Great War truck

Steve was in Devon this weekend and had some time free today to join Tony to do some work on the Thorny. With only just one day free, they decided to get on with another job that has been outstanding and awaiting completion. The two rear chassis cross members were very badly corroded in the corners and we had previously decided that the wasted sections had to be cut out and new steel welded in. These three pictures clearly show the condition of the steel! The rotten steel was removed with cutting disc on the Angle Grinder.

Thanks for all your enthusiasm and positive comments so far. I do hope you all enjoy it. I would think that the price equates to 10p per photo so I think it is worth it. It is thought that there is not a great deal of interest in WW1 trucks hence just a limited print run. The publishers think that 500 books will sell within the first couple of Months and then after that the rest will be around for years. I am still uncertain as to what will happen. I understand that the super book "ROD on the Western Front" was a run of just 1,000 and sold out quite quickly. They seem to go for a lot of money on Abe books now.

I have been a bit busy over the last 12 Months and have put together a book which has been published by Tankograd. I was thrilled that Tankograd published it as I rate their military vehicle books very highly indeed. I was rather pleased with the end result: There are some photographs of the inside pages on the Tankograd website if you would like to scroll down to the bottom: http://www.tankograd.com/cms/website.php?id=/en/British-Military-Trucks-of-World-War-One.htm You can get the book directly from Tankograd, but UK based military book dealers will receive it soon. Should be on sale at Stoneleigh in a few weeks time.

Are you still looking for a Sterling as I know of one for sale.

This is how Tim's FWD will look when completed.

Christmas for me this year was in the USA. Good fun but a bit chilly. Minus 50 at its coolest. The problem with having Christmas abroad is bringing everything back and trying to stay under the weight limit. So I got socks. A box of bolts: An even bigger box of bolts: Which almost took up the weight limit of a suitcase. When I got home I received a box of books from my neighbour which had arrived while I was gone. Well that's the reading material for a few weeks taken care of then:

Guy tells me that the problem has been discussed here. http://pub25.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2099944454&frmid=5&msgid=912494&cmd=show I hope that helps

This then leaves with a pair of clevis’ – but with still more work to do on them. The open ends of the clevis’ then had to rounded off and this was done with the aid of filing buttons – placed through the end holes in the clevis’ and the surplus cut off with a hack saw and then finished off with a file and a flap wheel. Getting near the end – the sharp edges were rounded off and the shoulders faired in. And the last job, mill 1/8” slots in the clevis pin holes to take feathers. [

When the coning was completed, the 7/16” hole was then tapped 1/2” – the tap was supported with a centre in the tail stock to ensure that the thread went in squarely. The bar was then set up in the milling machine again so that the slot could be milled out. Although the slot has finally got to go right to the end of the bar, leaving the slot open, it would not have been sensible at this stage to cut right through as the stresses locked into the bar would be released, causing the two sides of the slot to spring apart. So a temporary “bridge” was left in at that end to hold the two sides of the slot together whilst it was being milled. When the still- closed slot was completed, the bar was placed in the vice and the temporary bridge was cut through with a hack saw – and the picture shows how the two sides have sprung apart! It was just a case then of cleaning the two ends separately with the end mill.

Do you know which vehicles are to be kept and which are to be auctioned?

As an aside from putting the engine back together, we have also been looking at the Hand Brake Linkage – this was amazingly still mainly all there under the Shepherds Hut body but was heavily rusted. Some of the parts will live to fight again, but the two large clevis’ in the linkage with additional holes in them for adjustment purposes were very badly corroded and must be replaced. Replacements have been made in the home workshop and machined from steel bar measuring 1 1/2” x 1 1/4” in section although the originals appear to be forgings. They come out at about 7” long, overall. The sequence of machining these with modest facilities may be of interest. The bar was cut to length and first of all, the four holes for the Clevis Pins were marked out in the Milling Machine, using calibrated dials on the machine to find their exact locations. They were drilled out to 9/16” and then opened up their finished diameter of 5/8”. http://s30.photobucket.com/user/Greatwartruck/media/Thorny%20restoration%201/DSCN9796_zps28ee833f.jpg.html Further along the manufacturing sequence, a long 7/8” slot has to be milled in the clevis but at this stage a 7/8” hole was just machined in the bar where the inner end of the slot will be. We do not have the capacity to use a 7/8” slot drill in our equipment, and to get the end of the slot nicely rounded, we have drilled and then bored out to 7/8” diameter. Milling the full 7/8” slot in the bar later on with smaller end mills will meet the 7/8” hole, giving us the correct diameter curve at the inner end of the slot. The end of the Clevis must be threaded 1/2” BSF to take the rod so the bar was set up in the 4 Jaw Chuck, centred and drilled right through 7/16” to the large hole previously put in for the end of the slot, ready for tapping. The cross slide was then set over 5 degrees so that this part of the bar could be machined into a cone.

