DINGODOUG

I am having problems bleeding a FOX steering system and get nothing but foam coming out the bleed nipple on the steering box. I can't see how air could be getting into the system which has been converted from self-sealing couplings to screwed joints. I have replaced the pump which has made no difference though I cannot vouch that it was any better than the previous pump. Does anyone have any clues how to sort it? My servicing schedule recommends OMD 80 as the correct fluid and I have been using a 20w/50 mineral oil. Is this right? Also having ongoing problems with fuel and the engine has been cutting out after what feels like a float chambers worth of fuel has been used however this is intermittent and it sometimes runs for longer. I have changed the needle valve , blown through the fuel lines, cleaned the filter and used my entire stock of naughty words but the problem remains. Could it be that the fuel pump is not up to the job? Iam getting desperate. Doug

Hi Robin, I was previously OC Aerial Delivery Section JATE and one of my sections carried out trial rigging and produced the final rigging scheme. Overall design was a REME responsibility so there may be copies of old rigging schemes in the REME Museum archive.. I wasn't intimately involved in the rigging process but it is a complex mix of shock struts, honeycomb cardboard and securing chains. Most of the impact was taken by the wooden shock struts which forced a steel mandrel down a steel tube. The cardboard honeycomb took around 20 percent of the shock and the vehicle suspension took the last 20 percent or so. Fro memory the chains were taped with black tape which was extensively used on all rigging schemes. The vehicle had to be well secured to the platform which nearly turns upside down on initial extraction. The wire was a figure of 8 loop as I recall which went around bobbins on the outside edge of the platform. My memory is very hazy so I would contact the REME Museum in the first instance. Doug

Great news that someone is finally making these. The main pressings are the difficult bit and I would have thought it a comparatively easy matter to make the reinforcing strips if you really wanted to add them.Well done that man!

Hi, sorry for the late reply but I have been filming with the Fox for a TV show and the engine kept dying to my acute embarrassment. The next day I fed the pump from an external tank and of course it ran perfectly. However wen I connected the main tank again it also ran perfectly ! I reached the conclusion that it was the old culprit of sticking needle valve . Perhaps there is heat build-up in the engine compartment which exacerbates the fuel problem? As for the fuel tap there are 2 answers. The User Handbook says that if a 3 way tap is fitted ( possibly on the prototypes?) then there is an off position. For 2 way taps then there is no off position which is a surprising omission for a fighting vehicle.

Hi Danny, I've tried Hammerite and it doesn't look right. I am not sure if it contains aluminium particles and whether it would be fire-resistant. It also looks a bit grey and shiny.If you look around the likes of B&Q you can sometimes find paints with a high aluminium particulate content which should dry ok. I suspect that the stuff one of the responders used, which rubbed off, might have been old paint. You should be able to turn a blow torch on the paint when dry and it should not burn or char.Keep up the good work. Doug

With regard to the fuel tap the MAIN tank is selected when the tap is turned at 90 degrees to the axis of the vehicle, ie. from side to side. As far as I am aware it does'nt matter which way round the larger lug with the hole is turned. To select the reserve tank the handle must be turned along the axis of the vehicle ie. facing from front to back. If the handle is turned between both positions then fuel is drawn from both tanks however I have never tried that as I would prefer to use up the main tank and know that all the fuel reserve was still there. The inlet valve sticking in the carburettor is a common problem and I wonder if modern unleaded petrol is the culprit? I have never had the problem with Solex carbs fitted to any other vehicle. My immediate problem is that there is an intermittent fuel supply problem which seems to restrict the fuel supply so that it will only drive as far as a full float chamber allows . The engine then dies until the pump can fill it again. I have blown through the system and stripped all pipes and fuel filter but there is nothing obvious. Any ideas????

