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The Dodge can't tow the flatbed, and the M201 runs, but is misfiring every so often ( needs valves seats recutting. I've aborted two events this year already due to power loss. Engine stripdown over winter ). The other Jeep only had 60 miles on the clock since rebuild, and I didn't want to risk a long drive on a still relatively untested vehicle, therefore both Jeeps had to be trailered to Croft.

Why cant the Dodge tow the flatbed ?

It was 40 miles away, so we clocked up 240 miles in the Honda towing and 80 miles in the Dodge.

 

It worked out at £93.00 petrol and diesel and three days off work, sorting trailers and ferrying the third vehicle on the Thursday and Monday. I was pretty knackered on Tuesday and Wednesday too, so just worked on the Croft website rather than real work, so call it a week out of my life.

Im not if sure if you wife drives but if so you could cut that down to 160 miles.

Wife drives one Jeep and Jeep trailer.

You drive Dodge and tow other jeep on trailer.....simple maybe ?

It would be a shame not too display those vehicles together again.

I remember one year doing hundred of miles and hours driving getting our vehicles to W&P, I gave up costing the fuel after the third visit to petrol station,hence why I tend to take a jeep on a trailer to run about.

Thank you. I was very pleased with the layout, even though it was hard work setting it all up and getting the vehicles there.

As a matter of interest how far from your homebase was the show ?

Lets be totally honest here, 90% of the vehicle show is made up by 5% of the people that slip in some time earlier than the first Friday,rope off huge areas of grass in the prime location's. Im not sure how this happens with our overseas visitors....but it does.

With this in mind if i end up in the back and beyond I will go home when I wish.

After reading some of the other posts my conclusion is that a lot of people using the arena do so because perhaps they cant/wont/dont drive their vehicles on the road. W&P gives the opportunity to have a good thrash round burn a few gallons,and as a bonus amuses the public. Again blunt honesty here do you do it for them or your own fun.....I know which camp I am in.

Of course if your transport/fuel cost is supplimented by the show,then of course you have a duty to go into the arena and entertain the paying public.

I neither want or get any monies, I pay to attend the show (which i think is GREAT value) I spend a fair amount on fuel getting there,my vehicle is on show most of the time, so I feel no need to belt around and around in circles with people watching.

Sorry if this is a bit blunt but I don't try to polish a tu*d.......roll them glitter yes but never polish,your hands get mucky......

Our Gmc has a primer but to be honest half a dozen turns and it fires up. Never use choke.Luck of the draw I suppose.

Our Dodge needs almost a check list to start, half choke,half hand throttle,6 pumps on pedal and whoooosh, miss one of those and its takes a few mins to start.

In my veiw W&P offer the best value show for m/v owners/exhibitor's £25 for up to 10 nights camping....outstanding.

I know we had a bit of a talk last year about this but, I was in Haigs field quite clearly marked "Vehicle display" I was shocked at how people in there brought nothing at all apart from a caravan......One person next to me who said they had a landrover really had no intention of bringing it and was chuffed to have bucked the system,as far as there is NO checking to see if/what military vehicle you have brought...........

Last year at WPR we took the halftrack in on every occasion we could even putting magnetic red crosses on the sides for the ambulance slot and escorted it with the WC54, this year we dug out the plywood armour for the jeep and took it in the arena for the wheeled armour once. I didn't like the fact that the public had to look past the vehicles driving through the arena to see us and the traffic stuck behind the zoo bus (which really needed pull in spaces) meant it all took too long.

We've always tried to get to the arena each year but this year we sadly didn't seem to have the intrest after the big stuff had turned it over. We took part in the convoy on Friday night but the numbers were down I guess as people had a better idea of the impending weather but we were largely abandoned to mix with civilian vehicles which broke the run up even more.

We went on the run also, I thought the numbers were up on last year. they changed the running order, as far that last year the bigger slower vehicles went off first, which does of course make sense.Last year we seemed to wait about for ages for a few of the vehicles.....maybe VIPS's :yawn: or at least thought they were...lol.

Interesting question

I am both an exhibitor and a commentator so can probably speak from both sides

There is the "I live in my vehicle" excuse, yes I can see this, but there are some very interesting vehicles out there that would really make the arena event interesting

There are also the vehicles that are part of a display (and I dont mean a camo net thrown over it)that would be a major disruption to that display

No disrespect to Jeep/Land Rover owners but maybe seen one seen them all? (in the eyes of Joe public............I own two Land rovers so that includes me!!)

