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My first truck MK1 Militant for restoration


Truck257

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Don't think there are enough distinguishing features in those photos to tell. Yes, it's yellow, but a lot of Militants have been. The n/s lamp guard is bent back to about the same extent, but again that happens on Militants. Need to see more detail and common distinctive features.

 

If Andy could establish whether that gloss black lining out is or isn't on the seams and window frames it would tell you.

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Hello everybody well let's settle the score the yellow truck that rob posted the frame work is a dark metallic green and it matches up with my truck the first thing I noticed was the kinked mirror arm that matched up so a list of similarities it's yellow it's a 6X4 short wheelbase newer style cab solid bumper no towing slots stickers in the driver side window bent headlight protectors modern plastic mirrors driverside indicator bent back the dark metallic green and I think that was it ? :) you conclude for yourself.....

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Hello everybody well let's settle the score the yellow truck that rob posted the frame work is a dark metallic green and it matches up with my truck the first thing I noticed was the kinked mirror arm that matched up so a list of similarities it's yellow it's a 6X4 short wheelbase newer style cab solid bumper no towing slots stickers in the driver side window bent headlight protectors modern plastic mirrors driverside indicator bent back the dark metallic green and I think that was it ? :) you conclude for yourself.....

 

Couldn't tell from Rob's / Andy's photo as it looks dark here, so went back to my original photos.

 

Andy is absolutely right, the colour that to me looked black in the photo above does look to be green and does appear to be in many of the same places as on the 1999 photo, the kinked mirror arm and headlight guard and notably the damage to the OS mud wing that '11th Armoured' pointed out are all the same.

 

Here's my photo for comparison:

 

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I think we have a winner. Need to get rid of that Q plate though.

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The DVLA do recognise the registration Q520AFG they know it has been taxed after 1983 after it left the army but the information is now void so I am sending off a V888 form which allows me to make the DVLA do a investigation into that registration so hopefully that will shed abit more light on the history :) just ordered my deep bronze green got 5 liters ! Loving it ! :D

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry I haven't posted for a while everybody. Am currently still waiting for the log book back off the DVLA, I have been very busy fixing up the old girl. The new clutch is back in the gearbox is re fitted all greased up and adjusted :) got the compressor fitted and running up but not to sure if it's building up properly had to run it off the mains workshop compressor at the moment blew the ladder valve out and got that to blow off ! Very happy when that happened. Had to strip and rebuild the foot brake valve as it was seized constantly exhausting. Got that back on and all the brake chambers move :D another step in the right direction. She's even had an air gauge retro fitted on the dash !! Next thing is to get her moving grease everything up do a couple of oil changes, then next step is to start more of the restoration side of things.....

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Sorry I haven't posted for a while everybody. Am currently still waiting for the log book back off the DVLA, I have been very busy fixing up the old girl. The new clutch is back in the gearbox is re fitted all greased up and adjusted :) got the compressor fitted and running up but not to sure if it's building up properly had to run it off the mains workshop compressor at the moment blew the ladder valve out and got that to blow off ! Very happy when that happened. Had to strip and rebuild the foot brake valve as it was seized constantly exhausting. Got that back on and all the brake chambers move :D another step in the right direction. She's even had an air gauge retro fitted on the dash !! Next thing is to get her moving grease everything up do a couple of oil changes, then next step is to start more of the restoration side of things.....

 

How hard - or not :) - did you find it getting the foot valve off? Might be having to do that to mine once I get the exhaust sorted so she can be run again. If the soaking in WS40 hasn't stopped the leak it will be valve out and rebuild time.

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Hello again :) to answer Robs question sorry I didn't know they came with one ? Mine has been fitted with one but with some nasty aluminium plate with 2 screws in it :/ so it's where the original should be but it's been fitted badly ! And to answer the second question the footbrake valve came off pretty easy, 3 half inch bolts one main feed pipe at the bottom and 2 pipes on the side I had to undo the pipes and take out the unions on the side pipes to clear the hole to take it out through the inside. As long as everything comes undon it's not to bad to do possibly an arse to put back on ! Trying to line up the fine thread unions is a nightmare in tight spaces...... Good luck :)

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And to answer the second question the footbrake valve came off pretty easy, 3 half inch bolts one main feed pipe at the bottom and 2 pipes on the side I had to undo the pipes and take out the unions on the side pipes to clear the hole to take it out through the inside. As long as everything comes undon it's not to bad to do possibly an arse to put back on ! Trying to line up the fine thread unions is a nightmare in tight spaces...... Good luck :)

 

Many thanks - still hoping the soaking in WD40 will do the trick! :(

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Recent update !

