Author Topic: So, I bought a FFT  (Read 34290 times)

Offline AGAS 5

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #45 on: April 06, 2019, 05:54:36 PM »
Gosh that looks great Mike. Congrats  :)
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Offline lucipla

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #46 on: April 06, 2019, 06:19:42 PM »
Congratulations Mike , very nice

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #47 on: April 07, 2019, 08:37:17 AM »
Thanks for your kind words AGAS and lucipla,

Although it is not quite finished, it is great to get it out of the shed and onto the road.

Once I get the battery frames sorted out, I’m looking forward to installing the radio kit :D

Cheers,

Mike.

Offline master chief

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #48 on: April 07, 2019, 11:07:15 AM »
Morning all, having just seen this in the flesh I can concur that Mike has done an absolutely fantastic job on the FFT. Definitely looks factory fresh. Well done Mike, look forward to seeing it at Corowa next year.
Regards Justin.
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Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #49 on: April 09, 2019, 08:04:19 AM »
Thanks very much Justin, much appreciated!

There have been a couple of running in issues including a partial fuel blockage at the selector tap, (which may have also involved Melbournes freeways at peak hour :-X) but I am pretty happy with it so far. Not bad for a vehicle that didn’t move for just under 30 years!

I will have to get it out and about, and it should definitely be at Corowa next year.

I’m not sure what is happening on ANZAC day yet, but it will be there if anyone needs it.

Cheers,

Mike.

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #50 on: December 22, 2019, 02:27:29 PM »
I have been slowly catching up on a few smaller jobs lately on 177-211.

I managed to get a deal on 4 batteries for the 24 volt system, l’m looking around for 4 more second hand ones to make up the full set.

It had its first big trip up to Dookie a couple of months ago, and it did a pretty good job. The steering is a bit heavy, I need to have a look at the relay in the chassis I think.

There is a really annoying vibration in the drivetrain at about 80 kph or so, it goes away at 90, so I’m thinking there is a prop shaft issue as well.

Otherwise I need to sort out why the 24 volt system will not charge the batteries, and a few other minor niggly issues.

Overall, not bad for a vehicle that spent over 25 years in outdoor storage!

Here are a couple of photos showing the latest progress, I am looking forward to driving it up to Corowa in 2020!


Offline Mike C

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #51 on: December 23, 2019, 03:35:36 AM »
Very nice job, Mike-k. Looks a treat!

Interesting choice of radio equipment, too - the AN/PRC-47 was a US radio set introduced early in the 1960s, and I'm not aware of too many having survived, so a nice find and good to see it so well set-up with it linked to the Brit Larkspur wireless aerial base. Great job and just that much more interesting than a straight Larkspur or AN/VRC-46 & AN/GRC-125 set-up.

Regards

Mike



   

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #52 on: December 23, 2019, 07:23:01 AM »
Thanks for your kind words Mike,

Yes, I really wanted to fit the PRC-47, as you say they are pretty thin on the ground these days, and would be correct for a 1970 vehicle.

 I was lucky to find a complete installation kit for it, that included the adaptors to fit the radio to a Larkspur mount, the proper antenna mount / base etc. Even in service photos of the vehicles with this set up are uncommon.

Another hard to find part was the Series 2A MX-6707 antenna mount, I have only ever seen one of these, they are not as well designed  as the later Series 3 version, as they do not allow the canopy side to roll down neatly.

Putting all the signals kit into the vehicle was almost as big a job as restoring the vehicle, but hopefully it is fairly accurate. It was very satisfying to see it all come together, and I now have a lot more room in the shed now that it is all fitted!

Although projects like this never really finish, I must be getting close!

Cheers,

Mike.


Offline Chazza

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #53 on: December 23, 2019, 08:36:21 AM »
...
It was a bit of a strange one, a lot of the bolts were not original, the seat base was held on with hardware shop stuff, the axle drive flanges were hard ware shop stuff as well, and a lot of the body had non standard bolts holding it together as well. I would like to know the history, it looks like it was put back together at some stage with just anything that was lying around.
...

Nice job Mike!

If it was in a RAEME training centre, then it would have been in pieces regularly as the apprentices and trade-trainees pulled it apart to do simulated repairs. After doing that a few times; fasteners get lost and broken and replaced with anything that works. When it came time to get rid of it, they would have been told to make sure it was in one piece and going probably.

