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A.E.C Matador Restoration


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Near as! Zinc plated steel "P-Clips" 5/16" x 5/32" hole diameters. One of two sizes I found in 7837. Naturally, bent straight the original would match the new clip exactly. 

I have vintage Nettlefolds, Imperial Gauge 6 X 1/2", round head slotted wood screws coming. Exact match for the screws found in the original P-Clips (of this size) inside 7837.

Of course, the wiring isn't original, along with the route it takes around the cab. Did they recycle the original P-Clips or replace them entirely in 1956? That we may never know. Naturally, she'll be restored back to original specification with the wires from the cab and body light switch panels going down the rear, offside cab pillar to the floor mounted control box. The wiring for the wiper motors carrying on over the drivers door and across the front beam.

I will look for old screw holes in the ash frame, to see if I can figure out the original P-Clip locations.

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Thanks Pete, not a easy piece to obtain. First one I'd ever seen for sale!

Experiencing history as it was for those who lived it (top). I love experiencing history in many ways, even seeing and handling the fasteners as they were three quarters of a century ago. That's what the fitter saw when our history, was his present. 

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New in and a great find for the restoration 7837, two boxes of new old stock War Department 1.0 MFD Suppression Condensers. There were eight of these originally fitted to each diesel Matador, along with a smaller 0.02 MFD condenser inside the regulator case. 

Lord knows how many pages this thread will run by completion, at least four years to go before she's restored and driving!

 

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2 hours ago, Matador_Doris said:

New in and a great find for the restoration 7837, two boxes of new old stock War Department 1.0 MFD Suppression Condensers. There were eight of these originally fitted to each diesel Matador, along with a smaller 0.02 MFD condenser inside the regulator case. 

Lord knows how many pages this thread will run by completion, at least four years to go before she's restored and driving!

 

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I hope that the 70+ years old dielectric will still function  !    Have you checked the capacitance , the only reliable check will be when 'in-service'  ,,

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Originally for radio noise suppression they have no operational use on the vehicle, they're more for their aesthetic value of having the right parts in the right places. Long as they don't start messing with the circuitry, if they do I'll just isolate them from having metal on metal contact at the terminals whilst maintaining the visual of being connected and functional. 

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New in, a gross of new old stock 1/8" B.S.P grease nipples. There are more than thirty of these located around the Matador, used for oil, not grease! On the chassis, these were attached to a brass extension, with a 1/8" B.S.P, 5/16" hex, electro plate zinc steel half/lock nut to the rear. The half nuts are in the process of being custom machined, after which they'll be sent away for plating. The data plates sandwiched between the extensions and the chassis rail will also be reproduced. What I'll do for new extensions, I don't know at this time. 

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Love new old stock parts, especially packaging sealed for sixty to seventy years. Two boxes of 1.0 MFD War Department Condensers (one airtight sealed) and a box of 1/8" BSP Tecalemit grease nipples, which, incidentally, has a date stamp of 1st September 1944. Someone may have gone rouge with a date stamp but that isn't too likely, as they're not highly desirable or valuable pieces.

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Leaving their pitch black, air tight micro climate for the first time since 1952. Such a buzz in knowing they've not been seen or touched for 67 years. When these were packed, we'd not long since won a world war and Winston Churchill was Prime Minister. They're in for a political shock.

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Edited by Matador_Doris
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 Progress report. Headlamp fasteners, hood and lens holder. Original vs replacements. The original fasteners came from a new old stock dual purpose rim. It's an educated assumption the H1 (of the rare type I'm creating) used the same fasteners as the dual purpose. The new old stock dual purpose rim also yielded the missing spacer rim, spacer rim spring clips, a new lens and a lens gasket to copy.

 All my BA comes from EKP Supplies. They machine lovely fasteners from a steel-lead alloy. However, they don't do slotted, round head BA in the 5/16" length required for the headlamp (nor will they make them). So to keep the continuity of BA fasteners used in the restoration of 7837, I'll have a set of 4BA, slotted, round head screws from EKP Supplies machined down to a factory end of the desired length.

The internal star (six point) washers are 4BA, the replacements came in today and they're spot on with the originals.

The 4BA nuts from EKP Supplies are spot on.

Just waiting for the "3M" rubber washers to arrive, hopefully they're a match to the originals.

After this, I need the lens gasket re-manufactured. To be copied from the original removed from the new old stock dual purpose rim. Then locate some reflector cone cork, along with period correct adhesive for the gaskets and correct staples for the reflector cone cork. Then it's a case of vapour blasting, re-painting with custom matched paint, having the relevant parts re-plated.

I can mark the reflector cone with an original 1940's date stamp and genuine vintage endorsing (aka stamp) ink. I may also have the yellow stamp found inside the Butler's headlamp buckets re-created.

Also pictured, the new 4BA screws inside the H1 rim.

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Her engine appears to be in good health. Hopefully (combined with low mileage) her engine will need very little mechanical work. A full strip, inspection, cleaning, skimming, new gaskets, aesthetically re-finished and tuned up etc However, she may need bearings, pistons, boring, honing, grinding etc Won't know until she's cracked open.

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That'll do, won't do. One of my mantras...but in this case, I think they'll do. 😏

 Just need some of these screws accurately and uniformly shortened to 5/16" length with a factory chamfer. Then I need to decide about plating if any and that'll be hood and glass holder fasteners done for the headlamp.

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Edited by Matador_Doris
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Managed to replace my cab and body light switches after my faux pas.
 

 These were manufactured by Clang, founded by Curt Lange in 1932. The premises in Crown Yard (formerly owned by Smith's Potato Crisps), the firm made domestic electrical accessories. In1940/41 Clang took over number 108 Cricklewood Lane, which had previously housed eight separate trades, including the building of car bodies. In 1943 Clang expanded to number 110 Cricklewood Lane, formerly occupied by a refrigerator manufacturer.

 Cricklewood Lane is twenty miles from the former A.E.C Works, Southall. Whether these were supplied by the A.E.C to the coach works or sourced independently, I don't know. Many Matador are fitted with these Clang, brown Bakelite and white ceramic switches. It is unclear whether these are post war pieces, used to replace the factory originals during the 1950's, or whether they're wartime originals.

 The switch panel removed from 7837 exhibits one layer of green paint, underneath the switch and fuse holder is unpainted stained wood. The single layer of paint is from the post war re-paint.

 The panel may have been a commercial piece (hence the stained finish and backed up by previous research), fitted after interior cab painting at the coach works. Alternatively, these panels were replaced during the 1950's and immediately given an over paint. I may re-create the panels as unpainted stained pieces, as I suspect they were originally.

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Hi Richard, each Matador had a pair inside the cab. The central panel (to the left of the driver's head) held the cab lamp, with the switch. The panel to the right of the driver's head held the body lamp switch, along with the fuse for both lamps. The body lamp could not be controlled from the body. 

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