Pete Ashby

Iv'e recently bought one of their 143 amp/hr batteries to fit onto a jeep, good fast service, looks the part and more to the point does the job.........recommend Pete

Your welcome Jules nice find, Any chance of some more photos? seeing as you've teased us with just the census number . There is no date for the contract I'm afraid, as a pure guess based on the first two numbers in in the sequence I'd guess mid to late 1941. This isn't always reliable as number blocks seemed to be issued non sequentially however as a rule of thumb the lower the first two digits the earlier the truck was taken on charge, it's worth remembering that the build date may be several months earlier. Having said that at this stage of the war I suspect trucks were taken on charge almost as soon as they left the assembly shed. Pete

Just checked the cenus B vehicle list and M4446963 seems to form part of a batch of numbers running from Z4446759 to Z4447758 this block of numbers formed contract V3971 and is listed as 8cwt 4x2 personnel PV Mk11. the M prefix on yours is unusual as this was applied to light cars ect Pete

Very nice work...............impressed Pete

Your spot on Ron it's a Polsten 20mm cannon, if you look at the truck just in view in the bottom left corner of the shot you can see the barrel. Ford built 13 cab CMP F15A 4x4 chassis cab. Most were to supplied to the British under contract and were used mainly in the ground support role in NW Europe. The gun platform and fittings designated 2L1 were supplied by Frost and Wood of Smith Falls. CMP's did mount the Bofors but it was on the 3 ton chassis again manufactured by Ford F60 444-S-Bofors-1, this truck had the specially designed open top full width cab with flat folding windscreen and leveling jacks integral with the rear body. Pete

Thanks Hanno that's very interesting. At some stage these will hit the collectors market I suppose just like the Stuarts a couple of years ago. Pete

That's a surprisingly high number Hanno, would I be right in assuming none of them are in active service ? Pete

Nuff said Pete

Firstly I would like to draw your attention to my MVT membership number at the bottom of my post. I take it as you have been reading Windscreen for 3 years this equates to the length of time you have been a member the less charitable among us may suggest you get your ''knees brown and get some in'' before you start considering and voicing publicly issues of this nature. I have seen the magazine progress from a manually typed and printed A4 hand stapled news letter of the MVCG through various formats and name changes to the very professional production that we see today. Others have already pointed out that if you do not contribute material then an editor has no option but to scratch around and print what he has to hand so a question to you 'GPW Rookie' have you contributed any thing to the club or the magazine?. The second point I wish to take issue with is your apparent assumption that the MVT exists as a separate body from it's membership. I feel I need to point out that the MVT is you, (I'm assuming here that you are indeed a member), the committee is voted in and made up of members just like you they have lives jobs and God forbid some spare time to enjoy our joint hobby. Having been an area secretary for a number of years and then served more time as an events organizer for my area I can tell you categorically that time for personal enjoyment is short and hassles are many. So to conclude, rather than asking open ended provocative questions why not contribute positively to your club and either write an article for the magazine or stand for election at next years AGM. Pete

Photographic evidence of jeeps would suggest that TP markings above the wheel stations was more common on British operated trucks. Pete

Interesting truck Nick, look forward to following the restoration in the thread. Pete

That looks very nice indeed what exactly needs doing to the truck ? it looks in very good condition regards Pete

I think you've summed it up pretty well, jeeps are a case in point, we all huff and puff at the cost of them but if you are doing a proper job and restoring to factory spec the margin not including time is around the £2k mark on a £14K finished and advertised MB/GPW, I'm assuming here you do all your own work with the exception of engine machining. 25 odd years ago when when I used to restore complete vehicles for customers I vividly remember a telephone conversation with a jeep parts supplier (now no longer trading) after a reeling off a long list of parts needed for a restoration the guy said to me, 'How long did that just take you to read that lot out and how long will it take me to box it it up and send it to you? (The answer was about 10 to 15 minutes in total) he went to ask me then 'How long is it going to take you to bolt it all on and wire it up and spray it and mark it' ?. The moral to this little story is that even today with the relative high price of jeeps there is still no margin to be had restoring to sell........it's far better selling a box of bits or if you can get them at the right price as projects in from the states. I think this is a general truth with the exception of armour, anything German, and a very few rare allied wheeled vehicles however finding a market for these can be difficult and exclusive. Pete

I think as others have already said the breaking issue is key to the question in hand. However, without wishing to divert the thread in any way reading the replies regarding trailers in general that may have been converted to living vans it has raised a question in my mind namely... when does a trailer stop being a trailer for carrying goods and when does it become a caravan.......is there a difference ? Pete

Very nice indeed full marks for a first restoration. Take pictures and measurement of everything before and after it comes apart also make use of the old low tech pencil and note book as well. Look forward to following this one as it progresses. good luck Pete

I haven't been for a number of years, however when I was researching a particular make of truck or subject I found I got better results if I thought about the subject matter more obliquely. For example if you are interested in early MW's think about the context that a photo of another subject may include an MW in it. Apart from pre-acceptance trials and factory photos it is doubtful that the photographer would have used an MW as a focus item in his shot, they will however turn up in the frame sometimes in remarkable detail in a shot of something else.......... off the top of my head the BEF's advance into Belgium for example or RAF airfields in the UK or the retreat from Benghazi..... get the idea? It means a bit of album bashing but you'll soon pick up speed and get better at predicting likely sources, the key is not to get side tracked or your time will be up before you can blink :nut: Pete

Most of the UK dealers sell repro parts from one source namely MD Juan. Although this manufacturer has had some bad press in the past the current generation of body panels are to a better standard but will in some cases need some fettling to get a good fit. There are a couple of US dealers who advertise on the web who make the point that their stock is US made I've had experience of a few panels from them, they are good but expensive to buy and even more costly to ship and then pay duty on. Go to the G503 forum and do some searches under the GPW MB technical knowledge section there has been plenty of discussion with regard to the quality of repro body panels. Pete

The same thought crossed my mind Ron, however I think a number were impressed mostly to the RAF, I've seen at least one listed in release sale data from the big surplus sales at Mount Farm in the late 40's. Pete

This looks tasty http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=69626&cat=2 no price, expensive I suspect. Pete

Welcome Keith good to see you've found your way to HMVF, you'll find a few MLU renegades on here that you know. regards Pete

Many thanks Adrian just what I need regards Pete

Can anybody give me the length of the cylindrical shield that forms part of the British convoy lamp please ( that's the one used to illuminate the diff case) Thanks Pete

no not the same one then, the one I'm thinking off was complete with hoses and ladder but needed restoring it was in the same yard that my Retriever came from. I did have a photo of it but I would not know where to start looking for it, If it still exists I suspect it's in the recesses of the loft along with the bats......don't ask. regards Pete

That wouldn't be the one that sat in Sam Loptons yard about 25 years ago? Pete

Jeep on the A483 going into Swansea at about 1730hr Pete