Pro Rally Car Technician TUNES UP Rare WWII German Tank Destroyer

[@bwilliams463]

So many photos and images of AFVs only show us what they look like on the outside; I'm always pleased to learn more about the interiors.

[@Person4772]

If you want photos of the interiors of Tanks I would recommend Toadmans Tank Pictures. The guy has hundreds of photos from tank interiors. Hell, I've even used some of em myself for reference in model building

[@bwilliams463]

@@Person4772 Thanks. I'll check that out.

[@andreim841]

I could call this the Aussie Friday...first some Cutting Edge Engineering and then some Australian Armour & Artillery Museum

[@TheInvoice123]

Ditto

[@aserta]

And every once in a while from NZ, Marty T pops up with a nutty repair.

[@markdavis2475]

Snap👍

[@jensmaul6749]

Same here 🙋🏼‍♂️

[@dmg4415]

I could tease you with Inheritance engineering comes evert 3rd Friday. Pask Makes is an aussie but more random releases, but my god, what talent, follow his build of the kajak/canoe. Building in wood metal and whatever. Even a composit guitar with copper and wood.

[@eagle1de227]

Nice to see the runners are not only used but also well maintained !

[@mattdaugherty7865]

Thanks for the ride, fellas!

[@Magyarmeister]

That baby is in absolutely beautiful condition.

[@busterdee8228]

Gorgeous vehicle. The right people have their hands in it.

[@FranktheTank-bk8me]

From WRX's & EVO's to Hetzer's, Leopards's and T-54s! Steve is an AAA Museum asset.

[@ididthat1st]

It was the Hetzer delivery episode that I 'discovered' the AAAM!

[@lukefriesenhahn8186]

Very glad to see Steve making an appearance! Workshop Friday made my Friday much better. Thanks for all you lads do!

[@majorkursk780]

That motor was purring like a kitten..Well done guys!

[@A_Sailors_Prayer]

Tanks as a concept are crazy and cool. From an engineering standpoint, works of art and marvels of the mechanical age. From an operating standpoint, “get in that metal box with a gun attached and go into combat against other dudes in metal boxes with guns but mostly infantry. Weird ways humans wage war

[@SteveMichaels]

Great episode ! Huge Ty to the Twins for everything they have helped with !

[@jamienevill1768]

Always good to see Nick and Phil at work. Had I not seen Combat Dealers, I wouldn't have known about this channel.

[@Ralph94967]

If this does not show all what a cracking team Bruce Compton has with Nick and Phil. And the workmanship that went into bringing the Hetza. Back to life. One of the first episodes with the Aus Armour museum

[@darreng745]

Just a pity that for his TV show Bruce has to belittle and moan about the twins because without their hard work he wouldn't have the vehicles to sell in the first place, their work in restoring the AFV's he sells is not really covered as it should be where as the Australian museum is more than happy to acknowledge their work.

[@rickytrezise4674]

Really enjoying work shop Friday s

[@gordonhodgson8403]

I like to think it as Friday workshop beers

[@johnanon6938]

@@gordonhodgson8403 I'll second that, Cheers!

[@randallrobbins4960]

I love videos like this. Really shows a lot in under ten minutes. I live in the U.S. and I talked to a Hetzer owner. His was on the factory floor when the Russians overran the factory.

[@davidgalpin7353]

It would be nice for a few more videos. How about, Mend it Monday, Tinkering Tuesday, Workshop Wednesday, Tune Up Thursday, Fettling Friday, Servicing Saturday.

[@keithammleter3824]

with all that, I would never get my own work done.

[@TonyBongo869]

I have another descriptor for Fridays…..

[@waynestarick5282]

@@TonyBongo869Fiddle Farting Friday?😂

[@Brockblockaa]

Cutting Edge Engineering, Clickspring, Marty T and Australian Armour. Great viewing for the technical minded.

