jenkinov

I purchased my jeep about 13 years ago a 1942 Willis but soon identified it was a Greek Jeep .or one of a large batch purchased from the Greek army in the mid 80s and imported into the uk .I believe I am the 3rd owner since import and I know the previous owner had it for 6 years ..<br><br>The Jeep had been mounted with a heavy weapon . A 50 cal or recoilles gun. The rear had been cut out to give access and the shocks moved to a 45 degree angle to absorb recoil . The c links had all been strengthened on the suspension by the addition of added brackets to create a d plate .. the floor of the jeep retains aluminium runners ...possibly to assist in Sliding or mounting a weapon.<br><br>The rear panel in the jeep has been reinstated but the other modifications remain ..<br><br>The question to the forum is whether anyone else has a jeep with similar mods and does anyone have a photo of the Greek army heavy weapons jeeps in use..<br><br>Regards<br><br>Jenkinov<br><br><br>

Ron . Thank you that is very informative and Helpful , I think my Bike is a 68 , I need to get access to Engine and Bike i was investigating but your explanation should help me clarify one way or the other if its a military engine .. Great story and photo linking your Welbike with the actual inspector ... Jenkinov

I recently came across a Triumph 3SW frame from C7162 which was fitted with a Triumph 500CC engine ...Despite being triumph this engine had few stamps to help me date the engine but did have what appeared to be a WD arrow ...but little else I noye in the various photos on this thread that the WD arrow id often above a letter and 2 numbers ..eg WD arrow above M above 68 ....Does anyone have any ideas of knowledge of these and can they answer 3 Questions A Is a WD arrow only used on WD vehicles or did it have a wider use B Its been suggested the letter is linked to a date ..on wartime clothing the letter is above the arrow but V is 1935 U 1936 W1937 ..etc So M would be 1944 ..This suggests whilst this is the accepted interpretation on clothing the same number does not work on bikes C i have seen 66 and 68 ..are there other nos used under the arrow ..and do they have any meaning .. This Question is driven by a wish to confirm if an particular engine is military , so theories and comments appreciated Jenkinov

Street , Thanks for the details and photos , Whilst there is no bike from your engines contract on the Triumph register there is one owned by Ron Cobb , He has photos and a brief history on his web site of 2 3SWs in his collection one of which is C11465 ..Roncobb.com He lists the details as below ..and this puts your engine number with 10 of his ..Your frame number links to July 1940 and potentially contract C7162 interrupted by the factories destruction ..but it may be worth waiting to see the full number visible after cleaning .. Triumph 3SW Date of manufacture 1940. Delivered (eventually), 28/8/1941 to: RAF Carlisle. Military Contract number: C 11465. Civilian Registration number HPP 66 Frame number: TL 30296. Engine number: 3SW 40296. Contract number: C 11465. (+piled arms) Gearbox number: TE 40897 Gearbox casting numbers: T264. SW1040 Gearbox stamped: 16 M (along with military piled arms arrow). Jenkinov

great news to hear about another Triumph 3sw Survivor . The triumph factory was destroyed in the infamous coventry blitz with the factory at priory street and adjacent to coventry cathedral being destroyed in a series of raids , C7162 which my bike is from was interrupted by the destruction , Your bike appears to be from Cc11465 which was the last meaningful contract of triumph 3sw and was completed at a temporary factory at cape warwick , after this production was shifted to 3HWs at Meriden . I am aware of a few post blitz bikes but none from your contract , , Thee is a directory of Triumph wartime bikes at wdtriumphnl ..http:/wdtriumph.nl/3swframe.html . I believe this lists about 30 triumph 3sw although there are undoubtedly many more .. It would be useful to have your frame number on the bikes headstock plus frame date which is on the frame post directly beneath the seat in the format TE0840..and the engine number ..photos would also be great .. You asked about the BFM Directory this is an appendix of contracts in the excellent British forces motorcycles book by Chris Orchard and Steve Madden , Its a great start for any research and the directory contains the definitive summary of known contracts placed by the government Jenkinov

pleased to hear the bikes running ...we love them when they run ...Hate it when they won't and fall back in love again as soon as its sorted .. Jenkinov

