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WW1 Thornycroft restoration


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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I have just returned home after attending the Michael Banfield Collection Sale in Kent - have been very fortunate to find and buy at a very reasonable cost, a complete Water Pump assembly with original Thorny J fan still attached, and an Inlet Manifold with most of its fittings still attached, again for peanuts - so a successful visit! You may remember that we do have a water pump which has already mainly been completed and repaired with the exception of the big onion-shaped aluminium "shroud" or bracket that had rotted away around the flange area - and could not be welded. Steve has been working on a pattern so that we could have a new one cast. However, the one purchased yesterday is sound - so that is one job that we will not have to do now!

 

There was also a large pallet there, fully loaded with all sorts of Lamp Brackets and we rummaged through them just to see what was there - and we found three Thorny J Headlight Brackets! I tried to buy the whole lot but it went for much "bigger bucks" than we thought acceptable and let the whole lot go. Fortunately, I found the Buyer afterwards and he very Kindly agreed to sell a pair of the Thorny Brackets - but understandably, he knew that he was holding us over a barrel and the Brackets cost as much as the other two items together! Steve and Tim are taking the Dennis to Duxford today but Tim will post some pictures when he gets home!

 

There were several WW1 Lorries and chassis in the Sale and we understand that they were all sold and that many of them are now making their way to NZ ! That is "hearsay" and not officially confirmed.

 

The auction and the results are on the web and if anybody is interested, then find "Bonhams" - the "Michael Banfield Collection".

 

Tony

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Glad to see you got some pieces out of the auction, sadly I missed yourselves on Saturday when you popped into the collection but I have been shown photos by people who were amazed at how tidy your trucks were looking forward to August.

 

Steve

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Tony had to go to our Sand Blaster today for a friend and took the opportunity of taking the three Headlamp Brackets with him that we bought in the recent sale. They seem to be identical but only one has the Part No stamped on it in large numbers, the second one has the same correct Part Number stamped on it in small numbers – but that one is also stamped “Thor J” on it. The third has no markings whatsoever. Different Manufacturers perhaps?

 

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Steve and Dad took a recent holiday in Norfolk, playing trains. On one particularly wet day, they decided to go to The East Anglia Transport Museum at Carlton Colville to see their wonderful J-type Thornycroft and take some more pictures and measurements.

 

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This is probably the most complete original Great War lorry left and a truly remarkable survivor. It was was purchased by Lowestoft Corporation to support the tram system just after the war and remained in their ownership until the late 1960s when it was donated to the museum. It did very little work and is essentially untouched so it has provided us with a great source of reference information.

 

Dad made up the spring clamp plates a little while ago but, somehow, they didn’t look quite right.

 

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A quick look at the untouched originals and it could be seen that there should be a large radius on each end.

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A quick look at our corroded originals and the radius became obvious and was not just the result of corrosion.

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Steve therefore determined to file them on. He made up a button to push into the holes and provide a bit of guidance and then used a flat file for the centre and a rat-tail for curves. Not too hard, just time consuming but it is nice to get these details right.

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Another job done but repainting now needed!

 

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The tasks currently being planned are the removal of tyres and boring of the wheel hubs, strip down of the new pump to rescue the ‘onion’ casting and completion of the engine assembly. We also want to press the king pin out of the rescued front axle and get that back together. In between times, we are each earning a living!

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Glad to see you are back on with the Thorny restoration. It's seemed a long break for those of us used to regular updates.

 

I dont wish to make further work for Steve, but doesn't the radius on the edges of the axle retaining plates carry on into the recessed area on the other two edges between bolt holes? Looks to me that all four top edges of the plates are radiused. Hard to tell from photographs of course and you have the advantage of seeing the Norfolk Thorny in the metal.

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Thanks Chaps.

 

Number one project at the moment is to give the Dennis a permanent home but local authorities just don't understand the needs of the average lorry restorer! I am trying to fit in some time making bits as well as taking the Dennis out and this earning a living really gets in the way too!

 

I am pretty sure that the big radii only occur on the ends with just the corners broken elsewhere. Interestingly, our original plates have square holes in the centre whereas the Carlton Colville ones have round ones.

 

Some pattern making is planned next.

 

Steve :-)

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Did you happen to check the casting numbers on the headlamp brackets of the museum Thorney? I was wondering how they compared with your 'new' ones.

 

trevor

Yes, the Brackets on the Carlton Colville one also carry the correct Part Number - 57862.

 

Tony

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