Pete Ashby

Thought provoking thread. Iv'e often thought about this topic particularly when viewing cold exhibits in various museums. As to the static vs running discussion I think it may depend on the individual's own personal experience, for example if you have owned and or driven the particular vehicle on display you view the exhibit with that bank of information available with regard to the driving experience, sound, smell heat ect. If however you don't have that knowledge then looking at a cold exhibit is reduced to just that........looking.........., in other words the greater part of what makes up the exhibit.... it's essence if you will... is lost to the viewer. For me this is brought into sharp focus when I have visited Hendon for example, I know what a Lanc or Spitfire sounds and looks like in flight but I'm left feeling vaguely cheated as I stare at the Stuka or the Hamden and wonder what they sounded like on start up or in flight.

This has been a rather long way of saying that for me I think it's better to keep our trucks on the move and by preference in our ownership, I agree with Matt's comment.... 'many military museums are rather behind others when it comes to how they deal with the conservation of vehicles'... covered in dust and often looking a little neglected in my experience.

Pete

Done

Pete

This is all good stuff, I had no idea that there would be so many YH series trucks recorded thanks for the input guys.

A question comes to mind, how were the number sequences allocated what I mean is did the numbers start at 1 YH 1 and run on or is there some significance in the numbers.

Thanks to H1HU ( sorry I don't know your name) I now know what YH means, thanks for sharing your key card info by the way, but the numbers remain a bit of mystery to me.

Pete

Yes your right about the flat spot Tony, the earlier cast iron Zenith carbs are more prone to it.

The problem can be reduced to a large extent by ensuring the accelerator pump piston on the carb is free and not sticking and the plunger piston is in good condition even so there can be a bit of a lag, a quick double blip on the throttle can usually over come the lag.

Pete

As has already been mentioned you need to have a relatively low road speed and and a good boot full of throttle at the mid point in the double de-clutch, don't be shy moving from the neutral position the next gear down as the clutch goes down the stick should also be moving into the next gear, the lower the gear the more engine revs in neutral you will need. A further point, don't try changing down while the vehicle is on over run a little bit of power to pick up the load just before moving into neutral will make the change cleaner.

It's really all about practice and understanding the rev curve of your particular engine. As a general rule the whole gear shift should be completed within the count one, one two, one the lapse of time between one two and one will be governed by the size of the engine and the weight of the vehicle ie how quickly the the engine revs drop off to allow you to match the falling engine rpm when off load vs the transmission road speed in neutral.

You can practice the timing using your car and double de-clutching every one crunches them occasionally particularly in modern heavy traffic.

Pete

Happy birthday Richard

Are you really that old? if so you can join the ranks of a certain man from Sulham and become a seriously 'Old Git'

Best Regards

Pete

Thanks for the replies chaps,

I'll contact Deepcut and see if any any records for 24-YH-46 exist. Having read the articles in HMV ( I should have done that first but forgot about them) I can see that vehicles on change before 1949 were given the YH designation so I guess that would explain jeeps with that census code.

Pete

Tracing post war census numbers is a new field for me so I wonder if any of you guys can help out.

I have recently picked up a GPW with a frame plate on the drivers frame rail which lists the post war census number as 24-YH-46 my question is this where do I go to start tracking down the vehicles record card with a view to tracing its service history and hopefully by back reference its war time 'M' number.

I remember this sort of information used to be kept at the now defunct Beverly museum, I used it on several occasions to obtain contract cards for WW11 vehicles but I’m not sure where to start with post war numbers, any help appreciated

Thanks

Pete

Graham,

 

I remembered that bit, it was the guy you put me in touch with, who I have forgotten :undecided:

Richard

David and I came across the 'Q' at Tinkers Bush when we cut up the remains of a WK60 to provide donor parts for David's truck that would be about six years ago.

From memory the Crossley was pretty far gone but would yield some useful mechanical spares, nice to see there is at least one other raving masochist on this site

My GMC and Jeep would ice up in wet cool weather never had a problem with the Dodge on a Carter carb I understand that the cast-iron Zenith can suffer icing though.

An Austin K2 I restored for someone else was by far the worst, that would ice up in the summer!, found that you had to let everything come up to operating temp before moving off.

Pete

Thanks for the post Adrian most timely, I have to make some non standard footman’s for the Retriever cab and was pondering how I was going to do it; the copper mould is a winner.

Many thanks for sharing your method

Pete

Try Namrick http://www.namrick.co.uk/

I v'e used this firm for years, not cheap but good quality, wide range and fast service.

Pete

At some stage I'm going to have to do this job on two Dodge cabs. I have toyed with the idea of using a wall paper stripper and trying to gently steam the board into the corners, the problem I suspect is that the board may start to delaminate. Might be worth trying with some old packing material to see if the concept works perhaps working from the rear of the board flat on the floor to soften it then easing into place in the cab with a small wall paper seam roller....a two man job me thinks.

