andym

I use stainless wire on all my vehicles, works a treat but needs a bit of practice! Andy

Methinks that's an aircraft intercom plug, not a land vehicle one. Andy

I'm not up on Larkspur but that looks like a Larkspur test set of some kind. Andy (M0IJH)

Bearing in mind that it's based on ASCOD, a vehicle that entered service with the Spanish and Austrians in 2002, we've obviously managed to spend the better part of twenty years messing up an existing proven design. 😞 Andy

The curse of FRES lives on? Andy

You may laugh, but one project I was involved with a while ago was the "environmentally friendly torpedo". Andy

Keep it float charged, either in or out of the vehicle. Wet lead-acids don't like being left to go flat, AGMs are more forgiving as they have a much slower self-discharge rate but still appreciate being topped up. Andy

That approach seems to have worked reasonably well for the FV430 Bulldogs. Andy

That's precisely the intent Robin, to increase the end float from 0.005" to 0.025" according to the text. Andy

I've just posted this to the Tapatalk FV430 group, but think it bears repetition. I think that most of us have had fun with stuck track adjuster idler arms, probably because the adjusters don't get enough use in civilian life. I still recommend that once a year you should remove the drain bolt from the adjuster and slowly drive the vehicle forward to allow the idler arm to move fully forward, then replace the bolt and re-tension the track. However, I recently came across an eBay seller offering a copy of EMER (Trk) E107, the FV430 Modification Instructions and as I hadn't seen that before, I bought it. Mod Instr No.1 is very interesting - "Increased clearance for track adjusters". It says that to ensure free movement of the idler arm, the clearance between arm and cap is to be increased by removing shims and backing off the nut. I don't think I've ever seen any shims between the arm and cap, but if you have any, discard them. The really interesting thing is the next bit: (d). Refit the pivot shaft end cap and sealing ring. (e). Refit the castellated nut on pivot shaft so that it is screwed fully home but finger tight. (f). Slacken the castellated nut between 2 and 3 flats (depending on the alignment of split pin hole to castellations. (g). Lock castellated nut in position, using a new split pin. I don't think I've ever seen this mentioned elsewhere, so it means that the castellated nuts on my vehicles are too tight, as are probably everyone else's. Andy

... or any of the FV430 series with the K60 engine! Andy

There really is no excuse for not having the manuals, they're all available for free here: https://www.fv432apc.com/fv432manuals.html You'll probably find this one most useful at the moment: https://www.fv432apc.com/manuals/fv430various/430Electrics.pdf To identify the alternator cables, just bell them through with a meter (or lamp and battery!) from the DLB, then mark them up as John suggests. As to why the pack won't start - have you made the classic mistake? The gear lever will have been removed to get the pack out, but you will have to reconnect the interlock cable and make sure the lever is in neutral to start the pack. Andy

It's vague as a vague thing, but I think the original intent was to cover things like driving a forklift truck to unload a lorry that's parked on the road. Andy

A Google search brings up this: Thank you for your e mail seeking advice about the driver licensing position of category N vehicles. Categories of vehicle for driving licensing purposes are generally decided according to a vehicle's weight and/or seating capacity. For example, the driver of a vehicle weighing more than 7.5 tonnes maximum authoried mass would need to hold category C driving entitlement. These categories A,B,C1,C,D etc are recognised throughout the EU. Categorey N is specific to the UK and therefore is not recognised in other EU countries. Category N entitlement is unique to vehicles that have limited use on public roads and this simple criterion is the basis that determines if the entitlement may be appropriate. Drivers who have held this category before 31 December 1996 may drive any type of vehicle that makes minimal use of public roads. Drivers who do not hold this entitlement (new drivers who passed their test on or after 1 January 1997) would have to hold the appropriate category of entitlement specifically prescribed for the vehicle being driven. Category N was formally linked to vehicles that were duty exempt, although this has not been the case since the abolition of this taxation class on 1 July 1995. A vehicle driven under exemption 48 (j) could make any number of journeys as long as each journey did not exceed 1.5 kilometeres on a public road provided the vehicle is :- a goods vehicle, other that an agricultural motor vehicle, which is used only for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry is used on public roads only in passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person, and in passing between any such two areas does not travel a distance exceeding 1.5 kilometres on publlic roads. "Exemption 48" refers to Regulation 48 of The Motor Vehicles (Driving Regulations) 1996. Andy

The user manual will help with that, as well as telling you the electrics are all 24V! Andy

Think 15 tonne toboggan ... 🙂 Andy

You probably need to specify the vehicle as they aren't all the same! Andy

Are those just threaded spacers/stand-offs? Most nut and bolt suppliers should be able to help you out, methinks. Andy

Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. I'd still love to know who the OEM was, though. Andy

I've just found some photos of the conduit bits I need for my Abbot if any of yours suit? These are slightly larger than the usual ones on the rear of headlamps. I'm OK for the conduit itself, just need the end fittings. Andy

I'm confused as to why this is an issue - surely you wouldn't display a military vehicle with black and white civilian plates that it never carried in service? Far better under those conditions to use reflective plates for the civilian registration as a safety measure and revert to painted white on black for the military VRN. Andy

Ah - the fabled K60T! There's a report in the Bovington library that looked at an upgrade for the FV432, long before Bulldog came along. It would have used the K60T with an upgraded steering box to allow neutral turns. I don't think the K60T ever went any further than a concept demonstrator. Andy

That's my understanding, too. The RR K60 Workshop Manual lists a whole host of special tools that don't appear in an EMER, either. One of my K60s carries a rebuild plate from RR Specialist Engines with an address that now appears to be a Bentley dealership! Andy

The most common issue with an oily exhaust on the K60 is failed seals in the scavenge blower rather than problems with the engine internals themselves. That said, I'd be interested to know if anyone has ever rebuilt a K60 as I've never seen any parts to do so. Andy

I wouldn't be too sure of that - the Abbot is generally undercooled compared to the FV432, which is why it has uprated fan motors and pump. Don't forget it isn't usually the engine section that leaks, it's the gearbox section. Andy