paulbrook

In answer to the question posed as the title of this thread.................................. Yesssssss...............................!

so a 41 inch/1080 mm B section... shame that 1080 mm is 42 inches though so not sure why the metric/imperial numbers differ. Still you get the idea..

I once said that you can lead a horse to water etc to a cavalry chum who just grinned and said "yes but you can f*** it about a bit first to make sure its thirsty............."

Oh and www.simplybearings.co.uk are pretty good too.

Its well worth having a go with the on line calculator in my post above - it seems to me that a snug if slightly imperfectly fitted new belt might be a better bet than trusting a 40-60 year old one. But like all these things it is up to the individual owner!

The answer is almost certainly yes.... As I recall the normal v belt comes in 4 widths - A, B, C, and Z (dont ask as I have no idea why!!) and the length is measured by the overall outer length. Funnily enough my local agricultural engineer has a wall full of the various sizes. I have pulled belts down off his wall for a 1930s tractor and a Champ amongst others. So I think you will get one no problem. Have a look at http://www.beltingonline.com/vee-and-wedge-belts-213/help-identifying-v-belts-591/?zenid=3i3rg9p4vh8evp6ss7mb8obv94 Cheers!

All useful stuff, but "dynamo sending a small charge" says to me "check the dynamo....."

Hi there and welcome. In answer to your questions 30 weight Morris oil is ideal - changed reasonably regularly. Unless the leak is really bad then I would live with it for now - and I strongly advise against trying to cure it with oil choice or additives! The same applies to the paintwork -what you suggest is just fine until it gets to the point where a little deeper refurbishment is required (patch painting is exactly what it would have had in service so why not now?). If you are worried about a paint match then opt for painting the panel or section complete that the patch you have been working on is, that way any slight changes in paint texture or shade will be much less noticable. Another good rust killer is called Vactan by the way. As for the electrics then the choice of battery is pretty immaterial if the charging system is being lazy. I posted how to test a while ago - but I cant seem to find it at the mo. But basically you disconnect the generator completely from the wiring loom. Connect the two connections on the generator together then start the engine - and read the output from the combined terminals with a good voltmenter. At tickover it should be reading between 12-14 volts. Gently raise the revs (not too far) and the output should increase - dont go too much - 18v is fine. If thats all in order you have a problem with the regulator/cut out or battery. If however the output is a lot less than 12 volts then my money would be on sticking/worn brushes. It may be other problems though, but at least you know where the problem is! There are other tests you can do if output is low - but thats enough to be going on with!!

Online diagnostics are impossible...a million good ideas based on nothing! Are you in the AA or RAC? They are pretty good even with old stuff. If you are really really stuck give me a call and I will talk you through the fault finding basics. Try and get me at coffee time or lunchtime though not 10 pm on a sunday! The number is on my website. Paul

Interesting - HSL102 was also based at Blyth I am sure (102 is now restored and in preservation in either Gosport or Pompey) where she was during WW2 visited by the Queen Mum as it was the most successful of all the air sea resue bases. Many many years later she (the Queen Mum) rededicated HSL 102 on her re-launch. The class of boats was built by the British Powerboat Company (or somesuch similar name) under the watchful eye of Hubert Scott-Payne, avaitor, record breaker and all round interesting guy. Another interesting name associated with the design and development of these spectacular vessels was one TE Lawrence (yep, that one.....). The vessels were built in much the same way as the best aircraft of the day and were light, seaworthy and exceptionally fast. They also proved to be very tough too. In its heyday the 102 once travelled from Blyth to Calshott in 10 hours, and more recently the restored craft made the same journey in the same sort of timescale. There is an excellent link here... http://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/525/hsl-102

Sorry - cant help. but they must be out there somewhere......

They are big beggars and thick too - I know how much I am charging and its quite a lot for sure. That said there is about 100 quids worth of steel in them even before I pick up the hammer fine adjusting. That said its the sort of thing that makes a restoration and at the moment I think you can be confident that you can add the price to the value of your Dizzy. But then I would say that wouldnt I??!!

