Churchill Mk3 number 67

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

Yesterday was a good day for progressing the Churchill, I didn't manage to top coat all the bogie parts, I will complete those once the puppy sitting is over. The parts I did spray used one batch of paint, i.e 7 x 10ml jars. That included giving second coats to a lot of parts that still had some undercoat showing, I was pleased with how easy the paint sprayed and it was nice to be able to put the parts out in the sun to harden.

Regards
Gary

85% of the bogie components top coated

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

A quick update while I have a coffee. I had a four day break from the Churchill to look after Rosy the guide dog puppy, that was pretty full on as she is only 12 weeks old but very bright. It is too cold and windy today to continue spraying the bogies so I will catch up with the other areas also underway. I have rebated the holes in the pannier doors so I can replace the button heads for cap headed bolts as per full size. The front edges of the door frames have also been reprofiled.
The work on the rear of the drivers visor is now 99% complete, with just a minor alteration to the latch still being required. Once it has all been painted I can make sure it engages fully to keep the visor closed.
This afternoons project is to get the pannier front applique armour completed along with the fillets. Once this is done I can drill all the holes in the panniers for the repositioned cone head bolts, bracket studs and fillet holding screws.
I have added a photo of Rosy , everyone loves a puppy and needs something to smile at

Regards
Gary

Rosy the guide dog puppy in full flight.

Altering the holes to take cap head bolts

Front edges reprofiled

The angle iron sections will be added a bit later.

Ready for priming

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening all

I have been making the cable brackets that sit above the pannier door frames. I thought it would be fairly simple, just mill a bit of aluminium tubing, bend a couple of tabs and there you go. Turns out that there is a flat section at the rear where the screws go, plus the top tab needs to be a 90 degree bend. It is amazing how quickly a day goes by for what seems like a small return.
The original diameter of the tube kept getting smaller and a little more oval as I made sure the bracket fits in the available space. I will find an alternative method of fixing them in place as the screws, if added as per full size, will hit the edge of the steel frame. I feel I am now reaching the point where I can start bolting the applique armour in place on the panniers. The studs will be cap head bolts from inside the panner and hold the armour in place. They will also be functional and secure the brackets in place should I wish to add a roller etc. The brackets will be fabricated after I have finished assembling the bogies and lower hull.
Thanks to Kian for answering a couple of questions today concerning the idler horns.

Regards
Gary

Start with a piece of aluminium tube

The shape is a bit awkward and fiddly

Just need to find a way of fixing them in place

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning

I managed to get all the bogie components top coated yesterday and started assembling them. The springs needed a thorough degrease using Upol and a toothbrush to ensure the primer would adhere.
There are a couple of points I would like to pass on that may help others with this part of the build.
It is important to deburr and do a dry fit of the components to each bogie as once the grease is applied to the axles in the assembly process it gets messy if you find a wheel is tight or the axle fails to pass through the wheel hole.
I found the screw in part of the wheel axle EX0206 needs careful deburring as if you run your fingernail along it you can feel a tiny ridge left over from the machining process. This digs into the aluminium of the wheel and causing it to drag or bind.
I also ended up using a pencil with fine wet and dry paper wrapped round it to smooth the wheel holes as some of the wheels were tight on the axles.
The solid axles EX0214 and parts EX0213 also need attention prior to assemble. I put the axles in the drill chuck and rounded of the ends a fraction and deburred the EX0213 parts where the grub screws go through. Some of these also needed the bores cleaned up.
Once all the above had been done the assembly of each bogie was straight forward, just be careful not to get grease on the paintwork.
Now the bogies are being assembled this build should start following a more logical pattern. I will be concentrating on getting both panniers completed and attached to the lower hull.

Regards
Gary

Springs require a thorough degreasing

Bogie components ready to go.

Deburring and fettling the axle components

I used Rocol dry molybdenum grease

Six down...

Bogie completed

[Gary Richardson]

Hi All

All the bogies have been completed ready for attachment to the panniers. Todays job was to get all the extra holes drilled in the panniers for the applique armour studs, brackets and repositioned cone head bolts.
The idler horns were checked again for correct positioning with the fillets in place, then the M4 bolts were tightened using nyloc nuts. I still need to place the front cable end fittings which are in a different place on the AVRE, the fitting will also secure the horn outer fillet under the applique armour.
I want to add detail to the inside of the pannier doors but I am still searching for a decent drawing or photo to work from. Another small job to do on the horns are the bushes where the lifting eye goes, these need to be functional as attachment points for the 8 ton derrick.
Off to Bovington for Tiger day tomorrow so I will see if I can get some pannier door details plus some photos of the pannier filters so I add detail to those.

Regards
Gary

Mid section applique armour holes

Front section applique armour holes

alignment check, all ok

[Phil Woollard]

Looking good!

