Great War truck

I bet that smelled nice

With all the silver soldering completed and the little bosses cut back to final length and threaded, that then completes the brackets. The Tube for the wires will want some thought. The original one on the Dennis was made of a Cardboard type of material – it was quite damaged when we got it and Steve repaired it using a Cornflakes box for the material – the cardboard was obviously sealed and painted and has been fine in service. What we do for this one has yet to be decided – It will be beyond using a multitude of Kelloggs boxes!

The rods at the short tube end were then cut back to length and the short tubes and the rod were then silver soldered together. All that then remained to do was to prepare some more of the bronze rod to make the two bosses to be silver soldered into the two big Rings to take 1/4” securing screws for holding the wires tube in the brackets. These were again made over length and threaded on the inside so that they could be screwed into the big rings to hold them firmly in the correct position during the silver soldering. These were again initially made over length for ease of handling and were finally machined in situ.

The big rings were “barrelled” In the lathe and then drilled to take the rod. The rods were cut back to length where they went into the big rings – and then silver soldered in.

Another assembly that we did not have and have had to make from scratch – this is the Tube which carries the “high tension wires” together with the two Brackets which hold and support it. The whole thing is best illustrated for you with the picture of the one on the “Thorny” at Carlton Colville. Fortunately, Steve measured this up some time ago so we know the dimensions and he has drawn it out. The material used for the Brackets is bronze – the second picture shows the basic “kit” (the blanks) in the early stages. The rods have been machined from 1/2” bronze rod and tapered and left over length at this stage - the big “rings” have been machined from an end of hollow bronze bearing material (because that is what we had!) and the short round pieces have also come from the 1/2” bronze rod.

I do like the way George Lucas copied the plot for Star Wars. Watch this: Makes me laugh anyway.

These latest notes about wheels are of interest to us as we really had no knowledge of this different system of attaching tyres to the wheel rims - the ones on our operative FWD were pressed on in the way to which we have become accustomed in the past – using a big Tyre Press. I guess that like anybody restoring an old vehicle, we are always alert for any spares that might come along and quite by chance and since we completed our FWD, two further Back Axles, complete with the “diffs” still in them turned up – and also with wheels still on them. Although we didn’t need them, they had to be bought, just in case we ever had a problem – or if any other FWD Restorer wanted them, and they are now stored in our “Spares Department” – behind the Lorry Shed! The wheels on the two spare axles are not of the same pattern and both are different from the wheels on our FWD. So after Bob’s explanation, it is apparent that one of our sets of wheels is the same as Bob’s. Should any FWD Restorer be in trouble and would like to have them, then do please say!

That's interesting Bob. I am pleased to see that you are keeping yourself busy in the cold weather. Our FWD came with new tyres on it, but I am sure they were pressed on. FWD had wheels from four different manufacturers so it is possible they were of different styles. Anyway, it is all very interesting (well to me) so I will do some more research when I get a moment. Thanks Tim

Or maybe not. Here is a Pierce Arrow for sale on E Bay. Asking price £45,000! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pierce-Arrow-1916-WW1-Ammunition-supply-truck-US-Army/132052348606?_trksid=p2047675.c100013.m1986&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D40760%26meid%3Dace17465ae9947a09bd1793ab76f5ca4%26pid%3D100013%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D112253462413

Culver city Express. Signal Corps photographer badge (I think) The plaque guarantees that was the first Jeep to land on D Day and is therefore worth a ton of money to anybody who believes it. Actually, I don't know about the plaque, I have never seen anything like it before.

Oxfordshire. Not too far. I will send you a PM. Thanks Tim

Yes. I know that Dodge. I saw it only 4 Months ago.. It is much loved by the current owner.

Good stuff. I enjoyed that. Are there many Saladins in the USA? I saw one some years ago in Springfield Illinois and I thought it looked superb.

Thanks. That was well spotted. Tim

A shame it is closing. It looks like an interesting museum. The FWD radiator is an extra wide post war one, fitted to many ex-WD FWD's when they were rebuilt.

Thanks Simon There is another one for sale here: http://www.exchangeandmart.co.uk/used-cars-for-sale/willys/mb-us/willys-mb-us-army-jeep-16918232?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=rt&utm_campaign=consumer&utm_term=44658&utm_content=all&utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=rt&utm_campaign=consumer&utm_content=all&utm_prodid=16918232

Some Months later we were contacted by Ron Harris who owned the Holt 75 tractor asking if he could buy a spare Peerless chassis so that the rails could be used in his Hindley project. Not wanting to part with the chassis we told him about these two and he promptly bought and recovered them. They were later found to be incorrect and the last I saw of them they were in Turbo’s yard and looking rather forlorn. While they were sitting there I was approached by the Curragh seeking assistance with their Peerless armoured car restoration. They indicated that funds might be available for a second (non running) Peerless armoured car and did I know of any surviving chassis. I am pleased to say that they purchased both chassis and took them back to Ireland. I don’t think they have started on the restoration but at least they are safe. Incidentally, the top chassis seems to have been strengthened with some steel plate and I wonder if this was one of the anti aircraft gun conversions. A bit like this one photographed on London bridge in 1940:

We heard of the existence of two more Peerless chassis in the Bournemouth Area. They had been converted into mobile (?) homes and had been placed in a garden for use during family holidays. The site was being cleared and due to access issues it would be very difficult to get them out intact. What was most exciting was that one of them still had its Peerless name plate on. Dad went to have a look: The chassis were quite good but there was not a lot there that we didn’t have. The Peerless plate had disappeared quite recently which was a real shame. We did take away a starting handle, some springs and a few other odds and ends. With too much work needed to recover the chassis and no real use for them we thought they would be scrapped.

We have acquired this waterpump and fan which is said to have come from a Scammell. Does anybody recognise what it came off? Thanks Tim

Eek: The rear lights are a bit unsightly and it appears that the rear panel has been cut about with a new panel tacked on over the top and then covered in a filler. I am told that the same lights were used on post war Italian Jeeps. Couldn’t see why a hole had been cut in the floor here: Under the hood had been updated a bit as well: Italian data plates: So, my thoughts are that after the war it was probably rebuilt for the Italian army, fitted with a hardtop before being sold to the priest and then roughly cosmetically improved before being sold off. Does anybody know anything about Italian Jeep rebuilds? Were they actually used by the wartime Italian army (post changing sides in 1943). Any other thoughts or observations please?

I undertook a verification on a 1943 Ford which had recently been imported from Italy. My understanding is that it was used by an Italian priest as his personal transport until being laid up in the 1980’s and remained in a shed until someone had a tinker and it was sold on. The engine is very solid and sounds great. Upside down "Canadian" star The controls on the dash had been updated A super looking speedo: The bodywork appears to be very smooth but it seems to have had a skim with filler or high build primer (missing some holes): No grab handles: And an odd looking bracket: Crude looking reinforcement plate:

The castings were then returned to the Milling table so that the top holes for Greasers could be drilled and threaded – and the the two holes in the feet of each casting were drilled for the bolts which will secure them to the chassis rails. Those holes are still to be counter-bored or “spot faced” to complete the job.

With boring out completed, the castings were then machined to their final external sizes. The bottom threaded hole is for a small length of 1/2” steel bar to act as a Pedal “stop”. And for re-assurance, the two castings were stood on a true flat service so that a short length steel bar of the matching diameter could be slid through the two holes to ensure that they lined up without deviation!

The Castings were held in the 4-Jaw for boring out to finished diameter.

The castings are an awkward shape to hold and an initial skim was taken off them to true them up so that they could be held squarely during the machining operation.