Christmas is fast approaching, and the team has been fully engaged with our project in the final few days before we take a much-deserved Christmas break.
This week’s main focus has been to complete the removal of all remaining internal and external fittings from Australian Carrier L.P. No.1 Hull No.76 and to finalise the repairs needed after shortening the hull. This includes welding the hull sections together, re-riveting the rear, removing the wheel bogie arms, hull-length side fenders, and numerous other components.
We are making every effort to preserve as many of the original nuts and bolts as possible, but we will certainly need to manufacture some new ones. All parts removed are being carefully labelled and set aside, enabling us to assess and restore them at a later stage.
Further research into the Ford V8 engine has yielded a wealth of new information. Thanks to another collector who owns an LP1 with the original engine, with matching engine numbers to the Army Vehicle Registration Records, many of our outstanding questions are now being answered. Once we have completed this research, we will be sure to share all our findings in forthcoming Inside Track articles.
Our efforts to source original documentation have also been successful. We have recently received a copy of the “Series H5 and H6 Information Book and Parts Price List” from the Marmon-Herrington Company, Inc., Indianapolis, which will greatly assist us in restoring both our SARC Marmon-Herrington Mk. IIIs in the future. In addition, we have obtained copies of two reports from the National Archives of Australia related to the M.G. Carrier L.P. No.1, dated August 1940.
We will keep you updated as the restoration progresses. Please check our social media channels for photographs and daily updates. Thank you for your ongoing support, and we wish everyone a wonderful weekend!
