timbo

One thing I have noticed with CVRT's (and this really is bizarre) is that people seem to feel the need to lift the mudflaps!!! I really dont know why and its a hard thing to object to, but what on earth do they expect to find under there....its a mudflap fer crying out loud!!!

Back on topic - M5's? Was basing this on the straight sided hulls... Location somewhere in North Africa? Wasnt the war in the desert pretty much over by Sep 43?

B**er will keep looking then...!

....oh and the turret not turning is more likely to be due to the floor rollers being seized rather than the traverse mechanism itself, but are you sure the turret lock isn't engaged - left hand side of the hull, there is a bit that swings up and engages with the turret ring teeth... In any event you want to replace the turret rollers with nice new plastic ones from xmod... http://www.thexmod.com/item_detail.asp?id=453

Andy That doesnt look too bad at all - no really it doesn't! A good dose of a suitable cleaner and a jetwash will make all the difference. Hard to tell what you do and dont have there at the moment. The blue pipe is the top coolant pipe for the engine, together with the heater connections. The round item is the turntable for the commenders sight, you obviously have some spares, and I need one, so put one to one side please for a suitable discussion over beer !! Cheers Tim

Handbrake refitted this morning. When cleaning up these bare metal components I have taken to giving the major parts a quick coat of clear lacquer prior to reassembly. A bit bling I know but I figure when the time comes for (probably somebody else!) to clean these up again it will make their life a bit easier..! The handbrake assembly is held in place by 3 studs in the wall of the driving compartment. The bottom nut is a complete pig to fit. It was missing when I took it off but I have replaced it. You can only get about 1/16th of a turn on the spanner each time so it takes a long time to tighten up.! I also had another go at getting the sponginess out of the brakes. The main brakes are now quite effective, but I'm still unhappy with the amount of travel on the left hand tiller. This connects to the right hand steering caliper to make the vehicle turn left..! I have reluctantly decided to replace the left hand master cylinder. It is a pain stripping stuff already rebuilt but much better to do it now than when it is all back together. I am going to use a NOS CVRT one as it will be interesting to compare it's performance to the right hand (modified Land Rover) one.

Or put plastic ones in for 50 quid...!

Not a lot of progress this week but I have got the brakes bled up with fresh iso10. I used an eezibleed which worked quite well, although the main brakes still feel a little spongy. I may leave them a few days than do again to see if any more air has worked through the system. The main brakes have more pipework than the steering brakes so maybe a bit more air trapped. The Land Rover master cylinder seems to be working quite nicely so far.. Was also very pleased to meet up with Ferretkitt and give him a tour round the engine bay...(didn't take long). Another one converted to the dark side...! I also managed to get the handbrake unit refurbished tonight so another little job done.

Not a tracked vehicle topic but if you want to see how low you can go check these out.... The guy in no3 must have cahoneys the size of a house..!

Bryan From recollection, Paul said there was some modification needed to the garage door to enable it to fit! Paul A small point which may (or may not!) be of interest. On mine the threaded hole on the side of the engine bay which is down and slightly behind the alternator is the mounting point for the earth strap attachment to the engine. Cheers Tim

Excellent! Will give you a buzz a bit nearer the time to suss out the 'ahem' drinking arrangements!

You need to watch the film 'Valiant' - you will love it..!

Richard Are you going to the YWE ? Hoping to take the Sabre if I can get the engine back in (too much work at moment!). Tim

Wise words.. I once found a mortar shell while walking in Snowdonia, not that far from the road (20-30 mins walk at most). Reported to local rangers who said they would keep a note of it for next time eod came round on a sweep then see if they could find it again. They didnt seem too concerned. My mate was all for lobbing rocks at it but I dissuaded him (rare outbreak of common sense for me!)...

Probably depends on the context I suppose. If the point of the event is to remind people of the home front, then I can maybe see why. Pickering wartime weekend bans german re-enactors from the town itself, although not the show ground. Doesnt seem to cause too many problems. Seems like a bit of a non story tbh...

Hmmmm intriguing... I dont know where they are. Nearest i can get is my sabre 04Fd34...

Brilliant effort. Keep up the good work! As mine was rebuilt by none other than FourFox a few years ago I hope never to have to do this! Cheers Tim

Hi Vince Yes it is a header tank for the cooling system. All of the ones I have seen have it. Isn't your Scorpion a Belgian one? I wonder therefore if this might not be a Brit mod.. I have a Belgian Scimitar but I've not been brave enough to look under the decks yet! Tim

Do a few youtoob searches to see why it is important to get it right...! Some good tips as well though...

Brilliant thanks Jon. I am thinking about redoing the Sabre this summer, so this is helpful advice... Tim

Wow that is clean! The communists obviously took much better care of their vehicles than we in the consumerist west..!!!

Hi Jon What are you using for priming and final coats? Tim

Amen to that Bob! Thankfully there seems at last to be some recognition of their efforts..shame it is too late for a lot of them.. Tim

Stunning achievement still blows me away to think Gibson was 24 when he led this raid....i could barely get myself out of my pit at that age!

Some very minor progress last night with the refurbished coolant header tank going back in - hopefully I can get the engine in without scratching the paint! I am trying to get an hour each evening in to at least keep it moving. Next job will be to prep the engine, removing all the tape from the pipes, exhaust etc, checking there are no stuck valves, checking the carb condition, fitting the oil pipes, and fitting the fire pipes. I have also ordered some replacement coolant pipes for those not supplied with the engine.