mike30841

Another reason that live guns are often cheaper than de-acs is that it costs the dealer money to have a weapon de-activated, and obviously this adds to the price.

Back home and everything packed away. It has been a superb event, and I would like to say a massive thank you to Stu and Ken and their team for an absolutely cracking weekend. Mike.

There is usually a guy at W & P who will make up plates pretty much while you wait - I have had a couple of sets done and have not been asked for any documentation. Look out for a yellow trailer type stall. Mike.

No, it isn't just you. There are a number of vastly overpriced vehicles about at the moment - is it any wonder some of them keep being re-advertised for two years or more? Mike.

My son and I have both ordered a number of items from WPG - the service is excellent (their warehouse is in the middle east, so the stuff comes from there), and the quality of all the items we bought has been excellent. Mike.

Thanks for the advice guys, it pretty much confirmed my own thoughts, so this afternoon I took the head off and found a multitude of problems. First up the ball on one of the rocker arms had worn itself flat, so that will need replacement. The head looks ok, but I've not had any of the valves out yet, will leave that to my engine bloke. As for the bores, well, most of them have wear ridges corresponding with the top ring, and a couple also have ridges corresponding with the lower rings. One bore had strange horizontal marks most of the way down, and most of them also have a strange vertical line of roughness that looks like either corrosion or flaws in the casting of the block, certainly doesn't look like wear. So this week I will have to hire a hoist and get the bottom end sent off for a rebore, just hope it can be done as it's already bored out 40 thou oversize, although the big ends and mains are still standard. At least I know it will be right once it's done. Mike.

Thanks Ian, not seen that one before - any idea who it belongs to? Had a quick look but can't see it on the QL register. By the way, how is your QL coming along? Mike.

Great pictures - I presume this was at the Glos/Warks railway at Toddington? Any chance of you posting a picture of the QL lurking in the background? The War Department 8F looks great too, and interesting to see that the builders plate is circular, as far as I was aware, North British always used diamond shaped plates on their locos. Mike

Have you ever started a fairly minor job on your mv, only for it to turn into a marathon task? I knew the exhaust manifold on my Bedford OXD was blowing and I reckoned about two hours to fit a new gasket. Hah! Manifold came off easily enough, and yes, the gasket was blowing. Unfortunately, the hotspot gasket was also blowing, and the exhaust manifold was badly cracked. The mating face on the head is a bit dubious, and to add insult to injury, one of the now visible core plugs was weeping. Three afternoons on, the bumper, grille panel and radiator are off, along with the water pump, and five of the six core plugs are out, so is a mugful of scale from the waterjacket (two hours with a small magnet on some stiff wire, and that's after the system had been flushed twice). Oh, and one of the brackets for the indicators disintegrated when I tried to get it off the bumper. Also discovered that whoever restored the lorry didn't bother to repair the corrosion in the ends of the front crossmember, so that needs doing in the fairly near future. I now need to decide whether to take a chance on the core plug at the back of the engine lasting the season, or do I bite the bullet, now that the thing is in bits anyway, and take out the engine so that I can replace it ( I suppose I could at least use the opportunity to replace the juddery clutch at the same time), and do I leave the head alone, or take it off and replace it with the re-conditioned head which I just happen to have in my stock of spares? I know it's not that big a job to do, but what will I find when I take it off - the engine was rebuilt by Vauxhall in 1953 (does that make it a civilian one?) and there is no way of telling what mileage it has done since then, but it runs very well, so I am tempted to leave well alone. On the plus side, Chris Morter came up trumps with an excellent replacement manifold (thanks Chris ), so I pretty much have all the bits I need to put it back together. Mike.

I am in the process of changing the core plugs on my Bedford OX. Does anyone know if it is possible to remove and replace the one at the back of the block without removing the engine. I thought from the manual that it might be possible to remove the bell-housing with the engine in situ, but there seems to be very little room between it and the engine cover in the cab, which doesn't appear to be removable. I am sure one of you will know the answer to this one. Mike.

Hi and welcome. My understanding of charging systems with a dynamo, as opposed to an alternator, is that they do not deliver a charge whilst the engine is idling, only when the revs are increased. This is why the ignition light will usually come on at tickover - it is indicating that there is no charge. Provided the ignition light goes off as the revs increase, then the dynamo should be charging correctly. (With an alternator, the system will charge even at tickover speeds). You do not say whether the ignition light comes on or not, so that ought to be the first thing to check. I should add that my knowledge of auto-electrics is pretty basic, so if anyone out there knows I different, I would be pleased to be put right - always happy to learn. Mike.

Another thing making it look odd is that the back wheels are on the wrong way round - they should be the opposite way to the front ones. Mike.

I had the same problem with Footman James earlier this year. Had no joy with any of the so-called military vehicle specialists, so I asked a colleague to have a look at it for me ( I work in the insurance industry, sorry!). She arranged me a policy with KGM which included my son at less than half of what Footman James charged me the previous year. If you can't find a local broker who deals with KGM, try having a word with Diane Jackson at Harrington Bates Ltd on 01423 526333 - I can't promise she will be able to help but it is worth a try if it gets you the cover you need. Hope you manage to get it sorted. Mike.

