eddy8men

i often wonder about the contribution that harry pounds has made whether intentionally or not. i never met the fella but i would have loved to walk around his yard back when it was full of armour

parts are never easy to come by and without the "old gang" collecting what they could when they could we'd be shafted. the tank would not be nearly so complete if it wasn't for adrian barrell or david herbert and their compulsive desire to unbolt items from range wrecks whenever the opportunity arose. the hours must have flown by out on the area in the rain and mud with only each other for warmth seriously though there are many people i will thank for their efforts when the time comes. all the best rick

thanks guys for all the positive comments, it's been an epic task getting it to this condition and to be honest i never planned on making it so complete but i just can't help myself. i keep moving the goal posts and i know i won't stop, even when it's sold i'll keep restoring it if the new owner let's me :nut: for my next project i plan on rebuilding my carrier and getting it registered for the road after that i might have a break before starting the churchill (although i'm itching to start restoring the turret) but we'll see if i have any energy left in the new year. few more pics taken on my phone which is why the quality is a little sketchy. rick

we are nearly there now and the tank is starting to look complete both inside and out. i would be lying if i said it was easy (these things never are) but i'm happy with the result, just another couple of days and it will be finished, maybe by next weekend, although i keep saying that. it's amazing what an extra 400+ man hours and a couple of thousand pound can achieve :-D anyway here are a few pics of the interior.

very nice project, i have seen panzer 1 parts and a hull on the http://www.warrelics.eu forum. a lot of east european and russian collectors use the forum and i'm fairly confident you will find some of the missing parts if you put a post on the forum. all the best rick

nice choice of vehicle bill. good luck with the resto

a year on the show circuit and a trip to arnhem and normandy would be quite nice but who knows maybe the new owner will want a chauffeur for his new ride :cool2:

thanks iain i now have enter on google chrome:-D

forget the penguins how about a carrier or two :cool2:

very nice work

I have no "enter" which is irritating

hi niels that's an easy question to answer. i'm broke :cry: To do the tank in a relatively short time has cost me a lot in money and time which I now need to recoup. I took my eye off the ball with regards to making an income and instead focused on the tank which is probably a common mistake for us green vehicle types but it's all good, I can pull myself out of the sh1tpile once the tank is sold and besides I still have the Churchill to waste money on I plan to have the best Cromwell in the world by the time I sell it and that is something I can always look back on.

it's a while since I posted anything on the Cromwell but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy :cool2: infact we haven't stopped for the last month. basically the tank was complete externally but the interior left a lot to be desired so I've been fitting stowage bins and boxes non stop and finally there is light at the end of the tunnel. the plan is to have it pretty much finished for the end of the month after which it will be offered for sale.

bit of tin work and a drop of olive drab and she'll be good as new :-D

welcome to the forum. I struggle to restore ww2 vehicles so can imagine how difficult it is to work on ww1 kit. good luck with the resto's. rick

very nice tank you've got there and may I congratulate you on your excellent choice of vehicle. :-D

there aren't many restored cromwells around probably no more than 4 and even less mk4 Churchill avre's. as for bren gun carriers well there's plenty of those knocking about but the more the merrier in my opinion :-D

good of you to move the parts donor vehicle closer to the workshop for me :cool2:

ww2 armour is where the money is due to rarity and more importantly historic value, if you can get hold of a carrier from Canada for the right money that would be a good place to start as they are a doddle to restore and the parts are plentiful, expect to pay £12k with shipping put £8k into it and you've got something worth £35k+ and they're great to drive :cool2:

looks like they'll be a few dukws coming onto the market soon !

glad you're keeping it and don't be disappointed these things never go as smoothly as we would like, infact the more I get into the hobby the more I accept delays are inevitable, I still don't like them but that's just the nature of the game. in answer to your question yes I will be working on mine on Saturday, come to think of it I haven't stopped since war and peace :nut: Saturdays task will involve fabricating 2 hull ammo stowage bins (if the steel is ready in time from the profilers). I keep telling myself it will be worth it when it's done :-D

your best bet would be to start a new thread entitled " reputable restorer needed near Cambridge" or something along those lines, that way you'll get both the restorers and guys that have had work done replying (hopefully). as to cost, most guys will be charging £15-£25 per hour. it's a hassle and a disappointment (welcome to my world) but i'm sure it'll all come together and be worth it when you're cruising along the road back in oz. I've never been to oz but the roads must be really sh1t if you need an acmat to get around :-D

mike just sub it out to a restorer to finish off, if it's not far off from being finished and you can get a reputable guy to do the works then it won't cost the earth ! good luck with it

the rolls royce heritage trust did a book on the meteor engine development which goes into great detail about the contribution made by W A Robottom to british tank design. I would highly recommend it

put up some pics and dimensions