[@TestECull]

Pretty neat little angry trapezoid! I almost wonder how well a smallblock Chevy V8 would work as a powerplant in one of those things, though. A case where an original engine is unavailable but a running vehicle is required, swap in a 350 SBC. IIRC these only had something like 160-180hp.

[@fetus2280]

Beautiful machine! what an awesome restoration, kudos to you lads and thanks for taking us along. Cheers.

[@utha2665]

I remember pre-selector gearboxes in the buses back in the 70s. As a kid I'd watch the driver change gears with this tiny selector and noticed that the actual gear change didn't correspond with the gear movement. It always puzzled me until now as I couldn't see the driver press the pedal that engaged the gear change.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

I don't know if the large right hand dial is a speedometer or rev counter but the drive cable needs greasing. The symptom for a dry cable is the wildly swinging needle as the cable winds up and then unwinds, when the torque exceeds the friction . Lovely restoration. Thanks for posting.

[@paulday-lh5mx]

Awesome fix it Friday video with Steve and the twins. Thanks Kurt.

[@trav_adventures]

Such a beautiful original heetzer.. stunning resto

[@Rudi-Mhz]

A nice gearbox ! I worked on one , installed in an old London Double-Decker Bus. I fixed the Seals of the hydraulik klutch and the brake System. Nice Job on the Hetzer 👍👍👍Rudi from Germany

[@schwabrichard9829]

Thank you for another Fix it Friday! The skill and hours to restore the Hetzer is amazing enough. To see Steve, Nick and Phil correct the issues is priceless!

[@davidashworth5740]

another classic fix it friday episode, great work lads!

[@roberthocking9138]

Well done guys

[@johnanon6938]

Love these behind the scenes videos with Steve & with the brothers there guiding is just perfect!

[@SaperPl1]

Beautiful interior restoration. I wonder how much light is in there when all hatches are closed down for combat.

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

SFA?

[@paoloviti6156]

Like most of the tanks or AFV of the period it was poorly illuminated inside with the hatches closed but the Hetzer had periscopes of which the commander had a very bad periscope immediately behind that is difficult to see the rear but even the armored glass was no joke. To say it was cramped for the crew it is a real understatement!

[@TX-biker]

This channel gives the world what no other channel offers. 🤠Restoration from a pile of destroyed metal to running vehicle 🤠insight on living conditions for the crew 🤠 Reality check on maintenance and operating cost to keep the museum running at top performance 🤠history on exactly what the vehicle is, how it is used, and how it got in your hands. 🤠development of personalities in the shop to a level we feel like we are hanging out with friends🍺

[@jamestiberiuskirk5994]

It's always a pleasure watching you blokes

[@NesconProductions]

Restoration of this Hetzer seems spectacular 😳 & a personal favorite ! A point of discussion for quite some time has been if Germany had concentrated on the production of Hetzer's instead much more complex tanks such as Pz IV's & Tiger tanks or heavy TD's like Ferdinand/Elefant would have served the Axis armies (far) better, but late introduction (mid 1944 Germany's fate was rather sealed). Still the combination of relative small size, highly sloped armor & high velocity 75mm gun made for a very potent adversary. An important consideration is being able to go places a larger armored vehicle can't go cannot be overstated. One feature that made this TD unique was the ability to fire it's top-mounted MP-34 machine gun from inside the vehicle. Ability to keep crew out of the line of small arms fire is always important. Certainly not fancy but my best in class vote. Best wishes as always to those at the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum!

[@orbitalair2103]

A common 'what-if'. But none of the production improvements would have mattered, they simply ran out of manpower.

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

STUGIII factory got bombed and they needed a similar vehicle to fit in the production gap. The Hetzer. Otherwise this never would have got built. They had spare capacity and chassis so they used it. This was never the plan

[@ianmckay1780]

Glad you got the best mechanics Bruce had to spare.The twins are such a knowledgeable pair, I don't think there is anything they can't repair.Some of the things Bruce has had the pair repair, certainly stumped them a few times when they were first presented with them, but they have so much in their joint brains that it isn't usually long before they can get whatever it is, at least working, if not working correctly first time. Thanks for giving them something to do, while Bruce gets them another impossible task for the winter to be ready for christmas!

