00 FD 96 John's Main Contender

[Richard Goodwin]

Mine appears OK John...admittedly, it has been run!!

[Charles A Stewart]

Hi John.

I will have a proper look at mine tomorrow, like Richard's mine too have been run, maybe an 1hr if that. I did note my tracks are fitted/set nicely around the idler, no gap.

As I will hopefully be starting to put the electrics in the tank, testing it all, I will take the tracks off and have a closer look.

Cheers Charles

[John Clarke]

Thanks for the picture Richard, Would the track sit flat if pitched forward. If I pitch mine back they flatter onto the wheel, I can't expect that once the tracks are connected to each other. The wear on the paint doesn't look even either, which could mean the wheel have been prised apart fractionally lifting the outer edge of the wheel off the track.
I suppose they'll bed in sooner or later.
I still think my horns are going to be getting a tickle from the grinder. May even lighten them up a bit i shouldn't wonder too

[David Battson]

Hi John,
Well spotted, checked mine and they have the same clearance problem. I suspect that there is enough play in the bearings to allow the two idler wheel halves to splay apart, which is why it’s not really showing up as an obvious problem on the running models. Regarding a solution though, faced with either potentially weakening the horns on 200+ track links or taking a light skim off the inside faces of 2 idler wheels, I know which one I will be trying first.
Keep up the good work
David

[John Clarke]

Thanks David, good to hear from a fellow of the tribe.
(can I say that, or will it haunt me in ten years time )

These tracks are bullet proof, cold steel, the very essence of our lust for realism, we are the chosen few.

Grind a bit off, it's not as if it's new to me, 1.5mm came off height of the horns earlier.

200 track links, no problem.

[Charles A Stewart]

Good evening all.
I John hope the photos help, before you embark on another grinding session!

I dismantled all the wheels & suspension after the Sept 2020 mud bath, so idlers have been repainted(they will get another coat now the tracks are off). As i said earlier perhaps an hour of running.

Cheers all

Charles

[John Clarke]

Thanks for the pictures Charles, the paint work looks marvellous.
I would like to ask, if you were to roll the track link inwards on the leading edge, does the track stay in contact with the wheel.
I can pitch my track backwards and the gap closes.
From my point of view, the connected track should rotate around the idler wheel with the leading edge and the trailing ideally having equal pressure all the way round idler
I don't mind giving the horns a grind. Anything that will ensure a smooth track motion from first push of the stick.

[Charles A Stewart]

Hi John.
I hope this is what you are after, I found the horn a push fit but in contact with the idler. As there is wear on the idler, I think I will continue to drive around slowly and allow things to bed in, I hope that dosen't sound to thuggish.

Cheers Charles

[John Clarke]

Thanks Charles, excellent pictures. They confirm what I thought.
I'm all for in on any stress release.

Certainly not thuggish at all.

Prudent

[John Clarke]

Scale issues abound at the moment with Chieftain, I'm having my own little problems getting around what's acceptable and what I'm going to have to live with.

Richard, I'm a definite Cat 1, loads of working out, but no final answer on the paper and should be marked down accordingly.

Struggling with braided covered wiring to the the front lamps, I get the braided screen from small electrical components such as computer wiring. But with fat fingers it will come out of shape and disintegrate quickly into a copper mass when retreading with the thinner wiring for the lamps. Paint, fake clips and glands do hold it together and though rough at the moment once final coats of paint go on should give the effect I'm looking for.
Not that anyone will even notice that retainers have been reduced in size and the models bazooka skirt bracket has been shifted. But that all part of the magic............... I think

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What to do with the scale oil drum on the back rear mud guard, the real tank clearly has the oil drum snuggled in with a tiny overlap. I cannot do this with the Dave Dibbs oil drum without shifting the rear bin shelf (another add on) closer to the lifting lug, touching, then the bin base floats in mid air. see pic
Stephen White once told me you soon loose them (oil drum) if not mounted correctly, see, I was listening.
Or
Do I use my own oil drum scaled down a bit to sit snug like the orignal?

Phil, the master, managed to tuck his DD oil drum in, not sure at this moment how he did it and he only did one side, electing for the first aid box on the left hand side. (Wonderful reference Phil)

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It's all becoming an optical delusion.

Still no worries, we see here the deep wading equipment's working well, paint works holding up and the only critic's will be fish and frogmen.
Ahh, how I need a holiday

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[Phil Woollard]

Looking good John! You will get there.

[Richard Goodwin]

John, sorry to disappoint but your'e definitely a CAT 3 no doubt about it Tank is looking good.....not long now before you can commence the chainsaw massacre on those much reduced track horns

[John Clarke]

Well it's been a Good Day to Grind Hard Richard.
Taking the heavy tracks to the operating table outside. A couple of flap wheel disks made short work of the slight thinning of the horns, that now pass majestically though the idler wheels with out restriction or premature wear on the idler.
Certainly an easier mod than the clipping of the horns and it should aid the initial setup of the track tension.
Something I'm wary of due to the closeness of the track line to the gear box outer casing. A slack track could start attacking said casing.
The track was checked in both directions.
Hopefully I can now look forward to the quiet pitta patta of tiny pads rolling around in about nine months time..

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[Phil Woollard]

Methodical and necessary work John, although the chieftain that I built didn't seem to suffer from the horn problem. I have another to build so fingers crossed all will be well with that one.
Keep up the good work JC.

[John Clarke]

Great news. The more the merrier. Will we see another Mk? Still Brew? Or another variant?
Certainly something to look forward too.