Sean N

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.

a photo of my old 101 ambulance has become a stock picture. If I could have claimed royalties it would have paid for her! :mad:

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.

Were coaches sold via this means as well?

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

I started working for the army in 1974, it was rare to see engines in Eau-de-nil then and in our engine remanufacturing section, I well remember seeing two very early Bedford 300 petrol engines come in for overhaul, they were for a RAF application and were Eau-de-nil, which stuck out as odd as everything else was Sky Blue by then. Also seen brand new Daimler Dingo parts packed in 1952 and painted Sky Blue. There was an instruction to change the colour of rebuilt Rolls B range engines from E-D- to Sky Blue about 1950 (without looking up.)

As for the Mk1 Milly engines we were changing, I am pretty certain they were Sky Blue, but they would not have been long rebuilt.

The Debate goes on over the years l have come across engine coloured Eau-De-Nil once went to collect a boxed engine

from E McCann for a project when unpacked it was eau-de-nil. Two Dingo AC in the museum that came from ranges

also had this coloured engines. As to when the change to sky blue came about l am still looking for a definitive answer

l hope that this lot of AEC file may shed some light on the subject . l feel that the early factory fitted engines for the

Militant MK1 may have been still painted black but I have nothing concrete to prove this at the moment as Eau-De-Nil and sky blue was used on rebuilt engines

Richard, Wally, we've discussed this before and no doubt will again - probably still without a definitive answer, as my bet is there isn't one!

My experience is from cast vehicles sold in the auctions of the '80s and '90s, and surplus and scrap engines of about the same period - so not contemporary, but perhaps indicative.

From my recollection, pretty much all the 1950s and 1960s built vehicles I dealt with - RLs, K9s, early Militants, Explorer etc. - had Eau-de-Nil engines. '70s and '80s vehicles - Landrover, MK, TK, Militant Mk3 and the like - typically had Sky Blue engines. I can remember quantities of scrap engines - mainly Landrover - being cleared from Bovington, and they were all Sky Blue.

I guess we might assume that 1950s vehicles cast in the 1990s might have done little recent work and had their replacement engines fitted many years ago, possibly from older stock, while later vehicles were probably in more regular use and had later rebuilds fitted more recently?

I've just checked a 1968 RL at the workshop, with the last version of the 300 petrol, and that's sky blue. I can't recall the dates of the detail changes to 300 petrols, but even if the engine is older than the truck, it seems to me it's unlikely to date from earlier than the mid '60s.

I recall in another thread, Wally said he thought the edict to paint Sky Blue went out in 1950, which would tie up with those Sky Blue Dingo parts and Richard's recollection of the Rolls B series changeover.

There's a tendency to look for a definitive changeover date and say that after that date, it must be Sky Blue. Is it unreasonable to think that real life is more messy than that, things don't just happen neatly, and our experiences are not incompatible? Perhaps armoured vehicles went Sky Blue earlier, or that whatever the edict from on high, workshops and contractors might have been sticking with Eau-de-Nil, changing to Sky Blue during the '60s; or that there was a good stock of previously rebuilt Eau-de-Nil engines available for the older vehicles?

Edit - by the way; MAUDSLAY!!

There's a place in Manchester that does Rexine, I found it a few months back. Can't recall the name, unfortunately, but I'm sure Google will know.

Could be the site MatchFuzee quotes is referring to the genuine branded Rexine made by the trademark holder, while other sites advertising Rexine are in fact referring to a copy or leathercloth.

Richard, just occured to me that being that bit later, Mk 3 might have been different.

Bob, I'm not an AEC expert by any means, so you can take this with a pinch of salt, but...

I had thought that WW2 Matador engines were black from the factory. I may be misremembering.

I think the standard AEC engine and chassis colour from the factory in the 1950s was a light grey (per Routemasters etc.)

I have seen suggestions - seemingly confirmed by Richard above - that for the military vehicles everything was painted Deep Bronze Green originally.

MoD reconditioned engines were originally painted Eau-de-Nil. This changed much later to Sky Blue. This is supposed to have changed in the '50s but from what I've seen appeared in practice to have happened much later.

My experience is that most engines I've seen in 1950s to 1960s era vehicles have been Eau-de-Nil while those I've seen in late 1960s onwards vehicles have been Sky Blue. That doesn't tally with Richard's memory but he's been intimate with a lot more Militants than I have!

