The Ultimate FC

I cannot source a new or good second hand tracta joint ball socket in Australia except if I purchase a whole new wheel station assembly for a Saracen.
The only people who possibly sell them as a separate item is Bannisters in the UK.
It is costing me 275 dollars to get the old ball rechromed locally and so far this has taken three weeks and I still have not received it back.
The defect in the chrome of the ball appears to be a manufacturing defect and rough handling during a previous disassembly.
I was hoping for the wheel station to be refitted before Xmas........I am running out of time.
Been doing a bit of painting to keep things moving along.
The trailer plug connection is a NATO type sitting in a water proof housing which is blanked off with a large Alloy plug.
naturally It has a very fine thread and corroded in place which required much work to remove and thread repair.
Little things take time like the water proof number plate and blackout light connections, derusting and rewater proofing.
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Old 5 series Toyota not seen one of them for a while!

The last up date before X mas.
The missus has got me going on a cruise this year and I will be unable to work on the stalwart for a while.
I am under a bit of pressure to get rid of it, as I seem to only moving forward on this thing slowly and I need money for health bills.
I have a lot to think about in the new year.
I have that wheel station coming together.
As usual I had drama getting the tracta joint in the hull side of things lined up, but less than before.
I refitted the wheel station in 2 halves.
A lack of wear appears to be the problem, the parts are just tight and instead of being a simple slide in fit,things have to be tapped in with a rubber hammer etc.
The tracta joint was glued together to refit it as it appears to be the easiest way for me on the Stalwart with its low 400 miles on the clock.
I am slowly getting to do the wheel stations quicker and easier.
I should have the Stalwart running around again by my next post.
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Ron

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Is Vic There

Old 5 series Toyota not seen one of them for a while!

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Old forklifts come to my work to die or be built/ restored.
I play around with older forklifts all the time, in fact I sort of specialise in it, as I have been swinging spanners on forklifts for more than 35 years and know stuff about the older forks most others don't.
While not working on my own army stuff and customers forklifts I do a bit of restorations on forklifts I want to keep or resell.
I have just finished a small 900kg capacity 2 series Toyota for use at home its a bit rare and small enough to drive though a door way, but big enough to lift a car engine out with a jib.....the stuff I do when not working on the stalwart.
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The big beast is up and running again on Six feet.
New brake and oil feed lines fitted as per the other wheel stations.
I will have a play with the stalwart soon.
Only one more wheel station to check out and I don't think I will be pulling that one off the vehicle.
It only takes a flake of paint , the slightest misalignment to ruin your day trying to refit a suspension pin on this vehicle.
The centre wheel stations are driven from a Tee bevel box driven from the transfercase and the lubrication to this bevel box and inner hull tracta joint is from the transfercase and not the central lube tank.
The trap is the transfercase dip stick is incorrectly marked from the factory.
If filled to the level mark the transfercase oil level is not high enough to fill the tee bevel boxes.
The transfercase must be filled 25mm/ 0ne inch above the level to do so.
a little job for me was it correct this and replace the wasted mild steel transfercase dip stick with a stainless steel one with a marking on it showing both the level needed to fill the bevel boxes and the factory marked level.

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On the above pic on the old dip stick rod you can see where the oil level had been kept 25mm above the full mark.

I have a plan ahead to take the Stalwart to a army truck rally within reach of its normal place of garaging.
It will be the longest run with the stalwart yet and I have much work to do to ensure the stalwart will not let me down.
I still have chase oil leaks inside the hull, check clutch adjustment, check steering wheel alignment..........all simple stuff on a normal vehicle, but a lot of work on the stalwart..........I cannot even see the hydraulic clutch slave cylinder, let alone try and work out its adjusting procedure.
Now that I have almost finished sorting out the running gear out side the hull I can look to making the upper hull water tight( cutting out the rust) and relook into doing the drive disconnects between wheels.
The disconnects between centre and rear wheels looks like it can be done without disturbing too much inside the vehicle.
The centre to front wheels is a different story......the crane, engine dry sump tank, air charge tank , fuel tank and hydraulic oil tank looks like they will need to come out.( a lot of work and a lot of messy oil pipes too)
Then the drive shafts and muff couplings can be accessed.
That would be a good time to replace various pipes and hoses as well as replacing the oil seals in the front bevel boxes.
The front of the hull also needs cleaning out of years of debris.
The crane would be painted off the vehicle.
While the tanks are out the high speed gears could be dropped in the transfercase.
Still a long way to go and nothing is easy on the stalwart.
That is the plan at present.
I still have a few pressures on me to move on from the stalwart..........but I want to finish what I started.
Money and health, time issues could force my hand.
I am sitting on a offer on the stalwart which is tempting.
Time will tell.
Ron

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 101 Ron

I have just finished a small 900kg capacity 2 series Toyota for use at home its a bit rare and small enough to drive though a door way, but big enough to lift a car engine out with a jib

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I remember the FG9, also remember selling an FG7 back in the UK to a travelling theatre company, it was the only machine that could do the job, I knew this and how rare they were so made a few bob!


Just traded a 5FG20 in!

had a ball today running around in the stalwart today .
Fronted up to the local Sell and Parker (scrap metal merchants) and put the Stalwart on the weight bridge.
9580 KG in its current condition with some of its floor plates and stuff out of it.
Still much to do in the way of checking and adjusting and getting that reliability I need.
I think I can achieve the possible rallie coming up.
The more I use the Stalwart the better it goes.
Lack of use is a big issue with this vehicle in the past and present.
The stalwart is a pain to drive in busy traffic ,as it is just not built for it gearbox and locking diff wise.
On a dirt road and its a different story.
People were pulling up and taking pics & vid on their phones
Ron:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D: D:D:D:D:D:D:D