Steve is now one of the world’s experts on this transmission 👍👍

As a member of the society for the protection of bolts I was glad to hear that none were harmed.

"feral tofu" I nearly spat out my coffee 🤣 . Please don't change anything about workshop Wednesday, I really enjoy the balance of mechanics and relaxed atmosphere.

I haven’t seen a mechanic use a speed wrench in 15+ years. Thanks for the flashback 👍🏽

as a old engineer its good to see people that don't always reach for the power tools to work on stuff

Workshop Wednesday! Huzzah!!!!

The fact that the watchmaker hammer is a joke in aus shops too, makes me unbelievably happy.

Workshop Wednesday is. The best bit

It was so satisfying watching every bolt come out with ez

Hello from Germany. 80 year old German quality. This is impressive. It makes me proud as a German mechanic.

Love my Workshop Wednesday

Watching this video makes me wonder about the people who operated these vehicles during WWII. Does anyone have any interesting stories or historical anecdotes about Stug III crews that are worth telling?

I was an aviation mechanic in the Navy. It's amazing that after about 80 years the ease of taking it apart. Germans really built things to last.

Running the gearbox on the bench properly with some sort of external oil tank and filtering system running at the same time would be well worthwhile

12:57 the reason there's both a (provision for a ) tab and a pin is because of options. In the field, repairs go as field repairs go, but if luck holds for the repairman, then they have at least one option of the two to put some restriction back. One can break, rarely would both break and if they do, you have the option to spread your locking methods between all the bolts, because you started with 2 separate locking methods. At least that's what i was told in regards to old machinery from ... well, the area where these would be native. Germany. edit: tho in this case it's pretty obviously for a different reason. Those are studs. Even if you've pinned the nut, there's still a chance for the stud to walk out. So they locked and pinned it because the pin transforms the nut and stud into a bolt and the tab locks the "bolt". Clean reason.

No bolts were harmed in the making of this episode. 😂

Although every inch of me are screaming total rebuild I totally understand that there's a limit to how much you can spend on every little part... The reason why you aussies are so successful is that your mentality of repairing and refabricating instead of slavishly sticking to original parts - and that's how you're able to restore tanks in a couple years that others haven't managed to do in a couple decades! This I applaud you for - and it makes for awesome content too! I'm sure you'll be able to get this early Pz III transmission into working order after taking it apart for a good clean and some rust repairs. Perhaps some parts/cogs will need attention but that'll be money and time well spent since it'll last for another couple of generations. Museums are all about saving the past for future generations and a ~90% original working piece will always be better than a near 100% pile of bits on the floor... I mean there are sure to be many restoration projects that have been halted for years just because some original bolts and nuts are missing?! I only wish I could visit you at the Australian Armour & Artillery Museum but I live more or less exactly as far from you as humanly possible (Sweden) so it's not just hopping on a bus - but if I ever make it to Australia you're the first place I'm going to visit! Many thanks for making these videos!

Hi guys from the UK. I look forward too this channel every Wednesday morning. The German engineering is is unbelievable. All the best guys see you next time.

As a fellow wrench turner and Steve, I can say without question that Steve was on a high after all of those opportunities for failure didn’t materialize ! I’ve had worse experiences with 20 year old hardware, that was truly amazing ! Like hitting the lottery. Can’t wait for the back story on acquisition of the transmissions…..if only they could talk ! Great episode !

Yum , transmission brisket...

The quality of manufacturing the Germans put out considering this is late war when things were not easy and material supply was not great is amazing. To come apart without snapping steel bolts in an alloy casting that’s sat in a field for 75 years is frankly jaw dropping! 😮

Greetings from Germany👋👌

" I'm not going to take this out completely because..." "There's no way we weren't taking this out immediately"

I look forward to every Wednesday to see what you're working on 😊

That was fun. I followed using my Gregory's StuG III service and repair manual. I got it at Repco a few decades ago.

Glad this transmission seems to be usable.

As a mechanic I love these episodes

8:55 PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Alkett machines) is happy 😁

I really didn't think some of those bolts would come off as well as they did. Great job, fellows. :)

Can't beat a solid and trustworthy 'slight adjustment tool' (aka a hammer), many a problem has been solved using one of those. Great job by Steve, and seeing the condition of those gears after nearly 80 years is just amazing.

Nice ! Looking forwards to hearing thr back story on where the transmissions came from ..

Zdravím skvělá práce pánové 😊😊😊❤Stug Made in Germani kvalitet❤

If you need help with your StuG III G you should contact Panserparken in Rena Norway as Norway used them and maintained them until we sold them to the Finnish in 1958. And that kept the Finnish StuGs in service until 1966 and still then they kept a few as dug in defence of air-fields until 1980. So I highly recomand looking in Finland and Norway for help and tips. I am 100% sure a Norwegian would love to come on "vacition" down there and help you. And if you need help with Panzer IIIs too the Norwegians used them until 1953(Denmark also used Panzer III). And both Norwegians and the Finns know English so you dont have the hevy communication problems you would with old Germans and Slavic nations that may have used them before Soviet tanks replaced them.😊

173k subscribers...this channel is criminally under subscribed. The team are top notch and I love watching them work, fix things and make anew. The production values belie how tight this team works. Long may it continue and great work chaps 'n lasses.