Hi Jim, What are you after? Some parts are common to Fox and I have some Fox spares.regards Doug

Hi Clive and thanks for the help. I think the problem has been sorted as I decided to convert back to Positive earth which I suspected was the original polarity. Once I flashed the field the system settled down and the ignition light goes out as it should. Why this happened I don't understand as I had flashed the field when it was negative earth but it made no difference. Ho hum. The truck is great to drive and has already been to one show where it was much admired even in its present scruffy state. Thanks again Doug

Hi James! That Saladin used to belong to me about 25 years ago. The engine was u/s when I got it and I had to convert a Saracen engine which was then installed. It took a whole day to convert the engine as the Saladin has lots of drive belts and pulleys to go on. I lost track of it after I swapped it and believe it became a gate guard. It was an RTR Saladin and David Fletcher at the Tank Museum sent me a photo of it at a parade. I am pretty sure it served in Aden but have no positive proof. If I can find anything elso about it I'll let you know. Regards Doug

Sorry but working from a tablet and making a hash of it. The charging light sometimes goes out and you can hear the regulator making a loud noise. The rest of the truck is in great original shape and the vacuum brakes are surprisingly good Sadly have te sell my ex-REME Morris MRA1 to make room as the Q4 has such a long body and I need the space. Regards Doug

Hi Clive, All I have is the military parts list which only covers the basics. The cooling system is different completely as is the charging system, I think the regulator is a CAV model 202 but cant see the model no of the dynamo. The charging problem is intermittent and there doesnt seem to be a cause.

Bienvenue Sebastien, I have a Morris MRA1 which is currently for sale and have a lot of spare parts if you need them. I also have information about. the vehicle which I can help you with. My email is douglasmatheson@btinternet.com. Regards Doug

I have just bought a 1954 Q4 hoselayer about which I know nothing. Does anyone have any manuals or parts lists spare or know of sources?. It is.in immaculate condition but has a charging fault. It is quite different from the Army Q4 in many ways and there is limited read across from the MOD publications. The generator doesnt seem to be producing much output and the charging light tays on. Ive cleaned the regulator contacts and flashed the field but the problem remains. Any ideas? Thanks Doug

Hi Crispin, I have had overheating problems with me Champ and Humber Pig and in both cases the cylinder blocks have been blocked with 60 years of gunge. The whole cooling systems had to be repeatedly flushed to restore circulation and both needed new thermostats. It might be worth checking your system before putting in anew thermostat. The Pig was so bad I had to make an adaptor for the cylinder block drain and blast compressed air through it. I only used short blasts in case I did something daft like burst the radiator. Doug

I would endorse the bit about jacking up the hull in line with the rear suspension mounts. The s.pension does force the rear hull plates together which makes it impossible to line up the holes otherwise. Its a while since Ive done one but I seem to remember a slight lead-in to the shoulder on the bolts which also helps however it sometimes works to drive in a short podger from the front which lines up the holes the you can drive the bolt through quickly.. If you think the Ferret is bad you should try the Daimler armoured car which is similar but much , much worse..... Doug

I can confirm that the locks are the same. The brass knob does unscrew but I dont think the lock will strip. I often wondered whether they were standard locks of that period and if they were used on anything else. When I did my Dingos and Daimlers I got new locks and keys from Chris Wilkinson. I dont know whether his son Simon is still trading or has any spares left ? Dtdoug

Hi Mike, I have just read this and wonder whether the problem might be electrical. I had similar running problems with my Daimler armoured car which turned out to be plug leads which had broken down. The engine started and ran but wouldnt rev and had no power as it was only under load when the electrical integrity of the leads broke down. Similar symptoms occur with a dodgy condenser. Sorry if I have picked up the wrong end of the stick but I never had such problems with Solex carbs in Dingos, Daimler AC or Champs. Doug 41]Hi folks, I've got an on-going issue with a customer's Dingo on which I would appreciate some advice (in return for which I will happily make a donation to the forum :-).) The vehicle has been off the road for a couple of years and Richard Farrant very kindly gave me his advice on the finer points of replacing the outer hub oil seals, which was not the most fun job I've ever done. The other major job on it was to sort out the poor running - to be blunt it ran like a dog, with clouds of smoke and sooting up the middle plugs. We concluded the carb was at fault and it was rebuilt by a relative of the customer. He found it was full of crud and the diaphragms were all shot. It is now better but still not right. If you rev it up to around 1/3 revs and then hold the throttle steady it will start to back off and will die completely if the throttle remains held at the same setting. With the air cleaner off, covering 90% of the intake causes it to tick over more slowly but it will then rev up much better. I don't believe it's an air leak anywhere as I've sprayed carb cleaner all round the carb, gaskets and inlet manifold joints with no change in revs. It will drive on full choke but is very rough. Unsurprisingly it is un-driveable off choke as there is no power at all and the engine just wants to die. Petrol is mostly fresh mixed with a small amount of old, but smells fine. The idle mixture jet appears to do very little - when screwed all the way in there is a very slight increase in revs, otherwise it appears to have very little effect. It is currently set at approx 1 turn out as this is the least bad position for it. The lift pump is producing a good volume of fuel at a very healthy-looking pressure. I was just wondering if this could be caused by incorrect float level as there is a small amount of petrol seeping from the joint at the top of the float housing. However the manual does not show how to set the float or the lever it operates. I have heard these carbs can be a horror and that Dingo's always run rich - any comments welcome! I hope i've covered all the relevant points. Thanks in advance - MG

