Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Great stuff and would love to have a crack at the riveting. Or am I just being stupid?! Not at all Jack, it's actually very satisfying. I had never done any before, at least not in bulk and though the learning curve was quite steep, it's very easy to quickly get the hang of it. The ones in the floor were perhaps the trickiest at least in theory as you have to lay on the floor, slide under the hull with a red hot rivet, insert it into the hole, slide the hold-on under and open the valve, all before the rivet gets too cold to form properly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcspool Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Brilliant stuff, Adrian, thanks for sharing the pics with us. Great to see a Ram is being restored with great effort. H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 It is good to see a Ram being restored as a runner, at last! The owners intention is to have it out and about later this year, at least as a basic runner. I'm looking forward to having a drive. :drive: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Great photos, a really serious job - seeing the restorations in progress is the best part of the HMVF for me. Perhaps I should tackle my 1969 Land-Rover bulkhead now rather than let it continually leer at me each time I go into the workshop :-) PS. How did you heat the rivets? Just with an Oxyacetylene torch or in a mini furnace / induction coil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Alastair, we just used gas bottles on an individual basis. I did consider setting up the forge but with the relatively small quantities we were fitting, it wasn't worth it. We heated up each rivet on a firebrick, it was very quick and meant I could do each one close to where I was fitting it, very handy on the floor ones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 That's impressive work, and I can see that the angle on the original top edge would have needed replaced anyway, but why replace the side plate? Given that it is the original armour and otherwise well attached why just not weld all the holes up, heating and straightening distorted bits as you went? Owner decision, some critical mechanical function? Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 It was badly damaged, here is an inside view. The bend in the lower edge was worse than it appears here. In all honesty, I would have replaced the entire side as it was all a bit nasty. Originality is always best I agree but sometimes new is necessary. It is not easy to just heat up and straighten 1 1/2" thick armour plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Nice bit of heavy engineering, looks like a well set up workshop you've got there,There's not many things that are more satisfying than having everything that you know you'll need to hand,it's like your own little empire. well that's how i always thought of it, although it does make me think twice about what's really involved in a tank restoration.new oil filters and a coat of red lead is just not gonna cut it. cheers eddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Reading between the lines I presume it is going to be restored into an original turreted RAM but what configuration was it when sitting as a target on the range? RAM or Kangaroo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 You're spot on Eddy. I do have most of what I need and it's rare for me to have to outsource much. You're right to not underestimate the challenge. If you're to avoid spending huge sums of money, you have to be able to solve the problems yourself. Often this is simply a matter of knowing who to ask! I hope you do get your project, I look forward to the first pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Reading between the lines I presume it is going to be restored into an original turreted RAM but what configuration was it when sitting as a target on the range? RAM or Kangaroo... No, the owner has no turret and doesn't want one anyway! The intention is to do a kangaroo as this is more appropriate to NW Europe and indeed more user firendly! It was a kangaroo before going on the range. We have another one here to finish, similar level of work, we are close to putting metal back in. This one came from a different range and was a gun tower. Unfortunately, (to my mind) the owner wants it restored as a gun tank. He does have a very nice turret for it, so i can see his point. I have kept all the gun tower parts though should he change his mind! I would keep it as a tower, it would look fantastic pulling a 17 pr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 (edited) Your right about a Kangaroo being the best setup for representing a vehicle from NW Europe and in my opinion RAMs look ugly with a turret, however there aren't many turreted RAMs knocking around... but from what you say there will one more than present within the next couple of years. PS. Did the Cromwell feature in your New Years resolutions :-) Edited January 6, 2010 by ajmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 The problems with Rams is not so much the turret but the ring. The one we have here has an excellent turret but no ring at all and it is, of course, specific to Ram! The Cromwell did not feature in my NYR though I did do some work over the holiday! I have been making a complete new cutaway drivers hatch complete with the padding tinwork. Hardly a priority item but every little helps as they say.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carruthers Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 really interesting pix Adrian - thanks for posting. we're just up the road in S Norfolk. Only armour we have is a carrier (otherwise trucks, jeeps, bikes) which will need some front armour re-making so it's exciting to see how you go about these operations at a professional level. Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Hi Simon, carrier is good! What model do you have? When and if you need it, I would be happy to help out, I'm making some parts for a Windsor at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark m uk Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Brilliant stuff, I just love all this heavy engineering and tank repair stuff. Not for the faint hearted or light of wallet, That rules me out, but it is great to share in other peoples tank adventures, so keep it up boys and thanks for posting pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carruthers Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Hi Adrian, Yes we could use some help. Might be worth me buzzing down to yours if that would be convenient. The Carrier is 1938 engine and running gear but otherwise a MkII. Well this is what the previous owners said. i'm not sure, and we're going to Duxford to see John Delaney and take some measurements off theirs. Basically the front construction is clearly wrong and needs removing and new parts fitting. The rear plate isn't right either but as that's a straight piece which bolts on we can deal ( or we think we can!). It runs and drives fine but just doesn't quite look right on close inspection.... on another Q do you know anywhere that can bend 1" steel tube for rear hoops on my Morris 15 cwt? Thanks Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Simon, please do pop in, you'll be very welcome. I can bend your tubes for you too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carruthers Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 That's very kind of you. I better nip over the my fab place and buy the tube! cheers Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antony Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Here are a few more pictures of the Ram, although as Adrian says it will not have a turret, the base for bolting the turret ring down was damaged in several places and needed attention, so we cut out the damaged areas and welded new sections in. The last two pictures show one of the idler brackets after being riveted, the interior, and the riveting equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 It really is good to see all the blow by blow detail of a restoration from an AFV is such poor condition. It has always surprised me how few are displayed at shows with photos of the restoration and a little history. The guys who post their restorations in the restoration blog section deserve credit. So to those of you who are in the throws of armour restorations, post your photos! There must be some of those Finnish Comets and Cromwell hulls being restored at this very moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I am glad its being restored as a Kangaroo. The 53rd Welch div. who fought nearby also used a few Kangaroos. I think they were borrowed for the action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antony Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 I found these pictures yesterday of the Rotating Cradle we built about ten years ago to position this Sherman Hull to replicate the original welds in the factory. Adrian designed it and had some 12x5 channel rolled into four horseshoe shapes which I welded together to form the circles. The hull is bolted to plates through the road wheel bogie positions, the cradle rotates on Sherman road wheels mounted on brackets held together by a frame. Adrians calculations were spot on for balance, we could rotate it with the forklift and lock it in any position, which is exactly what was done in the factory on the production line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supertrack Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 One question: why bother to create such a device? It's great and very well done, why? What work do you need to do here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted January 12, 2010 Share Posted January 12, 2010 The larger welds on the hull were originally done in the flat position. To replicate them exactly, you must weld them flat. To do this, you must turn the hull over and that is much easier to do in a frame than on the ground! Since we built this frame it has had one M4A4 hull, one M4A1 Grizzly hull, a Ram and probably another Ram soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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