With any bike that does has previously run ..then fails I usually start by replacing the fuel. I use a juggle pump to drain the tank and then check the fuel lines and tank for dirt plus strip the carb .when it's all clean I then put in high octane..I then try a start if that fails I pull the plug which I replace.or clean and then test the spark ..if I have a spark I then try to start ..if that fails I would replace the HT leads and or condenser both fail with age and can reduce the quality of spark..it can look great on a visual test but fail under compression . The above process starts my bikes 90 percent of the time . .I always start with the fuel as personally bad fuel is the Bain of my life..my son's vespa which was run daily stepped running ..bad fuel. we started a bike that had not run for 14 years last month with the above process.. Good luck and please report back. Jenkinov

Gareth . The engine is clearly a wartime 3 h w but the frame appears to have none of the tell tales that you would expect . I have checked the triumph wd register and all the military frames from 38 onwards have a TL prefix ..the date is also commonly found on the frame as a TEoxxx format and the frames also have 2 welded points for the field stand .. I think I would explore civilian triumph models to see if I could find matching characteristics . The national motorcycle museum has a good range of Triumphs if you are near it. Potentially you have a civilian frame that has been refitted with a 3hw engine it's a great engine and I have seen quite a few bikes both military and civilian fitted with these because of their performance My spare 3sw engine came from a bike that had been upgraded to this faster engine.. Jenkinov

Gareth .As you have highlighted your frame number is consistent with contract number s2114 from Sept 1943. If correct you should find a 43 stamp on your seat post ...prefixed by 09 to 12 . Triumph engine builders were prolific in their stamps so the contract number is likely to feature on the engine . The petrol tank on 3hw s had a rear corner cut short to allow for an air pipe . A photo from above and underneath would help...military frames were fitted with field stands 3sw had a welded fitting on the frames left under the seat ..on 3hws this was bolted on but the mounting point for theretaining clips on the leg to the rear are likely to be there ...again photos of these areas would help. Jenkinov P.S. a great looking bike...

Nice photo and clearly a triumph stamp from Sept 44 ..At this stage of the war most production was military . The bike looks as if it's had a series of post war rebuilds and I anticipate other than the frame engine and tank are civilian parts ..lots of bikes were civilised after the war and I have seen a number of these bikes based on wartime frames... If you could send a series of photos of the stamps on the bike and engine we can probably unpick some of its history Jenkinov

As children we had a family exclusion consort that I rode on the back of with my brother and sister and then about eight I started riding . A cracking bike 98cc fitted with a villagers 6f engine. I kept the bike and rebuilt it for my kids who wore it out and it sits in the garage awaiting the next generation . Mine was a dark green with red piping and in my many childhood adventures was an army bike.. Unfortunately consorts were never.used by the military but I saw the advertised bike and thought the militarization looked great . I did consider the same when my kids were young and do regret not doing it. I have a Triumph 3sw but recognise that military bike scarcity ,price and reliability can be barriers and fully support the militarization of bikes for fun ..I have seen harley and triumph release homages to ww2 bikes and think it's great. Jenkinov

You can find the parts on eBay ..look for 3hw front and rear axles . I believe they are identical in size and composition .Indian manufacture .. Jenkinov

The tub unfortunately looks to be in poor condition and the windscreen and front seats have gone ..it's unclear if the engine and transmission are in the vehicle ...but if I was considering usable parts I think most would be in poor condition....get your pal to buy the Carter carburretor and dials.plus data plates and post them back....the rest I think is rust.... A good general picks battles he can win. Jenkinov

I have recently acquired a vehicle manual stamped.5th medium brigade Royal artillery 1930. Can anyone shed any light on the unit. Jenkinov