Maybe there's the "I've been in the beer tent all afternoon" fine, come in the arena on the Sunday (or find a driver)

"The commentator is useless", probably the biggest issue! I have been to shows (big and small) where the person behind the microphone is just a voice and has no knowledge of whats in front of him and is basically an embarrassment, however dont knock the guy (or guyess) they have a procession of all sorts in front of them all day and have to keep talking!!

Or it may be the steward of the section without any public speaking experience has the mike thrust into his hand to talk about his section!!

Maybe the organisers dont give enough notice of the time of the ring parade, or even worse tell the section and then change it!!!

I take the position that the public come and spend there hard earned to get into the show, we should at least show them the respect of making the effort to get into the ring

As an example I commentated at a show a few years ago (everything form steam engines to push bikes) when it came to the Military section we had about half a dozen vehicles round the ring. I was gobsmacked when I walked round the field on the saturday evening to see maybe upwards of 40 vehicles in the section, and I have to say some really nice and interesting and rare stuff.

So come on, if you are at a show at least make the effort to come into the ring at least once over the weekend!!!!!!!

I believe some of the "effort" HAS to be made by the organiser/ arena team.

Example...friday night pattons parade. We had all been told/shouted at, on some occasions down right rudley that a one way system is in operation around the site all week, only to be told once in the arena to turn around we are going the other way !!!!!! Now Im sure there was a logical reason for this,my point is lack of........... INFORMATION simple

I'm probably going to put the cat among the pigeons here but you did ask.

 

I don't primarily attend shows in order to show my vehicles off to members of the public. If any form of showing is done by the group I hang out with it is to each other and that's more about comparing work done, bouncing around ideas etc. I attend shows principally for the social side and we've often joked that the aim of the hobby is not vehicle preservation at all but drinking beer around a fire. All the rest is just leading up to that. To take W&PR as a good recent example, we were in almost the geographical centre of the site but yet probably only saw 250 public all week in our area (most of whom were lost and trying to get back to the other side of the site) but I'm not bothered as they are peripheral to my enjoyment.

 

I'm happy to go into an arena if we have some sort of silliness planned that will make it enjoyable, but just to go in so we can drive round in a circle and then park up for 5mins always seems a bit pointless. That said, we're off to the Lingfield Steam and Country Show tomorrow and they always make of point of asking if we can go into the arena so I'm sure I will.

 

I'm not sure what the conclusion is other than that show organisers could maybe look at other ways of letting the owners play and 'show off' such as having off-road courses, or convoys around the site or working areas rather than just the rather old-fashioned driving round a ring and parking up for 5mins.

 

- MG

 

ps. I have a fear of public speaking so any arena event where I'm likely to have a microphone stuffed in my face will be regarded with reluctance!

I think you have summed it up perfectly....well said

At Beltring I cannot agree more, every chance and I was there. Last year at Folkestone I went in a couple of times but the commentary was played out to almost no one watching and flankly it was boring driving round in a small flat oval.

 

This year I didn't go in once and I know that I was not the only one. I believe that if they cannot sort out the arena to attract more vehicle and viewing public, it will be the decline of the show.

I think your right the arena at W&P is pretty poor for the public. Although owning a few vehicles and in the past having taken more down to beltring with its move 30 odd miles further I now only take a jeep on a trailer......and of course we all know there are too many jeeps on the road and the public only want to see the bigger stuff......well at least thats what I have been told.

Thinking about it I witnessed a similar thing with a Gardener engined Leyland Titan. It had new lift pumps, new injectors (sprayers in Gardener manuals), injection pumps, even a new fuel tank. Turned out one of the drivers would dip the fuel tank with a rolled up new newspaper and bits of it would fall off into the tank occasionally blocking the stack pipe....the saga went on for weeks until someone cut open the fuel tanks and discovered them full of newspaper!

I bet he was put on a charge...........:blush:

Try here for plastic plugs/bungs http://www.capxpress.co.uk

Thankyou a very useful link.

Thankyou Howard, I dont have to clear the blast area up as such just the job i'm blasting.

I dont do it on a commercialjust our own bits and bobs. The last lot I did I think was the hotest day of the year.......not good as you will know. I've used kiln dried sand and one or two other mediums,have you tried crushed glass by any chance.

Its been reccomended to me but I've not tried it.

Gary

Hi Howard,out of interest how/what do you use to seal/block holes pre blasting.

When I blast it takes me hours post blasting to clear up.

Gary

12v21w are no problem in orange, I use them in my Panzerwagon indicators(BMW) but 6v would be impossible.

