mike30841

I got a set of the Titan ones from Gray Automotive a while ago. He may still have some - give John Gray a call on 07968 381304. Mike.

John, Had a root around in my garage, I have found two sets of internals for the transfer box - if you pm me your mobile number I can send you a couple of pictures. They are not perfect, but are better than the ones from your box. If you can make use of a set, you can have them as long as you come and collect them. Regards, Mike

I also have some spare innards which may well be in better condition than yours - will dig them out and have a look tomorrow.

I have a spare transfer box if that is any help?

I have for sale a set of good manifolds (one bent stud) to fit the Austin K5, I believe they will also fit the K6. I acquired these in amongst a job lot of Bedford parts - I do also have a cylinder head for a K5, when I can get to it!! Need rid of them due to imminent house move. Make me a fair offer. Collect from Bingley West Yorkshire - Can take to YWE.

As Andy says, the rubber hardens with age, but as well as reducing the flexibility of the tyre, it also substantially reduces grip, particularly in damp or wet conditions. When I acquired my QL it was wearing original 1950's rubber which showed very little cracking, but the brakes would lock or the lorry would slide at the drop of a hat. As soon as I replaced the tyres with new rubber, this problem completely disappeared. I am all for originality, but surely safety should always come first - bear in mind that some of our vehicles are big heavy beasts and will do a great deal of damage if they come unstuck!

Mark, If you have a spark and fuel is getting through (plugs will be wet), then the likelihood is that the problem is the same as you had a while ago with your QL - the timing has probably been set 180 degrees out ie set to no4 top dead centre instead of no1 top dead centre. The result of this is that each cylinder has a valve open when the ignition tries to fire. To check that you have no1 tdc, remove the plugs and turn the engine on the starting handle with a finger over the hole for the spark plug and watch the timing marks. If you can feel pressure with your finger as the timing marks line up, then you have no1 tdc. The reason it's so easy to get wrong is that no1 and no4 cranks are in the same plane, as are no2 and no3, so you always have two pistons at the top of their stroke. the valve timing, at 1/2 crankshaft speed, is such that when no1 is on the compression stroke, no4 is on the exhaust stroke. If you are 180 degrees out, the ignition fires with a valve open and the fuel charge gone! Check the timing first, and that should sort it out. If the timing is correct, check the main earth from the engine to the chassis, a faultless connection is critical with a 6 volt system. If that doesn't solve the problem, then I would begin to suspect that the valve timing is amiss due to an error in reassembling the engine, although it would need to be pretty far out not to run at all. Hope this helps and that I haven't confused you too much! Mike

Chris Morter does a replacement control regulator with modern innards.

Morris MRA1

All WW2 ammo boots had the heel and toe irons. The boots without the hobnails are drivers boots. For an infantry display, the ones with the studs, or hobnails are correct. There were other variations, Indian, Canadian and Australian issued boots were all different in some way (I don't know about New Zealand boots), and then there are the various types of jungle boot............... You can go on forever! Incidentally, my son regularly drives in the standard hobnailed variety and never has a problem - I certainly wouldn't risk it, walking in them is bad enough!

I have a side cover for a QLR with the recess for the shielded distributor - I would be happy to do a swap if you are prepared to meet postage costs. The stay rod for the dynamo (generator) doesn't look right in the last photo, I think it should go on the next bolt up on the timing chain cover so that it is nearer to the horizontal. PM me with your address if you want the side cover. Regards, Mike

Unfortunately the rest of us had to suffer the horrendous dust clouds they were raising all weekend! Grandson Peter (18 months old) was transfixed by them for hours - only took his eyes off them for his afternoon nap. Nevertheless, another excellent show from the YWE team, so a huge thank you to Stuart, Nelz and the team.

Another superb restoration from Melvin Bean and Mike Humphreys.

How did you extract the piston in the first place? I spent over an hour this afternoon trying to dismantle a spare - I cannot get the piston to move , and of course you can't get at the other end to tap it out with any sort of drift. Mike

Head gasket failed?

