TooTallMike

Agreed, Paddington Springs' guys seem to be able to work magic. - MG

Hi, Only just saw this thread. The supplied flexi was the correct one. I've replaced three of these in the last year for different people, all with RW supplied parts. On your truck the pipe on the firewall to the gauge is too long. The easiest solution would have been to have gently increased the bend of this pipe under the dashboard where it is hidden, having the effect of raising the upper fitting to where the new flexi would have fitted it. These steel/Kunifer pipes would have been made up to fit when the truck was undergoing base overhaul and would have been bent to fit anyway so it is very likely the position isn't 100% right. I personally would not be comfortable with a tight 360 on an engine-critical pressurised rubber pipe. I would expect it to deteriorate quickly once it starts to fatigue with the natural engine movement. - MG

Presumably wrecker teams can be in green overalls as they would have been at the time? - MG

Thanks guys :thumbsup: - MG

My Autocar U8144 is one of only two known to have survived, and of only 600-odd built. - MG

This is annoying, but you'll need to find an engine of the correct type (doesn't have to be the original engine itself), get it inspected and registered, then re-fit the replacement engine. It's the only route I'm afraid. Looking forward to enduring a similar process myself...- MG

While you're buying the replacement, it would be wise to change the pipe from the T piece on the front left of the engine to the oil filter housing and the one from the filter housing to the block (at the fuel pump). All three flexi's are time bombs!Regards - Mike

My own theories: 1) The generation of European farmers who found abandoned vehicles lying around just after the war and hid them away long forgotten at the backs of barns are now dying off and their relatives are selling off the assets. 2) The same generation of farmers have realised they are sitting on little gold mines and want to realise the cash for themselves. 3) We are probably at the apex of the hobby in terms of affordability of fuel and insurance, the freedom to use old vehicles on the public roads, availability of parts etc etc. If I had been sitting on some unrestored gem for years believing I was investing in its steadily increasing value I would be seriously considering selling it now before it becomes less practical to own older vehicles at which point values will start to drop off. One hears occasional stories of Kettenkrads and similar still being found in 'as-liberated' condition and a few months ago on here there was a photo report of an amazing private collection of unrestored Axis machinery. There are bound to be hundreds more items still hidden in Europe just waiting to be found, but the more that appear for sale, the lower the prices will go. Therefore those who sell sooner will get the better prices. - MG

We supply high speed winches for the entertainment industry and have to source all sorts of odd sizes of rope. Try Certex, Rope Assembles, or Rope and Marine. No guarantees but if there is stock held in the UK one of those should be able to source it for you. Regards - Mike

I seem to recall Facet electric pumps can be specified for 'install near fuel tank' or 'install near engine'. Nice collection by the way - not to put a downer on it but how does the Russian gear fare living outdoors? - MG

I'm afraid you are re-opening a frequently-visited can of worms with this thread. There is a lot of info already on HMVF about trailer use with older vehicles, with specific regard to the laden/unladen question. Note also that the towing vehicle's registration, taxation, testing and insurance status may have to change once towing a laden trailer, although there are many variables and many different interpretations of the regs. - MG

We have a 5-acre smallholding and bought an MF35 with a 4-cyl Standard diesel engine, front loader, roll bar and aux hydraulics as we had some digging to do and I thought it might be handy about the place. That was three years ago... we now have a topper, hydraulic tipping trailer, sawbench, log splitter, post hole borer and link box. The loader gets used for all manner of lifting tasks, from shifting hay bales and logs to engine changes. I couldn't recommend this tractor type highly enough - to the extent that we are currently looking for a second one! - MG

Oh, I'm going to HAVE to put whitewall tyres on mine now! - MG

Great to hear good old-fashioned common sense being applied. Also great to hear of old vehicles being used in the way they were designed for rather than just as trailer queens. :thumbsup: - MG

I fitted one of these SS sytems to a 353 and had to cut a section out of the forward splash shield to allow it to fit. It also sat too low at the silencer hanger point and I had to fab an extension to the hanger. I talked to Rex about it and he said that he had not had any previous negative feedback but that it might have been one of the earlier production run, which had been refined for the next run. Regardless of these minor issues I would not hesitate to fit one to my own truck as GMCs seem to be prone to splitting their silencers. - MG

Unless I'm looking at the wrong photo those 'CCKW's' only have 2 axles so they are Chevrolets. There are some interesting GMCs in the background of the shot of the closed-cab Federal tractor unit number 37. They look like bomb handlers and are stencilled with USAF serial nos (note: not USAAF - Wikipedia states USAF came into being on 18/09/47). Interesting to see the trucks are fitted with the extra-height bows used to disguise them as standard cargo trucks. Have any examples of these bomb handlers survived? - MG

Looking at some of the other photos in the sequence they are dollies for some very serious lowboy trailers. I've not had time to look in detail at all of the shots yet but there is some very interestign kit there. Big question is who on earth in the US was re-importing this stuff? He is described as a 'collector'. I assume this really means 'dealer'? - MG

Apologies for getting people's hopes up - I thought I remembered him saying they were T's. - MG

Really sorry guys, I wasn't taking photos as we only had a whistle-stop tour while there to pick up a WW2 Autocar cab. Bernard speaks good English so if you're interested it would be worth calling or emailing him. He was happy to email photos across. - MG

As well as the above, don't forget to take into account the costs of accelerated wear and tear on the tow vehicle clutch, tyres, drivetrain, suspension etc. I would suspect fuel economy and top speed of a 1.6 Focus + Jeep on trailer will probably be the same as those of the Jeep on its own, but far less fun and more stressful to drive. - MG

As per earlier post Bernard Afchain in France has several Great War trucks in his collection - all for sale incl. several Ford model T ambulances, AC Macks in varying condition and Packhard. http://www.voituresanciennes.net/camions2restaura.html http://www.voituresanciennes.net/camions3restaura.html Having seen these vehicles in the flesh I have to say they would all make good restoration prospects although presenting different degrees of challenge! - MG

Hi David,We're in Copthorne working on everything from heavy wreckers and tanks to Land Rovers. If you're ever stuck give us a shout. - Mike + team

War and Peace describes itself as "The largest Military Vehicle Spectacular in the world". Personally I don't care for the re-enactment displays as my interest is in the engineering and the vehicles. Please Mr Organiser, do not give over any more of the prime areas of the show site to people who want to spend the week sitting in muddy holes. :beatenup: Alternatively, and as a more constructive approach, why not distribute the 'living history' encampments around the whole site? Why do they all have to be in one place? There is an argument that the public are drawn to the re-enactment section so this could also have the effect of drawing the crowds out into the rest of the show. - MG

Hi Jim, How many studs do the 9.00 x 20 wheels have? The reason I ask is that on Adrian's WLF we found two wheels which have much shallower rims than the usual 11:00 x 20. The rims are only 9" deep instead of 11". Thanks - Mike

I met Marc a few times and remember a friendly and enthusiastic chap. Condolences to his family and friends. Regards - Mike