White painted Differential covers.

[Meteor mark 4B]

I know B Vehicles had white painted rear diffs for convoy purposes. I've seen a couple of pics, and today an ex Army Land Rover, with the front diffs painted white. Why? No retreating Army jokes please!

[fv1609]

Night convoy purposes in conjunction with the convoy light if the diff was not visible a white disc 75mm diam was fitted.

[Simon Daymond]

Clive,

 

can you confirm or dispel the following? At Elvington last year, in discussion, I was told that originally my militant would have a white painted diff, and that the white disc fitted to the rear was a later addition? Any thoughts. The militant was delivered in March 1953.

[fv1609]

Simon, it sounds a bit odd but I think that would probably be correct.

 

The requirement to paint 'B' vehicles on the diff was a 1960 ammendment to the Equipment Regulations 1959 Pamphlet No.9. This was only to vehicles that had a "rear differential plate cover visible" & were fitted with a convoy light. The extent of paintwork was not laid down, just "painting will be sufficient only to provide a circular white patch, facing to the rear, which the white convoy light will illuminate."

 

Somewhere along the line & I can't say without a long dig through stuff it changed to:

 

 

Notice it refers to the rear axle & not exclusively the diff. So would you say if you were sat in a vehicle as tall as another Militant can you see the rear axle/diff? If not the white disc would make sense.

[Meteor mark 4B]

Err.....FRONT diffs painted white, never heard of that before.

[fv1609]

Err.....FRONT diffs painted white, never heard of that before.

 

Sorry I see didn't actually answer your question, in fact I didn'r read it properly. I write dyslexically but I also read things incorrectly. :red:

 

I've never seen a white front diff nor any instructions relating to it. I don't know what that's all about.

[antarmike]

Vehicles for artic use might have a white front diff cover, if everthing you see gets painted white!

[Yorkie370]

Are the front and rear diff plates in that model of LR interchangable?

[Ivor Ramsden]

Are the front and rear diff plates in that model of LR interchangable?

 

I don't know what type of LR Meteor saw but it's very unlikely that it's got an interchangeable diff cover. I think they only appeared on Salisbury axles.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Ivor Ramsden

[radiomike7]

Vehicles for artic use might have a white front diff cover, if everthing you see gets painted white!

 

Did you mean Arctic Mike, I've been trying to work that one out all afternoon?:???

[Meteor mark 4B]

One Land Rover was spotted pictured at a show, the other a Defender 90 C reg seen locally. Possibly both were painted white in error?

[antarmike]

Did you mean Arctic Mike, I've been trying to work that one out all afternoon?:???

 

No I meant Antarctic (yes typo)

[ted angus]

In 1953 Bedford RLs were leaving the production line with the 9" white disc and convoy light fitted.

 

During Op Burberry Nov 77/Jan78 we were living in the TA centre at Anlaby Rd in Hull. All their Landies had the front of the front diff painted white, onto which was stencilled the oil type in the Diff. i.e. OEP 220.

 

TED

[scott9643]

I know B Vehicles had white painted rear diffs for convoy purposes. I've seen a couple of pics, and today an ex Army Land Rover, with the front diffs painted white. Why? No retreating Army jokes please!

 

The plot thickens -- have a look at these pics taken in the fifties. The white paintwork is clearly deliberate and I'd like to know what the purpose of it was

[Richard Farrant]

The plot thickens -- have a look at these pics taken in the fifties. The white paintwork is clearly deliberate and I'd like to know what the purpose of it was

 

Forgetting the white diffs, the top pic of a K9 is unusual, as it has the chrome strips in the grille, not fitted on the military vehicles normally, but standard on civilian Loadstars.

[ted angus]

and look slightly above and to each side of the Austin badge ?/

TED

[Richard Farrant]

and look slightly above and to each side of the Austin badge ?/

TED

 

Ted,

 

If you mean the vents, they were added to later K9 production, as I think the radiator sits high and did not get enough airflow.

