early british ww2

Hi Glynn,

Have you tried the Distributor Doctor? http://www.distributordoctor.com/

 

Hi Richard ,

Many Thanks for the link - I have already spoken to Martin the Distributor Doctor who is a very helpful chap , Unfortunately he didn't have anything on the shelf immediately that he could sell me but I am in the process of sending him a Distributor to be rebuilt - I am just seeing what I could do before going to W&P this year which is now only around the corner .

 

Ruggy John - I am not sure that the MRA1 would have the same dizzy as the cs8 , I would suspect it to have a more modern unit , Richard you may be able to help on this front having had a lot of experience over the years ?? But obviously a quick look on the dizzy body should tell us what model dizzy they use , Cheers

 

Rgds Glynn

Can anyone help me locate a new or very good second hand Lucas DUH6A Distributor for one of my Morris Commercial CS8's ??

 

Any help would be appreciated

Cheers Glynn

Hi Jules ,

I would be inclined to agree with everyone on this one - It definitely looks like a Morris Commercial C4 Wireless Truck with the early wooden body - If you look closely enough above the cab canvas you can actually see the planking in the rear wireless body !

 

Cheers Glynn:coffee:

Hi Brent,

the Autovac listed for sale should work but it is not quite the same as would have been fitted to your Wireless-Ant, the top is different in that the vent had a brass, bell-shaped cover. It does have the mounting brackets as well, which you may need.

 

The Autovac is a simple device, it is a double-chambered cylinder, with a float in the upper chamber, more on the float later. The vacuum from the manifold connects to one of the top elbows, the other elbow marked "IN" is the petrol line from the tank selector and filter. There is a shut-off tap at the bottom of the Autovac, which feeds the carburettor, this must be turned off when the engine is shut down. Feed to the carburettor is by gravity.

 

Petrol is drawn into the Autovac and enters the top chamber where it passes though a non-return flap into the lower chamber, then feeds out through the tap. When the lower chamber has filled, the upper chamber starts filling-up, as it does the float rises and begins to open the vent thereby reducing the vacuum until no fuel is being drawn in. As the fuel is drawn down the float lowers and shuts the vent and again fuel is drawn into the top chamber.

 

There is also a drain bung in the base of the Autovac this is for cleaning out condensation and etc. this must be done periodically else it will rust through.

 

There are a couple of ways to prime the Autovac should it run dry:

1. By the manual - shut off the tap at the bottom of the Autovac, remove the the carburettor bowl fill it manually, replace and start the engine. Repeat until fuel is evident in the lower chamber.

2. My method - shut off the tap at the bottom of the Autovac. Undo the "IN" pipe and move it slightly to the side, using a short section of rubber hose that will slip over the elbow, feed in petrol. I always carried spare petrol in a reserve tin, a rubber tube and a small pourer.

3. Tow start with the fuel shut-off tap open.

 

Hope this explains sufficiently how the autovac works.

Cheers,

Dave

 

Nice description Dave ! and a good memory ! - The Autovac in my wireless Ant has a brass top to the Autovac and does have a brass bell type relief valve as you have described but there are some small variations in individual units The one in the link is identical to the one fitted to my 1940 Morris Commercial CS8 which has an alloy top and small relief valve - This will definitely fit and work on the guy which is far better than just fitting an SU fuel pump from a Morris Minor like I have seen before .

 

On the priming side , to help the autovac you can always hide a small solid state facet fuel pump between your usual tank and the autovac and hide a small toggle switch so you can use it to prime the autovac which you can hear filling as it makes a glugging sound - You must remember however , to turn off the toggle switch when it is full or you will flood the system and your truck with excess petrol ! which at todays prices you won't do very often before you learn your lesson !! - This set up will also help with fuel vapourisation which the Guys are very prone to , especially if running an original fuel pipe set up as they can get warm esp in the summer months ... At the end of the day the choice is yours

 

Brent , I will try and get some pics of the Wireless Ant's autovac but the one in the link will do your job perfectly well .

