Universal Carrier Restoration help ?

Hi everybody, I an new here ,and have just bought a UC for restoration. I always thought it would be very cool to have one!
Anyhow, I am located in South east Saskatchewan, and have been an auto mech. since 1975. I am on a real steep learning curve here! I will tell you all I know about this carrier and add some pics.
The fellow I bought it from told me he got it in 1964 from a military friend who said it was used for training,and was from Ontario. I have been unable to find a serial #, but have found part #'s here and there. It has a 24 bolt flat head ford v8.It has no armour, but has been fitted for bench seats and hand rails as well as a windshield and running lights. The fitment of the non-standard items is very professional, not done by a back yard mechanic.All additional electrical wiring was done with original type of electrical wires and conduit. Here are some pics:Bren Gun Carrier pictures by wildcatter001 - Photobucket

I hope that worked,I'm not too good at this yet.

Anyhow,I'm missing a few things like the shift linkage from the top of the trans down to the shifter "ball", the motor mounts and a few other minor things.
Any help or info or sources of info will be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks,Dave

oops,I didn't mean to link to ALL the pics,oh well. enjoy!

 

Hi Dave and welcome to the forum.
Superb series of photos, very best of luck with the restoration.
Unfortunately I know bugger all about Carriers or AFVs but there are a load of people here who do and I am sure you will get a lot of help.
One question I am sure will be asked is: how do you intend to restore it? eg. as a training carrier or as a combat vehicle? Might be a silly question as I don't know what a training carrier is!
Best of luck mate and please keep us informed of intentions and progress.

Mike

 

Mike,thanks for the reply. I want to restore it as a trainer.Not a silly question,and something I should have said in my original post.Going to be a challenge,for sure.

 

Dave, I have a contact (ex-RTR bloke now living and working at BATUS near Medicine Hat) that might have some other contacts, access to stuff etc. If he gives me the nod I will pass on contact details.
Sure there will be lots of other interest in your project soon from other members.

Mike

 

Mike, that would be great! Thanks

 

Hi there well i can tell you (havng looked at your pictures on my mobile phone) it is a Mk2 Ford Canada built carrier and you certainly got your work cut out for you. The small gauges in the dash are originals so keep them, i have a spare Mk2 speedo head which i could sell you that is in good condition.

I also have all the patterns and schematics for armour plating. you need to join the MLU site i recomended my name there is RichardT10829.

I am restoring a 1942 Canadian built Mk1 carrier at the minute.

you will have lost pretty much all the numbering from that machine, the WD number which is stamped in the top of the front armour is gone, the center bulkhead has been chopped so you will have lost the data plate

However...... if you stand at the back of the carrier (outside of it) facing towards the front, then walk over to the left hand track guard... you will see an angle bar which was used to hold the rear armour onto the tub...between the two outermost rivets under the rust will be the Lower tub number....mine is 10131. its not much but its a start buddy.

The only training depot i know of is the Alberta one, here is a youtube link for carriers training

YouTube - South Alberta Regiment Bren Training


EDIT: sorry i should add i know this to be a Mk2 canadian hull because

1) the battery box is behind the driver rather than the gunner

2) the rear lower hull plate is solid, Mk1 carriers had two large square vent holes which are located either side (above) the diff input.

3) It is Canadian and not British because the engine bay engine rails have the curved edge rather than the british variant which is right angle.

4) it has the later style tank straps fitted to late Mk1's and all future variants using the twin tank system. (this form of ID is not fool proof as during the carriers life broken bits may have been changed out for superceded components.

 

This expertise is just fascinating
Well done and keep us posted !

Ron

 

Ron Guys like you were the true experts.... Sad folk like me are just obsessive

 

Welcome, I did a booklet about the use of the carriers during the Battle of Arnhem

 

Hi everybody, I an new here ,and have just bought a UC for restoration. I always thought it would be very cool to have one!
Anyhow, I am located in South east Saskatchewan, and have been an auto mech. since 1975. I am on a real steep learning curve here! I will tell you all I know about this carrier and add some pics.
The fellow I bought it from told me he got it in 1964 from a military friend who said it was used for training,and was from Ontario. I have been unable to find a serial #, but have found part #'s here and there. It has a 24 bolt flat head ford v8.It has no armour, but has been fitted for bench seats and hand rails as well as a windshield and running lights. The fitment of the non-standard items is very professional, not done by a back yard mechanic.All additional electrical wiring was done with original type of electrical wires and conduit. Here are some pics:Bren Gun Carrier pictures by wildcatter001 - Photobucket

I hope that worked,I'm not too good at this yet.

