I spent about 9 years gathering parts for the restoration including a spare engine but I did remove the engine straight away to see just what I was faced with.
This is the view into the engine bay showing just how tight a fit it is.
This is the engine out, with the empty engine bay below. It’s possible to see some of the damage i.e. the cracked bulkhead.
The vehicle had received some damage, not surprising really! The main problem was a hit on the lower right hand side that had removed two bogies, bent the side plate and sponson floor in, cracked the bulkhead as well as damaging the engine and floor.
This is a view of the rear fighting compartment showing the cracked joint in the lower side.
Internally, she was fairly complete, though everything below about 4″ from the floor was rusted away and due to a shell having exploded inside, there was a lot of damage to the turret basket.
Drivers area.
Co-drivers.
Looking back toward the engine with the fan being clearly visible. The turret basket is completely gone at this point.
Looking forward under the gun.