DJM110

G'day All, Whilst clearing out an elderly neighbours garage today I came across this box the contents are missing and it has been painted over with I think 'silvafrost', on the lid can be seen Mk 111 is this box worth keeping or should I just give it to a mate to store whatever in!!, if anyone wants/needs the box is most welcome to it, but I live in Australia, I'm happy to post it if your willing to pay the postal charges, any suggestions or are they as common as over there!!, cheers Dennis

G'day All, This vehicle was the 6th restoration I undertook, I purchased the Land Rover during 2003 (while doing 114-194 4 Stretcher Ambulance), it was a basket case, rusty bulkhead and chassis that had a lot of rot, previous owner was a beach fisherman, salt water/sand are great chassis killers. The Land Rover had undergone some modifications (at unit level during it's service life) it had a modified cage on the back with an altered canvas which was pretty rotten, I needed to get rid of the rubbish asap so I stopped working on the 'Bloodbox' for a short period while I attended to this task, once done the Land Rover went into storage about 1 mile from home in a friends shed (all I had to do was mow the grass), it sat in there for approx 2 years before work commenced in ernest, at home before removing rotting canvas etc the canvas had rotted off over the cab, so just use your imagination as to what the inside looked like, seats fell to pieces, bulkhead rusty etc etc, anyway off to storage it went, I looked in on it every so often, at least it was out of the weather and dry, the shed, my 110 was pressed into service to retrieve the 109 when I had to move it yet again as my friend moved away, so I stored it out in the open with a canvas cover over it for a period I used to visit the 109 from time to time and just tell it one day you will look like this, it's just a matter of time, :nut: (I know I'm a nutter :blush:) being parked on grass doesn't do it any favours either, thats why it's sitting on galv/iron even though the chassis was rotted out etc. While this vehicle sat around doing nothing, I didn't, I needed to find a bulkhead and chassis, a chassis was found only 5 miles from home (it was a story all on it's own) the bulkhead was picked up in Cobar NSW about 360 miles (approx) from Cessnock, I knew of it's existence in Cobar as I had seen the Land Rover parked there for some years (very dry out west) as I travelled to n fro on shooting trips to Tilpa. On our way back from a Land Rover gathering in 'Blinman' South Australia in 2004, I asked about and found the owner of the L/R, the princley sum of $25.00Au changed hands and about 1 hour later it was on the roof rack of the 110 heading East for a new life JFIS the hand throttle in the picture is now on a Land Rover back in the UK, I gave it to an enthusiast about 3 years ago this is the donor chassis found in Kurri Kurri about 5 miles from home, the chassis was perfect but the bulkhead on it wasn't, so it went to scrap when it was stripped down, I stored it in the carport standing on it's rh side out of the weather, end of part 1,, cheers Dennis

G'day All, Here are a few pictures of one of my No5 1/2Ton trailers, this one was a little rough, it needed remeadial work on the tub + it had a bent drawbar probably caused by jack knifing when under reversing the trailer, as purchased from Warwick L a well known dealer of ex-mil gear here in NSW/Oz, one of the first tasks was to strip it of it's fittings etc, ARN 154-520 stencilled on frame the tub floor was a victim of neglect rusty wasn't the word I would have used but it will do buckled/bent fits in with description as well, the new floor section was carefully marked out, cut and refitted into place, I don't have any pix of the tub being grit blasted etc, but the tub n chassis was grit blasted using Illmenite, great media but filthy stuff, tub etch primed/undercoated and painted Olive Drab (along with the chassis) attention was now turned to the draw bar it was bent remember, a good mate rewelded it for me after I made a sleeve to fit inside the tube, it was plug welded and welded around the circumference of the tube, flap sanded back weld cannot be seen the almost finished job all it needed now was the bridge weight disc, hoodstick, canvas cover and behold from the rear with ARN (repro) and a genuine 'Convoy Ahead' sign I had been waiting for the repro 'Ordinance factory' makers plate and here it is with the bungs fitted the trailer will hold ?? gallons of water, troops have used them full of water to cool off in, they will also float, but mine has done neither of these feats, anyway cheers Dennis ps Richard Farrant, yes all the No5 trailers were unbraked, I have only ever seen one modified no5 with brakes, and I was told it was a 'Bomb Disposal' trailer, it weighed heaps, the trailers used by the fleet of 101 Rapier missile jobs and light boats etc were braked,,.

