Great War truck

Here is a link to ours going out for its first drive in 12 Months. As HMVF TV is no longer working i have put the clip on to Youtube.

You will be in for a pleasant suprise. Tim (too)

Here is another one

Yes Rick, i agree with you there. All the White ambulances were on pneumatics, but there were a number of GS trucks that were all fitted with solids. I would like to know why they think it was an ambulance and also why they thought it served in France. My understanding is that none of the trucks taken overseas to France were brought back. Just wishful thinking on their part. Tim (too)

After we had freed up the donor gearbox we checked to see if anything would still turn. This clip is on HMVFTV but i thought it would be relevant to have a link to it here. http://www.hmvftv.com/watch/cd194a4b1e6992063e94/WW1-Dennis-gearbox-partially-dismantled Please ignore my confused daughters voice saying "what are you doing". She says that a lot, and who can blame her.

Here is a link to a clip of ours on HMVFTV. It is the first time that it has been started in 12 Months and started just like that. It also proved to be very smokey indeed. http://www.hmvftv.com/watch/feedfdeaab192ead4ac0/Autocar-UF21

Just spotted this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230292841063&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:GB:1123 You may ask yourself if it is WW1 then why is it black and yellow. Also the body looks a little unusual as well. At over £30,000 it is terribly overpriced. Someone might buy it (but i doubt it), we will see. Tim (too)

Here is the Ellis and Bishop chassis drawing. It looks to me (with all due respect) as if it were drawn from memory and without the aid of a ruler: You should be able to quickly see that there is no room for the differential in the back axle. Also, the X strengtheners extend too far forwards. They should stop (i believe) by the rear cross member tube. Here is another J chassis, this time post war (a forward control bus i would think). It shows one tube and where the drawing seems to indicate another tube there is a much more substantial support which the prop shaft runs through. There is no X strengthener on this one at all. Finally. Here is another J chassis. Although slightly dissmembered it does show the correct layout of both types of support. It just goes to show that you cant always trust what someone is happy to write down. I wonder if i have now upset a hoard of model makers who have used Ellis and Bishop to build Models? What does yours look like? Tim (too)

I am looking at the Ellis and Bishop book that you are referring to and i think that the drawing is incorrect. Firstly it appears to be on pneumatics and the rear axle is all wrong. There should be one tubular cross member not two. Oh hang on i might as well scan the thing. I know of one surviving 13pdr AA gun and although it is not under water it is as about as inaccessible as it could possibly be, unless you have a helicopter of course. Tim (too)

Collectors of just WW1 trucks? Well i can think of a couple of those, one of which died a few years back. There seem to be more collectors of the same make of truck though. There are two guys i know who have 6 FWD Model B's each. One guy who has three Nash Quads and one chap we met had about 20 Mack AC's. Lloyd Van Horn had an incredible collection of pre 1930's truck, most of which were restored as circus trucks. But he had so few people come to his museum that he lost interest and sold up. A pity that i never made it to the museum. There are quite a few surviving WW1 trucks in the USA (mostly Liberty B's) but they all seem to be in the hands of military museums for their "representative WW1 truck" and then it rarely (if ever) goes out. So, in answer to your question. There are not many. Tim (too)

Yes it is interesting to see that the previous owner thought it too far gone to be restorable. I wonder what he would make of some of the bare chassis projects that are done over here. Tim (too)

Here are some more. Actually a post war Pierce Arrow, but to a very similar design as the war time one. This was sold as a parts only truck and is now destined for NEw Zealand to mate up with a rolling chassis out there. Interestingly, all the war time Pierce Arrows that you see in french, British and American Army service are right hand drive, while this one is a left. They must have switched just after the war. Tim (too)

Sorry. The dealer should have been at Beaulieu, but I didnt see him there. So i dont know if it has been sold or what the price was. Tim (too)

it is this one.

I quite liked the rubber trees and Giles's Citroen from Buffy. Tim (too)

No i was not aware. Did not think that someone would want to. These probably were replicas though as they were in very good condition.

Cromwell i think. Tim

I think those are off a WW2 British tank. i will tell you which one in a moment once i work out which one. Tim (too)

Sorry no. It is in fact a Locomobile (or Riker) This one was used by the Highland Division (the original markings were still visible). It has been fully restored and now lives near Ipswich in a very large shed. It has been taken to a number of shows but has not been out so much in the last few years. It was probably one of the first Great War trucks that was restored in this country. The truck was in very good condition and having been cocooned like that you would probably expect it to be so. Tim (too)

No, it is not British made. Any last guesses. Tim (too)

Nothing special about them. Some were in better condition than others. One was totally stuffed. It looked like a Jeep driver had reversed into a wall with it still sitting in the bracket, yet it was still €40. I did see a Jeep Ford marked gasket set. I asked the guy how much and he said he had no idea. He then suggested £20. I offered £5. I studied the gaskets and realised that they were all broken or bent, and as the packet was ripped i told him it was worthless and wouldnt take it even if he gave it to me. Look at me. I am learning the whole fine art of barterring. I saved £20 and got no useless set of gaskets in return. Tim (too)

Well you are certainly on the right track. Any more guesses before i start giving some clues away? I will let you know that it is a WW1 truck situated in the UK. That the owner liked it so much that when he retired he parked it up and converted it into a house and lived in it for the rest of his life. And no it is not Steve as he is still alive, although i have noticed him measuring up the body plans for the Dennis and asking if we think it possible to fit a double bed and bath in the back. Tim (too)

Shame on you. SHAME i say. Tim (too)

Here is a famous photo. Some of you will automatically know what it is (Alan!!). If you dont know, why not have a guess at it. If you do know (Alan!!!) then save it for later on. Tim (too)

Yes i saw that. The asking price was just shy of £10k, which i thought was a little expensive. Mind you it looked nice. On the way down i drove past a convoy of Atkinsons with 432's on trailers (14 of them) followed by 8 Oshkosh carrying Warriors. On the way back i overtook one Atki carrying an Oshkosh (by gosh). Tim (too)