FV1604A

Last week, I bought a manual for a large military vehicle which consisted of a large amount of loose leaf pages. On going through the papers, I came upon a section stapled together detailing a totally different vehicle. The mystery vehicle comes in various marks 6a/6b/6c all mentioned. It has a B81 RR No 1 engine. It carries a main supply of only 19 gallons of fuel with seven on reserve, and weighs in at 6 tons 4cwt total. The manual's weight distribution section details front axle, centre axle and rear axle, so assume it is a six-wheeler. It has a David fuel Pump, a Solex type 48 NNIP carb, has torsion bars and tracta joints. A fluid coupling oil reservoir is also detailed. Am I looking at a part of a Saracen manual, although the fuel tank capacity seems low for a vehicle of this type? Possible alternative; Alvis Salamander crash tender, short runs, no need for large tanks and reduction in weight essential for speed. Any ideas? Thanks, Mike.

Talking about nice fellas. If you come on Denny Thompson at one of the many shows he attends, go up and have a word with him. He has/had two restored Matadors and probably another few for spares. He's an excellent fellow and an absolute fount of knowledge. He used to have a beautiful Diamond T 980/981 hard top too, amongst other things. I have to be another voice to bring back Antar Mike as his knowledge is now a sad loss to the input of this forum. Surely some amical solution could have been thrashed out to keep everyone happy? Apologies if this goes slightly off topic. Regards, Mike.

Really enjoyed reading this post, Paul. It did remind me of the days when I had a moderate size collection and all the hassles in moving them around, starting problems, seized brakes, etc, keeping a small fleet running is a full time job. Bon chance. Mike.

Of course, you have space,Paul, park it up next to the Antar, nice pairing! Mike.

Hi all, Don't know if anyone has already posted this or even seen it, but a Leyland Martian gun tractor is on offer in a classified ad in Tractor magazine for £2900 o.n.o. Described as 'a good runner with Leyland 400 diesel, it is in Yorkshire somewhere. Original RR B81 engine comes with it. Tel. 07742693117. If you save it, let us know on here. Mike.

Thanks to Steve and Paul for the pictures. Well done, good news shots. Anybody know yet the army reg/chassis number of the 'new' gate guardian; very interested to know. Can't guess who bought '61', there are just no clues!! (Sorry couldn't resist it!) Regards. M.

Sorry, early morning typo should have read 09AY93.

Hi Paul, Certainly a worthwhile project and a very interesting vehicle to boot! I have a contact in the North East of England who has one of these six wheelers,who I will see if I can contact. However, your best course of action is to go on to www.f-s-p-g.org, the fire services preservation group.There is an RR on the site gallery 09AY83. Put a request to them via their contact page and I am sure they will help you. They will be the same good crowd as inhabit this site except they like them RED! Best wishes, Mike.

This thread has come to a grinding halt. Anybody in the 'know' heard anything more about this lovely Mk3 Antar and its fate!

Good Man Fec, Me,too! Have a read of your P.M.'s Regards.

The fact that you can run it on 'free' contaminated fuel will probably mean that it will cost less to run, than my heavily taxed diesel-powered Citroen C15 van. Well done, Mark, for saving it, very sincere 'bon courage' for the restoration; now get back to absorbing all that manual information!

Hi, Excellent job. An amazing restoration from the vehicle seen in Paris sticking out of that hedge. Received your pm message, Thanks. Now you have set this standard, can we see the Federal 94x43 on W and P ground in 2013, Tony? Seriously, well done, you are both a credit to the movement. Hope the weather improves in UK (it's lousy here too!) for the show, Kind Regards, Mike.

Hi Tony, Check your PM's. I have sent you a message. Thanks.

Condolences to the families.Very distressing situation for everyone.Driving standards are falling rapidly in the UK. However, here in France , it is pretty bad too, we see so many cases of absolutely appalling driving. The French think that a solid white middle line is the time to overtake;the young lady driver appears to be the most impatient! The standard of driving from the Portuguese and Spanish Truckers is extremely low, the number of times that I have had to 'park' on a roundabout while a 'trucker' pulls his forty-footer out from under my front bumper having failed to observe the standard roundabout rules is unnerving. Particularly, watch out for the Polish equivalent of the 'white van man', they are usually Merc Sprinters and often pull trailers. They appear to be heading across France to Spain on deliveries. They have no fear! Roundabouts are inconveniences to them and many end up in a heap in the field opposite! They drive very close to your back bumper, so pull over and let them past! Anybody coming to France on holiday, feels they want any safety rules, pm me! Stay safe, Regards, Mike.

Hi George, It's been a while since I was up there, don't even know if ROF is still going. However, the site is near there; it is the building which belongs to a company who manufactures metal garage doors. Whilst interesting, I don't think there will be any ACV's lying around!! I am not taking credit for this knowledge as it was the 'great Bart' who enlightened me. There was an article on the AEC ACV in 'Wheels and Tracks' sometime in the distant past and as the AEC is a great favourite of mine , I remembered the info. ( I have two of the Dinky gems albeit in green). Hope you're well and regards to all up in the North East, Mike. p.s. My wife tells me that, according to Wiki , ROF moved its Birtley operation to a purpose-built factory in Washington.

