Zero-Five-Two

Once off the vehicle and with all supporting brackets removed, both arches are very wobbly and every attempt to move them causes more bits to break or fall off. Best bet I thought would be to build some kind of frame to hold them in shape so I can at least transport them home without causing any more damage than necessary. Off to Wickes then for some cheap stud timber and a big box of screws and I managed to knock this up Tied down with blue string, not brilliant but enough to get them home. Far to big to fit in the car, but managed to blag a van from work one evening to do the honours. Next job, build a proper frame to the correct shape to hold the thing in place while it gets worked on. More timber. Fitted the mounting brackets back on the tanker, and clamped bits of wood in place so I could get the right angles etc. Front and rear bits are angled at 114 degrees to the top, except the near side rear at the moment which has suffered a driver error at some point and is well twisted. Back home for more carpentry Rather pleased with it given some of my previous experiences with wooden things. It is all square and the end angles are right too. Mounted on casters for ease of moving about. Arch is quite stable once sat on the frame, and we are ready to start the repairs. Went for the top first, tackle a nice flat bit before having a go at a more difficult corner. Started well enough, chop out rusty bit, measure up, make repair patch, complete with rolled wired edge and weld in Looking good so far. Patch No2 is a bit bigger, had difficulty finding good metal to weld to. Ended up with a much bigger patch than I was expecting. Anyway, press on. Many clamps and straight edges, careful working, etc and...….. It all goes horribly wrong. Terrible heat distortion, patch all twisted, a right B***s up. Polite words failed and there was much questioning of abilities/sanity and so on. I'm going to try a bit of localised heat shrinking to see if I can get it down a bit, but I've got a feeling it is going to get cut out and start again. On the plus side it is a good deal stronger now than when it was rusted through. Moved on to this corner. Major bad bit here, accident damage that has had a big lump of pigeon sh*t weld thrown at it, then a good deal of rust and finally it has split apart again. Complicated patch required here. Wired edge, then curved front and finally the 114 degree corner. Started with a cardboard template, moved up to thinner gauge scrap metal and finally after many attempts to get the corner mitre right the finished patch. Seen here getting a trial fitting over the top of the damaged corner. Much careful checking and re checking of measurements, cut out the offending piece and weld in the new bit. Much checking of angle, heat, and every thing else and it went in quite well. Best part of a days work, but slowly, slowly, catchy monkey they say, or some thing like that, turtle always beats rabbit etc The battery sitting on top helps to stop the whole thing resonating like a bell when you are grinding the surplus weld off. Trying to keep the noise down a bit so as not to upset the neighbours too much. Did need a tiny smear of filler to cover a few grinder marks, but overall couldn't ask for a better job. Can't see the join and all that. Took the thing off the frame to paint the under side and was surprised how much stronger and more stable it is now, even with that bent plate on the top. Start on the accident damage next, or maybe the other corner. Was hoping to get to a few shows this summer with her, but these arches are going to take a lot of hours work to get right so I can't see her being ready, but then again, on the plus side, due to the "virus" most of this years shows have already been cancelled, so I wont be missing anything. Not all bad, then?

Something to brighten your corona gloom, a bit more tankering progress. Pulled a tank drain valve off to find out why they wouldn't open Strip down and clean up and find out how it works, or rather why is doesn't work. Problem is the thick rubber diaphragm that does the actual sealing. It has perished and swollen up so much that it doesn't matter how far you open the tap it wont let any fuel through. Anyway thorough clean off of the many layers of paint revealed the makers name. Saunders England cast in big letters across the top. Quick check on the internet to find out they are still in business, and it is actually Saunders of Cwmbran in Wales just to be picky. More interesting bit is, this is what they call their A type valve. They have been making it since the 1920's and haven't yet felt the need to change or redesign it. Replacement diaphragms are available off the shelf. £25 a go mind, plus VAT and carriage and I need 5 of them. Might have to hang on a couple of weeks before ordering them. On a somewhat cheaper note, moved on to the jerry can holders. There's 2 mounted on the off side of the tank, each holding 2 cans. Acquired the necessary cans a couple of years back, so time to look at the holders. One just needed a de-rust and fresh paint, the other needed a bit more effort. The flap for holding the jerry can in was quite badly rusted. Easiest solution, make a new flap Quick bit of folding and bending, new strip of Balata riveted on and we are in business Fits nicely. I do like a nice easy result. However. I do enjoy the occasional challenge to keep the little grey cells up and running, and the rear wheel arches are proving to be quite that. Removed them off the wagon a few months back, and not only are they very flimsy and completely rusted through in places, there is also a fair bit of old accident damage, that has been none too carefully repaired, presumably by some REME Craftsman with limited time and even more limited kit. Best answer I thought was to get them to the home workshop somehow where I can "do" with the right tools in slow time and get a decent job done.

