mike30841

Mark, No need to prop the back of the engine - the gearbox unbolts from the bell-housing (4 bolts) - the bell-housing stays put complete with the rear engine mountings. The clutch can then be changed without removing the bell-housing. Removing the gear lever would be easier than removing the selector cover, I think it is on a bayonet type fitting. I haven't actually had the gearbox off my QL, but the box on the OX is the same and I can confirm it is indeed very heavy - I used an engine crane on the OX, but not sure if you will have room behind the QL cab to get one in. If you do not know when the core plugs were last replaced, it would probably be worth taking the bell-housing and flywheel off whilst they are accessible and replace the core plug at the back of the engine - better to do it as a planned repair rather than an emergency! I do have a QL manual if you want to borrow it so you can familiarise yourself with what is involved before you start. Also probably a good idea to replace the spigot bearing in the end of the crankshaft whilst you are at it. Give me a ring if you want to borrow the manual. Kind regards, Mike.

Lacock at war in August is just down the road from you. Great event too. Mike.

Andy, Firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4. Turn engine over to top dead centre on number one cylinder (nearest front of engine) - there is a ball bearing set into the edge of the flywheel which aligns with a marker in the bell-housing - line these up with number one cylinder at the top of the compression stroke - both valves closed, or if rocker cover is still on, feel for compression with your finger over the spark plug hole. Now note position of rotor arm against distributor cap - this is where lead to number one cylinder screws in to cap. now simply screw rest of leads in to cap as per firing order - from memory I think direction of rotation is anti-clockwise, but this will be evident as you turn the engine to align timing marks. All should now be correct, and engine should run ok - if it does, number the plug leads before you take them off for any reason. Hope this helps. Mike.

Can I second that, please. Had great time - great weather, great vehicles and lots of like-minded people. Highlight for me was meeting fellow QL owners Mark & Craig - we got all three QLs lined up for a photo opportunity. It was also the first time I have managed to get my QL & OXD there together. Pics attached of a few highlights. Mike

Ignore previous posting - these are of course on the inlet manifold - silly me! Mike.

There are slight differences with the QL manifold, but it will fit the MW with no problems. The QL has a bracket at the front for a stay bar to the radiator, and a bracket at the rear for the throttle return spring, also no vacuum take off for the wipers. Mike.

pm sent. Mike.

This lowlife keeps springing up on Ebay under different user names, but always listing pretty much the same vehicles. I am sick of reporting them, and Ebay get slower and slower to remove the listings. Mike.

Richard, I suspect that this would be a quick and very temporary fix. Manifolds do turn up occasionally ( I dropped lucky with Norman Aish last year) otherwise look for a specialist cast iron welder - there are two or three in the Midlands. I still need to get the manifold for my OX welded, it is currently running civvy manifolds. Mike.

How difficult was it to get the front crossmember off in the first place? I need to do the one on my OX at some point in the near future, although I don't think it's as bad as yours was. I should really have done it whilst the engine was out last year, but I bottled it! By the way, I think your starter motor is fitted 180 degrees out - the lever thing at the end where the cable attaches should point upwards. mike.

No problem Bill, strangely I know one of the QL owners had exactly the same problem with his when he bought it! I did dig out my spare, so I will put it away again - no doubt it will come in handy one of these days. I will try and dig out my odds and sods box at the weekend, as I'm sure I have a few of the bodyside cleats/hooks that you wanted. All the best, Mike.

Leave it with me, Bill, will get something sorted out in next few days. Mike.

Bill, There should be a link rod a couple of inches long that sits between the cylinder and the servo - it just sits in the cupped end of the cylinder. Is that present? If it is missing, that would explain your problem. If it is in place, then the linkage in the top of the servo needs adjusting to give 1/16" clearance between the end of the linkage and the outer casing. I can let you have a copy of the relevant section of the manual if you need it. If your link rod is missing, I think have a spare, or possibly I can get you one made using my spare as a pattern. How many of the cleats do you need? I think I may have a few spares lurking somewhere in my garage - I will have a look at the weekend. Good luck with the master cylinder. Mike.

How have you managed to spend £45? Mine cost around £8 or £9 for enough felt to make two filters (needless to say I overestimated!), bought from Ebay. I did use modern polyester felt as I thought it might not rot as quickly. A helpful friend cut out and sewed up the whole thing in an evening one her old treadle operated sewing machine. Sorry I would post a picture but I can't find it on my laptop. I was quite tempted to try and replace the whole thing with a modern filter housing I know the housing on my mate's Discovery is pretty much the same, with the inlet and outlet in much the same position as the Bedford one. Good luck with your filter, and you are doing a cracking job with the restoration. Mike.

Please let me state categorically that a broker declining to quote for a risk does not constitute being refused insurance, and you do not need to disclose this to your insurance company/broker. Only an insurance company (ie the underwriter) can refuse to insure someone. In this instance, the broker (RH Specialist insurance) have simply declined to offer a quotation, presumably because the risk falls outside the scope of their policy terms. I offer this comment with the backing of over 30 years experience in the insurance industry. Mike.

Hi Jeremy, Very nice finds indeed. The small metal block with the two threaded holes is a holder for spare spark plugs - it sits on the bulkhead in the top right hand corner (viewed from the drivers seat). Look forward to seeing pics of your MW when it's completed) Mike.

Bill, That is where the vacuum tank for the original vacuum operated windscreen wipers was fitted. I notice that yours has been converted to electric wipers, and I would recommend that you stick with this set-up - the vacuum operated ones are abysmal! Mike

Hi Mark, Excellent choice - which version of QL is it? Is it up and running or a restoration project? I am just up the road from you in Bingley, so if there is anything I can be of help with, give me a shout - my own QL has just gone in to winter storage. Mike.

