Redherring

Thought i'd have a quick go at this...early Leylands in Australia & NZ. I'm sure Doug and Steve can add to these... 1916 unrestored RAF type in NSW; 2 x restored 1919 lorries in NSW & AWM; c1912 S2 under restoration VIC; 1920 4 ton lorry NSW also under restoration (last i heard); 1912 Fire engine (Hobart Fire Museum); 1913/14 X4 & 1913 S4 - mostly original - NZ; 1920 chassis NZ; 1916 wreck but 'mostly complete' NZ.

Ahhh... sorry to mislead you, but having reread the hieroglyphics and spun it over in my head... it actually reads "3 cylinder" experimental engine. Wonder what that was?

I too did a search for No. 19774 in the Leyland parts book #3, but unfortunately No.'s 19150 to 19999 are blank with the term "reserved" in the margin - a new project? The only thing that can be said is that the numbering either side of the missing series suggests these were parts designed in mid 1917. There are more numbers with descriptions missing scattered down the pages... including from 20015 to 20059 with the note "3Gl(?) Experimental Engine". It seems filing, or non-filing in our case, of consecutive numbers for a project was a tricky process before the age of computers.

There is a saying out here ... that every day it rains is a good day! And there's nothing wrong with warm English beer... as I discovered to 'my surprise' many years ago (sacre bleu)! In a way i have taken the same tack, treating the engine to a rebuild early on; as a way of building project momentum.

Welcome to the Leyland restorers 'club'. Lots of early Leylands in Australia and New Zealand. Fertile ground for these beasts. Most are a mix of two/four/six ton being S3 variants, and larger PH2 & 4, also A type. Several later fire engines reside in NZ - Ferrymead. No SQ variants; that I know of. A very few pre-great-war Leylands exist. A 'U type' fire engine in Hobart. An X4.40.V, and a very early S(?) in NZ. And, what I believe to be an S2, in my shed. Cheers Robert

Ahhh. There's nothing like the thrill of acquiring something(s) unusual. Well done!

Have enjoyed the process and the problem solving - the time has passed so quickly... "...Quite a promising start to the project." ... January 2015.

I concur. Really interesting find. Go for it!!!

Top pic... any takers for early NAG - AEG - Schneider? Stumped!

Pic is a bit fuzzy at my end... could it be: Halley, Halford, Lacre or Vulcan?

A new book has been published here in Melbourne. Called "Our Forgotten Volunteers" by Bojan Pajic. The book follows the stories of Australians and New Zealanders who served on the Salonika/Balkan Front. Many were medical staff...

Ahhh... I can smell the grease from here.

That is an impressive barn find. Do you happen to know whether there are many of these in existence?

I took a look at a photo of the Yeovil unit just now. Is this a mock-up with the odd original part?

Thanks for posting the war office disposals list... another part of the Leyland puzzle exposed.

How likely is it that this is the original engine?

A useful book is: AEC Vehicles Origins to 1929 - by Brian Thackray.

The Dennis is very bright 'red' in colour. Is this shade original? Are you likely to get booked for speeding by every passing patrol car? Robert

Impressive unit. How did it survive the ravages of time...

Regarding Leylands... the earliest Leyland parts and drawings registers show that vehicles were built specifically to customer request, said vehicles were all different: chassis length, width... some joggled some not; diffs and axles; motor; and wheels! Every new and redesigned part was logged. Gradually, beginning with the war office subsidy scheme, vehicles began to look similar, but even then modifications occurred along the way. In recent times the leyland Society has attempted to sort the pre-subsidy scheme Leylands into groups. No easy task! One reason I find ID'ing vehicles/parts so interesting...

AEC. I have a couple of Vulcan fronts which are very similar...

The underside of most vehicles intrigues me. So what is it? My first guess is Daimler Marienfelde. Unfortunately the photo presented isn't particularly clear.

I have found your restore-a-logues enormously useful over the years. It has enabled many of us to have a go at restoration/rebuild jobs we otherwise would not have attempted. A general discussion often follows some aspect of the rebuild, and so often this has provided valuable insight into materials and techniques. Can we say... the most successful blog of it's type? Clearly an enormous effort from your team, and costly in time and $. In the future, might the large e-footprint be edited down to a stand-alone 'ebook' with index... ? Rob

Do you need to match grades of Al to ensure longevity? What grade would 1925 Citroen be?

This unit looks similar... you might try to track the owner down... http://classictrucks.net/1913-white-1-ton-truck/