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@MS-Fin1917]

Nice sound in that Praga engine.

[@jiversteve]

That’s a nice exhaust note. Great work.

[@SeanBZA]

I remember preselectors from Leyland buses, and there are still quite a few of those buses running still, with them being in some form of repair, and, as they are likely on the twentieth owner, there are a good number that are sound propelled, as they often have the entire length of the interior luggage racks converted to speaker boxes, with the seat behind the driver walled off with acrylic sheet, to show off the wall of amplifiers there, to drive the speakers, and at the rear the back row is also gone, now one massive subwoofer box. I did not catch them if I could hear them coming from 2km away, and it was not just the knocking of the engine.

[@BlastedBilly]

Amazing little beast!

[@joepapp01]

Steve is the best.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

That restoration is incredibly well done! Love all the ammo stowed away inside... don't usually see armored vehicles with a full complement of ammo like that.

[@Blitz9H]

Brings back memories from my time on the Hetzer. Great work on the interior. She is sounding good too!

[@davidkimmel5153]

Thanks

[@bigmac60]

really interesting to see just how cramped it is in the hetzer

[@Absaalookemensch]

Great work. I'm envious of you guys getting to spend so much time around these vehicles.

[@johnclark3716]

Great camera work Steve!, and awesome sound! Love these videos. Bon Voyage twins!

[@smalcolmbrown]

Thanks :)

[@itsnotagsr]

Would have liked to have seen the four of you in the tank doing a mock drill to see just how easy/difficult it was to operate.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

That twin didn't look very happy at the prospect of returning to the UK . Can't say that I blame him.

[@MartinFialaMeganeRs]

Lt 38 lehký tank česká konstrukce 😊😊😊😊❤❤díky zdravím do Austrálie Marťas

[@yattaran1484]

Thanks for the extra bonus video of the week !. Gunner must have had a hard time feeding ammo from left side of the gun in such a cramped space !.🤔

[@martin09091989]

Hi, I am currently watching the Panzer 1 videos, and I want to bring to your attention that in video 4 where you assemble the final drive, the retaining of the tapered roller bearing is made wrong! (7:50) The last plate going on the stationary pice sits against the inner race of the bearing, and the retaining/ tensioning nut rubbs on that plate! I hope you caught that on final assemble, or read this comment! 😬 There should be a bigger opening in that final plate and a spacer on the shaft so the nut can press against the inner race of the roller bearing. 🫡

[@TiberiusMaximus]

this is good for me as I'm building a Hetzer right now with full interior and I didn't know the paint scheme of different items...nice

[@Daniel-S1]

Thanks, very interesting.

[@andybtec]

Not just commercial vehicles some cars and racing cars used preselector gearboxes. ERA being one good example

[@qwiky2691]

Merci 👍

[@dash5257]

It's always awesome seeing the actual vehicles that I use when playing the video game War Thunder.

[@rrl4245]

Interesting! I never understood about those weird 'pre-selector' gear boxes, until now. Thanks.

[@patchmack4469]

very nicely done chaps

[@peterbrown3608]

If you weren't claustrophobic before becoming a crew member in this vehicle, you'd be forgiven for developing claustrophobia afterwards.

[@obsidianjane4413]

Claustrophobia really wasn't an option for a tank crew. Otherwise its the infantry for you.

[@joseserra7945]

Increible trabajo el que haceis!!!

[@stevensmith9298]

Good old Ferret was the same pre select with fluid flywheel, scary thing was it could go as fast in reverse as forwards.

[@rrl4245]

Beautiful! I do wish you were located closer to the USA...

[@string-bag]

Thanks Steve for the "Friday Fix"

[@michaelguerin56]

Shouldn’t that be ‘Heer’ Hall🧐😁? Nice piece of kit. Cheers from NZ.

