Grasshopper

:?I think he means Post War.

Ah ha. Clever.

We were warned about this potential issue when we got some new track for our Spartan, so we completely stripped, inspected and lubricated the rear idler arm assemly on both sides as advised. If the rear idler arm does not rotate freely on its pivot, then the bolts (or shaft as we were advised) can shear. Sounds like you were vey lucky not to have had a major incident. Are your tracks over tensioned? I believe the figure is 135mm from the centre wheel to the track.

Just a quick suggestion, but where you have used an engine crane to suspend the tyre, will a small stool or block not suffice? Most tyre fitters have a metal stool with graded steps to fit most wheel centres. It would be a little more stable than an engine crane.

Here we go again : Sounds TYREING!!!! :rofl: :rofl: :whistle:

Pleased to report that birthday present was well received. Gentleman of the forum: A little effort goes a long way with the ladies. They can be as rewarding as owning an MV....... :whistle:

I use centi-inches and euro-gallons. That prevents confusion... I also have a guestimatometer for very fine mesurements.....

Some brake systems require the brake shoes to be fully de-adjusted when bleeding the system. Land rover 101s are renowned for difficult brake bleeding, and require this step to be taken. The pedal travel is only restored (after bleeding) when the brakes are re-adjusted. I spent many days trying to bleed one once, only to discover the previous owner had fitted the wrong master cylinder! Once the correct cylinder had been fitted and the brakes wound off, it bled fine.

Had a fun day working on different toys today. Started off (too early! :sleep:) at our friend Ians house, where after being fed bacon sarnies and tea, Mike and I plumbed a new hydravac unit into his half track for him. The original had packed up, and he had acquired a unit from a Bedford truck, which he had re-conditioned by a reputable commercial firm. It cost a bit to get it done, but it came tested AND with a guarantee. Peace of mind when it comes to the braking system of your MV is priceless. Tea and home made chocolate cake helped the job along nicely. :-) So as to not risk staining his driveway with brake fluid, Ian carefully put the halftrack outside his house where we bled it (he is the borough surveyor, so no problems if the verge got damaged... :whistle:). The brakes worked so well after bleeding, the rear tracks nearlly locked! The new hydravac is a huge improvement on the original, even when it did work. We had many strange looks from passing motorists, but this is to be expected in this hobby, especially when you are working on a halftrack on a grass verge outside somebodies house! Q. How exactly does Mike fit under the wheelarch? Answers on a postcard. Next it was off to work on Mikes WLF, which we are replacing a couple of rear hub seals on, and also checking all the rear brakes. Mike got a pair of rear wheels on before he had to disappear for work, conveniantly leaving me to lift the not insubstantial rear hub back on by myself. :argh: Mike has recently discovered why his rear diffs leak: all the bolts were loose! Tightening these up and cleaning out the blocked axle breathers should cure this. We collected all the old grease from the rear hubs in a bucket- Yuck! :-o Next it was out into the field to do some work on our new trailer, which is up for MOT in a couple of weeks. I am in the process of removing the wheels for inspection and painting, and also stripping and checking the brakes. One down, 3 to go...

Oh you know you love me really. :kissoncheek: And I did suggest getting a ladder for our trailer BEFORE you banged you knee jumping onto it.

WLF's were made to make Jimmy owners feel small and insignificant. :embarassed: Diamond T's are for aspiring Ward owners. Jimmys are merely "my first truck". Any more questions?

Diamond what? They are only good for turning the pages of my sunday paper....

You are either very brave or very silly!

Are you SURE that you have removed all the head bolts? I am not familiar with that particular type of engine, but i have worked on many where head bolts have virtually been hidden away. A sideways blow with a soft faced hammer (hide or plastic) on a suitable place on the head may help shift it, as sometimes the head "sticks" and can e virtually unshiftale. We once lifted the front axle of an old bus of the ground with a forklift truck trying to get the head off. We left it suspended from the fork lift all night, then a sharp blow with a soft hammer shifted it.

Just been shopping for my ladies birthday present. :knockknock: Decided on some perfume as she had mentioned this would be a good present a while ago. Did feel very odd wandering around and sniffing smelly things, especially as i had just finished work (where i spent much of the day watching aircraft as Biggin Hill air show was only a couple of miles away), and was in some pretty grubby clothes. Strange how all the scents seemed to have a slight overtone of diesel.....and i left a greasy smear on the Estee Lauder counter :whistle:. A question for the ladies of the forum-I ended up (after smelling lots of things and going back to the first one i tried) getting Chanel No5- Was this a good choice? Its what i imagined my lady should smell like.

I put the latest find in the scrap yard finds section. You want something bigger Jack?.......

If you've got it, flaunt it! :tup:

Not recommended, but what goes up.... I can testify from experience of riding in CVRT's at speed, that when they take off, it is not comfortable when they come down again!! It's not so bad if you are the driver though. Fancy a ride now Jack? :evil: :evil: :evil:

We have two dustbins which we fill with ice (from Tesco) every day at W&P. This also gives a good oppertunity to stock up on - more beer. :beer:

Sorry to hear about your Dad. :-( The truck looks pretty good. I'll save the adjective "awesome" till later, when its got some more kit hanging off it, and makes Mike jealous :n00b: (great looking paint job) :clap:. There will certainly be some good photo opertunities at W&P when the two Wards get together.

If thats down your neck of the woods, then you have probaly seen the yeard full of old busses near Rye. Thats my dads place. I used to own two Matador wreckers, and i can testify to there winching capabilities, having rescued a few vehicles at shows. When Mike used it to tow something at a show one day, he told me that the clutch had been slipping. I replied that it could not have been, as it was new, and someone had reported that the front wheels had left the ground while he was towing! Anybody who has seen any pics of Matadors hauling timber would have seen many shots where the front axle lifted way off the ground.

My Dad has discovered this Matador near where he lives in Kent. He has found the owner who may be intersted in selling it. It appears to have the original cab and the AEC 7.7 engine is still fitted. I said it would only be worth scrap value, as the cab would require re-timbering, a body would need fabricating along with new tyres and a complete restoration. Having said that, they are a very simple and robust and capable truck. Anybody interested?

All these fine pics of W&P make me realise just how soon it is, and how little time there is to do all the work that needs doing. The build up seems to start erarlier and earlier each year. Only need to finish building up 2 CVRT engines, collect and fit a CVRT gearbox and completely rebuild and rewire a Spartan, along with MOTing trailers, Land Rovers and readying trucks.....can the all powerful Forum lobby the powers that be to add a couple more hours to my days?

Would the last one out win a prize? The smell would be unbearable....

There were obviously more forum memers at the show than we realised (despite probably knowing who was going). I think between collecting our trailer, setting up camp and hiding from the rain (not forgetting drinking beer), we didn't relly get around to hunting you all down for a chat. Mike and i got near to Richard, but he scooted away on his little quad. Had a chat with R3 and Rosemary, and hung out with Karl and his SAS guys. Big thank you to Richard and his team for an enjoyable show, despite the weather. The first show of the season has made me realise how little time I have left to get our CVRTs running for Beltring! :shake: Best get my a*** in gear...