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Im not too sure where to put this so apologies in advance!! Im coming to the end of restoring my Bedford TM and wondered if anyone would know where I can get hold of a pair of RCT cap badge door decals/transfers. They used to put them on vehicles that were part of the RCT display team. The Royal Engineers used to have their cap badge decal on some of their Crusaders. I know its a big ask but im sure someone will know!! Andy.

Whatever you do DON'T put them in the washing machine or even hand wash them as all the feathers will stick together in one big lump and your doss bag will be next to useless!! I know this from past experience..cursing myself as i shivered in the bottom of a trench on Salisbury Plain!!! Andy

I seen this ages ago for sale..it looks like a seriously modified 8T 4x4 You can make out the 4-4 on the front of the cab. Strange looking beast..wondered what it was used for?

Fantastic pics. Can't help wondering the fate of the soldiers in the pictures.

Hi mate, Welcome to the forum! Good to hear that your restoration project is coming along well. Im restoring a Bedford TM and im nearly at the same stage as you. I can recommend Frank Burberry Paints..ive just bought 10 litres of Nato Satin Green and its a really good colour and it applies well with a nice finish. Very reasonably priced as well and was delivered overnight. Hope this helps..i know how much of a big decision paint choice is!! Look forward to seeing some pics. Andy.

I think all our 16 tonners were GB's. Most of the 8t TM's we had at 27 Regt RCT were GT's or AJ's. 14t TM's were mostly KE. My 8t TM CALM is KB and its Date in Sevice is 25th August 1983.

Hi Paul, The vehicles military Reg No. will be stamped onto the data plate somewhere on the chassis..usually under the cab. Also do you have a copy of the Application For Disposal Of A Cast Vehicle document MOD Form 654? This will tell you the date when the vehicle was first in service and also the reg no. If it was disposed of through Withams then they may have the info on their records. The Foden is a lovely truck to drive...used to drive them when i was in and we used them mainly for carrying Heavy Stress Platforms when i was at an air drop trials unit. We had 2 steel and 2 fibreglass cab models and all were 9 speed..4 over 4 with 9th overdrive..range change being a paddle shift. Id say yours was originally a GS version and not a tanker..someones just modified the rear of the bed into a beaver tail. Hope this helps. Andy. Hope

At xmas we were talking about things that define Britishness whether it be past or present ie concorde etc. Well i asked my 13 year old niece to think of something and after some thought, quite straight faced she confidently said.....Hitler!!! I didnt know whether to laugh or cry! What do they teach them in school these days?!! Apologies for not being MV related!

Very entertaining thread..some real blinders there!! Heres a few of my own..not MV related but still along the same lines. Few years ago I used to own and show a 1969 Ford Mustang with a 429ci V8. It took me, with help from friends 4 1/2 years to restore. I had all the usual questions and "armchair experts" telling me this and that etc. Best ones: "can it do wheelies?" "how fast does it go?" "is it the car from Bullet?" "is it Eleanor?" But the most irritating and tedious was the "how many mpg does it do and why did I buy a V8?" I got bored of answering a lot of questions and just used to sit in my picnic chair pretenting to read the paper!! Id made up a board with all the answers and info about the car but as others know most people just cant be bothered to read it!! Ill be showing my TM this year.....think ill tell people that yes it does do wheelies!!

Firstly thanks for all your suggestions..much appreciated. I think the problem does point to an electrical fault as Ive noticed that when i switch the headlights on the temp needle creeps up but sits higher than 130. Ill get an electrician on it to test it with a meter. The sender i ordered to replace the exsisting one does differ from the original. I was going to swap them back over and see what happens but now ive found the headlight problem it could well be down to faulty wiring.

58 patt water bottle pouch.

It looks like it could be some sort of ammo pouch as the loop on the top/rear is for attaching a yoke to.

Nope..a 58 pattern water bottle pouch has a strap fastener with a green metal buckle. Its also a darker green. Im not sure what the pouch is that you have. Hope this helps. Andy.

lol..long enough chain and looks like the interiors lined with egg boxes!! Good clip:)

Try saying that when you are sober!! Hi..I wondered if anyone can shed some light on a little problem that my TM has developed. When I start the truck up and let it idle to get it upto working temp both thermostats open and it sits at 80 degrees (normal). However when I take it for a drive and start working the engine the temp creeps upto 130 degrees (max) and just sits there. It doesnt over heat, boil over or lose any coolant, the top and bottom hoses are both hot as is the header tank. The truck runs fine but it does cause me concern when going any distance..dont want anything drastic to happen!! Ive replaced both thermostats and sender switch and it still does it..so im at a loss!! Hope someone might have an idea as to whats going on. Thanks in advance. Andy.