G'day All, a few posts back I mentioned that just for a change of pace, I knew I could fully refurbish a variant of the No 5 type trailers in a short space of time, well I have 3 variants of the No 5 trailer, this particular one is designated as 1/2Ton Platform Electrical repair Census No 6017B. This trailer was purchased at the same time I bought 114-194 (S2A 109 4 Stretcher Ambulance) it went into storage at a mates place in Morpeth NSW, I retrieved it one afternoon and bought it home, work started on it the next day, I never let the grass grow under my feet I'm a nutter :nut: :nut: LOL the short trip home behind the 110 the next day it was stripped to it's component parts, the chassis the 1/2 ton platform body, a rivet counters delight LOL:nut: all this was achieved back in 2005, so my memory could be just off with finite details, but I seem to remember we had more rain than we usually get, but we did manage to keep on track, grit blasting was the order of the day, Illmenite was used 1st class stuff the grubby 'B' is me that was a Friday, I know that for certain, as I used to at the time only work a 4 day week, anyway it was full on for the next few hours etch priming it all, then 2 coats of Olive Drab the next day, chassis first, then the tub, the Land Rover under the covers is 110-850 (Lady S2 Comm/Recon) as I said I needed to change pace :nut: back together again and looking smick attention was turned to the hoodsticks, these are very different to the normal types fitted to Land Rovers, these extend upwards by approx 600mm, and it has a rear extension as well, basically what this allows for was a covered work area, that could be full sealed for light etc, it has a plethora of dutch laced canvas and poles/ropes etc etc the CES schedule is quite lengthy, a picture of the hoodsticks fitted with a NOS canvas, you can see the canvas extensions hanging down, this canvas would cost at todays prices at around $6,000.00Au all finished, now all it needs is a S2A 109 Workshop truck to drag it along :-D, well that happened a little later, cheers Dennis ps I just wish I could restore items as quick as I can upload pix here,,.

G'day, I had a last minute change of plan, and was able to get the journey underway at 1600hrs last Thursday (16/9/10 instead of the original schedule of a 0100hrs start Friday 17/9/10), this allowed me to have a rest/sleep before starting any work, I arrived at my destination at around 2140hrs, I found a suitable spot on the side of the country road and settled in for the night, it was cold, 2c Motel 110 I placed a canvas sheet over the engine just in case it dropped below zero, I was awake at 0520hrs, but I doubted that the farmer would be up at that hour, so I lay there watching sheep and kangaroos grazing, then around 0645hrs I got up boiled the kettle, my Volcanoe kettle, I drove the last few kilometers to the property and set about the task of dismantling to retrieve a bulkhead, I set myself up in amongst all these Series Land Rovers about 20 of them, in varying states of disrepair I undid most bolts but some of the floor screws especially those across the front of the floor, had to have their heads ground off, I suppose driving through sheep/cattle n horse droppings etc and never being hosed/cleaned does take it's toll on parts of the vehicle, anyway this was donor No 1, and after approx 1 1/2 hours it looked like this I had also been chasing a few hard to get items, that were on a S2 88" Comm/Recon car, I did a deal and removed quite a few items off it, I need to go back and buy all the Lucas front lights etc, this pic shows the gutted interior, it has less now :-D the vehicle pictured I have traced it's ARN (army rego number) 110-572 disposal date 20/5/68. I had in the back of my mind that since I had gone all this way on my own, and packed a plethora of tools etc, I might have a go to remove a second bulkhead, I made my intentions clear to the owner of the property he said I think you might be pushing the envelope to get that accomplished before dark, anyway me being me pushed on, donor No 2, and a while later (read 1600hrs) it looked like this, I can tell you all, I was feeling a tad tired (I'm 61 y.o) and after working flat out all day, I needed the owner to hold this bulkhead upright (it was slipping sideways along the top edge of the trailer) so I could load it into the trailer, at some point around 1640hrs I loaded a knife edge bonnet onto the roof rack of the 110, tied it down, did an emu bob (good look around for tools on the ground etc) and I was satisfied that I had retreived all my tools, I said my good-byes with a promise to be back asap to collect a few more parts and part with some cash of course, I hit the road for the return journey Friday at 1710hrs, almost exactly 5 hours later I arrived home, unpacked camera gear and a few small items, greeted the good wife, had a shower and hit the sack. Bright and early this morning I washed her car, then started to unpack the tools etc, after carefully going over what I took, I couldn't find the chuck key for the drill, then I remembered that it could be in a tool box that I had been putting nuts n bolts etc in, sure enough there it was, good I thought, but it was short lived, I had left my safety glasses behind, so I will ring the farmer tonight and ask him to look around donor No2, as thats where they will be. My son in law came over to help lift the 2 bulkheads out of the trailer, they will both need some remeadial work on them :-( but I knew this when buying them, at least they are not rusted out up along the top rails, 2 donors sitting waiting to be stripped further, all of this work is for my current project Restoration No 8, which I haven't mentioned as yet, anyway I hope this isn't getting boring cheers Dennis PS I will have to do a service on the 110 before the next country jaunt takes place:-D pps I have just scrutinised the picture of Donor No 2, and my safety glasses are on the ground, in the picture rhs there is a lenght of aluminium a steel welsh plug and part of a tyre showing, well just below that they are sitting on the ground, they are clear thats why I couldn't see them with the light fading, just hope that none of those shetland ponies stand on them,,.

