Great War truck

Good luck. Do post any photos or queries and i am sure we will collectively be able to answer them all. You could of course restore it with the wooden general service type body on it. We have the plans and it would probably be the most useful type of body. Tim

Wonderful. It looks to be a fantastic project and i look forward to seeing how it progresses. No hurry with it though. We know how long these things take. From our experience, you can spend the first few years just eyeing up the job. Tim

That is fascinating and sad all at the same time. I would love to see it, but as you say it probably will end up on a tip. Tragedy. I wrote an article on Holts for MMI a while back. Did you ever see it? I love the things and having a ride on the Holt 75 was a major highlight of 2008. Tim

This is going to be a thread for the anoraks. Sorry. No one has ever really identified all the different truck lamps used in WW1 used by the British (American trucks are easy - Adlake, Dietz or Solar) and looking through my photos i have come across many different types. I thought i would post a few photos for your thoughts. I have many more to add. The ones along the back all appear to be Lucas "King of the Roads" (model 742 i think). In the front row in the middle are a pair of unknown make but with the gas generator integral. Either side of them are some of the more common P&H or Miller headlamps. Here is a Miller or P&H sidelamp. Another Lucas sidelamp and unknown headlamp with integral gas generator. Only just visible is this Miller or P&H headlamp which has been reversed. the reason for this was to offer an element of protection to the glass from flying debris.

Hard to say for sure. it would seem that some were multi faceted and others were jewel type. I dont think that there was any reason to it, it is just what they had in stock. Both are correct and no one will ever tell you that you are wrong. Here are two Millers, which were both very original when we got them. Maybe one was later than the other. when looking at our lamps, you do get the impression that they were trying to reduce costs as the war went on. Less brass is one change you see. Going from a jewel reflector to a plain one is also quite likely another one. if you intend to make one, I would reccommend doing whatever is easiest. Or do you mean the red lense on the rear lamp, which in fact should just be plain glass. Tim

Brilliant. Thats the easiest way to move them. We could have done with a handy tool like that on many an occasion. So whats the plan? Restore it to a military configuration or back to how it was last used. Good luck. I hope that you can post pictures of your progress. Tim

What was it a picture of? The most expensive postcard that i have seen was of a WW1 Ambulance which went for over £600.

Thats great. They should look out for some more and put them behind the ROD engine at Didcot. Tim

Good question and i think that as WW1 truck lamps is a bit of a complicated subject and not much has been written about it, it deserve a whole new thread in their own right. I will give it some thought and start one soon. However, congratulations on finding a WD lamp. They do turn up occasionally and can really vary in price. Sometimes you can only get a shell as the insides have been gutted for a non WD lamp. A good reflector is the hardest bit to find. At the start of the war the WD purchased any lamps they could find, so you do see all sorts of makes turning up. When they got their act together they commissioned various firms to produce lamps just for them, but these all had WD and the arrow embossed on them. You would have thought that they had made enough to last them forever, but this seems not to have been the case as in 1924 a new batch of lamps were made which were all embossed with that year. I have not seen any other dates. Miller and P&H headlamps are the most common (and look very similar). But there were also Lucas "King of the Road" lamps, although i have not seen one with the WD marking. The tail lamp is the hardest to find and it is a shame that you are missing the red lense. You could maybe make one out of resin or turn one down from a slab of perspex. I wouldnt be too worried about the heat as i cant imagine that you would ever need to light it. With a bit of luck you might turn up a rotten lamp with a good lens and be able to swap it over. Tim

A fool and his money.......

That is a massive cab. It would easily come off though if you wanted to return it to its war time appearance - but that would be a bit of a shame or a nice fire if you did take it off. Out of idle curiosity, how much was the asking price five years ago? Tim

A Hub Cap has been mounted on the new Half-Shaft - both Hub Caps have been cleaned up and painted - so both Half Shafts are ready for fitting. The one original Half Shaft that we had already had a Hub Cap tightly fitted to it and this has not been disturbed. The Hub Cap/Half Shaft assembly is fixed to each back wheel by six, 3" length, 3/4" BSF Nuts and bolts which are inserted through fitted 1 1/8" diam collets that are a tight fit, half in the hub and half in the wheel. We have managed to re-cover six of the original collets but the other six have been made up here. Apart from the Water Pump where we still await the first batch of castings from the Foundry, the next major job will be making up the Universal Joint assembly between engine and gearbox - we never had one of those.

Not a problem. In fact i have the manual.

That is fabulous. OK Steve. In your spare time can you make 1/4 size Holt gun tractor for the girls to play on. Thanks Tim

A very interesting clip here, taken during the general strike: http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=25277 You will have to wait until about 4 minutes have elapsed then there is a convoy (of what appears to be mostly Dennis's) with a Peerless armoured car at the front and the back. Tim

That is a Lancia, I am certain. There is a photo of it in the superb book Irish Army vehicles by Karl Martin. 50 of them were supposedly converted like this. Fantastic clip of film. I am amazed at what you continue to find. Tim

Steve has sent me an update on his progress. The pattern is nearly there now, made up from ash (main body), MDF (flange), a bit of pine (core prints) and filler (the rest!). Once sawn in half, the lost material was made up with some 30 thou plywood and fillets were added using fillet leathers glued on. The reason for using proper timber this time is that the moulder said that he didn't like MDF much as it tends to delaminate when trying to draw the mould from the sand. OK for a couple of uses but not much more. The plan is that he should ram up the flanged side first and then, after turning over, manually cut away some of the sand over the flange so thatwhen the other side is rammed, a piece of sand sticks downwards into the cavity but lifts off the pattern when the mould is split. No doubt time will tell as to whether it works. He is now pressing on with the core box and this should be completed tomorrow. Next part will be the main pump body. Our thanks to everyone for all of their helpful comments.

I was down at the Anchor Inn at Sea town a few weeks ago. Love it down there. Sunny, but very windy. Great waves, food and cider.

Last lot of photos for now. This is Father Christmas at his holiday cottage in New Zealand, packing up presents for good boys: And sure enough, three Months later, this one has arrived for Steve. And he is looking very happy indeed: Whatever might it be? It looks very interesting though: Ahhh! One of those. A Thornycroft M4. We certainly needed that: Lovely. Thanks to everyone involved for that. It is great to have such good friends.

Over a period of time Steve got some replacement parts made. New springs. A replacement rad and a half shaft. The springs are unphotogenically buried in the garage. The rad is hidden away in the attic. But here is the half shaft Then Steve heard of a surviving rear axle with diff in it. The owner brought it over from Ireland. However, on arrival it was quickly realised that this was off a different Thorny and was too small. A great shame, but it found a good home at Milestones museum where it was used in one of their restorations. Then another front axle turned up. As you can see it had been butchered to make a trailer: However, sometimes these things can yield some very useful parts and it is always amazing what good condition some of these parts might be in: And we can always do with more Thornycroft hubcaps:

No response. I am suprised. It is the ammunition body off a WW1 Nash Quad or FWD. Still looks like original paint on it. Tim

Yes, no problem at all. Do add to this topic with as much as you can. Those wheels certainly look WW2 German. Possibly from an artillery piece or a half track. What are the dimensions of the wheels please? Tim

I have seen a photo of that, i think it was in Windscreen some years ago. it shows the engine coming up the beech on a trailer. Must have been a hellishly hard load to move on the sand. Tim

Ok thanks. Thats a shame but i didnt pay a lot for it and as it still holds petrol it makes a perfect one to use on the lorry. Thanks. Tim

Thats the one. I have still not found that photo of it in use, but it is a remarkable survivor. Tim