Great War truck

Is anybody interested in taking a Ferret or Dingo to Oxford for the day on Monday 24 August from 10 to 5 to publicise a Spike Milligan play. The producers will pay £250 for your time. PM me if interested. Thanks Tim

I now have a plain two gallon tin with the WD arrow stamped on the handle, but no other markings. WW1 or later? Thanks Tim (too)

Minesweeper paraffin washed the diff components today - a mucky job but all done OK. There is some rust around the splines for half shaft but this is not too deep and we are quite sure that they will be OK when the rust is removed. A wire brush job! These four pictures show the worm wheel still attached to the other "cover" after cleaning. Mysterious markings engraved on the bronze!

Was the Brandt the war time pattern one, or the post war one with a tripod? Tim (too)

So to strip the assembly down, first thing to get the split pins out - take off the nuts and knock the bolts through with a mallet. Surprise surprise - but should have thought of it! All comes apart easily, but wheel full of oil and no prior provision made to catch it as it ran out. A real mess to clear up! here we have the inside of the wheel and the inside of the "lid" and here the splines for the half shaft - I hope that they clean up OK and are useable.

Objective today was to get most of the sand and grease off the outside of the Worm Wheel so that the assembly can be stripped down. This shows the state of the wheel before we started to clean We knew that the wheel was very worn but hoped that there would be enough life left in it to fight another day. But as the sand and grease came off, it revealed that some of the teeth were not only badly worn, they were chipped and pitted. Food for thought here. Do we go for a new wheel at this stage whilst it is stripped down (costing about £1,000) or do we chance it? I think we will give it a go as it is and change it only if we have no alternative. The whole wheel looking much cleaner

We got the diff back from the sand blaster today. Tony gave it a quick coat of primer, with another one to be done tomorrow. Looks better already.

Here we have the Bearings and rings as they have come off and prior to washing them in a Paraffin Bath. These show one of the two big bearings after washing - 7" in diameter, 3" Bore and 1 9/16" thick. These two bearings will have to be replaced - one is solid and the other is very "rumbley". All the years on the beach has got to them - too much sand and salt air.. And here we have the complete kit for one side after washing - the Thrust Bearings do not look too bad at all and maybe used again after some further cleaning. Final decision to be made there. There is some work to do with wire and/or plastic bristle brushes to further clean up all these bits. And here is the next job - to wash down the Worm wheel to get the sand and grease off it before taking that assembly to pieces. It all seems to be going very well so far.

Another satisfying day where everything has gone according to plan. Could not find a "C" Spanner suitable to undo the Locking Ring - so tried just one tap with a Hammer on a punch - and it turned! I guess the benefit of soaking it in Plus Gas. The gentle application of a big Stilson got it moving very easily and then it could be undone and removed with fingers. The Bearings came off easily. the "naked" shaft!

It is amazing what bits and pieces of (or sometimes complete) WW1 era trucks occasionally turn up. Whether there is anybody there to find them or identify them before they go on the scrap heap is just a matter of luck. Here are four original seats off Nash Quads. One of these now sits on Ken Kafka's stunning Quad and two are now in the UK. Not sure what has happened to the fourth one:

Now moving on to the worm wheel assembly which has created an element of head scratching. The bearings have to come off next but they are retained by a Collar which looks to be screwed on to the shaft with a fine thread - presumably so that the Thrust Bearings can be adjusted up tight. This collar then appears to be locked in place by three grub screws situated at north, east and west points of the compass - but no fourth one at south. On each of the two collars, only one grub screw is visible - the other two grub screw holes appear to be empty but there would also appear to be the remains of perhaps what could be old screws deep in their threaded holes as it is impossible to push a small screwdriver down into the full depth.. The hole assembly is rusted up but I have released the two grub screws after applying some Plus Gas and hitting them with an impact screw driver. On top of each Thrust Bearing is what may be a spacer ring - these have slipped off over the collars. We were reluctant to apply heat to the collars because of the proximity if the bearings. As the Grub Screws taken out are hardened it presented us with the concern of trying to drill out the remains of the others. These 3 photos show the other Bearing with the Spacer Ring and locking Grub Screw removed. Then with Steves input it became obvious that the two other holes in the Locking Collar were not for other locking screws but put there for a "C" Spanner! A useful lesson learned.

