Sidewinder

Hi, Tried fitting the four hoses that run from the heat exchanger to the engine and gearbox today. After a lot of swearing and contorting myself into various unnatural positions I finally got them on and finger tight. Why didn't I fit them before dropping the engine in the hull?!? So, two questions: What is the correct routing for the pipes? I assume the two for the gearbox run under the sump then up past the starter to the bulkhead. But what about the two for the engine oil, under the sump or round the back of the engine under the crank pulley and bottom coolant pipe? How do you tighten the pipes up on the heat exchanger? I can't get any movement with the spanner I have that fits the unions as it's either wedged tight between the engine and hull side. Hoping there's an insider trick and I'm not going to have to lift the pack! Oh, also how do you fit the cooling fan?! Does the front pulley come off? Again there is no room between the gearbox bulkhead and front of the engine but sure I've read somewhere the fan can be fitted with the engine in place? Cheers! James

Andy, what's the fly spray trick?! James

Thanks Tim, sounds like the easiest (and cheapest!) option. Hopefully not too long now til she's moving under her own power for the first time in about 15 years... :cool2: James

Hello, can anyone confirm the part number (or a photo) of the coolant hose that goes from the flywheel end of the heat exchanger to the bulkhead on a J60 Spartan? For some reason my parts manual seems to be missing the pages I need. I assume the same part is used on all petrol CVRT's? Thanks! James

I will be registering my Spartan very shortly so would be interested to hear how you get on. However, these rumours of no more vehicles being registered have been doing the rounds for ages now,yet as far as I know no CVRTs have been refused registrations. As long as you fill out the forms correctly there shouldn't be any problems. The advice I was given was don't put words like "tank" or "armoured" on the form. Keep it simple and accurate and make sure you include everything the V55 (if memory serves) form asks for. I imagine most of the confusion comes from the person at the DVLA not being able to find the make and model of vehicle on their drop down list of options on the computer system so make it plain and simple, maybe include a few reg numbers of previously registered CVRT's, if the owners are willing to reveal, so that the person processing the form can see similar vehicles have already been registered. James

Lovely looking restoration. Just thinking out loud, but I've always wondered just how all the running gear on these 'specials' actually coped in service. Was there a high failure rate? I'm from a quarrying background and the strain put on undercarriages when trying to push an kind of implement through the ground is huge - I've seen all kinds of damage even on things like bulldozers which were designed from the beginning with that job in mind. I know they had to make do with what they had available and that was definitely better than nothing, but it does seem like it's pushing a standard undercarriage close to its limits.. My old 432 once threw both tracks and twisted both rear idler arms when towing another 432 through loose ground, now maybe they were already damaged but from that and looking at the construction of most tank undercarriages compared to construction machinery, I wouldn't like to go hanging a blade like that off the front of most AFV's.. But I suppose the luxury of time and money to develop new vehicles from scratch rarely exists. James

It is possible to de-mil armoured vehicles. This usually involves cutting out sections of the armour and welding in thin steel plate instead in certain key areas. Usually around the driver, engine and transmission so that if it is used for the wrong reasons the police can shoot through the thin plate and stop the vehicle/driver. Done properly this should not affect the external appearance of the vehicle, but I believe would need to be done before the vehicle leaves the UK. James

I prefer to think of it as smiles per gallon! I seem to remember once hearing a figure of about £3/4 per miles, but I think that included wear and tear to the undercarriage as well. Chris on here has fitted a 70 litre plastic tank to his Spartan and I'll be doing the same very shortly. What sort of range are you finding this gives you? Would you recommend going any larger, say a 90 litre tank? James

I bid £92 on those hollebones and I didn't win.. Someone must have spent a bit too much time in the pub before bidding! James

Thanks Chris!

Ah ok, I didn't realise there were two designs - just assumed it was a universal towing frame! Are the steel ones also suitable for CVRT's or are they a bit too big? James

Thanks guys. I had a feeling the main tubes would be aluminium. James

Hello! Having never handled one in the flesh, what are the A frame recovery tow bars made of.. ally or steel? Thanks! James

That quarry mud sticks like the proverbial to a blanket doesn't it..? Looks like you made a good job of the old girl though!

I was talking to someone in the yard after this had sold, they seemed to think it was completely knackered and nothing more than an 60 tonne paperweight... I didn't pay that much attention at the time, wonder now if maybe it was true.. Still, sold as seen and all that.. James

Very sorry to hear of his passing. I don't post on this forum much, but I spent a good many hours on this thread reading Ray's amazing stories. I should of taken the time to thank him for sharing them. RIP James

If it is a track clamp and you want to sell give me a shout, I'm not that far from you. Cheers, James

Will be watching this thread with baited breath! I need to register my Spartan soon.. Good luck, fingers crossed for you. James PS Did you have a commanders seat on eBay a few days ago? I meant to bid, but couldn't get to a computer in time.

Welcome to a very unique club! I was 21 when I bought my first 432.. word of warning, it's addictive and soon spirals out of control!

Progress slowly continues on the Spartan.. when it arrived from Withams all the lights were smashed and rusted through so today I stripped out the side, tail and indicator lights ready for replacement. Now given that the correct CVRT light assemblies with glass lenses seem to be about £40 each, I'm looking at over £300 just to replace 8 light assemblies. However, the old units and their holes in the hull and brackets look very similar sizes to Series land rover lights, which are a much more respectable £3 each. I know they'd need fitting with 24v bulbs, but has anyone tried fitting these instead of the correct CVRT ones? Any problems/potential issues? There are much more important things requiring attention (brakes etc!) so I'm willing to live with appearances for the sake of functionality! Cheers, James

Don't suppose anyone has a copy of the tender listings? I stupidly forgot to keep a note of the lots I bid on! James

Perfect! Just ordered the m/c's, that's this weekend taken care of! I must admit though, I was a bit surprised that the main brake m/c is the same as the steering ones, I was expecting the main brake cylinder to be a bit bigger given it's operating two calipers each with larger pistons, but I guess the steering ones must just be over spec'd? Or is it more for practical/commonality reasons should they need replacing in the field? James

Tim, How did you get on with the LR master cylinders in the end, no problems I take it? Stripped the three m/c's out of my Spartan ready for rebuilding yesterday so just wondered if there were any updates before ordering the parts. Cheers, James

Bit surprised there doesn't appear to be any adults around. Not saying there's anything wrong with younger generation getting involved, but they look a tad young to be doing this unsupervised at a public event.. James

Thanks gents. Will advise him to contact a registered gunsmith and to help with getting it deactivated. He's not interesting in doing anything illegal, just wants to avoid the gun being destroyed if it doesn't have to be.