G'day All, Many thanks for the compliments re my restorations, but I never lose sight of the fact that I'm just a amatuer (Reg/nse), anyway I'm having another short excursion into the vast interior of this great land called Australia. I have removed the rear bench seat from my 110, and replaced it with my homemade frame so I can sleep in the back of the Land Rover, I anticipate that I will be away from home for at least 2 1/2 days, leaving at 0100hrs (Thursday 1600hrs local time UK) on Friday 17/9/2010 and arriving at my destination at approx 0600hrs, that will be a tad early for the farmer so I will boil my 'Volcanoe' kettle (bought from Slavins up in the Nth East of England 1993) and have a cup or 2 of tea until I hear/see some signs of life around the house, then I will let myself loose on dismantling a couple of Landrovers for the bits I need for restoration No8, main item on the agenda is a S2/2A 4cyl bulkhead thats the 1st priority, then other smaller items, I will upload pix of the trip when I have returned and recovered. The 110 is now packed and ready to roll, 140lts of diesel on board all manner of tools, gen/set, 2 angle grinders if I need them, + heaps of other items needed for this type of recovery, a round trip of approx 900K's (450 miles) nothing is close in Australia LOL:nut: anyway wish me luck etc cheers Dennis:whentitsdone:

Restoration No5 (partial) G'day All, When this little gem of Australian Military history came up for sale, I knew I had to have it, and eventually that came true. I bought it from a chap who was in the military and used it as his personal transport out in the field. 112-655 had stood for a while and needed some remeadial work on it mainly brakes & clutch to make it operational again, I was working on 110-850 when it came along, so work stopped temporarily whilst I got 112-655 working OK. The 106RCL is a much sought after vehicle, they converted 69 Land Rovers to carry the 106mm recoiless rifle, there were 24 Series 2 types and 45 Series 2A types, I can only account for about 11 of them, a few in private hands (1 with a de-ac 106) all others in private hands AFAIK do not have a 106mm fitted, museum pieces have the 106 fitted. 112-655 is an absolute dream to drive on a cool evening on some of the quiet country roads around where I live, you do get a lot of looks from people when out mixing with the traffic, a couple of pix of 112-655, a Series 2 type Gunbuggy in country Sth Vietnam this picture shows my good mate Wayne R standing holding the GPMG M60, the 106mm was removed and used for perimiter defence, and it's role changed to 'convoy escort', bravery required here no protection at all fully exposed position, the Series 2A type (note on the S2 it has uncut wings) with all it's kit, picture taken in country (Sth Vietnam) out behind Nui Dat, in between working on Land Rovers I did restore 2 Aus/mil trailers, I knew I could knock over a trailer in under 5 weeks, so just for a change of pace and something different i did just that, will post some pix later cheers Dennis