The diff case prepared for prepared for sand blasting and delivered totoday. Should be done by Tuesday! These show the wooden plugs in place to protect the surfaces to take the outside diametrs of the Bearings This shows the outside of the case with the Inspection Plate to be fitted - and now fitted so that it can be sand blasted at the same time Then we just have to get the whole thing in the car and take it to the sand blaster. Thank goodness for the hydraulic lifting table!

A wooden plug made up to be gently forced into the hole to protect the machined surface when the sand blasting is done. This surface would be vulnerable from the sand blasting done inside the main part of the casing And with the plug inserted. the same plug photographed from the other side (the inside). The Worm Shaft Thrust Bearing Housing - bolted temporarily in place on the flange so that it can be sand blasted at the same time as the main casting. Eight new studs to be made up for final fixing when it is permanently assembled. These next two show the cap that screws into the Worm Shaft Thrust Bearing Housing - again to be sand blasted with the main casting - and also when it is screwed in position, it protects the inside and the thread from the blasting. And with the cap screwed down the wooden plug for the front worm shaft bearing housing. the main body with the two protective wooden plugs for the worm shaft bearings in situ To do next - the wooden plugs to protect the machined surfaces for the Worm Wheel Bearings

Tony has been very busy working on the diff so i have lots of photos to post for you. I do hope we are not boring you with the minute detail of this project. The aim is to get the case ready for sandblasting. We have to get as much grease off as possible before it gets blasted, but the critical machined surfaces have to be protected from the sand blast. These four pictures show the case as dissembled - after a clean through with paraffin to get the grease off - but not wiped down. This shows the flange - with all the old studs removed - to which is bolted the worm shaft thrust bearing housing.

Best in show was the WW1 Pierce Arrow. About time a war time vehicle won, as opposed to all these modern ones built from 1919 onwards.

Well, that is a major blow. However, on the plus side maybe some of this stuff will be coming back across the Atlantic. Toad anyone?

Following the photos of the lamps and gas generator we promised to post pictures of the Prestolite Cylinder. These show exactly as it is now and in the same condition that we bought it. It is earmarked for the civilian version of the Autocar. It measures about 20 inches long by 6 inches in diameter. I dont think that military vehicles were fitted with these (or at least i have not seen any photos of them).

Back from holiday and back to work! We now have to finish stripping down, cleaning and sand-blasting where appropriate, the parts of the differential. Our Sandblaster friend naturally prefers for any parts that are presented to him for blasting to be clear of grease and oil, so our usual practice is to wash any parts in paraffin so that they are clean of grease and oil. Small parts can also be "blown away" in the sandblasting process so if needs be, we string them together on a rope - rather like a necklace which then makes them easier to securely handle. However, in this case we have something else to consider - we do not want any of the critical machined surfaces to be "blasted" so that factor has to be taken into account. The top case of the "Diff" needs to be blasted as it is very corroded, but there are machined surfaces to protect - those where the Bearings go. If the top lubrication filler plate is bolted back in place, then that will seal that hole and stop sand getting in that way - and will also hold that plate firmly to the top case for the secure sand blasting of it. Similarly, if the two rear end castings are bolted into place, no sand will be able to get in that way and they will be held securely. Wooden Discs will have to be turned up, the same outside diameter of the bearings to fit into the holes where the bearings are pushed in to protect those machined surfaces. A start has been made today, - the main case is still to be washed out and the wooden discs made up. Here are some parts before paraffin washing. and after paraffin washing And after paraffin washing and a light wire brushing on the machined surfaces.

In all honesty Douglas i think that you are already in the best part of the world for finding FWD spares. Australia seems to be the place where these things turn up. Good luck with it all. Tim (too)

Yes, i thought that the future of it was all very positive having been set up in a trust. jacques had been suffering from cancer for 10 years so you would think that he would have done something about it. Tim (too)

The chap who had this must have had swine flu. He was feeling a little horse and couldnt stop coffin. Tim (too)

Sad. I thought he was going to go on and on. WW1 has just about passed from living memory. There is one other British WW1 survivor - Claude Choules (ex RN) who lives in Australia. There is also at least one US WW1 survivor. Tim

One of two Brazilian stuarts at the show: I loved this Le Tourneau (brought by Carts). I wished i took some photos of it going around the arena but i was overwhelmed by it (and i was eating a hot dog so couldnt reach my camera) Pipers bathtub (strange but true) Driving under the influence of Jeeps: