fv1609

I wondered whether it was a Pig that was used by the Danish contingent during their tour. I can only identify two Danish pigs for certain & 25 BK 54 is not on the Danish picture I have. It was FFW ie FV1612 later went to NI made into Mk 2 in FV1611 role. On 10/11/80 it was struck off to 36 Command Workshops & sent to Queens Division Depot.

There was no lower part. This would enable the box to be withdrawn easily.

Roland I have only got side pics of the bracket. But perhaps the pic below will help. Presumably you have the box, then you can fabricate a holder with a flange to match up with the welds seen here.

Is this an Internal Security Pack in operation? Is the lack of an ERM significant, so as not to suggest it is just an Army patrol? These plates tend not to just fall off. I don't think I have ever seen an Army vehicle in service without its plate or some such marking.

How much was the cat?

The Hornet was in service with Cyclops Sqn 2 RTR which was the Malkara trials unit. For this they became absorbed into 3 Div which was part of the Strategic Reserve. So the markings are correct other than upside down 3 Div sign. That actually was bit of a sore point for me. This is not the vehicle I had, but when I restored 'mine' I carefully photoed all the markings & repainted them all closely following the photos so there were no errors. On the first show I met a chap who was actually a sign writer in 3 Div who reckoned he had painted several thousand such signs. He pointed out, very nicely, that my sign was upside down! I had copied the photo, but had got the photo upside down as there were no reference points. The sign on the rear was ok as there was an edge for me to relate to. Dooh!

It does seem a very likely & reasonable interpretation of the meaning of VSD. However I have come to not always believe everything in their letters. I have had two answers to queries of my own & seen two letters about vehicles for other people. In all four letters there were serious factual errors that gave quite the wrong interpretation of the history, not just the triviality of an abbreviation. I am sure in those cases that the motivation was to be as helpful as possible, but it had conveyed quite erroneous information. The definition of VSD = Vehicle Sub Depot comes from the Manual of Army Ordnance Services Volume I, Pamphlet No. 15. Glossary of Terms & Abbreviations in Ordnance Usage. Army Code No.60163. The definition is also upheld in Brassey's Defence Terminology

Possibly. The VAOS prefix for the Humber winch components are LV7/TWG. If it was peculiar to Humber it would be LV9/BOE. LV7/WG is Winch Gear for non-standardised British items. I can only assume TWG means Turner Winch Gear. Have you got a picture of yours?

Nice to see a rarity in good hands. Pigs don't rust away but orignal Humbers do. I have witnessed my long dead FV1601 collapse into the brambles sad to say. Have you got the history? If not I can give some basic info if you've got the mil reg.

You seem to be the only serious contender. I shall reveal all: 1.The black bits on the wings are holes awaiting fitment of the smoke dischargers. 2.The horn is too low only because the IR headlights have not yet been fitted. 3.I tinkered with the registration plate, there were no Humbers with that high a number. There were 3,700 British registered Humbers which ran from 00 BK 01 to 37 BK 00. Anyway you won!

Front wings do look odd but that is not of my making. Horn is low - but why? Bridge plate is correct. BTW the one in Bovington displaying '7' is wrong, not only was the Bridge Class never actually displayed in the service life of the Hornet but it's Bridge Class was '6' anyway.

Yes BB is wrong, all British Humber 1-Tons were BK. Yes 3 Div sign is upside down. So that leaves one more 'tinker' to spot & two authentic non-standard irregularities. So at the end of round one you have scored 2 points (deux pointes) out of a possible 5 points (cinq pointes). Anyway I thought you were meant to be at work, even though it is Friday!

The exhaust pipe is in the correct place for a production Hornet. The prototypes had rear exhaust as in Pigs. But the left side missile loader would tend to stand on the tail pipe & the two missile loaders could become engulfed in exhaust fumes. Moving the exhaust to the front required a circular silencer & a new belly plate that bulged down unlike the flat Pig belly plate. Anyway the picture shows 2 features that are different from the active service Hornet & I'm afraid 3 features where I have tinkered with the image.

Not forgetting CONBAT which is a MOBAT designed to assimilate the characteristics of WOMBAT. Fitted with WOMBAT sighting & firing systems & with the 0.50 in Spotting Rifle M8C. Towed behind vehicle & not transported as is the WOMBAT but is transportable by air & adapted for dropping by parachute.

Sorry I see it's your first post & 73 people have looked at your message & been unable to help. I have no B81 experience, but this is based on the boy's model ie B60. If the plugs are RSN13P you cannot adjust the gap if you do the platinum electrode will very likely ping off. What plugs do you have? There isn't much you can adjust on the carb. Carefully screw in the mixture control screws which are around the base of the carb. Not in too hard as you may damage the tips. Unscrew each by 1.25 turns. That gives you a point to adjust from. Don't use the choke. With engine off 2 presses down on the accelerator, then leave it alone & start up. Test the condenser with a Megger. If that is not available fit a 0.2 mfd Land Rover one. Check the points haven't closed due to wear on the heels. Disconnect the plug leads. Just push them into each plug. with the engine running (watch your fingers don't get electrocuted from centre of lead) & with engine running lift & replace each lead in turn. You should hear the engine labour a bit with a lead disconnected & pick up again when replacing it. If there is no change you have a problem on that cylinder either to fuel getting there or more likely an HT problem with the lead. I have had engines run just on 3 cylinders. Make sure you are using new fuel. Take the side panel off the carb & inspect the accelerator pump diaphragms they may well have split or gone porous. Consider fitting electronic ignition, makes a big difference. When it is warm & running adjust the mixture screws slowly in turn for best smooth running not so much max revs, keep adjusting the distributor position of advance/retard & going back to the mixture controls. Go on & on til it sounds nice.

I think Beverly have assumed that VSD on the record card means Vehicle Storage Depot, which is a common & understandable assumption. It is actually a Vehicle Sub Depot.

Well four actually, there are two more inside. I should have said, how does this differ from the normal in service Hornet?

Exhaust pipe

Not quite a mystery object as such, but several mysteries here. What features can be seen that differ from the standard in service vehicle?

Don't think so Clive. I had some photos for Geoff Fletcher which were held over & a large article. I don't mind if it means the article doesn't have to get squashed or edited, given that it took 110 hours to write, as well as visits to 2 military museums & nearly a week just to produce just 2 diagrams (you'll understand when you see it)

and here: http://www.qsl.net/ve3bdb/

Yes Adam it's a worry. The other point about the Mk 1 tyres is that now they are about 50 years old whereas some later tyres supplied for Mk 2 might be only 20 years old. I have 5 hardly worn Mk 2 tyres stored in a dry dark place.:cool2: So hopefully will see me out.

Difference is that the Mk2 is 3,022Kg heavier than a Mk 1 & presumably the original tyres were not up to it. I assume the other types tried had their limitations but progressively stronger types were chosen. No doubt the degree of flexing of tyres of different construction would be disadvantageous to balance & steering if they were mixed on the same axle.

The thing about the tyres is that: The different types must not be mixed on the same axle. Mk1 Pig can have any of the 4 types, provided above is observed. Mk2 Pig must NOT use "RF HS" Mk2 Pig, if 2 types are used: The rear axle has type precedence over the front axle: RF EXTRA REINFORCED RF REINFORCED RF L Although I don't think I have ever seen "RF L" or "RF REINFORCED"

Stan I'm sure those could find a ready market. I always value a pig on the state of tyres, engine & axles. How are your run flats marked? There were several types marked: RF HS RF L RF REINFORCED RF EXTRA REINFORCED These were the two most common: