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It's project fear, innit ? The DVLA is part of it. Everyone one knows that everything is going to be just the same as before, only better. That's what 'taking back control' is all about.

The clip fixing MCR1 will look fine on the bike and if you should ever worry, there are only about half a dozen rivet-counters in the whole world who might spot the difference...The cover is nice and pre-war and workshops didn't worry which bike they put which part back on...Does it have two small holes for the wire and lead seal ? The dating of WD Triumphs is further complicated by the fact that the 3SW was an RASC (2nd line) vehicle and there are no surviving records of their vehicle receipts. The RAOC machines supplied to first line units are much better documented. Just out of interest, here is the reverse side of the receipt card relating to contract C7828 which commenced delivery on 29/6/1940. "Balance cancelled owing to enemy action"....Half a city flattened. Carry on, Chaps. Lest we forget...

The date on the CVC body is 7 50 which may account for the more accurately formed cutout...The basic pressing is the same as for those with the two feet (which even have the clip retainer underneath). I've yet to crack the codes on the covers. It's made more complicated by the fact that the cover as a spare part had a separate number. Lucas don't seem to have realised during the 1930s that there was a new decade approaching and they never included the '3' for the '30s...3 7 would therefore be March 1937. This is the cover on my 16H, dated November 1939 (11 9) with the 'Lead-Acid' marked base that would be expected up until about 1942.

What's the date on the CVC box ? Any chance of seeing a couple of photos of the back plate with the cover off and the front elevation with lid ? It's much more common to see these 390 704 regulators with quite a crude 'V' cut to allow frame clamping. Early clamps were plain. They later had a reinforcing rib.

If it's an SW and built to a D.of.A.C. (Department of Army Contracts) or Ministry of Supply contract then the specification almost certainly included an 80MPH, non-illuminated, non-trip speedometer. Prior to 1941, these would have had the Jaeger drive system. Pre-war, Smiths Instuments had been restricted by their licence from the French Jaeger company to only build identical interchangeable copies of the original (hence the metric threads) . A yellow 30mph marker and the Smiths MA logo are typical for the period. The ammeters are Lucas CZ (Centre-Zero) 27s. The pre-war style had a domed glass and a small mica-covered illumination window . These were certainly in use until at least the end of 1939. We're rivet-counting here though and any machine that remained in service after 1940 would have received standard replacements. The burden of proof on those of us with a May 1940 / BEF cut-off date is extremely high :-). The question that anyone rebuliding a WD vehicle really has to ask themselves is whether they are intending to portray the machine as it entered service, during a particular campaign, or for the duration of the emergency generally..and in the case of the M20, G3L or 16H, post-war as well... Most M20s look more like National Service rejects...It's equally valid of course but most of the owners don't like being questioned about all the 1950s bits.

What sort of plug is that, Clive ? The pre-war KLGs had a single centre electrode and three adjustable. Received wisdom is that, certainly on worn engines, with only the closest sparking, there was a tendency for the other two to foul up until they eventually shorted out. This may have been more true of two-strokes or really worn oily engines. Motorcycles were always bad for RF interference, even when in good condition. Is it because there is no screening from bodywork ? Japanese motorcycles had tin-plate clad suppressed caps but if it rained then they gave a display like the Aurora Borealis so we always took the cladding off !

Brightspark Magnetos did some tests which are shown on their website. http://www.brightsparkmagnetos.com/faqs/FAQs about magnetos generally/Are suppressors and resistor sparking plugs OK to use with magnetos.htm

Krupp did produce some forward-control coaches and busses but larger and more elegant than this one...is the vehicle in the photo the 'Doughnut kitchen' (which was a Krupp truck) or the 'sleeping quarters' - the Clubmobile van ?

ABL is Armée Belge / Belgisch Leger - Everything has to be in two languages ! Interesting that they used an LV6/MT code, continuing the British VAOS system.

The world of aircraft restoration is a strange one. If it was a road-going vehicle then DVLA would send out a hit-squad if you tried to register it as original. Single vehicle type approval and appropriate modifications at the very least.

RAF and RN have never used 'Turquoise'. Post-war they could have been RAF Blue / Grey or Dark Blue for Admiralty. I saw a batch of 1970s Triumph Bonnevilles supplied to Police in Kenya which came back painted light blue (most of them had only lasted about six months before ending on the scrap metal heap). I suspect that the blue was a Kenyan Police or Government colour. (It wasn't far off 'Panda-Car' blue actually). In general, the Indians and Harleys were found unsuitable for European conditions and perhaps more significantly, not compatible with the way that machine handling was taught by the services. Contractural obligations mean that a home had to be found for them and the far corners of the Empire away from the front lines is where most of them were sent.

