David Herbert

Not seen that one before but I have a chainsaw..... Presumably in what was Yugoslavia somewhere ? David

Can you get a chisel axially into the slot you have cut in the inner race and hit it hard enough to split the remaining web and allow the race to lift of the axle ? David

I have used MAPP gas for cutting when it is necessary to hand carry the kit cross country for some distance. With an aluminium oxygen cylinder filled from a half used full size cylinder it works very well and has no recurring costs, just the refills. I like it. I think that shocking the inner bearing by wacking it with as big a hammer as possible via a 1" diameter drift is the lowest tech way to go. David

The words Spud and Grouser mean much the same when related to tracks or steel wheels and refer to a projecting part that engages with the ground to provide grip. In the British steam traction engine world Grousers are flat plates permanently riveted across the wheel with gaps between them giving about 20mm 'tread depth' and Spuds were pieces of angle that could be bolted on to give another 80mm or so of bite. Only to be used on soft ground ! At the beginning of WW2 most British tank track had a flat surface for running on roads and a recess in the middle to save weight and give a little grip on soft ground. This was fairly useless so 'Spudded' track with what would now be called a grouser was developed. David

The Saxon had a drivers seat that was the same as a FV430 series except that it didn't go up and down. The seat cushion could easily have been swapped. Also note that the army registration number stays with the vehicle whatever it is modified into. This one probably had a number of different roles starting with being a normal FV432 APC when it was new. There is a small (2 x 3 cm) steel plate welded to the back of the hull onto which is stamped the hull number. This number allowed the factory to keep track of the hulls while they were being built. I have not studied 432s but certainly it is possible to work out the army registration number from the hull number on FV434s. David

The heavier track is definitely Churchill and the lighter, horned track is early British cruiser tank, probably Crusader or Covenanter but it could be earlier. One would have to measure the width and look at the method of pin retention. David

Are you sure that it doesn't have electronic ignition? When originally built they used a slightly changed B60 distributor but this didn't work very well due to the reverse rotation and higher speed causing trouble with the points. In theory they were all modified with the Luminition electronic system that uses an LED and a photo cell to detect the movement of a disk with gaps in it that replaces the function of the points and cam. This system is very reliable but does need to be clean and the centrifugal advance and retard needs to work properly. It is also still possible to get coil problems and 60 year old HT leads are not always up to the task. David

I am not that knowledgeable about paint but I was told a long time ago that it is very important with synthetic paint that you never put unused, thinned paint back in the tin as that will cause the rest of the tin to start to set. I have dutifully followed this rule and never had problems but I really don't know how true it is. Could this be your problem ? I agree with Duson that something finer than a kitchen sieve would be better. I have used a square of kitchen paper towel (very strong when wet and disposable without causing divorce) in a scrap kitchen sieve that was dumped because it was too coarse and damaged. I must congratulate you on your new found welding and fabrication skills - you really are getting good at this ! David

Regarding 'modern youth', I can't remember where, but there is a rant in the Bible about how useless young people are, so this is not a new idea. Also we should remember that we were all 'the youth of today' once. David

Virtually all straight 6 engines are 153624. It is an inevitable result of the crank design which has to be that way to get the dynamic balance. The only other possibility is 142635 which is 153624 reversed, but this is very unusual. David

On the use of a piece of copper behind the weld, the heavier it is the better as it acts as a non stick heatsink so if it is too light it will initially work well and then melt ! That said, a piece of 28mm copper water pipe flattened out can get you out of trouble. Brass really doesn't work as the zinc content will burn if it gets too hot and if not will tend to melt and solder itself to the back of the weld. I have a hand held spot welder (great for sectioning a piece into a door skin) for which I made a flat faced copper cap that fits over one electrode so that that side of the spot weld is almost dead flat. This way there is almost no distortion or damage to the outer surface. David

I don't believe that is a MkII LRC. They were 4x4. This one is 4x2 with five stud wheels intended for 9.25 - 16 tyres but with 9.00 - 16 American NDCC fitted. These won't easily fit onto normal eight stud British wheels but will onto the lighter ones intended for 9.25 - 16s. David After Adrian's correction lower down this thread, he is quite right, the LRC in the first post has got Firestone directional tread tyres ( I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote American NDCC) However I still think that they are 9.00-16 as 9.25-16 are much lower profile so from the side look much less chunky. See the photo of three LRCs with Dunlop TrakGrip 9.25-16 in the post below this.