If you are struggling to get a manual I can see if I can get mine copied if you like ? just let me know - Do you have any spare round tanks or filler neck/tops for the ants I am in need of two for my 1940 gs Ant cheers Glynn

Yes thats my truck I have removed that non military compressor off its back today. Maybe I had better start my own thread on EA6939.

 

Hi Mate , nice find and thanks for posting the pic up on the forum - Like Dave says it is definitely a wireless Ant and should have originally had a house body on it like my own . If you find a chassis number on it let me know as I may have a copy of a contract card for it - keep posting the pics and good luck with the restoration

 

cheers Glynn

Hi Mate , I used to own a 1942 Dodge WC51 many moons ago which was a command vehicle with a field artillery unit of the Indian Head division - That was fitted with a 50 cal Browning along with 2 wireless sets - One a bc1306 Jeep type radio and psu and the other was a SCR528 Command radio

 

Hope this helps

Does anyone know where I can get 1/4 and 5/16 BSW coach bolts from. i'm also after square nut for them. I need them as im working on my Matadors body and the old ones are almost rusted through. I cant bear to put in metric.

Thanks

 

Hi , Is this Dan with the Matador I met at the Cumbria Steam Gathering this year ??

 

I think if I remember rightly there is a bit on square nuts on the pre ww2 vehicle section for the ww1 Dennis - I think they are still avail from the U.S. quite readily as for the BSW Bolts I really struggled to find them for my Morris , The hex nuts of the right spanner size for the early stuff seem to have disappeared all together and I had to set to with the lathe and make the 138 i needed !! I used to do around ten finished nuts each night before moving on to other things so as not to get completely fed up with making them ! - I must admit it was well worth the effort!!

 

Don't forget that the smaller BSW stuff is the same size as unc - The difference being in the angle of the thread - I think one is 55 degree's and the other is 60 degree's if memory serves me well .

 

cheers Glynn

Hi Mate , Thanks for the quick reply - I had seen the thread details before which you have kindly posted a link to , but didn't really get any of the answers I wanted regarding these great little vehicles - I am really after initially any info as to the production data etc and if anyone has any correlation between the chassis numbers to the contract numbers or even to the reg numbers they were issued with as being pre ww2 they would have worn registration numbers as well as census numbers as per the larger trucks i.e. were they all registered as "HAE" , "CMM" , "SV" , "AMP" etc - Also I know they were used for different roles and one or two were quite specific such as a wireless car and the ones which were fitted with a gun mounting between the seats - what equipment did they carry (I know not a lot!) , what wireless gear , what weaponry etc .?

 

Their doesn't seem to be an awful lot of info about regarding these vehicles unless someone can show me the error of my ways and point me in the right direction:blush: - Any help would be greatly appreciated as they have always been a vehicle that I have been curious about and decided to have a look into them - Many thanks

Does anyone have or know of the existance of a definitive listing of what models of Austin 7 were used by the Military - I know they used the APD Model military tourers but did they ever use the AK Model Chummy tourers ?

 

Is there a listing anywhere that has details of what chassis numbers were supplied to what contract numbers as I know there were several contracts placed up to the beginning of the war .

 

Finally does anyone have any details and or pictures of the different types used as i believe that there were different uses such as a wireless car , scout car , and machine gun equipped scout car .

 

 

Sorry if i have repeated something that has been asked before but any info will be greatly appreciated cheers :coffee:

I enjoyed it too, managed to get 35mph out of the M578 during the run up the runway on Sunday ! Fastest I have ever driven it.

Must agree , we also enjoyed the show despite the weather ! We managed to run the Guy Ant on the Runway on both days which behaved impeccably considering it wasn't running too great on Friday morning !! After a bit of tinkering it behaved better than it has done for a long time even managing to give a clean pair of heals to the Hummer on the runway on Sunday but the speedo stuck at just over 30mph!!:blush:

 

Highlights had to be the old WW1 Crossley in the flesh and the low flying BBMF who did a great display!!

