paulbrook

Well if its all the same to everyone I am going to stick up for all of them as in my humble opinion they all do as good a job as they can bearing in mind the niche nature of their business and the fact that they are all catering for ancient and obsolete vehicles. Without suppliers like these the whole movement would be on its backside, save for those lucky enough to have a monster stash of spares in their own sheds. So good on them!! Where else can you phone up from a busy airport lounge on the way to somewhere or other and discuss then order up a rebuild kit for a dodge water pump engine (that wasn't the usual military engine but the supplier took the trouble anyway to check, measure up and get back to me) allowing me two days later on my return to fit the kit and live happily ever after? Now of course there may be from time to time issues (such as being supplied a go-devil gasket not a hurricane one) but the place to discuss those is with the supplier - and (again in my humble opinion) not here. After all I ordered an exhaust system for the 4 year old astra van belonging to the folks next door a week or two ago and the motor factor sent the wrong one. These things happen. They of course changed it - it's in their business interests to do so. The same detail applies to repro parts. Sometimes the reproductions are not great, but then neither is some of the 70 year old stuff. Much of what is available is actually better than the original (take oils and lubricants for instance). And anyway - when is a repro part a repro part? If a batch of spares is manufactured during the life of the equipment by whoever are they not repro parts? Just becaue it says Jeep on the tin does not mean that it is jeep in the tin, as it were. And while I am having a rant I note on another forum regular complaints about the price of things for sale. "Oooo he'll never get that for it" they say (and then he does - love those market forces...) Yet the same folks will insist that their vehicle is worth a heck of lot of money. It seems to me that we are exceptionally lucky in UK to have access to extraordinary support for our hobby. Let's try to keep it that way! Going to take my medication now.....

How can you soar with the eagles eh??

Pop the same question in the RLC bit on www.arrse.co.uk. Chances are you will not only get the info you need from someone who was there but you might get a pic or two too.

Here are some we made for a customer recently - reasonably straightforward:

An impending house move has caused a variety of long ignored kitbags to be dug out and examined.... Up for grabs are: Desert Pattern Smock Combat Windproof Desert size 180/112 (largeishe in english). Brand spanking and never worn. Same desi pattern but theJacket/Shirt - worn a few times but in nice condition. First generation desert boots brand new and unworn sized 10. Moving back a generation: Trousers Mens Lightweight (olive green) size 85/92/108 - 34-36 inch waist and 32 inch inside leg to you and me - one pair new, one pair slightly worn. Just the job for anyone with a back to the 70s inclination. Jersey Heavy Wool size 112. Not sure if it is new but definitely hardly worn and still pongs of the QM store. One sniff and you are transported back to Aldershot. Not one but THREE Shirt Mans General Service OD size 41-43. One well used, two less so but still with a nice patina. Ideal for those who are not tough enough for a shirt KF. Anyway all this stuff needs a new home and would be ideal for those who like to dress the part alongside their vehicle. I am happy to jiffy bag these things up and send them on provided that the new owners are happy to pay the postage. I have no interest WHATSOEVER in letting these go to anyone who is going to sell them on, so please be genuinely in need of these things. I bet I will turn more stuff out before much longer (I think I have at least one new pair of Boots Combat High somewhere) Oh and I am quite busy so please dont expect me to rush around to get them to you - I will do as they have to get cleared out before I move, but it will be in amongst other really important things. If anyone wants to sway my judgement as to their fitness to own such items then a small donation to a suitable service charity would go a long way to getting me reaching for the jiffy bags... Oh and please don't ask for pictures!!!!

There never was an 8x8. There was the C of G issue though (and there still is to an extent). The MMLC criteria called for a certain ground clearance and ground pressure (remember these things were built against a set of so-called mobility criteria) and with the LHS the MMLC from both manufacturers technically failed (although interestingly the Foden was less bad than the Scammell..). So the clever RARDE folks INSISTED on bigger wheels (dispite protestations from the Scammell folks). On its first demo in front of the assembled crowd at RARDE the new improved (and supposedly production) bigger wheeler drove onto the pan, did a graceful figure of 8 and promptly decided to have a lie down. On its side. The words Back To The Drawing Board applied, there was a short talk-amongst-yourself period then common sense prevailed and the truck you know and love now reappeared (still with its Scammell branding I might add) for the user trials. In reality the theoretical mobility criteria were a bit - well - theoretical, as in practice, like any other machine, operators soon found workarounds for any shortcomings and bob, as they say, is your uncle. And to add insult to injury the Clever Chaps in the MOD who had declared it would NEVER be required to operate anywhere other than Germany were somewhat quiet as the first tranches of in service trucks headed for Kuwait and Gulf War 1. Told you I could get boring regarding DROPS. But then I did run the DROPS Trials and Training Team