[@PeterNebelung]

My dad and I met a couple of guys from the Munster Lager tank training school in the summer of 1975. They told us that the Swiss were selling off the G-13s. 1 Swiss franc, FOB at the Swiss border. Not sure if they were telling the truth but we spent a couple hours trying to figure out how to get one back to Canada.

[@chrisjack7857]

Great video....... that thing is a tomb!

[@HaVoC117X]

It wasn't a british designed gearbox. It was a joint venture between a German and a British company. They basically used the same system. In the British version it's actuated by pneumatics and in the German hydraulic. The Merrit Brown gearbox of Churchill, Comet, Centurion and the maybach transmissions of the Tigers basically share a common ancestor.

[@mickypd1]

Pale blue colour on the lower side and ivory ( Elfenbein RAL 1001 )colour in the body above. Wonder if the Stug will be finished in the same interior colours that were on German tanks ?

[@paoloviti6156]

I suspect that as it was a late production it was simply painted with oxidised red paint like many AFV or with available paint..

[@petesheppard1709]

The intricacy of those AFVs is amazing, but I can't escape how incredibly cramped those things are; the GoPro lens notwithstanding.

[@obsidianjane4413]

The JPz 38(t) really was a "quart in a pint pot".

[@MarkDay-z6t]

My dream job

[@ooosoo8727]

a marvel of old German engineering of the time (and also brought on over from old English thinking (patents) and engineering too).....

[@pandorawolf8239]

By far my favorite tank, since i have the same name :D

[@danielstickney2400]

Preselector transmissions are very compact because they don't need space for sliding gears. Does the change pedal have servo assistance like the Matilda or does it rely strictly on muscle power?

[@peterosmanski7466]

Did anyone else see a stray electric arc back in the dark corner of the engine bay when they started her up at about the 7:13 mark? Bad spark plug lead?

[@TiberiusMaximus]

was there a crew heater in this?

[@bogdanbacanu605]

Hey there ! What's the transmission in hertzer model no ? you mentioned it's used in british trucks ?

[@potator9327]

I think that's a misunderstanding. The principle of the preselector gearbox was first developed in the UK, but the gearbox of the “Hetzer” was a german ZF. As far as I know, it was also used in the Swiss tank. But if I saw the video correctly, there is a PRAGA type plate on the gearbox lid, so maybe there was also a replica or a version from the Czech Republic.

[@BarryRudge]

I saw the documentary of Bruce Crompton's boys working on it and getting it ready to ship it to Australia.

[@samwiserando]

Great restoration. Is that shells stored under the gun recoil?

[@JohnSmith-pl2bk]

Yes... now imagine the rounds stored all around in the current Russian tanks.... and what happens to the crew when the incoming AP charge ignites them....

[@Da5idc]

Is the clutch connected to the change pedal?

[@beachcomberbob3496]

A lot of bus drivers in the UK are well familiar with this gearbox!

[@goooooller9353]

Steve needs his own series already. Call it "Fixup Fridays with Steve". I'll message you where you can send my royalties.

[@williammaxwell1919]

Rally car tech tunes up... so Aus Armour entering into Targa Tasmania?

[@BenJamInn-q3o]

The preselector gearbox was patented by Maybach in the 10s

[@adcaptandumvulgus4252]

Now fabricate a first working e25 since you have lots of parts to combine. It would be like tank mecca. All tank enthusiasts would flock, like plane enthusiasts for the last working examples of popular machines, in my not so humble opinion. 👍 If agreed.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Supercharged 462 in there, blower sticking out the hood, chromed up all over, drag race it!

[@Laxpowertoo]

I rebuilt a few preselector gearboxes just like your one and I'm still having nightmares to this day. They are complicated but can be done. The problem is, getting the friction bands relined and casting a new front cone is a dying black art. If yours ever needs doing, my advice is, to maintain your sanity, give the job to someone else and run far away. 😱

[@SeamusDunmaggotin]

Aw, love

[@brucelamberton8819]

I wouldn't even know where to begin with that preselector gearbox!