Been nice up here today hope it lasts for the weekend ....(might even risk the roof off !!:drive:)

 

Looking at the Weather , which keeps changing , Friday and Saturday look to be wet whereas Sunday looks quite sunny - We are Booked in with the jeep and the Morris Commercial but the Morris is still undergoing work in my workshop and we are now working saturday but still hope to be going on sunday in at least the Jeep , so see you there all being well !!:coffee:

Hi Mate ,

Depending how long it is you could be looking at the remains of a wartime owst tipper perhaps - extensively used by the raf on airfield repairs - These used edbro tipping gear i believe , the maltese still use them! I think they also made an oy or owl tipper or it could be the remains of an o type? - any chassis numbers still left?

Cheers:coffee:

Hi Do you know what model your Airborne wireless cart is as it makes a difference to the lifting handles at either end - There is a copy of the manual for fitting a ws22 in a Handcart on the internet but very little else

 

I have one of these and will try and get some pictures for you at some stage if that will help

 

Cheers Glynn

Hi Guys ,

Has anyone got any technical drawings or sizes etc for the small cubby box which lives in front of the fuel tank on the drivers side of the cs8 - Any help on this one incl pictures would be appreciated cheers

Hi Ivor,

 

The chasis plate in my footwell drivers side is plain brass with no infill colours at all. Contract plate on dash ditto.

 

As for the lub charts and info on the engine/gearbox cover they are plain brass but had trace elements of red paint in the lettering of the PTO warning plate.

It had been rescued from a barn prior to me and Mr deadman owning it so i cannot say catagorically that the red paint was original.

I have wondered myself if the lube chart had coloured infill to the engraving in the same manner as the manuals ( they have black and red lines etc iirc correctly)

Lucky man to have enough left to consider colour infill, the lube plate i have is so faint now its almost unreadable (too much MT polishing perhaps)

Regards

Tim

 

Hi Guys ,

Yes Tim , you are right about the PTO warning plate as this does have a red infill in the engraving - This is definitely the case on both of my CS8's - I don't think the lube chart has ever had any infill in it and is just made of polished brass plate - I don't think there is any evidence of any infill on this - I still need one of these for my 1939 CS8 , If anyone has a spare or knows anyone who can engrave one up please let me know .

The Body and Cab plates are cast brass items but I think that the chassis plate in the passengers footwell have had black infill with just numbers stamped in the respective positions if I remember correctly .

Hope this helps:coffee:

Thank you for interesting info,

 

I see this trailers was for special purpose, you know more variants?

 

tomas

 

Hi Tomas , There are a whole lot of these trailers , some of which were more specialised in their intended roles than others - They were all under the broad heading of "Trailer 2whld Lightweight 10cwt" and these ranged from the standard Airborne MK1/MK2 Box type trailers through to such as the generator trailer you have the photo's of the remains of - They generally all had data plates on them usually on the front crossmember or the towbar near the handbrake to identify them with an "x" army census/registration number for wartime trailers . They were made by a whole host of manufacturers including Orme Evans , SS Cars (jaguar) etc etc and other types included a Murex Welder , Liner saw , Trailer Binned Stores , G.S. , Mortar Trailer , Workshop etc etc .

 

There are bits and bobs of details for the various types in various publications but they have never been pictured and illustrated too fully - Perhaps a reference book idea for the future ??:coffee:

It has to be any of the Early Aeroscreened British 15cwt's ( It is not because of their weather equipment as there may as wel be none and hence their nickname as the Pneumonia Wagons!! ) - They are all unique in their own way from the curiously ugly Guy Ant through the Austere Bedford Mw and Commer Beetle to the Plain Fordson to the quite pretty early Morris CS8's and PU8's:coffee:

Do you know this photo Glyn ? A nice gaggle of Guys.

 

It's from the Rommel photo collection in the US National Archives and records Administration (NARA)

 

 

Location is St Valery-en-Caux and these probably belonged to 152 Infantry Bde Anti-Tank Company. (51st Division). The Motley mounts in the back look good.

