Valley Axe Man

Cheers John, yes long weekend been a bonus really, aye we getting a bit closer, Gemma off to pick up the looms tomorrow for me so can get a start on the rewire before long

Another little update, bonnet filled and sanded, and given 1st coat of primer... Also little repair job and a new nut fitted to the knob for the range change lever on the 804....

Another update after a few hours with Gemma yesterday up at the yard, mudguards refitted with new sealing strips between cab and mudguards before getting bolted up, rear wheels re fitted, they took a bit of wrestling with to get the spigotted nuts lined up over the studs, but glad Gemma was there to help get the wheels back on.... bloody heavy lumps they are...... pick up hitch frame removed for a bit of work to the pivots and also the hitch latch area, as well as a clean and paint, which will also include hydraulic tombstone at back end before refitting the hitch, and front wheels now off for a coat of silver...

A bit more "blue".... A few hours on a Good Friday up at the shed, mudguards given a light sanding and then a second coat, cab frame given a light sanding and then given a second coat, then front axle casing top coated and underside of chassis rails given a coat. Once painted I set about in the warm Lancashire weather sanding bonnet down....... Hopefully get another shift in over weekend to push the project on a bit more... Then all being well I should have the replacement wiring loom on Tuesday 👍

Cheers John, aye she starting to look better now, cab frame primer and mudguards got rubbed down with some 180s back to a reasonable smooth finish then given a coat with some nicely thinned paint off roller, it covered well, think I'll give it a light rub with some 240s next weekend and then can have another coat and inside frame can have its first coat....been in contact with Charnleys and said they would sort me a wiring loom so once I collect that I can make a start with the wiring in between the coats of paint hardening off...

A few productive hours with Gemma on what could be called Blue Sunday 🤣 got the handbrake swapped for a hand clutch on a quick trip up to Tom's, and had a cheeky brew and bit of cake in Wray on way back ... Anyhow hand clutch cleaned, primed and top coated, hand brake top coated battery box dropped out, cleaned primed and top coated, previously primed front chassis given a top coat of dark blue, just need to get my hands on a couple of 3/4" unf bolts before I can refit the hand clutch and hand brake and couple the clevises up.... Meanwhile Gemma set on giving the outside of the cab its first coat of light blue and also gave the mudguards a rub off and first coat....

Thanks for sharing Justin , grand turn out and a great day for it by looks of your photos 👍

That be a handy little bit of kit there Smithy 👍 not long back from today's shift at the shed, didn't quite go according to plan as called by yesterday to pick up the hand clutch for the PTO on way back from a trip to Masham and the Black Sheep Brewery with Gemma, anyhow a slight oversight and accidentally picked up a handbrake rather than PTO clutch... Well back to the weeks update.... Brakes bled before setting off to the brewery, so just needs adjusting once rear wheels are on, and then today's work has been more cleaning and priming, cleaned off the inside if the cab, bit more chassis, removed the prop cover and cleaned out before cleaning off and priming,front diff cleaned off and a trial of the light blue on the inner wing to see what coverage would be like.... Maybe needs just a touch more thinners but does seem to cover fairly well off the roller and brush

Cheers Sean, well the wheels cleaned up fairly well with the needle gun, would have had better finish with sand blasting but set about with a wire brush in grinder, there's still one or two bits that I couldn't get clean but on a whole I'm happy with them, they then got a good coat of red lead with a slug of thinners in it, once dry got a good rub down then the thinners got splashed in the silver, it flows out fairly well from the brush on the rims so don't get too many brush marks, and the centres bring cast already have a textured finish from the casting process but the thinned paint flows out covering the textured surface.... Spraying would be better but due to their shape there's too many places for runs to form.... Hence why I always do wheels with a brush but Gemma really done well on these. Trumpets got same treatment but with dark blue.... Chassis will stand being brushed I think...