Hi Skint George and Niels v, Question for Niels please. Is the AEC Command vehicle in the picture in the UK or Denmark? Skint George, Did you know that those AEC's (based on the 6x6 chassis 0854 used for the refueller and the Coles crane, I think) were actually built on your 'patch'. So the real 'blue thing' was actually built at Birtley, near the old ROF plant.:-) Best wishes, Mike.

Hi everyone, May I start this incredible 'news' day with congratulations to the happy couple who seem to be the centre of attention in London at the moment. Best wishes to Kate and William. May they have a long and healthy life. The British people are very lucky to have such a beautiful couple to represent them. Notwithstanding his unique position, His Royal Highness, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is joining one of the Search and Rescue squadrons, flying those fantastic Sea Kings. I have on several occasions been involved with 202 Squadron at RAF Boulmer, in Northumberland and these amazing teams of men and women, whose dedication and skill have to be experienced to be believed. Long may they continue and may the British government realise what a very important role they provide to the community and that they should be ring-fenced from any budget cuts. Everyone out there, have a great day:) Mike.

Hi, Think this is an FF Berliet if my memory serves me right and I think the French Air force or the Navy had some in green. However, this vehicle is originally from the Haut-Saone fire service in dept 70 (see plate) which is near the German/Swiss border around the Vesoul area and was probably bought directly from the auction of J.C.Picot's vintage fire appliance collection which happened about three years ago(see writing on windscreen)or alternatively,from Bekes Beke's dismantling yard in Paris had a load of these, but they probably ended up as Chinese bridges as the yard was cleared last year. Mike.

Hi all, Here in France, the controle technique is a two-yearly event already, at a cost of 80 euros (for us Brits initially, 6 euros less for the French;extra paperwork, I am told)), with only the vans having to do a pollution test every year at a reduced cost of around 30 euros. However, my experience is, that they are very tough. The ct report, whether you pass or not, unlike the UK MOT, shows all the faults found, although these may not be safety-based ,so you don't have to do anything about them to get the 'ticket'. It is useful though, as you tend to check these out and fix them anyway! An opportunity to thank everyone for providing an informative and knowledgeable forum. I will now go back to (w)racking my brains to think of some question on Humbers that Clive 'FV1609' can't answer! Regards to all, Mike.

Hi guys, To Swill1952xs/Phil Munga in sunny Darlington and Albion HD/WD. As an admirer of the great Albion WD23N truck, thought, I would mention that some good bitz have surfaced in Classic and Vintage Commercials magazine (May 2010) this month. Should you not have seen this, there is an engine for sale , contact details are below (this is a subscriber ad number which will search out the advertiser by parameters they have set within the ad structure). Ad reads "Albion Used Petrol engine for 6x4 Machinery. Offers. Albion F10.42L petrol engine complete for 6x4 machinery truck.(precis) One MOD recon, front, centre rear and rear axle, all wooden-boxed and stored in dry building, available for inspection by appointment. 07043 568226 Shropshire. Hope this helps the restoration of yours or any other examples of this great vehicle. BW. Mike

All the best , Bazz! Spent a lot of time in the Tow Law area. Hope you, your family and your friends have a great evening.

Hi all, Thanks to all the members responding to this thread. I have learnt more about the CET in the last five minutes than I could have imagined. Thanks, all your posts and your time are really appreciated. I haven't the resources to own one, but have always admired it as a working piece of kit and wondered what they were like in the real world.

Hi Kev, Have asked my pal if he is interested in selling his mark two. Will let you know if he is. Runs, drives interesting history.P.M me if you want to discuss it. Best wishes, Mike FV1604A

Welcome, Harry, Northumberland, Durham and the Scottish Borders are some of the best regions in England. Yes, that's a great ambition, I only ever saw a half track in British Army colours, traversing the roundabout on the old coast road to Whitley Bay in 1960/61 ish , on its way to Debdon Gardens, Heaton, recovery headquarters, it is a sight and sound that has stayed with me ever since! Keep chasing the dream . I am sure that there are a lot of people on this site who will be really happy to tap into all those years of knowledge. I have learnt so much since I joined the forum! Best Wishes, Mike.

Wow, Did i open a can of worms when I saw the ad in HCVS. Thanks for all your posts. It gives the general MV population, an understanding of what is happening around them, perhaps, without their knowledge. When I mentioned the ad , I certainly had no idea of the amount of information available about this group. As far as I was concerned , there was a chance to preserve another K6 or certainly retain some parts for a preservation project! I had the chance to buy a K6 crash tender in 1984 and turned it down as just too much work, but now , of course, wish that , at least , we had bought it and kept it for spares. Anyway, best of luck to you potential buyers. Mike