So, guys, Here we are 4 months down the line. [ATTACH=CONFIG]81791[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]81792[/ATTACH] This is what I was faced with in the early stages. With the end of the season fast approaching, I finally started the re-built engine this afternoon, after two hours trying to work out why there was no spark, I finally discovered a fault in the newly re-conditioned distributor! It still needs tuning and tweaking, and a few minor snags sorting, not to mention all the front bodywork refitting, BUT IT RUNS!!!!! :-) Work done so far includes, but is not confined to: Re-bore to + 0.060", new pistons Crank re-ground to -).010" on main and big ends Oil pump re-built with new gears and shaft, pressure relief valve replaced New timing chain and sprockets New camshaft and followers Re-conditioned distributor Spare cylinder head fitted, this was re-built a while ago with hardened exhaust valve seats, together with all new valves and springs All core plugs replaced New civilian exhaust and inlet manifolds - these are hopefully a temporary measure, and I plan to put military ones back in the not too distant future. New carburettor Fuel pump re-built Radiator re-cored New clutch plate, pressure plate, release and spigot bearings New concertina air filter element, very kindly sewn for me by a friend (thanks Toni) I have taken the opportunity to return the engine to it's original black colour, and the engine bay has been stripped out, cleaned and re-painted, although bits already need touching where it has got knocked/chipped, or bolt heads have rusted - the perils of working outside. There is still a fair amount to do, the engine needs setting up properly, and the front bodywork needs refitting, after the offside wing has been sprayed following a repair to some corrosion in the front corner. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures showing progress so far:- Anyway, a big thanks to you guys for your advice, also to Neil who helped me put the engine and gearbox back in, and to Chris Watson for his usual first class work on the engine. (Rippo, does your offer of an exhaust manifold still stand? I now find I am going to need one for my QL as well, having discovered that it is running with an RL manifold/carb set up. Mike.

It doesn't look like an OX to me, and I have spent the last three months becoming intimately acquainted with my OXD. Note that the handbrake lever is attached to the left hand side of the gearbox, and as someone has already pointed out, there is no compressor on the gearbox, and there are differences from the military spec 28hp engine. Mike.

1940's weekend at the railway this weekend 14th & 15th September 2013. My QL will definitely be there, but the OX is looking extremely unlikely - if I don't get it back on the road soon, it will have missed the entire season. Anyone else going? Mike.

Bill, You would need to check the small print on the DVLA website, but I am 95% certain that you can drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes, if the date of manufacture is prior to 1960. I looked in to this in some detail when I bought my QL, as I needed my son to be able to drive it, and like yours, his licence only covers him up to 3.5 tonnes. Incidentally, I believe KGM will still cover drivers under 25 on a military/classic vehicle policy. Mike

Mark, Sorry to hear of your problems. I suspect the 6V/12V issue may be something of a red herring here, bearing in mind that the vehicle was running ok to start with. In your position, I would put the original coil back on and go back to basics. First of all, you say there is no output from the coil, how have you established this? Start by checking that petrol is getting through to the carburettor (loosen union on carb, and crank engine over a couple of times - there should be a good flow), if not, locate and rectify problem. Also check that there isn't water in the petrol, or any other contaminant. Check also that the air filter isn't blocked. If the fuel side of things is ok, start on the ignition. First, remove one spark plug and earth it to the engine block whilst cranking the engine over. Is there a spark across the gap? if there is, the problem is not with the ignition. If no spark, make sure that the plug leads are all numbered, so that you know which cylinder they go back to! Remove distributor cap, and check that the carbon plunger is present and free to move. Check for signs of tracking or cracks - if present replace the cap with a new one. Remove each lead in turn (one at a time, so they go back in the same place) and check that all connections are sound, and that the leads themselves are ok. Pay particular attention to the king lead from the coil to the distributor, again replace any which are suspect. If all is ok, turn your attention to the distributor itself. Is the rotor arm present and intact? Clean points, and re-set gap. Crank the engine over and check for a spark at the points as they open - you should be able to see and hear this. If there is no spark, then either the condenser has failed, or there is a fault in the low tension circuit. This could be as simple as a failed fuse (check with a meter, don't rely on a visual inspection), or could be a broken or loose wire - you will need to use your meter, set for continuity test, to work your way through the circuit to see where the fault is. Don't forget the earth strap from the engine to the chassis, if this has worked loose or failed, then that is the cause of your problem. Hopefully, this should enable you to locate and rectify the problem. Incidentally, the easiest way to tell what voltage the vehicle is running on is to look at the battery. A 6V battery has three cells, and three filler caps. A 12V battery has 6 cells and 6 filler caps. A modern battery should also have a label showing voltage and amp/hours. Best of luck getting it sorted, and don't get too downhearted - my Bedford QL broke down before I even got it off the drive, when it was delivered. At the time I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life, but now I wouldn't sell it for the world! Cheers, Mike.

Does anyone else have problems posting replies to threads? I log in, the site acknowledges that I am logged in, so I spend time typing my reply, but as soon as I hit the submit button, it tells me I am not logged in again, and I lose whatever I have typed. It is damned annoying to have to keep re-logging in and re-typing responses, particularly bearing in mind my limited typing skills! Mike

Vickers prices haven't doubled in last year. WW2 dated examples have gone up slightly, but the ones valued at £3.5 - £4K are WW1 examples, which have always been much pricier. The WW1 type has a fluted water jacket, the WW2 type is smooth.