112-211 2A Ambulance 1963

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

With the help of Paul (Pop058) a TD5 Discovery and of course a car trailer we picked up 112-211 from the place where it has sat out in the open for at least 7 years. Subsequently, a replacement firewall/bulkhead is on the "to do" list. So 112-211 is now at my home waiting for lots of Lanolin penetration spray so that I can disconnect the steering arm from the bottom of the steering box. The steering is totally frozen solid - not a whisker of a millimetre of  movement at the steering wheel and stuck tight all the way down to the front wheels.

It will be a long-term project towards the ambulance going back on the road. There are a number of other projects ahead of the ambulance on the restoration list. I have been chasing one of these ambulances for 8-9 years. I have had a number slip through my fingers - such as: a last second bidder pipping me at the post on eBay, too prohibitive freight charges for interstate pick-up; or my simply being too broke when one came up on the market. There would be at least six unfulfilled attempts to secure an ambulance. one of these occurred at least a year ago. An ambulance came up for sale on Gumtree. It then closed without any comments about it being sold - it just vanished. So I was quite surprised that the same ambulance was advertised in June and unfortunately it was still located just down the road, about 4 hours drive from home. So I went - I saw and I bought.

Well that is all the words for now - here are some photographs. Plus two photo-bombing dogs!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Dodge]

Nice work Lionel. good to see another saved. haven't seen too many with camo paint.

Cheers Gaz

[Lionelgee]

Nice work Lionel. good to see another saved. haven't seen too many with camo paint.

Cheers Gaz

Hello Gaz,

Thanks for the reply - there is a link on http://www.remlr.com titled Australian Army Vehicle Colour Schemes and Paint: AMF-ADF Paint and Camouflage Schemes.  From information provided by  WO2 Rocky Hema from the 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment Museum in Townsvillet: the first batch of cam painted vehicles we did mid 1981, prior to exercise Kangaroo 81.  The 3rd Task Force (as it was known then) Commander, Neville Smedhurst, directed 102 Field Workshops to paint everything cam (including weapons).

The selected colours for vehicles overlaid on the base olive drab were: Flat Green (similar to the Huey helicopter green), Sand and Black.

This first scheme lasted till it was changed in Jan 1983 to the: Pink, Brown and Tan

The reason for the change was to align the now 3rd Brigade with our area of operations more so, being the northern part of Australia.  Everyone turned their noses up when the vehicles were painted these colours; however, as the paint started to fade, it became very effective to the extent that its worked well during Exercise K83 in the Pilbara.  This scheme remained here in Townsville for some time until the new fleet of Land Rovers arrived with the current cam pattern.

Ambulance 112-211 is reported to have been re-deployed from the 11th Field Ambulance Transport to Townsville to reform 2nd Field Ambulance again. Although Howard Barr from the 11th Field Ambulance Transport suggests that prior to their going up to Townsville half the ambulances from the 11th were painted camouflage scheme.

There is also a photograph of an ambulance, 114-183 and it has a camo paint scheme too. I have an in-service photograph of 112-211 and it was well before it received a camo paint job.

What is amazing is how Greg & Tony Egretz posted the in-service photographs of 112-211 back in May 24, 2016, 08:35:20 AM » under the title of Owner Help of 112-211. I was actually looking at these photographs the day before I headed off for the first inspection of the ambulance. I was thinking how lucky that ambulance owner is to have in-service photographs of their ambulance being posted up on the forum just through the kindness of other members! It turns out that I was the new owner of 112-211 by the very next day!

How is your restoration going?

Kind regards
Lionel

[mike_k]

Good pickup Lionel.

Looking forward to seeing the restoration, any chance of doing this one first?   

Cheers,

Mike.

[STDDIVER]

Good on you Lionel - what a great ambulance and Ditto "another one saved"     STDDIVER

[Phoenix]

Great to see another ambulance saved!  Looks like a lot of work though.  I am doing a replacement firewall for my series 2 ambulance at the moment, and it is a main in the backside.  so many extra holes and fittings on the military firewall to the civy one replacing it LOL.  Getting there slowly though.

Lionelgee, do you have a link to those other photos, for some reason the copies I have of 112-211 are corrupted and I wanted to get copies again.  The vietnam photo puzzles me as to my knowledge this isn't one of the vietnam ones.  Always keen to see more photos though

[Lionelgee]

Great to see another ambulance saved!  Looks like a lot of work though.  I am doing a replacement firewall for my series 2 ambulance at the moment, and it is a main in the backside.  so many extra holes and fittings on the military firewall to the civy one replacing it LOL.  Getting there slowly though.