Memories of the motor-mechanic trainees, pulling engines and gearboxes out of Ford XA utes at 5 EME Services Unit, come flooding back,

Cheers Charlie
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Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #54 on: December 23, 2019, 09:02:57 AM »
That makes a lot of sense Charlie,

There were lots of hardware shop cheap bolts holding the whole thing together, they were a nightmare to get undone!

Cheap unrated bolts on the axle drive flanges as well, very few of the factory fasteners survived.

Lots of bog, especially in the front wings....

Mechanically though, it was really good, a crate motor and gearbox, and most of the other parts only needed restoration and repainting.

People have told me that Ian (it’s previous owner), always bought good vehicles at the auctions, I would agree!



Offline Mike C

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #55 on: December 23, 2019, 10:08:26 AM »
Mike,

You mentioned that "I was lucky to find a complete installation kit for it, that included the adaptors to fit the radio to a Larkspur mount, the proper antenna mount / base etc."  Indeed you were!

That fact, ie that the Aust adaption to a vehicle-mounted radio (it was developed originally by the US as a back-pack set for special forces) used Larkspur equipment/fittings, gives a good clue as to when it came into service in Australia, as Larkspur was fairly quickly relegated to second-line service in most instances following the introduction of the AN/VRC series and AN/GRC-125 sets from the mid-1960s.

Mike


Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #56 on: December 23, 2019, 09:35:46 PM »
Exactly Mike, that is why I was really keen to have the 47 set fitted to the vehicle with the correct Australian vehicle mount kit.

It is basically a couple of adaptors to mount the radio case into a Larkspur mount, fitted to the Larkspur table with a Larkspur antenna.

The battery frames are locally made, as is the antenna mount for the tub, these all have Australian stock numbers.

It is a great piece of adaptation that was probably done in a hurry, but worked well in the field apparently until replaced by the GRC-106.

The only part that I have not yet found is the CV-2455/PRC-47 Converter-Blower, which was used for cooling / teletype ops. Still looking!

Here is a photo of the set up in a 2A with the blower fitted to the PRC-47.

Cheers,

Mike.

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #57 on: April 04, 2021, 03:31:48 PM »
A bit of an update for 2021, on the whole it’s running pretty well.

It had a good run on the Corowa 21 trip earlier this year, without any major issues which was great.

A few niggling problems though,

The driveline vibration was still there, despite changing,

 All engine and gearbox mounts for softer ones,

 The rear tail shaft,

 And adjusting the exhaust position which has very little clearance around the front of the vehicle.

Still there, very annoying at about 85 kph, which was roughly our convoy speed on the trip.

The front driveshaft was brand new, I bought it from the UK when the build was going on a couple of years ago. Not a cheap one either.  ::)

A quick drive without it finally saw some improvement, not perfect but a lot better.

I think I’ll try to get it balanced, although the arrows are aligned and it has a balance weight, I suspect that it is out.

I had a good second hand one, with a new set of UJs and a coat of paint, that long saga seems to be over.

The first photo is the dodgy one, the second one is the refurbed old one.

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #58 on: April 04, 2021, 03:40:38 PM »
After the prop shaft saga, there was still a significant vibration at some higher engine speeds, this happened regardless of speed, it was just a result of the engine rpm.

A good look around showed the front exhaust rubbing in a few places at once, as I mentioned, it is very tight running from the down pipe past the steering damper and past the chassis at the front.

It was sometimes hitting the steering damper, so I ended up rotating it through 180 degrees so that the thin end was near the corner of the muffler.

This also meant that the pipe join was next to the thin part of the damper, giving it a bit more clearance.

A bit better but not quite there.....

Offline mike_k

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Re: So, I bought a FFT
« Reply #59 on: April 04, 2021, 03:54:56 PM »
The exhaust pipe coming out of the muffler has to thread its way between the front of the chassis and the unit made exhaust protection bar.

This muffler and ‘tailpipe’ was fitted to the vehicle wh.en I picked it up from Toolern Vale, so it is the correct one for the vehicle.  (I think!)

The chassis shows a bit of a mark where the pipe must have been rubbing for some time when it was on the road in service. At least I’m not the only one who had to put up with this issue!

The muffler was also hitting the rear edge of the bumper, this was fixed by extending the chassis mount down a bit to make it a bit lower.

The front bracket was adjusted again (!) to get the best gap between the bar and the chassis.

Much better now, I had no idea this front exhaust thing was so complicated. I don’t think it is hitting anything now.

At this stage, I think that this is sorted, but I’ll see how it goes.

With the driveshaft change and getting rid of the exhaust rubbing, it is a lot smoother, not quite as smooth as the GS with the standard rear exhaust, but a lot better.