[@pierregrosjean3241]

Bonjour, ce type de boite de vitesses présélective était aussi fabriquée en France par la Sté Pont à Mousson et le mouvement de la barre omnibus était pneumatique

[@scrumpydrinker]

Yes, probably built under licence from Self Changing Gears, part of Leyland Motors, it was an epicyclic box which is driven through a fluid coupling. They were available in both semi and fully automatic versions and later versions had hydraulic operation rather than air operation. It is probable that ZF had a license to use the design as the box, known as a Wilson box was patented. The earlier boxes were preselector boxes and were extensively used in London Transport buses.

[@FrancisFjordCupola]

Wonder how long it takes for a person to break; as in how long until that claustrophobia turns into a love for small spaces.

[@redr1150r]

Whatever happened to all of the WW2 equipment Finland had ? Among their surplus, or obsolete items, including some Stugs, where did they go ?

[@lordvetinari6057]

All fun until combat condition. I love this vehicles and its technology, but don't let us forget the young brave men all over the world that were and are fighting in this vehicles.

[@obsidianjane4413]

And the regime and ideology it represented...

[@matatron.]

@@obsidianjane4413 I think he meant tanks in general, hence "all over the world". Besides, the bravery and hardships of the soldiers were the same regardless of the ideology. But thanks for reminding us all! Virtue signalling is always appreciated!

[@obsidianjane4413]

@@matatron. Your wehraboo is showing.

[@matatron.]

​@@obsidianjane4413 Not immediately calling someone a Nazi but instead resorting to childish Reddit language is quite embarrasing tbh. Social justice warriors are usually very quick and straight-forward with their phraseology.

[@obsidianjane4413]

@@matatron. U'r the one who went there with your "virtue signaling" sunshine.

[@jb6668]

Fixing things Fridays!

[@potator9327]

It is not correct to say that the Swiss "Panzerjäger 13" was taken back to its original condition. The Swiss tanks were never 38(t), but were built by Czechoslovakia after the war especially for Switzerland with some modifications such als different Guns. Parts left over from the war were probably used, but the vehicles were never German “Hetzer”.

[@obsidianjane4413]

OMG. I bet it even smells new.

[@TheMalootrager]

So tuner tank destroyer 😮

[@ray.shoesmith]

Fixit Friday

[@herman7661]

I wonder if there are any other Hetzers or Pz. Kpfw. 38(t) tanks in running condition, somewhere? I assume this is the original engine? Praga EPA, EPA/2 and AC: Introduction: 1937-1940 Configuration: Inline 6 cylinder. Displacement: 7.75 litres (473 c.i.). Bore and stroke: 110x136 mm. Type: Four-stroke. Cooling: Liquid Fuel: Petrol (gasoline) Power: 95 Kw (125 hp) at 2200 rpm to 120 Kw (160 hp) at 2800 rpm. About 7.3 hp/litre/1000 rpm for all versions. Torque: Around 400 N.m. (300 ft.lb) at maximum rpm for all versions. BMEP: About 6.5 Bar (94 psi) for all versions. Mps: 10-12.7 m/s (33 to 42 fps) at maximum rpm.

[@orbitalair2103]

iirc the few others that are running, are the Swiss postwar refits. We were always told there werent any original ones left, and of those none, also none were running. So this is great news to me. They did an expert job refitting it back to original state. Kudos.

[@floof13]

do you guys ever clean the inside of these tanks or do you just let it build up?

[@wazza33racer]

Imagine, being inside a tank.......in Townsville. That is not a "special tool" it is a PIN SPANNER. The Hetzer is more civilized inside than I would have expected.

[@craigmandall9420]

They're actually in Cairns. 4 hours give or take north

[@wazza33racer]

@@craigmandall9420 Thats even worse!

[@paulh.5691]

Waren dit niet die dingen waarvan een kapotte kruiskoppeling de achtervork kon amputeren...?