Mk3iain

Pics of the EB as promised! A bit of tidying and some minor jobs and she should be good enough! Iain

OOPS ! The EB pictures are an accident, how do you remove them?:blush: Iain

I promised myself not to get involved with the Landy yet but I couldn't help it. I have got it running reasonably well considering the exhaust is shot by changing the plugs, leads, coil and distributor cap (two of the leads had been put on wrong to start with), setting the timing and adjusting the carbs. Enough for now. The windscreens have been getting on my nerves as they were opaque, a mention on another thread pointed me towards the inner coating. Having taken the passenger side off it's obvious that they were not well made as the laminate sealing had let in moisture and a layer had started to degrade. By taking off a perspex like layer and then an elastic and very sticky layer the windows are now clear. OK, if I get hit by a high velocity bullet glass fragments may intrude into the cab but I'll try and avoid that Before and after with the passenger side done. Prying off the "perspex" layer. The sticky elastic layer, it took some effort to peal it off. Both windows done and just need sealing back on, a major improvement and did not cost anything. I am fairly sure the anti-spall properties are not actually required any more but I am happy with the result. Iain

Thanks Andy, I have an old broken one I can practice with before tackling one off a vehicle, I suppose it starts with bending back the tabs? If you have two NOS barrels with keys you are willing to sell I am of course interested. Cheers Iain

Hi Robin Its the type as used in Land Rovers and others but I suspect the advice about removing the barrel (don't!) will be the same, I may have to replace the switch assembly if the barrel will not come out. Thanks Iain

Does anyone know how to change the lock barrel on the combined light ignition switch used on many British vehicles. Also what part number for the replacement barrels and keys is? I have one key and worn locks on both the Milly and EB. Many thanks! Iain

A very good original Eager Beaver Mk2 +some spares was delivered on Saturday (as I got home from work after a month). 04FZ69 has come from Mark Peacock and so far I am well pleased. It is of course an essential tool and not another a toy! Pics to follow. Iain

You started a reasonable and interesting debate and one in that will we will not all find agreement, that is life and what makes the forum useful. Please do not remove your posts! There is for sure a segment of the road going public (and commercial users) who will bodge and dodge. It seems that the owners of vintage and classic vehicles show such a significantly low percentage of "offenders" that to test all is not seemed to be worth it. I do not think for one minute that all vintage and classics on the road are in perfect health but the owners will (should) be aware like the rest of us that they must be safe for road use at all times, good enough to pass a suitable MOT. We do have many VOSA and police spot checks on commercials in the NE Scotland and I have been pulled in with my M1008 and been given a going over (I passed with a recommendation to monitor my rear brake lines, I changed them). They can and will pull private vehicles too to check for condition, overloading (horse trailers a favorite) and proper license etc. The police and VOSA do not rely on the MOT anyway and check for themselves. If I see anyone with a obviously unsafe vehicle I surely would let them know or inform the police, I would not want that on my conscience if it all went wrong and someone got hurt or killed! End of drivel Iain

I still don't get it :??? It seems like the MOT is to mitigate against the possibility of maybe a minority "of other people not me", possibly not maintaining a historic military vehicle to a safe standard. Like I said before, I fail to see that this has proven to be a national problem before now in the classic and vintage vehicle world in general. Why should our hobby or other pre-sixty vehicle owners be any different? Good intentions no doubt but there are other real problems out there......

Very strange, its looks as if the main leaf is like flat chain, not taking part in the spring effort but flexing up and down but fixed fore and aft. Why?...:confused:

The lens and bowl are made to give precise beam patterns on full or dip and will dip to the right or left depending on the how they are made. There is indication on the lens to show which way they dip. To adjust a right dipping beam to dip to the left would put the main beam even further left illuminating the hedge! The way they dip is not adjustable and on an MOT test the alignment of main and dip should be tested (main at least!). Not sure if a blind fitted to a UK vehicle to stop oncoming drivers being dazzled on dip from European spec lamps is acceptable for MOT, but I would doubt it. The adjustment on the lamp housing is to enable fine adjustment of the beam only. Honest! Iain

Maybe I am missing something, is there a national crisis or problem with the safety of classic and vintage vehicles? I don't think so. I agree with all those disagreeing (:rolleyes: )with the petition. Instead of concentrating on a tiny percentage of vehicles that are not a problem, spend some time tackling the uninsured drivers and unfit foreign commercials etc that are a problem. I am sure it is meant with the best intention but it is a misguided waste of time. Iain

Out of interest to any Snatch spotters out there there was a list of possibly call-signs on the partition. Iain

Surely the direction of dip on modern lamps is dependent on the lamp bowl and lens, adjusting a R/H dip to the left will bring the main beam left! The direction of dip should be indicated by an arrow on the lens and it may be you have European lamps fitted, they will be a standard type and not expensive to replace. Iain