Its only me having a larf...... Although.......there are more bits on a DROPS MMLC that say Scammell than there are that say Leyland I think you will find - notwithstanding where the production ones were screwed together. I also recall that Scammell IMMLC was a damm good truck, but it would have had to be a hell of a lot better than the Foden (or half the price) to cause the deep MOD thinkers not to split the contract spoils between the two manufacturers (in fact I even think the money was split 50/50 - just over a 1000 MMLC and just over 400 IMMLC but the latter were half as much again price wise). I remember being given about a million reasons why neither was 8x8 - it took a German company to crack that one. The main reason though was that they met the IMMLC/MMLC criteria as they were - so why make the things heavier, pricier and more complicated? Actually the MMLC didnt meet the criteria - but thats a whole other story. By the way I can be a DROPS bore so best not get me started....

Those dimensions look familiar to me - we have just done a set of these for a customer. Remember that some variations in dimensions are likely - even on the originals. These sorts of items would have been subbed out to whoever! If anything yours are perhaps a tad longer than the ones we did but see above..... I will check

I think this question needs to be considered in the wider context of the classic vehicle and related technology movement. For the record the entire movement, of which military vehicles are an important part, is a GBP 4Bn "industry" and whilst like any other section of the economy is subject to some ebbs and flows, particularly when times are tight, my understanding is that it continues to grow strongly. That said and whilst one should not generalise from the specific the failure of the normal financial institutions have caused some at least to say "to heck with it - I might as well have a................................. (insert vehicle of choice)". I have heard that sentiment expressed many times over the last few years. One consequence of this though is that prices of some vehicles and equipments have risen strongly, which may not be such a good thing as it begins to distort the general trends and overall affordability of this as a hobby. The other thing to bear in mind is that what we old folks think is old isn't what the young folks coming into the hobby think is old. Back in the 70s wartime stuff seemed ancient to me as a youngster, but was really only the same as a 1970s vehicle is now. Just look at the amount of money involved in early Volvo and Scania trucks, or Kawasaki Z900s, or Audi Quattro (s). So the hobby is bound to change. And we should be thankful that it does - otherwise it will stagnate. For what it is worth though I am strongly of the view that we older folks need to encourage youngsters taking up the hobby, and we need to continue to build a "support" network of parts suppliers, specialists and so on, handing down knowledge and skill as best we can.

In fact.... Dear Santa,

A Mack eh?? I love it then................

Big bro and I once drove a severely cut down Austin ATV with both SU carb and straight through (drainpipe I think) exhaust from York to Huntingdon at great speed. It went like stink, but the thing that reminded me about it was the fact that the driver's seat was a plastic chair. Goodness me it could shift though. Sounded nice too...

Nice scammell you have there...............

Perfect for wringing out the chammy leathers when you are doing the GOCs staff car!!

Is/are your purchase(s) as described? If not, and even though it was a private sale you have a case under the Sale of Goods Act. Normally this only applies to trade type sales, but where an item is not as described even private purchases are covered.

We are on with a Humber at the moment - and although Cumbria is a distance it would be well worth while coming up to have a look, photograph and measure up of the one here. The woodwork is tricky but not impossible and we have also fabricated most of the brackets that you will need so can give you some good pointers. There are also tons of pics here: http://s484.photobucket.com/user/RustyTrucks/library/#/user/RustyTrucks/library/Humber%20Heavy%20Utility?sort=3&page=1&_suid=138246807705205652437064224249

Dont worry - whacking this special tool with the REME's other special tool (Hammer Fine Adjustment) is perfecly acceptable. If you have problems you might want to move up to Hammer Coarse Adjustment.

