Zero-Five-Two

Welcome aboard

Just finished reading through this thread. It's taken me 3 days on and off, but wow! what a read, so much information with various peoples recollections and experiences. Ultimate respect to Antarmike,:bow::bow::bow:What a priceless collection of photos you have, and knowledge about each one. You should publish them in a book, anoraks like me would pay good money for it. Anyhow I thought I would add my two bobs worth to the plot. As a kid I always fancied a Matador, they just look the business. I've been converted to a Militant now, which is not that far away, but then might have to find room for a mat later. I was well pleased to see this old girl, earlier in the thread I used to see it regularly when I was at school in the East Kent Bus workshop in Canterbury in the early '70's. Thought it was magic, used to dream about having a go in it. I was chatting to one of my neighbours a few weeks ago, an elderly gent well past retirement, turns out he used to drive it back in the day as one of East Kents Engineers! Reckoned it was a lovely piece of kit My best memory of a Matador from back then is going to a steam show in Uckfield, Sussex in '73 and finding Harris's Matador JPX 70. I was looking round it and taking a photo with my little Kodak Instamatic camera, when the guy with it (I presume one of the Harris brothers) asked me if I would like to sit in the cab. I nearly had an accident in my excitement, thought I was in heaven. I would have been 12 years old then, even the tyres seemed bigger than I was. We chatted for ten minutes or so about Matadors, while I sat there dreaming I was driving round the world! I might be past 50 now, but I still get that buzz just sitting in the jockey seat I have still got the photos I took then, somewhere, but they were on transparancies. Will have to dig them out at some point, and get them done to put on here. In the meantime here's a couple from slightly more recent times. These were taken at the Kemble Airfield show 2007. A section of which was for the 11th gathering of the Mat and Milli Owners Club Met a guy called Phil Wallace there, one of the mainstays of the club, and he signed me up as a member on the spot He had a massive collection of photos of both Mats and Militants including one of my Militant from 1980 something. He had a Mat in Billy Smarts colours, which I think he has since sold on. Am I right in thinking that organisation is now defunct, or is it still going and I haven't noticed. I've seen the website for it, but it seems to be well out of date. Is that because everybody's now on here?

Anybody on here planning to attend the AEC show and Bomber County Road Run at Newark, Lincolnshire, this weekend?

We all are really, love the soundtrack

Have you calmed down from the euphoria of that first run yet? or are you still wandering around grinning :D Had noticed the noises, on the footage, especially the howling in top gear, but didn't like to say anything in case it was normal for an aged explorer!! Hopefully it will be fairly easy to sort, you wouldn't want to go too far with that in your ear all the time. Same with the fuel, not only is too much black smoke wasted petrol, it also attracts the Plod who start asking silly questions. There's some narrow country lanes round by you, watched the films waiting for a tractor or something to come the other way. There didn't seem to be too many passing places for something as big as a Scammell

Congratulations,:dancinggirls::dancinggirls: You must be well pleased with it especially after a five year wait. Nice scenery on the way round as well. I see your temperature gauge works as good as mine!! Did you find any problems after you got back, oil leaks etc Take it now you've got to save up for another tank of petrol so you can go round again

Trouser gaiter looks excellent, like it was meant for it. Weren't tempted to chuck a couple of sausages on the barby, then

Dont know if this will help, Volvo Coach Parts (Loughborough) 01509 217700 do a universal gear lever gaiter. Cone shaped leather cloth, with a wide base for fixing down. Known as a "Witches Hat" I think they cost about £10 + VAT

The handbooks say 29MPH actually, gives you plenty of time to admire the scenery on your way past. and it don't half annoy the driver behind you when they can't get past :D

Feel offended by your comments on Militants. Too slow indeed!!

Loved the idea (on the other thread) of the leather trousers gaiter. Are you keeping the second leg as a spare, or will we see it on fleebay next week as a very rare essential Scammell accessory :D

Can't see that doing an aluminium door panel that much good, although not bad at chassis cleaning

My personal belief is this planet has been going through cycles of global warming/ice ages for the last few million decades, and we the Human race are just a tiny little time span in the great scheme. The next cycle is coming (sometime in the next few thousand years) and we ain't going to stop it happening. All these things like bio fuel, Congestion charging, Low Emission Zones etc, etc only serve to wind up the media hype. They wont change anything, it just gives the greedy corporations an excuse to charge more for things because they say their product is environmentally friendly. I don't agree with wasting our resources, be it oil or trees, etc and yes one day it will run out. But I do think while we've got it we might as well make the most of it. I'd rather have the real stuff anyday

Welcome aboard

Bit of a guess/long shot. Gloucestershire Regiment? They have Egypt on the cap badge

Welcome aboard

Mountings look pretty solid, are they M10 bolts holding it all together? Might be worth beefing them up to 12 or 14 if you are a bit concerned about the engine power sheering them off, but I wouild say the steel work looks strong enough

Welcome aboard Chris

Welcome aboard

Hope this is of use. The truck should stay registered as a recovery truck because that is what it is built as. Even if it is only used as a private vehicle, it is still a wrecker As far as towing goes, the insurance only gets complicated if you are towing for hire and reward, that means doing it for other people as a business. If you are only moving your own kit, no problem It is even simple, and fairly cheap, for commercial users so long as they are only towing their own stuff. For example, a bus company who has their own wrecker for towing in their broken down buses, doesn't cost anymore than it would as a straight forward truck.

Have to agree with Mike, a nearly right spanner usually results in blood leaking from knuckles:cry:

Cheers for that, Rob. Will post more pictures on my resto blog when I start fitting them back together

That's funny they threw me out then as well:D Hiya Neil and welcome aboard from a fellow (ex)Sapper Hurrah for the CRE!!

Interesting reading, I remember learning all that sort of stuff as an apprentice, way back in 19....... whenever it was. I've got an achient Engineers Handbook somewhere in the back of the cupboard with tables in it for conversions from Metric to UNF to Whit, BSP etc even the very old alphabetical drill sizes. Quite useful.

Didn't I see that on "Escape to the Country" last week :D