eddy8men

it might sound funny but that looks like a really good restorable project when compared with what's left to go at these days, god help the poor buggars that want to get into restoring mv's 20 years from now but they'll still get into it you know and they'll turn rust into mv's it'll just cost them more and take longer. i often think that those guys 20 years ago had it better than us and it's right they did but the reallity is you have to get what's available to you now so alastair's knackered loyd chassis might look like a fools errand to some but in 20 years time someone will say "lucky bastard finding such complete carriers to start with i wish i'd have been round back then". :-) eddy

i'll be going, if we're not away on holiday

great photo's, great event. i took my camera but didn't take a single snap too busy chatting and dreaming. next year i'll be there in the carrier oh yes ! eddy

hi fella's i was at the ponderosa show today and there were 3 complete tractor, gun and limber combinations there but i'm afraid i didn't think to ask the guys about what licenses were required but i would assume they were local mvt members so south yorkshire branch maybe a good place to ask. eddy

this was my first mv event and i had a great time, it was a well organised show with some interesting and well thought out stands, i liked the way each country had it's own display area and these were well laid out.i particulary liked the re-enactors battles it was a good way to break up the day especially if you've got young kids in tow. it was nice to meet you rippo, shame we couldn't talk for longer but when the carrier arrives i'm sure i'll be able to bore you some more. berma2vm,next time you go to a show up north give me a nod all the best eddy

see you down there

thanks adrian oh well i guess the wot's no use as a load carrier then, back to plan "b" . when i think of a plan "b" i'll let you know what it is. all the best eddy

buggar, i didn't think it was gonna be a problem, so ok then how am i gonna get round it, how about towing a trailer behind the wot does that mean i can get away with not testing and plating it, if i can't have a load at all then what do you think my options are, sell it or test and plate it. to be honest i wasn't interested in the wot it was the engines i was really after but now i've seen it up close i quite like the old girl especially as the cab roof lifts off, thought i might paint it up for north africa. let me know what you think. ideally i should now be saying that the next time i buy a vehicle i will look into it and research it thoroughly but i know i won't that's not my style, i'm more of a rush in and think about it after kind of guy. trouble is it doesn't always work out. eddy

caption contest WHY DO THEY COME TO ME TO DIE !!!

thanks steve, i wasn't really looking to get any wheeled vehicles as tracked armour is my thing but i'm glad i did. the wot came with 2 v8's and a perkins diesel all in the back so the idea is to use the v8's in my carrier and chuck the deisel in the wot and when the carrier's done put it on the wot to get me to shows, although the wot is rated at 3 tons i reckon the carrier will be under that, if not i'll get a trailer behind the wot and chuck some carrier bits in it until it's within the rating. not sure it'll all work out as smooth as that but we'll see. all the best eddy

hi fella's alastair it was nice to come to one of your lincoln carrier club meetings it's always nice to put a face to a name and could you thank martyn for me aswell next time you see him. everything seems to be coming together now. the engine's with martyn and brian, gearbox is sorted, armour/welding is taken care of, tracks and running gear are ready,hulls ready for blasting and spraying on monday, so that just leaves me to sort out the track warping and brakes (simples). ok there maybe a few other minor details that i've over looked but it pays to be positive. i drove to ramsgate yesterday to collect 2 flathead v8's in need of reconditioning and paid £2750 for them, which some may feel was a little steep however they did come with a free fordson wot6 . i ended up driving 610 miles and didn't get back til midnight after setting off at 8am but i didn't feel tired at all i was too busy making plans and scheming and thinking back on what a great day it had been for collecting carrier stuff and meeting some good people. by the way, does anyone know the significance of this number which is stamped on the angle iron behind the gunners seat bulkhead, could it be a hull number and would it help me identify it all the best eddy

thanks for your help fella's i'll go to the yard today and check it out. thanks again eddy

i found the wd no. but i can't make them out, see what you think but it looks like a ct at the begining and there's an 8 as well

thanks steve i know what you mean when you say splitting them into sections makes them easier to handle mine are still full track lengths and it near enough gives me a herna rolling them up. cheers eddy

i'm going on sunday, looking forward to it, especially the 3x25 pdr's firing together that should attract peoples attention. see you there eddy

hi fella's just thought i'd post a few pics of the tracks, although the track was mostly free about a third was rusted solid, however after a little (4hrs actually) persuasion with the sledge they all succumbed. the next job is to shot blast them and then coat them with a bit of thinned down bitumen paint. one interesting thing i noticed is apparent on the second pic the majority of the track pins have a domed head on both ends to hold the pin in place but some small sections of track have the dome on one end and a washer and split pin on the other which is normal but there are also some sections that have had the split pin removed and the end flattened over, although the washer was still free to rotate, this looked to be an old modification and i assume would have been done while still in military service. does anyone else have an idea or knowledge of this practice. all the best eddy

hi alastair sounds like it's coming together for you and good luck to you mate, it's an ambitious project to start with and i'm sure there's plenty of guys out there willing to help you if they can, i know i will. carpe diem eddy

i'm coming regardless of the carriers condition but it would be really nice to get to drive it across the plain. less posts more action. eddy

as ever adrian, technically you are right but every veteran i've met has come up to me and said "oh you've got a bren gun carrier" and then they've gone on to relate some tale involving it, although if i'm being honest i've only met 3 so far but you know what i'm saying. it's a generic term and if that's what they called them then that's good enough for me. eddy

hi fella's have we decided what it is yet, i think i now know why everyone just called them bren gun carrier regardless of it's true designation (because no buggar really knew). all the best eddy

this is getting interesting !

will do clive cheers eddy

the carriers in a yard 35miles from my home waiting for blasting and priming so it's difficult to get to it but i might try and sneek out on saturday when the wifes not looking and do a bit of work on the track warping cross shaft. lynn thanks for the update on the carrier designation, why they have to make everything so complicated i'll never know. i did a liitle bit of work on it last week and was surprised just how easily it came apart but then again it's the putting it back together bit that most people struggle with. all the best eddy

hi tony i'll take you up on that offer of a team. can you ask them to bring a mig, a flathead v8,2 road wheels, a rad and a tin of green paint.:-D cheers

bull em up' lots of polish applied liberally then melted with a lighter and then you'll need a good rag and a tin of water, just keep making small circles with your finger in the rag and keep it wet hence the water, 5 minutes and they'll be like new. it's a great way to spend an evening if you've got no mates or you don't go out much eddy