This vehicle was advertised in the NMH one Saturday morning, it had a mob/ph number that took me ages to get hold
of the owner, and to this day I have not seen/met the owner of this vehicle, all dealing was done through his Dad
who used to be a cameraman @ NBN TV, anyway as well as the 109 Wksp I had to get rid of a S2A 88"GS,as part
of the deal, so the day it happened was going to be a big day work wise as the 88"GS had no wheels and a few other
items missing that would stop it from being moved.
The big day arrived, we set off (the judge tagging along) the plan was to move the 88"GS first, it proved to be a little
more difficult than I had first thought, I had taken enough wheel nuts & wheels, also a 9/16"BSF die nut to run down the
wheels studs, making fitting the nuts an easy task, but the issue was the brakes had locked on, with all 4 wheels locked.
My trusty FBH was put into action (F****** big hammer) my 110 was flat out dragging it along (uphill) on a loose gravel
surface, but eventually the wheels started to turn, what a task, the next job was getting it onto a car trailer, I have this on video
but not in a format that I can change to use here, anyway an image of the 88" in the very long grass/weeds
I was a tad worried about snakes I can assure you, anyway with it loaded we headed off home about 50k's away, we
returned after off loading it, to get the object of desire the 109 WKSP truck.
I managed to start it but it wouldn't run, so unhook the car float and tow it up the hill, pull onto trailer secure n head off
here it is in the backyard where one day I would bring it back to life, the first thing to come off was the tattered canvas
it was rotten/dirty falling apart, a quick pressure wash to remove spiders etc., I parked it n 2 others on my neighbours
front lawn for a photoshoot
I had an offer from a woman that I worked with, I could store it in a disused shed at the back of her rental property
as at the time of purchase 110-850 was stored up the road @ my son's place, at least it was out of the rain etc., but as
things turned out I had started 110-85, and she was moving I shifted it up the street to where 110-850 had stood
and occasionally a little encouragement parked alongside, as it takes a lot of determination to keep going when you have taken
on so much at one time
anyway I digress somewhat.
The vehicle was in a sad state, it had been used by the 2 previous owners on the beach and has not been looked after at
all, the bulkhead was very rusty and so was the chassis, this vehicle would get the same treatment as the others, strip it down
was the order of the day and strip it down I did, and I had it in storage under cover & outside covered as best as I could with what I had
it was reduced to it's major parts they were stored until required, the hunt was on for a chassis.
I bought a S3 109 military chassis with the idea of changing it back to S2A spec's, but after travelling to Nundle n back getting it
I had changed my mind and that chassis went into storage, and I tracked one down in a lane in Kurri NSW, it was overgrown to
say the least, somewhere under that vine was a S2A 109 mil/spec chassis
I was stung by paper wasps about 10 times on my right hand when cutting the vines away, man did that sting+++, from the rear
it looked no better either
I came back at the weekend with a trailer, the chassis etc., was lifted out and waiting to be lifted with the hoist on a truck
the judge inspecting my purchase LOL
the lift
hard part was getting it off @ home, but that task was managed without too much fuss,
all unwanted bits were disposed of, but I had to have it mobile enough as i have a very small backyard, so a quick set of wheels were
knocked up using what I had at my disposal
it was grit blasted
etch primed and placed into storage next to my 1984 (October) County fitted with Isuzu 3.9lt diesel engine
and that's where it stayed for the next year or so, while I finished off 110-850 and the trailer that was bought at the same time as the Ambulance
here is an image of the trailer stored at the Judge's place in Morpeth
the judge visited me every weekend to check my work LOL, the restored Wksp trailer can be seen in the background of this image
while it was etch primed n on the stands I treated it to a fish oil bath, that's why the brown paper is under to catch any
drips without staining the concrete too much, then paint it black
It gets damn hot here during the summer months with days sitting on 35c<>42c, but never the less the work goes on
regardless of the heat, it's great for painting small things as they flash off quickly, as I have stated that after work I would come home
and do things that needed to be done everyday, that way when I needed to re-assemble the chassis it would go together very quickly
here are some of the items for the chassis all clean n painted just waiting and lots more in boxes
The chassis went back together quickly as I have to be able to roll it around as required, I would have had it all back
as a rolling chassis in under 10 hours but being colour blind I couldn't see the 3 locking tabs that I needed to complete
the right front hub assembly as they were stuck to the cardboard on which they were painted, maybe I had too much
port n coke during the afternoon in the heat
here I am well after dark working under lights & the influence of alcohol looking for 3 tab washers for the spindle housing
it was a rolling chassis in the morning and the work continued as it does here @ No 19.
