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Humber truck


LeeEnfield

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Anyone any experience/, etc for this vehicle ?

I know the pig was based on its chassis, and a friend has got interested in one that he's found for sale;- but cannot find out much about them.

Spares availability, etc

Here's hopping someone out there has had something to do with them.

 

Andy

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I have one of these myself it is decomposing in the garden. I just nick bits off it to keep the three armoured ones going. So a truck is quite a rarity, the most critical aspect is the bodywork. There are no spares for bodywork around. They have either rusted away or been chopped around for garage breakdown trucks. At least the rate of rusting on a pig is less!

 

So has it been dry stored, does it have original bodywork?

 

Does it have a hole cut in the middle of the rear floor? A few did, if it has then that would be very exciting :D I'll explain the significance if it has.

 

If you have the VRN, serial no or engine number I can give you the history.

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Just make sure the truck is in better condition than this one:

DSCF0269.jpg

DSCF0271.jpg

 

BTW it is for sale as it still has the front & rear axles which will fit a Pig. The front Tracta joints are the same.

 

Now I know that Mk1 Pigs had the stronger Chobham joints, but the Army found them to be unreliable & actually retro fitted Tracta joints from GS trucks like this.

 

Now if you have a Mk2 Pig you will say yes but they should have a Birfield joint. Not necessarily, there were 487 Mk2 Pigs, but only 383 of them had Birfield joints. They ran out of the special steel from Germany so there were 104 Mk2 Pigs with either Chobham or Tracta joints like this poor GS Truck.

 

The cost of a pig rear axle seems to be £200 upwards. You can have the GS for £100 to include all ivy & nettles. Postage extra.

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Clive, Cheers for the reply. From what my mate has said, the vehicle is up and running.

Thr majority of the (visible) rusting seems to be around the front wings and windscreens.

Canvas rear cover is said to be in good,no holes condition. although he did say that the roof 'hatch', covers were missing. (the vehicle, at present, is stored undercover.)

I'll ask him about the rear floor, if theres a hole, I take it ,- its a reasonable size, and can't be mistaken for a rust 'cure', patch ??

What were these things like to drive, ? and to 'live with',

I understand its got a rolls engine, and is of the same 'family' as the champ, although, I 'm given to understand has a larger engine.

Is it multi fuel ?

 

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I don't want to give the wrong info, etc

 

Cheers for taking the time on this.

 

Andy

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Andy

 

It has a Rolls Royce B60 (ie 6 cylinder) same as Ferret. Champ was B40 (ie 4 cylinder) but the pistons etc are the same.

 

The hole I'm interested in is about 18in square & was used for a PTO take off to drive a compressor. There were only 10 Humbers like this FV1622. They were part of the Missile Test set up for Malkara missiles. It might sound a long shot, but I know of one that is preserved, but less the compressor. Pounds yard in Portsmouth had them & they sold the compressor for charging divers air bottles as the story goes.

 

Check the rear to see if it had racks under the canvas that would indicate FV1621 Missile Supply Trucks I can only find evidence of nine of those.

 

Dead easy to drive had very good handling in the desert. Sensibly designed, solid & British. Well worth preserving if reasonably priced & not too far gone, like mine. A properly designed military vehicle rather than the others in the1-Ton class of the time (ie Austin K9 & Morris MRA1). It was not a GS, but a CT (Combat) type it was "standardised" with interchangeability. So the starter motor, dynamo, light switch, instrument panel etc was interchangeable with Ferret, Salidin, Saracen, Champ etc

 

Quite rare, worth having if price & condition are right.

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Cheers for that, Clive.

Were the hatch covers canvas, or metal coverings ?

Now the big question...................as a drivable vehicle, with, some (visible)rust, very roughly,.........whats the value ??

 

I'm awaitimg photo's of it, so I cant help there, and its 'op country,' sonewhat for me to go see. (mates use to land rovers, so is use to looking at chassis, and 'metal'.

 

Not wanting to 'put you on the spot', but the seller has, I think an idea of what he thinks its worth, so's I don't want to see him (my mate) ripped off,-or laughed at, when he makes an offer.

 

Again, thanks for the speedy reply.

Andy

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Andy

 

The covers are metal, some were single lids some were split into two.

 

Ah "but the seller has, I think an idea of what he thinks its worth," well sometimes that is more than it is worth. Remember this is a public site & the seller could be watching all this with amusement! Why a vehicle always have to be 100+ miles away I just don't know!