I love calendars. I have several around my house. Any recommendations for 2014? I have the MVT calendar which is rather good. Any other good recommendations? In the past I have enjoyed "tantalising take-offs" (about aeroplanes if you were wondering oh with the occasional girl somewhere in the background). "Bikini girls with machine guns" ("This is Clara with her favourite weapon, the good old Ak47") The Band of Brothers calendar which I gave away just after I bought it as I thought it a little unusual for me to have a calendar which mostly had pictures of sweaty, dirty paratroopers. Please no one recommend the one my wife found "hunky men with cute furry animals" which should be banned.

First complete coat of green (sorry general service colour). Looking better every day. Collected the two steering wheel castings from the Foundry today – one for the “Thorny” and the other for the Maudslay in the Coventry Museum. When the Foundry cast the Dennis steering wheels previously, they were able to “pour” through the centre boss, but this caused some difficulty this time, with the first “pour” failing. They have “poured” through four points on the rim on the second attempt – so a little more cleaning up to do this time! The Foundrymen were intrigued with the many finger grips in the pattern and were curious to know how they were made!

That is really interesting information Rick and Roy. It both partially resolves and adds a little more to the mystery. It is of course possible that those which left the factory in grey were used in the UK but then some received a coat of green paint on arrival in France. My view still remains that British vehicles were painted service colour.

Roy There is a well known photo of LGOC's receiving a lick of paint at grove Park. You can make out on one of the paint tins "Service colour" and some other writing which unfortunately can not be made out. I have several photos of trucks being painted with the paint having been decanted in to two gallon petrol tins with horizontal stripes along the outside showing what colour the paint is.

Have the environmental types started attacking printed matter yet? I thought that they would be more anti electrical gadgets. I have never had to put a book on to charge. I thought that electrical things would be a better target for the green (non machine ) lobby. Does anybody here subscribe to an e-magazine. I have thought about it but prefer rummaging through boxes of old magazines and see what jumps out at me.

It looks more greenish in the real sunlight. But GS colour is not really green or brown. Looks more like fresh cow poo.

The painting continues. Now the first coat of green

I agree. If you cant hit a mammoth with it and still read it then it is obviously not a real book.

I was speaking to a well known publisher earlier this year and he predicted that the production of books as we know them will come to an end in just a few years with everything going digital. Having given this some thought I can not believe this will happen. I am very proud of my shelves of books and can not imagine feeling the same about a kindle. I think e books are ideal for chick lit and mummy porn but I can not imagine that this would work for the sort of military books that appeal to me. However magazines such as MMI and CMV are available electronically so maybe I am wrong. Does any body here buy e-books or subscribe to e-magazines. If I am going to spend £30 on a book I want something that takes up space on a shelf not electrons on a computer. Maybe I am being old fashioned. Anybody like to persuade me to get a kindle?

The chassis has now been fully primed and under coated. Quite a job – each single coat takes a day and a half! Three coats so far! Phoned the Foundry today – steering wheels will be ready on Friday!

A different perspective there then. That girl has massive ear rings.

Yes, I think you might be right. Oh well.

Super film. There was another bowser around 6.47. Much smaller than yours though. Must have been fun driving a carrier on those cobbles.

Another load of bits back from Sand Blasting and primed!