A productive week across both the Weald Foundation Sd.Kfz.223 and the LP1, plus a visit from our friends at The Tank Museum.
WEALD FOUNDATION SD.KFZ.223 AUSF.A (3. SERIE)
We’ve finished the second set of 3kg Ladung mines – this time for our own vehicle. These look excellent in place, and by making a second set we can keep our rare originals safe in the archive rather than fitting them to the vehicle.
Australian LP1
Good progress on the engine this week.
The aluminium heads – taken from the donor engine – have finally come off. They had a crack and heavy corrosion from exposure to the elements over the years. These have now been welded and Martin is machining them in-house.
Alex has machined a new bushing for the reverse gear as part of the gearbox rebuild.
The engine block has returned from acid dipping, now clean and ready for boring to accept new pistons as part of the full rebuild. We’ve primed it in grey for now to stop any rust returning.
THE TANK MUSEUM VISIT
This week we welcomed two members of The Tank Museum’s workshop team for their first visit to the Foundation. This follows our own visit to Bovington back in February. They had a tour of our collection, and we discussed several technical matters together. It’s great to strengthen the relationship between our two organisations and explore how we can further collaborate.
OTHER UPDATES
We expect the StuG III radiator to be ready next week. Still no news on the Sd.Kfz.223 dynamo, but we’re planning to reassemble the vehicle regardless – we can fit the dynamo later once it arrives.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week we’ll continue work on the LP1 and hopefully collect the repaired radiator for the Sturmgeschütz III.