Anyhow,I'm missing a few things like the shift linkage from the top of the trans down to the shifter "ball", the motor mounts and a few other minor things.
Any help or info or sources of info will be GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks,Dave

oops,I didn't mean to link to ALL the pics,oh well. enjoy!

Dave,

Welcome to the forum. It is great to see another Canadian onboard.

As Richard has suggested, you can take a look at Mapleleafup.org. There was another carrier recently restored in Winnipeg. (I see you noticed my earlier thread on 'universal carriers'). If you send me a PM with your email address, I will see if the other restorer will make contact to help you with your project.

Cheers from Toronto

Randy

 

ok now that i am home i have had a good look on the pics it looks like the angle iron which would have contained the lower tub number has also been removed so i am affraid you may struggle to identify where the carrier came from and who used it. my suggestion to you would be dont throw anything out, with cut and shut conversions like this folk often recycle bits of the carrier. I noticed on the footrest there was a switch it looked like the ignition button, but its probably for the lamps or something.

the box on the rear looks original and would have been fitted on the rear armour plate.

here is a picture of what your carrier may have looked like before she was chopped up.




your engine looks like a ford 81A 221ci unit 24 stud head but i have not counted them yet to verify

 

There y'are Dave, told you some experts would be interested!

 

also before you pull the tracks etc off i would pull the half shafts out of the drive tubes and tow the tub around your yard to free up all the track then when you store the track away keep it off the floor and dry, it will make it easier for you when it comes time to rebuild.

be aware that the brake drums have asbestos seals in the back of them where the hub meets the back plate.

the suspension cups are also asbestos.....dont strip them unless they need to be done.

EDIT: i have to ask and dont want to sound like mr negativity....what provenance do you have to prove this carrier was used by the training unit ?

you may struggle to accurately date the machine. but if you check the gear lever housing it will have FMco then a number ie 43 (signifying that the component was made 1943) the towing eyes and this are a fair indicator to its age (ie no older than) but again is not fool proof.

 

Brilliant advice Richard, I guess mostly learned from bitter experience.
Have a feeling you and Dave will be exchanging a lot of info!

 

You guys are amazing!
I have registered on MLU, and am waiting for my account to be activated. Richard,thanks for all the info! Guys like you are like gold to us new guys.As for provenance, I have nothing but what I was told by the seller. If there were no such animal as a trainer fitted this way,then I would like to restore it as it would have been at the factory. Numbers are hard to find,so far I have a few part #'s , one from an engine cover and one from a bracket that I am not familiar with. You are right on with the engine,I figured out the cid this afternoon. Thanks for the advice about pulling the axles and towing to loosen up the tracks, I was wondering how I was going to go about that!
Randy,I will get right back to you,Thanks.
Dave

 

Mike, i did not have this luxury as my brakes had seized solid on mine so it was a tracks off job to move it about.

Dave to my knowlege the army never adapted carriers as per yours for the purposes of training. after a lesson on controls the lads were thrown in at the deep end. the instructor usually sat in the gunners seat, and the second student would sit in the radio op / commanders seat.

It looks to me to have been converted into one of the many hunters shuttle / buggies i have seen over the years. Mine was chopped down to a tub and was used as a log skidder, i located mine in Torronto.

 

Richard, too bad so many were chopped down. Your last pic is very helpful to me. So far that is the best pic I've seen of the transmission/rear engine area. It has already answered a few questions that were rolling around in my head. I don't want to be a pain in the neck, but do you have anymore pics of that area from a different angle? Esp. the shift linkage and the plumbing on the left side?
Thanks again,Dave

PS
I see there is a little carb. type thing at the rear of the intake manifold.I have that part but don't know what it is/does.I just realized the carb. is missing from mine.

 

Dave i have more pictures than you can shake a rusty linkage at try my restoration thread here:

Richie's Mk1 Restoration - MLU FORUM

there should be no plumbing perse on the left side. are you refering to the trunking behind the drivers seat into the engine bay etc etc ? remember mine is Mk1 so there are many subtle differences to the Mk2 the thing on the intake is a breather tube

the carb will no doubt have been a holley or stromberg but be aware carrier carbs are different to the truck ones.

 

I have been wondering if there was a difference between truck and carrier,thanks for clearing that up before I go and buy the wrong one!
What I was refering to was the plumbing coming off the breather, I think now that it is the fuel pump? Very different from what I'm used to.
OK,after looking at your pics , what I was talking about was the plumbing at the oil pressure gauge.
Cheers,Dave