FEC

Have read through this thread and agree with all the folk who say don't mess with fuel tax. 25 years in the Ministry, I have taken part and witnessed the out come of chancing the flexible interpretation of red fuel usage.

Vehicles have the Queens hand placed upon them, the premises where they are kept are searched, the records of fuel purchases are examined in detail (the outcome is always on the Queen's side). The vehicles owned or associated with the vehicle keeper are tested and will have ma'am's mitt pass over them.

When all is finished you will pay a fine, negotiate the return of vehicles, which will have a cost because they are not yours any more, recovery and storage costs and back revenue for the estimated avoidance of revenue.

Speculation on the flexibility of the regulations is suicide and beware of nice guys from the emerald isles who offer you diesel even though it comes with plausible paperwork.

I have seen many reputable vehicle operators loose there livelihood and some of the vehicles they have cared for, for many years, gone because of the desire to save a few bob. I don't agree with the taxation system for fuel products but cannot emphasise more the advice (Don't Chance It).

I know a few of us are trying to organise a few stalwarts to get together for a full on swimming and off roading meet. One of the locations being suggested is the one in lincolnshire...its reasonably middle england for most people to get too within reasonable costs.

 

Anyone one here with a stolly intersted in joining up. We dont have a date or anything yet but just guaging interest.

 

Plan would be to swim and photgraph as many stollys in the water as possible...dont forget your bungs guys and make sure your bilge pump is functional...I fitted an extra one to the front of mine as she sits very heavy in the water forwards...so i am told as I have never yet swum the old girl...

 

I have been thinking if I could make up some bolt on frontal device that would give me say an additional ton of frontal buoyancy...that means about an IBC size box up front...not sure if I can achieve that yet but looking into it...

 

anyone know if there is a better way to improve the frontal buoyancy, am thinking if I seal up the front winch housing this must help...not sure how easy that will be but I guess any little will help.

I wish you success with this proposal.

The loading to the front was not a major disability for the mk2, the mk1 dipped to the front also. I think the problem is more of a cab structure and distance from centre wheel station.

A rear view of the Antar for sale ! Taken a few years back ! :-D

Very nice work but why choose to make it so narrow?

Yes it is a steel body that david built to similar dimensions as the proper one fitted to the Mk3A variants. It also has the hydraulic PTO plumbed in with a spool valve mounted on the rear N/S wing but I cannot recall what it is connected to. This is the ex Cooper Antar.

Sorry Paul. Looks like no ballast body I've ever seen.

There seems to be a niche in the market for a builder of ballast bodies.

Regards.

Ps Who reconditioned the axles?

Pps Warming to see it still has the Fazakerley Engineering contract number in the window (636)

Come on the lotto ! http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=62362&cat=4

Confused. com?

The advert shows something where the ballast body would be. Is this something masquerading as a ballast body?

Wasn't there a chemical used in fire extinguishers that could remove oil from clutch plates?

 

Assuming the clutch plates aren't permanently knackered, if you could use some of that you could be up and running again without removing the clutch.

Yup BCF biff extinguishers. You know the ones you biff the head to set going.

Sorry Paul :embarrassed: .... but now you say that the bung was in, makes it worse, because the flywheel / clutch is not many inches off the floor, does not need a lot of rain before you end up with a lot of water in there. Seen it before .. and had to deal with it.

As a total cock up short term attempt to free of the plates, feed them with a good penetrating fluid for a few days and try again.

I totally distance my self from the last comment as it is the worst suggestion/cock up.

A big boy told me this and ran away. , Miss.

Call me stupid. I have been around AEC's all my life and have never said "has anyone seen an AEC militant MK2":embarrassed:?

[h=3][/h]

add to that, J60 Jaguar engines, as well

Add in the Meteorite Mk204.

I say this because there was a flap on in the early seventy. Doubt was raised that the internal lock wire mods had been done. So all holders of Mk 1 & 2 Antar's had to consult the little tube and take remedial action and annotate the record. The tube on them was two halves, male and female, in aluminium with a sealing "o" ring. Situated right hand by "a" magneto.

Standing for ever is not unusual for special items like gun tractors. They seem to have had a glut of them, some passed through FEC for over seas sale.

I came across this and thought it may be of interest, it shows an armoured car leading a convoy of food trucks during the national strike of 1926.

