Grasshopper

Heavy haulage can be impressive, fun and safe if done correctly. You just need some trucks with front and rear tow hitches, a few solid tow bars and someone silly enough to try and tow it all. That would usually be a Scammell owner! Can be done in the arena.

We managed (many years ago...) to get one in through the drivers compartment of our Spartan MCT, god knows how though! Gearbox an bulkheads weren't fitted at the time. A Spartan we had that went to Northern Ireland had the tank taken out using a forklift and chains through the top. I removed a Striker one a couple of yeras back; similar to Spartan but just as difficult.

I have repaired just a few of those in my time.... Amazingly I was able to buy a brand new starter motor off-the-shelf in the 1990s to fit my WW2 AEC Matador, shows you how long that type/model of starter was in production.

The starters on these engines were common to AEC, Gardener and Leyland engines amongst others. The way they work is the starter motor rotates under low power (supplied through the small centre cable, I forget the correct term for it) while the pinion engages with the flywheel (hence being called a pre-engage starter). When this engages with the flywheel, the main contacts should make and the motor gets full current from the batteries. From the sound of your problem the main contacts are engaging before the pinion is engaged. These can usually be adjusted (I've adjusted a few in my time working on vintage buses but that was 10 years ago) which should cure your problem.

There was a thread way back about GPMGs- the variant for the Scorpion was unique in that (I think) it was the only one that could be fitted with a solenoid.

Tim, Is that an expansion tank on the bulkhead and is it a late mod? My Scorpion bulkhead doesn't seem to have that on it.

PM sent.

I've used Tellus (due to having a "handy supply" to hand...) with no issues.

As long as the cylinder diameter, volume and port orices are identical and the thread sizes match (or alternative banjo bolts used) then sounds perfectly feasible. Vince

I believe the temp light is for overheat. If this comes on, its probably too late.... Our Striker doesn't have a repeater pod outside the hull, but then it doesn't have quite a lot of later features.

When I was at college I found an old (1960s?) book on recovery. On the first page was a flow diagram and the first box said "Engage brain before mouth or other equipment".

How about synchronized vehicle starting? Could use crank handles and 6V ignition systems to make it more interesting...

I know its more of a winter Olympics thing , but how about figure skating? (ie how many figures you can skate out of the bank account without the wife noticing!)

I think Andyroo on this Forum has a remote site that may be available for sale.

Found this while perusing the Repaircraft website today. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-1/fastest-tank/

Neil, you will have to do a lot more than just replace the filter, the whole system will need treating. Its not an ethanol issue, diesel bug has been around a long, long time (its the Supher in diesel that used to keep it at bay, ethanol is an issue in petrol). Its just more prevelent nowadays. Best get a stock of filters in, and drain the water from your fuel tanks regularly. There are threads on here about how best to treat it. My company has spent vast ammounts of money on plant that treats fuel as it is delivered from road tankers to our storage tanks. BTW I believe Soviet fuel stockpiled for years and then released onto the market after the cold war had all sorts of nasties in it, having been stored for so long.

I'm no expert on that particular type of vehicle, but sounds like a siezed differential.

I'd be bringing stuff down now, but still got a non-starting truck, a Dodge with no fuel tank and a tank which needs some attention to the wheels and tracks before I put it near mud (don't want to be making repairs in the on-site conditions!). Got side-tracked helping finish a jeep restoration this evening and off to enjoy the mud in hyde park tomorrow night. Going to be a busy weekend....

It has stalled again as I've been working on other things (Dodge WC51, ERF, Striker), but hope to be collecting a rather important piece of this jigsaw at Beltring- a gearbox. Once I have that there's a lot I can get on with.

Good job I'm coming down tomorrow as have had a request to bring the brazier, wood, and the power cable that links "someones" generator to their caravan (that ha been forgotten!). Doh!

Tony, if you spent less time hiding in there, maybe your Autocar would be finished by now! :whistle:

If you look at the January 2012 pictures in this link http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/locos/atlantic/latest.html you will see stepped liners being used in a new-build steam locomotive. They have followed the method used on BR Standard locomotives, and have also fabricated (rather than cast) the cylinder block. Some would say thats cheating!

We may lift the box up, connect the pneumatics and fill the vehicle reservoirs form the compressor to see if that does the trick. Tried taking the top off the box and selecting a gear, turning both input and output shafts but still no joy. It isn't a problem with the box as it was only dropped off for the clutch change. Whenever it starts up with no air, there is a clunk from the box as the air builds up (which is I think the high/low range selecting).

This looks like a Mk2, I saw one in a book years ago but can't remember which one. http://www.flickr.com/photos/aecsouthall/6142029466/ Found this text accompanying pictures of the same vehicle on trucksplanet.com In 1962 a few prototypes of the second generation Militant models were made. There were 6x6 trucks with a 6-cylinder multifuel diesel engine AV690 (11,3 l, 192 hp) and a short all-metal Park Royal cabin with a convex front mask. There was no serial production of MkII. The Militant MkI was replaced in a serial production by MkIII in 1966.

I believe the Mk2 had a multifuel engine, which was not successful.