Sean N

Go for it. If the tanks can't be saved, at least there's potential to make a significant difference to the restoration of 3 - 5 other Churchills. It didn't look as though they were that far into cutting them so there's a good chance there's at least piles of major units still there, if not complete vehicles. Worth working on from two angles - see if you can get an approach through IWM, Tank Museum, Disposals Agency or other UK sources, while at the same time tackling the relevant director at the scrapyard to see if you can identify and break down the obstacles, plus maybe promise them good publicity as well? Good luck with it.

Rick, I don't think you can or should kick yourself. You made a 27 hour trip at short notice to try to rescue these things, motivated not by profit but by a desire to see things preserved. Not many would have done that. Once there you did what you could with the restrictions you had. It's highly likely, as Richard and a couple of others have suggested, and as you guessed at early on, that the scrap dealer's contract specified that they had to reduce the vehicles to scrap and that once senior management got wind of a potential breach of that contract, they put a stop to it. I don't see that threatening them would have achieved anything - you always get more out of people if you work with them (I realise you're just expressing your frustrations). The one thing you might be able to do is contact the relevant director in person and establish in a constructive way what the obstacle is and whether there is any way round it. However they may well feel reducing the vehicle to parts isn't enough and releasing said parts would jeopardise their scrap contract. I don't know whether going to the press or politicians at this point might help save what's left or would just put people's backs up. I think one problem these days is not only arms limitations and demilitarisation laws but also paranoia about liability. Frequently we see usable equipment and vehicles, including historically important ones, destroyed because of largely unwarranted concerns about liability if something goes wrong. Reading the topic I didn't see where the Tank Museum came in or whether they actually had been offered the vehicles - you suggest later they had. As one guy they may well not have contacted you anyway, even if they did think of it. I have to say, it's my experience that museums (with one or two exceptions) are generally fairly blinkered and are not necessarily good guardians of the nation's heritage, sad though that is to say. Either way, as Jack says it's frustrating that important and irreplaceable pieces of history are consigned to the scrap heap almost without thought. Personally, I think it's almost worse with vehicles like this; specialist vehicles are often not considered glamorous and don't attract the attention gun tanks might, but they're just as important in telling the story. However I think you're right; the way to prevent this kind of thing in future is to intercept them before they ever get to the scrap yard, or even classified as scrap. Perhaps setting up some sort of formal clearing house for unwanted tanks and parts, and getting the relevant people - the decision makers and those with direct responsibility - in the MoD, the Disposals Agency, the German defence ministry and museums onside and aware you're doing this might be a way forward, for future cases at least. If I can help with that in any way let me know.

TK and MK 4 speed box are effectively the same (provided the TK is not a 214 petrol or early 200 diesel, if I remember right) TK 5 speed boxes can be made to fit but you may have to shorten the prop. Part compatibility with Goddesses is limited depending what parts you want (and it'd be a shame to break up a Goddess). Goddess gearbox would have to be modified to fit.

I think before you do anything you should contact Auto Sparks and check this. It may be an error has been made. It would be very unusual to either not follow the original factory colours for a coded loom, or not to label or identify the cabling for a single colour loom. No point in spending time tracing wires if it's their error, or at least something they can help with.

Terry, I'm no expert on Ferret and someone like Richard F will probably advise, but in my experience B series engines have a tendency to backfire due to (excess) fuelling on the over-run. Checking the timing is certainly worthwhile, but my first thought was I wonder if the mixture is a touch rich?

Last one I did took 6+ weeks. Don't expect too much, if any, information on older vehicles though - my experience is that for vehicles cast up to around 1992 at least, there's either no info or just the registration.

John, corrected that for you.

'One easy motion' might be pushing it! Several pumps more like it, even with a quick lift jack. In my experience the quick lift or 'rocket' jacks often only take the arm to the point of contact quickly and then can be heavier to pump than normal ones as you're trading mechanical advantage for speed of lift. Don't forget if your diffs aren't central on the axle you may find it difficult to lift evenly on a trolley jack anyway. I would not mess about with any of the consumer market jacks with small pads and pressed side members - they may claim to be 3 tonnes (or even more), but aren't really beefy enough or big enough to be stable and reliable. Get something with a good wide heavy duty chassis, wide wheels and track and a large saddle. As Richard says, a long chassis is useful to get under vehicles without having to grub around on the floor or risk not having enough movement on the handle. Make sure what you get has enough lift - you can find even long chassis jacks have very short lift arms so you'll struggle to get a large vehicle off the ground sufficiently. Conversely, don't forget to check that it's low enough to get under the vehicle / axle in the first place! I'd have thought 3 tonnes would be the minimum you would want to give yourself a margin and make lifting fairly easy - the less 'industrial strength' the jack is, the more marginal it will be and the harder you'll have to pump even if it claims to be the same capacity. Most professional jacks have the release valve operated by the lift handle which is much easier than a separate release. If you're worried about the paint on your axles get a rubber saddle pad. If you're buying from one of the large tool suppliers (Sealey et al), remember they regularly have this sort of thing on offer. Don't buy Snap-On - their jacks are the same as other people's at three times the money. For the new cost of a decent Chinese made jack from the likes of Sealey you may find you can buy a good second-hand or MoD surplus unit made by the likes of Epco or one of the other traditional workshop equipment suppliers. If you can, and it's genuinely sound, get it - you won't regret it - everything about them is so much better quality. In my experience trolley jacks are really workshop equipment only and best on good hard (concrete) floors. The wheels can tend to sink into tarmac. If you're jacking away from the workshop, forget the trolley jack - get bottle jacks instead, with good plates or blocks to spread the load.

