A very diverse week with a number of projects being worked on. Our signal triumph of the week was heralded by the discovery of the U registration numbers, hull numbers and chassis numbers of both the early and late Marmon Herrington MkIII. This is a huge result as it will now allow us to position these two armoured cars within the range of known examples and thereby help us plan our next steps safely. This was achieved by our on site astrophysicist of the Renault FT and TSF fame. We will be covering these remarkable discoveries in our online publication Inside Track in due course.
The Zundapp KS750 is progressing well. Current focus is on the sidecar boat and the corrosion on its surface. We are trialling a new product (for us) which purports to remove the rust but leave the paint untouched. Initial results are really impressive. We have continued to research the correct finish of the motorcycle itself reflecting its assembly in April 1944. This is nearing the end as we have addressed most of the areas and all that remains is for us to double check what has been done and prepare for the finishing touches – stencilling etc.
The Typ v chassis for the SdKfz 261 has its own momentum now. The differential has been stripped, cleaned and examined for repairs. The gear ratio has been checked in the differential and compared to the original gearbox reserved for the project. Both are in line which is great news. The water jet cut profiles of the panels required for the inside of the chassis walls awaiting attention have been delivered. This work restoring the chassis frame will start in a few days next week once the differential has been packed away and the parts ordered – bearings, new components requiring newly machined replacements etc. Work progresses on identifying the radiator required. Replacement panels for the cross members in the chassis have also been drawn using AutoCAD and have been ordered. These will be folded according to requirements and will replace badly corroded/weak areas.
The radiator identification for the Ausf A SdKfz 222 and SdKfz 223 is now complete. These will be ordered at some point within the project plan.
The Jagdpanther steering has been reset at the beginning of the week. This has been taken as far as it can until the weather changes and we are able to take her for a test run and test the steering settings. There will undoubtedly be further tweaking required but this will only be discovered on a test run.
