Sean N

If we're being really pedantic it's got the wrong body as well, but I don't think it matters; UD isn't claiming to be a factually accurate work on military history, it's a drama and they've got it close enough for jazz.

But does anyone know the truck... ???

Saw this briefly on Upstairs Downstairs the other day. I came close to buying this truck several times, and last saw it in the early to mid '90s in a scrapyard in Verwood - really pleased to see it survived. Anyone on here own it, or know who does?

Robin, how are you attaching it at the moment, and are there no photos on the interweb anywhere? I don't know much about these but looking at photos on the web they all look as though they have some form of clamping system with three clamps either side of the bed.

Jack, if you need a hand feel free to ask, I'm only over in Poole.

I suspect there are a lot of British softskins out there; there were plenty of them around in the '70s, '80s and '90s and they don't seem so common now; my guess would be a lot of stuff that was original or first restored then is out there now awaiting a restoration or second restoration.

No, can't see 'em, Jack, just red crosses.

Yes, some really interesting stuff there, thanks Bernard

Some named vehicles in the photo collection Bernard's just posted (http://vmartois.forumactif.fr/t448-photos-en-vrac), mainly just stencilled capitals and mostly on tanks; I spotted 'Dillinger', 'Finalist', 'Dingbat', 'Cupid', 'Agnes IV' (half track; wonder what happened to the other three - IV was missing the front axle!), 'Ink Spots', 'Snookie' (on a Weasel), 'Mid-Forceps' (on a medic half-track), 'Chemin Des Dames' (??? - some letters obscured) and 'Romilly'

Andy, whenever I've had a problem with stuck brakes in the past the following has always worked: 1. Free up adjusters if possible and back them off fully 2. Get very large hammer, preferably nylon or rawhide or at least copper rather than steel. Tap drums and backplates hard and sharp in several places. If you can't get at the drum, hit the nave of the wheel. Don't hit repeatedly in the same place and don't beat the hell out of it - you don't want to damage or bend anything and if you do the cast drum may well crack. The idea is similar to tapping the eye a ball joint pin is fitted to to release it - a sharp rap will make the drum flex slightly which makes the rust let go, particularl if the adjusters are off so the return springs are trying to help you. I'm not familiar with GMCs, but if the brake drums are the type where you can put a forcing screw in to jack them off the hub, you can take the wheels off and try that, forcing gradually and tapping as you go - again, back the adjusters off fully first if possible.

Wikipedia claims 'The Juvaquatre was heavily inspired by the German Opel Olympia, a car which Louis Renault had been impressed by during a 1935 visit to Berlin (consequently the Juvaquatre, particularly early models, bore a strong resemblance to the Olympia).' Kadett and Olympia are very similar but the radiator grille / cowl is much more upright and rounder

Poole area, try for dedicated CV factors Parsons Parts in Francis Rd, Wallisdown or Commercial Components at Dawkins Rd, or alternatively for suitable pipe and fittings try Thread and Pipe on the East Howe industrial estate. Alternatively a bearing and power transmission factors such as Industrial Links in Upton or Brammer on the Nuffield estate should be able to help, but won't have the range of pipe & fittings off the shelf. If you're using plastic pipe with olives and nuts you'll normally need ferrules (inserts) to stop the pipe collapsing as you tighten the nut. Nuts freezing to the pipe is quite common with old pipes; when dismantling air, vacuum or brake pipe I normally coat liberally with penetrating oil, leave to free up and then if it feels tight work the nut back and forth over about an eighth to a quarter of a turn before undoing to make sure it's free. You need to check the pipe carefully anyway after removal though to make sure it isn't dangerously pitted / corroded.

