Antony

Chris and Ross arrived in the rain this morning to collect The Autocar, the quality of the pictures reflect the quality of the weather! All went well and it should be now on site. Thanks for your comments Gritineye, but the praise should go to Roy Baker, not me, I just helped a little and took some pictures. Roy and I will look forward to meeting you, Willy 63, to thank you personally for all your help in locating parts.

It was a milestone day today, The Autocar was driven out of the workshop and out on the road for a test run and straight to the filling station!! It wiill be collected tomorrow and taken to The War & Peace Show.

Another update on the Autocar. One of the compressed air tanks needed replacing, so I rolled a new tube for Roy to weld on original ends, and the fifth wheel coupling has been fitted.

I called round to look at the Autocar this evening, to be greeted on arrival by the sound of the Hercules RXC on fast idle, and Roy checking for oil, air and water leaks, of which there was only air escaping from a faulty connection. It looks good with the new radiator in, it had plenty of oil pressure and ran as if it had just come new from the factory rather than having lain rusting away in the bushes for forty years. I have several photographs to add to the series, which I will do as soon as I can, but lack of time is a bit of a problem at present.

Andy, Terry has given me some pictures of the Scammell Constructor, but I am having difficulty with my scanner, and may well have to take more pictures with my camera, but I will do my best. Tony.

I believe that most of them have been sold.

Andy, My friend Terry, He of the Scammell's, called round today, so I informed him of your request for information of said Scammell's, to which he agreed to try and find some pictures. Tony.

I believe this one spent many years at Ben Cooper's garage at Claydon near Ipswich. It has resided at three different locations in the Suffolk / Essex area over the last few years, but A Barrell probably knows more of its history than me.

My wife couldn't understand why I was staring into the computer screen crying with laughter, I have to add that she is from Thailand, and explaining 'Barrell humour' would be impossible, so she stalked off muttering "man falang ting tong". This threw me into a deeper paroxism of mirth which hurt my stomach, not good after a major hernia repair. Adrian, I need a month off work to recover from too much laughing.

And I thought he had lost his way.............. Only joshing!, of course I will point him in the Scammell direction on HMVF.

Hi Ben, Just to say thanks for all your trouble, it was very kind of you to send details of the trailer, and a great shame it is post war. It could have been a great find for The Autocar. Kind regards, Tony.

Interesting pictures John, and very timely showing closed cab 968 with steel body of the type I intend to build for my 968 as described on my thread last night.

Lurking in the background is indeed a Scammell Constructor, but I will quickly add that it is not mine, not to my taste, it belongs to a friend. Regarding the body I intend to put the chassis on?........ Originally that model had a wooden body, but the chance of finding one would be fairly remote, and building one in wood is not within my scope or pocket. I intend to build a steel body which was fitted to 968's with a closed cab, I looked at one two years ago at Beltring, and saw that it was constructed the same as the 969 wrecker body, but full length, of course. The rear half of the cab is home made, but I have another to replace it.

My 968 had a purpose built body with an overhead frame carrying the winch rope operated from the front winch to the rear for recovering breakdowns and wrecks. The overhead frame was removed before I aquired it, but it had been very well thought out and well made. I had intended to remove it when I start the restoration but with the present good price for scrap I thought it a good idea to do it now.

Progress is still being made on the Autocar, lots of mundane jobs like the braking system. All the brake chambers have been cleaned and new diaphrams fitted, the pipe work and and new fittings where neccessary, and one compressed air tank will have to be made. I am currently making the spare wheel carrier, based on drawings and photographs of the Autocar belonging to N.O.S. Thanks Tony. In the meantime here is a picture of one of the front wings being rolled.

Have sent PM

Thanks, I don't have that one, it will make a perfect 'before', to show the 'after'.

Thanks Mike, That makes sense, I put the address on Google Earth and it showed a large Hospital type building. The Autocar had the remains of a jib on the rear, which suggests it may have been used as a break down vehicle for Hospital transport.

Thanks Supertrack, I put Gaston Gearges on Google, and it gave me a Construction Company, I wonder if you have any idea A.C.M.S.R.P. stands for? Tony.

I would like to add the top one is from the Federal, and lower one from the Autocar

On the Autocar instrument panel there is a brass plate with an address on it, presumably that of the operator of the vehicle in its civilian life. My Federal has a similar plate, I would be interested to hear if anyone knows if these plates were just for ex military vehicles, or did all comercial trucks have to display the owners details in France post war. Would our our French correspondents be able to provide an answer please?

As Adrian says, in this area of East Anglia where there was an airfield every few miles in any direction, ( which makes navigating in light aircraft fairly easy ), stories of buried goodies abound. I live next to the 34th. Bomb Group Airfield at Mendlesham, and have met many 34th. veterans, sadly fewer of them nowadays, but allways remember one man telling me about the remains of a german aeroplane which he said had been shot down over the airfield, being buried in 'the dump'. I of course asked him where the dump was, but he was a bit vague about it's location which is not surprising given that 50 years had elapsed, and so much of the landscape had changed, but I have no reason to doubt the story.

As an addition I just googled Cuthbertson Biggar, and it gives the company history, including pictures of tracked landrovers built by them, which I well remember when I worked in forestry in Scotland in the 70's. Worth a look.

Cuthbertson was a very talented engineer who made forestry, and hill draining ploughs and relative equipment including a tracked vehicle called Buffalo.

Hi Mike, You should have no trouble in retaining the shape after welding if you use a flat, rather than bevelled buffing pad, ( correct name flap disc ). Gentle rotation being the method, following the contour, find something to practice on first. Tony.