G'day All, This was restoration No4, it is a 88" Series 2 Land Rover fitted with the early 2.25lt 4 cyl petrol engine, it went into service in 1959 and was decomissioned on 20th October 1967, it was purchased by a chap who used it as a shooting vehicle up the Nth West of NSW aka 'the outback'. It had a hard life chasing feral pigs and kangaroos off wheatfields etc, just about every panel was damaged, along with numerous other problems, it was discovered sitting forlornly in a shed by my son Kyle when he was on a shooting trip to the same property, and being the good lad he is took some pix for me and I bought it sight unseen, thats always a bad idea in hindsight as I paid way too much for so little :shocked: anyway some pix as found, my old mate Graham D looking over the prize LOL it had sat for years as you can see by the accumulation of dust on it I towed it out of the shed with my Isuzu 110, it looked worse out in the daylight, covered in wasps nests and spider webs and damn big spiders at that, with a little ingenuity and know how I managed to get it running, it was losing water through a welsh plug (core plug), the clutch and brake M/cyl still had fluid in it, I didn't bother with the brakes but believe it or not, the clutch kinda sorta worked and I was able to get it onto a car float for the long return journey home, the trip was approx 1,500k's and it had it's dramas as well, we lost (punctures x 4) on the trailer and we were stranded until my wife came to our rescue about 30 miles from home, next pic shows us on the roadside with no spare tyre for the trailer 110-850 went into storage as I was still working on the 'Bloodbox' 114-194, so I had an idea what I needed for the job so at various times I went looking for the bits I would need to complete this task as well. 110-850 got the full 'Monty' just like the rest of them, it took approx 12 months of slog to get it almost finished (well are they ever finished) the strip down starts, rolling chassis again waiting for all the mech/parts, extensive tubworks, new floor insitu body panels etc painted, rewired etc etc etc fitting a modified S2A exhaust system, the almost finished job, a far cry from what it looked like, 110-850 was a pleasure to drive until recently, I haven't had the time to look but it is making some horrible noises in the gearbox, not sure what has gone wrong as yet so it's tarped up waiting again LOL cheeers Dennis ps here is a short clip of 110-850 following one of my other Land Rovers, it was over 100f on the day extremely hot we just plodded along at around 40MPH, there were numerous bushfires about as you can see the smoke haze,,. pps Richard I will pass on your regards to Warwick L,,.

G'day All, Many Thanks for the kind words re 'restoration work' but I'm just an amatuer,:nut:. How many of these 109" S2A Ambulances were in service, there were 188 built, quite a few did 25 years service before being replaced by the 6x6 Perentie Ambulance. They were nicknamed 'Bloodbox' by the troops in Sth Vietnam, my 'Bloodbox' went into service in November 1966, and the records at the AWM (Aust/war/memorial) do not show when it was decomissioned. In a previous post I said I was going to the 'Broke Village Fair', well it's come n gone for another year, here are 2 pix + short video clip enroute in my S2A 88" gunbuggy, whats a 'Gunbuggy' it's a 106MM recoilless rifle carrier (but more about that later) 112-501 below 112-655 below a short clip (albeit not a very good one, enroute to Broke Saturday 11/9/2010) 'Chloe' can be seen very briefly in the rear view mirror,,. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qs-BJrXWSY anyway cheers for now Dennis ps pix were taken Saturday arvo, the Fair was today 12/9/2010,.