I agree with Ron on this. The complete machine is a more accurate jig than any loom maker can use and a careful restorer will be far more certain to avoid strain etc. WD motorcycle looms always seem to have used rubber-insulated cable, colour-coded only by small 'rubber bands' at each end. Even without them, wiring is a doddle. The larger rubber tube running from inside the headlamp round the headstock to under the fuel tank is easily replicated by using a length of the smallest cross-section bicycle inner tube that you can find.( Turned inside out if you're a perfectionist 🙂 )

The frame number is given as 94020. This contract was curtailed at W96400 on 12/6/1945...so the chances are that by the time it had been through the Chilwell system and sent overseas, it did not arrive in time to see any wartime service. It ought to have later spec parts such as the 7/8" handlebars. It's a project but the auctioneer's estimate is probably about right, considering what people pay for non-runners these days.

Yep, that's Nick Thomas's web site and he runs the FB page too.

There is a very helpful facebook group dealing with this sort of thing - WW2 British Army Jeep Research...I don't particularly like the way FB is taking over from proper forums but it does sometimes succeed at bringing a lot of information together. I'll pass on a link if the mods don't mind.

The slightly bluish grey on the cans in the MLU thread look to me like the colour known in the pre-war official nomenclature of paints held by the R.A.O.C. as "Grey, ammn" which was commonly used on markings and colour codings. It would seem a logical shade where the colour had an indicative use. I'm not sure where ammunition grey would be detailed though.

Since the latest update, IWM has been next to impossible to search and seems completely random. It used to be possible to search by 'collection' code and go all the way through. It even seems to give zero results using search terms for photos that I know are there. I really can't work it out. Images are much better quality now than they were a few years ago but finding them is something else.

The whole thing is a farce of course, especially as no other country is remotely interested in the movement of historic vehicles within the Schengen zone. As far as I can tell, there is no scheme for the temporary importation of vehicles to the UK...and what happens if a visitor to W&P from Europe 'exports' his own vehicle permanently from the UK when he returns after a week ? In terms of 'our' motorcycles, Ron...I'd be extremely surprised if anyone could show that some old side-valve clunker had been adapted for military use. They certainly wouldn't recognise a civilian-painted example.

Sadly, it's not good publicity for the MVT....and has The National Trust taken it upon itself to ban anything relating to the Third Reich from all of its properties, under all circumstances ? The intellectual capacity of the complainant was demonstrated in this comment :- "My descendants are from Europe, and although I don't know by name who perished, I am sure members of my family did die in the Holocaust." " I wonder if she's given birth to any ancestors yet ?

Ah, parts from Jean Duchamps' emporium for the restoration of ex-French Enfields !

Lex, it wasn't on here...I mentioned it to my wife....Daft really, I had the cash waiting...I can't afford a divorce though ! A lot of those base depots had French civilian staff. I imagine that once the British left, the locals would've been in pretty damned quick ! It's a fully ribbed Norton tail, so suitable for the single fixing number plate. Is that bracket BSA ?

Lex, with a bit of luck, you might find traces of the serial number under the French registration. The lack of a stamping on the cases seems to be unusual for this contract / RASC machines of this period. I made the mistake of announcing it as a forthcoming project before I had it in my hands and it didn't go down well here. I won't make the same mistake again 😉 The early Norton tailpiece is worth what you paid for the bike ! Most of these WD/Cs would have been destined for second-line RASC, like the 3SWs so probably ended up at Corps level. It may of course still have been in a depot at Nantes or Laval. The on / off aspect of the final evacuation from the western ports meant that many stores were not efficiently destroyed (For which we can now be grateful).

Shelley made various jacks for Austin and other manufacturers, as well as their own Norton SWD outfit of course. There were definitely connections there. Apparently they made some jacks for BSA three-wheelers too.

R.T. Shelley had Talboys (of Talflow air filter fame) in-house and according to Peter Roydhouse (who rode works Norton triallers in the 1940s and '50s), They made the mudguards and tinware for Norton. Perhaps they contracted out to other manufacturers as well. The Aston Brook / Bracebridge Street area of Birmingham included so many famous names from the industry as neighbours. Who amongst us has not confused Ariel and Enfield tool boxes at an autojumble ? 🙂

The field stand and the primary case inner, along with the Shelley tools in the toolkit hint at some slight connection between RE and Norton. Details lost in the mists of time though.