That is a fine collection, but please do be careful advertising de-acs for sale. In case you have missed all the changes in legislation over he last year or two, it is a criminal offence to transfer ownership (that would include gifting, or leaving in your will) of any de-ac which does not conform to current EU/UK legislation, introduced in April 2017, if my memory is correct. Any de-ac not conforming must be re de-activated to current spec before transfer. Basically, thanks to the t**ts at Brussels, any automatic or semi-automatic gun must be utterly destroyed by welding everything solid, whilst bolt action rifles must have the magazine modified, and the receiver pinned. I further understand that from the end of June this year, bolt action rifles will have to be pretty much welded solid so that they will no longer cock and dry fire. I stress that I am not trying to p*** anyone off - as a collector myself, I have no desire to see a fellow collector/enthusiast fall foul of the law. In this case, the law truly is an ass - the only effect these changes will have is to drive the market for old spec de-acts underground.

Have never succeeded in finding the answer to this one, as you say, there is nothing in the manuals! If it's any help, my QLD has run with the tyres at 50 psi for years. The QLR is heavier so I would probably go for a little bit more - unless anyone can come up with the definitive answer. (Over to you Mr Farrant - your knowledge and expertise seem to be limitless!). Mike.

Try taking off the rocker shaft and remove the pushrods - keep them in order by pushing them through a piece of cardboard and number them. Turn the engine over on the starting handle. If it still locks up the problem is probably with the camshaft/followers. If it now turns freely the problem lies with the valves. A dropped or broken valve could jam the engine if the combustion chamber is small enough, I suppose, but logic suggests it would lock up on one rotation of the crankshaft.

If the oil pump had failed the oil light would have lit up before the engine cut out. The fact that the camshaft will rotate 4 times (which presumably equates to 2 turns of the crankshaft) strongly suggests a problem with the valve train.

When you say "old deact" do you mean old spec? If so, bear in mind that unless you have it re-deactivated to current EU/UK specification, it is a criminal offence to transfer ownership by ANY means - you can't even give it away or leave it to someone in your will!

A while ago I bought some modern 1100 x 20 bar treads which I believe are of American manufacture, for a Bedford QL project. A friend has blasted and painted the wheels for me, and took the whole lot to a local tyre dealers (who specialise in commercial, agricultural and plant tyres) for fitting. They were unable to fit them as they will not go on the 20" Sankey rims (too small). I wondered if anyone else has had this problem with this size of tyre, and is there a solution? My running QL was fitted with similar (if not identical) tyres five or six years ago, and the tyre fitter put them on with no problems. Would be grateful for any help/advice. Mike.

What you need is a marine transit or marine cargo policy - a decent commercial broker should be able to sort you one out - try googling "marine transit insurance". Hope you manage to sort out some suitable cover. Cheers, Mike.

Don't know if this is any help? I once watched large diameter copper pipe for steam locomotive injectors being formed at my local preserved railway. Their technique was to pack the pipe with sand, clamp one end firmly and heat the area where the bend is to be formed to a cherry red colour, then bend freehand before allowing it to cool. it would probably be possible to bend around a former of suitable material. I don't know if this was a one off or whether it is the usual method, but it certainly seemed to work. Mike

Hi all, I am in the process of having manufactured some of the studs and nuts that hold together the halves of the two-part Sankey wheels as fitted to most British vehicles of WW2 period ( I believe the studs and nuts are the same on the 16" and 20" rims). I don't yet have any idea of price, but wondered if anybody else needs any of these to replace the odd stud which is missing or damaged? Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested, so that I can work out how many to get made. May I also wish everybody a happy and prosperous new year. Mike.

You are almost certainly correct in stating that vinyl was not available at that time. The coverings on the body I saw were, as I said in my first post, some type of leathercloth ( the trade name "Rexine" springs to mind but I am not certain if this is correct), which pre-dates the plastics era. I very much doubt if this can still be obtained, so a modern vinyl type of product would probably be the nearest equivalent.