01/06/2026
Volunteers' Week 2026: (Re)building a Champ ✨
We’re proud to be taking part in Volunteers’ Week 2026 – marking 42 years of saying thank you to all our volunteers for everything they do for The Historic Dockyard Chatham.
In this blog, volunteer Andrew discusses the restoration projects that the Heritage Engineering group have been working on.
Most recently, the group has been working to restore one of the Dockyard's Austin Champ military vehicles.
Austin Champs were in service with the Army and Navy as 2.8 litre 1/4 ton trucks, built between 1951-1956, and were intended as a successor to the US Jeep.
Ultimately, it's a complicated construction, and the Rolls-Royce-designed engine proved too complex for widespread military use. In the 1960s, most were succeeded by the cheaper and more versatile Land Rover.
This Champ is proving a challenge to refurbish. The bodywork has suffered from continual contact with mud and the sea air. Infrequent maintenance and usage in the past have also left the brakes ineffective or seized-on (sometimes on the same day). The petrol tank has been restored and relined, and the repainting of the car is just about to begin.
Frank is leading the fabrication and installation of new bodywork to replace the rusty lattice, often hidden beneath previous 'repairs'. Dennis and Joe are working on the engine, transmission, and brakes. Vic and Andrew waft around with Nato Green paint brushes.
We are also lucky that long-standing team member Mick is restoring his own personal Champ, so we have useful reference points and patterns for the parts requiring remanufacture.
The Champ will rise again!
