Thread: Restoring the Colonel

This weekend has been spent mucking about with leaf springs. I don't have access to an oxy to heat up the clamps so I used a butane torch instead and a little brute force. I did snap one and I'm pretty sure another has cracked (as expected really). On the parts manual it shows a bolted clamp holding the leaves together so I'm going to have a go at making some up to replace the existing clamps. I'm thinking of using a countersunk bolt to hold it in place as I don't have the equipment to redo the rivet. I figure they are just there to keep the leaves aligned and don't suffer a huge amount of stress.

The shackle bolts continue to be a nightmare, they seem to be welded to the chassis and the shackle hangers. I actually had to grind a flat surface onto one bolt so I could unscrew it from the hanger and I still have a bolt head stuck in the unthreaded side. That will be tomorrow's job. I was amazed at how well the springs came up with a hit from the wire brush attachment on the angle grinder. Next job is some penetrol followed by paint, followed by graphite powder, followed by reassembly.

Last night I was thinking. Happens occasionally, anyway, I realised that as I bought the Landy unregistered I had no idea what the number plates were or even who the registered owner had been (it hadn't been registered by the previous owner). So after some googling I realised that vehicles this old don't have VIN's but use the chassis number to identify. I have a galvanised chassis and was concerned I may not have a chassis number anymore. I do have the riveted plate on the radiator with a number which matches the chassis number on the bulkhead plate so that was promising. So in my pj's I ventured out last night to see if I had a chassis number actually on the chassis. Again this very useful forum told me it should be on the rear left spring hanger. I couldn't see one, this bothered me as I know Qld transport use the chassis number when registering or re-registering a restored/rebuilt vehicle. So this morning I was out with the wire brush and to my excitement (I'm easily excited) I found a faint number which after a little black pen became more visible. The numbers matched the numbers I already had. When you know what the number is supposed to be. So everything is legit.

Also had a closer look at the brake lines. They look like they might be galvanised? Is this a thing? The photo attached is not great as the camera didn't want to focus on the line. They seem to be in pretty good shape so that may be one less job. Just need to clean up the attaching nuts and replace the flexible lines.

Anyway, that's enough for one day. Cheers

Photo of brake line, looks galvanised? IMG_5126[1].jpg

Today was reasonably productive, I started off by picking up a full set of new suspension bushes for my springs. The problem was that I had had enough of trying to remove bolts and outer bush housings from shackles and chassis's. I actually ended up just ordering a new shackle to replace one that I just couldn't get the bolt out of. I tried WD40, heat, bashing it with a drift and even drilling the guts of the bolt out.

So today I thought I'd tackle something easier and begin cleaning up the tub, removing light fittings and seatbelt mountings etc. Being a station wagon it has seating for 4 in the tub which means 8 seatbelt mountings to remove. All of them rusty.

2 questions for those of you more knowledgeable than myself (which is all of you). Firstly, what goes in the space below the indicator and stop/brake light. There was obviously something round there at one point.

Secondly, what is this tank looking thing that was attached to the underside of the tub? The tub is on its side for the photo. It has inlet and outlet at the top and bottom and a long length of tubing the just ended under the bulkhead. I'm guessing some sort of reserve tank? Or maybe some kind of breather/ overflow tank? It didn't seem connected in anyway to the main tank which I have attached a pic of. It also doesn't have any openings other than the small outlets top and bottom. Apart from the giant rust opening that is. Help please?

The missing round thing is/was a reflector.

Colin

Thanks Colin, that would explain the lack of wires leading to that circle of rust. Cheers

The thing in your second photo is a catch-tank for petrol vapour I think - my 109" had one as well,

Cheers Charlie

Thanks Charlie
That makes sense as the fuel breather hose has a T piece on it. I'd assume the hose from the T piece would feed into the small tank. I'm going to make the brave assumption that this is not an essential bit of kit. I can't see it in the parts catalogue.
Cheers

The brake lines were originally galvanised or perhaps rather zinc plated (not sure how it was done), although many by this time no longer have any left.

The fuel breather vapour absorption canister may well have been an Australian special, not appearing in the parts book, or only in the optional equipment book.

John