utt61

(1407 BST) Appears to have just landed at Coningsby!

(1400 BST) Now approaching Coningsby having passed approx 20km to the east of Lincoln.

I wonder if that's 1315 UTC(GMT) rather than BST?

Just flown over Durham at 3700 feet and 168 kts, heading 140.

Isn't it rather large for a tyre valve cap - circa 20mm dia by 60mm long?

Post removed at the request of the OP.

I had recorded it and watched it yesterday. I felt that the makers had perhaps 1/2 hour of worthwhile material which they had stretched to 1.5 hours. Overall rating - disappointing.

I would defininately liked to have seen more about Dassault's "virtual" Mulberry B, which seems to me to be worthy of a programme all of its own and was far more interesting that the short underwater clips of assorted barnacled wrecks.

I imagine though that the average participant in this forum has far more specialist knowledge that the average member of the target audience for a programme of this kind on mainstream TV and therefore is much more likely to be disappointed that your average viewer.

Andy I think the reasoning was that if the Allied invasion failed then these superfluous stocks of vehicles could be of use to an invader. When I was a boy living in Devon in the 1950s the story was that there were dumps of such vehicles buried around Bovey Heath. I can remember in the area Nissen huts with piles of leather items just going mouldy.

It is inconceivable to me that in the run-up to the invasion of Europe there would have been any "superfluous" vehicles, and in the event that the invasion failed and the enemy counter-invaded the UK you wouldn't want to waste time exhuming and and recommissioning buried vehicles to oppose.

If you want to prevent vehicle assets falling into enemy hands you don't bury them, you destroy them.

I suspect that the rumours of masses of buried vehicles just waiting to be discovered is purely wishful thinking, though undoubtedly there will be one or two here and there. Even to this day there are still railway nuts who believe that there is a "strategic reserve" of steam locomotives stashed away somewhere "just in case". This despite the fact that the fate of every BR steam loco has been accounted for, and the destruction of infrastructure would render such a strategic reserve as useful as a candle in a hurricane.

I don't think the Disco suffers from window lift failure any more often than other manufacturer's vehicles, I have changed them on many different models but have never had one with a weld failure,they have all been due to cable breakage.

No cables on a Disco 2, it's done with a sort of scissor lift. The motor drives a toothed quadrant which is feebly spot welded to the mechanism. I have had 2 fail in 12 years.

You can usually fish the glass out with a ruler and duct tape, then lift it manually and duct tape it shut. Bush engineering!

Disco 2 doesn't seem to suffer as badly from the rusty rear floor as the original Disco (which was something of a disaster in this respect).

Some other common problems with D2 which I forgot to mention above are:-

- Headlining - like most vehicles of this era the foam layer in the headlining breaks down with age and the fabric sags. It can be sorted but unless you DIY it isn't cheap.

- Fuel pipes - the fuel system on the Td5 is complex and it is common for the HP pipe from the pump in the tank to chafe just above the tank. Fiddly to repair but not a huge problem.

- Fuel pressure regulator - this pesky little blighter is on the rear RHS of the head and is prone to leak. Not difficult nor expensive to repair but very fiddly.

- Injector seals - prone to leak diesel into the lubricant on higher mileage engines. Not too difficult to renew, but when buying check to see if the dipstick smells of diesel fuel - it doesn't make a good lubricant!

- Front window regulators - there's a spotweld on the lift mechanism which is prone to fail leaving the window fully open (happens more often in rain for some reason). Easy repair with s/h parts.

I have run a D2 for 12 years and over 200,000 miles so have experienced most/all of the above. It doesn't alter the fact it is a great car. As with any LR, choose one with a good chassis though.

Most Disco2's do not have a centre diff lock - some have the internals but no operating linkage, and some have no internals either (those built around 2002 do not have the innards). The reasoning behind this was that the traction control was supposedly so marvellous that the CDL was unnecessary, whereas in practice it can be useful. It is not difficult to retrofit the CDL from a Defender transfer box, and aftermarket linkages are available. If you find one with a genuine factory fitted CDL you have found an exceptionally rare thing!

Other things to watch for on the DIsco2:-

Water ingress - the sunroofs are prone to leaking when old, which though not difficult to fix is a PITA.

Air suspension - very prone to deflation, however the rear airbags are easy to replace

ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) system - if the hydrualic pipes are rusty they will eventually leak. Replacing them is expensive and a major PITA. When working the system is excellent, but it is possible to remove completely and fit non-ACE ARBs for about £250.

DMF - The TD5 engine is a great unit but it does have a dual mass flywheel which invariably needs changing whenever the clutch needs ernewing.

As noted above the oil-in-the-harness problem is easily (and permanently) solvable, and not usually expensive.

Overall the Disco2 is a superb vehicle; I have long maintained that it is possibly the best general-purpose 4x4 ever to be mass-produced.

