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Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:52 pm
by DrPhil
I am about to start a strip down and rebuild of my GPW Go Devil drivetrain, but the guys who were going to do the job are no longer in business.

I live in mid-New South Wales (Australia) and am looking to do the complete business on everything, from radiator to exhaust pipe and rear transmission, and was going to hand the whole lot over to them. I am looking to do a complete strip down, clean up and test, paint and reinstall in a genuine '42 GPW frame.

Is there anybody in my region willing to help/capable of helping? I have neither the confidence nor the tools to do it myself so am happy to pay.

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:25 am
by Ian Fawbert
Hi mate,

You likely know the jeep guys in NSW/QLD/Vic, but thought I would pass them on anyway incase you dont (or someone else see's this).

We are short of jeep repair people as a business in NSW, but if you can travel abit, perhaps:

NSW
Marathon Spares, Tamworth- Parts dealers and also do rebuild work.
Ian Thorburn, Gladesville (Sydney)- while he is a parts dealer, he probably wont do rebuild work HOWEVER might know someone who will.
M.V Spares, Kenthurst (North west Sydney)- not sure what rebuild work they do even though they restore, but again, might know someone.

QLD
Military Vehicle Spares, Brisbane. Nigel Ward runs this. He is a parts dealer and I believe does rebuild work too.

VIC
Andy Seymour- I think formerly of 'The Brake Place Berwick', a very capable and respected mechanic and jeep repairer.

I am sure there are more, but I dont know of them or dont think they would do work. I know there are a few guys who do bits and pieces around Sydney, but no one who I`d say would do it all.

Was it a local mob to you who was going to do it and closed?

i`m in Sydney, if i can help or you need to chat let me know.

Cheers,
Ian.

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:34 am
by dpcd67
Let me encourage to learn to do it yourself. These things are the simplest automotive technology (with a few quirks and exceptions) but the amateur can do most of a restoration and then get professional help for the tough parts.
Learn by doing; start with something simple, like disassembly. Take notes and pictures of everything. (I just rip them all apart without regard to what goes where, but for a first timer, don't do that)
Anyway, that is part of the fun/frustration of building jeeps.
OTOH, I know guys who, after the disassembly stage, never get to the next stage; cleaning and rebuilding each component and sub assembly, and consequently have a pile of parts that will never be a jeep again. So, avoid that.
I'd come over and help you but the plane ticket is $2000.

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:29 pm
by ozm29c
Could you expand on where in Mid NSW you are located. If you are near Wee Waa I am happy to expand on Ian F. advice and talk to you about your options. Cheers JW

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:20 am
by DrPhil
ozm29c wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:29 pm
Could you expand on where in Mid NSW you are located. If you are near Wee Waa I am happy to expand on Ian F. advice and talk to you about your options. Cheers JW
Thanks OZM, but Wee Waa is a long way north of us. We are down around Yass. Thanks for the offer though.

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:24 am
by DrPhil
dpcd67 wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:34 am
Let me encourage to learn to do it yourself. These things are the simplest automotive technology (with a few quirks and exceptions) but the amateur can do most of a restoration and then get professional help for the tough parts.
Learn by doing; start with something simple, like disassembly. Take notes and pictures of everything. (I just rip them all apart without regard to what goes where, but for a first timer, don't do that)
Anyway, that is part of the fun/frustration of building jeeps.
OTOH, I know guys who, after the disassembly stage, never get to the next stage; cleaning and rebuilding each component and sub assembly, and consequently have a pile of parts that will never be a jeep again. So, avoid that.
I'd come over and help you but the plane ticket is $2000.
I have a couple of mates, one an electrical engineer and the other an amateur mechanic, who come over and help. We are stripping both jeeps before giving the innards a good clean.

Yes, I intend learning how to take care of the ol' girl when she's restored, and do the basic mechanical stuff myself. But, despite all of the wonderful information available on these pages and on the interweb, I still don't trust myself to fly solo without a guiding hand to ensure that I don't do what I did last time I tried to strip and reassemble and engine. (I had four bolts left over and not a clue where they went - so I just chucked them. Not very professional, eh?)

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 1:29 am
by DrPhil
Ian Fawbert wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:25 am
Hi mate,

You likely know the jeep guys in NSW/QLD/Vic, but thought I would pass them on anyway incase you dont (or someone else see's this).

We are short of jeep repair people as a business in NSW, but if you can travel abit, perhaps:

NSW
Marathon Spares, Tamworth- Parts dealers and also do rebuild work.
Ian Thorburn, Gladesville (Sydney)- while he is a parts dealer, he probably wont do rebuild work HOWEVER might know someone who will.
M.V Spares, Kenthurst (North west Sydney)- not sure what rebuild work they do even though they restore, but again, might know someone.

QLD
Military Vehicle Spares, Brisbane. Nigel Ward runs this. He is a parts dealer and I believe does rebuild work too.

VIC
Andy Seymour- I think formerly of 'The Brake Place Berwick', a very capable and respected mechanic and jeep repairer.

I am sure there are more, but I dont know of them or dont think they would do work. I know there are a few guys who do bits and pieces around Sydney, but no one who I`d say would do it all.

Was it a local mob to you who was going to do it and closed?

i`m in Sydney, if i can help or you need to chat let me know.

Cheers,
Ian.
Thanks Ian. Jeep City in Canberra closed down last year. I believe they have a mail order business for parts and accessories for post-war jeeps but their mechanical side has done gone and left us.

I know quite a number of people around here who are jeep owners, but so far haven't come across anybody who has done a rebuild, or at least has sufficient mechanical know-how to work in tandem with someone who has zero experience (well, zero 'good' experience).

Re: Drive train rebuild - help needed (Aussie area)

Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:31 am
by dpcd67
Bolts left over! I have a pile of bolts left over from each project; many get replaced, broken, lost, are too rusted, etc; in fact, many bolts never make it out so the number is always changing. Don't worry about that. What is important is that there are the right bolts in the right places when you are done. And the SNL tells you that.