, 2023 by Old Bill 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Nice job, wat is the sprocket on the front of the gearbox a sort of PTO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Citroman said: Nice job, wat is the sprocket on the front of the gearbox a sort of PTO? If you read through the post above from March 30th you'll see is indeed a PTO gear, which they will never use, but because it is an original part they just put it back on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroman Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 OK thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted April 21, 2023 Share Posted April 21, 2023 Yes, quite right! There is an option in the manual for an extended layshaft with gland and drive gear and a note 'see power hoist supplement' which, unfortunately, we don't have. Of all the bits in our collection, we have the remains of one complete lorry and that spent its life, after the war, working as a tipper on the Somerset levels. It is the engine and gearbox from this lorry that we are using. We met the grandson of the original owner and he tells the story of how his father and Grandfather went to Southampton to purchase the lorry after the war and how they drove it back to Somerset using only the oil side lamps for illumination and they kept blowing out! As they bought it Government Surplus, they must have fitted the pto as a later addition as I can't believe that the Army would have had it. It is a genuine Peerless part which the lorry acquired in its life so we thought it best just to leave it on there as part of the history. Steve 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bill Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 Next step was to fit the half-shafts. Firstly, we needed to secure the chain tensioner into place. This is done with a coallar screwed into position using holes in the face to get a purchase. The outside of the collar forms a running surface for the oil seal. We have three retaining collars to choose from. These go behind the bearing and keep the half-shaft in place. They also have a groove for the oil-seal felt. I cut strips of felt and pushed them into place. Once fitted over the collar, the bearing could be mounted. These are double-row self-aligning bearings and, whilst a little tired, will fight another day. They are retained by a nut and locking washer. I had previously spent a couple of evenings filing them out and they were probably only a penny stampings originally! The bent-over tag locates in the keyway in the casting. The nut is just a simple pressing as well. Fortunately for us, the FWD hub-nut spanner fitted it. Bend the tag over and that job is done. Slide the shaft into place, locate in the differential and over the bearing. The original securing screws were very ropy so Dad has made some more. They are cross-drilled so that they can be wired. First one down! On the other side, the sprocket had been removed. First job was to make up some new keys. Dad saw this coming and got some key-steel into stock. However, despite being labelled 3/8", it proved to be 10mm and won't fit! Dad has ordered some more which turned up yesterday. This is labelled 3/8" but is 5/8" this time! Some jobs seem to be unreasonably difficult! Steve 🙂 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 6 minutes ago, Old Bill said: Dad has ordered some more which turned up yesterday. This is labelled 3/8" but is 5/8" this time! Some jobs seem to be unreasonably difficult! This is a classic example of where my friend Richard used to say: "It says Nestles on buses but they don't go there!" 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andypugh Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 4 hours ago, Old Bill said: I had previously spent a couple of evenings filing them out and they were probably only a penny stampings originally! The bent-over tag locates in the keyway in the casting. That's definitely a job that I would have farmed-out to the local laser cutter (or an online one) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asciidv Posted April 23, 2023 Share Posted April 23, 2023 1 hour ago, andypugh said: That's definitely a job that I would have farmed-out to the local laser cutter (or an online one) But Steve would then have missed a rewarding night in his shed. Far more pleasure in making those than clicking a mouse for someone else to make! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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