simon king

That's easily done - just got to find a decent control box, decent variometer and its mount, B set aerial mount and original unmodified WS19 now....... . Then the operators desk, chairs, battery boxes and frames etc etc etc

I've just bought the 3 (small) volume Worksop Manual, Parts list and Drivers Handbook from Rob van Meel aka Groucho Publications

In the absence of any suggestions and following a lengthy but ultimately unsucessful internet search I decided to see what I could do with the existing straps. After completely dissembling the tray into its component parts, I dunked the webbing in hot water which softened the solidified and cracking rubber solution glue between the two layers to the extent that the two thin strips could be pulled apart. Threw some crystal white powder into some hot water and allowed the webbing to soak and then scrubbed clean, removing dirt, layers of blanco and, eventually, all the rubber solution glue from the webbing. Just now got to match up the eight pieces of the handles into four matched pairs (lesson there somewhere) before resticking together with copydex or something similar. Then its a case of using some liquid blanco to cover the rust and dirt staining. Much cheaper that the £150 being asked for just the long strap on ebay. Edit Having matched the pairs of webbing, I glued the two halves together with good old Copydex, ensuring a good, flat bond by rolling with a small paint roller. I refinished with liquid blanco and reattached all the prepainted metal work with pop rivets. Seems to to have done the trick

Anybody know of a suitable source of 2.5"/65mm webbing strapping as used on the 19 set carrier no 3 (ZA27669) as the current stuff is well past its sell-by date. thanks

I am planning to eventually rewire my recently acquired MWR. It retains the chunky CAV 142-1 voltage regulator box fitted to the MWR. The larger size of this box means that the fusebox appears to have been moved to the right of the control box rather than being it fitted below the smaller control box as seen in the standard MW Autosparks do 2 MW looms for what I assume is a standard MW.(one early with stop light and one presumably later without the stop light) Has anybody used Autosparks to provide a loom for an MWR. If so what physical changes are needed to the standard MW loom to allow it to be used in an MWR. The radios will not be operational in the back by the way - so the additional shielding built into the MWR will not be required. I know that some GS MWs were converted on the line to MWRs so was the MW wiring just adapted for the MWR role which would presumably mean that a standard loom could be used. Any advice most gratefully received. Thanks

Thanks I did wonder about those but they appear to be for the post war rebuilt Mk III sets with the Cyrillic text decals and the B set removed.

PM to be sent

Thanks Chris - that certainly helps The best 19 set is a post war rebuild/modified Mk III with the B set parts taken out, a grommet in the place of the B set aerial and a plate over the (?) tuner wheel for the B set. I was regarding its external refurb as a longer term aim so its a case of searching and/or waiting to see if the decals are reproduced again. I see that decals for the rebuilt sets can be obtained. With regard to colours it seems sensible to stick to green. I'll probably use some 298. The straps seem to be the canvas type with two layers glued together - I wonder if the stiffness and cracking feeling is actually the glue between the two layers which has aged.. I'll think on that but it sounds as if the brown selfedged webbing might be an acceptable replacement. The control unit is more of an issue. I'll keep looking for a non tropicalised version but the one I have will suit for the immmediiate future. I might be able to repair the perished rubber with something from Frosts. I think completing the radio fit is going to be more expensive and more of a challenge than my jeep. I have a lozenge shaped spacer for the variometer - as the variometer was fitted on the top of the PSU. Was the mounting plate simple bent metal - if so are there any plans anywhere? Again I will look out for a better variometer but try reproducing the window in the meantime. Thanks again for your help - I know even more than I did two days ago now.