She has a CAV Minimec unit. Turns out that my Guv'nor at work did his apprenticeship on these same pumps as they were fitted to a lot of buses of that period. He has all the knowledge and specialist tools to give it a complete going over. Once we are past the current virus situation he's going to do the business on it for me.

Didn't realise how old this thread was until I started reading it. Anyway I have just changed over my Militant insurance to Adrian Flux and they are offering me recovery for both timber tractor and tanker at £95. Has anybody experience of their recovery, is it any good? Nothing worse than thinking you have good cover only to find when you need it that it's not up to the job and you are left in the doggy do

Will be going down that road shortly. I want to fit a filter/separater into the system like I fitted to the timber tractor. It is astounding how much dirt that colllects even when you only use "clean" diesel from reputable garages. Early Militants like mine don't have any kind of filter between tank and lift pump. It's asking for trouble really

Had a few weekends recently where either bad weather or family commitments has prevented Tanker progress. However, been full on yesterday and today. Managed to get a bit of workshop space, and made the most of it. Full service done on Saturday, oils changed, complete grease up, brake adjustment etc,etc. Good days effort. Got the drain tap open on the rear most tank to drain it out. Got about 50 ltrs of kerosene (Donated to the workshop space heater). Took ages as it would only dribble. The taps on the other tanks appear to open but nothing comes out, so more effort required to get them drained. Back in again this morning (Sunday) to put primer paint on the tank. Masked up and ready Stand back and watch our Stuart having his first go at spraying. Weren't too bad either, got a good covering, and only a couple of runs. 2 hours work and 5 ltrs of paint later and we're all done. Looks even better outside in the daylight. Drive back to the yard was good too. Feels like she enjoyed a good servicing, even got a handbrake that works now too. Still got a bit of an issue with it not ticking over, though. Sometimes it will idle nicely, then all of a sudden it will start hunting, then stall. Other times it just stops as soon as you take your foot off the throttle. The fuel pump rack seems to be free enough, so further investigation required. Any advice or suggestions welcome.

Do you intend putting her back in green, or your own colours? Either way do post a couple of pictures

Saw This at a Bus and Coach Auction in Sussex, today. Formerly 66 GT 58 Not bad condition, starts and runs well, all works and most of the tools and kit is still on board. I did have a couple of bids on it, but price went over my available budget. Finally went for £6500 on the hammer, but with buyers premium and VAT to go on top of that. Total cost to it's new owner is about £8500. Hope it's gone to a good home

Like Ploughman, as a former RE I too have had experience of "The Beast" as it was generally known. Training mines were lumps of concrete, with the fuse holder fixed into the top. If I remember the training right, the fuses were 2 stage. Meaning they had to be hit twice before detonation. I guess that would make them reasonably safe from an accidental strike by the grader blade

I think the NIMBY type objectors are being really narrow minded about the whole thing. Blocking the road for a big delivery isn't going to happen very often, and, if they are expecting that many visitors, they must think it is going to be successful, which defeats their argument that no one will be interested in a load of old vehicles Once you get it open (thinking positively here) I will certainly visit. I'll bring the wife, and she'll want to visit the Jane Austin Museum that is just round the corner from you. So then, we'll need to overnight in a local hostelery, and eat and drink while we are there. It's all money coming into the area. Bit of extra traffic is a small price to pay. I'll promise not to park near their driveway!

Joined the supporters too

Like you, Richard, I'm trying to get the grey cells working, but it has been a good many years. As I recall the Mk1 &2 had the crab steer facility, with a 3 way change valve between the drivers feet. You had to pull the handle up to unlock it then turn to select, push back down to lock. Mk3 only had 2 and 4 steer with the lever change shown in the picture above. Allinson transmission, definitely not Clarke

