Sean N

A few from last Tuesday, since no-one else has: Didn't see Mr Beckett there - can't understand why, it's not as if the crowds were particularly large... One thing that did jar slightly - where was all the British soft skin? Seeing the pilots being transported in Jeeps and Dodge WCs with wire cutters, invasion stars and drivers with American uniforms didn't strike the right note - it would have been great to see some Bedfords, Ford WOTs, Austins and maybe an AEC.

Is that really their entire collection in the second photo? Can't help feeling what's happened to the Beverley collection, and the (lack of) effort behind building a worthy collection of the military's transport history, is pretty scandalous, particularly when compared with, say, the RAF or Tank museums, of even the RE and REME efforts. The DUKW in the Mirror article doesn't appear to be the same one as the stripped one in the auction images.

Great resource for pre-war and obscure stuff. Odd that he's scanned and published drawings of many carbs, but not the keys to the drawings which you'd have thought must have been with them. Good work though.

Howard, I have a NOS Carter carb.

Richard, I'm working from memory but isn't the CA45 the 'barrel' type starter with the solenoid in line with the main body of the starter and the terminals at the mounting flange end? The starter pictured does look like an M45G and I've come across both types on 200 / 220 / 300 / 330 - in fact, I have a 220 Turbo with an M45G on at the workshop. Both Richard and fv102 speak wisdom, though, the numbers will be stamped on the body when you remove it. You should be able to buy a replacement solenoid fairly easily, and get the starter rebuilt if needs be (probably cheaper than buying new). If there's no-one local there are sources online.

Richard, thanks for chipping in. I don't have the relevant parts list and have limited experience with the Series 1 engine, but it looks as though it must be different in detail to the Series 2. It's likely the 1 ton reference is to the Series 2 / K9. Asbjørn, on those pumps with a long lever you sometimes have to fit them at an angle to get the lever in through the hole, and if you're not careful the lever can conflict with the cam, though in my experience you can usually feel if it's trying to go round the wrong side.

Asbjørn, I'm not sure if the K6 and K9 pumps are the same; however, I had a look at a K9 pump this morning. If it helps, the tag number on the K9 pump is XP 1111 D5 and the arm is 7850059. The pump body (AC type U) is correct. It's difficult to compare the two pumps without having them next to each other. However, I'd say the lever on the K9 pump is slightly shorter and more curved than the one you have. That of course is not definitive as I can't recall the engine differences and it would depend whether the block casting / machining and camshaft are the same for the later (Series 2) engine. It seems to me there is something odd about the way yours has broken. For yours to have broken the way it has, the cam would have to be the wrong side of the pump operating lever to exert a downwards force on the lever. In that case, there should be a witness / polish mark on the tip / inside face of the lever (which actually, I fancy I can see in the photo?), and no fresh polishing on the normal running face. That might confirm it was the wrong lever.

Or strictly speaking, "I might be stupid..."

Just been told about an RS with an Edbro tipping body that might be for sale soon. It's ex-round timber so it'll probably be a bit battered and non-original, but was supposed to have been a good truck. More when I know it.

Should have laid, or have laid? If the weather is as it has been the last two weeks they'll need it.

Richard, that looks like an Austin engine to me, why do you think it doesn't? The alloy rocker cover is unusual for Austin but they did have those.

Isn't that odd, I read that as 'interesting war photo'. My apologies. Richard, I thought that might well be a K6 but my eyes obviously aren't as good as yours.

I might be talking nonsense, but that doesn't look like a war photo. It might be wartime - though isn't that a Landrover up on the far bank? Beautifully organised convoy of the same unladen vehicles, soldiers standing formally on each pontoon, a grandstand or saluting stand in the background - I'd say it's an exercise or demonstration, probably put on for VIPs of some sort, and thus unlikely to be in a theatre of war. Afraid I have no idea what or where though.

If the screen is flat you can get it cut from a sheet of flat laminate (for general info, I know you're looking for curved). Pilkington at Queenborough in Kent can do one off curved screens for most vehicles though I don't know whether that applies to oddballs they might not have bucks for. Worth a call though, they're very helpful in my experience.

No photo, no description, no idea!

Paul, on the Stalwart clutch, the one on ours was frozen when I came to it. I ran the engine to get some heat through then clipped the pedal down and left it for a week, when I came back to it the clutch had peeled free with no apparent ill effects.

Alec, VM is Vauxhall Motors. For the early MJ, MF and the 466 / 500 engine 'Super M-type' (and chassis and running gear for the MK) the grey and red Bedford 'Universal' truck & coach manuals would also refer.

If you come across another at a sensible price I'd be interested, I've always slightly regretted not getting that one but I guess someone actually had a serious use for it...

I have TS1016 / TS1017 / TS1018 and TS1277, but they're perfect bound so I don't see how they could be copied easily. You know there is more than one type of MJ? Have you asked VM about copyright?

I'm not sure it's silly. For me, preserving items like that is just as important as, say, a CCKW, Ferret, Landrover or anything else; and speaking as an engineer, just as if not more interesting. They all go to tell a story of how things - problem solving, design, development, engineering, working, soldiering, whatever - were done historically. I always think it's a shame that specialist commercial vehicles tend not to survive, and most of the vehicles you see at shows are flatbeds. Having said that, I'm not sure our own collection has been particularly eclectic or insane, unless you count the bridging rig. I fancied a mobile aircraft control tower once (in fact twice - a Bedford TK at Aston Down, and the Karrier that used to be at Middle Wallop), and came close a couple of times to buying a Thornycroft LMD. At a miscellaneous sale I fancied an Access Equipment Ltd 'Beanstalk' - essentially an upright mounted, multi-stage hydraulic ram with a chair fitted to the top - but it went for a surprisingly large amount of money. The best eccentric collection I've come across, however, has to be at Nothe Fort, Weymouth, though sadly it's not on display any more - a collection of military moustaches.

Ron, I'd chip in but Duncan seems to have very comprehensively described the chassis number options already! Interesting you're looking at this; these things seem to have started popping up locally recently. I saw an AFS Bikini unit opposite the Square and Compass the other week, and Southern Counties Engineering called me a few months ago about some engine parts for one (not sure what body as I didn't see it). Wonder if this is one of those two - from the description, it sounds as though it may be a third vehicle.

Scorpion travelling west on the A352 approaching Wool about 5.30 this evening. Suspect we know whose it is and where it was coming from!

Pekka, I doubt it's bling. Quite a few ferrets have it around the closing area of the hatches. I can't say whether it was official or not, or which Ferrets had it, but I think it's likely it's a warning not to leave your fingers in there...

Isn't that the same link as originally posted...??

http://www.offroadvehicle.ru/AZBUCAR/Mack/International%20Motor%20Co.jpg