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datadawg

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Posts posted by datadawg

    Saracen Numbering

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    Most probably because previous service history was not available ( missing or destroyed)

    Richard, do you mean that there would have been another history card that went missing or destroyed by 1970, so they just started from that date with a new card??

    Ferret Engines, how many were there?

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    I do not think a lot of owners realise how many engine changes went on in the lives of military vehicles, especially armour.

    What would make armor a special target for engine changes? Is it that armor had a lot of engine failures? So if I am a "purist", I should never expect a "numbers matching" Saracen or Fox? In case that doesn't make sense, here in US, car collectors want numbers to match for a classic vehicle, so they know engine, transmission, etc. are all original. I presume this is not viable for armor?

    Saracen Build-up

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    There is some coverage on the Jolley module on B Series towards the end of this:

     

    http://www.hmvf.co.uk/pdf/IGNITIONMATTERS.pdf

     

     

    Clive, I read your report now several times, must admit most of it is way over my head, but I am convinced the electronic ignition module upgrade you discuss at the end is a no brainer. I contacted Jolly, but they are on vacation until July 13. I will order the module from them and have it installed. Thanks again for your link to your report.

    CVR(T) 65247 invades the USA

    in Blogs of MV restorations

    Posted

    Here is my entry into the nastiest J-60 competition:

    [ATTACH=CONFIG]105108[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]105106[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]105107[/ATTACH]

    and remember, this motor was IN the vehicle, not in a field someplace!

     

     

    Pavl, amazing work you are doing. What are you planning to do with the engine, farm out to engine shop or do tear down yourself? One idea, and it may be totally off the wall. But a bunch of shows now chronicle restorations using big budget teams. What about contacting the producers and seeing if they want to sponsor your gig? I don't know much about the nitty gritty, but seems like they do a restoration in a week that should take a year. The car restoration theme is pretty worn out, but they might be interested in a "tank"! There are different shows (owner participates, owner doesn't, but they "steal" vehicle and throw $100K of parts/labor into it in 168 hours, etc.). Since you are in California, it might be the right location for these shows... Please let us know if this idea has legs.

    CVR(T) 65247 invades the USA

    in Blogs of MV restorations

    Posted

    Well, today I decided to experiment with strippers.

    I was all excited to read about your strippers, until I realized you were only talking about paint and not dancing girls, :laugh:.

    Very informative post, nevertheless. Have you considered media blasting? I don't know if you own the equipment, but Harbor Freight sells several units, cheap, and right now there is a 25% coupon on their website.

    http://www.harborfreight.com/110-lb-pressurized-abrasive-blaster-60696-10377.html

    I am sure there is a downside to using media blasting, but that's how my Saracen hull was done (I did not do it myself).

    Saracen Build-up

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    yes Montie!, ...twas I, but now and then the old thing does have a 'hissy-fit', and requires a more delicate touch and some 'magic engine starter spray'............ + batteries have to be very good condition too.....

    Matt, I know this is from ages ago, but are you still having starting issues? I am going to fit electronic ignition to mine, there is apparently someone in UK (Jolly Engineering or something like that) that sells direct install kits for B80 RR engine. This is supposed to make them start easier, or so I hope. They quoted cost of kit at 205 GBP. What do you think about that -- worthwhile expense?

    Hello from Santa Cruz, California

    in Introductions & Welcomes

    Posted

    It was pretty amazing. There was stuff there that pretty much didn't exist anywhere else vaguely public. The other tour guides were incredibly knowledgable, and I learned a TON. And I got to give tours to some really interesting people.

     

    I also got to herd children, keep an eye on Cub Scouts, climb inside pretty much the best Panther in the world, dig around boxes of random tank parts, and, of course, sweep cobwebs off of tracks. If I learned nothing else, it's that spiders LOVE tracked vehicles...

    So is there a secret stash of stuff laying around somewhere or is it all gone via the auction??

    3 churchills to be scrapped if not sold

    in Tracked vehicles

    Posted

    the yard guys were ok, it was the marketing director that objected who was at another site but got wind of it anyway, that put a stop to the whole thing. in future I will try to go through the official channels before it gets to the scrapper.

     

    i have learned my lesson and i am going to contact david willey at the tank museum and ask him if in future he gets an offer but doesn't take it up then for him to pass it on to me because you know I won't let them get cut up or at least I will put the word out

     

    the funny (or not) thing is the tank museum would have benefited greatly as john pearson is restoring their mk7 and I am helping john so all the spares that I would have provided will never materialise now, also the Swedish tank museum got in touch with regard to their mk3 and the Belgians also need spares. so 3 museum churchills that will not get done now. f#@king makes me angry.

    I dunno if this ship has sailed, but may be worth reaching out to German embassy in UK and work the political angle. If a museum and preservation are in play (rather than just profits), it's likely they would support some intervention. Just a thought, I know this is a steep hill to climb. The other thought is to contact the bosses at the scrap yard through an attorney and offer them an indemnity against claims. Sure, you are taking a risk, but chances of something coming back at you are 1 in a million.