Grille that slots in over the radiator on a Stalwart. Should have considerably more holes and considerably less crud than that!!

Is it possible the demilitarisation rules (presumably German) might not apply on the grounds of age, nationality or something? Alternatively would going through a British museum help? Are none of the museums interested in these things or are they just not aware?

"in the case of a motor vehicle, that it is so constructed as to be capable of attaining a speed of 25 miles per hour on the level under its own power, when unladen and not drawing a trailer" http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/schedule/4 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1982/1163/contents/made You can however be fined for driving too slowly if it's perceived that you are a hazard to other road users. It's probably unlikely that would happen with a vehicle that was incapable of going faster - though they might tell you to get the heck off their motorway!

"A military BBQ which army no idea" Neither have I, no photo!

That's the one I posted about in the 'whatever happened to' topic. Must admit had I realised it was for sale I'd have been tempted, it always was a nice truck.

Got used to that smell, with added bilge, recommissioning our M2 bridging rig - or should I say never got used to it!

Generally the advice is to use acid etch primer on aluminium, and be very thorough in the cleaning and de-greasing, otherwise you can get problems with coat adhesion. I've tended to use two pack etches in the past, from Trimite or Cromadex. You'd put a conventional primer over, then build up the topcoats.

Use a reputable make. Use the performance specification that was roughly current when your vehicle was built. Use the oil grade that is specified in the manual. Don't use EP if a non-EP oil is specified, or particularly a non-EP where an EP is specified. Note that the W.D. / M.o.S. / M.o.D. sometimes harmonised oil specs for convenience. Steer clear of long involved debates about EP additives and yellow metals - if in doubt, ask the oil manufacturer. I've tended to use Morris when I can and never had a problem, and they've been very helpful.

??? Sorry, I read you as talking about agricultural tractors. Antony, a 'tractor' is just a vehicle that's designed to pull something - agricultural tractors are just a specialist version. A 'motor tractor' in the Ferret etc. sense is a heavy haulage vehicle of a certain weight.

Rick, why is this still in Germany and not in your yard? And don't try to make out you haven't thought of it...

There used to be a Dingo down here that someone had put a Chrysler V8 (?) in and converted to a beach buggy...

Unfortunately, what you see it as doesn't matter - it's a question of what it is, or what DVSA / VOSA / HM Constabulary see it as. Spartan is a distraction as although it's CVR(T) based, it's a different body type - it might not look it, but as a 7 seater it's essentially an MPV! I started to write a long answer here based on my understanding and previous experience, but at the end of the day I'm not a road traffic lawyer and there are a number of reasons not to get into too in depth a discussion here, not least that Jack would prefer we didn't. At the end of the day, it's your call. My advice would be: Read Construction and Use (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/contents/made), the Road Traffic Act (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/contents) and any other necessary legislation and guidance. Don't confuse what you think it ought to be and what it really is. A goods vehicle is a 'motor vehicle constructed or adapted for the carriage of goods or burden'. Shielder is designed as a load carrier. Draw your own conclusions. Don't confuse taxation class (essentially, what it's used for) with design (essentially, what it is) - the two inform each other, but aren't necessarily the same. For example, a Bedford MJ can be taxed private if it's used privately, but that doesn't make it any less a goods vehicle as far as driver licencing is concerned. Take legal advice if necessary. Be prepared to do something - change the body, fit equipment - to make it not a goods vehicle if you need to. Lots of people have registered lots of things as vehicle types or in taxation classes which sometimes stretch the definitions to breaking point. They may get away with it or they may not. Whether you do the same is up to you. I understood 'Tractor' as it applies to Ferret meant a 'Motor Tractor' i.e. a haulage vehicle, not an agricultural tractor.

Rick, that chromey Ferret wasn't one of yours, was it...?? :wow:

Make sure you're not confusing revenue weights, unladen weights and gross weights (doesn't sound as though you are, but plenty do) 3.5 tonnes gross for PLG only applies if it's a goods vehicle (which strictly speaking, Shielder is, being an HMLC) - if it's not a goods vehicle, weight doesn't matter for PLG. If you're using it 'as is' privately, Private HGV sounds like the correct taxation class - it is, after all, a goods vehicle being used privately. I don't know how things work for what is effectively a tracked HGV though. Normally the only way to take a goods vehicle out of the goods vehicle taxation classes is to make it not a goods vehicle by some sort of permanent modification. Have you looked at V355/1? https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360119/V355X1_140714.pdf

Have been thinking about this. Has it ground to a halt?

Matt, the plate is about 3/4" high x 2 1/2" long welded to the waist line on the outside front left of the cab, and if they were consistent in the way they stamped them the format should be STAL II XXX

Sorry Barry, having said I'd look to see how they were fitted I forgot all about it. Glad you got it sorted. I'll check what I have and get back to you.