If you take the word 'them in '...allowing subsequent waves of amtracs to crawl over them...' as referring to the ramps, the two quotes are consistent - though reading the whole thing it sounds as though they mean the LVTs get crawled over. Having said that, it's presumably written much later and second or third hand so could be a misunderstanding of the way they operated. The wording emplaced in the other quote suggests the ramps were put in position by the LVT which then withdrew. Looking at the engineering my vote is for Nickmow's idea; the ramp is dropped and the LVT reverses out from underneath, leaving the ramp on the sea wall or obstacle. From what can be seen in the photos if it's an ark, there seems little point in having the support structure on the vehicle constructed the way it is; there is no way to get up the back of the vehicle or to guarantee that there will not be a gap between the back of the vehicle and the sea wall if it's reversed up; the way the ramp section is mounted means if the vehicle is reversed up either the back end would have to be so far up the sea wall there would be a big gap still to bridge, or some of the beams on the ramp would be unsupported if the ramp was dropped; you wouldn't want to turn 180 degrees and reverse up to an obstacle in the early stage of a beach assault, possibly under heavy fire; the rail-like structure on top of the vehicle doesn't look designed to be driven over or bear much weight, whereas it does look as if it's designed for the wooden beams to slide along and off the LVT; there appears to be exactly enough beams on top of the LVT to deck the empty section of girder either side of it if the ramp is detached; it looks as though there's a release rope or linkage; the ramp girders don't actually look all that well fixed to the support structure on the sides of the LVT, unless there's some welding you can't see in the photo. At about 1:22 in the video above, there's a shot of a more conventional bridge being used the way I'd have thought these things were deployed...

Michael, is it 0.004" - 0.006" that's recommended, and how much more float have you got? I'd be concerned about excessive endfloat on a crank as it'll move every time you declutch - I had a vehicle that punched the centre out of the clutch as a result. Having said that whether it's the cause of the tick I couldn't say, diagnosing noises is difficult without hearing them!

Just to be clear on this as it affects other things as well, Croc & Richard are quite right, it's 3500 kg GROSS (or in some circumstances 1525 kg unladen). The exemption is under Schedule 2 to the Goods Vehicle (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988 , clause 30, (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/1478/schedule/2/made) which states: Motor vehicles first used before 1st January 1960, used unladen and not drawing a laden trailer, and trailers manufactured before 1st January 1960 and used unladen. For the purposes of this paragraph any determination as to when a motor vehicle is first used shall be made as provided in regulation 3(3) of the Construction and Use Regulations. CU 1986 states: (3) For the purpose of these Regulations, the date on which a motor vehicle is first used is: (a)in the case of a vehicle not falling within sub-paragraph (b) and which is registered, the date on which it was registered; (b)in each of the following cases: (i)a vehicle which is being or has been used under a trade licence as defined in section 16 of the 1971 Act (otherwise than for the purposes of demonstration or testing or of being delivered from premises of the manufacturer by whom it was made or of a distributor of vehicles, or dealer in vehicles, to premises of a distributor of vehicles, dealer in vehicles or purchaser thereof or to premises of a person obtaining possession thereof under a hiring agreement or hire purchase agreement); (ii)a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to the Crown and which is or was used or appropriated for use for naval, military or air force purposes; (iii)a vehicle belonging, or which has belonged, to a visiting force or a headquarters or defence organisation to which in each case the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1965 applies; (iv)a vehicle which has been used on roads outside Great Britain before being imported into Great Britain; and (v)a vehicle which has been used otherwise than on roads after being sold or supplied by retail and before being registered; the date of manufacture of the vehicle. In sub-paragraph (b) (v) of this paragraph "sold or supplied by retail" means sold or supplied otherwise than to a person acquiring it solely for the purpose of resale or re-supply for a valuable consideration .

This, frankly, seems a bit of a nonsense. It also seems open to over-interpretation from jobsworths at owners' clubs. The way I read the DVLA guidance, if I put a vehicle together out of lots of bits of separate vehicles, all over 25 years old and all relatively original, I get an age related plate consistent with the age of the youngest component. If I have a complete vehicle as it came from the factory, with original chassis number etc and known history, but with one younger non-original component, I have to have a Q plate. Surely that can't be right? What if I buy, say, a QL that was converted to limespreading in the '50s, say with a Perkins P4? What of the many historic commercials around which started life with bodies that have long since disappeared and are now being restored with newly built flatbeds? Given that the guidance is in the same section as kit cars and specials, and given DVLA's stated intention to prevent vehicle crime and ringing, is this really intended to catch restorations of relatively complete original vehicles or is it aimed at bitzers and being over-interpreted?

Yes, I've remembered now, the transfer box is separate as you say; we kept the original box partly because of all the gubbins hung off it and partly because the owner bought an engine without a gearbox. Under normal circumstances with most conversions I'd keep the box that goes with the engine and change the prop etc. unless there are good reasons not to.

