timbo

Had a good day here - was really good to see Berna, Simon and No Signals. Also think I bumped into Stormin who was looking for Rick but didnt have time to stop and chat so sorry for that. Got a few pics which I'll try and post later. Good points - convoy was good fun esp when we had the torrential downpour on all those poor souls in jeeps..! Atmosphere in the centre of Uppermill was great - crowds lining the route 4 deep. Was also entertaining when somebody took a worng turn (or was just going home ?) and everybody else followed - thankfully only light vehicles so all got turned round OK. Lightweight started getting a bit warm following those Scammells at 2mph - would have been very embarassing to have to stop in front of all those thousands of people..! Points for improvement - the split across two sites really didn't seem to work, when I've been before it has all been centred on Churchill Fields which seemed much better (Council problems ?). The school site was all a bit disjointed and there didn't appear to be any vehicles on display, other than a couple of landys and jeeps in the car park. Definitely need a better programme for the day outlining when and where things will be happening. Overall this weekend has really good potential as the crowds in town were massive and the atmosphere great but the venue and organisation could do with being better. Still happy I turned out though and the boys enjoyed it. Cheers Timbo

Right - confirmed for 0915 at Ainley Top layby... Berna and me deffo, Simon Militant possibly - any others welcome...

Sounds like going via Marsden and Diggle might be best bet....nicer drive too!

Some really good and very sobering pics there. The pic of the Lancastria particularly poignant and surprising, given the veil of secrecy around the sinking at the time. Not sure about the pump I have to say - maybe an axis armour expert can enlighten us..?!

Just checked - the convoy is planned to leave at 11 so we may want to get there a bit earlier...?

Berna How about 1030 at Ainley Top roundabout (J24 M62)? If you come off the M62 Westbound, there is a large layby within 100 yards or so of coming off the sliproad. Then we could head over from there.. Will pm my moby no.. Cheers Tim

Chris (SIRHC) was looking into rebonding of CVRT wheels a while ago so may have some ideas...

Fascinating..really good, and more than a little eerie, sort of a bit like something you're not supposed to see if that makes sense (I know - it doesn't)...

Hello Berna You still up for this on Sunday. Sadly the Sabre has expired temporarily, so I will be taking the Lightweight (not that that is a bad thing you understand).. Let me know if interested in a convoy over and I'll have a think about a suitable meeting point Sunday am.. Cheers Timbo

I did apply some 'persuasion' a couple of times and that partly did the trick intermittently but the gear still wasn't fully extending enough to engage properly. I've since been told that the starter operates in two stages - an initial stage where the gear extends and then full power when it reaches a certain point. Apparently the whole thing can be a problem if not lubed, as the gear does not extend far enough to hit stage 2 so I might even recover it from the big pile of knckrd starters and see if that is what it was... I chuckled at the innovation of an access flap to get the hammer through..!

Looks in good nick to me ! Certainly better than my series I sat in the garden at the moment, which as my missus will tell you isnt abandoned simply 'waiting its turn'..! Blanchards had literally dozens of sII ambulances lined up in their yard until quite recently. Heard they were selling them for anything between £250 and £1000 depending on condition. Not for the faint hearted though from all accounts...

Thanks mate Now that I have my final drive, brake band and rubber donut problems to sort out I am quite tempted to have a go at something similar in the gearbox bay at least. Looks great and you make it sound very simple. When I replaced my starter at weekend I was surprised how easy it was to whip out the firewall, seat etc, so I'm feeling quite inspired to have a tidy up at the moment. There are not many of the captive nuts left on my firewall but I guess if Im careful I might be able to move them around so all the hard to get at positions are covered...! Cheers Timbo

Paul Sorry couple more qns if you dont mind... 1 Did you just use sandpaper etc to clean up the gearbox/ engine bays prior to painting ? 2 How did you refurbish the firewall - what is the reflective material used ? 3 Did you replace the captive nuts on the firewall or go with separate nuts and washers ? Cheers Tim

Paul Noticed in the pics of the gearbox and engine bay that you llok to have brush painted with something prior to the silver going on - was this anyhting special ? Cheers Timbo

Thanks Richard - PO told me he had fitted engine and based on other evidence this is entirely possible. It will be done properly this time round..

There you go...there's me extolling the virtues of CVRT ownership - I knew something was bound to go wrong ! Took kids down for their first ride in the Sabre this weekend to find oil puddle under gearbox access hatch, turns out to be final drive seal. Anyway decided to top it up and take them for a quick spin, just round the field a couple of times so they get the idea. Get halfway down the field and park up for a couple of pics, go to restart and click...nothing. Batteries nearly new, and all lights fine so not that. Starter motor lead mein host says, so its off with the decks, out with the drivers seat and firewall, and check all the connections - all ok but still just clicking with the odd occasion when it spins but not very far. Decide it must be the starter. Thankfully I knew that pile of redundant J60's I bought from Withams in an alcohol fuelled bidding session would come in handy, so its off with one of the starters (and thank god for stubby spanners), and away we go, spins up nicely.. Whilst grubbing around in the bottom of the engine bay with the decks off I noticed some odd looking bits of rubber which on closer inspection turn out to be most of the rubber drive donuts - there were what are best described as a few shreds holding together the drive coupling..! Oh and the brake bands were completely knackered. Whilst I don't drive very far or very often on the road, I'm not sure I would want to be anywhere close at hand if the coupling had given way. Although I had the decks off when I first bought it (to sort the thoroughly knackered main braking sytem) to be honest I probably wasn't familiar enough with CVRTs to have spotted most of these things. Just goes to show that with an unknown vehicle you should not rely on a PO saying it is in 'good' condition...! At least the starter failing allowed me to spot these things.. So a plan is now formulating to whip out the gearbox, replace both final drives, replace the drive donuts, replace the brake bands, jetwash the 1/2 ton of german/ bosnian pine needles out of the gearbox bay, and generally give it a good spruce up before putting it all back together. I reckon with a couple of willing (foolish!) helpers and all the bits to hand I can get most of it done in a busy weekend....

I'm sure I read somewhere that the role of CVRT in Afghan has become more akin to that of a light tank than in the past, but don't know how true that is.. Everyone I know calls them tanks, and that includes people who build them and maintain them for the army, as well as many people who restore them for pleasure...although I know this causes controversy in some circles, and have a vague recollection of threads about this in the past. Back on topic, Tobruk is one that I remember standing out as being particularly bad for having allied vehicles with crosses on. On the subject of GOOD war films I have always had a particular fondness for 'Too Late the Hero' with Michael Caine and a host of other Brit film stars of yesteryear - it also covers an unfairly neglected theatre of WW2...

I'm almost sure this Battle of the Bulge thread has been done before but is very entertaining so... I agree with all the above and the huge variation in climatic conditions seen in the film is particularly farcical. Still a good lazy afternoon watch though...!

I recently swapped nearly all the roadwheels on my Sabre, both inner and outer, with brand new. Almost everybody has called me a p**lock for doing this as I also have plenty of good part worns....especially as I will be lucky to do more than 20 miles a year ! Ho hum you live and learn...

Mark Congratulations, well done and good luck ! Timbo

I believe they are the same but not 100% sure... Marcus Glenn is still showing some for sale on his website under misc spares so you could give him a try..

I am not a re-enactor but I can see the truth of this statement for the average person. Personally I like nothing better than going round fields and fields of green vehicles but how many members of the public made it into the Americas field or beyond ? Ultimately the re-enactors enhance enhance the appeal to the public and the vehicles provide a tangible link to the past - everyone a winner..! Cheers

Welcome aboard mate Uncanny - you decide to join just as you get a namecheck in the tracked vehicles forum..!

Nice pic Jon If you look on the W&P website gallery you will see a picture of your passengers hanging on for grim death and wearing grins a mile wide - can't think why....! Cheers Tim

FV439 - there were a few of these floating around last couple of years. If you get the right version I think they have 2 big gennies on top..