Land Rover resoration No3. During the restoration of 'Wee-Wullie', I found this desirable piece of Aust/mil history, it was covered from top to bottom with graffitti as you can see, the previous owner was a fan of Mick Doohan, I had to have it :nut: as found, and after being delivered by tilt tray tow truck sitting in front of the shed the vehicle had a dead rear diff, engine wouldn't run properly bulkhead rusted out and numerous other problems which I had to overcome in time. This was without a doubt the largest vehicle I had ever restored, I mused over how to lift the body off, I decided against that because of the cost in steel to make a gantry :shocked: I decided I would do it from the bottom up. Starting with the rear end, everything was removed, chassis cleaned with cup wire brushes and a needle scale gun, it took weeks of toil but we suceeded in the end, refitted it with a Salisbury differential when the rear end was finished I started it up reversed it out of the shed, turned around on the street, reversed back into the shed and gutted it back to the rear floor, and did the same with the chassis etc, 114-194 needed a new bulkhead, one was sourced from a country Land Rover (very dry out west = no rust ), several things needed to trial fitted etc everything fitted as it should, and over time all items were refitted, the head was removed and new valve stem oil seals fitted, carburettor O/haul, fiddle for days with the wiring loom, as these vehicles were fitted with a plethora of items that other service L/r's didn't have, it is fitted with a rotating beacon (RED) on the turret, under the bonnet Continental Horns, it was nightmare for me, but with perserverance i beat it, everything works as it should, The graffitti was removed by using the tried and proven method of paint stripper, as the body has literally hundreds of rivets, a mechanical device was not an option, the body was pressure washed afterwards to remove any traces of paint stripper, it still took a long time, After this was acheived the vehicle was etch primed and given 2 coats of Olive Drab, then all the areas were marked out for the Geneva Crosses x 5, only the 2 on the side of the body were the same size, the Geneva Cross on the turret was over 3' in dia, Being a Reg/Nse myself I found it relatively easy to re-equip the vehicle with 60's n 70's med/surg gear, as you can see I have near enough gear to set up a field station, the restoration of this Land Rover took me almost 18 months, I work on all my projects every day when not at work, and after work I do meanial tasks on the vehicle, it all adds up, this picture shows the 2 R/n's, I also have a deceased in a 60's US body bag + 1 patient with head n chest wounds I also use this vehicle to store quite a large amount of kit that I have for other Land Rovers, well that will do for one evening, only 4 to go + the Land Rover I'm currently restoring cheers Dennis :nut:

Land Rover restoration No2. After I had finished 'Chloe' I needed something extra, so I soon found another vehicle, it was purchased from Hilton P. a well known Land Rover enthusiast. 112-587 had gone into service with the Lawson Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, hence the 'Tin Top', the top was well made but I didn't need it so it was junk, as found out at Colo Heights NSW he was very straight body wise, but the bulkhead was like swiss cheese full of holes, he did run but not very well, he had a blown head gasket between 2-3 cyl's, we paid the amount needed and took him on a 100 mile road journey behind my Isuzu 110 County, then the work began on the long strip down after the vehicle was totally stripped, chassis grit blasted etc, the rebuild started, 112-587 was still Deep Bronze Green on the inside, so I decided to repaint him in DBG, this picture taken in 2008 and he still gleams when washed :cool2: 'Wee-Wullie' hasn't moved since the 25th April this year (Anzac Day) cheers Dennis

G'day All, I have been in the forum since last year, and I have only recently learned to upload pictures, and I have 7 fully restored S2/2A Land Rovers as used by the Australian Army back in the last century :shocked: (1959-1980's and some past that year), anyway here are a few pictures of 112-501 as found in amongst a farmers pile of other crap. As you can see it did look very ordinary, and the speedo reading was 3.7 miles (photo shows engine Oil pressure at 60lbs) this was acheived after getting vehicle home, the next 2 pictures were taken about 5 years apart fully restored, it now has approx 3,000 miles on the clock all clean for the Long Tan rememberance service Chloe will be out and about this coming weekend to the 'Broke Village Fair' cheers Dennis

G'day All, I haven't a clue as to how to post pix, but here is a link showing all 7 of my restored ex military Land Rovers cheers Dennis