Lionelgee, do you have a link to those other photos, for some reason the copies I have of 112-211 are corrupted and I wanted to get copies again.  The vietnam photo puzzles me as to my knowledge this isn't one of the vietnam ones.  Always keen to see more photos though

Hello Phoenix,

The photograph of 114-183 was posted because it shows a 2A ambulance in service which had a camouflage paint scheme.

Not sure which of the photographs you would like a link to?

I have been fortunate to meet one of the former medics who used to serve in 112-211. The comment was made that 112-211 was unlikely to be one of the ambulances transferred to Townsville.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Phoenix]

Oops, I misread that!  Still keen to see that photo though, I don't recall seeing that one.

[Lionelgee]

Oops, I misread that!  Still keen to see that photo though, I don't recall seeing that one.

Hello Phoenix,

Click on this link and then scroll down past a number of photographs and you will come across the camo 2A Ambulance next a Chinook.  http://www.remlr.com/2Abloodbox.html
Caption states that: 114-183, the only photograph that we have of an ambulance in service with a camouflage paint scheme

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Great to see another ambulance saved!  Looks like a lot of work though.  I am doing a replacement firewall for my series 2 ambulance at the moment, and it is a main in the backside.  so many extra holes and fittings on the military firewall to the civy one replacing it LOL.  Getting there slowly though.

Lionelgee, do you have a link to those other photos, for some reason the copies I have of 112-211 are corrupted and I wanted to get copies again.  The vietnam photo puzzles me as to my knowledge this isn't one of the vietnam ones.  Always keen to see more photos though

Hello Phoenix, You are correct. I have removed the location name starting with "V". I checked the list of Ambulances that Mike Cecil prepared and 114-183 is not included in the list. I will correct my error and modify the earlier/later posts. 

BTW ... as per an earlier email ... Not sure which of the photographs you would like a link to?

Kind regards
Lionel

[Phoenix]

I misunderstood thinking the camo pic was in vietnam but checking the chinook showed it didn't go to vietnam either so must have been a later australian photo.  All good, mostly my confusion.

[Chazza]

Congratulations Lionel!

Nice to see that you are still around and getting more Rovers,

Cheers Charlie

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

It has been raining and storming here in Bundaberg since about Wednesday night. It is now Sunday night. Saturday was a washout. This afternoon - Sunday I grabbed a couple of jacks and lengths of sleeper timber and jacked up the front wheels on 112-211. Some weekends ago I dropped the pitman arm off the steering box and I found out that the steering box had seized solid.

With the front wheels off the ground I tried to move the wheels laterally. Not even a shimmy. It looks like the steering relay is rusted solid too. Luckily I have spare steering boxes and steering relays. I know some of these parts actually rotate and move! No doubt they will need overhauling.

The next stage - depending on the weather - will be to take the mud guards off and the radiator panel. Take the engine out and put it on an engine stand. Then have a crack at the steering relay. With these parts removed I will be able have a closer look at the extent of rust in the front cross member. I had found some between the face that goes from the bottom of the PTO hole and forms the base of the cross member. Hopefully it only needs the rust on the face cut out and a new piece of metal welded in. Instead of having to replace the whole front cross member - fingers crossed.

I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a replacement bulkhead off Greg and Anthony from near Rockhampton. So that is the most major structural part that needed to be replaced sourced and secured.

Well that is it achievement wise so far.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Message incorrect information - deleted

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I thought it has been a while since I did something significant enough on Lazarus my ambulance. Then when I hit the reply button on my old threat a "Warning" popped up. "This topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days"... hmmm that is quite some time.

Anyway, after a number of consecutive after 4:00 pm when the day is cooler starts I prepared Lazarus for its engine to be removed. Yesterday the deed was done.

With the radiator panel and mud guards off the extent of rust in the front of the chassis was revealed.

A number of months ago the front cross member stood up to the force of a 15 Ton hydraulic gear puller. I used the gear puller to take the steering relay out. There was no flexing or cracking or catastrophic failure of the cross member. So despite the obvious rust it still has structural integrity.

The engine has been pressure cleaned. When I first bought Lazarus I pulled out the dip stick and it was coated with a yogurt like substance so I am not too positive on the condition of the motor. Water must have gotten into the engine while Lazarus sat in outdoor storage for years, with its previous owners.

Today, I worked on undoing all the nuts and bolts on the seat box today so I can have access to lift the gear box out.

I will be stripping the vehicle down to just a rolling chassis.

Does anyone have an ex-Army 2A which had an in-service modification done on the gear box cross member? I noticed that Lazarus did not have the bolt off - bolt on cross member conversion. I have a couple of Series III ex-Army Land Rovers and they all have this conversion. Was it done before Series IIIs?

Well that is this post done - hopefully there will not be another "Warning" when I go and post the next message up.

Kind regards
Lionel