I am new to this world of military radio in general and 19 sets in particular - so please bear with my ignorance of the subject!. I'm learning.........I now know a lot more than I did two days ago. I am awaiting delivery of a radio truck but in the meantime am beginning to fathom out the radio installation for the back, identifying what I have and what I need. Any installation would only be cosmetically restored. I don't have a radio amateur licence. I think I now know the basic layout of what goes where. However is the set up in an MWR the same as that in a house type body. The control unit that I have(a No 3B Mk 2/1) - which appears suitable for a ground station - has perished drop leads. Is it possible to source replacement leads? - or is there a way to restore these. Similarly the webbing straps on the No 3 mounting board are beginning to show their age - is it possible to source replacement webbing for this. The straps are 2.5"/65mm wide. I have found a brown webbing on the internet which would appear to be satisfactory - but would prefer to keep exactly as original. The clear panel in the variometer is partly missing/brokenx - probably a common occurence. I could probably smash-mould one using a wooden mould but are these available off the shelf anywhere? I am also looking for the fitting that allows the variometer to be fitted to the side of the PSU - are these available at all - even a picture would help. I think it is the one which includes a mount for an aerial when used in a ground role. The best set that i have was one of those modified post-war by the removal of the B set. Are the decal sets for the Mk III still available as I would like to take it back to original in due course using parts from less complete examples. Finally - a question of colour - was radio equipment always painted one of the greens - KG3 or SCC15 later on - or would the equipment be painted SCC2 "service brown" matching the vehicle standards at the time. Many thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

Is HU in the number and the vehicle being a Humber Utility too much of a coincidence? - could it be an inventory or storage number or something like that?

Theres an interesting hour-long documentary on the BBC iPlayer about the restoration of HMS Caroline in Belfast. The completed restoration is due to be unveiled on 31st May 2016 on the centenary of the Battle of Jutland, a sea battle in which the ship was involved http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07dpwfj/belfasts-forgotten-hero-hms-caroline

Wonder whether the car being painted in camouflage colours at RAF Aldergrove in 1939/40 belongs to one of the pilots, has been impressed or has been "donated to the war effort"- see 2.21 onwards. Useful in showing the process adopted to lay out the patterns. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-26818893 Don't you just love the wartime Health and Safety standards...................

Interesting to see the use of jeeps and 10cwt GS trailers loaded with radio gear and Onan gennys by Forward Air Controllers as Types 133/134 et seq

Is http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?53718-Military-Trailer&p=468265#post468265 one of those trailers?

Coincidentally it looks to be the sort of flatbed trailer seen in the current threads in "British vehicles" being towed by RAF Fordson Tructors through the streets of Liverpool loaded with P38 Lightnings

Type Numbers in the 0 - 999 series were allocated for specialist signals vehicles - so I guess might have been correct for the vehicle seen. Jeeps were Type 1900 by the way

Were type numbers added to the nearside door of all RAF vehicles during 1943/1944 or was it simply those vehicles which were expected to cross over to the Continent following the invasion? The appropriate type number for a Heavy Utility is 2000 I think

I think there is a rare Mack LPSW tipper on the LHS of the bottom picture. Only 55 were made.

Theres a series of New Top Gear articles in the "Event" section today. They list the value of an MB/GPW at £85,000 (!) Whatever makes them think that - has a jeep sold for £85K recently - if so it must have had some provenance. Trouble is that ill-informed rubbish like that forces prices up.

Richard can you suggest a supplier? Nobody I tried could supply it. thanks

Nothing has changed unfortunately. Not in the UK anyway. It's OD or sand but no brown as per the original Humber sidescreens that I have, which is what was wanted for my trailer. I do get fed up of explaining why the colours aren't the same although in a black and white photo they do look the same - another reason perhaps why we see so few SCC2 vehicles

...............somebody has got some explaining to do https://www.bayern3.de/panne-video-us-army-gelaende-wagen-himmel-youtube-

I suspect the problem with any military vehicle magazine since Wheels and Tracks is that it's not Wheels and Tracks.... The hobby also had a different feel. With Bart's first few pages of news, discoveries and other snippets, you felt part of a smallish community of people interested in military vehicles. Rare (and common) vehicles in reasonable condition could still be found in scrappies and on farms and could be picked up for a song. Those days are gone. Perhaps we associate W&T too much with those days which is why no other print magazine is regarded as an acceptible substitute. The hobby has moved on but perhaps some of us havent yet.

Interesting to see that 16YH31 was one of the seven jeeps converted by the paras in Cyprus to carry a 106mm recoiless rifle at Suez See from 2.21

The title says it all really http://englishrussia.com/2016/03/18/motors-of-war-exhibited-in-moscow/