LongJohn

One way to get around area specific content is, if you don't want to use a VPN, is to download the Tor browser onto your device. It's worked for me on a number of occasions.

I spent three years attached to an RA unit equipped with Abbot, never once disconnect any of the leads from the pack marriage panel. It would take a fair bit of force to damage anything.

In the mid-fifties, my father was posted to Benghazi. My mother and I accompanied him and I was 8 years old when we arrived there. Our very first motorised transport was one of the BMW R75 combinations that was presumably left behind following the cessation of hostilities ten years previously. I remember my father spending a few weeks making it fully road worthy after which he would use it to travel into work and for family outings, mainly to the beach, but also around some of the old Roman sites. He sold the first then bought another to do up and used the proceeds to buy one of the very early VW Beetles. He paid £10 each for the BMWs and sold them for £25 each...I suppose that's what inflation does!

An excellent thread, I can't wait to see the end result. Well done indeed, sir.

Absolutely fascinating!

I tend to dabble with older Jap bikes and used to insure through Footman James until last year. It seems there was some sort of split and one of the family members, Peter James, set up on his own and by all accounts has taken quite a slice of the classic bike business away from Footman James for many of the reasons discussed. This year, I insured my Katana and Kawasaki GTR with Peter James for a very reasonable premium. Web site here: peterjamesinsurance.co.uk

The starter motor is a Rotax direct cranking starter running as has been said at around 30rpm. It acts directly on the end of the crankshaft. The booster coil actually fires out sparks fairly indiscriminately to each of the twelve cylinders, sometimes causing the engine to stall against the starter, but eventually, sometimes sooner, sometimes a little later, but always eventually catching the right cylinder in the right position and firing up. Spark plug changes were a real pain in the a**e though!

I had a Jeep Wagoneer as a company car back in the 70's in Iran, 3 litre straight six, three speed gear box and big plastic covered bench seats.....I loved it!

BAOR Locations is still on the go, it has a slightly different address these days: www.baor-locations.org

All sorts of interesting stuff here, they've certainly come a long way from when I was there in the 70's. http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/

Hi Scott, At the time that photo was taken, 4 Fd were equipped with 55's towed by Leyland tractors but very shortly afterwards were re-equipped with Abbots. I had the very great pleasure of meeting up with three of the blokes in that picture a fortnight ago in Rotherham, the last time we saw each other was in 1971!

Here's a canvas top belonging to 4 Field RA LAD 1967-ish:

I dived that wreck back in, I think 2005, it was just after the London Underground bombings and we were there when the hotels in Na'ama Bay were targeted. Absolutely fascinating but is slowly collapsing under it's own weight as it corrodes.

It was a long time ago, but weren't they classified as 'A' vehicles whilst in service?

Use steel wire, soft metals don't last too long in this solution.

Removing rust by electrolysis is line of sight only, so you can't derust the inside with the anode on the outside. When I did my motorcycle tank, I bunged up the outlet, mounted a shaped length of threaded rod on a piece of wood, and filled the tank with electrolyte. Obviously this only works if the tank is corroded but not leaking, a quite large non-metallic container would be required to completely submerge a leaky tank.

A battery charger putting out around 8 amps or so is ample, last year I was restoring an old Honda motorcycle and the tank was extremely rusty inside. Electrolysis worked extremely well for me and as a bonus it is very cheap to do! Washing soda is available at most of the major supermarkets at about a pound a packet, I forget the brand name but it will be buried amongst the laundry powder section somewhere. There are several clips on youtube to peruse and this is one of them:

There are frequent trains from New Street Station to Telford and beyond which stop within 1/2 mile of RAF Cosford, its a fantastic place, highly recommended.

And here's the other bit: http://www.plastigauge.co.uk/ hope they are of use.

Here's one to try: http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Protection-Grease-Adhesives/Engineers-Blue

Sorry RechyMech, the name means nothing to me, we were there in quite large numbers, mostly ex- REME, but also at least one ex-Ordnance Corps bloke with each team. At TMC, there were also quite a few "civvies", from the Leyland area to set up and supervise the power pack line, and of course still more people came in later to service the Scorpion contract. Ahhh! The sublime Peykan! Iran National produced two types, the standard or base model and the 1725, or de-luxe model. They were flat-packed to Iran and assembled, or thrown together by the locals, you never, ever got one where the two spoke steering wheel was put on straight, but demand always outstripped supply. 90% of taxis in Teheran were Peykan, painted orange and white and I am sure the Hillman Hunter must set all sorts of export records, un-noticed by almost anyone in this country throughout the course of its production run.

I spent around 5 years in Iran,"working for the Shah", we were, in fact working for Millbank Technical Services, a wholly owned subsiduary of the Crown Agents and set up to administer this contract. Spent the first two years in Teheran, a team of ten attached to the Shah's Imperial Guard, his personal bodyguard. This was not a few big hairy men looking after His Imperial Highness, but a full brigade, Armour, Infantry, Artillary and Engineers. In our team was a Gun Fitter and ASM from my first posting, the 11TH Hussars, one bloke from my B to A mech conversion course, and another from my 2 -1 Upgraders. It was a fairly comprehensive REME reunion, quite easy living at that time and a whole lot of fun for all. Spent some time in what was to become the war zone, first in Dezful, then in Ahwaz, the final year was back in Teheran, at the Teheran Maintenance Centre, where MTS had created a facility to recondition Chieftain power packs and gearboxes.

Another theory, brakes on the tractor unit dodgy, trailer chocked,"just in case", to stop the whole unit rolling down the hill when the tanks loaded. Just a thought.

I first saw The Lady in the mid-fifties when my father was posted to Tripoli. My parents had a photo of me(aged about five), stood in front of the mural, what became of that photo, I know not. It was only fairly recently that I thought about this painting, wondering whether it had survived the Ghaddafi years, apparently it had. What is not shown in this photo, is the graffitti scratched into the black border below the actual painting, quite a bit, it seems, created by British squaddies judging by the names "West Ham", and "Andover, Hants". To the best of my recollection, this graffitti was there when my photo was taken.

Really enjoyed the pictures, Cliff. They were a very real reminder of how it was out on exercise, quite a reality check.