Pete Ashby

Thanks Clive for having a look, I have to admit I expected them to be from one of those makes on your list, could it be Austin perhaps ? Pete

Can somebody help with the identification of a number of NoS track rod ends I have turned up in the back of the barn they are large and all wrapped in cosmoline code AU/LK/J5543 any idea what vehicle they are fit please Thanks Pete

I'll have a sort through my CMP cylinders in the morning Andy and let you know by PM Pete

An additional thought, it would perhaps be useful to hear how other vehicle focused clubs and organisations approach the issue of public liability so that a comparison can be made regarding value for money and extent and degree of cover. One body that comes to mind are the vintage traction engine fraternity, is it the the NTC that most belong to? they have not dissimilar issues to MV's with big heavy kit and in their particular case added to slips trips and falls the added danger of burns and potential explosions, how do they cover their members and at what cost I wonder ? Pete

Clear and concise presentation, but it's important to listen to each individual presentation. As an MVCG/MVT member for over 40 years my first reaction upon reading about the proposal in Windscreen was why do we need this now after all this time?. Having listened to the presentations I now feel I have sufficient information to be able to make an informed decision when balloted. It is a sad fact that the world of litigation has moved on as the number of spam mails and unwanted phone calls about making claims for accidents I've never had bear witness on an almost daily basis. Do I want to pay more money on my sub .....No..... do I think it is necessary......Yes. Having listened to the the case put forward in the video's like it or not this is the world we now inhabit. The alternative is keep your vehicle and or display locked away and let no one see them. I think the MVT CoM should be applauded for raising the issue and demonstrating a pro active response to a problem that effects the membership, at the end of the day isn't that what the membership would expect from it's CoM. Pete

Rather than using a direct flame you might give a a hot air gun a try on the hottest setting (the type used for paint removal) with a small nozzle you have to cook it a bit with the nozzle close to the work piece. I've found it works well on sized parts and provides a very localized heat and tends not to cause as much secondary damage as the hot spanner. Pete

Thanks for this Clive not come across it before. This would be useful for preventing oxidation on the main battery to frame earth point perhaps ?

Good point Niels I should have said that, there is a fair volume of Hydrogen produced it's best to do it in a loose covered plastic tub or barrel outside, certainly not in an enclosed space. Pete

electrolysis works very well, particularly on small parts that may be damaged by more aggressive methods. There are just a few points that need to be addressed for the process to be effective. There are any number of web sites giving the details but basically it boils down to: a: make sure the sacrificial steel is in line and reasonably close to the work piece but NOT touching and do not use this process on Brass, Copper or Aluminium b: scrub the work piece with plenty of clean water immediately it's removed from the electrolysis bath c: dry the work piece quickly ( I use a hot air gun to get into the corners etc) d: undercoat with a good quality primer Pete

This is a well known photo credit I believe IWM, if you look at the first jeep (hood down) you can clearly see the triangle on the red background however the jeep nearest the camera (hood up) would appear not to have the red background circle. Photos taken early in the war all seem to have the red background circle so I wonder if there was a directive for change around the D Day period ? Pete

Excellent work Rob real craftsmanship keep the up dates coming it's really good to see this truck coming back to life. I first saw it more years ago than I care to remember when Keith and Roy first had it. It's been a long time waiting for someone like you to come along. Pete

Here's the link to the manufactures site Rob, http://www.jb-weld.co.uk/j-b-weld-reviews-and-guides/glue-metal-to-metal I would be cautious about using it on a component subjected to mechanical stress or torsion but could perhaps be useful in your situation Regards to you and Father Pete

Morning Rob, There used to be a product on the market called if I remember correctly JB weld it was an epoxy/Aluminium compound for repairing broken and cracked castings I used it some years ago to repair a motor bike casting with good results I found the best results were obtained if the crack was opened out a little with a needle file to to provide a decent key. Pete

Welcome Kent very impressive models, particularly like the finish on them, feel free to post photos of few more Pete

There was Dorchester in the land warfare hall at Duxford a number of years ago not sure if it's still there some one else on here will know. A quick google search using Dorchester armoured command vehicle brought up a whole shed load of photos. Pete

I pondered long and hard on how I could replicate the cast aluminium end plate that the bellows are attached to it is a complicated affair with a rounded base and ribs cast into it not a easy thing to reproduce. Then I spied the saucepan on the draining board one day :idea: the tricky bit was smuggling it out of the house :angel: the diameter was just right and the rounded base was correct it didn't have the ribs but it would do, cut down drilled and an exit hole cut in the base and the deed was done......saucepan?? what saucepan?? no sorry not seen it :flowers: A really good scrub in a strong hot detergent to remove any trace of flux from the soldering activies and then one coat of etch primer and a base coat of G3 to keep the rust at bay The last thing to do was bend up a the support bracket for the air cleaner from 2.5mm steel sheet this bolts to the frame of the truck and the air cleaner sits on top of the bracket. I'm not up for the epic sowing session undertaken by the Rampant Rivet to reproduce the felt and wire bellows this really was a work of art on his part, so I'm opting for a modern truck filter of the correct air flow for the engine capacity and it will fit inside the housing, it wont be seen when fitted and will do the job well. Another small task completed and a step nearer to getting the beast running Pete

