andym

Looking good, Iain! Andy

Incidentally, could I ask if that H&S piece is your own work? I'd like to "borrow" it for a presentation work if that's OK? Andy

Shouldn't that be 'elf & safety? :-) Andy

I reported this several months ago. It seems browser and OS dependent .... Andy

I thought they were supposed to be bringing stockings for their presents, not rucksacks! Andy

It was about the same in Portsmouth on Monday night as it was in Scotland last Thursday. I think they sent it down South! Andy

Aha - you didn't say that! :-) Andy

Unhelpfully, there's no picture in the manual, just the words. Even if the tracks are in a stillage, is there still a chance of counting the links? It seems logical that if there's the full 90 per side or close to it, the tracks can't be that worn. If there's only, say, 87, you know they must be pretty far gone as the other links will have been removed to achieve the correct tension. Just a slightly lateral thinking way of addressing the issue. Andy

That's actually a very interesting question. I've always assumed the links stretch, but perhaps it makes more sense for the bushes to wear? The FV430 Maintenance Instructions give the following wear limits: "Guide Horns, side face: 3.2mm (1/8") on either face, Forward driving lugs of sprocket apertures: 4.8mm (3/16"), Track pad well: remaining depth 7mm (5/8") minimum. Inspect links for cracks, especially in bush bore areas and side faces of guide horns. Check bush bores for elongation and other malformation." A more pragmatic test may simply be the number of links remaining, a new track is 90 links and the BLR limit is 86. If you've still got 90 links per side it's a pretty good bet there's lots of life left? Andy

If you're talking about rare vehicles in private hands (and likely to remain so) you'd have to consider the likes of the Challenger 1's discussed elsewhere on this forum, too.

There's a box on the bulkhead just in front of the blower with two switches and (I think) five fuses. One of the switches controls the interior lights. Two of the fuses feed the lights, three to each fuse. Andy

Methinks that link should point to Milweb? Andy

There's a good reason for that one - have you seen "Pentagon Wars"? :-) Andy

When I was at college back in the late 1980s one of my friends went into Halfords and asked if they had any AC batteries. After rejecting the batteries on offer as they were DC, the assistant agreed to order some AC ones .... Andy

I was relieved to see that one of Tony's Scottish colleagues had gritted the Bealach na Ba before I drove over it this morning. About three inches of snow on top and rather slippery on some of the hairpins, but spectacular Christmas Card views! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bealach_na_B%C3%A0 Andy

Not wishing to tell Grandmother how to suck eggs, but I assume you've found the master switch for the interior lights? The radio boxes should have power provided the master switch on the RDB is made, assuming you've got radio batteries fitted under the driver's seat. Andy

Oops - I hope he's got decent recovery insurance! Andy

Thanks Rob - a few cases would be good, but it's mainly the projectiles I'm after. Apart from the HESH rounds they look virtually identical, so a common body with different paint finishes should do the job, I think. (Pictures courtesy of www.fv433.co.uk) Andy

Is there any interest amongst the community for reproduction 105mm shells for Abbots? A couple of Abbot owners, myself included, are debating getting some fibreglass replicas made up and as usual, the larger the production run the less they'll cost. Andy

:-) Welcome from Andy down in Sunny Portsmouth ...

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the easiest way to do this is get the vehicle registered with the original engine in place then swap engines later ...

Their attempt to sink a shaft and dig into "Harry" seemed rather disorganised. As they knew they were digging into sand, why didn't they come properly prepared to do so? Andy

Try shining a torch down through the top of the gear gate first - it may just be that something has dropped inside and is jamming the lever. Andy

I'd agree with that - make sure you aren't trying to saw through the rectifier cables, which could have spectacular results! If it isn't that, undo the clevis pin securing the end of the gear selector rod to the gearbox to see where the problem lies. As the top of the gear selector gate is open, it's quite possible for things to drop inside and jam it. Mine was full of mud and pebbles. Andy

Ah - off-topic but I see that like the Abbot, the Chieftain also has those bizarre quick-release pipe couplings designed purely to create leaks? :-) Andy