Part 1 – Delivery and Assessment
After many years of searching for the right T I bought a 980 in April this year. I was always looking for a vehicle requiring a degree of restoration but without major alteration. So an original cab and engine if possible were the boxes to tick, as was the lack of ballast box mods which are so common with ex recovery vehicles. It is an early vehicle (no.373) which has been verified by the MVT as being manufactured in August 1941. At purchase it was unregistered but I was pleasantly surprised at the ease of which the DVLA handled the registration application.

Imported from Holland in 2000 by its previous owner it spent the majority of the post war years in the Italian army, being overhauled in October 1967. It spent time in North Africa or Egypt, as I have found traces of desert sand in some hard to get to areas. The remainder appears to be a mixture of NATO green (internal) and a rather unappealing lighter green externally. The heritage was a bonus as I had always intended to restore in North Africa colours.

Apart from Italian data plates, re-wiring (all in black), and a few additional switches it is as it would have been delivered. The engine starts with ease and the gear changes are in order, leading me to believe that since the rebuild it was not extensively used.

At the moment I only have outdoor storage for the complete vehicle, but with facilities to store sizeable sections in my garage so as long as the ballast box and chassis can be tackled in the fine months the remainder can be restored under cover.

In terms of condition the cab has rot on the A post and outer edges of the floor, although the latter is repairable as opposed to removal and replacement. One door skin is shot and the scuttle is rough around the edges. The previous owner had ensured the rust on the bonnet and wheel arches was kept under control by the application of brown paint – looks bad but has kept the panels in good nick over the years. The winch however will not engage; the spindle is seized solid. Tyres are serviceable but some are showing signs of perishing, so I will try and replace them before the restoration is completed.

Shortly after delivery I tried removing paint in strategic areas in an attempt to discover some of the vehicle’s history. Unfortunately nearly all the exterior areas had been bare metalled by the Italians and no original markings could be found. Copious quantities of high build primer were used (several mm thick in places). The thickness is inconsistent and bears no connection to the straightness of the panels, so it is best it all comes off.

While being confident at mechanical work and painting I must admit to being no expert at welding, so the plan is to give the cab and scuttle to those who could do a far better job than me, so the intention was to get the cab off and pass the job to a restorer for the full Monty.

Before the cab could be removed the steering wheel had to be pulled off the column. I knew the upper bearing had pretty much collapsed due to lateral play in the wheel, and I assumed that to remove the wheel all that was required was to remove the nut and pull the wheel off – not as simple as that. The nut had been over tightened as to strip the thread on the shaft, and it took a three leg puller and two bars behind the spokes to pull the wheel off. The shaft, being slightly tapered after the spline, had held the wheel very firm indeed. In addition I found several components missing.
Removal of the cab followed. It was split from the scuttle and lifted off. Between the two sections was what I believe to be the original canvas strips. It took five of us to lift the cab safely into the waiting trailer but overall the job was much easier to accomplish that initially thought. The cab, scuttle are now in my garage, pending transportation to Allied Forces in Rockhampton for a complete restoration in the autumn.

As the T is stored outside I am currently concentrating on the ballast box and chassis, components which cannot be worked on in my garage. Once complete the fuel tank covers, battery boxes, running boards, wheel arches, bonnet and front bumper will be shot blasted and primed at a local specialist before the desert sand is applied – I am currently planning on have this work completed before the winter, but we shall see.

Some basic modifications have already been undertaken, the most notable being the fitting of British army style mud flaps at the rear. This was primarily to provide a location for the rear lights (replacing the Italian clusters, which have been smashed), number plate, and some decent reflectors. I must admit they are a little close to the wheels for my liking but unless I do some serious off-roading (unlikely) and pack mud between the flap and the tyre I think I’m in the clear.

My choice of lights is the land Rover NATO units, In keeping with the vehicle and very sturdy. The reflectors were bought on eBay from a US MV shop and are 4 inches in diameter. With a magnetic beacon on the cab roof and those reflectors (not to mention the light stone colour) no one can say “but I did not see you”. Seriously though, my Father spent many years driving Diamond T’s and I accompanied him on several notable occasions. When you are trundling along at 23 mph people do the stupidest things to get past you, and some just don’t realise how slow you are until it is a little too late for comfort.