welbike

Then we've arrived in August, and got a big box in from Christopher in the US, with a lot of missing parts! all (but the rear ones) metal hydraulic lines, a bit bent and battered, but very usable, also the towing hitch, did not have a good one, and this one's perfect. all was worked on and blasted and painted. seat was also restored, only a new round bar installed, as the other one was too bent to straighten out. And the seat canvas was duly finished after a lot of pestering, and then I was not entirely satisfied with the cushion, so modified that again! (too thick and not rounded off, and modern staples on the bottom) Pffft, more tomorrow I guess! Lex

Well, then we get sort of into July 2018, and at the end of the month the plan was to take the Clark to the big War & Peace show in the UK, there was some little room left on a friends truck, in front of his Studebaker Weasel. This left an overal respray to do, with everything now together, and do the markings and seat canvas, and adding the fantastic dataplates, made by Robert from https://dataplates4u.com/ he still hasn't sent me the bill, but more are on order, he also recreated the font for the USA number, I was very picky with that! I also took it to a little local tractor show, and it performed flawlessly there, but still no hydraulics! Let the pictures speak for themselves; And at the W&P show in the UK, on the day we left, it got soaking wet!; OK, more soon, Lex

Hitchcocks have all the blueprints, but very difficult to get any of that from them! Lex

Very interesting, but what was the story of the "Ill fated Kathleen" was it in an accident? Cheers, Lex

The census numbers for rebuilt motorcycles were ranging from C1400000-C1499999 (reserved numbers) Captured bikes had a reserved block of numbers in the 6000000-6999999 range. Cheers, Lex

Just 2 letters?? Lex PS see also here:

Here some info on vehicle depots and other abreviations, found on Facebook; KEY CARD NO.2 ABBREVIATIONS version 6 (1st April 2017) By Gregory Alegi on Monday, 18 May 2015 at 18:59 The Key Card No. 2 form was used from 1949 to the mid-1970’s. Column headings and some abbreviations listed here. AFY Chassis ? ALD Aldershot ASC Ashchurch ‘B’ Census List of group B vehicle identification, or “Bonnet number” BAOR British Army of the Rhine BER Beyond Economic Repair BIC Bicester, Oxfordshire BLR Beyond Local Repair BOD Base Ordnance Depot BOV Bovington BR Beyond Repair BSDM CYR ? B Veh. B Vehicle [Vehicles not primarily for combat] CAR Caribbean(?) CAT Catterick CBR Church Broughton, Derbyshire CHL Chilwell Converted From registrationnumber [minus the initial letter] COD Central Ordnance Depot C.R. Cleared/Cancelled Record [Date vehicle sent to auction – not actual action date] also spelled CR CVD Central Vehicle Depot [one at Foston, Derbyshire; another at Sudbury, Derbyshire] CVD Central Vehicle Depot Ashchurch (shed 27) near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Date and Authy Sometimes contains a date and authority,believed to relate to vehicle moves between units. DON Donnington ERM Equipment Registration Mark [postwar registration – the 00 YH 00] ESD Engineer Stores Depot EGL Eglington, Ayrshire FAR ? FAR ELF Far Eastern Land Forces FTM Feltham, Middlesex GEO Georgetown, Renfrewshire GRE Greenford HAL ? HWB High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire LHM Laleham, Middlesex LIN Linwood LUD Ludgershall, Wiltshire Mark see Tech. Type MELF Middle East Land Forces MKH Market Harborough, Leicestershire MHL MillHill [London] MOS Ministry of Supply MOA Ministry of Agriculture ??? MTRS MotorTransport Repair Shop (source: www.goatpark.force9.co.uk/tempsite/history.htm) NIC ? maybe Nicosia on Sicily? P.R. ? RAOC Royal Army Ordnance Corps REME Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Rudd Ministry of Supply Storage Depot, Ruddington S.O. Struck Off Tech.Type Vehicle Model (caution: column sometimes indicates Contract No.) TWN Turweston, Buckinghamshire W.D. War Department 1950s RAOC Depots: 1stVehicle Group RAOC HQ Ashchurch in Gloucestershire: 12BVD 12th “B” Vehicle Depot, RAOC Ashchurch, Glos.(active Apr 57) 13AVD 13th “B” Vehicle Depot 2ndVehicle Group RAOC HQ 21BVD 21st B Vehicle Depot, RAOC Feltham 22BVD 22nd B Vehicle Group RAOC Laleham 3rdVehicle Group HQ Church Broughton in Derbyshire: 31BVD 31 “B” Vehicle Depot, RAOC Church Broughton, Derbyshire (active Apr 57) 33BVD 33 B Vehicle Depot, Derby 6thVehicle Group HQ Georgetown in Renfrewshire: 61 BVD 61 “B” Vehicle Depot, RAOC Georgetown Renfrewshire 62BVD 62 “B” Vehicle Depot, RAOC Eglington, Ayrshire 7thVehicle Group HQ Castle Donnington in Leicestershire: 72 BVD 72 “B” Vehicle Depot, Market Harborough], Leics. (active Apr 57, Aug 59) (also 72 BVD SALES) 75BVD 75th B Vehicle Depot, Turweston, Buckinghamshire