OK back again, here is the curve of the case starting to take shape after a bit more rolling with the scaff tube Finished curve The front end plate was made up out of five separate pieces and soldered together, as an aside I use a hot air gun for soft solder work now on sheet I find I get much better localised heating. The bottom case fixing bracket was bent up from flat bar and shaped on the horn of the anvil to match the curve of the case and the end bands were cut from the same gauge steel as the case and welded together. Small holes were drilled in the bands and bracket and then plug welded onto the case, the front plate was then soft soldered on and it looked like this: more to follow Pete

As a bit light relief from the fight with intermediate axle I decided to make the Vokes air filter case that fits under the floor boards on the mates side of the cab. This is similar in design but not identical in size to the type fitted to early Bedford MW's and I suspect other pre and early war British trucks (see The Rampant Rivets heroic account of making a set of bellows for his MW restoration). I had the decayed remains of about half the case for size and design and luckily a good end plate with handle attached so that was a start. The felt bellows had been home to a family of mice for decades and were in a very poor state The cast aluminium end plate that the bellows are fixed to was also broken some of it missing and only six pieces remaining and unusable. This is going to sound like a Christmas cracker joke......What can you make with an aluminium saucepan, a sheet of steel from an old washing machine and a scaffold tube?...... answer a Vokes air filter case. First job was to cut the steel to size and then produce the rolled stiffening edge on each side that's what's happening here using a pair of bending bars to produce the first 90' bend and then dressing down on the anvil Using the scaffold pole like a rolling pin and the workmate set to an increasing gap the sheet is slowly worked into a curve more to follow. Pete

Time for anther update, progress has been slow over the winter due to a combination of a cold workshop and a good wood burner in the house . Having said that I have dug the intermediate axle out of the barn and moved it into the workshop ready for cleaning and strip down a few more pictures of work on this item will follow in due course. After an epic struggle due to the brake shoes rusting onto the drums the brake drums were removed I had to undo the pivots, anchors and wheel cylinders on each side to give some free movement if and when I could un-stick the shoes then with a combination of very controlled heating tapping and rotating the drum a fraction back and forth at last they came off and despite the effort needed to remove the drums the condition inside was not too bad. Pete

The rockets were electrically fired out of launching tubes, early examples had one end the steel cable attached to the rocket and the rest was wound onto a drum fixed beside the launching tube, latter examples had a second larger parachute in a box beside the launching tube attached to the bottom end of the cable. The idea being that if a cable was snagged by a plane the larger chute would also deploy and produce extra drag. Pete

Looking splendid out in the sunshine Jeremy, you've obviously had better weather than we have further west !! the anti aircraft system you are thinking of is the The Parachute and Cable Defense System also known as as “Fizzing Onions” this was made up of boxes containing the rockets and cables raised above the ground by 2 feet and the boxes were set out in lines with 60ft between each box. When fired electrically 480ft of of steel cable rose to an altitude of 600ft, a parachute would open slowing the descent of the cable the idea being that enemy aircraft would fly into the forest of cables, when the increased drag on the aircraft would put the aircraft out of control. Funnily enough I have just been writing about the use of this system in a piece I'm currently working on Pete

That's right Cubed, it was a GM design feature found on GMC and US and Canadian Chevrolet, it never fails to surprise me just how light the steering is even with a winch hanging off the front. There is no comparison in performance and handling of a recirculating ball box vs worm and peg or even worse worm and nut, the experience of having to drive a Morris CS8 for a number of miles still haunts me nearly 30 years later :drive: Pete

Pleased you've got it sorted the GM box is one of the better wartime steering systems and usually performs well providing all the bits hanging off it are in good shape Pete

Sounds very much like 'Wheel tramp' can be caused by a combination of components associated with suspension or steering or a combination of ware in both areas. The 'death wobble' which is the colloquial term for this problem has attracted the name for good reason. causes casn be any one or a combination of the following some of which you may already have covered, either way if it's as bad as you imply in your post it needs sorting quickly. Flat spots on the tyres mismatched tread pattern uneven or badly worn tires Out of balance wheels/tires (for what ever reason also see combination of above) Worn spring shackles in frame/spring eye/ bush Loose spring saddle / U bolts loose/broken Broken spring leaves worn/missing shock absorber bushes Failed/frozen or empty shock absorber on one or both sides Worn king pins/ failed carrier bearings Worn track rod joints Bent track rod Worn/bent drag link Bent/worn drop arm Steering box/linkage out of adjustment Worn components in the steering box Pete

Not sure if this is any use to you but it should give you a good idea of what you need flexi hoses ect will available from the usual dealers Pete