rampant rivet

Talking of paint colours where d'ya get yours john ? do you have a paint code ? I can get your sample matched by a company near me but they want £100 for a five litre tin of cellulose satin finish :wow: just wondered if someone else does it cheaper. By the way fayjo56 your trucks really looking good won't be long now :cool2: How many Mw owners are thinking of going to Dunkirk ? spoke to my mate the other day and he's up for a trip so it looks as though mine wil have to finished by 2015 :-D think we'd better start another thread on this subject :-)

Doh ! yes barrel on at wrong angle :banghead: will adjust at next session and repaint box black, cheers John always pays to have a second pair of eyes :bow:am trying to strip down rear brakes cylinders yuck !! but need to service the champ ready for next wkend at Evesham :-D

Yes I see what you mean, I will investigate and take more pics when I strip them down, whats the WMG of maurice's like then ? I've a feeling it'll need more than a spanner :-D

Managed to remove the other brake cylinders today and will strip them down to asses their cond already I can see that the nearside cylinders lug for the return spring is broken and the spring is missing so unless I can effect a repair that one is shot, so if anyone has an old nearside rear cylinder they don't need then the rivet could do with one, it doesn't matter about the state of the bore as I am going to have them re sleeved in stainless, the other thing I noticed today is the hubs seals will need replacing as they are just beginning to leak and as I have a new set of front brake linings and the existing rear shoes are contaminated and on the thin side I am going to replace all the brake linings. cobwebs everywhere ! more cobwebs ! On the good side today the Gearbox is back on and clutch fork fitted :-D

First of the brake cylinders has been stripped cleaned and honed ooooooooer :shocked: ! not good ! same problem as master cylinder with damage to bottom of the bore plus the bleed screw is rather rotten I think I'll take all four off the truck and get them sleeved in stainless with the same guys that are doing the master cylinder its cheaper than having to buy NOS and being stainless will see me out

Welcome fellow Champ owner are you going to the Champ camp at Evesham soon ? lots of fellow champers there inc me and mine :nut:

Ah ha now I know who got the spares manual glad I didn't bid on it too much myself :nut: good on ya john.

Thanks for that John I have just looked in my "instruction book for Bedford four wheeled W.D. type trucks dated Dec 1939 it shows the three contract Nos. So my truck was part of the 294/T/8102 contract .

Sad sad news a very true Gentleman R.I.P.Thoughts to all at East Kirkby.

Thanks Maurice If you could find the contract No's that would be great, My step brackets are away being sand blasted the treads are of checker plate they look original ? maybe original brackets and replacement treads ? Any idea when chassis 2947 was produced I guess somewhere between Sept - Dec 39 ? I am busy carefully rubbing down any areas that may have the Z No. but no luck so far I would like to try to find its original No. but this may prove impossible.

Hi guys I am starting to research the history of my MWD it has chassis No.2947 and I would like to know approx. when it was built and under which contract No. plus is there a way to work out its Z no. Apart from the chassis No. I have no other ID plates. If I get her finished before 2015 then I'm thinking of taking her out to Dunkirk so will be interested in any events taking place. Cheers RR.

Here's the Norton when I bought it in 1984 most of it was in a tea chest !!! Here it is now I hope to take it to Normandy next June.

Clutch sorted, engine block had second coat of paint broken bolt removed from bellhousing and started sorting front brakes Have brought brake cylinder home to rebuild with new seals but the weather is sooo nice I,m out on the Norton tomo :-D

starting to get some parts sandblasted and undercoated thanks to my mate Bill :-D sorting clutch, sump, tappet and rocker cover tomorrow maybe do a bit more on the brakes.

At last found this waiting at the post office this morning :rotfl:I'm not sure if its exactly the correct one but It'll do for me its about three inches in diameter and is going to live on the front of the Bedford :banana: :clap: :banana: am I happy NAH !!! not much !!! Onto more serious work I picked up the rear lower roller bearing on my way home and have rebuilt most of the box this eve but will have to wait until Saturday until I sort the clutch before I can fit the first motion shaft. Just the tyre pump to fit and then the top and .................................................................

At last have cleaned most of the gearbox casings etc waiting on one roller bearing on order so gave them an undercoat. Have fitted new spring on reverse lever on gear stick now feels much better, thanks John :-D

Hi John Hmmm not sure about bolts now you mention it, I'll ask my supplier

Hi all I am in the process of restoring an early Mw Aero screen, at the moment I am looking for an original MW near to me that I could visit to measure and photo the cab floor, it looks as though my floor had been replaced sometime in its life and I have no reference as to its original dimensions / details etc etc so anyone in the Gloucestershire / Monmothshire area that could help me out I would be very gratefull. Cheers RR.

Had A few hours on the engine today fitting various bits n bobs but forgot to take the 1st motion shaft down to enable me to centralize the clutch plate so will have to do that before I can rebuild the gearbox looks a bit better coming back together Talking to John the other day about what type of fan to use as I have two different patterns and am not sure which one is correct for the early MW. Silver one on left was fitted to my MW, blue / green one on right I picked up at the Dallas digout but which should I use ?

The gearbox is now stripped down with only a couple of shot bearings the rest looks ok with little sign of wear. now the fun of cleaning it all up starts :cool2:

Great to meet up with you today John and thanks for the spares much appreciated have fitted the gasket to the manifold now its ready to back on the engine, the water pump and pulley has been cleaned and has a coat of primer keen or what !!! managed to drop off the master cylinder to be sleeved and rebuilt :-D looking forward to seeing the aero screen bckts after machining. RR

Things are tootling along quietly have stripped and cleaned the tyre pump and am about to sort the gearbox, have sorted the inlet ex manifold which took a bit as every bolt and nut was rusted solid but now its ready to go back on. have taken nearside front brake drum off to inspect and it looks better than I thought am off to pick up the castings for the aero screens from the foundry in Bristol tomo then off to meet up with John north of Birmingham who will machine them, then I plan to drop my master cylinder off at Stourport on Severn to be sleeved and rebuilt on the way home I think that'll do for now

Well as we are on the subject I remember when first attending steam rallys with my pride and joy that I had just spent a year or so restoring and I well remember being very protective over it. Now 20 odd years on I've chilled out a bit but the one thing that does annoy slightly well more than slightly is little johnny etc clambering in the jeep and yanking on the steering wheel , pulling / pushing knobs etc etc while dozy parents look on not caring, don't get me wrong it only happens occasionally most people ask first for photo opportunities with the kids but grrrrrrr, as for rivet counters I treat them with the contempt they deserve :yawn:, though I do enjoy listening to people who used these vehicles in anger, I have noticed that very few WWII vets are around to share the jeep with now but having the champ at the shows invites interest and you learn something new all the time, just remembered some one once commented that I had the wrong bonnet numbers stencilled on the jeep until I pointed out that it was used by the British army not US !!!!!!, how I laughed at their embarassment RR.

One of the things to do before you die is to take a taxi ride in Just Jane I was lucky enough to take a ride in her a couple of years ago and it was truly memorable, the whole day you are looked after and you are given a little insight into what it may have been like all those years ago, when in the aircraft with those four merlins on song I closed my eyes and just listened and smelt that aircraft smell, it was so good I paid for my father to enjoy a taxi run the year after and spent another great day filming him and the aircraft Just imagine two Lancs in the air in formation :-D RR.

Yes I can confirm I have used POR 15 in sealing my champ petrol tank and its very good, just follow the instrctions and all should be ok I got my kit from Frost engineering I think they sell it on Ebay etc. Cheers RR.