T8Hants Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Ivor I have sent the details by e-mail, you can announce your vehicles true identy. Gareth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 Ivor I have sent the details by e-mail, you can announce your vehicles true identy. Gareth Gareth, you are a hero! I shall now be able to paint S4900364 on the C9/B's bonnet for the frst time in what, 60 years? I am very very happy! Thanks very much. And I can heartily recommend your Youtube presentation on the C9/B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 The refurbished brake components have returned from Past Parts Ltd and look very good. The wheel cylinders look like they have got new pistons inside, but I'm not going to start dismantling them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 The next job is to modify the armoured boxes which protect the petrol tanks. These boxes are a post-war modification and I’m a bit reluctant to modify them but the vehicle is to be displayed in its 1944 condition so there’s no alternative. The vehicles were originally fitted with a flat steel plate on the top of the tanks which served as footplates as well as presumably protecting the tanks from muzzle blast. Backdating them is a simple matter of a short session with the angle grinder. After removing the six bolts which fix the boxes, they simply lift off. Both fuel tanks appear to be in good order although only one is plumbed in and the fuel overspill pipe from the carb to front of the nearside tank is missing. This feature is unique to the C9/Bs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted February 20, 2009 Author Share Posted February 20, 2009 The Morris came with a water leak of long standing from the right hand side of the engine. It appeared to be coming from the head gasket above the water jacket side plate. To investigate the leak the radiator and engine covers inside the cab had to come off. The weight of the radiator came as a bit of a shock to someone who is only used to Land-Rover sized rads! Whilst the engine is accessible I shall repaint it in its original Morris dark green. I’ve found a small area of original paint which I can match to. The side plate came off easily, thanks to stainless steel bolts, to reveal a large accumulation of brown sloppy gunge in the water jacket. This was quite a surprise as the plate had been off when the vehicle was restored several years ago. It was soon hosed clean and the block was thoroughly flushed. I couldn’t find a hole in the plate and the gasket didn’t show any clear signs of leaking so I decided that the cylinder head needed closer attention. It was a mighty struggle to remove it, not helped by my being on my own and having to apply leverage to the front and back of the head in turn. To get to the back of the engine, inside what passes for the cab, I had to ascend the beast every couple of minutes (unlike a C8, you don’t simply get into a C9/B, you have to climb it!). Tiring or what? And dropping a spanner becomes a major expedition back to ground level. Oh how I admire those of you who work on monsters like Scammells! The head came free and revealed a mangled head gasket – all my own work – but no sign of a leak. All that work for nothing – the leak must have been from the side plate gasket. On a positive note it was nice to find minimal bore wear and the pistons and valves looked healthy enough. The engine is the original and maybe the 4000 miles on the clock is right. Huge quantities of brown-ness were flushed out of the head, putting me in mind of what Dog produces after it’s been eating unspeakable rotting things in the fields. Strangely the radiator was very clean inside. The side plate has been shotblasted and will be well painted before being re-fitted. The head is due for a good clean and repaint before fitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Pearson Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Don't know if this picture is any use Ivor think its the same vehicle, its on the second page Tony http://www.g503.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=132991&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Here's a clip of a very crushed and battered Morris C9/B .I think this person took on what almost anyone else would say was a HMV that was too far gone to be saved . This is an extremely dedicated restoration project . Something went wrong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 That C9/B was magnificently restored by forum member T8Hants, who has my undying thanks for providing me with our vehicle's census number and its post-war number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 After a long absence I’m back with the latest on the C9/B refurb. The absence was due to a trip to Malta where I was treated to a feast of CMP Ford trucks in a country lock-up. There was military kit everywhere, loads of Ford V8s, and the corrugated iron roof was supported by lorry chassis members, including a pair which were said to be from a German truck captured in North Africa and brought to Malta by a REME unit. Amazing! Anyhow, back to the C9. The head has gone back on. After closely examining everything I decided that the water leak must have been from the head gasket so it was assembled using Wellseal. I’ve never used it before so it will be interesting to see what happens. The water jacket side plate will be refitted tomorrow. I’ve made