Dear Guys, The StuG III transmission is very well inspected by Steve so I guess it makes a lot of sense to go for a complete overhaul. By the way it’s amazing to see how solid the Germans made such a transmission at that time. On the other hand, Germany is still famous for the accuracy with which Germans build machines. I look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands

Always an Outstanding video and presentation.

The conversation between Bo and Steve starting at 1:52 is hilarious!!. "Where'd you find that hammer?" Talk about giving the new guy the gears. Then Bo shows him a "real" hammer. The comradery between the guys and their excellent work and knowledge make this channel stand head and shoulders above the rest. Kurt, thanks for the incredible vid on the inspection of this very rare transmission. Cheers from Canada.

that's crazy! the Germans were so short on oil towards the end of the war they were actually substituting it for water. lol. but seriously that's not that bad. I love Wednesday's. it never ceases to amaze me the precession they were able to accomplish before things like cad and modern metrology. in the 40's many people were still living in a manner that would resemble the 19th century closer than the 21st and yet those gears look like something we'd turn out today.

That initial massive sludge brisket didn’t instil confidence for the internals, but the endoscope soon allayed that apprehension. Looking good.

Speed handle...Many years ago...Using one to remove screws from panels on aircraft.

You could use a table 2' high that can support the weight. With 6" locking castors it makes this type of work easier. Your back will also thank you

Love my workshop Wednesday

Thé workshop that makes my Wednesday 👍

Super geeky, but I love it. Thanks Kurt and Steve.

I don't nothing about mechanical stuff .but find this fascinating.

I was mesmerized as each component was removed to see what was under the cover. Kurt and crew, my heartfelt gratitude for bringing myself and the community together for these amazing adventures. This is my most favorite channel on the internet.

I love how you can always recognize German castings with thier rounded shape and the unique way they bolt castings together best way to describe German engineering is simply complicated

Taking it apart for a through cleaning makes sense and then getting a proper inspection of the gear teeth can be done along with the oil pump looking forward to that in the next Video ,well done Mates

"Not a single bolt head was sheared during the making of this episode." A testament to the quality of the transmission.

Definitely has to come apart and be thoroughly cleaned and new bearings where required ! 😎

Seeing those 80 year old bolts come out relatively easily and in tact, you can only admire German engineering

Another awesome restoration work !. Thank you for showing us a once in a lifetime scene of disassembling the Stg 3 transmission. So happy to know the trans seems quite nice condition being after nearly over 80 years ! 👍

I love workshop Wednesday , thanks guys , great episode .

It wouldn't hurt my feelings if you took a whole hour to show your breaking down the Transmision and more of the details involved in so doing, I appreciate the time and effort you put into restoring these vehicles to running condition, Keep up the good work you do.

ZF-Aphon SSG 77......From ZF, Germany quality...I work for ZF

I trick that was used years ago on tractors and other heavy equipment , fill the case about 1/2 full with diesel or kerosene . Attach a drive source to the input flange and run the unit at low speed through all the gears with no load on it . Change out the fuel a couple times until you get it clean . Then you would fill it with the proper lubricant and run it really well , then drain it and refill it one last time . Just something to think about if you see this post so far down .

Another excellent episode - many thanks!

1:46 Noice briefcase

Congratulations Steve. Nice gearbox. The paint on the ball bearing holder looks good, that box can't have gone much if anything. If I were you, I would have overfilled it with kerosene and put a power take-off from a tractor and driven it for 10-20 minutes, drained it and filled it with clean kerosene, driven it once more. Of course, blow pipes, ducts, but I don't have to tell a skilled mechanic that. By kerosene, I mean what we called engine-kerosene, a little fatter than jet fuel, which was used to drive tractors, boats in the past

Always look forward to what happens next.

definitely want more videos of things just being disassembled, with only the sound of tools and whats happening. Great stuff.

Great video. Amazing how well preserved the first two gears shown are after so many years. Cheers

These are the best videos, seeing all the old dirty stuff get taken apart and cleaned up

Wow!A Sidchrome speed brace, I still use mine but man, they are a rare tool!

I'm not going to lie, I was mesmerized by seeing the inside of each component as it was removed. My face was mere inches of the screen as if I could see deeper inside if I tried hard enough. This channel is 1 of my 2 most favorite channels. Kurt and crew thank you so much for my exponential knowledge of what goes into the making and restoration of these incredible War machines.

18:38 wow amazing how clear the gears are. All this made before computers. Amazing what we did as a group!

ahh yes all the parts i cleaned over the last few weeks so it could pass quaratine good to finally see some of what inside looks like!

3:45 Transmission Brownie.

My fav day of the week :) looking fwd to seeing this one Run. Thanks again for your hard work. Cheers.

Nazi ideology aside, you really have to hand it to German engineering and manufacturing during WWII. Watching this video was like opening a treasure chest full of priceless gems in near-mint condition. What are the odds of securing not one, but two original Stug III trannies/gearboxes in this condition? Steve provided his usual, terrific commentary. Very exciting purchase by the AAAM!