The hunt was on for a suitable bulkhead replacement, I knew of one out @ Cobar as I had seen it from the road as you
approach the town from the East, we were headed for Blinman in South Australia for the Sth Oz land Rover Jamboree,
it's a fair step from home, we took the 1635k route, I drove all the way, stopping only for fuel/food/piddle LOL
I think I have mentioned that I like driving my diesel Isuzu it returns around 26 miles per gallon not bad for a 32 year Land Rover, anyway
back to the story, the bulkhead was still there on a wreck, I had seen it before many times as I headed out west to a small place called 'Tilpa'
to go shooting, anyway I made a mental note to self to get that on
the way home at any cost
and I did, I asked a chap @ the engineering works next door, he directed me to an auto parts shop in Cobar, I got the items for $25.00
about 90 minute later it was stored on my roof rack, but I had to drive back into his auto parts shop to buy some ratchet straps to secure
the load
The B/head was grit blasted, which revealed a few cracks which were welded up, etch primed/painted, and put into storage.
I made new brake pipes and fitted
them, along the way I had to remember quite a few things about the original chassis, and how they differed from a FFR chassis,
many holes had to be drilled, some steel fittings off the old chassis had to be added, a lot of extra work
I like the challenge with making new brake pipes, it can be tricky at times especially if you bend the tubing the wrong way LOL, anyway
the engine gearbox etc., were re-,installed in due course along with the bulkhead wiring loom which was made by 'Vinwire' here in Oz
and as anyone knows who has done this type of work, there has to be a chronological way of refitting everything without
causing any delays to the reconstruction, anyway here is an image of one of the many changes required to the chassis
for the rear lights, holes had to be cut in the outriggers and tailgate hinge removed
anyway everything went according to plan except for the weather which you cannot control when working outside.
Engine got a head job
doors were stripped, frame grit blasted etch primed painted skins refitted, the rear tub was grit blasted as well
it houses an electrical switchboard which is unique to this type of Land Rover
this was cleaned and checked and it was servicable just like the tag stated
here it is with my checking device
the rear frame needed some serious attention, it is able to be raised and lengthened, but it has seized up somewhat, but with some persuasion
and tapping with a small hammer it eventually came free, I made up a tool to clean the tubes with
it was almost a meter in length, but it did the job, the frame had some cracks that needed attention
and the judge checking my work (as usual LOL)
I had managed to buy 2 NOS rear tarps, I had these job priced in 2004 @ $6,500.00 + GST (VAT) I didn't pay that for them
but they cost me a bit anyway
inside the rear
meanwhile many tasks are on the go including finishing off the interior of the cab, note the 'Noggy' lock (Noggy is a slang word for Vietnamese)
it is not known whether the vehicle went to Vietnam (no photo evidence) but given it has the chain to keep it in reverse is a
fairly good indication that it did, and the small first aid kit attached to the left side double hoodsticks
when I was stripping the front wings of paint (as well as the doors) I started to find past eveidence of who it served with
here is the vehicle call sign 'Tassie Devil' all 2CAV call signs commence with 'T'.
the vehicle served with '2CAV' an armoured unit as a RAEME L.A.D (light aide detatchment)
the upside down triangle represents 2CAV the spanner + RAEME unit, 83 Electrical Tech/suppt, A (Alpha) = the driver has the rank of Sgt
here is an early shot of the truck n trailer parked out in the street note the unit signs etc., incomplete on the door and wing
the vehicle is fitted with a front mounted exhaust system
and to finish off here is a 3/4 view from the left
there are various types of Workshop vehicles here are 2 images showing how the canvas is deployed etc.,
I have the 2 front mounted tables as well, Gen/set, A510 radio set, here is a fitters truck with Hercus lathe
of course now all this technology from the 60's is old hat, well n truly, anyway this was fun to rebuild, it is a delight to drive
and I have a list of people here in Oz that want to buy it when it comes up for sale, there is one in the UK somewhere, the
chap who owns it is ?? Burton, I helped with dimensions for the rear hoops
anyway I'm wafflin on LOL cheers Dennis
psI have hundreds of images of this resto, I just hope I have put it together the way it happened and it was just over 10 years ago now,,.
my wife had a little laugh about the comment 'It's a wonder you know what your wife looks like'
pps I forgot to mention the 88"GS (blue wreck) was dismantled within a few days of arriving at my place, it was very rusty, a few
bits were salvaged but most was scrapped.