 

Hi Mate ,

Great stuff , not come across that one before - Would certainly love one of those motley mounts for the back of my early Guy G.S. Truck :idea:

Anyone out there got one?

Cheers

I have the same

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I think that there are one or two versions about and there still seem to be some originals around that haven't been stamped as I have certainly seen them on stalls at Malvern and Stoneleigh in the past - The hardest part is spotting them in amongst everything else !! .

 

My m20 has one of these types of plate on the toolbox lid as seen here , but my jeep had a thicker piece of brass plate with its base workshops overhaul data from 1951 on it . This was attached to the chassis rail - This was a slightly smaller plate in size than the one here and did not have any pre-formed boxes or printing on it but still had all its information on there which was stamped into the surface in the normal manner .

 

Hope this helps , cheers :coffee:

Hi ,

Yes I have seen the Triple Guns before as I belive they are more plentiful than the single barrelled version on trailer/ground mounts - I was once offered one of the triple barrelled versions by a chap on the Isle of Wight a good number of years ago

 

Keep the info coming guys , this is great to see , Thanks

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Dear Mr. Beresford,

 

Congratulations on your beautiful Hispano HS404!! We also have a live Hispano Suiza HS404 from 1939 in our collection, which is almost unfired and as new condition.

But we are missing the original sight and the 60 rd drum, do you know of a 60 rd drum for sale, as we are keen to purchase one or more?

Attached are some pictures from today, but they are of poor quality as it is quite dark in the workshops.

Look forward to hear from you.

 

Best regards,

Clark Sindorf

 

 

Hi Clark ,

Another very nice Gun you have there - Unfortunately I do not have the spares that you need as I only have my own boxed site and 1 original drum mag on the Gun with 2 larger types in wicker baskets as spares - I am always on the lookout for spares etc and if I find duplicates of things at good prices I will always let you know . I am on the lookout for a decent toolkit and cleaning kit like the one you have for your gun if you ever come across another please let me know .

It is great to see other guns out there at last as you don't see them that often Thanks for the pics .

 

Best Regards ,

 

Glynn

Hi Jaap ,

There are 14 of the aerial tubes on the side of the wireless truck in total and they are all 80 inches long - Obviously held in a rigid frame at one end with an opener at the other end and a strap in the middle to keep them all together and stop them from chattering - Hope this helps cheers Glynn:thumbsup:

I am assuming this is not the British Army version of this weapon and therefore the mount will be different?

This gun is on its' standard wartime mount just the same that was sold to the British , The Americans etc - The only problem would seem is that the only information that is ever available , picture wise at least , is of the Polsten version of the Gun . Whenever the HS404 is mentioned , there are never any wartime pictures for the Ground /Trailer Mount , just aircraft guns etc .

I don't think there are too many of these about in private hands , mine came from an Airborne collector - Another used to be owned by a chap in Southport but I know he sold that a good few years ago . The chap I bought mine from also had a mock up repro of the polsten version seen at Beltring . Obviously if anyone has any pictures etc give me a shout cheers:coffee:

Hopefully , you can see all six pics of my wartime Hispano Suiza 20MM Anti Aircraft Gun -I will try and put some pics up soon with more of a close up view .

It was built in 1944 and we have the original dated sight and spares box , ammo trailer and spare drum magazines and the original firing record book etc - If anyone has any more info on these guns and where they were used then I would love to hear - Also if anyone has any of the original tool kit please let me know .

We did have an old chap come talking to us on this years' trans pennine run who was in the wartime para units at Arnhem and he said that they had at least two of these there in 1944 - He said they had also used the polsten versions of these guns . Cheers:coffee:

thanks glynn

yes my body has the table on the rightside to I am restoring it now.

I have still a lot to do now the outside is about ready (only some small things to do) the inside of the body needs some work to but everything in time.

see the last 4 pictures.

cheers jaap

 

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Thanks Jaap and a very nice truck too - It is a credit to you! I will try and get the m,easurements you need this week cheers:thumbsup: