John Comber

Here are some recent photos of progress, brakes all overhauled , engine runs, will fill with coolant this weekend and let her get warm for a good test.Sand blaster has cleaned off loose panels and the full chassis/wheels/rear body, we are now repairing the rear body where the sandblaster exposed problems!!

Painting of panels with a first coat started, still a fair bit to do, not enough hours to work, enjoy a hobby and keep a happy family!

Many thanks Deadline for the info, seemed a hot topic in the past! Just need to find a supplier over here now.

Looking for correct guidance please on what colour to paint the engine in my CCKW?

Even more mud !

Andy, now i know why Joe put the A/C unit on to combat his forward to reverse gearchange sweat!!

Well the milkstone remover is fantastic and inexpensive, the results are beyond what I expected, I now have a bright clean tank which I think is best to line out with tank sealer for longevity. Many thanks Paul for the tip,thoroughly recommended for anyone else needing to clean a tank :thumbsup:

Nice work, my there is some hours and patience put in by you! I look forward to the pictures of the mudguards you are to make.

Diamond T folks might like to take a peek at the pictures of the cab and firewall currently undergoing work in the Big Shed...

 

Pics are here:

 

http://s484.photobucket.com/user/RustyTrucks/library/#/user/RustyTrucks/library/Diamond%20T%20Cab%20Restoration?page=1&_suid=136526578467905539727205273426

 

I am also just about to fabricate a set of front mudguards and I will post pics in the same album in due course.

Hello, i have been asked by a few members to post some info and pictures of my current project,which i hope is of interest to a few?

GMC 352 rag top, yet to establish the year, log book shows 1939 but that cant be correct from my initial review of data on the model.

Was restored it would seem quite well over 20 years ago, parked up in my mates yard by a third party circa 12 years ago and forgoten!!

Luckily the front end had been sheeted well and the cab is in good order, kids had got to the canvas and over the years other items have been nicked that could be easily taken off inc the spare wheels.

over the last six weeks we have when time allows stripped it down to as you can see to assess how far it needs refreshing as i do not see this as a full restoration job.

Awaiting a few more ancillary items to see if she will spark into life.....soon.

More to follow as time allows

Just in a moment of de ja vue reading the thread and comparing the masses leaving the Dorset Steam Fair, if the gate's are guarded and exit not permitted till 1830, how long will that queue take to get off site.

Thanks for the tip, lots of advise, looked up the product 'milkstone remover' and it would seem a product recommended by many of the classic car contingent for cleaning out tanks, will try to get some before and after pictures to see the results.

Put 5 gallons of milkstone remover in it and leave it to stand for a week, turning it regularly to slosh the stuff about. You can let it down a bit with water (say 25%) but I find it works best neat.

 

Drain, rinse, leave it to dry out. Seal with slosh or similar if the milkstone remover (phosphoric acid based and used for cleaning milking equipment) has removed the rust blocking the pinholes that might have appeared (especially where the baffles are tacked in).

Thanks for your valued experience tips Deadline,along with tank lead on eBay, what would the carriage be to Uk ? Wow!! Not as yet drained to check content of rust , fingers crossed will have a go first.

Question please for anyone who has had to clean out a 352 elongated fuel tank. The vehicle we have just started to restore has sat for 10 years minimum the tank whilst looking sound is full of emulsified s..t , I see two drains , is there a baffle in there? Should I steam it out?, with it being near 5' long hard to dry out or blow out with an air line from one end, would appreciate advise from one of you old boys out there to save me wasting time.

Yes a great Pioneer, i recall Chris Acock restoring this and bringing to GDSF in 2007, unsure if he still owns this vehicle.

Really getting fed up with the lack of a lottery win :-D ! Hope she finds a good home John ! http://www.milweb.net/classifieds/large_image.php?ad=64199&cat=4

New home found Andy, She has gone to the ever increasing Scammell gathering in Warwickshire,The to be Mr and Mrs 'Deputy' have bought her, to add to their Explorer's.

Deputy, shortened video by my daughter as promised:thumbsup:

Hi Richard, just stumbled across your thread, the old Cummins was in a 10 ton Leyland DAF 45-150 on a J plate. It was a tipper spec from new so the gear ratios for that ZF box will be closer ratio.

Thinking there will be a bible for it somewhere in the workshop, if that would be useful, i will try to unearth it.

hi John,

The halftrack that Wally is taking about is a Crossley based Kegresse. There have been photos of it on here recently taken at Deepcut I believe. This is based on a Crossley truck and larger than a Citroen.

 

Sorry I have not got back to you this last week, but not had a lot of time to spare. When time permits I will dig out what I have and send it to you to pass on to your historian friend.

 

regards, Richard

Thanks Richard for putting me straight! Whenever time allows your offer will be most welcomed.

Many thanks Wally for the information, if its the same vehicle it would be interesting to find out, does anyone have a Deepcut contact to see/ find out ?

I've just seen the youtube movie of John Coombers Cummins engined Explorer:D:D:D

How difficult is it to put a Cummins engine in an Explorer and what type is best?

 

Regards

Bob

Bob,my engine is the old NHK 220 14 litre, whilst it fills the bay well and led the way when done over 20 years ago by Joe Daws , today the only cummins practically and economically to use is a L10 ,Look at Bernard Reeves's or Young Gun's.

Hi All

 

Happy new Year.

 

does anyone have photos of what the explorer factory heater looked like, and was anything similar fitted to anything else?

 

thanks

Hi, sorry don't know of any direct replacements we put in a Bedford RL heater this fits on the floor between the gate change and cowl, it also looks of the period.

However I bet I have only used it five times in 17 years, you can't beat a window open !!

Thank you all for the info and interest, I have another picture so will upload this soon.

I remember as a boy going with my father and a ward la France ( Thornes of Uckfield )to tow out some early solid wheeled vehicles from sheds there, but that was 40 years ago, I can't remember if this was one or not or where they went.

Hi John,

 

That is my grandfather driving the Citroen. He was Wiliam Robinson's chauffeur. I have a couple of photos, but not this one, I have a little bit of info, you can PM me. My father grew up at Gravetye.

 

best regards,

Richard

My goodness Richard what a small world, I will PM you , regards John .

Hi, does anyone know the fate of this Citroen half track, a local historian is trying to trace its history as it was built for William Robinson to tour his estate of Gravetye near us at East Grinstead, i have been told upon his death it was bequeathed to Bovington museum as an unusual vehicle, does anyone know of this?

Hi All, I had a bit of a mishap at the beach today. John do you want to sell the cab?!!! Seriously, this Diamond ended up at the bottom of a ravene in Tunisia together with a 50 ton Dyson trailer and Centurion. I have the full set of the recovery operation with 5 T's winching up the outfit. Will post some more later. All the best. Tony G.

Nice one Tony!!:laugh: I look forward to you posting the rest.

Just the way that your Scammell attracts the sunlight whilst the other thing lurks in shadow ought to tell you something John..

Bernard, i did not think it would pass without such comment !! you may have a point, i will tell you once we know is she is a runner.

Onto Scammell matters, my son today made me route out all the old still pictures for a project he is doing, and i thought those of you interested will like these, and bring back some memories.

First a nice line up of explorers as GDSF about 1997

The second is War and peace the same year in the ring, when we had plenty of time to play.

Then next is back to GDSF 1998, with what i remember as the best turnout of Explorers ever, We amused the Commentator John Collins every day with another set of antics, latterly in the week Brian Carter came up with the idea of one major Scammell train, all driven by ladies, one driving the rest steering, Lucy did well in my old girl to get them rolling as i remember it being over 100 ton rolling start but needed assistance by the following on the turn into the ring as the drag was massive, we pushed the Scarab for a laugh to make it look like it was in charge of the tow.

Lastly here are some pics of those that have been bought by Big Steve and myself for spares over the years all well over 10 years ago, The remains on the trailer was a right mess with i recall only one front wheel not seized, we suspend towed this out of the layby up the A31 the wrong way to get it into the farm for the tyre to blow just as we left the main road! I think JCB Pete has the final off cuts in his shed?

Hi John

 

you lucky !!!!!!!!! i was looking for a cab for nearly three years,

i guess you just have to know who to ask.

 

i still am looking for a Bulk Head, is there one under the Bedford Cab??

 

let me know

 

cheers

 

MaccDT

(Steve)

Hi Steve, yes there is one, as it was a soft cab previously its not well, but may be of use to you, bear with me i will try to unsheet and take some photos for you if it ever stops raining here.

does anyone know of its history as we know very little at the mo?

Hi, yes known of your Explorer for quite a few years, somewhere i have some pictures of it loading another explorer for me must be 15 years ago now, from the chap i think called Mark who Kevin/ Big Steve bought her from. prior to that she was a Sussex motor for many years, the engine conversion was one of the first of its size as in larger horsepower when in the ownership of Michael Harris from North Chailey, i would guess that was 22 to 25 years ago!