113-585

[113-585]

Hi all

First post here.  I am trying to track down the history an a Series 2a 1964 FFT with Engine number 25177121F and Chassis Number 25307374B (this number was underneath the label with N802049P typed on it - see photo) which as per the database was disposed of on 13 June 1980 in NSW.

I am now the owner of this vehicle.  Whilst it does not look ex army on the outside, the reinforced axle housings and the nomenclature plate on the inside of the firewall is telling me it has a military background. 

I acquired this vehicle by pure luck at the beginning of this year.  It was sitting under a tree for 10 years on a property just outside Brisbane.  I am in the process of restoring it to a safe and driveable condition. (not a full ground up resto) but my biggest issue is severe rust in the firewall. I have cut out all the rust in the chassis and the door frames. 

A previous owner at some stage repainted the entire vehicle inside and out and I am assuming added the hardtop. Also, everything under the vehicle has been covered with a red oxide type of paint, but underneath this I find olive drab paint.  Interestingly, when I removed the floor plates and clean themed up, I found gloss dark green paint.

The front guards are confusing as they look series 3, but the guard tops have a reinforcing plate underneath for an antenna mount (I am assuming) and I find more olive drab paint under the red oxide paint.  The doors are S3 and I have not found any signs of olive drab paint on these so I am assuming these are not original.

Anyway, just seeing if anyone had any pictures of this vehicle when it was in service or knows anything about it.

Pictures are of the day I collected it.

Thanks heaps

[Carzee]

  hi up there, that body is very well mixed up.

I have looked over the data list without turning up anything. No photos either, sorry.

We do have a few pages about the FFTs -- http://www.remlr.com/2Afft.html

...and you'll see the rear jerry holders sit inboard a bit. The Series 3 ones sit further to the outside (as seen in your photos). Also I see a passenger fuel tank cap. Is it a 1964 brass dipstick 10gal fuel tank or a Series 3 one?

[113-585]

You are correct...it is a mixed bag.

Both fuel tanks did have the brass dipsticks....but....so that the dipstick did not hit the bottom of the seat, there was a piece of timber used to space the tank down on the front mount.  I discovered this when I removed the fuel tanks to get them restored. I am assuming this was not original!  I did not like the idea of a timber spacer, so I removed the dipsticks and the tanks are now mounted properly.

[Carzee]

I wonder how the wiring loom is. Was it replaced with the Series 3 rework or is it the old one with a few loose ends, eg the NATO trailer connection, the radio batteries genny loom for 24v, etc. Looks like a good project you have on your hands.

[113-585]

The wiring loom around the engine bay is covered in a woven material and looks original.  At the rear tucked up at the front of the rear cross member is a large electrical connection point where all the tail light wiring gets connected - not sure if this is original.

There was also a bracket on the underside of the tub for what I am assuming was for the convoy light.  I am planning to scrap back the paint the diff to see if it is painted white.

With reference to the jerry can holders, I ended up removing them from the cross member as they were badly rusted.  To me they looked like they were not original as they were only held on by 4 bolts and there were numerous other holes in the rear cross member.  There is no way they could have been mounted further inwards (like in the pictures on this site) as the tail gate mount is welded to the rear cross member right next where the jerry can holders were bolted on.

[113-585]

Hi All

I have been slowly working on this vehicle...it's been an adventure.  Engine runs nicely now. I've been slowly replacing every seal/rubber, cutting out rust from chassis and door frames.

Somewhere along it's life, everything underneath the vehicle has been painted (roughly brushed) with red oxide paint.  It is everywhere, so everything I touch gets wire brushed and repainted in Gloss Black. 

As you can see from my initial pictures, the outside of the vehicle has been resprayed at some stage.  But where the paint has come off, I am finding DBG paint underneath.

You can see my nomenclature plates states that the vehicle is an FFT which I would have assumed was painted olive drab.

Why would this vehicle be painted in Deep Bronze Green?

Cheers

[Ravvin]

Hi.
Pop over to the REMLR main page and have a read through the Restoration Info area. Lots there about the colours over the years.

You might want to start at http://www.remlr.com/paint.html

Looks like yours just made it into the DBG era.