Aye mechanical she's ok Ben, runs well, doesn't jump out of high range and 4wd seems nice and tight like it hasn't done a massive amount of heavy draft work.... She had a clutch before Tom sold her to me, now brakes are back in her the only other thing that needs the spanners I'd the spool block for the auxiliaries... Seems to be seized but will strip it and investigate, Pick up hitch needs a bit of work if truth be told as it seems right with being stood like the pivots are seizeing up... Other than that it's just a wiring loom and lights and test of tin work tidying up and paint... She was good under neath just rough on top

Cheers John, aye just thought I'd see what the trumpets came out like with a bit of blue on, think the chassis will stand being brushed, like the wheels though Gemma done a good job getting the silver on today, whilst keeping an eye on Mick's Lambs... A couple of them were trying to be escape artists......

Bit more done, other sides of rear wheels given first coat of silver, floor plates cleaned off and given a dose of red lead, brake linkages refitted, new slaves and return springs, new flexi hoses and a pair of new evergreens to join up to the coppers at the bulkhead, just shy of a bit of dot4 brake fluid for a bleed up .....

Chassis and wheels will be done with brush, cab frame will probably be roller, but tin work and wings will be sprayed...

Bit of silver splashed about tonight and first side of a rear wheel given its first coat... Actually covered not too bad probably a second coat and I'll call it a bobber, also tried a bit of Leyland dark blue on the off side trumpet housing again it's not covered too bad, dabbed the blue dipped brush in and around the anchor points for the brake linkages so hopefully get them back in over weekend if all goes to plan

Unfortunately today's shift at the shed didn't quite reach expectations in work goals... Ended up stripping the diff lock pedal and mounting bracket out of the right hand side trumpet housing and stripping the foot clutch and mounting for the PTO clutch out off the left hand trumpet to gain access to the seized pins in the old push rod end mounting brackets to enable the fitment of the new brake slaves..... So now it's all stripped back might as well set about cleaning it all up and giving it a coat of dark blue before putting it all back together.... So seeing as the brakes are still an on going saga.... I got the back wheels lashed with red lead...

Also started cleaning off the front axle case, that too got a dose of the red lead, swivels and hubs will get same treatment and then given a lick of dark blue once front wheels are taken off again to be silvered...

A trip to the spiritual home of Nuffield and Leyland tractors (aka Charnleys) this morning, to pillage a few brake bits, caught up with John (JMD) son Matt for a natter and also fellow Leyland fanatic Colin Stafford who was there collecting a freshly purchased McCormick tractor.... Anyhow I digress, once back at the yard I set on with bit of red lead on the pre cleaned steps and then set about whipping the rest of her clothes off to gain access to the front cab panel... hopefully tomorrow I'll get the slave cylinders and linkages mounted for the brakes and the Flexi pipes run in ready for making a couple of new brake pipes

Not a bad number Justin, thanks for sharing 👍

Grand job Smithy, look forward to seeing your progress 👍

Maybe the tray used is a generic tray from other ranges in the brand Smithy ... Or..... It's big enough for them to offer a 6 for the price of 5 offer to try to boost sales perhaps....

I'm sure you'll like it Smithy, Shame you weren't nearer and you could have had mine for a demo.... the one I have is a straight one not a pistol type, but a pistol one would be more comfortable to use over a larger area I would say.. have had a look and ordered a new set of needles for mine at £21 the set that been in must have been in for over 10 years so apart from needing to supply them a bit of wind and a drop or two of oil in them from time to time they a cheap way of cleaning off metal.... Just bit un suitable for anything less than 3mm really as they start to deform the metal but anything above 3mm they bob on just remember your earplugs 👍

Haha maybe your right there Smithy.. maybe that's the cheats way for power steering 😉

A little change from updated on the 472, I had these old photos sent to me off Martin the previous owner of my 4/65 taken at a working day he organised back in 2009... To be fair she hasn't aged much in the past 13 years, I actually think a tractor kept in a drafty shed with good air flow or even left outdoors so the moisture can escape survives better than one tucked up in a sealed shed.... Leyland legend Graham Hill at the wheel, Graham who owns the 1st production 4100 off the line at Bathgate...

A couple more for the collection care of John JMD on his recent trip to see the work in progress on my 472, anyhow again ex Rory Days collection a pair of municipal/highways 154 & 253 brochures and an export 285/2100, cheers John appreciate your continued support to the collection 👍.