1949 Dennis F1 Fire Truck Restoration

I think the plug is BSP. I also think it is hollow to support the water distribution tube that runs up from the water pump. ISTBC, just going on memory from a job a few years back.

I think the plug is BSP. I also think it is hollow to support the water distribution tube that runs up from the water pump. ISTBC, just going on memory from a job a few years back.

Yep, just inside the plug is the cooling tube, and the plugs ARE hollow. Not sure that the tube fits inside the plug though, as it would make a very small tube at the rear.

But now I

Just had a decent look at the picture above ... definitely shows upper tubes inserted/withdrawn from the front, and a lower tube inserted/withdrawn from the rear. Hmm ... another rum methinks.

The Ace manual suggests removing the tube out from the rear plug hole, which is a problem if the engine is in place.

The first engine I did, the round tube was only MS, and badly corroded and we had to destroy it to get it out. The second one was a copper tube and came out the front plug quite easily.

The oval tubes have to be taken out their respective ends and almost impoosible at the back. In the first job, we had same problem with corroded tube but shaped up a replacement; the back one was left out as the engine will not be doing any hard work and their seems to be adequaite waterflow to the back of the block.

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of"BUGLY" on monday, thanks lou & elaine your lovely wife for taking the time to show us your projects.your doing a great job there old mate, all you have to do is just remember where you hid everything lol.keep up the good work mate it will be worth it in end. steve & rhonda

Just had a decent look at the picture above ... definitely shows upper tubes inserted/withdrawn from the front, and a lower tube inserted/withdrawn from the rear. Hmm ... another rum methinks.

What the picture DOESN'T show is a big lump of casting between the two upper tubes. :

Tool #176 would not be long enough to get the rear tube out.

You would have seen all that when you had the side plate off ??

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of"BUGLY" on monday, thanks lou & elaine your lovely wife for taking the time to show us your projects.your doing a great job there old mate, all you have to do is just remember where you hid everything lol.keep up the good work mate it will be worth it in end. steve & rhonda

Gidday Steve

g'day lou we left 5 am from humpty and arrived in the alice 730 pm excellent run down ,and i did look up bugly's hole lol steve

Bugly, here's the view from the inspection plate on the rhs of block.


The oval tubes go into either side of the "column" in the middle. Not sure what the plug is for, but didn't risk taking it out.

Thanks Beaver ... that one looks clean inside! Here's mine ...



With my F1 the only access in to the water jacket at the rear of the block is either through the plug that I broke, or through the rear welch plug. While the screwed-in plug would be big enough to take out the lower tube, the larger oval tube wouldn't fit through the hole. It MUST therefore come out the welch plug hole, which is a bit strange if the tubes are supposed to be regularly checked and cleaned.

Here's the front view of the water pump area showing the oval cooling tube ...



... and here's the welch plug at the rear (to the right of the broken plug hole) ...



... the two may almost line up. I think I'll take the water pump off again and re-check how clean the oval tubes are before I knock out the welch plug. The round tube can ONLY come out the rear.

Meantime, I'm slowly removing the broken plug with a small die-grinder ... I feel a bit like a dental surgeon doing it! Looks like it might be NPST thread at this stage.