Part two. To clean round the back of the tank, the rear walkway, ladder and fire extinguisher holders had to come off. But given the state of them there was work to be done here too Back in the home workshop, the ladder got first attention, not only is it bent halfway up, the bottom end is rotten So cut it all out, get some new tube and weld in. refit all the brackets and paint up Fire ex holders were a bit more involved Broken clamps and not a lot of base left. First attempt didn't go well, tried welding in new side pieces, but it wouldn't stand up straight Good thing about working with steel is, if you make a pigs of something, you can just grind it off and start again. Try doing that with a piece of wood!! Second go, make a new base first then weld top half to it Proof of the pudding, Try a fire extinguisher in it Sorted. Same again for the second one, then paint up In the queue for the next round of DBG Up to date now with todays efforts. Team game, fitting the spare wheel carrier back on Base plates on to the chassis first, bit awkward getting nuts on behind those air valves. Side frames next, heavy and difficult to line up. you would like to stand on the cover plate in the middle but it's only tin sheet and certainly wont take a thirteen stone bloke standing on it. Son Stuart here trying to line up the last bolt hole Top frame next, holds it all straight while you tighten everything up. Main arm goes on last. Far too heavy to lift and hold up while fitting, but easy with an engine crane Needed a couple of swipes with a big hammer to slot it in, but once in place all was good Fit and adjust the brake mechanism and the winding rope Then see if it rolls up like it should. Got the rope twisted the first time, but a quick adjustment sorted it and up it went. Job done. Well nearly, got a couple more bracing struts to fit as we ran out of bolts. Bit of paint to touch up, and lastly clean and paint the spare wheel itself. Clocks ticking if we are to make it to the AEC Rally at the end of May and there is still a ton of stuff to do. We'll see how it goes/

Happy New Year to One and All. Thought we were well overdue an update on tanker progress. Been grabbing every spare minute recently for more tanker work, but what with that and visiting the in laws over Xmas, then New Year Parties etc, haven't had chance to post any pictures or anything. First off, finally got to the other end of the tank cleaning marathon, it's all cleaned off and in red oxide Having done the top of the off side, moved onto the rear then the near side. Easier to paint the lower half with the rear wheel arches removed That said they ain't half flimsy when removed. More so after all the brackets have been taken off. There's more than a few holes that will need attention later. Then repeat the operation for the near side Last bit is the top underneath the wooden catwalk, which itself is completely rotten and a bit unsafe to walk on. Still I managed to balance on it while I freed off all the dipsticks and lids. Previously we had only had one opened. But after a couple of hours of fiddling and a gallon of WD40 got them all up and freed off As you can see from the near side view above, I've had the pump house door off for straightening, new hinges and a lock repair. I think I've cornered the fleebay market for fire extinguishers and brackets lately, they seem to be fitted everywhere and most were missing. On the inside of the door there is a plate with all the operating instructions, but it didn't look too healthy A pleasant evening was later spent over a beer or two, some fine wet an' dry and a big pot of Brasso. Comes up like this

Nice pics of the Armoured Allis at work. As an ex RE POM, been there, done that. Have to say sitting inside that armoured cab with the door shut it gets a bit claustrophobic, lonely and downright scary at times. I remember one night going from the camp at Castledillon out Enniskillen way to shift road blocks during some demonstration there. Peering through the little letterbox windscreen trying to shovel up cars and other rubbish while an unknown voice shouts directions through a pye pocket radio I am trying to hold in my other hand wasn't exactly a happy time. I was well glad to get back to camp and could have done with a few more than the 2 beers we were rationed to at the bar. They did do an armoured cab for the Muir Hill A5000, but they weren't very popular. All that extra weight on one side made them quite unstable. I have got some pictures somewhere, I'll try and find them.

You'll look back on this in years to come, and laugh, thinking I must have been mad. I thought I worked in the brown stuff, but I take my hat off to you sir. As your video says you got there in the end, well done.

Wait for the next rainy day, said I. Hmmm!! didn't have to wait long for one. Weathers been absolute pants round here lately. Managed one day of decent work since the last post at the beginning of October. Got the Near Side of the tank in Primer. Found another 4 hoses in the tubes too. Rest of the time has been in the home workshop. On with the tool boxes. Parts book has very little information, just says "Local Manufacture, as Required" Where I served, in Engineer Units, that would have probably meant a demand to the carpenters shop, and one of the lads would knock up something tidy that would do the job. With that in mind, take a big sheet of plywood and off we go. Now I'm not a carpenter, although there could be something lurking in my genes. My maternal Grandfather was a skilled cabinet maker. His service during WW2 was as a "Protected Trade" He spent part of his time shoring up bombed out buildings, after members of the Luftwaffe who hadn't quite made it to London carried out their nasty habit of unloading their cargo over the North Kent Coast. The rest of his time was making boxes for the poor unfortunates who didn't survive these random deliveries. Soon as I pick up a piece of wood, I always feel he is looking down his nose at my amateur efforts. Plenty of clamps and glue After much sand papering, and a bit of filler in the gaps, time for a test fit in the cage Can't get wood primer in DBG, so had to start with a coat of white DBG top coat though. Quite pleased with the final look, not bad for a non carpenter. Obviously not much of a painter either, spot the bit I missed on the smaller passengers side cage As you can see in the background, a few other bits got a coat of green at the same time, including the sides of the spare wheel carrier and these Front and rear Number Plate holders And the Oil Can Carrier A couple of dry days would be good now so I can get this lot fitted