    3 churchills to be scrapped if not sold

    in Tracked vehicles

    Posted

    Does remind me of the wrecking yard dealers I used to deal with when I restored classic cars. A cantankerous, uncooperative, bunch of sour jack-asses who's business model had nothing to do with preservation or making money. They were Kings of their own little ****-pile and they were bent on making sure you knew it too.

     

    LOL, there are a bunch of these around -- and not just in scrap business!!

    State of the UK vehicle sales market

    in MV Chatter

    Posted

    It has amazed me that there is so little response from buyers in the UK, or is there really that little money around for post war vehicles?

    Not sure about UK market, as I am in USA. But I am relatively new to this hobby and decided to buy in UK and import to US, rather than go after something already here. There is a vast difference in price and quality between Stateside postwar British Armor and UK prices. Simply put, I can buy something in England, get it overhauled, import it here and be all in for the same price I would pay for someone's fault ridden machine. So this would provide some life support to UK market -- except that this is such a thinly populated hobby...

     

    Which brings me to the other side of the coin - after 9/11, owning and operating armor seems to have become more of a hassle. Everyone views you with a suspicious eye -- you might be an anarchist, terrorist, weirdo or just someone to keep away from. We went to several large gatherings of friends recently and people were uniformly aghast I was buying a Saracen and Fox and literally telling my wife they could provide her with a name of a psychiatrist or divorce lawyer -- her choice. I'm exaggerating somewhat, but I was surprised how little appreciation there was for the notion that this is a hobby and involves cool mechanical machines you can use, not a painting you hang on the wall. Simply put, the environment has become corrosive to armor ownership.

     

    Second point is economics. When this stuff was cheap, you owned it for pleasure, it was a passion that you could readily afford, and when the wife complained, a bouquet of flowers would buy some peace. Now the prices have become high, and not just purchase price, but storage, maintenance, insurance, compliance, fuel, etc. So the financial pain has grown considerably. The blue collar owner is getting squeezed out of the hobby, relegating it to those with higher education/incomes, and many of these owners lack the time, knowledge or desire to work on equipment or can afford to hire others to do so. I'm not trying to be insensitive, just observing that if you are a guy who makes $40K a year and can work on your stuff and own it because you served in the army, you are a very different type of owner who makes $200K a year and owns it purely as a toy. The guy that turns the wrench every weekend on his machine feels a constant bond; the "toy" owner has less of a psychic commitment, it's the toy of the moment. He might pick up another hobby, be it collecting watches or antique beer signs next.

     

    Armor therefore becomes a transient bug, not a lifelong hobby, and this reduces demand when you look at the trend demographically.

    Mk2/3 Ferret.

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    If you don't mind importing one I know where there is an early MK1 in the US in that price range.

    You can PM me if your interested and I will give you his name and phone number.

    CaptMax

    That's weird, I thought British armor was double in US of what it costs in UK.

    3 churchills to be scrapped if not sold

    in Tracked vehicles

    Posted

    I don't know much about restoring tanks, but judging from these photos, it looks like it would take more money in labor and fabrication than the value of the final product, unless someone is doing it themselves for pure enjoyment and places no opportunity cost on their time. I do hope someone can buy these and restore them or at least inventory them for future restoration.

    Aquino Tank Day 2015, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada

    in The meetings log and photobook

    Posted

    Aquino Tank Day 2015 was held on May 30th and although there was heavy rain in the afternoon, the show was well attended and the Ontario Regiment Museum, staff and volunteers put on a great event. Didn't get to take as many pics as I had hoped but I've put together the following slide show. Pictures are mostly from the Gulf War re-enactment but there was also re-enactment of WWII, Vietnam and a United Nations Peacekeeping vehicle drive past. Enjoy. Awesome event!

    Cheers, Terry.

     

    [video=youtube_share;UE8_fahH6J8]

    Thanks for posting. Is there a website for the event? How many vehicles were in attendance? I am seriously considering going next year.

    Ozzie Saladin

    in Blogs of MV restorations

    Posted

    The MK 6 Saracen was a MK 3 that had extra armour added and a few other upgrades, itself a MK 2 with reverse flow cooling. Externally, the most telling are that the MK 6 does not have a rear gun ring or roof window, Has a round flange around the base of the turret, has a squared cover over the fuel filter and has heavy armour plates welded to the sides. Internally, the MK 6 is fitted with brown spall liners.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    Terry, maybe a dumb question, but I hope you can educate me. Was the MK6 applied as a new designation for an existing vehicle (so they took MK3, uparmored it and it became MK6) or was it new construction - a new vehicle built from scratch? If it was uparmoring an existing vehicle, do you know whether the donor MK3 would have also been overhauled at the time? In other words, would they take the MK3, tear it apart to renew everything and then uparmor the hull? My MK6 (which I still haven't laid eyes on) is missing its data plate, so I am trying to figure out whether it saw a full REME overhaul in its service life.

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