The Panther Project: Drivetrain and Hull v. 1

91 Pages·2007·50.51 MB·English

by  Lee Lloyd

THE RESEARCH SQUAD
p a n t h e r
p r o j e c t
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V O L U M E O N E - D R I V E T R A I N A N D H U L L
The Wheatcroft Collection
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PantherProject_backinsidecover.i1 1 03/07/2007 09:16:58
●
The Panther Project Vol. 1
Drivetrain and Hull
By THE RESEARCH SQUAD
LEE LLOYD
BRIAN BALKWILL
ALASDAIR JOHNSTON
The Wheatcroft Collection

●
THE RESEARCH SQUAD
The Panther Project Vol. 1
Drivetrain and Hull
Text and Layout:
Lee Lloyd
Logistics and Multimedia:
Brian Balkwill
The Wheatcroft Collection would like to thank
Photography: and acknowledge those people and companies
Lee Lloyd, Brian Balkwill & who have provided both technical information
Alasdair Johnston and manufacturing facilities used throughout
this restoration project:
Acknowledgments:
The Tank Museum, Bovington
● The authors would like to express their
David Willy - information and parts exchange
deepest thanks to Kevin Wheatcroft and his
staff for the complete and unreserved ac-
cess granted to us for the production of this William Cook Defence (now Astrum)
book. Mr Nathan Johnson - Engine mountings,
● Paul Alderton and Yann Jouault for their Armour Plate and Heavy Engineering
Stanhope
help to research, collate and write the his-
Co. Durham
torical section.
DL13 2YR
● Graham Trotter for his help with the pho-
Tel: [phone]
tography and his technical knowledge of all
things relating to Panthers.
● Mark Neville for his cover designs and for Lahoma Engineers Ltd
acting as our general layout consultant. Mr John Sismey - Cranks and Main Bearings
Manning Road Industrial Estate
Bourne
All rights reserved by THE RESEARCH SQUAD.
Lincolnshire
No part of this publication may be reproduced or
PE10 9HW
transmitted in any form or by any means, elec-
Tel: [phone]
tronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage retrieval
system, without permission in writing from THE
Cross & Sansam Ltd
RESEARCH SQUAD.
Mr Richard Cross - Pattern Equipment, Small
Machining and Castings
ISBN 978-0-9556422-0-3
63 Ashby Road
Shepshed
Leicestershire
THE RESEARCH SQUAD invites interested par-
LE12 9BS
ties to get in touch with respect to information
Tel: [phone]
available for publication that relates to any as-
pect of the Wheatcroft Collection. Full credit will
be given for all such material used.
Crosthwaite & Gardiner Ltd
Mr Dick Crosthwaite - Carburettor Parts
Copyright © 2007 THE RESEARCH SQUAD & Hogge Farm
THE WHEATCROFT COLLECTION Buxted
East Sussex
TN22 4AX
Brian Balkwill Tel: [phone]
21 Rowley Gardens
Littleover
Derby Heritage Motor Works Ltd
DE23 1GF Mr Terry Roberts - Internal Fittings
United Kingdom The Mews
Brickhouse Hill
Further information regarding THE RESEARCH Eversley
SQUAD can be found at: Hampshire
RG27 0PY
www.wheatcroftcollection.com Tel: [phone]
www.theresearchsquad.com
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

The
Wheatcroft
Team
This book is hopefully the first in a long running series that will chronicle
both current and past restoration projects of military vehicles that has
been carried out by Kevin Wheatcroft.
Being able to indulge yourself in a hobby like that of Kevin’s is depend-
ent upon trusted and capable people. Before we even begin to have a
look at some of the work they do it is important to recognise who these
individuals are. In the photograph above we can see the people we
have to thank for a number of the restored vehicles that still exist in the
world today. From left to right we have:
Lars Henry: Logistics and stores, restoration liason for
partner museums.
Allan Rutter: Former RAE engineer, Allan is primarily
responsible for the restoration of engines,
gearboxes, transmissions and drive trains.
Brian Rutter: Former RAE engineer, Brian is primarily
responsible for restoring hulls and
associated internal and external fittings
and equipment.
Kevin Wheatcroft: The owner.
Milly Fearn: (not pictured) P.A to Kevin Wheatcroft,
facilitator and logistics arrangement.
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

The Panther Project
volume 1: drivetrain and hull
THE RESEARCH SQUAD
We are a group of people who share a com-
mon passion towards the preservation and
restoration of historical items of interest. Our
aim is to professionally document, research
and publish studies on historically significant
subjects in a variety of media, for the wider
public to enjoy.
To this end, we are currently working with
The Wheatcroft Collection, a privately held
collection of 150 plus major military and civil-
ian items. Our intention is to publish a series
of books on significant items within the col-
lection, whilst also raising the public profile of
the collection via its own website.
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