If the 6/98 will fit, quite a few small diesels probably will - another possibility, though you'd have to measure up first, might be the small Cummins in the later Roadrunners; or even a four cylinder Perkins Phaser. You're probably better off going for a truck engine (& box) if you go for a petrol; there are K9 engines about now and again, or the later engine from the threepenny bit, but if you're going non-original might as well have a diesel, preferably a late diesel, and have the economy. I kept the Morris box because it was easier (it's now niggling me why - is the transfer box integral with the gearbox, I can't remember), but that doesn't mean it'd be impossible to fit another box if yours is missing.

John, I can't see why you shouldn't fit an alternative engine if you can't get the Morris one. I fitted a 5.7 BMC diesel (same as the 6/98 out of the Leyland Terrible mentioned above) to one some years ago for a customer. It fitted in the hole without any body mods, I think. I had to shorten the well of the sump to avoid the diff, and ended up using the Morris gearbox; if I remember right, this was because the shift levers and possibly the rear engine mounts are all hung on the gearbox. I machined an adaptor plate up to fit the Morris box to the back of the BMC block. Can't remember which flywheel & clutch I used but I suspect it was the BMC flywheel and cover and Morris driven plate, or I may have had the BMC flywheel drilled to take the Morris cover. Apart from that it was fairly straightforward fabricating mounts and plumbing. Hope this helps

Sadly the BBC local news website has just reported that the pilot has died in the crash. Very sad. Not worth it just for entertainment, really.

There's no doubt that Special Vehicles can be taxed as historic; they're specifically referred to in the DVLA guiance, INF34. The DVLA information about Historic Vehicle taxation class only refers to private HGVs when discussing commercial (hire & reward) use. However, links to the information from other DVLA and DoT web pages say vehicles must not be used commercially. You pays your money and you takes your choice - or look up the original legislation... I don't see this. MoT requirements apply to the type of vehicle, not the use. If the vehicle is exempt MoT it's exempt MoT, irrespective of use. The Schedule 16 exemptions make no mention of use, only design. As NOS later says, HMRC have been dipping tanks for some years now, typically on the road close to the entrances of shows. For more guidance on red diesel see Public Notice 75: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000164&propertyType=document#P181_16924 PN 75, discussing vehicles which can use rebated fuel on the road, says of mobile cranes: "A vehicle in this category must be designed and constructed as a mobile crane which: (e) is used on public roads only as a crane in connection with work carried on at a site in the immediate vicinity or for the purpose of proceeding to and from the place where it is to be used (f) when so proceeding does not carry any load except such as is necessary for its propulsion or the operation of built-in lifting apparatus, and (g) has a revenue weight exceeding 3,500 kilograms." This seems to imply you can use it on red, unless it sees any other road use...

Tony, I don't think there is a 'plant' taxation class any more, I think it's just Special Vehicles (not to be confused with Special Types Vehicles). At least I can't find plant in DVLA's list of taxation classes. Giles, for taxation as Historic Vehicle it just has to be built before 1.1.73. The only restriction is that it should not be used commercially (though the relevant leaflet, INF34, doesn't actually say this); i.e., you can't use it to earn money. Anything else (legal!) goes.

Achim, sorry it's taken a while but the Stalwart will be for sale if you (or anyone else) is interested. Let me know.

Giles, taxation class generally goes by use, not necessarily what the vehicle is. You need to be aware of this, as certain taxation classes restrict what you can do with the vehicle. For example, an agricultural tractor can only be used on the road for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry; a works truck can only be used between premises, or for loading lorries on the road, in the immediate vicinity [of its base]. If you're using it for general purpose use, going to shows etc. PLG may be the most appropriate class.

Andy, what Clive said. You shouldn't need to turn the engine over with a mechanical lift pump. There is a lever underneath the body of the pump which you work up and down to make the pump work manually. The system must be sealed between the lift pump and the tank otherwise you'll just draw air, and it can help to progressively open unions and bleed screws after the pump. Richard's tank pressurising idea is good. You can see the lever in this photo (nb this is Landrover not M-type): [ATTACH=CONFIG]48140[/ATTACH]