sirhc

I use these: http://www.relics.org.uk/shop.php?viewcategory=131

Have you tried here? http://swap.cid-online.net/memberstart.asp?profil=kemper_parts

I think it's open all the time, but I'd need to check.

Make sure the relief valve on the side of the hull is clean and working. They usually squirt a bit of water out of it on a long run, it's perfectly normal.

Matt, Have you tried the local council? We have a couple of council garages which are fairly cheap to rent. We phoned them up and they sent us a list of which ones were empty. Worth a shot. Chris

Lewis, This is the point at which you give up cleaning the tank and look for a better option.... Chris

Hi Lewis, The Spartan is well known for having problems with the fuel system. The 400litre tank is expensive to keep full and you get a lot of water in there from condensation. Ours also had about an inch of sand in the bottom. After spending a lot of time trying to clean it we gave up and just run from jerry cans, using the adaptors for generator sets. The plan is to fit a smaller fuel tank, as most other people seem to do. You can get the carb off without taking to top deck off, but to be honest it's not too difficult to lift the decking off. The first thing I'd do though is put a new set of RSN12Y spark plugs in it. The J60 seems to be very plug sensitive and I've cured running problems on a few with a new set of plugs. Hope this helps, Chris

Looks like a nice Spartan. How's the fuel tank? :-) Chris

Are these any good Mark? http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/c-60-turnbuckles.aspx

No need to use primer with Hammerite.

It's better than original, it should stop it going rusty. I painted the inside of mine with it and it still looks good.

Hammerite smooth finish, silver. Don't both with the spray, it brushes on ok.

Knowing you Clive it'll be the Pig with the cammo net on top?

John, Mine slides out no problem. It is the earlier style seat with the fixed back, but I can slide it off the back of the rails and lift it out the vehicle. Chris

Correct, this had a modified Chieftain turret on it when released.

Any photos of 04FD31? Scorpion and then Sabre.

It sounds like it might be stuck, try pressing the lever and giving it a tap with a mallet.

Have you found the mechanism that lets it slide backwards and forwards? It should slide right off the back of the rails.

It should be. Hopefully the seller won't mind me posting his pictures, but he has a good selection...

Ok, time for the latest update. I've got loads of pics of some nice restored parts, but I'm not going to post them just yet. Recently the Portugese army sold off 200 Mutts. I've just got back from a weekend in Lisbon, where I met the man who bought them. He has some very nice ones, look out for an advert on Milweb soon if you're interested in buying one. My intention was to buy a better body for mine. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but I bought this... It's a 1976 AM General M151A2. Some bits are missing, but the body is nearly perfect, apart from some surface rust and a slightly bent front wing. I was going to put my bits on this body and sell or scrap the other body, but this one is too good and too original to do that. So I'm going to restore this one and then decide what to do with the '71 Mutt. Chris

Well that was a quick change of heart! Maybe a low bid on the one at Withams would solve the axle problem and give you a pile of spares?

You might struggle to crush it!

There were plenty .30s at Stoneleigh for £600ish.

I've been collecting books, photos and details of CVRTs for a number of years. So far the earliest reg number I've seen is 01FD96, this was a Scorpion and is now a Sabre and is residing in my friends shed. I've not seen any Scimitars with 04FD registration numbers, only 05 onwards. One day I'll try and go through the record cards which will be interesting. So far I have 90 Sabre registration numbers, out of 136 built. 04FD16 and 03FD06 aren't on it. Chris

From the registration numbers I can tell these are not Scimitars, they are Scorpions. They may well have been converted to Sabres, which is what has confused him. I need to check my list at home. Chris