Welcome aboard, nice choice of project, looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you. Please keep the blog going and the pictures coming, we love them all

Biggest disadvantage of having to keep your MV out doors is you are governed by the weather for any work doing. This weekend has definitely been a case of rain stopped play. Damp and miserable on both Saturday and today. So, it is good to have a wet weather programme up your sleeve for such occasions. Progress can still be made in the home workshop. Spare wheel carrier has been an on going project for a while now, bit here, bit there, so on with the next bit. Main frame was in reasonable condition, all be it well rusty, and this was cleaned up and painted some time ago. The side panels are the last bit to do. It was blatently obvious when they were removed from the tanker that they were definitely BER as the Army calls it. Beyond Economic Repair. Even more so once removed from the frame. Only answer replace with new. The two new panels have been in stock for a while now, cut by a colleague at the local engineering firm. Their guillotine does a much better straight line cut than I can do with my grinder. So this weekend was a prime opportunity to crack on and get them finished. Weld new panel on to the angle iron frame, then have a trial fit to see if the necessary holes line up. Finally, clean up the scabby welding, apply the usual coatings of primer and we are ready for the next round of DBG prior to refitting Second job. There should be 2 storage bins that fit behind the seats in the cab. Useful bins, but they do make access to the batteries difficult, and I understand it was the habit of many units to remove them. Both trays were missing from the Tanker, but the empty mounting bolt holes were evident Apparently they consist of a metal frame with a wooden box sitting in it. A few people remember the trays, but no one I've spoke to can ever remember seeing the wooden crates being used. The parts book lists them as Tray times 2, and Crate times 2. Both listed as local manufacture, with no dimensions or clues to their make up. My Timber Tractor had the trays fitted, but I removed the passengers side one to provide space for the all important beer cooler, and the drivers side was heavily modified to become a battery box, so no help there. On a recent trip to the North, I called in on my friend and fellow forum member Simon Daymond, while there I took many photos and measurements of one of his collection of Militants that still has trays fitted. Easy to see from these pictures why they get dumped in favour of getting to the batteries. Anyway, working from these pictures and the various measurements I've managed to put these together. I think I've used a slightly thinner gauge of steel than the original, but they seem strong enough. Bit of carpentry coming up next for the 2 crates. No real idea of what they should look like, but then, if nobody can remember seeing any in service, they can't tell me I've done them wrong. However, we are out with the Timber Tractor this coming weekend on the Sprat and Winkle Run, Sevenoaks to Hastings. So the crates will have to wait for the next rainy day

Started the marathon tank cleaning operation today. Started with the off side. First up remove the hose pods from the back end of the tank. Bit of a voyage of discovery this as we haven't even opened the end caps yet. I know there is hoses in one of the left hand pods as the cover is bent and you can see in. Large quantities of WD 40 and a bit of heat on a couple of the bolts and the contents are revealed. A lot of spiders who weren't impressed at being disturbed, and a pair of hoses. Removing the actual pods took a little bit of thought. As usual there was no one about when you could do with another pair of hands. Fortunately I used to be a Boy Scout, so out with a bit if string, tie pods together, and lower down the side to the floor Once on the deck, the tubes were separated from the end caps, which, incidently are made of solid brass. Tubes are plain steel and the ends haven't fared too well. Then fire up the sander and the wire brushes Six finger numbing hours, and half a box of 40 grit discs, later and the off side looks like this, then half a tin of Bondaprimer goes on in 2 coats to keep any further tin worm at bay One days work and half a side is done, a good few days still to come And we are 4 hoses to the good, 3 have end caps as well

Absolutely. Had hoped to do it this year, but Tanker wasn't ready. Hoping to get a Militant convoy

Yellow looks stunning, but DBG still takes it. We'll blow them away at Newark next year

Gotta wear shades for that one. Looks magnificent, mate. Black bumper to follow? Will set it off nicely. Definitely one for next years calendar