Diamond T folks might like to take a peek at the pictures of the cab and firewall currently undergoing work in the Big Shed... Pics are here: http://s484.photobucket.com/user/RustyTrucks/library/#/user/RustyTrucks/library/Diamond%20T%20Cab%20Restoration?page=1&_suid=136526578467905539727205273426 I am also just about to fabricate a set of front mudguards and I will post pics in the same album in due course.

Who knows if they will help in any way but its worth contacting 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC at Marchwood. They know their onions regarding all sorts of things............

Mmmmmm I was offered them too.................

Put 5 gallons of milkstone remover in it and leave it to stand for a week, turning it regularly to slosh the stuff about. You can let it down a bit with water (say 25%) but I find it works best neat. Drain, rinse, leave it to dry out. Seal with slosh or similar if the milkstone remover (phosphoric acid based and used for cleaning milking equipment) has removed the rust blocking the pinholes that might have appeared (especially where the baffles are tacked in).

Spend 500 quid for a decent job and get them to blast it over with 2k etch pimer (looks for all the world like egg yolk but does a fine job) The folks who blast for me use recycled glass which is environmentally friendly and will not contaminate any water courses.

Or get a spare Scammell.............................

If my memory serves me right the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society had a very good scheme - worth checking to see if they still have.

I am with Bob on this one. I love them to bits but you really really need to know your stuff to have a happy time with one. Cans are not for the faint hearted (but I would give one a home anytime!)

Yep it is straightforward and all that information is on the VOSA website. A few other observations if I may: You will be subject to drivers hours and tacho rules which can be a bit of a faff - not a problem you just need to keep your wits about you. I am not sure what you intend carrying but even a 7.5 tonner can get overloaded quite quickly (the one I have just sold could carry 3.6 tonnes). The annual test is an HGV one which is more expensive than a car one and has to be done at a VOSA station or an authorised truck repair workshop (they are listed on the VOSA website). You can book on line but you have to be with the vehicle during the test (so no dropping it off before work and collecting it on the way home). I had a little Iveco 75e15 - brilliant little truck; I did thousands and thousands of miles in it carrying all sorts of stuff - but there are plenty of other choices about. I have now bought a bigger one with a crew cab :-)

Now thats a proper thing to have in your wardrobe..... It does look familiar - though I will check though before declaring what I think it is off!

So heres the thing. The lovely little Standart Tilly that has been in the Big Shed for a while went home today. Ever since the reconditioned engine went in it has behaved impeccably. Yet today when the owner arrived to drive it home it was having none of it, misfiring, popping back through the carb and all that. Plugs came out, black as the ace of spades so they got cleaned up. One plug continued to refuse to soldier so eventually I swapped that out for one out of a series 1 landrover which improved thing marginally but not completely. But fundamentally there was nothing wrong with it as it was all as per the book. Eventually the owner got it out onto the road and between us we got underway, slowly at first but then with growing confidence and ever improving performance. Within 30 minutes it was running like a sewing machine and in due course earlier this evening it was home after a fine 90 mile run. OK there may be some slight adjustments to be made to timing and idling but the fact of the matter was that these are not modern engines and need coaxing along sometimes, especially when coming out of hibernation. They are not formula 1 cars requiring constant adjustment (think of the standards of the day when they were built and what they were for after all), but they do need to be used - and for decent amounts of time. Theres nothing like a good long run to blow the cobwebs out and get everything settled down. Only then should you contemplate getting the toolbox out!

Yep that looks familiar - I did a 1950s Ford F1 Truck with a flathead V8 that had terrible fuel issues - much like Laurens sample there. It had a fungal growth too which these days isnt just confined to diesel fuel.

There are more capable museum experts than me on here but the museum must either have been a company of some sort or a charity of some sort. In either case there are legal obligations that can be exercised to either recover the item or at least discover its fate (and if money changed hands). You might also check if the museum was a member of the Museums Association; they have codes of conduct. Rather sadly though even national museum insitiutions are not immune from this sort of poor practice (and its not for me to say whether it is conspiracy or cock up), and anyone wanting to give themselves a nasty feeling might take a look at the fate of many of the items forming the RCT collection (and others) that used to be in the Museum of Army Transport at Beverley. Once upon a time it was widely regarded as the best collection of its kind on the planet. Now where is it??