I traced and ordered a triumph 3sw handbook but today received a parcel containing ..triumph motorcycle instruction book for a triumph nl n de lux and nsd The triumph nl features in the british forces motorcycles book and the handbook is stamped 5th medium brigade Royal artillery...1930. And also headquarters. So a question does anyone have a triumph nl or know about the unit Jenkinov

Yes. I can remember seeing it running at Elvington and a few other local events Jenkinov

Thanks Gents that's really helpfully . First time I have seen this type of stamping . The examples you have given really help. Jenkinov

Barnstorm ..Appreciate that you are not in the US and as such viewing may be impractical , if you can not see the bike in the flesh I would ensure you get a good series of photos so that you can compare the bike with photos of a bike in full military trim , also get the frame and engine number and check they are both wartime ..A book like British forces motorcycles 1924 45 is a good investment . if in doubt share the photos with the forum ..The eagle eyes of the HMVF are very good at spotting non standard parts . Get a video of the bike running ..Stationery and moving and ask questions ..I would now always ask for the condition of the petrol tank ..internally . plus any repairs . I seem to spend most weekends rebuilding classic cars or bikes ..so be aware that they are 70 -75 plus years old and from my perspective in a state of collapse ....does not mean i don't love em ..I am always amazed that they run so well ...Just that they can be high maintenance ... Jenkinov

I have a triumph 3sw from contract C7162 so am always on the look out for sensible useful spares ..a few years ago that led me to an engine again from C7162 , I recently acquired a copy of British forces motorcycles 1925-45 by Chris Orchard and Steve Madden and find it useful to help verify bike and parts i see in the market . A 3sw Engine recently appeared on E Bay and whilst tempted sensibly one spare engine is enough ....but I reviewed the photos and clearly stamped in the engine is Contract number C62943 , The contract is not listed in the BFM directory ..? The engine number is 27161 ...Which puts it in 1938 or 1939 ..... I do note that contract C5108 has a series of WD serial no allocations one of which is the range 62916 to 63085 , potentially the engine builder has added C to this number rather than stamping C5108 .... its a theory any comments Jenkinov

That seems a real bargain ....

Ron Just catching up on your project ..looks excellent ..Must agree with your recommendation of the Ensign tyres , I have been exceptionally pleased with the ones i fitted ,Amazed at the Quality of metalwork you are commissioning , Can i ask who is fabricating these pieces for you ..? Chris J AKA Jenkinov

Ron ..seems I should not pursue a career as a forensic photo analyst as I had grafted the toolkit onto the back of the oil tank/air filter .. On re examination can iI confirm your diagram is perfect ....and your suggestion to run a pipe through the oil tank would improve cooling and be a direct flow to the carb... Jenkinov

Several field artillery battalions of the US 1st Army recieved ground based T27 xylophone rocket launchers in the summer of 1944 for testing. Initally, they were not very effective but were later when mounted on trucks with two 4.5-inch launchers per truck. Shown here, they are used in action during the Huertgen Forest fighting in Nov 1944. The trucks appear to be GMCs 352...... T27 Rocket Launcher:

Thanks for the links ....one of them led to a series of stills from the film clip and the commentary Several field artillery battalions of the US 1st Army recieved ground based T27 xylophone rocket launchers in the summer of 1944 for testing. Initally, they were not very effective but were later when mounted on trucks with two 4.5-inch launchers per truck. Shown here, they are used in action during the Huertgen Forest fighting in Nov 1944. T27 Rocket Launcher:

I was looking at the excellent diagram of the oil tank ..and then viewed the photos , I then considered how would you dismantle or repair the unit ..The rear photo has impressed lines and this suggested to me that the oil tank was mounted on the rear plate ..The entire front section would be removable ..C exposing the cap and and tube for filling ...) The rear Photo suggests that the unit is wider at the front and steps by a good few inches ..so unfortunately your top section in the drawing does not look correct ..I suspect the air flows in front of the oil tank and exterior casing is a sort of fat L.. I think the rear photo holds a lot of clues .. Jenkinov