mick.wilson

thanks for your help Brooky

Thanks, only 7 miles from where I am camping, see you there. Mick

Anybody know where and when this big WD bike meeting is in Normandy, I remember there is meant to be some big meeting? I set off tomorrow on my 3HW, all packed and ready to go Wish me luck it's the first long run for the bike, 300 miles round trip :shock: Mick

It sure is, the ABF are part of “Help for Heroes” http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk So if there is anybody out there that can help it is for a very worthwhile cause. Any 40’s 50’s or 60’s vehicles used by the British forces please step forward? Mick

Hi Guys, Over the last few years we (the 514th Re-enactment group) have supported the “Army Benevolent Fund” in different ways, one of them is to park a few of our trucks up at there summer and spring dinners for the old boys to have a look around but we have had a clash of dates with one of our events and cant make there Aldershot Spring Lunch on the 11th of May, so we would like to ask if there is anybody out there that lives near to the Aldershot Garrison area with a vintage military vehicle (preferably 1940’s,50’s) with a few hours to spare. The dinner is at Buller Barracks and all we need to do is to park the vehicles up in the morning at the Sgt mess and collect them again in the afternoon, parking is within the camp so will be very safe. Please contact me at mick@514th.co.uk if you think you can help. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Mick

Very good book with lots of original Red Ball photos that I have never seen before. 10 out of 10. 8-) Mick.

Too late, couldn't wait, bought one from Amazon £16.49. Mick.

That's it I will have too buy a copy now :-D Mick.

Sorry I was never was much for spellings ;-) Looks like there was at least one steel body on the Red Ball and this bit of YouTube film looks like a few steel bodys may have been used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe0TOEc6EJs http://514th.co.uk/images/WWII/fb1a512d.jpg[/img]

Jack it’s the RED BALL not REBALL :roll: The "Road to Victory" by David P. Colley is and amazing book with all the facts a figers on the Red Ball, he has quotes from the drivers, most of them are now dead unfortunately. So has this book got the same old info in it or are we going to get new information from this book. Mick

Wanted two Low loaders (for 4 trucks) from W&P to Ipswich area (RAF Bentwaters) on the evening of the 16th of July and returning to W&P on the evening of the 19th July. Should be lots of low loaders about at the show sitting doing nothing for the days we need them and ideas would be much appreciated. Mick

The Halftrack is owned by two members of our group and they pay for the parts, but they get a small army of workers for free, we plan to put a list of all the parts and the costs at the end of the rebuild (running at about £3000 so far I think) Mick.

Got one of the new tracks on, hard work getting it on the idler :roll: More pictures here http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/IMG_2947.jpg[/img]

Got the re-built engine back in at last. More pictures here http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/P1010070-1.jpg[/img]

We have bought an engine for spares to get the crank out of (More pictures here)but what surprised me was that the engine was running fine and towing a Bofors for at least 100 miles with that crank like that, amazing what these old beasts will do. Mick.

The engine is out and the first part of the crankshaft is out as you see :-D More pictures here http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/P1010125.jpg[/img]

Thanks Chris, found two of them going rotten and wondered whether their worth saving.

Can anybody tell me what these body’s are off ? Mick http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/P1010101.jpg[/img]

In the pouring rain, under a quickly improvised tent we pulled the armoured sump shield and sump off only to find the crank shaft in TWO bits. Its cracked betwen the first conrod and the main bearing next to the gearbox So we are looking of a Halftrack crank or engine if anybody has one ? http://514thqm.eamped.com/topic80.html Click on the picture below to see "the play in the flywheel". http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/th_P1010093.jpg[/img] And see if you can spot the crack in this video clip. http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/th_P1010091.jpg[/img]

Started to pull the Halftrack to bits, but the manual’s we have are all very basic, it will tell you how to take the Gearbox out but wont tell you how to pull it to bits or what’s inside it. Anybody know what manual numbers we should be looking for, we have TM9-710 and TM9-1710C Other photos of work so far http://514thqm.eamped.com/topic80.html http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/mick_wilson_64/P1010046.jpg[/img] Mick

Would look better in our Convoy, dont you think Karoshi. Mick

Yep, seen them there, what is the price tag on one of them?, it would take up all 3 lanes of the motorway driving it about 8-). If you zoom in on that map image looks like its full of spair tyres. Mick.

This looks like a fun truck/thing on eBayunder Amphibious 8-) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=330031861052&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT Mick.

Just put our Victory show page up on line. Special thanks to Nick Halling for letting us put some of his great photos up . http://514th.co.uk/VictoryShow2006f.html or for more of Nicks Victory show photos. http://www.nickhalling.co.uk/pictures2006/vic1/index.htm Mick.

Nice isn’t she, it lives only 5 miles from the event and has only been on show twice, both times at the Victory show, its the only one in the UK with the original engine in (same engine at the Motor Torpedo Boats :schocked:) got a ride in it (sounds great) but the 4 gallons to the mile puts me off getting one. The same guy owns about 7 Diamond T's and lots of other goodies and lends us some of his trucks for our display. We also had one of his Diamond T that was on the original Red Ball Express 8-) 8-) 8-) Mick. http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/99.jpg[/img] http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/100.jpg[/img] http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/101.jpg[/img] http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/102.jpg[/img] http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/103.jpg[/img] http://www.514th.co.uk/images/Victory2006/104.jpg[/img]