The Panther Project
volume 1: drivetrain and hull
I
re member the first track link I ever bought; it was a piece of Tiger track that cost 200 Marks - I would have paid 2000...
I am talking to Kevin Wheatcroft about his collection; it is quickly apparent how passionate he is about the preservation of
the wide range of items in the collection. From tanks to motorcycles, steam engines to vintage tractors, he is happy to talk about all
of it. As we walk through the yard containing a treasure trove of vehicles I ask him where it all started.
Like many it started when I was a boy, growing up in the sixties there were many films and stories about the war as it was
still fresh in the national consciousness. I asked my parents for a German helmet for my fifth birthday. Ten years later I bought my
first vehicle – a WW2 US jeep. It was located in the Shetlands and I bought it sight unseen for £50, when I got there the farmer said I
could have all the parts I could find - there were two more full jeeps in spares. After restoring all three I was able to sell two and fund
four other vehicle purchases. I still have the original jeep in the collection.
It was then that I realised
that preserving and restoring would
ensure that these items would not
disappear for ever. Many people
do not realise how rare some of the
German equipment is. At the end
of the war much of it was scrapped
or melted down for money or to re-
move the reminder of the regime.
Consequently vehicles or even
parts are very hard to find, and
soon there will be very little left at
all. Our aim is to restore the vehi-
cles to a full working condition, with
as much of the original content as
possible, only fabricating those
parts that are missing, or too dam-
aged to work properly.
Eventually (after many
stops on my part), we are standing
in the workshop next to the Panther
Early A that is nearing completion.
The hull and drive train are com-
plete and the turret sits off to one
side, primed and ready to be fitted
with its components. In the corner is a brand new shrink-wrapped gearbox, and at the rear of the hull, an original engine sits on a
stand where it is used for reference purposes. We climb onto the hull and view the interior. It is immediately clear that no compromise
has been made in the quality of restoration. Kevin explains how the sets of track are all new, manufactured to a better and harder
wearing grade of steel, to allow them to last longer on what will eventually be a fully working vehicle (with a decommissioned gun of
course). This rationale extends to the rest of the vehicle:
We have a full engineering shop next door and where we can repair and restore we do it here. If components are too old or
in a poor state we take measurements from them and have them fabricated. Sometimes we don’t have a component or a drawing
and this can be problematical as we have to wait for a solution. While we try and include as much of the original vehicle as possible,
parts such as track links, rubber tyres and torsion bars all had to be manufactured as the originals were unusable. It made sense to
take advantage of modern materials and processes to improve the strength and longevity so as to minimise future failures and repair
costs.
With another two Panther A’s awaiting attention in the yard Kevin explains that three sets of all components are being
restored, sourced or manufactured which will cut the project time on the other two vehicles by half. As I look around at the finished
components I wonder about the cost of producing them. It is already clear that the collection is a labour of love and that Kevin sees the
collection as an historical investment rather than a financial one. This is brought home to me as he tells me that a full set of matched
torsion bars cost £16,000 each. He takes a valve from a small box on a table and hands it to me – the machining is exquisite. He tells
me that there are three full sets of valves in the box which cost £40,000 to manufacture. I hand it back carefully. The small workshop
team go quietly about their business as we watch.
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

The guys are are fantastic, and none of this would be possible without their expertise and dedication. I try and keep interrup-
tions to the restoration to an absolute minimum as time is precious. This is one of the reasons we don’t allow public visits. The other
is that the collection is not laid out for public viewing and on Health and Safety grounds would prevent access.
This is born out later when I view part of the collection in one of the storage sheds. The only way to get from one end to the
other is by climbing from one vehicle to another.
We do not work in isolation and the collection has been ‘twinned’ with several other important collections worldwide; Latrun
in Israel and Arquebus in Norway. Through this program we are able to loan and exchange items that we think will add value to the
collection. There are many vehicles both in the UK and overseas that we have helped restore or have supplied parts for.
An example of the exchange program is a German search-
light and two torpedoes recently brought back from Norway. The
torpedoes look as if they have just been made, and the searchlight
is in fantastic condition. Kevin freely admits that the finding and ac-
quiring of rare or previously undiscovered material is a large part of
his motivation and enjoyment. He points and grins:
I found that standing next to the road outside a French an-
tique shop. [It is a complete Tiger sprocket] There also disappoint-
ments. I rushed across to Russia recently where a farmer had a
complete lower hull from an Elefant sitting since the end of the war.
When I got there he had sold it to a scrap dealer the previous day
and it had been cut to pieces.
I am now at the point where I want to raise
the public awareness of the collection for several
reasons. One is to share the items that we have with
the world at large. The other is to reach collectors,
museums, and individuals etc who might have items
that we could purchase and use to finish existing
projects. By the same token we are making items
and information available to the same people who
have projects of their own to complete, but are strug-
gling to source the necessary bits an pieces.
He explains that often the completion of
a vehicle will spurs others whose projects have
stalled and re-invigorates them to finish. A case
in point is the collections’ Famo: after its comple-
tion various unused spares were then supplied to
another collection who completed their vehicle.
It also helped generate publicity which provided
an inflow of parts for a second Famo restoration,
which now only requires an engine.
Once we have a finished project we are
then in a position to supply parts and information
to anyone needing them for a similar project. In
the same way I hope that we can build up a world-
wide group of interested parties that can help
each other whenever required.