It is just a record of who held it on their account and dates. IV is issue voucher, RV is receipt voucher (accounting gobbledegook). It has, between issues. been held by a holding organisation in the form of 17 Sqn RLC. Most of the units are guessable - R Irish, SG is Scots Guards, then there are some ad hoc units - such and such BG - battlegroup. It has a brief sojourn with industry presumably getting some sort of mod or rework (British Aerospace) then ends up in store waiting to go to Withams. If there are any specific nomenclature that you need I will find out for you.

My first troop (B Tp 6 Arty Sp Sqn RCT Glamorgan Barracks Duisburg) were knockers - will dig out pics and see if I can scan and post them!! I may even have some cine film of doing cross country at Leuth....

I seem to recall that you can bung them in a washing machine with something like "vanish" stain removing powder provided that you put them on the frame all stretched out before they dry. Dont ask me what temperature or programme though - I am a bloke!!

A chum of mine is icelandic and he and other do tours up onto the glaciers - what they dont know about driving in the conditions isnt worth knowing. I also know that there are a number of Green Godess fire engines out there so there could well be some tyres you could use. If there are Steiner will know who to ask (after all there are only about 250,ooo icelandics and they all seem to know each other!) PM me and I will forward you my contacts details

Now that I like........................

Category C1E is for goods vehicles between 3500kgs maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) and 7500kgs MAM combined with trailers over 750kg MAM. However, the trailer MAM entitlement varies depending on driver age and how the C1E entitlement was gained: Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 normally will also have category C1E entitlement. However, they will have an absolute combined vehicle and trailer MAM of 8250kgs. Drivers who passed their car test after 1 January 1997 will to have to pass further tests - Category C1 (theory and practical) followed by C1E practical. There is no subcategory C1E theory test. It is not possible to go directly from category B to category C1E. Drivers who gain C1E in this manner can drive category C1 vehicles combined with a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the combination does not exceed 12000kgs MAM and the laden weight of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle. However, because EC regulations limit drivers aged under 21 years to driving vehicles or combinations which weigh no more than 7500kgs MAM, drivers under the age of 21 are not allowed to drive subcategory C1E vehicles up to 12000kgs MAM. Drivers aged 18 to 21 are allowed to take a test for subcategory C1E, it just means that entitlement is limited to a combination weight of 7500kgs MAM until the driver reaches 21 years, at which time the balance of 12000kgs MAM entitlement automatically becomes effective. Drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 and wish to raise their combined vehicle and trailer MAM of 8250kgs to the full 12000kgs will have to meet the higher medical standards, obtain a Category C1E Provisional Licence and then pass both theory and practical C1+E driving tests (in this instance they do not have to take a C1 practical test beforehand). To drive vehicles of this type professionally (i.e. in connection with a business or employment) drivers will also need to meet the driver CPC requirement. Supervising drivers accompanying provisional C1E licence holders must themselves have passed a C1E or CE practical test and have held their full C1E or CE licence for at least 3 years. In other words, a driver who holds category C1E only by virtue of ‘acquired rights’ can no longer act as a supervising driver; this rule changed in May 2010.

I would say that the question of loaded/unladen is a simple one - if a policeman or a VOSA inspector (who now no longer need to be accompanied by police) lifts the back canopy and sees a completely empty loadbed then I think the letter of the law is met. If he sees a small toolbox, a jerrycan and a small box of tools then again, it would be fair to assume that the spirit of the law is met (even though technically it isnt) and you would be waved on your way. Anything else, including dummy loads, are outside both the spirit and the letter of the law. You may well get waved on with a warning, or you may be facing a hefty fine (about a grand at the last count). Recent experience in other areas of our hobby suggest a renewed VOSA interest in this sort of thing. Many tractor enthusiasts have been carrying tractors on 7.5 tonners (driven with CatC1 grandfather rights) with the caravan up behind. The trouble is that once you put a trailer on then the driver actually needs a full C1 plus E. Again they are now all about a grand lighter bank balance wise. So whilst I would not wish to spoil anyones party it does seemto me that as a responsible movement we should be trying wherever possible to do the right thing - both in fact and in spirit. How boring am I???

You are right - 145 was a fair bit of money. I recall my dad in the 1960s buying K9s for 100 and discussion in the household revolved around that being a heck of a lot of money. They replaced Allis Chalmers tractors and trailers - older tractors could be picked up for a fraction for that.