 

Worked a good late night on Friday then all day Saturday ! Busy busy. Firstly got the vehicle in jacked up stands under the front axle cleaned all the old paint from round the wheel nuts oiled them all found a socket that fitted :) 9/16 Wit ? Front wheels off (careful of the big spiders) left side wheel nuts L/H thread and right side is R/H thread :) next had a good session with a copper hammer and a bar on the front drums (I didn't have a bolt that went into the drum to pull it off) after a while they both come off (brand new shoes :D) then I wanted to change the oil and let it drain over night and as the picture shows a Mercedes fuel tank pump socket is the only thing I could find that fitted the sump plug :o so dropped the oil into a barrel and went home. Next day, cleaned oiled and greased everything on the front brakes. Then checked the wheel bearings N/S/F was knackered ! Been running dry, O/S/F was new :) quick grease up and back together newly jet washed wheels on. I will be replacing the N/S/F bearings but the vehicle had to go back outside on the night so had to be built back up. Got her back on the floor cleaned up, got my dads grease gun and his old special fitting and greased every point I could find on her. Then 20L of oil later fired her up, sounded lovely ! Blew the tyres up abit more to try and aid with the steering around the yard :P and parked her up till its play time again :D that's all for now thanks for reading :)

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The old girl don't know how lucky she is with her new keeper doing such a thorough job ! Well done nice to see her being so looked after :-D

 

Thank you very much mate :) she is indeed, can't wait to see her all done and on the road at shows, telling everybody her story, as I'm piecing together a very interesting past she's had :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yes mate sorry I've been really busy with work haven't had a chance to post on here :) got the job book from the DVLA and because it was registered and taxed after 1983 the DVLA have a record of it and therefore know it existed so treated it as a log book request rather than a new registration. Refund of £30 :) and my new registration. JAS707 . Which I'm telling myself is like that classic Greek mythological beast film Jason and the arganoughts ? So yes I have my log book. I have stripped down and freed off all the second axle brakes. Once again they were all new :) just to get rid of the body and strip the 3rd axle brakes when I get the chance :)

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Also just a quick question is first gear in the militant up over to the engine and backwards ? If so I've been driving it in 3rd round the yard till today :') no wonder it was jumpy :P

 

Yep - that's 1st gear. From memory only used for crawling or starting when fully loaded. Otherwise 2nd is more than adequate for everyday use.

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  • 2 months later...

After parking the old girl up for about 4 months due to race car commitments, I finally got her back into the workshop and did the biggest job to her that I've wanted to do since I got her. Get that nasty Bedford body off the back, so after getting that off and sent down the scrap yard (I did try and sell it with no avail) I set about with the steam cleaner getting to all those parts i couldn't before after it drying in like 2 minutes al it was about 30 degrees I cleaned the yard up that I'd just covered in dirty water grease and 60 year old paint flakes. Then got the truck back in and started to free up the rest of the brake rods and arm joints cleaning all the threads and greasing them, once the brakes were adjusted so some of them worked (need to do it properly next time) I thought it's time for the big moment, trying to drive her...... I was already insanely nervous as weeks before I met up with Rob the fellow militant owner who kindly allowed me to have a drive in his red beast down the car park. After getting one gear change in and grinding the rest I have the truck back with shakey hands and was confident I will be rubbish at driving mine. So I got her out in the street and began my long rod to crash box glory, after about 30/40 minutes of grinding frustration and swear words I thought il turn to the internet, that knows everything. I found myself watching videos of Americans driving old truck with crash boxes with ease. No real help. Then a suggested video I'd recognised ! Robs son driving the red beast ! That was it 10 seconds of watching the swift leg movements and I was confident so I hoped back in the old girl and gingerly pulled off in second, miraculously I grabbed 3rd then carried on to grind 4th ! But I was so happy ! So I had a few more runs as the sky was getting darker managed to get into 5th twice ! Even made a little video :) needless to say I went home tired but smiling :) another chapter complete in the book of my Militant :) next job. Finish all the brakes and start sorting the welding and wiring :). That's all for now....

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