My guess is you could go light grey, DBG or Eau-de-Nil legitimately, but perhaps Wally Dugan or the AEC guys might have some thoughts on this. A lighter colour would be better for oil leak spotting.

Bob, original colour or MoD recon, and if the latter, what period? Mk1 or Mk3 Militant?

I'd think most modern seam sealers or mastiks would do the job. There's a huge range of brushable, gun application or ribbon / tape seam sealers available from companies like U-Pol and 3M. Might be an idea to either contact a sealant manufacturer or a local car bodyshop supplier for suggestions.

Cat D shouldn't affect the value too much. Cat C will as it'll need a VIC and be marked on the V5.

(incidentally, isn't all this being revised soon, or am I misremembering).

In assessing value etc. are they looking at it as Tithonus LEP or just as a 1986 Landrover?

I've never heard of the third party's insurers being asked to assess repairs, the normal procedure would be for your insurers to deal with it and reclaim their costs from the third party's insurer. If you are concerned you should take this point up with your insurer and consider going to the insurance ombudsman should you not be satisfied.

I know they're selling to a moneyed clientele, but are Bonham's a bit away with the fairies on price estimates? Series 2 SWB for £18k plus, and a very average looking 2A Safari £10k?

These are great photos, Pete, and the Bedford ones are apparently unknown to Vauxhall archives but probably taken by a VM staff photographer, as they are in sequence with other known ones.

The ones of all the Bedfords lined up in the street are Kimpton Road, Luton, which now looks very different; see:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8746791,-0.397379,3a,75y,144.6h,82.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPKeScHb1I3Q6h0MKkMF2QQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I assume the factory gate & shift change ones are at the tank & ordnance factory (factories?) shown. The tanks are definitely at Nuffield Mechanisations as there are other photos of the same factory that are known to have been taken at Nuffield.

Rob, you can remove the pinion assembly from the nose of the axle casing by removing the prop shaft and the ring of bolts on the cover the way you think, rebuild and check on the bench and then refit. However you should also take the rear cover off and check the crownwheel etc. to make sure the damaged bearing hasn't caused any knock-on damage. If there's no damage you won't need to remove the crownwheel and diff assembly.

On re-assembly you should check the mesh to make sure it's correct as Vince suggests, and adjust if necessary.

None of this is difficult provided you take it carefully and use some common sense - I've done them at the side of the road without problem. You will need engineer's blue, a dial gauge and mag base, a caliper or mike and a spring balance or some other way of checking the preload on the pinion bearings (1 - 3 lb-ish at 8").

Pinion preload is set independently of CWP lash so it's not too much of a faff to do.

You'll also need a decent quantity of new pinion housing gaskets as the pinion setting is done by varying the thickness of the gasket pack. Buy new bearings of a quality make, not cheap unbranded Chinese ones.

Definitely going to need an elbow-pad for those changes into 2nd, it seems. :-D .

They're not too bad once you get used to them. And by and large you'll be starting off in second anyway, unless steep hill or heavy load.

And I'd guess not original to the trolley but added afterwards, but try Richard Banister on 01797 253211 for a replacement.

Colin, it's the control box for the auxiliary generator fitted to radio vehicles.

Pete, given your comment above I assume that's in an 'as low as reasonably practical' context?

Have to say I'm really surprised at the comments about NGK plugs. You have to go with your personal experience, of course, but coming from a motorsport background we always swore by (rather than at!) NGK; I've seen NGK plugs and leads producing increased power on a dynamometer vs. Champion.

Since then I've used NGK where possible, Bosch when I can't get NGK, and never had a problem.

Hi Peter, just for clarity, this is the rolling chassis & cab that's for sale per the photos, not just the chassis?

No I'm not worried Sean it doesn't really impact on me...

 

Pete

Pete, yes, with you.

It is, as you say, all about common courtesy and situational awareness, which should apply to any driver; and worth flagging up every so often.

I am only working from memory, but I am pretty certain that magistrates' court cannot set precedent.

Pete, I think you are worrying too much. It's something to be aware of, but there has been an obligation for many years to be aware of and considerate to other road users and to travel with the general flow of traffic - or if you can't, to pull over regularly or otherwise make allowances so that vehicles could pass. I seem to remember it was in the Highway Code when I took my test, and that was many moons ago! This is by no means the first person to be prosecuted for it, and a case in a magistrate's court doesn't set precedent anyway.