a new gasket for it. I was going to repaint the engine and box in Morris green but accessibility is so bad that I’ve decided to leave it in sky blue. Wrong colour, but only I shall know. Today I’ve been painting some panels – the radiator grill, surround, outer footwells and some small parts. The paint is from RR Sevices and seems to be a very good match for British Olive Drab. Despite their warning that flat matt finish marks easily I went ahead and ordered it. It doesn’t seem to mark badly at all. I’m not looking for a factory-fresh finish for the truck anyway, so a few scuffs won’t matter. I shall apply an overall topcoat once everything is assembled. One day soon I’ll have to see if it actually runs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 A long-awaited brake connector has arrived so the braking system is at last complete. The water jacket side plate is now fitted to the engine and whilst working in that area I removed the starter as the previous owner told us there was a problem with it. I would have expected a 1940s MV to have most of its parts easily accessible for maintenance, but this one seems to be designed for lack of access. The starter can be removed from inside the “cab” but I wouldn’t want to try doing it with the seats in place. The problem was a small broken feed wire inside the solenoid which is on the end of the starter. It was easily repaired and I treated the reassembled starter to a new coat of paint before refitting it. It’s a really tight fit between the block and the bulkhead and it needs to be rotated whilst being pushed into place so a lot of the new paint was removed. Where can I get a couple of pedal rubbers? This thing has to be tested before it can be registered in the Isle of Man and they won’t pass it with smooth pedals. The pedal pads are 2.5 inches diameter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morris c8 fat Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Are you going to repalce the wiring if so can you keep me up dated as my truck is still sick I want to change all the red wires back and can you post some of the N/S engine bay carbourator springs linkage ect thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Are you going to repalce the wiring if so can you keep me up dated as my truck is still sick I want to change all the red wires back and can you post some of the N/S engine bay carbourator springs linkage ect thanks I'm not rewiring it this time round - my deadline is 2nd April and it all works OK. I shall rewire it later because it's been wired to incorporate modern switch gear and I want to get it back to original but add easily demountable indicators & rear lights & reflectors. I haven't got a good photo of the carb layout - I'll take one tomorrow. The carb is slightly different on this version - it's got 2 fuel feeds and a return line - but I believe that the linkage is the same. Here's a view from the manual, if that's any help. I cleaned out the autovac today. I've never worked on one before but it was very straightforward. It had quite a build-up of gummy stuff inside which was blocking the carb feed tap. Nitromors is very good at removing petrol gum deposits and it made short work of it. Other than that the autovac seems fine. The lines from the two fuel tanks to the autovac, the vacuum pipe, the two carb feeds and the fuel return line all need re-routing to put the system back to factory spec. In fact the right hand tank supply line, the secondary fuel feed (used when the gun is in operation) and the return line are all cut off and sealed so I'll be renewing these completely. The two carb feeds are controlled by a tap just like the tank changeover tap. I got a new one of these from Paul Beck which is identical to the original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Here's the carb etc. The position of the return spring appears to be wrong if you compare it with the diagram above. I'll try to change it to correspond with the drawing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 Today I have mostly been rubbing down paint. It is a job that is far from the top of my favourites list. The photos show the snug fit of the truck in its shed, which was actually built round it. I just hope I can drive it out when the time comes. Can anybody tell me anything about the Bofors gun mounting that’s fitted? It’s not original to the truck and the few number stampings that I can find seem to be in a slightly non-English style. I’ve never seen another one with this type of elevation and traverse gear. The gun itself and the shield are replicas but some of the fittings are the real thing. I shall be looking to replace the gun, shield and mounting in due course. My long-awaited second 5 litre can of paint hasn’t shown up yet. According to the supplier, who chased it up for me today, after despatching it last week it was something to do with a customs declaration. Sounds like b*ll*cks to me seeing as the Isle of Man is part of the UK as far as Customs goes. The paint is classified as “Dangerous Goods” too, which means it can’t be carried on just any sailing of the IOM ferry – it has to come on a special sailing which only runs once a week. Ooh, I do get vexed! Just how dangerous can 5 litres of synthetic paint be? I suppose it could hurt if you dropped it on your foot … Of course you pay extra for “Dangerous Goods” to be shipped. Or not shipped, as in this case. The adrenalin is