TooTallMike

And you Karl! Forecast is drizzle so we'll see. I may just bring the pickup if I can't be bothered with the big'un. If I come I'll bring the big hammers in case your V8 needs some 'special' attention...

Cheers John, Turning circle's not too bad - I'll elbow me way in somehow. ;-) To be honest I think our attendance will depend half on the weather and half on how Saturday night's party goes... :naughty: I'll call Mike Buckley tomorrow night for a chat. Hopefully we'll make it as I need a day away from the shed.

If one were to want to bring a Ward Lafrance and a GMC, how much space is there, what's the access like, what time would we have to be there by (Sunday morning), and do we have to tell anyone whether we're coming or not ?

Andrea, many thanks for confirming that. This is really interesting - I've quite happily believed its Israeli provenance for the last 2 years! I really must find someone who can translate this so I can find out where it's from. Thinking of places as well as Saudi, Palestine springs to mind as they used them when they pinched them from the Israelis. The markings were rough so I doubt it was a rich army - the general condition of the vehicle supports this hypothesis!

Really??? Oops!!! Someone said it was Hebrew, which tied in with the history I was given when I bought it so I never thought to question it! Thanks Adrian :-) I guess I'd better find someone with the knowin' o' the writing then...

This is a CVRT Spartan which will be restored over the next few months with a view to it being ready for sale at Beltring '07. It was acquired from Withams in 2005 and has been sitting sheeted since then while we got a number of other projects out of the way first. We've already put a gearbox in it and it's waiting for an engine and brake and steering cylinders. The resto will begin in earnest in about a month's time but for now here is a photo of the unusual marking found on the rear side. [attachment deleted by admin]

M151tx, Thanks for that. (Are you in the UK?) I've not seen another desert MUTT on the rally scene in the UK so it should stand out. Finishing it as Gulf War 1 also means that I don't necessarily have to add any markings, which is advantageous for me as I intend to drive this daily and I don't want it to stand out any more than it already will. This was definitely field converted from a plain M151A2. The rear panel was very crudely flame cut out and the cut edges were not even cleaned up. The lower lip where the floor joins the rear 'crossmember' was just covered over with a piece of angle iron screwed to the floor! The rear corner brackets for the TOW, the welds for the missile racks and those holding the rail onto the floor were very poor and used bits of scrappy steel to fill the gaps. The rear side seats were barely attached. The spare wheel mount was present as was the jerry can bracket. Extra footman loops had been added on the passenger side wing. There were no rear spacer springs present and there was no windscreen, passenger seat, rear seat or battery box cover. There was no extra data plate. Sadly I've lost my photos of the vehicle as I bought it. I don't need them but I'll post them if they turn up. FYI: You can post photos here from your desktop using the 'additional options' in the 'post reply' screen and browsing to your pictures. I'm sure others would like to see them too :-). Alternatively email them to me at tootallmike at hotmail.com and I'll post them for you. Rambo, I warn you, don't drive a MUTT unless you're prepared to buy one!!! - Mike

Nick, I heard about the tent collapses. Any photos? Or of Paul falling over his chair after one too many... :beer: ? - Mike

Thanks Mark and Joris, I can't wait to drive it again! It's in a shed on a friend's farm tucked in next to the WLF. It's under cover but still exposed to the elements at the sides so I can't paint on wet/windy days. It's better than being outside though. A couple of layers of Nato Green makes cheap undercoat as we've got gallons of it. The top coat is going to be US desert sand because of my involvement as mechanic for the Gulf War 1 group. They were used in the Gulf by Saudi & Nigeria, and almost certainly by the US although I can't find any photographic proof of this. MUTTs were still in use in Albania in 1997 so they were certainly serving in 1991. Plus I found sand paint on this vehicle along with the Hebrew so it's sort of a restoration as well... [attachment deleted by admin]

I’m waiting to get the wheels back from the shot-blasters this week and once they’ve been undercoated, the new tyres can be fitted and the vehicle can be put back on its feet. Despite appearances, it is actually progressing well and I hope to have it driveable within another month. Then I have all the fun of the MoT, followed by the dreaded registration process.