That's interesting - if it makes no difference whether the dip tube/relief valve is fitted, then we are back to the question of what is causing the foaming. I did give it a good run on Saturday, still without the dip tube etc, and whilst it is better ( no foam coming out of the radiator neck), there was still white foam in the header tank. I am beginning to wonder if perhaps there is localised boiling due to scaling of the water jacket - there was an awful lot of scale came out when I flushed the system, and I think it likely that as much again still remains. I am planning to give it another good flushing before I start replacing the thermostat and relief valve - I think I have managed to modify a suitable spring, and Mike Humpreys is looking into getting a few new ones manufactured. I have discussed the problem with Norman Aish and he is of the opinion that it is more likely to be a cylinder head gasket issue - apparently the civilian version is not fitted with the relief valve, The manual for the civilian version quotes a head bolt torque of 78 -83 lb/ft, increased by 10 lb/ft when anti freeze is added to the coolant, so maybe it is something to do with the composition of the head gasket? In the meantime, have stripped down the front brakes to check everything over. I seem to have caught them just in time as both cylinders were beginning to weep, and the bores are shot. In comparing the old wheel cylinders with a new spare, I discovered why the brakes were so keen - I thought the old cylinders looked a bit big, and indeed they were, as at some time in the past someone had fitted QL cylinders!! ( OX cylinder bore is 1 5/16", QL is ! 1/2"). Needless to say I will be fitting the correct size when it goes back together. Mike.

Hi everyone, Thanks for your input on this one - it certainly looks as though the missing relief valve is the cause of the problem. As luck would have it, I have a spare amongst my QL bits which I can use, but the spring is long gone - has anyone out there got a spare they would be prepared to part with? I have e-mailed Mike Humphreys separately to see if he is getting some made. Mike.

As promised, I attach a picture of the filler neck on the OX. Am I correct in thinking that there should be a fitment screwed in to the neck which the filler cap seats against? If there is a part missing, could this be causing the foaming? Look forward to hearing your thoughts... Mike.

Many thanks for your replies, chaps. You have certainly thrown up some interesting possibilities. I will post a picture of the filler neck on the OX tomorrow when I have a bit of time, but from the picture of the MW I suspect the innards are missing from mine - there is neither a pipe inside or anything for the cap to seat against, it looks as though there should be some sort of fitment screwed in to the neck. Another point raised is the fact that foaming occurs when there is no thermostat fitted, again this is missing on the OX. Watch this space.... Mike.

Has anyone come across this problem? My Bedford OX produces white foam in the coolant, and this overflows from the neck of the radiator when working hard. There are a couple of slight cracks in the filler neck, but as the system doesn't appear to be pressurised, I can't see that this should be a problem. The system contains anti-freeze as a corrosion inhibitor - I have tried boiling a sample of the coolant in a pan, but cannot replicate the foaming. I have now flushed the system with a proprietory cleaner (loads of crap came out of the block!) , and whilst I haven't had it out on a run yet, there was no foaming when filled with plain water, or when I put in a weaker mixture of anti-freeze, so I am vaguely hopeful that I have at least improved things. I have a nagging feeling though, that the problem could be down to a leaking head gasket. I did a compression test today, with the following result:- Number 1: 110psi Number 2: 120 psi Number 3: 120 psi Number 4: 140psi Number 5: 110 psi Number 6: 110 psi Nothing particularly conclusive there, although it looks to me as though things are getting pretty worn. Does anyone know what the cylinder pressures should be, and does anyone have any thoughts as to the cause of the foaming? Incidentally, there is no significant drop in the coolant level, even on runs of 40 or 50 miles, and there is no sign of oil in the water or vice versa. Any help would be appreciated. Mike.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]65620[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]65621[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]65622[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]65623[/ATTACH] Visited Peak Rail 1940's event at Rowsley this weekend, with our group D-Day to 45. It was a bit of a trek down the M1 and back with the QL, but well worth the journey - we had a great time and met some really nice new faces, and of course caught up with several familiar faces. It was particularly good that we finally got the chance to park the Bedford next to John Walker's QLT for a quick photoshoot. This is my third year of QL ownership and it is the first time we have attended an event with another QL, even at Beltring I have never seen two of them parked together. There were several other interesting vehicles there including a Dingo and several Jeeps, and a number of rather nice vintage cars. Mike Mike

Ian, pm sent. Mike.

Ian, wherabouts in Huddersfield? I am in Bingley, but could possibly detour via Huddersfield (coming down on Saturday, but not staying on site). Alternatively if someone could get the part to my son's workplace (Low Moor, Bradford) before lunch tomorrow that would be ideal. Is it something for your QL? Kind regards, Mike.

My son works for a company in Bradford called Bronte Precision Engineering - telephone 01274 698900. They have a specialist gear cutting department and may be able to help. They have rebuilt an exploded differential for an early Napier, among other things. My son, David Shackleton, says they would need to see the damaged gearbox to be able to quote for it, but would suggest that you speak to Steve Leach or Dave Bailey in the first instance. Hope this is some help, and the best of luck getting it sorted. Kind regards, Mike Shackleton

Just back from the show - would like to say a big thank you to Ken & Stuart for doing a great job of organising this event in the worst possible circumstances. I went along with my Bedford OX as part of the D-Day to '45 group - this was our first proper event as a group and we had a great time in spite of the weather (living locally we were able to avoid camping out!!). It really is a shame about the weather as this would have been a superb event if all had gone as planned - I hope it will go ahead again next year in better weather. Once again, Ken & Stuart, a big thank you from Mike, David, Jay, Dan & James

I have just received the renewal for my two Bedfords, from Footman James. Having covered my son (23 at end of month) for the last two years, they now tell me that they are unable to offer furtjer cover for him to drive, as he is under 25!! Apparently this is due to the fact that they have changer underwiters. Clearly I can't drive both vehicles to shows at the same time, so this leaves me with a problem. Does anyone know of an insurer or broker who can arrange cover for drivers under 25? Mike

Looks like you're doing a great job on the QL. Have you tried John Morter for a set of inlet valves - I got a set from him last September, his telephone number is 01953 602581. Kind regards, Mike.