starting to kick in now, because this thing’s got to be completed for the 2nd April. It was all going according to plan until the paint fiasco. I love the IOM but getting stuff delivered here can be very frustrating and expensive. As a bit of light relief I’ve rounded off the day by doing a bit more work on the unit and tac signs for the truck. I’ll post photos when they’re done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 You are doing a grand job there Ivan, dont lose heart! If it will help I will dig out a couple of pics of the carb linkage to my C8, it should be fairly straightforward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Another thing as a tip. If you want to keep the brake lines nice and copper shiny give them a coat of clear lacquer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 19, 2009 Author Share Posted March 19, 2009 Another thing as a tip. If you want to keep the brake lines nice and copper shiny give them a coat of clear lacquer. Hmm. Thanks for the suggestion, Rick, but I don't think I'll be lacquering them on this vehicle. I finished off most of the rubbing down today and cleaned everything up on the upper parts of the vehicle ready for spot priming and top coat - when it finally arrives. Spot priming of the areas which have been taken back to bare metal showed an annoying fish-eye effect in some places, as if silicon polish has been applied at some time so I'll have to clean everything with white spirit before doing any more painting. The chassis and those bits of the underside that show will be degreased tomorrow. That's something I'm not really looking forward to but it's got to be done. This morning the final small stencil arrived from Tony at Axholme signs so tomorrow I'll finish off the ammo box stencilling. Ammo box markings are a dark art - I'm not sure I've got everything 100% - but the stencils are very close to those which appear on some wartime photos that I've got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 20, 2009 Author Share Posted March 20, 2009 The day started on an interesting note – repositioning the convoy light switch to its correct place. A bit of modification was needed to the wiring harness but I’m going to replace this completely at a later date. The day then went downhill – cleaning the oily bits and chassis ready for painting – but improved tremendously when the postman arrived clutching a pair of pedal rubbers which I had “won” on Ebay. They’re a bit big for the Morris but they can be modified. He also brought some petrol pipe and fittings – more about those another day. Things went from good to utterly splendid when a carrier arrived with THE PAINT!!!!! Hooray! He also delivered oils for the engine and gearbox etc. I’ve got about 2 litres of paint left from my original 5 litres but that’s not enough to cover the whole vehicle, which is why I’ve been a bit twitchy about paint in my last couple of posts. I’ve now got more than enough British Olive Drab. Any ideas what I should do with what’s left over? Now that the paint has finally arrived there’s no messing about – on with the mask and vinyl gloves (pervy or what?) and away we go. Using paint from R&R Services, cunningly named Warpaint, I use about 10% thinner (white spirit, nothing nasty) and spray at about 40psi (this information is for Jack. I’m only a couple of steps ahead of him at this spraying lark). First under the wheel arches and the chassis, then the gun. A light coat all round, then a couple of proper coats. Of course, the truck was visited by Sid the Suicidal Spider who descended into the wet paint on the gun. He is now firmly incorporated into it. Thank goodness it’s too cold for flies. Runs, hmm, yes, but only a couple of minor ones on the stowage boxes at the back. The hardest part was working out a sequence for painting because I had to climb on the vehicle to paint the gun. Thankfully it all worked out without tears, spills or cock-ups of any kind so I’m celebrating tonight. I didn’t get round to stencilling those ammo boxes but all in all it’s been a cracking good day and I’m well on schedule! :yay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotBed Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 ivor, great to hear your getting on so well, keep posting, my old mate bill is trying to find some pics of when he was in korea with C9/B s will post on here if he finds them regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 22, 2009 Author Share Posted March 22, 2009 It’s been a long, busy weekend and at the end of it I have to say it’s been very successful. The truck is painted and reassembly has started. After painting the gun on Friday, yesterday I rebuilt all the complicated fuel lines in the cab – this thing has two tanks which are controlled by a changeover tap and two supplies to the carb which are controlled by another tap so there’s a lot of complicated bits of bent pipe in the passenger footwell. These are shown in the first photo. I’ve been really lucky with the weather because I’m working in an unheated shed and cold and wet would stop me painting. During the last couple of days, by mid-day the place has warmed up enough to paint so yesterday I sprayed the rear end – the gun stay, the towing gear and the ammo box trays. That just left the cab, which I’ve sprayed today. I’m really pleased with the result of all this paintwork but I think it’s got more to do with the matt finish paint than my skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 It’s all coming together nicely now. We’ve bled the brakes. I think I’ve previously mentioned that at the start of the rebuild I decided to use silicon brake fluid because the truck is going to spend a lot of time immobile and the museum is very close to the sea so the air tends to be damp. These conditions would lead to rapid deterioration of the brake system if I used normal brake fluid. Another reason is the incredibly awkward access to the fluid reservoir, which is actually through a little trapdoor between the pedals! In fact whilst filling it for the first time – through a funnel propped against the pedals – I managed to spill fluid on the top of the reservoir, its mounting bracket and the chassis, from where it dripped onto the spring and axle. What a mess standard fluid would have made, so I’m pleased I decided to use silicon stuff. The brakes bled very easily using about 1.5 litres of fluid and the pedal feels good, although I’ll bleed the system again before I move the truck. And then a major psychological breakthrough – the wheels went back on! It’s been many months since they came off – months of catching my shins on the built-in jacks – so replacing the wheels really was a satisfying move. The jacks are now folded safely away. I don’t know where I read this but here’s an ace tip for fitting heavy wheels without having to lift them. Put a spade on the ground below the wheel hub and roll the wheel onto it. Foot pressure on the handle provides a controlled lift of the wheel whilst you line up the studs. It’s dead easy and you don’t strain your back. The next job was to adjust the handbrake, which resulted in the air turning blue as I managed to shear one of the rods which was seized in the adjuster. It was only screwed in by a few threads but it was well stuck. Heat would have freed it but I was impatient. A friend has agreed to make a new rod – he’s got the kit for cutting the left-hand thread on one end, which I don’t have. We fitted the radiator, coupled up the hoses and, with much trepidation, filled it with water. More cussing as a steady drip, drip indicated a leak from the water pump housing and a smaller one from the pump seal itself. I tried some very gentle tightening of the three bolts which fix the pump but they didn’t feel too good and the leak continued so off came the radiator again, followed by the pump and housing. I couldn’t take the unit completely off because the capillary tube for the temperature gauge has got that look about it which says “just tweak me the wrong way, pal, and I’ll break”. The leak was due to a dodgy thread in one of the holes in the block. Much cursing ensued, followed by a call to the abovementioned friend who came and drilled it out and fitted a thread insert, an art which I’ve never tried. Luverly result! I cleaned the other holes out and ran a tap through them and tomorrow all will go back together. I’m hoping that the pump seal leak will cure itself. Am I kidding myself here? So after two cock-ups there’s some positive news. The rear locker lids have been refitted, complete with 7th Armoured Division markings. The back lights/reflectors are fitted, using a cunning wing nut and push-fit electrical connection blocks so they are easily removable. The cab outer front panels and canvas sidescreens are back on, again with unit markings. I’ve got a bit of a worry about my signwriting skills because two people who have seen the markings have asked me what the kangaroo is about. Rather indignantly I’ve advised them it’s not a kangaroo it’s a desert rat. Unfortunately the accursed rodent does look very much like a kangaroo so I might have to go for a different design. Looking at photos of 7th Armd Div vehicles there’s a wide range of styles of desert rat, including some which are clearly genetic mutants, but none of them looks like a flaming kangaroo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morris c8 fat Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I know i may be hijaking your thred but all C8/9 owners will need to do this sometime.This is the project engine what I can use first then maybe a rebuild .Any thing to get away from the wife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morris c8 fat Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 P.S Thanks for leaving it for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autokaci Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Nice work Ivor...wish I was there to help you out. Glad you enjoyed our rendezvous while here in Malta...I'm sure you would never have imagined that you would see such lovely sights here!! Hehehe. BTW I am still waiting for Joe to give me a reply about that tail lamp you need...he said he might have one! Fingers crossed mate...you saw his stock so one can never know what can be unearthed from inside his treasure trove!!! Cheers, Kaci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 P.S Thanks for leaving it for me Is that the one that Terry F was selling on Milweb? He never mentioned it to us. I'd have had it if he had, even though it looks what my late Uncle Harry, who taught me all I know about motors, would have called "a reet rough b*gg*r". He always wore a flat cap and overalls from getting up to going to bed, so he was a proper mechanic ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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