ArtistsRifles

The cab roof:

End of the first day today. We have photos and videos so read on!! Firstly though an important lesson. If using a step ladder to un-lash the tail sheet and flip it onto the roof - make sure it is actually on the ground and not on top of two ruts. Otherwise - as happened today the ladder will shoot sideways when a rut collapses and whilst you are at the top of it leaving you hanging from the rearmost sticks before you drop, gouging the leg on the hinges and then falling the remaining 8 or so feet to land flat on your back. Which f&%k$£g HURTS!!!! :-( :-( Now to business, First thing noticed was a soft front tyre Drivers side. Now I have no idea if it was soft on collection or whether I've picked up something manoeuvring to get into where it is parked at the farm. I believe there is a tyre inflator in the tool locker to be used with the inflation system on the vehicle - but the lock is rusted solid and needs to be cut off tomorrow. As do the ones on the oil can and jerry can carriers. The front lockers each have one of the T-key locks frozen - and on both it is the rear most one so they will need a good soaking in penetrating oil. And I need to invest in a set of T keys. Luckily I managed to borrow one today. Both the T-key locks on the rear panel worked easily though - I guess because they were in regular use. The rear body is not too bad - exposed rust was coated in Kurust today to arrest any further corrosion For sure the front drop side on the drivers side is pretty far bone albeit salvageable. Working around the vehicle outside from the passenger side front: Passenger door will not open on external handle. Silencer has blown apart (already knew that!) Rearmost t-key lock on the front locker is frozen and needs soaking. Padlock on the Jerry can holder rusted solid and needs cutting off padlock on the oil can locker rusted solid and needs cutting off. Bump stop on tail gate, drivers side, bracket is corroded to nothing. Padlock on the took locker is rusted solid and needs cutting off Rearmost t-key lock on the front locker is frozen and needs soaking Air leak from chassis mounted valve - compressor holds its own though. There are two holes in the roof - one at front on centre line and one to the rear of the drivers door that were originally taped over. Managed to tape over one again but the front centre was out of reach. There are bumps under the tape running around the edge of the roof section. Ominous!! Up in the cab: Passenger door will not open from the inside either. Window regulator does not work at all. Glass tries to move when lowering but other than that - nothing. Passenger side front screen cracked - suspect because of heavy corrosion in vehicle from ( screen does not close fully. Wipers do not work. Turn on air top, turn on wipers and they make one sweep and stop. Temp gauge was all over the place. At 500 rpm its steady on approx 16. At 1000 RPM it was flicking from 16 to 20. At 1500 rpm it was flicking from 16 to 24. After leaving it a while turned off then restarting the gauge seemed to hold steady on about 12 (120 deg C) So I think the sender has cleared what ever was acting up. Cab interior light not working Horn not working No idea about dip switch - need to get some one to watch as it is operated. The good news is all the lights are working - head side and tail as is the hazard warning light switch. Can't check the indicators as the lever is in half a dozen bits and needs replacing.The corrosion is a bit more extensive than I first thought - but its all doable. I think, though, that its going to take a bit longer than expected. I will be extremely lucky if she is anywhere near finished by the end of next year. I do not think - given the skills, facilities and financial resources available to me - that she will be at any shows next year. Now - photo time The leaking valve: [ Rear of the rear cross member: Pin hole on the roof - front centre one (note tape marks): Roof taping - never seen this on a Militant before: Cupola and cover: Instrument panel in desperate need of a clean and paint: Corrosion in cab corner & hazard warning switch: Corrosion at rear of cab where the top and bottom are joined: Passenger side windscreen - cracked and unable to close properly - due to corrosion in lower internal frame: Broken indicator switch lever: Videos External walk around:

If it still uses the UDT-20 engine then yes, the same.

Got mine from Chestnut Registrations - no silver edge to the plates and inc. P&P £22

Signed.

Huntsville, Alabama seems to have become a scammer's paradise! :)

Do not count your chickens yet Ruxy. That attempt failed - BUT - FIVA (the Euro equivalent of FBHVC) are proposing this again as part of their attempt to define what is and is not a classic car. Full details were on the FHBVC web site but seem to have vanished now. As I understood it from their e-Mails the FIVA proposals will say that a classic vehicle is only a classic vehicle if every single part on it is OEM or a replica thereof manufactured to the original standards and materials and certified as such (no one knows who by!) Only vehicles meeting this definition can be classed as classic and thus be permitted the special insurance deals - i.e. not requiring NCB, agreed value etc. - and tax exemptions all ours currently enjoy. Effectively it puts classic motoring in the realm of the rich only. And it will affect Historic Military too. If you have a GMC converted to 12v it's an instant fail as is seat belts in a Jeep, any tyres manufactured after the end of the time in service or hazard beacons on slow moving vehicles. Needless to say the FBHVC are contesting this and luckily it is only FIVA and not the EU trying it on. Perhaps the absence on their web site means FIVA have been compelled to take another look at these proposals??

