sirhc

Modified for film work? I'm sure there was one that looked like this around a few years ago.

The first thing which comes to mind is a fluid flywheel filler plug. I don't have the Fox parts book with me right now, but it looks like it's the right part number in this photo I have of our flywheel..

Has the hull been drilled to let the water out? It's possible that whoever did that may have tapped the holes and fitted this as a drain plug.

Chris

Rubber pads on the tracks means it wont rip up the road when you natural turn it

You can't neutral turn an FV430!

Chris

Hi Tim,

There are a few more of these hulls which made it out of Withams alive, and I think at least one is up and running already. Hopefully I'll be able to get hold of the last bits and pieces I need to get it complete before the summer.

Chris

It would be great to have an ESPIRE, thanks for the link!

Chris

So we will see you down at Folkestone with it then........................

I would love to have it there, but probably not this year as there's a lot to do and not enough time!

Which ever one you decide to buy, if it goes in a container make sure you fill it with spares. Wheels, track, engine, gearbox, service items, as many bits and pieces as you can afford.

Andy - not sure about brave, more like stupid! :nut:

After a year of it sitting and sinking into the mud I have recently started building the Scimitar, I'll update as I go along. I still need loads of parts, so if anyone sees any turret related stuff, I need a mantlet, side bins, gunners sight and more.

I do have the engine and gearbox, and pretty much everything to get it mobile, so I am getting there! :undecided:

Chris

Final snippet of history I have so far on this vehicle. The hulls which were stripped had a sticker on the headlamp giving details of what the parts were being used for. The headlamp was smashed on mine, but inside the front bin we found the broken glass with sticker still attached...

The parts from 07FD04 were used to build NG50AB. Thanks again to Plain Military, here is a picture of that vehicle...

I would love to get the turret etc back from this vehicle, but I don't think that's going to happen!

Here are a few photos of the up-armouring package. It is fitted with the cheese grater armour along the sides of the stowage bins, but it also has a belly plate fitted. I don't know what this lot weighs in at, but it is supposed to be bonded to the hull so not possible to remove. The most annoying thing about it is the armour plate covers up all the drain plates for the engine and gearbox!

I knew finding parts for this would be a challenge, there were diesel parts going through the tender sales and a couple of weeks after buying the hull I bid on a number of lots which had bits and pieces I needed. Amazingly I won all the lots I needed.

I was very interested to find out the history of this hull as I suspected it had been used in Afghanistan. I put in a request for the Merlin report and got a reply very quickly. Thanks to Peter Hall for translating it, we believe it has seen service in:

The Gulf (1990 - 911) - QDG

Bosnia / Kosovo (1993 - 2003) - Light Dragoons & 9th / 12th Lancers

Iraq (2005) - Light Dragoons

Afghanistan (2006 / 07) - Light Dragoons

It went through the 235 upgrade programme in 2009 and became a "Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Full Tracked Scimitar (DSL) (E-Spire) Mine and Ballistic Protected 30mm Gun Bowman" .. the replacement cost on the Merlin report is £457198.85

The final posting before being stripped was the Land Training Fleet which is a training unit based at Warminster. I figured it may have been used on Salisbury Plain and asked the question on the Plain Military forum. Many thanks go to Andy Brend who had photographed the vehicle in use on Ex Pashtun Dagger 29-1-11!

Not only did he supply me this photo and a few others, but he even had some of it at DSG Donnington in January 2009!

I hope to one day find some photos of it in theatre, but unfortunately it's often hard to read the registration numbers with dust and extra camouflage, bar armour etc fitted.

I think it's about time I start a blog about my current restoration project.

This is one of the diesel Scimitar hulls which Withams were stripping and scrapping about a year ago. The hulls were what was left after stripping the vehicles to build Scimitar 2. Pretty much everything was stripped from them, engine, gearbox, electrics, final drives, turret, turret ring, wheels, track and more.

I asked about buying some bits from them and ended up buying one of the hulls, which was a massive gamble. Diesel vehicles are rare in private hands and the diesel upgrade parts are highly sought after by overseas governments who want to do diesel upgrades. In order to free up some money I had to sell my Lightweight Land Rover, which was painful as I'd owned it for years, my Snatch project which I'd just finished collecting bits for, plus both the Sabre projects we were doing. One was nearly finished and went abroad, the other is being restored by Paul Donovan who is doing a brilliant job.

Here are a few photos of the hull at Withams, and once delivered.

It could be worth greasing the threads and exercising it up and down, get someone to assist with the barrel too.

They are designed to be fitted to a Wolf, TUM HS. If you had a Wolf it would be fairly obvious where all the fittings go as they line up with existing brackets etc. Fitting it into a standard TUM you'll probably just have to make it up as you go along. They are also designed to line the inside of a hard top, so I don't know why you'd want to fit one inside a soft top?

Chris

Those pads are very annoying, it's not so bad if the last person didn't do up the bolt next to the hull too tight, but almost impossible if its very tight. How's the gearbox working out?

Chris

James,

I've had one blasted for about £300 but it was stored on the farm where the guy does his blasting. I needle gunned my Sabre and it took ages. If its an empty hull sand blasting is the way to go.

Chris

I've done some work with a company who can produce a rapid prototype in wax and then use it to produce an investment casting. We've also had laser sintered stainless steel rapid prototypes produced.. But it's not cheap!

Chris

The Spartan is the best CVRT variant for giving your mates a ride... not a lot of space in a turreted vehicle for passengers, and only one hatch in the cupola on the Sultan etc.

These would look good in the back of yours..

Chris

Hi James,

Looks like one of the better ones, from the outside at least. Does it have the dampers?

Chris

People own and run them so yes it's viable. Not knowing how mechanically competent you are and what maintenance or repairs you are prepared to do its hard to say if you should get one or not. There are plenty of parts about so no issue there.

Chris

Now all we need is for Rex to buy it!

Paul Bruschan did the alternator for my M151 too, very reasonable and he did a good job.

http://www.paulbruschan.co.uk/

Chris

They always had the rule about leaving early on Sunday, and everyone always left early. Unfortunately when people have a long drive home, at slow speed in an old vehicle, they are going to leave early.. it takes us more than 4 hours to get home, and people come from further afield than we do.

Similarly they have always had the rule about vehicle movement, it never stopped the people driving around, or the kids on quad bikes!

They looked like a lot of work, hopefully you'll be able to find anything that is missing though.

Chris

Hopefully not one from the last tender sale!