I remember finding manuals for things like that in FEC's technical library. Some looked like Rolls Royce's with bin lids fastened to the sides and a dust bin turret.

Don't know that as a gun tractor? Poss a GS.

That is the ex Cooper machine that David bought a few years ago it required extensive work to the rear axles which was only found after he got it back. The ballast box is not original it is a copy he fabricated. David also has my old Dyson 50 ton trailer to tow behind it.

Ah the thick plottens!

I notice today that the Mk 3 tractor from Yorkshire has vanished from Milweb. has any one news of its destination?

A knock behind the wheel eh?

 

I wonder.............

 

Once upon a time Jim'll Fix It did a thing with Stalwarts from 21 Sqn RCT with a kid - which included swimming them in the Rhine (21 were in Glamorgan Bks Duisburg)

 

During the filming the stollys did some very - er - energetic cross country then piled straight into the river, whereupon one of them began to ship water and sink due to a wheel station banging up and damaging the hull.

 

Luckily you didnt see the recovery on the telly, as Jims team had leged it by then

 

But you never know - this might be one of my old mate Marty's boats!

FEC saw a number of hulls that had bent panels below the propulsion units. seemed to be a weak area. Lot's of heat and persuasion.

I remember the Jim'l fix it piece and would love to get a copy of that mk2 stolly bouncing across the rough ground and plunging into the river. always regret not attempting it when performance testing at Carr Mill Dam, no bottle.

I rest my case yr honour.......................

The worst thing to do on a knocker is a compression and leakage test. Claiming in and out, the heat, the smell of hot diesel, being covered in diesel and kneeling in the passenger foot well. Failing my class 2 HGV test in a HAA.

But they are lovely rugged bits of kit.

It does indeed pop off - although you and I might discuss the exact definition of "with a little effort" over a pint one day! Actually there is little point in splitting the cab as all the real damage is below the join. I nearly gave myself a hernia just getting the door down the stepladder. They dont look that big on the truck but try lifting the beggars off though!

Yer seen some unsuspecting body makers eyes bulging, when caught out by the weight of them there doors.

Fantastic bit of fabrication. Takes me back to the rework program. To make life easy, the cab pops off with little effort?

The one on Milweb is available for someone who wants to drive one round rather than have it parked up as a static "gate guardian", however another one is currently being done (by yours truly) for that static display purpose. Confused? Not really - there is a lengthy thread on the subject in the "transporters" section! If this works out it means that not one but two ANTARS are saved.

Amen Paul. Still very confused as to how it moved from ohh don't butcher her, to Crouch sale item? Is it to do with the rescue funding or somthing more complicated.

Which ever I look forward to seeing her at some show.

PS. Would love to know where the C8SFL went from the future gate Guardian.

Gawd knows what he would want for the very good looking ballast parked in front of it.

Thanks for the extra information. By the sounds (and looks) of it your photo's deserve a thread of their own.

Forgive me guy's. A bit slow on the uptake.

Regards.

Hi Smithy

I have a bunch of photos gathered from various sources, mainly folks who worked at FEC over the years. I was at FEC for 15 years and in that time the list of vehicle and equipment types varied widely, but revolved round the main business of Antar's Stalwarts, Saracens, Humber's, Bulk and flight refuelling, Fire Crash (Alvis and Thornycroft), Recovery vehicles, Artillery limbers, Earth moving, Mechanical Handling, Mine planting, Mains Generating and all sorts of surprises that would arrive in boxes . In prior years DUKW, Scammells of all types, Chevrolet, White half track and Scout and Hippos to mention just a few.

Would love to gather more photos for publication.

Probably to combat the years of Command Workshop types who rubbished FEC. Maybe because we got the work done.

Some more.

The colour shot of me impersonating a struck match, is I think, but will be corrected a Constructor tipper in mint condition which had been loved and cared for by a unit, about to be cast and sentenced to life in a Welsh quarry, and it all seemed to happen in unreasonably quick time. Probably my distrusting nature.

Fantastic. Brought back warm memoires of rolling around under a sea of bronze green. Much admiration for the facilities. We only managed with, space, multi trades and a small army.

Hello Militant Folk

Can anyone help me with what happened to the Ritsons Mk3 after the Risley site closed. I was an unsuccessful bidder when she was sold in about 99ish?

No the pitch of the worm and wheel allows the wheels to drive the transmission.