Great War truck

Did they ever pay you for your article that you wrote? Tim (too)

Quite right. There is a definite safety message here, so please dont try this at home kids. Luckily i have been specially trained - in First Aid - not on how to use an angle grinder safely. Tim (too)

Brilliant photos. I did see some Zeebrugge ones on E bay a while back and they made a tidy sum. Thanks for posting them. Tim (too)

Yes you are right there. I do seem to get through them at one heck of a pace. I must be doing something wrong. Tim (too)

One of the HMVf members has a 1915 GS wagon. Did you see his post on the subject? http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?t=9085

We have had a very festive Christmas out in the shed. Here are a few taster photos for you. Gearbox now rebuilt with gears from donor box: Then we prepared the box for transfer into the chassis: The box in place at last. 12 Months work for three of us Tim (too)

This is marvellous news, so well done to everbody involved. I can understand the issues involved with the MVT. The money that they are using is retrospective "gift aid" reclaimed from the Government. MVT members signed Gift Aid declarations and the MVT are therfore able to recover the tax paid on the subscriptions paid over the last three (or was it five) years. However, with the rules of gift aid the money must be used for the benefit of the MVT members, or it can be possible to give it to another charity. If the money is not used within an allotted time span or if it is spent outside these rules it has to be returned to the Government. Therfore, the MVT have to protect their position and that of its members and can only give the money directly to the charity. If it went through HMVF first it may well jepordise the possibility of the donation being succesfully made. The important thing is that a further number of veterans will have their trip funded, so very well done the MVT for doing this and well done to HMVF for highlighting this campaign in the first place. On another matter, the North Oxfordshire and Cotswolds MVT raised a further £40 for the campaign at our last meeting (giving us £127) and we hope to raise £400 for the campaign by May. Tim (too)

That is possible, but if so i have not come across that before. Could the butterfly nuts be used for securing chains to the rear tyres when required? Tim (too)

I have been trying to find out, but there is no news at the moment. A friend e-mailed him about it, but he did not respond. I will let you know what happens. Tim (too)

I think that the skeleton is still at Aberdeen (and no longer in the closet), I do hope it is in one of the buildings now as opposed to out in the weather. I think that as the Grand Panjandrum was never used in anger it can not qualify as one to build from scratch. A mark V is a much better idea. Failing that an armoured Autocar body on an original chassis muight be a better idea. I saw an original running example with a horrible replica body on E Bay a while back for $14,000. Tim (too)

Marvellous job. Fascinating to read this blog. Well done. Also now I just about understand the fun of a multibank engine. Tim (too)

A real kit of parts. What is the story of it and what state is the engine in? Tim (too)

Thats looking good. How did you get on with the rust removal using that method on the side panels? Tim (too)

Did you not see the MMI from a couple of Months ago? There is a Pakistani army base with a great number of WW2 MV's, including some Shermans of which most were ARV configuration.

Yes, you are quite right. it would be quite insane to make a working one of these. It would be interesting taking one for an MOT though! The film of the one at Instow shows it moving at quite a rapid pace, although i must say that it was quite erratic in its movements. The designer said was the dogs fault apparently! Thanks for the drawing though. Tim (too)

I went to Lincoln for a meeting in July this year. I would have been happier spending the day in the museum, but the boss said no. Tim (too)

Sorry, i dont know. They had been so robbed that restoration would be incredibly expensive. there was however one real rarity there and that was the JagdPazer IV. That is the one that i think is coming to the UK. Tim (too)

great photos. Any more? Well done all Tim (too)

What a project. I am looking forwards to seeing the rest of the photos. People think we are a bit optimistic with our projects, but you put us in the shade. Tim (too)

Tony has finished the two Gear Change Locking Bars. They are attached to the two castings on the ends of the Gear Change Rods by a nut on each side of the casting, and can be adjusted by moving the nuts along the thread. The tops of the "V's" might want rounding off - no indication of that on the old ones so we have decided to leave them as they are for the moment. We are getting ready for the "great Christmas assembly" and have to put the slots in the rods for the Pinch Bolts - and thread the bars to hold the Gearbox in the chassis - and make sleeves for them.

I have heard that at least one (possibly more) is coming to the UK, to join the Sdkfz foundation. Tim (too)

Thats an interesting question and i always have to stop and think. We have seven restored or restorable trucks up to 1918, but we also have two other chassis with axles and wheels and a lot of spare parts, but not enough for them to be counted as whole trucks (these two are another Peerless and another Dennis). Chassis do turn up every now and again, but if you are missing the crucial ancillary parts (engine, gearbox and diff) it is unlikely that chassis will ever role again. Saying that, do you remember the saga of the Dennis (White and poppe) engine and gearbox that turned up on the Isle of White, they have now gone to a good home and are just waiting for the right chassis to drop them into. I heard of another Dennis White and Poppe engine that sold recently. The new owner was going to build a racing car to put it into. I also believe that another Peerless engine and gearbox will eventually turn up. Maybe in the UK, maybe in the USA. So in the meantime we will hold on to these chassis just in case they might be of use to someone else. It would be a shame to lose them now as just every now and again something really suprising happens, but that will be another topic for the future. Tim (too)

Thanks as always to everyone for your positive feedback. You really are some great motivators. The Change Rods are just sealed with felt - the two covers in the bottom of the picture are the ones cleaned and painted and ready to be fitted to the Gearbox - one is of the outside and the other one shows the inside. You can see where the felt seal has to be fitted. The two items in the top of the picture are one of an old felt seal as removed and the other shows another cover with the original seal still in it Probably not as good as an O ring, but as they were fitted with felt originally we are duty bound to restore it with felt. Tim (too)

It is one heck of a museum. They must have reorganised it since i was last there as the Renault was under the stairs last year. Thanks for posting the photos. Tim (too)

More progress: It is all coming together very nicely.