Tamber

Now gently vibrating with excitement. :cheesy:

Yeah, it'd actually surprise me a great deal if it was the original engine. The truck doesn't actually have a logbook, nor show any signs of having plates on it; apparently it was pretty commonplace just to drive them around on trade plates up until the mid 80s or so, so it may never have actually been registered. I'm hoping to gather a decent amount of evidence for when the truck was first introduced into service, and suchforth, so that I can -- when I have it running -- send off the relevant forms to the DVLA and get its first registration. (Which would mean I'd be the first registered owner; trippy. ) Waiting to see whether the RLC Archive can find an ERM for it; if so, then I can hunt down a copy of the B vehicle card, for the date into service.

Finally got around to unearthing the engine number; it's... a wee bit higher than the 32999 that the 1955 service manual lists. Also changed out the coil and condenser for my new parts, and now I have spark! It just doesn't appear to be happening in the right order; so I'm going to print out the section of the manual I need to set the leads in the right places, and whatnot. Just waiting for the battery to re-charge, and my head to stop throbbing from all the fumes. :nut: Very nice to hear a big "whuMPH" out of the exhaust, though.

Right, then; an update, methinks. Got a battery for it, and it cranks over quite nicely; though there's no spark, but I've narrowed that down to coil and condenser being (understandably) rather poorly. So I have one of each on order, along with all the bits to make up some new spark-plug leads; all of which is arriving Tuesday... I have to fix that cab floor under the battery box pretty sharp-ish, though; because I nearly dropped the battery right through it and into the gravel. :blush: Also managed to get some more linkages freed off and moving reasonably happily (Hydraulic oil works wonders, particularly with a little diesel or petrol to help it creep in and budge the grime.), so I can now get the 2/4WD lever to move with reasonable ease and I've confirmed that the rear propshaft (which is disconnected) spins when in gear, 2WD, and cranking the engine (...and not when in either neutral, other than slight parasitic drag.) Not tried 4WD yet, since the front 'shaft is still connected to the axle; and I don't really want to strain the starter that much. :-D Other than continuing to free off linkages, and plan the upcoming Grand Rewiring; my current aim is to get the engine to fire... then I can very slowly putter it back and forth to the workshop under its own power so I can get within welding lead (and grinder :rotfl:) reach. And I'll start gathering bits and pieces for the engine internal work; which is going to be one of the slowest parts of the project, I suspect. (New valves made out of a more appropriate steel to handle the higher temps of modern fuel, and so forth. Not entirely fleshed this part of the plan out yet.) The Grand Rewiring is a requirement, however, because yuck! Cloth & rubber insulated wiring that's just great big lumps of bare aluminium, because the insulation disintegrates if you look at it funny; plus the stuff that was added in its commercial life that is typical of commercial vehicle aftermarket wiring... :shocked:

Aha, thank-you for that! (I've also gone and got the DVD of the manuals from the bay of E, which helpfully confirms it. Also saves a lot more confusion; still digging through all the stuff in 'em.) I'll have to make up some replacement knobs for them; and maybe a little sticker on the engine-cover. But now I know! (And knowing is half the battle...) And in other news, I took the rocker cover off and had a look for any signs of a dropped valve; no signs whatsoever, so over the past few days I've been putting petrol/oil mix down into the cylinders to try and unstick anything that might be stuck... Then, today, me and my brother pulled the front panels off, dug the radiator out, and put a Big Kittening Spanner on the nut at the end of the crankshaft... Bit stiff at first, but turns freely now; with no sounds of interfering bits. Also spins happily on the starter. Next step is to actually get it a battery rather than borrowing the jump pack; and see if it has spark... then probably burn my beard off, or something.

From what I can gather from the manual (Yup, I'm R-ing TFM ), the RLW is 'just' a GS with a 5-ton winch; the recovery gear is entirely from its commercial life. And now, for a coupla itsy-bitsy questions... Is there a diagram of the shift pattern, and something that says what lever at the back of the cab is what (And which way to wiggle it to make things happen; like engaging 4x4, and the PTO.)? Doesn't have to be very pretty, I can make a nice pretty one to paint onto the engine cover in the future. (...I'm in and out of so many different trucks, because of work, it's hard to remember which way to go... I really embarrassed myself moving a truck out of the 'shop today, by pulling off in high-range, wondering why it took off like a rocket-ship, then stalled. :blush:) And, what'd be recommended -- valves and seats, in particular -- for running on modern unleaded fuel? (Not particularly keen on the idea of slinging lead-additive around, honestly.) Since I'll apparently be taking the head off to sort out a dropped valve anyway...

Ooh-err, now I'm scared to say what I paid for it. We'll chalk that one up to inexperience; and a little bit too much enthusiasm, I think. I'm not in Essex; a wee bit more north than that. Horwich, Greater Manchester. Crouch Recovery did a wonderful job of bringing it up; a 500 mile round-trip for them. It was interesting to see they brought it up as a suspended tow, rather than on a flat-bed, though; but at least that means the back brakes aren't stuck... I'll do my best to get pictures when I work on it; because otherwise I'll never remember how it goes back together. :blush:

Yeah, I got it from John Whitings on Clacton road. Ooh, grief. Thanks for the warning on that one; though I wasn't planning on trying to crank it over without checking for stuff that's stuck or broken. But, forewarned is forearmed, and all that. I'll get the little inspection camera into all the cylinders, see if I can't get some more info about how things are sat. I'd be glad to hear, thanks. (And thanks for the luck; I have a feeling I'm going to need it. )

I know it's not very Military Vehicle; not any more, anyway, but... A very happy dance was done, all the same; though there's a lot of work waiting for me. At least I have most of the bits that've fallen off (such as the mirror, which looks like people have been treating it like a grab-handle for years); and stuff like the engine cover. Did have to commit a minor act of abuse to the door-lock on the driver's side in order to get that door to open, unfortunately :blush:; with no glass in the door, I think water got in and seized the latch... I took the handle off the outside (no damage to the handle, though. :angel:), then had to 'shim' the latch from inside the cab. ...then took the seized locking mechanism out of the door, so it won't get stuck again. I'll fix it later, need to get it running first. Vass strikes again. The aforementioned Harvey Frost gear on the back. A coupla little squirts with 3-in-1, and everything was turning beautifully; though I'd like to replace all the crusted up grease-nipples and force some fresh grease in there. Me and my brother wound it all the way down to the ground, and back up again, with almost no effort at all; probably a different matter entirely with 5 tons on the back of it, though. (Also, two spare wheels! Though they're 11.00-20s, and the fitted wheels have 9.00-20s. Not too keen on those locking-ring style wheels, either; call me paranoid... :pfrt:) Chassis number plate(?) under a few layers of paint... RLW3 27659. One day, those numbers will start rolling 'round again... First step is to get the engine freed up and rotating; so I need to put a bit of oil down the bores, and get a breaker bar on the crankshaft pully nut. Then, the list-making starts. My father just shakes his head and thinks I'm crazy; my co-workers think I'm crazy, but they're excited about it all the same... I might be (okay, yeah, I am) crazy, but you only get one go around at life, so why not do something interesting with it?

Oh, well, since you twisted my arm... Waiting on paperwork to get sorted with the bank, then the silliness starts.

Howdy! I'm Jim, from the Bolton area; and, while I'm not the keeper of any military vehicles (...yet. There's still plenty of time, I hope.), I thought I'd stop lurking and join in. I'm more of a commercial vehicles type of person, and not much of a restorer (resto-modder, if anything); but I love all things mechanical (the bigger and crazier, the better), and it's still a joy to see what people can bring back from what some might think completely gone. (The Loyd Carrier from the remains of range targets... :wow: That's inspirational.) I'm just hoping that I can tap into some of the wealth of knowledge here on the forums, as I'm currently drooling over a Bedford RL recovery truck at the other end of the country (What's the point in being young and dumb if you can't do completely crazy things once in a while? ) that I hope to get running and rolling again. I can muddle my way through most things, I think; working as a welder, fabricator, hydraulic & pneumatic fitter, and an auto electrician... (There's that tired old phrase "Jack of All Trades, ..." again.)