The restoration of Kettenkrad 116714

[XRCD011]

Paul S - The Opel Olympia car (and I am sure other models) used the 1.5L engine which seems to be a general jack of all trades motor like the Willy "go devil" engine was for cars and things such as generators, compressors, welding machines. There where four "phases" of the 1.5L P1 thru P4 the folks in Germany where pretty excited I had a original to vehicle P1 engine. Like the "Go Devil" the 1.5L engine had a very long production run right up into the late 1950s, maybe even the 60s with P4 engines.

Sentry Duty - Yes the long tube is like a PCV valve, it is packed with steel wool in the end to condense oil vapour which then would drip down into a small square dish welded to the body bottom that also serves for catching oil when the drain plug is pulled, notice how the two are together.

The "trumpet" is vent and oil filler cap, and should point forward on a car, it even says FRONT (in English) and has a arrow to remove any doubt in the matter. On a Kettenkrad I do not think it makes any difference, and pics in the wartime manuals show it pointing both ways.

Late war, and things where certainly not turning out the way the Germans had hoped so they simplified the vehicle in a number of areas and deleted the oil filter and used just a steel line in its place. Earlier Kettenkrads had a filter housing installed. Interestingly enough the sad piece of sh!t and neglected Kett on display at the CWM is fitted with a 1939 Opel Car motor (and a couple other things) that tells me the Germans where harvesting and rebuilding automobile motors (and outdated early kett parts) for the war effort and to keep production up and vehicles going out the factory gates back in the day.

[henry r]

over the last 20 years i have seen some ridiculous restorations and this is up there with the craziest. very nice work and a great save.

your work with the X pressings is very interesting. i have seen (in photographs) a number of ways of replicating pressings but have never seen anyone carve a die from steel, if you haven't already been asked, i'm sure there are others who would be interested in buying pressings made from your dies. hydroforming might be an option with your existing die.

once you have finished documenting the kettenkrad could we please get a photo essay on your schwimwagen? vw's have been an addiction for 20 years and a schwimwagen is 2nd only to a type 64 in my all time dream vehicles.

[XRCD011]

Good thinking re: pits. She's been places and done things. Bondo would be kinda disrespectful of her history.

How did you do the stencils?

The pitting is honest and part of the vehicles life and if I was to slap the bondo on it it would be like icing a cake with the stuff. Stencils came from France and are dead on copies taken from original stencil work. One HUGE suprise I came across that I found REALLY cool was this steering brake shaft and parts, This was up under the dash pod and not exposed to elements (very much). Considering how rusty the kett was this blew me away. The Germans where big on painting grease points with red and all the red and hand painted arrows showing the little soldat where to hook on the grease gun fitting are 100% original and correct. The only fresh and new paint on this part is on the left hand side of the shaft while the good side was preserved as found.


Guys I am really just bringing over my posts from CGN on this restoration so things may look a little jumbled. I feel this is sort of important as it is something, some anonymous person took brush in hand, and hand painted the red arrows to point the zerks out for greasing. Something I never said over at CGN was I took a small paint brush one day and stood there holding it as a person did 70 years earlier would have done.

Henry R - Good points, but since then my knowledge and skill sets have moved forward, I would certainly not go about hammering the X in as I did today but it would be a great female die for pressing the X in place. The hammer method was just a one off event.

[Bruce_in_Oz]

Next up: one of those nifty "Squeeze-bore" anti-tank guns to drag behind it.

ANYONE can have a basic trailer.....