Your budget may also run to a Disco 3, but this is a whole different bakk-game in terms of complexity and expense when it starts to go wrong. Personally I'd sooner buy an excellent Disco2 than a ropey Disco3.

This is probably of no relevance and no help, but many years ago I had a similar problem with a 2-litre petrol SAAB 99, which would lose its water at a spectacular rate with no apparent sign of leakage, no oil in the water nor water in the oil, no over-pressuring of the colling system, and no sign of head-gasket probelms. The water just disappeared.

In the end I traced the problem to a leak from the water jacket round the inlet manifold (cross-flow engine, jacketed to keep carb warm) into one of the induction ports. Replaced the manifold and everything was fine.

Could you use something like a holesaw to cut rounds out of a modern triangular reflector?

I'm not sure if this link will work, but if it does, I think this is the Mat. (Thelink will/should open Google streetview but uses the old version of Google maps, not the awful new version).

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Keele+Services,+Keele&hl=en&ll=53.011035,-2.329489&spn=0.000271,0.000817&sll=50.79693,-2.321629&sspn=1.157915,3.348083&oq=keele+&t=h&hq=Keele+Services,&hnear=Keele,+Staffordshire,+United+Kingdom&z=21&layer=c&cbll=53.011035,-2.329489&panoid=O4sVtqIx45-K7ASyrtQ8uQ&cbp=12,120.45,,3,0.39

I've noticed this sort of trend recently, however I've never actually seen any indication that these things sell at such crazy prices.

Quite often now with rare or rare-ish books you'll find similar - a book which perhaps is worth £50 to £150 second-hand, but some online seller (usually in the US) has a copy which is listed at 10 to 20 times that. I imagine that if you're not in a rush to sell, eventually someone will perhaps pay way over the odds.

It is however rather different when the subject is such a completely naff and uninteresting photo!

I have a potential opportunity to take on an interesting project vehicle, something I'd very much like to do, but to make it work I would need to find somewhere to store the vehicle possibly for a few years whilst I hunt for parts and until I have time to devote to its restoration.

Does anyone know of any available safe storage (not necessarily under cover, but somewhere safe from vandals and metal thieves) that might be available at an affordable price for a QL-sized vehicle, preferably in the Poole - Wimborne - Blandford area. Other areas further afield would of course be considered.

If I can't find somewhere I can store this vehicle I shall have to let the opportunity pass.

If anyone could PM me any leads I would be very grateful!

It is of course possible that I may not be able to negotiate a satisfactory deal with the current owner anyway, but at the moment I can't afford to enter into discussions only to find I have bought a bargain and have nowhere to put it.

Thanks.

Back in the early 80s I was driving a borrowed Subaru of some kind (the unexciting estate car kind) when the engine-to-body earth strap broke with the result that the throttle cable became hot enough to melt the plastic sheath. Eventually the throttle became so stiff I realised that something was wrong, but after I'd stopped to investigate and it cooled it had seized completely. I drove about 40 miles back to return the car with two long bootlaces joined together tied to the lever on the carb at one end, out through the (slightly) open bonnet on the nearside, in through the open passenger side window, and the free end was then tied loosely to the indicator stalk so I could find it after gear changes. It worked quite well but it was a long (and cold) 40 miles!

The youngsters of today with modern vehicles really don't know the pioneering fun they're missing!

Three more photos here:-

Looks like it was sold by Warfield Garage at auction in 1993 (see first link above), and went to the West of England Transport Collection at Winkleigh, Devon. The last mention of it I can find online was in 2003. Anyone know if it still exists?

Was it a one-off? There seems to be a feeling that it probably was.

I believe that the reason is so that there is no risk of air being drawn past the primary seal into the pressurised region when the pedal is released, and also to ensure a rapid refill of fluid if the pedal is pumped.

The first Audi Quattro I ever drove had a switch on the dash to disable the ABS and the handbook recommended doing this when driving in deep snow.

 

... so yet again the government makes money getting paid tax twice for one vehicle if say I sold my car on the 2nd of Jan and the new owner taxed it the same day :mad:

My thoughts exactly!

What a fascinating photograph, and a very informative and expert analysis! Thanks!

How many armoured RR's were built altogether?

Prior to April 2010 a vehicle with an MAM under 3500kg was allowed to tow a trailer no wider than 2.3 metres, whilst a vehicle with an MAM exceeding 3500kg could tow a trailer up to 2.55 metres.

Since April 2010, the limit has been 2.55 metres irrespective of MAM, to bring the UK into line with Europe.

Anything wider than 2.55 metres requiers Special Types authorisation.

You may find this of interest.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_200824.pdf

Some more footage of the house move mentioned above with a decent amount of truck action can be found here:-

As far as I know you can use an Historic tax class vehicle laden but not commercially.

Yes, we are in agreement!

The question of whether or not a living van counts as unladen or not is another whole can of worms which we really don't want to open, however it is very difficult indeed to see any way in which it could be considered to fall into the legal definition of unladen.