Many thanks Butch. The info on the silencer is great. The extra eyes would be very useful too The guy has a number of these too David so I'll check measurements at the weekend. This is - or was mine - before it "exploded" into the cloud of rust.

If thats the kind of crap New Top Gear comes out with I deffo will NOT be watching it!!

My daughter would have replied "you are the fool - should have bought a T-Bird or a Mustang" I have her well trained to keep my company pension flowing

Thanks for the pointer on the Moggie minor winders - that will be invaluable! Right now if I turn the handle on the drivers door I just get a grinding noise inside and the glass does not move - which is annoying as there is about 1'4" gap at the top letting the elements and the wildlife in. I did not realize how bad that part of things was until the sun caught the front of the cab during one of the shunts and then I realized virtually the entire front of the cab inside is spider webs. :wow: The down pipe currently has a small hole, maybe 3mm dia, about 100 mm from the flange to the silencer. Might be possible to weld up - I won't know till the detailed look-see next weekend. If the rest of the pipe is sound I should be OK but if it is like the silencer then I'll take you up on that. Do you happen to know what can be used as a replacement silencer for the Mk 1?? The one on mine quite literally flew into a cloud of rusty fragments when she was started and revved up. :-) You are welcome to borrow the Tanker ISPL any time. If you like - I will ask around and see if I can get it copied for you. The vehicle is up near Sible, I live about 60 miles away in Dagenham so its weekends only for me as some one has to stay home with the dogs (1 very ill, 1 neurotic) but always glad to see militant lovers and a pair of expert eyes will likely see lots that I've missed. :-)

If the BNC connector has been removed from the underside (go alone knows why anyone would want to do that) it might be easier to get another one off of evilbay. That type - No 31 Mk 6 - is the most common seen there.

Good news is the move went ahead and the old girl is now safe in her new home. Traffic issues amongst other things meant the planned timings slipped drastically and I finally got home at about 21:30 and too knackered to post anything. One of the "hiccups" in timings involved me getting caught in the middle of an armed police raid on a local house. - not a good sign for the start of the new London mayor... Road go closed for a short while as two van loads of armed plod leapt out, removed a front door with one of their opening devices and swarmed inside. Took about 30 minutes before the road was reopened to traffic. But I got there in the end, the two new batteries were fitted and the old girl burst into life. [video=youtube_share;0hPJS771kA4] A while later and Andy arrived with the low-loader - she went straight on and once the neck was reattached we were ready to go - albeit apprehensively ad the height was looking a bit worrysome. The old girl stands at 13' 1" on her wheels so on the trailer considerable higher - 16' 2" at the highest point if I recall correctly. But it was agreed the route to Sible would be OK as the Dartford crossing has sufficient clearance on one of the bores - only concern - and it turned out justifiably - was the road down to the farm which has lots of overhanging trees. More later. Once Andy was loaded and rolling I heade off to Sible to find out exactly where Stuart the owner of the farm wanted it put. Did manage to catch one snap of the loaded trailer: Once at Sible it was a case of wait until the low loader arrived. Which it did at about 19:30 Once Andy had dropped the trailer and cleared the cab out of the away the fun started!! I reversed the old girl off the trailer and back between two buildings Both of which might best be described as fragile.Then proceeded to try and turn left at 90 deg. Cue 10 very nervous shunts in decreasing amounts of room before we got the old girl around and pointed in the right direction. From there it was plain sailing down to where Stuart wanted her parked. Sadly everyone else had had to head home for dinner so there was no one there to record the momentous occasion - or the fact I never demolished either building!! :cheesy: :cheesy: For those interested the Mil Reg was 16 CL 49 and the service history was: Entered service in 1959 - supplied under contract 6/V/27070, chassis number 0860-504 21 Sqdn RCT BAOR from 4/59 to 5/71 4 (Div) Regt RCT BAOR from 5/71 to 3/72 17 BVD (Stock) BAOR from 3/72 to 10/72 Ord Depot Antwerp from 10/72 to 4/73 17 Sqdn RCT BAOR from 4/73 to 4/74 621 MT Unit MSO BAOR from 4/74 to 4/74 627 ??? RCT BAOR from 4/74 to 5/74 1 BR Corps Veh Coy Recklinghausen from 4/74 to 6/78 Ord Depot Antwerp from 6/78 to 6/82 Vehicle Depot Ashchurch from 6/82 to 4/84 562 Sqn RCT (V) from 4/84 to 8/88 S/O ???? Blackbushe arrived 8/88 The "to do" list has already begun - but I think I have gotten off incredibly light given she has sat outside so long. Currently it comprises (in no particular order) and not including the bodywork I was already aware of: Air leak from somewhere around the rearmost axle - maybe a sticking valve? The engine stop by lifting the throttle pedal does not work - have to stall her out in a high gear currently. Door window winders do not work - and it gets VERY hot hauling that steering wheel around. Passenger door handle does not work - externally at least. Now needs a new silencer - the old one has blown apart!! Possibly a down pipe too Needs a handle for the indicator switch - should be easy enough to source. First job though next weekend (today I am in dads taxi mode) is to wash all the algae and crap off - so a pressure washer will be put to good use. and then I can take stock of how bad the tin worm is and what needs to be done.. maybe find a couple of more items for the "to do" list. Good news is a stack of manuals came with her!!

