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Scorpion/Scimitar Restoration in New Zealand


philm1

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On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 6:35 PM, Andrew Rowe said:

Hi Phil, thought I might have some of those, were you after the triangle plate and the plastic arm holder as well?

Cheers Andrew.

Hi Andrew,  Yes the triangle plate thingy.SAM_2010.thumb.JPG.12aa7d32a8396775c28997530bb6d667.JPG

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  • 4 weeks later...

Recently arrived a nice package from the UK with some spares and the instrument panel I have been needing.  An early Xmas.  Just a few other bits I am waiting for and I will be able to finish off the brakes and firewall assembly.SAM_3458.thumb.JPG.aba3ab29c1926335e731b15e4971275b.JPG

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8 hours ago, Grasshopper said:

I spy early type rubber tyred rear idlers... I hope they hold up as theyre not as easy to replace as road wheels!

Yes, that's what are on currently and these are some spares just in case.  Don't expect to be doing high mileage or at fast speeds but will obviously need to keep and eye on them.  Perhaps in the future when we are up and running we will get the later type.

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On 10/9/2018 at 12:51 PM, Grasshopper said:

I spy early type rubber tyred rear idlers... I hope they hold up as theyre not as easy to replace as road wheels!

stick with the rubber ones-they give a much smoother and quieter drive!

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  • 1 month later...

Gosh, over a month since I last posted.  A few weekends away with activities firstly 75th anniversary of USMC practising beach landings at mahia which is about 2hrs north of Napier here in NZ.   We took up our 40mm Bofors for the weekend.  They even re en acted an actual amphibious landing.   Anyone out there got any 40mm Bofors original sights for sale??IMG_3508.thumb.JPG.a4b65e6bcb550a3be9000340ca358dcf.JPGIMG_3608.thumb.JPG.7302a8fc96150be86416b67662563601.JPG1589681291_IMG_3626blackwhite.thumb.jpg.9cdc0ddda2edd635ce28a5b3efb547d3.jpg

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Armistice Day  I attended a memorial service in Featherston. 

Featherston Camp was New Zealand’s largest training camp during the First World War, where around 60,000 young men trained for military service on European battlefields between 1916 and 1918.

At its peak, Featherston Camp could sleep and feed more than 9000 men, and train them to be infantrymen, artillerymen, cavalry, and machine gunners.

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Still, I have found time to puddle on the turret cleaning up threads and going through boxes of brackets to identify and trial fit various parts.

Turret latches refitted.  After several re adjustments with spaces to get them to work just right.

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External boxes, and smoke discharger brackets. Anyone have the shapped brackets for the smoke dischargers??

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Turret hatch bump stops and clamps.

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Couldn't resist putting aerials on.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Phil, I have never had a radiator and the trunnions apart but I recall warnings not to run the engine with the radiator flipped up.

I was expecting to see something that cuts off the circulation to support that directive, can you shed any light on that please?

Thank you for the felt info.

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Hi Robin

There are two stubs on the radiator that fit into the trunnions. They are hollow but there are two elongated slots cut into them which, when the radator is lying flat, line up with the input/output of the trunnions. This allows water  circulation through the radiator.

I've run the engine with the radiator up whilst checking the gearbox compartment but no more than a fast idle and not for long.  No problems so far

Richard

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have also spent several hours tracking wiring and have all indicators and warning lights sorted and tested back to the instrument panel.  Bulbs and lens will be installed after final painting.

Just the convoy lights to get going.  

 

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Most recently a package arrived from XMOD with exhaust components so i spent last night bolting them on.  Unfortunately I ordered the wrong support straps but managed to make up some replacements and everything temporarily fitted which was very pleasing.

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Whilst everyone was enjoying a Boxing Day sleep in I decided to clean up the barrel and breech ring to see if both would match up.  Spent a good amount of time cleaning up the interrupted screw threads as these were caked with grease and grit.  Surprisingly once I got everything straight and level i simply wheeled the jack forward, twisted the barrel and that was that. Still some cleaning up to do then hopefully will be mounted back into the turret in the next week or so.

 

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Edited by philm1
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The deactivation of the barrel had removed the recess for the breech ring locating plate so yesterday I marked it out and using a dremel and grinding tool on the air gun I managed to machine a recess back into the replacement piece of steel.  Locking plate fitted nicely after some minor further work with a dentist type tool on the dremel.

 

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Edited by philm1
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Oh yes, between Xmas and New Year another parcel arrived from the UK.  This one had been some time in the planning and has most of the necessary bits to finally get the brakes set up and also the wiring sorted.  Very pleased.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 9:59 AM, paul connor said:

XMOD are a fantastic company, I really do rate them. If you have the NSN they seem to have the parts!

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Paul

Thanks Paul.  Yes XMOD fast, efficient and excellent to deal with.

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To add more work to the list, I dismantled the breech ring to give it a clean before mounting.  Seemed pretty idiot proof to pull apart and reassemble.

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Edited by philm1
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Trial fitted the yoke and noticed the bobbin where we had done the weld repair was screwed on the wrong way around so took it off and corrected it.  The way it was would have fouled the breech ring lining up properly.

Breech ring now installed.  You need to be a pigmy World weight lifting champion to lift an hold this in place to then fix the yoke.  With 2 of us in the turret and using a small step ladder we managed to balance the breech ring and line it up (after a longer than expected time).  Wouldn't want to do this as a field repair.

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That's really looking good.  This winter's job here is to clean and refurbish the turret internals and I'd like that to involve taking the tube and breech out as you have done.  Is it possible to do without removing the turret?  It's an offence here to reactivate a deactivated firearm so I won't be drilling the plug out but it's interesting to see how it can be done.

Any tips that would help

Quick picture of mine at the Rememberance Day collection in Plymouth

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Thanks for your comments and photo.  I hope ours can get to that stage in the near future.

In answer to your question. Unless I really had to remove the breech or barrel then I wouldn’t.  It is doable without removing the turret but everything is very heavy and what seems a simple process is, but can take a lot longer than expected.

The breech components I stripped and cleaned on the bench I could have done if the breech was fitted in the turret.

The difficult part I have found with the barrel on the first attempt to re install it was to see where the markings are to engage and dis engage on the breech.  Originally when I removed it from the turret you may have seen earlier in this forum that it had seized in place.  You could face that prospect as well.

If you were to remove the barrel and leave the breech in place I believe you will need to

-          Remove the anti rotation key on top

-          Remove the locking plate in the breech

-          Probably loosen the barrel stop

-          The barrel should then rotate and be able to be pulled out

-          I would suggest making makings (paint) on barrel and manlet etc so you know where it has to be positioned to re insert

A couple of diagrams attached.

I have a lot of manuals scanned if you need any further reference material.

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Barrel now back in place.  I marked out in more detail where the interrupted screw threads were on the barrel and the engage, disengage marks so when it was re fitted I had a much better idea that it was set up right.  Slotted back in and now no need to ever remove it again hopefully.

 

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Pine trees in the distance 

Edited by philm1
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