I Went to Canada to Weld Battle Tanks & Drive Armoured Vehicles!

Whilst in Canada my friend asked me to work on his 1967 Chieftain tank which he is restoring. I was honoured to do so. The task in hand was to address damage to the exhaust muffler and repair a fender.

A lot of the parts come from vehicles used as range targets and have actual damage from artillery and shrapnel. It's really quite interesting.

The owner had kept quiet the fact that he had painted the Chieftain prior to me arriving, which really was a surprise. He and his team have put so much work and effort into bringing it back from the brink.

Such an honour to work on it. The exhaust needed new brackets fabricating, and bent and twisted parts hammering back into shape. Really not that challenging to weld, given the extreme weight of everything. Literally built like a tank!

Letting in a piece of plate to the fender was a nice departure from thin sheet metal work too. It was welded in and ground flat, ready for paint.

Once all the work was done, and after a few beers, we gave the 19-litre engine a cold start! Checking for leaks and setting the fire alarms off, you really feel it in your heart!

To top off the weekend we got to drive around the fields in some of the other armour in the collection!

I really hope you enjoyed the video, let me know in the comments.

Charlie