ArtistsRifles

Thanks Degsy!!! Bear with me on this, I'm feeling my way into this potential minefield propor to investing my hard earned readies, is it really hard work to locate reasonably priced 24v spares given the amount of kit Phoney Tonies cronies have been decommissioning recently???? TIA, Neil.

Hmmm - parts excepted then - if then going from 6v to 12v is an improvement - why would anyone want to convert DOWN from 24v to 12v??

During WW1 Grandad on mums side spent the war charging - literally -around the battlefields on a horse or limber as part of the Royal Horse Artillery. Story in the family says he was up for the VC during the Somme but the officer and witnesses were all killed before the commendation could be processed. Grandad would never talk about his experiences. During WWII my dad was in the Sixth Airborne inc. Op. Market Garden, his brother was a tail gunner in Bomber command first on Wellingtons then on Lancs - he was one of the few who survived a complete tour - whilst mums brother was in the Fleet Air Arm, I' m told he was the equivalent of a Wop/AG in Swordfish and was on the Taranto raid. Post WW2 Dad was also out in Palestine during the Stern gang times - some of you may have heard of the squaddies murdered whilst sleeping in the back of a truck in Jerusalem; some of those men were Dad's mates. Fortunately he was demobbed before the Korean "police action". On his return home he immediately joined the T.A in 10 Para and stayed there until the late sixties. Some 10 years after that I joined 215 Sqdrn RCT (VR) before following the family tradition of military insanity by transferring to the Artists Rifles where I served until 1980 when I was discharged P8 following an accident in training. Hows that for a quick potted history of the family???

Is this the place in question? http://www.classicheads.com/Homex.html

Very interesting!!!!!!! Any thoughts/comments on owing/operating/repairing them - e.g.: Why's the Mk 1 a non-runner ??? How much work is there in replacing the multi-plate clutch??? TIA

Any one one here own a Stalwart at all??? The great master plan is to be retired (at 50!!!) from whats left of the Ford Motor Co. this time next year and to invest in one of these beasties as a hobby to keep me out of trouble. To this end - and with a view to not walking in blind and getting a bank account full of trouble - I'm trying to learn as much about them as possibel!! I'm already subscribed to the Yahoo group dedicated to them and this has been an invaluable source of information. However if any one here has one and would like to share any info on maintenance, operations etc it would be much appreciated!

Many thanks - managed to secure it for £10.50!!!!

Had one of those last week puporting to be from the Foreign Investment desk of Nat West - quite aside from the odd grammar it seems I now live in the headquarters of Nat West bank. Yep - they'd actually got my home adress as the business address to refer to....... :? :?

Is this any good for the brake test: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6588679950&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Alas having no vehicle yet the show will be a day visit only for me this year. :cry: If you can post wehere the pitch area is, though, it would be great to be able to wander over and put a few faces to the names!!!

Don't know if one one else here has seen it yet - but the latest edition of "Practical Classics" has two articles in it - one of which is of more relevance than the other here. First off the Gov't want to change the MOT rules such that classic and historical vehicles come under the heading of "Customised" - this,they say, will have a big financial impact on those who own such vehicles and that do need an MOT. Of more import is the plans for road pricing - these have not been dropped despite the media reports and are continuing to progress with rates of up to £1.50/mile being quoted for peak rate travel. Motoring organizations inc. the FBHVC are pressing for a "revenue neutral" introduction - i.e. the dropping of all road and fuel tax whist the owner has to pay a one-off for the black box. ALL vehicles, irrespective of category and use, will have to have the box fitted (how it's going to work on a 24v, 6v or +ve earth system when it's only being designed for 12v -ve earth is going to be interesting too..) and, again the organizations are pressing for some give-away for vehicles that are currently tax exempt. Needless to say Messrs Blair, Brown and their related cronies are none to keen on any of these proposals...... Don't know if Classic Military Vehicles or any other related publication has picked up on this yet - but Practical Classics is urging readers to start hammering their MP's now to ensure the organizations proposals aren't swept under the carpet.