It's wenzday again 🎊✨ Fill it up with Evaporust and leave it to soak for a week or two then flush it out. It's brilliant stuff and doesn't damage anything. If we poms can get it, you must have it in the antipodes.

Steve needs an impact drill and now matter how much he doesn’t want to , that gearbox has to be completely disassembled And inspected parts replaced and then rebuilt 👍👍

'Proper hammer' right there. 👊old school. 😎🖖

I want to thank Steve for all the patient explanations of the parts. Thanks you all at Aus Armour. Really great.

0:05 dunno guys... have you tried putting some WD40 in it? Pickle it a bit and it'll be right as rain. :)) Sidenote: i think you should totally display the tank with the old transmission as is, on a plinth. Peeps needs to see just how MUCH work you put into this restoration.

I seldom read every comment in a video post, and in this case it has been thoroughly worthwhile. Informative, supportive, good humoured and very enjoyable, quite rare on KZfaq. I am in awe of the engineering quality of this box, and of the way you guys approach the task, not even a power tool in sight, using methods I'm accustomed to. I'm a fan of super clean and would be stripping it down, but this has also let me down - a spring disappearing into eternity, an unexplained spare part or at worst mucking something up, creating a pile of super clean unassembled spare parts. Thanks for preserving history, the fun and entertainment with it, you guys rock! 🛠

It is nice seeing you Aussies just Stug it up and get 'er done. You are an amazing bunch of blokes. Best wishes to you all Ladies and gentlemen.

Can you guys talk more about the history of the artifacts? Like where stuff came from that you've acquired and the lore behind it? It could be for whole tanks you have or components. I would find that fascinating. Thanks!

Man i loved watching this!

Nice video guys! Good to see this transmission being inspected - it looks pretty good!! Hope it works well for you!! Steve is a real mechanical "guru"!! 😀

Proper stuff, done properly.

I dedicated my morning cup of coffee to Steve. Bravo Steve!

My 10 year old truck parts don't come apart that easily. That's amazing.

It's so nice when all the bolts decide to co-operate. Nothing like a broken bolt to ruin your day. I really helps to have a decent unit to work on. This transmission looks in awesome condition for its age. Well done guys!

I always love Workshop Wednesday! So very cool and satisfying to see all those bolts come loose without having to do a ton of work to get them to loosen up. You guys all do such an amazing job and I love how chill and relaxed everyone is. Such an incredible place to work in! Can't wait for the next episode. Cheers!

This is peak comfy viewing, thank you so much for making these

I can't believe you got all those bolts out with no breakages! The Workshop Gods must have been smiling on you that day! I've had outboards a tenth of its' age give me a day of bolt extractions & helicoils!

haha its so nice to see Steve using side cutters to remove split pins the same way as myself - i see so many people struggle to remove them it makes me laugh and shout at the screen - but nobody hears me hehe - good effort Steve i guess you need to strip the brakes out before you get any rotary movement through the gearbox, be nice to fill with gun wash and drive the gears til they clean themselves up - great work as ever, look forward to this being stripped, 6 gears sounds like my Audi box

Absolutely brilliant narrative

Yet another amazing episode of Workshop Wednesday. I am gobsmacked that you had the complete gear box. But I was equally blown away by the fact you have two. My question is. Where is the engine???? Thanks Kurt & Steve for another amazing episode. Cheers

Yeah I think stripping the gearbox completely would be the best course of action for safety's sake. Hopefully that surface rust isn't eating into the teeth and it's saveable, or at the very least that the replacements needed are very minimal.

the shots this ep are stunning, its amazing how you can get macro looks at all the bits like that in a functioning shop! The folks must have a lot of patience, and Kurt has a lot of talent.

Great update on the Stug Transmission from Steve, tank you Kurt for sharing.

Wow that you guys can figure this stuff out, put your minds together and reason what needs to be done is exceptional. I love watching your minds work.

The way Kurt says 'welcome to workshop Wednesday' cracks me up every time 🤣

You should shot blast any gears with superficial rust. This does two things it will clean off the rust and the compressive stresses in the surface of the blasted gear teeth will actually strengthen the gear. This is a standard practice for manufacturing gears to increase their strength and durability.

Looking forward to seeing Steve open this box up. Really enjoy Steve's explanations as to how everything works. Great video.

For sitting for the last 80 years, I think those gears look amazing!

Split the transmission, document everything, inspect everything, sand and polish the gears that need it then put it back together with a modern oil with detergents and run it a bunch. Drain the oil and flush the internals with diesel, then refill with a modern oil again and really run it hard. Drain one more time and refil with an oil that is close to the original specs and let the Stug draw a crowd until the next oil change interval in 80 years. That surface rust does not appear to be significant enough to degrade the gear mesh, however rust like that will destroy bearings. This is not a vehicle that is running down the fields under fire, it will be driven seldom at best. The pressure relief angle of the gear teeth will wear a bit faster than normal but those gears are probably case hardened to a depth significant enough to never be cause for worry.

I love you guys. Such great camaraderie in the workshop, makes me remember my time as a fitter and turner, I hope to make it to Cairns in August ❤️