John Comber

Many thanks for the advice Gordon M , just another task to add to my list!! , will pull it to bits and let you know.

Regular coke worked 20 years ago for me on a dolly sprint head, so long as you can get it to sit in the head tube, I assume this attacked the electrolysis build up or aluminium.

Question, please o learned forum, my GMC has recently lost water into the sump, head gasket changed, which the old looked suspect across an oil/ waterway . Fully flushed, 20 miles later, same problem, runs perfect , no pressurisation in cooling system beyond normal.Did a cylinder leakage test at both TDC and BDC , no air escaping into cooling system there, so now stumped :banghead:

Before I purchased had sat for a few years, so wondering if the head has split/ cracked between ways to allow oil to sump, thought I would get the head crack tested or x rayed but told by two local companies this is no longer done ?

Is there anything I have missed or could do :thanx:

Thanks for the link, very interesting.

I have full class 1 HGV and have no intention of ever doing the 35 hrs waste of my time as primarily I use my class 1 for moving my own vehicles to and from shows, however I occasionally borrow an artic low loader from a friendly local haulier again to move my own vehicles (not for hire or reward) and just pay them for fuel. As a favour for this I do 2 or 3 days a year working for them when they are stuck for drivers during peak holiday periods. Up until now that has not been a problem as the 35 hours waste of time does not cut in until September this year, but after September it seems I may still be able to do it as I don't get paid for it, but they do get paid for the job....am I stretching it too far ?

You probably are John, hire and reward relates to the vehicle even if the driver pilots the vehicle for love !

Having just finished the 35 hours , it is one huge industry expense not particularly well advised, we were shocked you could take the same 7 hour course five times to achieve your target, or look for different course topics.

Leyland Martian, (blue) having a piggyback north on M11 just left M25, looked like the one on eBay last year, 1330 hrs.

Reading with interest you thread, but as a commercial Hookloader operator and having had some seat of the pants experiences with 18 tonne on you back, can I ask does the Leyland or Foden system have a plate locking system to the rear which locks plate to the hook gear ?

Ray Trigg is worth a try, he sells a lot of Rubbolite commercial and period parts , I think he also trades on eBay as Triggparts.

Alternatively, why join the bonnet up club:cry:, save a few more pounds and get a Landcruiser Amazon , a different league of vehicle.:cool2:

Well tomorrow's the day, does anyone know how many WW1 era treats we expect to see on the run and what?

Those departing early beware it was -2 degrees here in Mid Sussex last night , long Johns might be needed!!

Well done Bill, another fine Bedford for your collection,the pictures of your yard reminded me of the old Bedford slogan , Bedford's " You see them everywhere"

Excellent Andy, MK3 Explorer , Bernard's dream if I remember correct !

Just hitching up the trailer and greasing the prop, trust you have the sat nav reference .

Hi Tony, you have a right to be confused, I'll attempt to explain the situation clearly to everyone!

 

McLaren No. 1652 was built in 1919 and is currently owned by Les Searle of Horsham, West Sussex. Most people will recognize the engine by its preservation name "Boadicea" and in the configuration shown below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]87665[/ATTACH]

During its working life, No. 1652 "Boadicea" was owned by a showman who converted the engine to showman's specification ad re-named the engine "Gigantic", however these fittings were only carried for a year or so as the engine was found to be too heavy for use on fairgrounds.

In 2013, the current owner, Les Searle, decided to temporarily recreate the long lost showman's fittings for a bit of fun and fitted them to the engine, also re-instating its showman's name "Gigantic". And so in late 2013 the very same engine as pictured above looked like this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]87667[/ATTACH]

Les has now removed these fittings and so currently the engine is back to normal, once again being named "Boadicea" and looking like the first image.

 

Now then, there is a separate engine, No. 1332 of 1912 which rather confusingly is also called "Gigantic". To make matters worse, this engine is exactly the same design as No. 1652 "Boadicea". "Gigantic" is pictured below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]87668[/ATTACH]

This engine is owned by Neil Gough, also of West Sussex, who is currently re-building the engine and it is this engine that is being re-built into WD specification and is planned to attend the Brighton Run, not "Boadicea".

 

The two engines were both believed to have been ordered originally by the War Dept. to exactly the same designs, however both orders were cancelled and the engines went on to lead two very different lives, No. 1332 eventually ending up in Tasmania! Currently, the two mechanically identical engines have both ended up in West Sussex, in fact their owners yards are only 10 miles apart and while No. 1332 has been re-built, its "Gigantic" nameplate has been borrowed by No. 1652 "Boadicea" while it has been posing in its showman's carnation as "Gigantic" to save Les Searle from having to cast his own plate.

 

Hope this helps!

Many thanks for your explanation, i am sure i and others look forward to seeing "Gigantic" in WD cloathes.:thanx:

Well Mate, you even have a worldwide opinion before you go to work .Here to no more :computerrage: !!!

Question please to anyone in the know, I have I think a full set from issue 1 to issue 255 , found in the sheds when I moved here 15 years ago, by no means perfect but all readable , how would you value these?

Mark, just so you get a feel of speed and similar weight, here is youtube link of my Junior working at probably a similar weight to your proposal

Much to others argument you are correct there is no minimum speed limit for a motorway, I have been stopped by the traffic police a number of times mainly to take a picture! And I asked the same question each time ,was I too slow.

Good luck with your venture.

"Butt Ugly" my goodness, it's lucky beauty is in the eye of the beholder Mark!!

Now the Junior Constructor as my Pickfords is 6x4 box wing and cycle wing versions with walking beam front axle to assist tight access, rated at 100 ton as a ballast tractor , but I have pictures of mine working on its own grossing well over 100 ton.

As for speed empty they will plod all day at 28 to 30 Mph empty, at the weight you suggest it's low box all the way you will be lucky to top 15 MPH.

The constructors are 6x6 , I thought about 120 ton rating and the Super Constructer with either the Rolls or Albian engine and air change auto box circa 150 ton, I would expect the same turn of speed with them all.

In so far as legality is concerned , if historic and no test heaven knows!! I keep my head down and say nothing.

PM sent.

What a superb model, a credit. It will be good to see Boadicea returned to WD spec for this, if anyone is up for the challenge the Searle family are right up there for promoting steam on the road, I foresee and early morning with the camera on 4th May.

I remember it in the yard there on various visits was intrigued what you found wrong with the old engine?, I was under the impression or remember foul play by some uncouth character in that dept, but that was 15 years ago.

Well done with your progress, was this the Pioneer from Tadley ?

Great photo, but you looking at a Rotinoff not an AEC.

Great video, and some stonking kit, I love the 5 tonner bucket rotator and grab, how nifty, I can see that on any plant mans Christmas wish list.

I had deja vue watching this remembering having to recover a JCB 814 in the dark in a slurry lagoon maybe 15 or 16 years ago unfortunately all before in your pocket technology could record all our mistakes!

Superb pictures Neils, just shows how low geared the old chain drives were, what's made me chuckle is the fact that when researching my Pickfords junior constructor, there were a number of films made in the 50's , I came across Rudd's in this documentary, using the same chain drive tractor and solid wheeled bogies but paired up two on the front. Rudd's were Nationalised in 1948 into BRS

With the war over weights and measures must of been reviewed!

Yes that's the Explorer, it's tucked up in a friends barn gathering dust and birds nests, not one of mine before anyone asks!

Jack that is a winching scotch you have circled, I have never seen one of these on a 969 before, it looks like it's welded in position?

Superb Paul , great reading with my sandwich, I think you have answered many questions in one hit, thanks.