Le.Pz.Sp.Wg – Schaltgehäuse vollstandig – Gear change mechanism - Inside Track | Renault TSF Tank Kent

With our Sd.Kfz.223 3.Serie Fahrgestell now complete we are focussing on the work required to bring the Sd.Kfz.223 4.Serie chassis up to the same level. This has proven to be incredibly challenging given how many components were missing, poor state of others and how many items had been badly modified since the war when the chassis was used as a cross country buggy. Piece by piece this chassis has been recovered and missing items found. But a particular problem has been the Schaltgehäuse. Our reference tool for restoring our Sd.Kfz.223 3.Serie Fahrgestell was the very complete Sd.Kfz.222 4.Serie chassis in the Foundations collection. The gear lever and casing looked the same, but the team had failed to notice one small difference until this was examined in detail during the overhaul. The difference was discovered when the Sd.Kfz.223 4.Serie gear lever first started receiving attention. The top of the shaft had been cut off and the selector mechanism was missing. Addressing the short shaft was not a problem but the selector mechanism is not a simple affair. This would have to be found or cast and machined. We looked to the Sd.Kfz.223 3.Serie and Sd.Kfz.222 4.Serie for reference. Only now did we realise the cast mounting bracket which hold the gear change mechanism in place was different in our Sd.Kfz.223 3.Serie. The Ersatzteilliste spare parts list was referred to – this was definitely not part of the Ausf.A series of parts. Part number 24 in the main image was not what we were looking at. The Ersatzteilliste D664/10 for Ausf.B (covering our 5 Serie Sd.Kfz.261) was brought to bear. The mounting bracket proved to be from an Ausf.B (5.Serie)! (see attached images of this part from the black and white Ersatzteilliste). This was very likely fitted during a wartime repair. (see also the grey painted restored fitting on the 3 Serie Sd.Kfz.223 and make your own judgement). Notice the extra holes remaining from the earlier part 24 still in the chassis cross member. This change to a later Schaltgehäuse and the image showing part 22 with the bracket separate was no doubt natural during wartime given the long operational life of this 3 Serie Sd.Kfz223. . We now needed a complete replacement gear change mechanism for the Sd.Kfz.223 4.Serie .The pattern maker has been consulted and the solution is now underway. Watch this space for updates. On the plus side we now have a complete Schaltgehäuse for the 5 Serie Sd.Kfz.261!! (see attached image).

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