Pete

My first was a Triang jeep circa 1960, after that they just got bigger

I think that the CDSW will follow standard British practice of the time and the window will be made of fine copper gauze

Pete

Hello,

I picked this tyre up in a lot of 900x16 i bought. Its a dunlop track grip re-manufactured into a tractor tyre, but what would it have been for?

 

 

Ground workers used to fit 900x16 to the early four wheel drive JCB's, I was told by a tyre company that was the reason that RF 900x16 were always difficult to obtain and when they were available commercially in the 1990's were always at a premium as the plant guys would buy in bulk.

 

Pete

Hi Mike,

 

This info came from the Census list, which is a copy of the original RAOC Chilwell publication. Not noticied "Chemical" before and have gone through Vanderveen's book, but have not found a reference. My guess is that it was a specialised vehicle to deal with gas attacks, and possibly for washing down. You could ask David Hayward on the "other forum" ( ;-)), as he has quite a bit of MCC records, give him the Contract no. and see what comes up.

 

Richard

Richard

During 1940 a small number of 15cwts including a few CS8's were fitted with tanks similar to the standard water tank then in service, designated 'Bulk contamination vehicles'.

Their role was to contaminate the mains water supply in the event of invasion, just may be one of these trucks that has been reworked to a conventional role?. If that is the case it would be an interesting survivor from a very dark phase of the war.

Pete

Hi Pete,

 

If you have the chassis number it might be worth checking on the G503 database? if exported as Richard suggests it's new owner might have entered it.

 

I know what you mean about the regret of selling certain trucks,for me it's the D15 but I know it's in safe hands! I still have the original block here which I could bring down if you still want it?.

 

All the best,

 

Matt.

Hello Matt

Long time no hear, thanks for the suggestion unfortunately I don't have a record of the frame number but I did look at the G503 data base it looks very comprehensive.

So you miss the D15 ? She sits in my barn nice and dry awaiting her turn, yes I am still interested in the block very tardy of me not to have picked it up from you. Where are you now? email me and we will set a date for the spring

Regards

Pete

Hello Pete,

 

Hope you are enjoying life up there.............finished the Retriever yet ? :-)

 

Yes, I got the details off the DVLA vehicle enquiry.

 

regards, Richard

Life's good in the Wild West thanks Richard,

have I finished the Retriever yet? Well no but work is progressing slowly. I aim to have a running chassis cab by next summer. So far its 16 years and counting but to be fair I have done a couple of other trucks in between.

Hello Richard

Good to hear from you again, thanks for the info did that come from the DVLA data base?.

Pete

It must be an age thing, as I get older I find myself thinking more and more about my first restoration…. a GPW Ford civilian reg number BFF 325.

I bought her in 1973 for £250 with an MoT , it took two years to restore then we attended shows all over the south and west of England until the lure of something bigger took hold and I swapped her for a weapons carrier around 1978, something I think I have probably regretted, first love and all that!!.

Since then there has been a procession of trucks through my workshops but I still hold a flame for BFF 325.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has owned BFF 325 in the intervening 32 years and does anyone know where she is now?

Pete

http://www.hmvf.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=49&topic=559.msg3348#msg3348

Jack.

 

Flaming ............. I learn something every day now I can impress my kids with my IT slang

thanks for the clarification Jack

Pete

I have an old 200amp Clarke machine that was cheap and cheerful in it's day but has worked well for the last nine years. In some areas of the UK Clarke spares can be a bit of a problem. The bottom line is how much to you expect to use the machine.... all day every day you need a top brand name occasional use go for a mid price machine, Clark, SIP, Draper, you'll find that these are basically all the same machines inside just branded differently with minor tweaks to attract the market. I would echo Steve use Argo mix or Argo shield do not be tempted to use pub gas it will produce poor quality welds. Practise with your machine on loads of test pieces and spend plenty of time getting to know what the settings actually produce before you get stuck into the real job in hand. Crappy welds or burnt through holes take a lot more time and money to fix than running a role of MIG wire through the machine on test pieces. Speaking of wire, buy good quality stuff, never second hand as it get rusty if not stored in dry conditions, this will give you all sorts of pain and grief with stutter, splatter, weak welds to metion just a few.

Pete

I agree with a lot you say Jack mate, but

 

The following will get you instant ban.

Links to pornographic sites

Links to extreme religious/group sites

Links to or pictures of violent images.

Foul language

Flaming of fellow members

Flaming of any relevant business

Flaming of any other MV group from anywhere around the world.

 

 

We must not turn this into something that we might regret at a later date, correct me if I am wrong please.

 

Mark

I'm a little confused by your post as well,

I'm not clear what the definition of flaming is in this context, and more generally I thought we having a well moderated debate in this thread about generic issues regardless of club or individual.......... have I missed something ?

regards

Pete

Kyle

I'd go for a gas mig providing you can use it inside and away form draughts, anything between 150 and 200 amps that will take up to 0.8mm wire with fan assisted cooling so that you can achieve 50 to 60% duty cycle on full power.

Any good tool supplier will have a reliable machines depending on where you are in the world the brand name changes expect to pay around the £300/350 mark give or take a few pounds.

Pete