Meanwhile the gearbox/transfer box has been rebuilt with new seals, bearings and handbrake band and is now re-attached to the engine via the new clutch. I’m hoping to get hardened valve seats installed later this week then the head can go back on. [attachment deleted by admin]

It was then treated with Kurust before a bit of judicious fillering and a coat of red oxide filler primer all over. The tub was then inverted on trestles and the underside was painted with two coats of Nato Green and the less visible areas were under-sealed. All of the suspension and driveline components have been rebuilt and painted in black Hammerite. All suspension bushes and hub seals are new. Bearings were inspected and have been re-packed. All wheel cylinders are new as are the flexi’s and copper lines. The old brake shoes were fine and have been cleaned and re-used. A new (modified) rear wiring loom has been threaded through the right hand chassis rail and some of the external body components have gone back on again including the pintle, front bumper and rear bumperettes, rear lights, side marker lights, lifting points and fuel can straps. [attachment deleted by admin]

After the major repairs were done, I removed every component from the body and paint-stripped & jet-washed it. [attachment deleted by admin]

I was very lucky that there was no serious rust anywhere on this vehicle. This was mainly because it went through the US Army’s rust-proofing programme which involved drilling holes in all the structural members and injecting Waxoyl. I have, however, had to do a lot of bodywork as there wasn’t a straight panel on it and there were lots of dents, holes, blobby welds and tears in the metalwork. I’ve welded in a new rear panel to replace the one which had been messily flame-cut out and I’ve rebuilt the right rear corner which had been extensively fillered after a major ding. I’ve also fabricated a new shovel bracket, a rear panel to rear wheel arch bracket and replaced the tool box lid riser and hinge. [attachment deleted by admin]

This is the story of a 1971 AM General M151A2 MUTT. In 2005 I drove a HMMWV and a MUTT. The MUTT was so much fun that 8 weeks later I’d bought one! After messing about in it at Beltring and Redhill, I’ve gradually been acquiring all the parts I needed for a nut and bolt restoration. During the strip-down I’ve found plain O.D, US 3-colour camo and two layers of Hebrew squiggles and sand paint which concur with the known history that it was an ex-Israeli Defence Force field conversion to an M825 TOW missile launcher. [attachment deleted by admin]

Ackack, You're quite right, those are Pacific trailers. They are certainly known about by the Pacific owning fraternity but I think Rush Green wanted silly money. I have a friend who has known RG for years who will be able to tell me the full story. I'll find out and post. - Mike

I have what the HMVF experts believe may be a drive chain for a BSA M20. It's free to a good home. For full details see the thread called "Can you identify this (and maybe buy it...) part 3 ?" in the 'Classifieds & Wanted' section. - Mike

I love the pic of the Japanse guys lowering the bearing shell into place. :schocked:

I'm about to have 5 new tyres fitted to my MUTT rims. I've ordered them from RSR and they are happy to fit tubes even though they are ostensibly tubeless tyres. They have happily included balancing in their quote and they have seen the rims so they do know what they are dealing with. I guess what I'm saying is you need to find a more helpful tyre shop. :-) Regarding your second question, I don't know whether they would have bothered balancing tyres during the war because the roads were so poor and the speeds relatively low, plus I doubt High Command were overly bothered about troops' comfort! They might have done it to prevent mechanical damage though.

Not Caen. :-( Well I couldn't find anything very exciting to do anyway! The castle's not bad for a couple of hours idle time but I wouldn't make a special effort. (ps. don't you just hate people who dismiss someone else's town or country after only spending a short time there. :whistle:)

More happy 1940s and 1970s interaction... [attachment deleted by admin]

Ouch! That's still a sore point down in the Southern M25 area! :-( [attachment deleted by admin]

Taxation class and vehicle type are not the same thing. It can physically be a mobile crane and still be taxed as a historic vehicle. This doesn't stop it from being a crane so according to the letter of the law you can use red. It boils down to the question of how much you fancy becoming a test case since this is a very grey area. (Plus since you have access to red diesel VOSA may well be keeping an eye on your usage already.) I suggest you talk to VOSA since they are the ones who carry out these types of inspections.

You may just be the victim of a random inspection. It was bought in the EU so assuming all the paperwork is in order there shouldn't be any problem. But as John says, the best thing is to call them and ask them on what grounds you should be paying anything.

Once again I'm very pleased I consulted such a wise audience! I'll turn up some some wooden ones to test fit and then make real ones once I'm happy with the design. For my own satisfaction I'll try to follow the original external profile (and in my case I will need to drill all 8 holes as my drive flanges are mounted on studs). I think I'll also look at incorporating some form of bronze bush inside to carry the end of the shaft. Agreed it is much better than destroying genuine parts. I'll post photos at a later date. Many thanks - Mike.