So what’s next?
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

The King Tiger. I am really excited about
this. I started out with one part 25 years ago, the
rear deck engine cover, and immediately could
visualise the entire vehicle. From there it just re-
quired the will to keep acquiring parts whenever
they were found. One day you wake up and re-
alise you have reached the ‘tipping point’ where
a project becomes viable. This happened when I
met a 94 year old veteran who was a Tiger driver
in the war. He had kept all the original technical
manuals for the tank, and his family had trans-
lated them into English. On a subsequent visit he
gave me a universal ignition key made by Bosch
that he had worn throughout his military service.
Very sadly he died earlier this year. We now have
about 80% of the complete vehicle, and are ac-
tively looking for the remaining parts.
We have stopped in the spares yard next to a huge piece of rusty steel. I start to grin uncontrollably as I realise its prob-
ably one of the few remaining complete front glacis plates for a King Tiger in existence. The nickel welding looks as if it were done
yesterday. And yes, standing there surrounded by a multitude parts from Tigers, Panthers, Shermans and the like, it is quite easy to
visualise the completed King Tiger.
The ultimate aim is to house the entire collection in a museum. I want people to be able to see these vehicles for a long time
to come. If we don’t do whatever we can to preserve them they will be lost forever. They are a very important part of world history and
should not be forgotten.
We can’t help but agree..
Pz.Kpfw. Panther 7,5 cm Kw.K.42 L/70 (Sd.Kfz. 171) Ausf. A
The technical development, a performance evaluation and
a detailed combat history of this seminal German tank of
World War II is beyond the scope of this published work.
Instead we will concentrate here on a visual feast for the eyes,
detailing an incredible work of restoration being carried out on
a Panther Ausf. A in the workshops of the Wheatcroft Collec-
tion.
As we have had access to the reconstruction of this tank from
the early stages we are in a unique position to be able to pho-
tographically record the work that has been carried out and
that is still to be completed. We plan that there will be at least
Restoration Colours
three volumes of work that shall record this incredible project.
We have included references to the primary colours used in
The access that we have had has allowed us to visually record
the restoration of this vehicle. By using Pantone© matching the
a great deal of this vehicle in a way not normally seen in other
colours listed below are as accurate as we could match to the
modern studies of the Panther that are in either museums or
colours used to repaint the major assemblies. These have been
in private collections. By being able to photograph virtually the
added to give a visual correction guide as the photographic re-
entire vehicle before fitting of all the major components we
productions via the printing process of this book may not truly
have been able to document those elements that are not nor-
represent the actual colours used.
mally visible even in those studies that comprehensively cover
interior walkarounds.
Red Primer
Over this and the following volumes we will be documenting Pantone© 492C
every element of the vehicle including all major sub-assem-
blies, both before and after installation. This will hopefully
Dark Yellow
build the most complete study to date of the construction via
restoration of this iconic vehicle. Pantone© 7502U
This volume is primarily concerned with an examination of the
Dark Grey
interior of the hull, suspension elements, gear train and drive
components, completed parts awaiting installation, and some Pantone© 432C
about to undergo restoration.
Interior White Elfenbein
Also included is a reasonably complete history of this vehicle
as we know of it to this date. Pantone© 7499U
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection

Pz.Kpfw. Panther (Sd.Kfz. 171) Ausf. A
In the course of the development of this book
and the recording of the restoration work on the
Panther in general, we were very keen to ensure
that we took very good close up photographs of 137 pg 42
166 pg 50
all items of interest wherever possible.
171 pg 51 204 pg 59
For some of these photographs though, where
the exact positioning within the tank may be diffi- 153 pg 47 142 pg 44
cult to determine, we have decided to incorporate
here some plans from original Panther technical
manuals (see below) in order to provide a degree
of part orientation.
155 pg 47
For a key to the diagrams on this and the follow-
ing page, the number in the square represents
the numbered photograph in the book followed
by the relevant page number.
164 pg 49
pg 16
pg 45
150
160 pg 48
151 pg 45
45 pg 20
180 pg 54 137 pg 42
290 pg 75
182 pg 54 146 pg 45
120 pg 37
293 pg 75
147 pg 45 277 pg 72
156 pg 48
267 pg 71
150 pg 45 129 pg 39
164 pg 49
268 pg 71 286 pg 74
26 pg 16
165 pg 49 27 pg 16
The Wheatcroft Collection The Wheatcroft Collection