Cobra King (reposted updates)

Dontos

Its hard to believe that its been 2 months since the last update, so I wanted to post this for those who are interested whats been going on with Cobra King.

For the past several months our focus has been on roadwheels. The removal from CK and then the the removal & swapping of the Dec 44 (period specific) type roadwheels, which will be mounted on CK. This has been an exhaustive phase due to problems getting the RWs off of CK & the 'donor vehicle'.

Today, we were successful in getting one of the remaining 4 RWs off of CK. To do this we had to remove the entire #3 bogie assembly from the right side, and totally disassembling the entire assembly. It has taken 3 work sessions of 6-8 hours each just to get that done.

I keep telling myself noone said this project would be easy. But in all fairness it has (& continues to be) 'fun'.

I'm locked in a race with time and its still hard to tell if we'll get done, before the trucks haul CK away.

Anyway, just wanted to give y'all a little update. I'm sure Garry will have something posted soon, on Armor For The Ages.

Stay Tuned
Regards
Don

Dontos

This project has pushed way beyond 'passion'! Its perhaps best described as becoming a personal 'obsession'.

I've been told there is medication available for such mental disorders,......but who can afford it! (ha ha ha)

Besides, it it wasn't for working on Cobra King, I'd actually have to get 'a life'...... (!?)

Regards
Don

JWB2 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 25, 2006 Posts: 199

Looks like a labor of love. I wish I could be there, I really do.

Dontos · Posted: Sat May 22, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Spent some 'quality' time on CK yesterday.

Here are a few photos of the work.

On Tuesday the turret was painted with the first coat of OD Green.

Spent a few hours beating & banging at some troublesome roadwheels with decades worth of corrosion freezing the mounting pins.

The standard removal tool has produced no results and so we began tool substitution / fabrication. Success was found in the form of a spare torsion bar that we used as a hammering 'bar' which pounded the stuck pins from the reverse angle and assisted in removal.

Hopefully in the next few 'sessions' we can complete the hulls preparations for primer & then paint.

The work continues
Regards
Don

TrevorLarkum · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 8:43 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Nice work.

Garry_Redmon · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Wire wheel = heavy. Sad

Dontos · Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 6:29 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Yesterday, Garry put in some good work into finishing the turret preparations for application of primer and eventually paint.

(He was also re-introduced to the seemingly excessive weight of the industrial grinder w/wire wheel....but thats another story...)

Today, the primer paint was applied to the turret exterior, hopefully next week, she'll receive her OD paint.

Here is a preview of how the turret currently appears:

Regards
Don

Garry_Redmon · Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:44 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Armor for the Ages has been updated with one page on Cobra King.

armorfortheages.com/

Garry

Dontos · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 7:31 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Here is an example of such a reference index.

Regards
Don

Dontos · Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:58 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Its been a few weeks since my last posting here so I thought I'd throw in the current status.

Cobra Kings Turret paint removal is completed. No real noteworthy discoveries. The next step is to repaint the turret exterior, which I believe will be done while seperated from the hull.

Garry & I have also removed all the TC Hatch vision block, which will be replaced. They were all damaged and removal was a mess. The cause of damage was most likely environmental effects and its years of static display. One was possibly due to combat, but there is no definitive evidance to prove this.

An interesting note to the information 'junkies' is the amount of stampings/markings discovered on CK's turret.

14 seperate series of markings have been noted on the turret in the form of cast / stamped numbers.

On the tank as a whole there are currently 32 seperate series of markings in the form of cast or stamped numbers. I'm compiling all this as well as precise locations of the information for a reference.

As for photos, I'm sure Garry will have some posted on his site, soon. Most of mine are quite boring, for this part of the work.

Focus shifts back to the hull with roadwheel removal and paint removal. Then remounting replacement roadwheels and repainting the hull exterior.

As long as CK is here, I'll keep working on getting her exterior completed and hopefully on temporary public display before disappearing south.....

Regards
Don

Dontos

Here is what the turret looks like right now.

The chalk marks were my attempts to measure stuff on the turret. Hopefully, I'll have the turret completed (paint removed) this week.

Regards
Don

Dontos · Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

Today being 28 March, it dawned on me that it is the anniversary of the demise of 'Task Force Baum'.

Yesterday, after spending a full day working on Cobra King, I compiled an image of how 'Cobra King' would have been configured. Having removed most of the paint, I took notes on the location of the 'rebar' brackets on both the hull & the turret.

Here is an estimation of how 'she' would have looked in Feb/March 1945, prior to dissappearing into the fog of war.

Regards
Don

Dontos · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:05 pm Post subject: Re: Cobra King (reposted updates)

I finally got to spent some 'quality time' with CK, today.

Some neat discoveries on the turret as I began paint removal on the roght side and frontal areas.

More to follow
Regards
Don

Dontos

Since we began working on CK, any & all items are being 'bagged & tagged'. The joke around the shop being the collection and bagging of 'Historic rust' or Historic Dirt'.

Now I have added a triple bagged sample of 'Historic Gooo'.

Lets not forget a large bag of 'Historic paint chips', also.

....all in the name of historic restorations.... Wink

Regards
Don

Kurt_Laughlin · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 577

You should write ExxonMobil about this, with a little history and so forth, and ask if they'd like to provide a little explanation as to why this happens, their WW II grease accomplishments, etc. for inclusion in the display and stuff. Maybe hit them up to donate a barrel of grease for the restoration.

KL