[Simon Daymond]

thanks Clive, I think it was a case of the people I met getting confused. If the requirement came in after the vehicle was delivered, i.e. 59' then it would explian the later fitted lamp and flimsy bracket and white disc ( it is a bridge plate marker painted white) I cannot see any white or remnants on the diff, and I doubt you could see it anyway from a high vehicle, thanks again, I think you put my question to bed.

 

to digress slighlty, why does the Austin above, have the word 'swop' in the window, and for that matter, the serial in the other?

Edited March 10, 2010 by Simon Daymond

[ted angus]

Simon don't be misled although the EMER quoted by Clive is circa 1960 the requirement is much earlier as I said RLs were leaving the factory in 1953 fitted with the white disc.

The problem we have dating the introduction of requirements such as the one we are discussing here, is that most info is initially promulgated down to user levels by other means in the first instance. this may be a phone call if applicability is not widespread, a signal(telex) a directing letter, ACI, AMO DCI etc.

A classic example was Gulf War 1 painting vehicles and equipment pre embarkation. Units identified as being required to outload vehicles from the UK or RAF Germany in the early phases, received a warning order signal, this gave no detail but merely warned that within X hours a comprehensive immediate signal was being issued detailing the colours , how to obtain stock and /or how to mix prior to stock of the correct colour becoming availible. I recall the activate signal was 3 feet long coming off the teleprinter . So now 20 years later if you go to the RAF museum or TNA Kew you will not find anything as they do not keep correspondence of this type. The requirements were ultimately included in the Air Publication that covers painting of aircraft vehicles and ground equipment, but when the colour was later changed the Air Publication was amended and all reference to the original colour deleted. So the audit trail is lost. It is for this reason that it is proving impossible to tie down the early war detail on the colours of RAF MT. The earliest AMO giving actual colours is Aug 1941, but a june 1941 AMO from a different series has now surfaced which calls for camouflage finishes without giving actual colours. Letters dated 1938 onwards at the TNA indicate much work was being done , but only give a few pieces of the jigsaw. Period photographs show most RAF MT in Cam by early 1940, certainly the MT convoy of 4 sqn that left Odiham in Sept 1939 for France was in a cam finish,

But in the absence of preceding AMOs etc, the date of Aug 1941 is widely published as the date the RAF went totally camouflaged where in fact all the evidence is it was much earlier.

I have digressed but I have tried to give an example of how the introduction of a requirement is often a date widely divorced from date of the avaible formal surviving document.

 

TED

[Simon Daymond]

that's certainly interesting. The militant's rear white disc is fitted to a very flimsy bracket, that definately resembles an afterthought, the bracket has been crudely cut to avoid a chassis bolt. Perhaps I'll scrape some paint?

[Big ray]

Did you mean Arctic Mike, I've been trying to work that one out all afternoon?:???

Probably some bored squadie with time on his hands.:cool2:

[antarmike]

Could the K9 be bulled up for an inspection.

 

I remember my dad telling me whenever they had an inspection they had to scrape all the paint off Chrome bits on their bikes (Royal Corps of Signals) and polish them up for inspections, then paint the chrome over the next day.

 

Kerbstones, everything else got painted white then painted over the following day.

 

Whit paint must have been fairly plentiful!

[ted angus]

I was trawling last night for pictures of QL tankers found loads of pictures of WW2 with white painted rear diffs and trailers with a square/retangular white plate on the rear axle. So this form of safety /driving aid certainly pre dates all Land Rovers.

TED

[antarmike]

I was trawling last night for pictures of QL tankers found loads of pictures of WW2 with white painted rear diffs and trailers with a square/retangular white plate on the rear axle. So this form of safety /driving aid certainly pre dates all Land Rovers.

TED

 

My Ex Army Bakery trailer has a steel square mounted on the back axle.

[ted angus]

Best you get it painted white then !!! LOL

 

TED

[antarmike]

It already is!