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Author Topic: At long last starting the restoration of my 406  (Read 4085 times)

Offline tim1casa

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At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« on: March 29, 2017, 06:04:00 pm »
It has sat in a yard for nearly 2 years now, which didn't do it any good. However I am now moving to get it roadworthy first, and then will move onto a more complete restoration, namely the cab!!!

Firstly my "new" starter motor burnt out as the previous owner offfroading had dunked it in water, so over a 2 year period, it didn't work too well. I am still waiting for the right bits to arrive to repair it, namely a new armature and a set of field coils. The armature has been lost by Fedex, and the first lot of field coils were incorrect. Isn't it always the way. I have to tow start it at present.

It was so covered in green algae that I just had to wash the cab and windscreen. Then I have been going over the wiring. I fitted new secondhand tail lights and a new trailer socket which had to be rehashed into a mess of old corroded and cut and broken cables, all previously joined into a rusty old junction strip.

The front side lights and indicators are present, but they are also shot, see photos. So off to the computer to 3D copy, and am now having a couple printed in light grey ABS. I will use the brass contacts out of the original, plus some second hand bulb holders from somewhere. So if anybody else would like to re-vamp their lights, I can supply new innards, but I am awaiting a sensible price before poceeding.

My seats were in tatters, but have found a good upholsterer nearby, that is if he survives a back op he is due to have next month. The frames have been wirebrushed or sand blasted and have come up well. I am also hopefully getting the black plastic corners for the assistant's seat 3D printed, as they were only two left in the remains of the wooden seat base. The upholstere can't get new ones.

My next project while I await the return of the starter is to restore the air system. It was well seized when they took it off and they just put the brake cylinder directly in line with the slave cylinders. All the bits appear to be there, minus perhaps a pipe or two. But what I would like is a photo of the bracket that attaches the brake booster to the chassis immediately in front of the off-hand rear wheel. There are two bolt holes, but I don't have a bracket to fit. I have the older system where the booster is seperate from the brake master cylinder. With the brakes as they are, it's dangerous on the road and would be quite impossible with a towed load or an attached implement.

The seals look good, so I will hone out all the cylinders where necessary using a small hone for m/c's. Photos of a layout similar to mine would be great, as the system came in a couple of boxes with the Mog. The Mog is dated 1967, ex Swedish army snow plough. So it is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle at the moment, but I am getting there. I have an amazing Uncle in Law who has just about everything I need on his farm. He has barns full of spares that have come out of Ransomes for the last 60 years, and I mean full and overflowing. So he is going to help me put on rear 3 point linkage and re-build a buck I picked up that needs some serious surgery.

I will continue to send photos as I progress, as they are fun, and the assistance I gain fro a "blog" is always gratefully received as well as being invaluable.

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Offline tim1casa

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2017, 06:19:12 pm »
I only uploaded one photo. Here are a few more.

Offline 406steve

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2017, 08:05:25 pm »
Looking forward to this restoration especially when you get to the cab.

Offline tim1casa

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2017, 08:53:54 pm »
Yes, that will be interesting. It's the wiring that is such a mess under the dash that annoys me. But I am looking forwards to it. Will re-vinyl the dash, weld and fill all the dents and fill again and again probably. Then paint it in about 2 years time.

Offline 406steve

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2017, 09:28:31 am »
Painting in 2years  :o that's optimistic can't see mine being ready for paint that quickly.

Offline Oliver

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2017, 10:22:26 am »
I fitted new secondhand tail lights and a new trailer socket which had to be rehashed into a mess of old corroded and cut and broken cables, all previously joined into a rusty old junction strip.

It does at least sound like its all original then!  :D
The factory extras seem a little sub par in build/assembly quality!
I don't know how my trailer brake valve has survived this long without falling off, looking at the welding on the bracket!

I've had the cab in the garage since October, just making a start with the etch primer! :P

Offline Nickrussell

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2017, 12:20:00 am »
Hope your seat upholster guy does a better job than the guy whos just done mine,  think he saw them as a small nuisance job rather than a large lucrative one. Im fair sluft as ive been so careful to take my time with everything ive done so far and make a proper job of it, then the first thing i leave to a professional just looks slipshod. In fact im half tempted to tek em apart and do it again misen
Anyway looking forward to seeing your progress.

Offline tim1casa

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #7 on: March 31, 2017, 03:20:59 pm »
So will I, but he is ahving this back operation first, which is an unknown factor. I just hope he will be fit enough to do them sometime in May. However my daughter has just bought  a house around the corner from him, so I have thought about getting him to "teach" me how to do it. Prior to that I used a guy in Colchedter called 'Jim the Trim'. He was really good and did a brilliant job on a pair of seats I had re-covered in black vinyl for a Renault 4 van. I paid him £200 cash at the time. However I believe he has retired.

I am waiting for a price on the 3D printed palstic corners, and have been soaking and straightening the card strips for that the seat covers are stapled to. The seat frames have been painted satin black, but I am waiting for the topcoat colour to arrive for the mounting frames and external bits. Should look good, just getting the cab back to "new" is going to be fun.

I suggest you look on Youtube for ideas on how to re-upholster. 

Offline Villager

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2017, 01:16:18 pm »
Hows the resto coming along tim?
Nick, if your seats are "Vinyl" then it's a material called MB tex (it was a merc development, hense why it's called "MB tex") so you could probably have a do at restoring them yourself if you want :)
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Offline Nickrussell

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Re: At long last starting the restoration of my 406
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2017, 10:21:30 pm »
Just got my seats back in as it happens, un pickt the last lame effort, sanded and painted the frames even though you cant see them, maybe a bit over kill but at least its right, cutting the new foam to shape wasnt easy then re jigged the covering to fit over. Not exactly text book but but im pleased with the out come. Wunt want to be doing any more in a hurry mind.

Offline tim1casa

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Just got back from Spain and am still waiting for the starter motor back from the repairers. However I spoke to the guys today, and it has been rebuilt, but just requires testing. Hopefully I will have it back by the end of this week. The 3D printer had forgotten about me, and has been reminded again today, while the upholsterer is still waiting for his back op.

I have been in Spain working on my olive grove. Here are some pics of my machinery. First is my Chaseside LM700 of 1962 vintage fitted with forks for digging up wild olives out of my terrace walls. The others are my Same Leopard 85T fitted with a stone rake. It toodles in reverse removing the top layer of stones. This is invaluable in making the gound easy to work on and cut grass when necessary, especially prior to harvesting.

However I have gone over all the air brake system that was pulled off and chucked in a box before I acquired the Mog. I have stripped it all down, and lapped all the corroded bores and generally unseized everything. It is all painted and awaiting the odd O ring and a couple of bleed nipples for the hydraulic side. Once I have re-assembled it, I am going to have fun working out how it all should go back in. The brake booster is th eearly version that is attached to th erear chassis member just in front of the Rt rear wheel. One can see where they have disconnected the original brake pipe, and simply put a U- bend with a new peice. I must say one has to stand on the brakes to get them to work. So it really has to go back on. I will post some pixs when I have got it back into its finished components. I will need some advice if poss on which pipe goes where. Bit of a jigsaw puzzle at the moment.

I am going to be asking a few questions, especially regarding the diff locks. How do you get to them in the first place. Are they accessible at all without removing and strippping down the axles and diffs. I have a suspicion that they could very well be seized, especially given the state of the air braking system. There has obviously been moisture locked in to the system while it has stood about unused.