Rolling again...

From this:

To this, in 3 hours:

The rest of today was spent rebuilding the gearbox, which is now more or less ready to run - I just need to fit a transfer-box.

Now fully dismembered...

First job this morning was to head off and collect the new chassis from storage. The tow motor is on loan, I've not gone to the dark side, despite the luxury 90's opulence of the Vogue SE 4 door I've borrowed...

Big thanks to Adam, who came across to help me today.

I've now got two gearbox in bits, and enough good parts that with some new bearings (on order now) I should be able to build a pretty sound box up.

With Adam's help, the bulkhead has been unbolted and was lifted back a few inches (the fence post was to stop it falling over)...

...then with tactical use of the telehandler, off it went to storage at the other side of the yard.

The engine followed suit shortly afterwards. During a lull in proceedings, I changed the turbo for a better one - hopefully this will stop the long-standing problems with sump pressure from blowing turbo seals.

Meanwhile, Adam had given the new chassis another coat of paint. (The rear cross-member is unpainted as I intend to fit a civilian spec one).

Finally, a major offensive with the windy gun and telehandler saw the old chassis outside the workshop, pretty much devoid of useful parts...

Almost in bits...

Bitsa is now in bits. Lot of bits. The camera battery went flat halfway through proceedings, but not before recording a few images of note.

Back tub off for the first time in 2 years... the dirt buildup on the main rails was un-belivable.

Enter JCB Loadall, remove gearbox. Nothing quite like an engine hoist you can drive...

Inside the gearbox was bad news: I was rather miffed to find why it had gone bang was simply that some twit in the MOD had failed to do the bolt on the front of the layshaft up properly. The result was it had flapped backwards and forwards, eaten the rear layshaft bearing, smashed 3rd gear, wrecked the layshaft and made such a mess of the layshaft bearing housing that the main box case is scrap
All because of one slack bolt. I've another box arriving tomorrow morning, hopefully with two boxes and a new set of bearings I can make one box that is fit to use...

The new back tub...

Collected Saturday - Cheers Rich.
Also acquired were various other handy bits and pieces, including a straight bumper to replace the current excessively bent example.

 

Also acquired were various other handy bits and pieces, including a straight bumper to replace the current excessively bent example.

Stripdown will occur tomorrow later today, the main priority is to get the gearbox out and opened up, so I can see what bits need ordering... currently I've a choice of two gears - high 4th and low 4th, so I suspect failed layshaft bearings, the only critical question is what else has gone bang...

The rapid rechassis project...

Keen readers of this blog may have noticed that blogging hasn't been so much light has non-existant of late. I've not had a lot of spare time or inclination if I'm honest...

However, a major Bitsa project is underway - a chassis swap in just over a week, commencing 15th April, through to 25th April. At the end of this, I should have a working Bitsa again, possibly even with a new coat of the trademark blue paint. For that week, I'll also be blogging progress as near live as possible...

Star of the show is the new chassis - an NOS combat SIII chassis, lovingly bought by the MOD in the 70's, and having sat round in storage most of the time since, it cost me £250, which is a bargain in chassis terms.

I've spent today painting it, ready for fitting. (The axle assembly fitted at the moment isn't from of Bitsa, it's a slave I borrowed to move the chassis on).

As it arrived...

Shiny.