eddy8men

i have to say it's a little unusual but i really like it. it will be a bit of a pig to restore but worth it.

the first thing i thought when it came out of the ground was just how much it reminded me of a churchill. flat 12, scirrocco fan and tiller bar steering 

doug it's amazing to think it was blown up and buried for over 70 years and it still has engine and gearbox oil

we also removed the clutch and scirocco fan. the fan blades have seen better days but will be ok once the blades have been changed. the clutch has surface rust and some of the pressure spring cups will need repairing or replacing due to rust but i'm happy with friction and pressure plates. 
remarkably the release bearing was still full grease and turns freely!

we've had a couple of days on the gearbox and engine this week. The gearbox has been cleaned and filled with old engine oil and diesel and will be left to soak until we're ready to refurb it properely. it was in remarkable condition and looks usable

i'm quite fond of them

proper bit of engineering is that

if you have a problem i'll go back up for you if needed

lol makes the covenanter resto look easy

thanks andy nice pic. it hasn't improved any

i only picked up the cent spares. there were a few 432 series bits but not a lot. give him a call and say you can collect straight away. he's keen to clear the shed asap

thanks richard i remember you mentioning the gearbox and although with some work i think mine would be repairable i'd much rather spend the money and buy one i know will be good.

could you please message me with the sellers details. cheers 

i've also done a deal for one of the arv's as well as buying all the remaining spares so if anyone wants cents spares i am now the man to see

thanks for the offer and i agree, you are a little too far away to help

i think i will get the tank up and running in original condition, the more i see it the more i like it.

it's a big job but i'm hoping to get some volunteers to help out

no but i did see the bullion guy in the flesh on sunday looking to buy a few abbotts

i hope i can repair the engine. it's a great looking design

andy it was a gulf war trophy at a barracks somewhere in the north west

be a buggar for spares. i heard all the old soviet spares are getting bought up and heading to syria and iraq

bit more room in the back now

the engine is truly a thing of beauty but looks to be beyond redemption

engine and box are now out

i bought the mk3 cent wreck because i feel i have too much free time on my hands

thanks we were working on it today trying to get the box and engine out so they can be assessed properly. most of the bolts came out easily. amazing to think it was buried for 74 years

thankfully the turret basket floor has survived quite well considering the damage done to the armour plate nearby. 

it is standard british construction using plymax which is a 3/4" ply sheet sandwiched between thin steel sheet with the edges folded and soldered to give a water tight finish

some explosive had also been placed inside the hull and has cracked the floor plate  

thanks paul i might take you up on that offer when the time comes.