63-KF-89

Got fed up trying to get the scanner to work now but hopefully here is a page from the sales brochure.

My 90 is KF declared manufactured 1986 and my Sankey is KE declared manufactured 1985.

i know its not an exact science though

I have had an enquiry from a friend overseas who wants to buy a RB44, but due to import regulations needs to buy an early one, ie 1989. Apparantly, the first ones were built in 1989 and those being disposed of through Withams at present are 1991-2. Can anyone say for sure when they were built for the army and how they can be dated? I know the military data plate does not show year of manufacture.

The prototypes were registered on C plates which was 1986. I worked at The Bell lane Factory from 1980 to 1988 my claim to fame being that I prototyped the oil cooler mounting brackets to mount it behind the headlamp apperture on these vehicles. When I left in the summer of 1988 the contract was still not finalised as far as I am aware so the earliest vehicles may well be 1989. I seem to remember that some vehicles were run off on the Renault Dodge plant at Luton as they were going to manufacture the RB44 along with the Dodge 50 as Boughton did not have the capacity to make the numbers required by the MOD. As I know army registrations with KE in the middle are from1985 and KF 1986 I would guess a KH/KJ registered vehicle would be about the age you are looking for.

As an aside I never understood the braking issue with these. I remember a day spent on Bovingdon airfield with Andy Jefferies from the Quality control department doing Brake testing with a fully laden trailer. It pulled up dead straight in a cloud of rubber smoke every time.

Is there a dedicated owners club?

very very very nice!! how is the blue light attached?

 

Mark

The picture is a couple of years old and was taken at Duxford one evening during their MV week-end. An ideal opportunity to get a photo in a "proper" setting. when I got the Landrover it had two holes in the galvanised plate between the door and canvas. I use these to fix the blue lamp which is on top of a metal tube (actually a leg from an old roadworks sign). I welded a nut on top of the tube to take the thread from the beacon and used two M6 rivnuts for the other fixings. The power cable feeds down the tube and terminates in a plug which fits a socket on the rear bulkhead for simple dismantling after shows.

12 volt. Served at RAF Marham.

When I work out how i'll add a Signature pic.

Hi all,

63-KF-89 is my trusty ex RAF Police Defender 90.

I've been in the EMLRA from its very early days and was member no 73 for a while in the Lightweight owners club when I owned 21-FM-29. Discovered this recently and decided to join.

Richard.