marvinthemartian

Just got back from a busy weeks holiday in Dorset, which included the Steam Fair. Here are a few pics to whet your appetite. quite a good turnout of MV's, and a good number of Explorer's hiding in the commercial section, didn't see any Martians tho. Will hopefully post more pics of this when I get chance to resize. Simon

Where the truck is parked, it is a long way from a water supply, so cleaning is done by hand, scrubbing and brushing, washing off with a garden sprayer, though I am thinking about getting one of them drill powered pumps and a few 5 gallon containers, so I can get a bit more pressure up, as some places are hard to reach. Mainly using Gunk, with a bit of diesel too and household kitchen brushes as they are cheap. My arm isn't long enough to reach the drop arm! I have got more pics, but will have to put them up later, as it's time to get ready for the school run.

Have been doing a few more little jobs over the past month, welding up the rusty battery box, odds bits of painting and cleaning/degreasing the main gearbox and chassis rails. The battery box needed some new bits putting in the sides and a new bottom, which I cut from a different box. Then because in some places the metal was so thin, with lots of pinholes I decided to put a lot of filler in the inside of the strenghening swages, so that from the outside it looks fine, but once a battery is plonked inside, who'll see the insides. With the filler smoothed down, and a liberal coating of paint, not brill, but will serve a purpose. Here's a comparison of the two, or the good and the bad... I have also got my kigass tank painted and finished, bolted to its mounting bracket and put away in the shed for later.

Has anyone been over to Withams current tender. Hoping to go tomorrow morning, as there seems to be quite a lot of stuff worth looking at.

He will be missed, he always seemed to buzz whenever I saw him at East Kirkby.

Replacement should be easy. Probably be best to solder a new length onto either end of the old cable and just pull through. Not 100% sure which switchboard is fitted to a Stolly, but if like the other FV vehicles, then they run through a rubber seal, with a threaded nut to tighten it up, and are connected onto the board via screwed terminals.

The wiring between the junction box and starter motor is simply a 12 amp cable, originally made from unipren, running inside a tinned copper braided outer hose. At the jnc box end, the cable passes through a rubber bush inside a threaded union, of which the hexagon end of the braided outer screws onto, and is simply put into the correct terminal in the box and the terminal screw tightened. At the starter end is a 2 pin plessey connector, of which only 1 pin is used, and the other end of the braided hose is screwed onto this connector. The plessey connectors can be completely stripped, though they are very fiddely! Lots of small bits, pins, seals, threaded rings etc..... This is the view of the inside of the junction box. This is a shot of a 5 pin plessey connector, would guess 2 pin identical. Any more info, just shout.

Also the double connectors too, now that I've just come across them. http://www.thexmod.com/item_detail.asp?id=7611

New connectors can be bought from the X MOD http://www.thexmod.com/item_detail.asp?id=5047 http://www.thexmod.com/item_detail.asp?id=1282 They can also sometimes be found on Ebay too. Marmite, as far as I can remember those pliers are more for use on civvy vehicles of the 50's & 60's, Land Rover in particular.

I've often found that if the rubber boot is hard, then soak in boiling water to soften it. Hold the soldered nipple terminal with a pair of pliers, and push /twist the boot over the lip.

This place does a fair few. http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/categories/vintage-car-parts-coachfittings-and-body-parts-handle-exterior

This should be link to thread if it works. http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?29694-Petrol-playthings

Hi Duncan, progress is much slower than I would like, only doing little odds n sods due to crappy weather. Need a month of sun so can get out and do some panel work. Time is slipping by and the deadline looms closer.....

I have a feeling that the flap would be dropped down for when used in conjunction with the no3 oven that sits on top, so that there would be some sort of airflow up and into/around the heating chambers of the oven, also so that one can see that the burners are still lit, as the oven completely blocks the view from above. My no3 and oven along with 3 and a bit no2's are stuck at the back of the shed, so cant immediately get my hands on them to check. Simon

My thoughts too John, possibly for core plug removal/replacement.

Lucky chap. Spent today at East Kirkby, as they had a special event on with being bank holiday weekend. Lots of period reenactors milling around the place really set the scene. Hope they do get the old girl into the air, they've spent a lot of time and money on her lately, so with one more big push..... For starters, one of the old tower, complete with period looking characters. Being turned around ready for the next taxy run. Sat in the summer sunshine drawing admirers. Being turned again. She made three taxy runs today. Rumbling along the grass strip, a bit more throttle and up she goes..... one day......

Hi Simon, if you can get the TC12 in yellow then go for it, that seems a good price. As for the grille, I would say in service everything would've been DBG, but if you want it to look slightly different then others, then go for the black. Simon

Not a downloadable copy, but have been looking for something myself, and can only find this. http://www.vintagemvmanuals.co.uk/ look in the Misc section and scroll down to light equipment.

Agreed. Put that ruddy light out was a cracking line. Can always sit and watch the reruns as it never tires or gets old. A sad loss indeed.

He was at Bedfordshire show last September, have had a look through the programme, but can't find any details. I must say that it does get people to stand and watch it go by.

Think it is still there, the back end has been damaged,and I presume rust and exposure took its toll, and it fell off. Agree with John, always get permission first, Stephen is a good chap, when the weather gets better I shall have to wander over again. More views of the same.

Keep up the good work Bill.

I suppose as long as you remember to let the air out first, though it does seem that you are describing spring ring as opposed to split rim, as split rim is just that, two wheel rim halves bolted together.

Sounds like some sort of sex toy. :shocked::shocked:

Are you trying to say the Chelsea flower show is a load of sh1t? Suppose they need something to make the flowers grow.