I think you may stand a chance of recovering those batteries with a pulse charging battery conditioner. I recovered one of mine but I am not sure the batteries were the right rating, they are 40ah and look a bit smaller than yours. Those Odysseys are expensive but good and are worth the investment in a conditioner (Optimate 6?). A bit on the small side but still turns it over! I've started digging in and taking bits off prior to giving it a good clean out but I am trying hard not to get too involved in it yet as I want to concentrate on my Militant (I have just fitted a BV to improve the comfort level, my truck my rules!). Some more pics Lots of redundant cables and stuff to remove and store ! The engine was rebuilt in 2005. according to the plate, runs a bit rough but I feel the carbs need a service the engine itself is nice and quiet! Lots to do and its hard not to fiddle. Iain

Yes it makes sense now. There must have been some sort of accident that required a battery to be removed from under my drivers seat, with the damage to the one left they may have been shorted and started cooking off. My ignition is standard non screened, strange when they were all going to carry radios etc. I see you have Odyssey batteries, they are very good, I have managed to recover the main battery using a pulse charger (Opimate 6) but of course the other one is goosed. I'm not sure what to do with all the extra wiring, I'll probably rip out what is no longer used and take it from there. I wonder if the 24v alternator could run a BV :cool2: Cheers Iain

Thanks Julian That agrees with what I found except I only had one battery under the drivers seat, it had been disconnected and was loose so there could well have been two originally. It seems most of the equipment was run from the 12v side but some also from the 24v, it would be handy to get hold of some wiring diagrams, no doubt the kit is out of bounds but the basic power layout should be from the basic vehicle upgrade. Iain

I have been looking further into the electrical charging systems. I have the original 12v alternator connected to the left (passenger) side battery that supplies the vehicle power, it is also connected to the air conditioning system (the fuses and relays are beside the battery) and it seems all the additional electronic equipment. The second alternator that must have been added during the desert "upgrade" is wired to a battery under the drivers seat. It has no other connections and supplies no users? It had been disconnected and the battery had obvious signs of extreme overheating, one terminal changed colour and battery acid spilling out. I suspect the electronic equipment had been connected to this but after the incident had been swapped to the main battery. The secondary alternator was feeding a single 12v battery and so must be 12v itself also I can see no connection between the batteries to give a 24v supply. I don't have any wiring diagrams to show how it was originally, does anyone have any information on the electrical system or the wiring diagrams for these "desertised" versions? I would have thought 24v supply would have been required for the electronics but it does not look like it! Any help appreciated! Iain

Thanks, I can get diff lock OK but not low range, so no doubt have the same problem. Iain

I am sure its the starter solenoid, I rigged a cable direct to battery earth and the starter still struggled on the odd occasion that it would turn over (slowly). I have got a replacement overnight off E-bay for £60 and it turns over nicely! But still won't start, lots of bodging is evident in the ignition system so I am going to have to leave it until next week as I need to get the Milly ready for Castle Frazer this weekend. There is no other signs of damage other than a small ding in chassis in line with the damage to the prop shaft and no damage at the rear, so far..... Lots of concrete around and I can't get low range yet, but I'll get around too that and sussing out the wiring including what I assume is the aux battery and genny. Is it a hybrid 12v and 24v system as on my Chevy M1008 or are there two separate 12v systems? Cheers Iain

Thanks for that, I hadn't thought of separating the plastic layer! I'll give it a try when the summer really comes! :goodidea: Iain

Does anyone who has a Snatch have any info on parts? So far I need a rear prop-shaft and will no doubt need many more bits as I go. Ie windscreens, bumper etc Do they use standard 110 parts? (Not the windscreens of course!). Any help and advice appreciated. Iain

I made a spur of the moment decision and bought a Snatch from Withams. What the hell its a Landrover easy or what! (Joke!) Its just arrived home and I have had a day to look around. The starters goosed and the chassis needs cleaning up and a new out rigger and the rear prop is bent, no surprises so far. For the time being I just want to get it running so I can move it around and get it cleaned and protected from further rust. My Milly is first for attention mainly an engine change from my donor to get rid of the turbo and return all to standard. Does the snatch use the same parts as the standard 110 V8, ie rear prop etc? Any info on parts would be appreciated. My future project! Donor Milly! Sadly one Milly is going to provide parts and spares to keep the other going, but it is well gone and would be scrapped otherwise. Iain

Hi "Pinkie" I have had one in the past and still look after it on occasion. It was a 1026, light armour with winch, although the winch had been removed. The numbering is quite complex as the models changed over the years and the separate designation for winch equipped models was discontinued, a bit of browsing should get you up to speed. Personally I would get the model you want initially if you can as the parts to convert can get expensive. I converted from a light armoured (slant back) with a straight swap for all the parts required for a four door soft top with the rear cover extension. It included a windscreen assembly and tailgate and a lot of other parts, its not as simple as it may seem but at least it is simple to do once you have all the parts. I much prefer the truck without the weight of the tin box as it is by far a better drive. If you are used to old landies then the weather protection is a bit like an old series landie with water and wind coming from all around you. The later radial tyres are better for road use but the old bias ply (as long as there is plenty of tread) are better off road. Other things to improve it are later (A2) seats and mirrors and soundproofing! The early versions have much the same engine and gearbox as the M1008 series of pickups but with permanent 4x4 and excellent suspension. Easy to drive and brilliant off road but beware the width on narrow roads! Iain