Sean N

I normally find you get the puff of smoke on coming back on the throttle after lifting off, but I know little about Meteors and either way it certainly does sound like valve stem sealing given the symptoms. I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous answer re. seals! Are you contemplating taking it apart, or living with it?

Larry, it should be fairly standard these days, but for simplicity's sake get something that has lots of choice of templates that you like, and get something that's based on blogging software like Wordpress or a content management system (CMS) like Drupal, Joomla etc. That way you can set the site up and post stuff on it just like you would post on a forum like this. With 'free' web hosting watch out for the catches!

John, at what point when the engine is revved and then throttle released do you get the puff of oil? A Cent parts list I have here covering Meteor MkIV lists shield for the exhaust valve and seal for the inlet, and specifically says the seal is rubber. As you suggest, perished rubber inlet seals would be consistent with your issues. The part number is 3/RR EM5114.

The small pipes all appear to relate to the intake - Ki-Gass starter or something along those lines, perhaps?

I think that's true of a lot of auctions, not just MV collections. I can recall Land Rovers going at Aston Down in the '90s for more than I could have bought an equivalent vehicle from the local dealer's forecourt. I really don't think that's the case; it assumes demand will always significantly exceed supply. There are strong reasons for prices to have gone up in recent years; but looking at the history of collectables, particularly classic vehicles, the way things seem to go is that prices shoot up due to factors such as availability, interest in a vehicle, other ways of investing etc., but then prices level out or even fall. The trick is judging the top of the market!

Have to say I think the same as Ferg. You can see why prices have moved on vehicles (not just military) since 2008 - people weren't getting returns on cash in the bank, so might as well invest in collectables and have the enjoyment of them as well. I do wonder now though whether we're seeing something of a bubble developing - prices are paid at sales like this which don't really have any obvious sense or relationship to other prices, while elsewhere we see vehicles advertised at seemingly very optimistic prices and often unsold for month after month.

Vincents ended up making horseboxes - until recently there was a very rusty baby TK with a Vincents body on it near us, think it got scrapped in the end. I think they kept going until the '70s at least.

Tamber, I started to strip this cylinder but I'm struggling to get two of the mounting nuts undone. It'll probably be next week now before I can attack it again.

Transferred from the 'Heads Up' topic; this AEC Militant now for sale: It's been shortened at the rear, and an extra subframe and the 4 tonner body fitted, but that could be removed quite easily. It runs and drives but the clutch is stuck and the fuel tank leaks. Overall it looks tatty because of the body and the peeling paint, but from what I've seen of it it's actually fairly sound and would be quite straightforward to restore or put back on the road - the cab is a lot more solid than many unloved (or even well loved) old Militants. It's in East Dorset, and advertised on behalf of a friend. If you'd like to come and have a look or want to know any more contact me. Sean

S3, S1 Landys (the S3 was Q166 RAE) and a Jeep between Gillingham and Shaftesbury yesterday afternoon around 4:30?

Sorry, posted in wrong forum - can someone delete? Thanks.

And 'Puddle Jumper', apparently...

It would be worth asking Bernie Smith and some of the Bedford parts suppliers. If I get a chance in the next couple of days I'll check the one I've got anyway, just in case.

I'm certain that's a K9, and I've owned enough of them. K9 GS had the big rubbing strake as well, above the rear arch as in the photo whereas I'm pretty sure the one on the MRA1 is interrupted by the wheelarch; and you can see the wheelarch extensions on the front wings and the prominent curve of the wing. - and a couple of nice K9s!

Is this the £250 one? A lot of people don't like accepting Paypal though, partly because of the extra charges involved and partly because there are several well known scams involving Paypal payments which, thanks to eBay's buyer protection policies, can be difficult to protect yourself against as a seller. That might be why he doesn't want Paypal, but strictly speaking, he can't refuse Paypal in the vehicle spares and accessories category.

If it's expensive to have sleeved it would be worth asking around to see if you can find a new old stock one first. These master cylinders are still about at reasonable prices, although the later style is more common. I can have a look at the one I've got down here, though when I mentioned it upthread I was more thinking of it for the servo parts - being a used cylinder, it's likely to be bad as well. If you do get a new old stock one, try to get it from somewhere you can inspect before you buy, or can return it to; it's been my experience that they can corrode on the shelf. Good luck!

01797 253211

Richard Banister has them new old stock. I've got bits, but not a complete set.

It's not so much the black spots, it's the corroded areas around the mouth of the bore and the ports halfway down. From the photo, the areas around the mouth of the bore look like two rings of pits corresponding to the rest positions of the piston end and rear seal. The area in the centre of the bore next to the ports looks like heavy pitting and damage to the cylinder bore corresponding to the rest position of the centre seals. This is really common in old Bedford master cylinders particularly if they've sat for some time due to moisture and contamination sitting around the seals. You need the seals to provide a good seal against the bore wall at rest around their whole circumference and for the whole of their travel, so the bores should be pretty much smooth and free from pitting or scratches; otherwise the fluid can just bypass the seals either at rest or when you apply the brakes, and rough edges to the pits will tear up the new seals. The good news is that it shouldn't be too hard to sort out; it's likely someone like Bernie Smith will have a master cylinder or that someone like Past Parts might be able to sleeve it, if HTS's people can't do anything for it.

Tony, if it's any consolation, given the revenue stock photos make you'd probably struggle to have a beer on it let alone pay for the 101!

Tamber, I hate to rain on your parade given you're making such great progress, but if this is the 'after' photo that master cylinder looks unserviceable and probably beyond recovery, except perhaps by sleeving.

Which Bedford engine, Dave?

Militant photo: As above, it's an FV11008 with the tail end shortened and an MK type body mounted. It runs but the clutch is stuck on and there is a leak from the fuel tank. It looks a bit horrible as the body conversion and paintwork aren't great, but in fact it seems to be quite sound underneath. There might also be a quite tidy 1976 RAF lightweight coming up for sale from the same person.

Yes..

Been ages, but all this lot now definitely for sale, save that the owner might keep one of the Karriers, probably the worse one of the two. I'll post in For Sale separately. Anyone interested please send me a message in the first instance & I can make arrangements to view or put you in touch with the owner