Or the instrument cluster came from a RHD UK spec vehicle...... David

As stated above you can't directly measure bore wear with a digital calipers as it won't reach beyond the unworn part of the bore that the top rings don't reach. As a crude but useful starting point, find a bit of thick fencing wire or similar, cut a straight bit to about 3mm more than the bore . Round the ends into a smooth roughly spherical shape and then bend it in the middle so that it JUST fits into the bore. You can then measure this with the calipers and if the wire is stiff enough and you had the right feel of it in the bore you will have a useful idea of the size at that point. do the same at several points on each bore and you should have an idea of the situation. If there is a big step at the top of the bore at the limit of where the top ring reaches, that will break new rings even if the diameter is acceptable so it would need removing anyway. Maximum wear is usually a little below that step and across the axis of the engine. Any deep grooves from broken rings or debris are bad but depending on severity and intended use you might try to hone them. Ideally a rebore, new pistons, rings and all bearings and gaskets is the way to go. A good quality digital caliper (not a £5 one!) is a basic tool that you need for any work of this kind. Have fun and work slowly and carefully. David

If the part is not available in the UK it would obviously be very expensive here so HMC should levy a special extra charge to bring the imported part up to the same level. Of course, the effort that you went to to go and acquire the very rare part in an unfamiliar country and ship it home proves how keen you are to get it and should be taxed too. This is called an integrated policy. David

Tony, what sort of cab did the one you took your test in have? - did you see any with the OY cab fitted? I wonder if anyone can find a photo of an MW with an OY cab in service. The more I think about it the more sensible it seems that a batch could have been rebuilt like that. David

I wonder if the cab was replaced by the military. I can't see a civilian replacing the cab (presumably for more comfort) but retaining the roof hatch. It would have been easy to obtain an OY cab when this truck was disposed of but equally the army/air force would have had lots of trucks to cannibalize post war. If it was serving in a non-combat role the conversion would make sense. Another issue with converting it back is that the bonnet and sides are different on a MW as the bonnet extends back further and is at a more horizontal angle. I think that I would keep it the way it is. It looks nice and is much more comfortable and usable with this cab though not as 'military' looking. It may have genuine military provenance as it is now - the first hint is the disposal card indicating it as 'closed cab' when it was built as an aero screen. David

Neil, If the cab has been changed to an OY type (quite a common civi mod) the steering column will probably have been changed too as the MW driving position and so the steering column angle is lower than the OY type. The steering box is a different casting with the mounting lugs to the chassis at a different angle. I re-machined mine to make it fit but it is not the ideal solution. The wooden MW cab is relatively easy to reproduce if you have one to copy and good OY cabs are getting hard to find so don't throw anything away. Have fun, David

Is it fluid ? If it is fluid you take the tire off, take the tube out squeeze out what you can through the valve hole and put it all back together. If it is foam filled with semi rigid foam to make it properly bullet proof you can't get it out, although I suppose that it might be possible to cut the foam filled tube out of the tire in small pieces but I think you might loose the will to live. I would use the tire until it is worn out and throw it away. David

After the war a lot of RAF land was used for storage of returned armoured vehicles and trucks so the fact that one of the co-ordinates is at Waterbeach Airfield is not in itself a problem. Whether there is anything there is another question.... David

No need for creative user names, some of us use our real names - much better for networking ! David

I have a spare battery clamp free if you want it. I will be coming down in Leighton Buzzard on the 21 August and leaving on the 23rd. PM me if you want it. David

TL part numbers relate to British built light tanks and carriers. Ford didn't build light tanks so this is a carrier part. David

Yes, the extra weight is an unwanted side effect that reduces mobility, ride quality, tire life, fuel economy, and wheel bearing life. Much better for us to have a spare wheel and a jack ! David

Tire size is 9.00 - 16. You are not going into combat so you don't need them bullet proof. David