I do, I do - and I'm happy to admit it!! Sadly my driving license no longer covers me which is why I had to sell Little Maud and why I've gone for a pre-1960 Militant... :cry: :cry: :cry:

Picked up the two new batteries today - type 663's @£70 each.

I don't know - just can't get the staff these days!! :) Hoping to be there about 15:00 ish!

OK - got the thumbs up today from the seller and transportation that we are definitely go for Saturday the 7th. Picking up two new type 663 batteries on Thursday and then the fun begins. :D

You just reminded me how much I miss my one!!! :cry: :cry:

Felt like screaming today..... Went through the ISPL the other day and ordered the bolts to hold the heater fan in - according to the ISPL they are 1/4" UNF. Packet arrived from Namrick this morning so out I go to fit the fan in - only to find the damned bolts are too big a dia!! Looking at the captive nuts on the mounting flanges they bolts are more like 3/16" UNF. This seems to be another one of those jobs that is cursed from day 1 :(

Precisely. If we have to resolve everything to the unpleasant basis of £££'s - every MV owner and Living History group pays to get there and be a part of the show. Adding together transport costs and fuel costs - when I had the OT-90 it was costing ME personally over £800 to be there every year and take part in the arena events with Rex aiding the transport costs. The heavy armour guys paid even more.... Unlike a trade show where the exhibitors are there to sell and make a profit W&P - to me at least - primarily is for the MV and Living History communities to come together, socialise and play in safety. The public are not necessary from our point of view - but nice to have. From the organizers they are necessary as without them he cannot afford to run the show. - that much is obvious. What is needed is a balance between the public's need to see things and the MV owners and Living History groups need to do their respective things and socialise. It is my thought that Rex achieved this more or less but the new guy seems to be heavily in favour of the pubic, ignoring what it costs us to be there to make the show. No disrespect to him - he organizes many trade type shows very successfully. He just needs to work out for himself that the W&P show is not the same as a trade type show.

End of the day I guess we have to give the new guy a chance. Everyone is different, and thus has different ways - we have grown used to Rex and his teams over the years. So the new will have to be a change. In fairness they ought to be given the chance. Remarks made to the media can - possibly - be taken out of context. My personal opinion is the new owner has failed to grasp fully the concept that for us the W&P show IS a social event - we get to meet people we don't see the rest of the year and we get to relax and commune with fellow MV owners. For many it is their annual holiday. The public to us are a by-product. The new guy is used to running big commercial shows with a different ethos where the public is the reason for the show. Effectively poles apart. So it is to be hoped we end up with a meeting point somewhere in the middle between the poles. I have my reservations as stated - but I will be going and will go with an open mind. Some of the changes are to our good - like the show ending on the Saturday to get us home on the Sunday instead of the Monday. Some seem - for now - to be less so. However I think there is one real lesson already the new teams can learn and that is to communicate with the movement/attendees via the various forms of media. Under Rex the teams kept us informed via e-mail and FB etc. with regular news and updates. Thus far the new teams e-mails seem to be just press releases and social media seems to be almost forgotten I hope it's a lesson they will learn for the future.

Not sure I understand how this makes things worse for our European friends?? Or anyone come to that?? The old rule was that you were not supposed to leave (esp. Living Hstory) until the show closed on the Sunday. So if you had to be back at work on the Monday it meant a high speed break-down and overnight travel. This change means you have all day Sunday to break down leisurely and then make the trip home so if anything you should be more relaxed and ready for at work on the Monday. Yes - there are other reasons to be upset - esp MV owners after the comments published in CMV about 40 mph Landrover's and, elsewhere, of MV owners being "scammers" for having all their families come in free on IMPS passes. I think the new owners might be in for a surprise at the amount of empty space this year. July will tell....... My concern at the moment is that Greg and his team are no longer running the Living history area so a lot of trust and faith is going to have to be put into an unknown team.

"Complete with bullet holes"???

Collection has had to be deferred to the 7th May due to a mix-up (on my part) as to the dates the current owner will be free.

Not strictly so. Motor-homes, especially the larger ones tend to drag a small city car behind them as a run-about on an A-Frame. However - the car has to be coupled into the motor homes electrics so that its rear lights work in conjunctions with the motor-homes (no light boards) and I believe the cars brakes must be operated by the motor-homes . Usually electrically - there are firms that fit the necessary kit to do this. It's been a long while since I had reason to look but I believe Spain is the only county that absolutely prohibits A Frames. So to answer the original question - you would be better off as others have said hiring a trailer. Only problem would be finding one that will hook up to a NATO hitch and electrical socket. Another option if you have the correct license would be to hire a beavertail for the trip.