Why a huge governmental argumen?? Other than the black crosses on it?? I also speak some Russian - but if Ford's couldn't get me out to St Petersburg what chance does any one else have

Last time I did this - a goodly few years ago now - was to lay the wires in situ by following the wiring diagram. Label each end of every wire with it's destination. Once all the wires were laid in place and held in place by evenly spaced loops of tape the loom was bound as per the original

Thanks Clive - I think I know what you mean now... I had a LWB series 2 Safari MOT'd at a class 7 station a few years ago and they couldn't fit it on their brake testing m.c because of the 4WD 7 Free Wheel hubs so they used on of these meters. It's memorable because the tester used the seat belts but the young indian lad in the passenger seat didn't - when the tester hit the brakes, the Landie stopped and the lad didn't but knocked himself senseless on the dash. Landie passed the MOT OK - which was just as well as we took the lad to the local A&E!!!

As and when I eventually get my Stolly it will have to be stored on the same farm site we store our caravan on. No power there, only a water tap so any maintenance is going to mean bringing it home...... Should make me popular wth the neighbours - esp. when/if the infamous Stolly backfire occures.. :twisted:

Why would they do that???????

Dredging back memories to the seventies and my time: #1 & #2 - Were not in use then. #3 - US vehicles over here did, thats all I can remember. #4 and #5 - same as #1 and #2 #6 - Depended on unit tolerance - the Mk 1 Militants I drove were always christened "Skewball" after a race horse - and you need to have driven a Mk1 to appreciate the irony 8) #7 - TA vehicles were still Bronze Green with TAC signs on the, I think, N/S and regiment crest on the O/S thus a vehicle from 151 Regt RCT(VR) would have a TAC sign of a square spilt diagonally blue on top with yellow at bottom and a white bar over the top of the square and a regt crest of a black square with a red tower on it. Regular vehicles were painted in the drab green/black cammo pattern. Only exceptions to this were the "unholy Trinity"(as it was then known) of 21, 22 and 23 - all bronze green and all unmarked. #8 - not really #9 - These were bridging plates and should carry a black number on them indicating the bridging requirement of the vehicle - for example the cargo versions of the Stalwart, FV620 and FV622 had a bridging class of 14 whilst the ammo limber and REME variants - FV623 and FV624 - with the Hiab cranes had a bridging class of 18.

Interesting!!!! How much are these devices and where would they be accquired from??? Thanks!

The Saracen, I think, is a command vehicle with the raised roof - hence no turret. Rumour control at work has it that this series is no longer actually filmed in a "for-real scrap yard" anymore due to the health and safety wet nurses, but in what is basically a seeded prop store. Also that the stuff on the workshops side of the bridge is untouchable (i.e. the Saracen and RL)

I know - hence me being here (and elsewhere) now - a year before even looking to purchase!!! I aim to be at least conversant with the major issues and have a smattering of ideas about the "minor" ones when going to look at prospective purchases 8) The warning example is appreciated though!!!!!!

Thanks all Must admit to having been tempted along the way by a Saracen or a Panther as that would fit in the garage - but the other half doesn't like the military in general and DEFINITELY doesn't like weaponry so we've compromised on the Stalwart. Bit of nifty "footwork" on my part I have to admit - pointed out all the models for sale in BP livery and said it wasn't just the army that used them - but as a historical vehicle it would have to retain it's military livery - she fell for it

Hi folks - my name is Neil and. currently I'm in the employ of the Ford Motor Co as a Systems Analyst. This, however is scheduled to change,probably in Q4 2006 as all our work is being transferred to Germany. As I'll be 50 then I'll qualify for SER and plan to use a portion of the severance pay to get myself a Stalwart. Original love was a DUKW - even went so far as to bid on one in an auction down under recently but the price went beyond the affordable after shipping had been factored in So - plan B it is and the Stalwart has the bonus of being from my era of service!! Right now I'm seeking knowledge so I don't have to go in to the purchase blind - did this once before and swore never again!!!