Thanks for that. Ive just answered my own question about the bellows. Banisters have them at a price of £45 eack plus vat andcarriage. Oh well there goes the housekeeping money for another month. Doug

Thats aa nice piece of work, aany chance of posting up some drawings? I made a final drive jack adapter for a CVRT out of wood which was a masterpiece of bodging but I would be too embarrassed to display it. It worked because the final drive is very light and a fraction of the weight of a Stolly wheel station. Onwards and upwards. Doug

[/COD I had a couple of rubber bellows sitting on my shelf and finally got round to fitting them which was a great joy. However I now nees 2 more for the front axles. Does anyone know a source ? Also does anyone have a list of the correct oils and greases for the Pig . I am concerned not to use modern Extreme Pressure products which contain compounds harmful to phosphor bronze.

I see what you mean about lack of room in the Hornet - I've never seen one in the flesh. However I ran the Aerial Delivery trials Section at JATE for a while and found some interesting old photos of a Hornet which had hit the ground at terminal velocity due to parachute failure. There was not much left of it and you would not have recognised it from the wreckage. You can't see the registration number but the drop was dated Jul 1978.:embarrassed: There is also a nice picture of 21BK83 prepared for trial dropping in Dec 1961 by ATDU which , presumably . was a success.

Hi Robin, As luck would have it the fuel tap is not shown on a diagram in the parts list as you know however there is an entry on page C8 which refers to item 19 ; Valve , plug, non-lubricated FV 774062, part no LV6MT1/4820-99-821-5329 which is described as a Fuel Tap. This could be the culprit as there is no sign of anything else answering the description. Unfortunately I don't have a spare and the only possible supplier I can think of would be Bannister who I think advertise on MILWEB. On the other hand I could sell you a complete Fox which would save you the effort! cheers Doug

I had often heard that an old pair of tights made a good emergency fan belt and got a chance to prove it one night when out with a girlfriend and the belt on my old Rover 2000 broke. By the time she had taken off her tights fixing the car was pushed to the back of my mind and it was some time later that I tied the tights round the pulleys and it got us home ! She started wearing trousers after that so I told her that bras work as well but she didn't believe me.

Just for the record I finally got round to fitting a new clutch. It was a straightforward job but involved removing the engine bulkhead and gearbox cover plates along with the floor plate on the drivers side. The gearbox came off easily and there was room for it to sit on the pasengers side floor. I used my trusty hydraulic crane with a short extension to reach in. The clutch was not pretty. It didn't look as if it had been on for very long but had overheated badly ( bad driving?) and was down to the rivets. The bad news was that the flywheel had also overheated and was cracked! Luckily I had an old spare and got a new clutch plate from TRUCKFIX who advertise in some of the classic truck magazines. All in all the job went smoothly and I am now looking to get the PIG on the road. The last job is making a set of rear wings.

I seem to remember reading in Champ News once that a Jaguar XJ6 exhaust silencer fitted. I have never investigated this but am about to as I need a complete exhaust for mine. Currently there is a smallish car silencer box fitted which seems to function ok, after all the engine only chucks out 70 bhp.