Orange paint is the best way as everyone has said I am sure..

Yes we use 12v in our other vehicles but the jeep is 6v and I would like to keep it that way. My local motorcycle shop assured me they would be no problem but on that score are about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

Hi Robin, as to dead load see my reply to John, the object was to show off an Explorers pulling power, try one if that didn't work try two and so on, we ran out of arena time before hooking up a fourth Explorer...

 

Some years are memorable years for wrecker displays, some aren't, whether moving the show has had an effect on numbers partaking remains to be seen, only time will tell.

I would have thought that if enough jeeps were hooked up they could have pulled it out........

Thankyou all....with what seems NO chance of getting any orange bulbs (6v 21w) I have ordered some orange paint, I will report back..............

Hello,could any advise as to where I might find some 6volt 21w orange bulbs please.

I have searched the normal...well normal to me but with no luck.

Thanks in advance.

Great show as always, but its about time the organisors have something arranged for wet weather. Dumping some munched up straw does not hit the spot. I would have thought more "ali track is needed" I know there is a cost but for such an international show its poor.

The main entrance/exit was nothing less than chaotic on Saturday morning,despite the superb efforts of the staff.

Its hard to imagine that a show billed as "the greatest gathering of military vehicles on the planet" can such a poor arrival/departure area. A single track way across the course is not enough.

Frustration set in and I saw a few heated exchanges.

Saying all that I had a week there and had a great time. There seemed to be a few more "freindly" marshalls there this year and much less bad mouthing....I was impressed its being tidied up.....thankyou.

Toilets and showers also seemed better.

I am sure that place has been up for sale for a while.

Don

 

NGK spark plugs in your Jeep, I didn't know America sourced spark plugs from Japan during the war as OE equipment !!!!

Nice one, game set and match I think......there is also a little of pot calling the kettle black here,or should it be stones and glass houses.

I am sure many people will be rushing to fit a Land Rover Solex type 32 carb to help their 12 volts Jeeps start even better and maybe improve the fuel consumption,., safe in the knowledge that the British Military fitted them.

 

The excellent posts from contributors in this topic have not mentioned the importance of setting up the standard Carter carb correctly, as detailed in TM 9-1826A. The adjustment of the metering rod and idle richness ( CO ) is critical in keeping the plugs clean so that it will start on 6 volts. Idle CO levels should not exceed 3 % or the plugs will carbon up requiring a greater spark voltage...( which 12 volts gives ) . Similarly the running CO levels at all roads speeds need to be correct. a " plug cut " should always show a white centre electrode.. A change to NGK B6S plugs usually improves starting...

 

Tony Sudds is the MAN....not sure any of his creations have been 12 volt.....

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, can anyone tell me where I might be able to source some ORGINAL 1940'S petrol, as I am having to use the likes of Shell,BP and heaven forbid Tesco fuel and its playing havoc with me "twin choke" WEBER carb.

"You can even get into Indicators and number plates on Jeeps, they were not original but most of us have them (I’m sure Don will confirm he is one of those who has not fitted them)"

In one of Dons earlier post he mentioned where he was parked with his GMC on Omaha beach. Well I was parked bang next to him to the right and I can confirm he has both indicators and at least a front number plate fitted to his GMC.

Now I dont see a problem with that other than the fact he is banging on about keeping vehicle original.

I'm sure the GMC did not come out of the factory with either of those additions but nor would they have been fitted with "Allied Forces/ Worthing" canvas.

As I said before we all have our little secrets.........even Don :cheesy:

Yeah, sorry Gary - I was just hanging out with Damien Lewis and the other Band of Brothers actors and stuff. Been flipping busy lately, this weekend I had lunch with Kate Adie and Dan Snow, drank champagne with Bruce Cromptom and the founder of World of Tanks, Victor Kislyi. I will put some more Normandy pics up!

Really Jack you hang out with some dodgy people Jack........and "get that air cut"

Found the Gendamarie on the whole very good. Was speaking to one on the 6th at Arromanches who told me they had 500 on duty in that particular area alone on that day!

 

In all, although there was some pre-worries about the passes and what it would entail, like many others we didn't get stopped all day on the 6th when inside the zone.

 

"Thought that organisation wise the cutting of fields for car parking around most Normandy sites was a great move. Made it very easy for those both travelling by car, like ourselves, and also in a military vehicle."

I agree that was a really good idea, and as per normal in France NO car parking charge. If that were in the UK we would be paying at least £5 each time we parked up........