- Location
- WMU248 near Edmonton
The restoration of Kettenkrad 116714
- Thread starter XRCD011
- Start date
Funny that you ask, a kettenkrad sort of "transforms" when the rear seat is rotated back and open, the engine cover comes up and bin lids open. It looks rather funny. Anyways I have poked around inside the kett with light and mirror and still no joy, I even went to Blacks and Superstore in the off chance I left the card at either by mistake.is it hiding inside the Kett ???
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
In the absence of that treacherous little card, I'd sure love to see pics of your Schwimmenwagen. Those are the neatest goddamned things.
Amazing thread, this should be stickied up top and saved for prosterity. Thank you for sharing the restoration, very inspiring.
About the SD card....we are wishing we could all come over and help you find it. I have been there, so I can understand a little bit how you feel.
Suggest stop looking for it, concentrate on other things, sometimes thats when these things turn up.
Time to slowly revive this thread even without the card.
For operations in the cold the Germans came up with a few things to keep the vehicle rolling and tracks turning. On the tracks they could either mount a completely wider track for increased floatation or attach a series of small chains on the regular track for traction. Along with these two the rear idler wheel and drive sprocket blocks could be swapped out for ones that resist being loaded with ice by breaking up ice/snow. To heat the vehicle and ensure it could operate at extreme cold there where two ways to produce heat, one was a simple blowtorch and the other was a pair of heating lamps.
Heating Lamps
Here is a 1943 example of the heating lamp that for all intents and purpose is really a simple lamp less a glass globe. Stenciled on one side and instructions pressed in the tin on the other. two of these would be mounted in the battery box to keep the battery from freezing. Personally I think alot would have been taken and used to keep oneself warm in a bunker as evey calorie of heat would have been welcome in that first winter in 1941/42 Russia.
Various heating lamps, the green one is from Poland/postwar.
Comparison of Eastern European lamp to wartime German lamp, outside of minor appearance differances they do the same job.
Lotlampe (fur Warmeautauscher)
This blowtorch was used to warm frozen engines or anything that needed the application of heat like frozen road wheel bearings. It is stowed in the L/H side box along with various parts such as road wheel sections, spare track pads and tools like the grease gun which is just visable in this picture.
For operations in the cold the Germans came up with a few things to keep the vehicle rolling and tracks turning. On the tracks they could either mount a completely wider track for increased floatation or attach a series of small chains on the regular track for traction. Along with these two the rear idler wheel and drive sprocket blocks could be swapped out for ones that resist being loaded with ice by breaking up ice/snow. To heat the vehicle and ensure it could operate at extreme cold there where two ways to produce heat, one was a simple blowtorch and the other was a pair of heating lamps.
Heating Lamps
Here is a 1943 example of the heating lamp that for all intents and purpose is really a simple lamp less a glass globe. Stenciled on one side and instructions pressed in the tin on the other. two of these would be mounted in the battery box to keep the battery from freezing. Personally I think alot would have been taken and used to keep oneself warm in a bunker as evey calorie of heat would have been welcome in that first winter in 1941/42 Russia.
Various heating lamps, the green one is from Poland/postwar.
Comparison of Eastern European lamp to wartime German lamp, outside of minor appearance differances they do the same job.
Lotlampe (fur Warmeautauscher)
This blowtorch was used to warm frozen engines or anything that needed the application of heat like frozen road wheel bearings. It is stowed in the L/H side box along with various parts such as road wheel sections, spare track pads and tools like the grease gun which is just visable in this picture.
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Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
It's the little stuff, the details, that really make a difference, isn't it? Even on a wee, relatively simple lil' critter like the Kett, there are tons of little complexities that bring a lot of character to the thing.
Those wartime winter pics make me feel guilty for #####ing about our extendo-spring here in Edmonton. We haven't seen anything like summer yet, but those guys, far from home, 200 calories a day, inadequate kit, "Ivan ist kommt", can't make a fire for fear of drawing arty... Jesus, what do I have to complain about?
Those wartime winter pics make me feel guilty for #####ing about our extendo-spring here in Edmonton. We haven't seen anything like summer yet, but those guys, far from home, 200 calories a day, inadequate kit, "Ivan ist kommt", can't make a fire for fear of drawing arty... Jesus, what do I have to complain about?
Dan so true, its the small things that make the whole complete. I wanted to take things to a new level and even something as simple as a key fob gets the "Full Monty'.
Bosch key mit triangle hole.
Those are two of my favourite kett pics, what I like doing is printing off the pictures and gluing them on Christmas cards to my vehicle restoration buddies so on the face side its the pic and on the inside its some warm Christmassey message.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Well done, mate. As close to "being there" as possible. Is the fob original, or expertly repro?
As an aside, the French were messing about with tracked motorcycles before the war, but went a slightly different route:
More details here: http://www.yesterdays.nl/mercier-1937-moto-chenille-350cc-p-2716.html
Military version - note the kneepads - sportif, non?
And please, gang - spare us the usual round of "nine gears in reverse / comes with a white flag / Cheese eating etc." crap. That hooey comes from folks with an incomplete grasp of history.
As an aside, the French were messing about with tracked motorcycles before the war, but went a slightly different route:
More details here: http://www.yesterdays.nl/mercier-1937-moto-chenille-350cc-p-2716.html
Military version - note the kneepads - sportif, non?
And please, gang - spare us the usual round of "nine gears in reverse / comes with a white flag / Cheese eating etc." crap. That hooey comes from folks with an incomplete grasp of history.
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Get lost. What a stupid, ignorant comment to make.
That early kett is not mine, why people have to stick a Balken cross on a kett is beyond me, it just screams wrong.
Is that yours? Saw in on the chive of all places.
Not much going on the KK front as I am getting the 166 ready for the driving (and hopefully swimming) season.
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- Location
- West coast of Vancouver Island
XRCD011, Thanks for taking the time to create and update this thread. You do very nice work.
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Well done, mate. As close to "being there" as possible. Is the fob original, or expertly repro?
As an aside, the French were messing about with tracked motorcycles before the war, but went a slightly different route:
Interesting that they used a British J.A.P. engine. More of the same concept here: ht tp://www.unusuallocomotion.com/pages/more-documentation/tracked-motorcycles.html
I guess you didn't read the comment with the cheeky, "Nazis suck" tone it was intended to have.
My apologies if I missed something
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Three days with no Kett or Schwimmer goodness. Withdrawal sucks, man. I have the shakes so bad people are waving back.
We got our '85 Vanagon out of her cocoon this weekend, and so I have some familiarity with the subtle pleasures of bringing a quirky VW out of a deep sleep. What's it take to get your 166 back on the street after a long winter?
We got our '85 Vanagon out of her cocoon this weekend, and so I have some familiarity with the subtle pleasures of bringing a quirky VW out of a deep sleep. What's it take to get your 166 back on the street after a long winter?