 

The Humber Wireless Light FV1604 is more common than a FV1601/1602 & has more appeal as you can live in the back of it quite comfortably. I have seen a few of those appear for £4000 but seem not to sell whether they do in the end I don't know or whether they go back into the barn etc to resurface later.

 

Given that pigs do not sell for much as there is apparently little interest they seem to be £1500 to £2500. Yes there are more expensive ones but they seem to go unsold. I would value a complete & not rusted one in about the same bracket, a bit more if it is "just out of Ruddington sales, parked it here & never used it" Although a vehicle that hasn't been used for a long time has its own problems or refurbishment.

 

A seller would be bound to say that you don't see many of them in preservation & it must be worth more. That is true but there are not that many preserved because by & large people aren't interested in them, quite wrongly in my view. But it's an argument which cuts both ways in terms of value!

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Clive, cheers for that.

No worries about the seller looking here,- if it was a 'huntin an shootin'site, I'd be a little more careful, but good point.

I'll relay details to him,(he's a no computer person,- at present), and he can take it from there.

Will (try)post pic's,- if he sends them.

Thanks for all your help.

As Jack has said,in the past, this is a friendly, helpful site; And long may it continue.

 

Cheers,

Andy

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One of my customers has a truck which he will dispose of free. It was used as the garage breakdown and has a crane in the back. I believe it was abonded due to broken drive shafts and is now rusting away and overgrown but it must have a lot of usable parts if anyone is interested.

 

 

 

Cheers

Degsy

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Degsy. Yes a lot of them did end up as breakdown trucks. Actually there was meant to be a breakdown truck model FV1606 to rescue broken down Humbers. I have the FDD design spec document on it & there was meant to be a water tanker FV1608.

 

I like to think that the breakdown truck wasn't needed as they were so reliable! The issue was side stepped with the water tanker that role was assumed by the other GS 1-Tonners (K9 & MRA1). The FV1608 idea was dropped in 1958, when something more worthwhile was in store for the Humber, the production of the Pig started in that year.

 

The garages humber probably has the rear joints gone but the front ones are likely to be ok & my recollection is that the joints are the same front & rear. So could be useful carcass for somebody. I bought my truck as a non-runner simply to get the flywheel off it as the Hornet one was cracked when some nitwit burnt out the clutch.

 

But I can recall a Humber wireless truck about 20 years ago providing roadside refreshments up Humberside area. I wish I took a picture :cry:

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Clive,

Spoke with my mate earlier, he'd been back to get photo's etc,yersterday, and have another GOOD look around.

He says that there is no hole/hatch in rear floor,- But there IS an 8 bolt mounting,spaped like half a lozzenge,with a hole in the top.

The canvas has covered flaps(4 of) in the sides.

He also managed to persuade it to start,-something that supprised him, and I think he's hoping to get a 'test run',somewhen soon.

Oh, and the awaited photo's,............unfortunatly, there arn't any; In his general 'excitment', yesterday, he left the camara on the bonnet,where it sat overnight:.......................exit one camara.

 

Again, cheers.

 

Andy

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exit one camara. .................. Stupid boy!

 

Can't visualise the fixing, how big is it?

 

A point I should have made, also view it in terms of tyres. Are they good & likely to remain so for the next few years? If not you have to multiple 5 x £150 at least & deduct that from the perceived value. My 1-Ton cypher trailer last year had 2 new tyres £450 including splitting the rims. And rims can be so & sos - I have a FVRDE report on using explosive cord to blow them apart. Although we didn't have to use this method!

 

Of course don't think you can get hold of pig tyres & use em as they are bigger.

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AH,.................Thanks for that, Clive.

He did say that one was looking quite shot, although there was a spare that seemed ok.

I'd mentioned to him that pig one's were occasionaly advertised, and that i'd keep my eyes open, for them;........................no go there ,...then!

How much bigger are they?? If he was lucky enough to find a full set of pig rims/tyres,- would they fit, with clearence, etc?

 

Explosive Cord,......... :shock: cor, that would make the 'kwik fit, -fitter's', day................. :lol:

 

Again,cheers for the info.

Andy

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Andy

 

GS

The wheels are 7.00 x 20 divided rims, tyres 20.00 x 9.00

 

Pig

The wheels are 8.00 x 20 divided rims, tyres 11.00 x 20 run flat

 

There are also differences in:

Front to rear axle ratio

Gearbox ratios

Transfer box ratios

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