[Andy Cameron]

Very inspiring Gary, I even looked at some bench milling machines ……maybe my next build as the boss said I could get one if she can have a puppy like on your post.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

I went to Tiger day last Saturday at the Tank Museum. The display re-enacting the capture of Tiger 131 was superbly done and Tiger 131 looked great. For me though, the highlight was having two Churchills on the display ground and being able to see the Mk4 running, then being able to have a close look at it in the arena.
I got some good photos and footage of it running and just love the rattling and squeaking noises as it turns. I met some fellow Armortek builders who were also having a good look at the Churchill and picked up some useful tips and info. Unfortunately I think I also picked up Covid during the show, come Monday morning I had a raging headache, aching everything etc etc. Part of that means, at the moment, I cannot remember who I spoke to when looking at the Churchill so apologies for not mentioning your names, I will remember your faces next time I bump into you.
I also tried to sort out the photos I had taken on my phone and managed to delete the videos of the Churchill running instead of uploading it .
I did get some shots of the interior of the pannier hatches although the port leverage system is not there. This wasn't required on the AVRE or any tank with the applique armour on the door and I would think the port would have been welded in place. You can see the bolt holes etc for the fitting which I will replicate plus the large latch system.
Looking forward to getting going on the panniers but at present unable to concentrate and still feel rough so just some photos to look at.

P.S Thanks Phil and Andy for your comments. Andy, remember a tanks not just for Christmas one more of Rosy for the boss.

Regards
Gary

Churchill pannier hatch

A bit more detail

Andy, for the boss, they grow up fast

[Andy Cameron]

Quite a change over just a few postings…..puppy and tank, rest assured I have voiced the same message that Armortek tanks are not just for Xmas, I have get one birthdays as well. Out of interest do you know what that cable exiting the pannier and attaching to the door is for (to prevent the door swinging all the way round ? Are you going to model that if it’s standard.

[Gary Richardson]

Quite a change over just a few postings…..puppy and tank, rest assured I have voiced the same message that Armortek tanks are not just for Xmas, I have get one birthdays as well. Out of interest do you know what that cable exiting the pannier and attaching to the door is for (to prevent the door swinging all the way round ? Are you going to model that if it’s standard.

Hi Andy
Apologies for the delay in replying. Covid threw a curved ball and a scare that put me in hospital for five days. Back home but still rough so no tank building for a while.
I have just seen a line drawing of a MK4 (A.22.C) on page 76 of the Haynes Churchill manual which shows a cable and fixings at the top left of the pannier hatch. It is unclear whether there is also a cable at the bottom left. It makes sense to stop the door swinging all the way back. If you are bailing out under fire the door being at 90 degrees gives a fair bit of protection from incoming small arms fire. If it is a standard feature I will model it as I would like plenty of detail on anything that opens such as hatches, doors, etc.

Regards
Gary

[Andy Cameron]

Hope you’re on your feet soon and back to detailing, I found on armourinfocus.Co.uk some nice internal stowage illustrations both left and right pannier doors show a cable both top and bottom.

[Gary Richardson]

Good morning all

I managed to do a small amount of work on the panniers yesterday. The pannier hatch frame holes were rebated a while ago and secured using 12mm M3 cap heads. The heads are flush with the frame as per full size. I also added the large cone head bolts which will help align the applique armour.
I will continue to work on the panniers prior to bolting them to the hull as it is easier to manage the detailing. The port in the hatch needs modifying so it is flush with the door, I will then add some detailing. I also need to order some bushes for the lifting eye hole where the derrick will attach. I intend to spray the interior of the panniers and hull off white.

Regards
Gary

[Gary Richardson]

Hi all

The panniers have now had the applique armour fitted and the studs tightened. The small infill fillets were kept in place using the lower front stud through the idler horn and a 2.5mm steel pin just through the fillet and horn. This makes them easy to remove at the moment but will keep them in position once I start applying the Milliput welds. The studs are M4 x 16mm cap heads except the one through the horn which is a cut down M4 x 20mm hex head as that looks more life like.
I have started on the interior of the doors and used the mill to remove the excess material so the port is almost flush with the door. I will add a small weld to the join as I believe they would have been welded shut on AVRE's once the applique armour was added to the door. I will replicate the four bolt holes in the port and maybe some of the other small details. The main latch will be made out of brass.

Regards
Gary

Applique armour and studs fitted

[Gary Richardson]

Good evening all

There was a bit more progress on the panniers today, having already added the applique armour I realised I would have to do further modifications to enable the gutter to fit. I altered the shape of the front gutters and silver soldered the cut outs where they angle downwards. I also rebated the top rear of the front applique armour plates and redrilled and tapped the M3 hole for the front button head screw. The welds around the armour will cover any gaps and tidy it all up.
Tip...
The idler horns need the angle for the adjuster slot squared off as they are quite round. It does mention this in the manual but it is easy to overlook it and plough on with the panniers. Guess what I read in the manual this afternoon.

Regards
Gary

reshaped front gutter

[David Skeldon]

Hi,
Looking good but all the photos I have seen do not have the gutters fitted when they have extra armour . But I could be wrong.


David