Here some stuff I have found on the internet over the years, first picture is an unknown rebuild shop, the other 3 are Chapmans. Cheers, Lex

Here's some more, most with TT, one with FV. So what does TT stands for? Lex

No the run over one, is just a wartime picture, that's not my bike! here a picture before restauration, a lot of work was done by the previous owner, but terrible colours, I found a WaffenAmt stamp on the engine, so made it WH. Lex

Ah, you mean the hairpin (Haarnadel ventil-Feder in German) springs, yes the bigger models had them, but not the smaller ones, the OSL 201,251 and 351. Lex

OK, thanks! I think the valves were open on these models, you can see it in the second picture. Lex

I still have to finish this OSL251 from 1936. Only wiring and cables to do. Lex

Nice! don't forget to remove the rag from the inlet, before fitting the carb! Lex

Same here, was confused, member for over 10 years!! Lex

I can send scans free of charge, PM me. Lex

So in June 2018 I had a look at the side panels, and decided they were too far gone and cut some new ones, the r/h side has a bulge for the governor, so that needed done too, don't copy the sizes from the picture, as they are not good; I got the right sizes from Christopher in the US (contact me if you need them); Then I made a simple pressing tool from wood, as I was only making one. This went reasonably well, and all was blasted/primered/painted again. Also in the meantime (for clarity not everything is chronological) I added the wiring, for the moment a self made harness, when I have some more money to spare I might order one from VWM. Note fuze holder, as per original. Still on the "to do" list, check if it charges, might have some wires switched on the ammeter, but the battery lasts months before a recharge is needed, so maybe it does charge. More next. Lex

So, also the hydraulic rams and supports were painted (they had been refurbished years ago by a friend of a friend) and the first test ride was succesfully done in May 2018, on one run we almost ended up in a watery ditch!! in fourth it really flies, so now we got a nickname for it! "Deathtrap" Then back with other stuff, a friend kindly refurbed the valve block, it had some play, and the bore was rusty, so it was honed out, the TM states never to do this!! haha, but today we have more modern methods, so the plunger was metal sprayed and turned down again for a perfect fit, the seal that was in there, was the old leather type, en completely shot, and difficult to find in that size, so the retainer was opened up a little, so a metric seal with double lips could be fitted, well actually two are fitted, and glued in, so should be OK. So that out of the way I concentrated on the rams and supports, this was all straightforward. Then a little more welding on the blade, plus attaching the carrier for the dataplate, and all blasted again, and in primer and OD. And fitted!! More next, Lex

That could have been mine! it was converted exactly like that, but looking more closely, it seems to be an International, not a White, many were used in Holland like this, up to 20 years ago! Cheers, Lex

Yes, let me know the results please! Lex

One of these: MODEL ENG. (M.E.) (tracytools.com) Lex

No, Marty Bratby once told me it's some kind of Model thread, very fine. Better call him to find out exactly what. Cheers, Lex

It's not just the vehicles, it's the troops that were left behind! There's a very good book about it, and then you realize, it was not just the SS that was bad!! Cheers, Lex

France is still considered orange, but that's mainly because of the bigger cities, there's hardly any cases in the rural parts. Cheers, Lex

Ok, no problem, but I am in Normandy now, so not near the frame. Cheers, Lex