Hi..You probably already know but I found this and thought it would be of interest to you. Excellent project you've taken on and wish you all the best! http://www.milweb.net/webverts/53194/

Hi Mike, Thats correct about the sulphur and acid rain. Im not involved in the refining process so I can't comment on that..but I can find out when im next back on shift! Its right on our doorstep..can't miss it! Andy.

You are dead right Andy. Microbiological growth is a problem in stagnant fuel ie fuel thats been sat a while. Also the FAME content in the fuel will also compound the problem. The best way to avoid it is to try and draw off water from the fuel..the bacteria thrives in the water that will build up over time and settle in the bottom of the tank. Also a full tank is better than half full as the air space will encourage condensation inside the tank. My TM suffered with this when I picked it up..the truck had been standing for 6 months with old fuel in it. It also happened to my mate with his boat when he bought some old gas oil..made a real mess of his filters and fuel system which resulted in serious power loss and we had to strip and clean the whole fuel system with treatment. Im not 100% sure about heating oil as we dont deal with it though we have a lot of independant fuel companys that pick up GO10 and could well be delivering it for heating..when it goes out the gate its no longer my concern!! Andy.

My Bedford TM 4-4 CALM...I love it!! Classic looks, rugged and practical. And its a nostalgia trip for me:) Andy.

Hi mate..no offence but what you are saying isnt quite right. If you look at my first reply you will see that I have explained the difference between Gas Oil and "white" Diesel as you call it. Its all about the sulphur content. ADO or "white" has a sulpher content of 10ppm and sometimes 0ppm when the FAME has been taken out during refining..FAME being Fatty Acids Methyl Ester. Gas oil for all marine and industrial usage used to all be 1000ppm but now only marine use is and all other usage is 10ppm which is ADO but dyed red. Heating oil is also 10ppm as the suphur content has to be low as it produces carbon and this is what the goverment are trying to reduce. Its all about the enviroment! Trust me its what I do for a living!! Agree with you on putting red in your car or truck..it will stain the fuel lines and tank and the customs will not be pleased!! Its big business in Ireland with gangs straining out the red dye and running the fuel across the border...Mr Slab Murphy was one of the biggest culprits back in the day!! Hope this helps..Andy.

Basically yes...the only difference being the diesel sold for road use is additised and the diesel used for ULSD isnt..its what we call industrial..but it all comes out of the same tanks. Im not 100% sure what the bio content is for ADO but ill find out and let you know. The unleaded petrol (E5) is 5% bio which is Denatured Bioethanol=ETDN...it has an Alcohol content between 99.5% to 100%!! Andy.

I work for a major oil company as a terminal controller. We started selling GO10=ULSD on the 1st Jan 11. Its replaced GO1000 for machinery etc but is still sold for marine use, ferries etc. All ULSD is is ADO (Diesel) which is dyed with red marker dye on the loading racks at the final point where it enters the tanker. So what you are getting is better quality fuel which has been available at the pumps for years now for normal road vehicle use but with red dye in it. The sulphur content is measured by parts per million (ppm) so GO10=10ppm and GO1000-1000ppm. Hope this answers a few questions. Andy.

No problem. Your beetle is stunning and youve done a fantastic job! The pictures are really fascinating..I think im the only one to post a type 2!! Andy.

I seen a Reynolds Boughton RB44 on the A35 yesterday morning towing a mahoosive boat!!

Really interesting thread..does make you wonder! I think the Plymouth connection as originally posted could be about the story/myth that has been circulating for donkeys years about a load of Jeeps buried in a farmers field somewhere around Kelly Bray which is a village a few miles outside of the city. Can anyone shed more light on this?! Ive always wondered! I do remember when I was about 12 someone telling me there was a load of blown up Sherman parts dumped in a hedge on the edge of Dartmoor near the village of Bittaford..well off i pedaled on my bmx dreaming of finding a turret or a wheel or something only to discover a pile of rusty bits of farming impliments!! Oh well..dream shattered and only aching legs for my 12 mile round trip!!