Duncan76

I now have a bottle of Ethomix to try with the Goddess, the small print says it is compatible with lead replacement additives such as Valvemaster. We'll see what happens.... Duncan.

I'm toying with getting some to put in my green goddess, so glad to hear that it seems to work! Any issues with adding this when I already use Castrol Valvemaster as well - are they compatable? Duncan.

Yes - I had what appeared to be good service - received the plate very quickly. But, having sent them a clear photo of the current tatty front plate on my green goddess to ask if they could match the distinctive font, they replied and said 'yes'. The plate I received from them was good quality but nowhere near a match so I felt somewhat aggrieved! I did email them but they just sent some waffle back at how they couldn't match it totally, they never said that they could. Utter nonsense. I can cope with mistakes but not people just anxious to sell you products at any cost..... Several others I contacted were totally honest and said that they couldn't match it. Duncan.

It looks superb! Great job! The Goodyear G388 tyres look quite good actually - without the body, they looked a little big but with the 'box' back on you can hardly tell the difference visually between those and the more usual 11.00 x 20s. Duncan.

Good grief - you'll be lucky!! :shocked: Unladen, I get about 8.5 miles to the gallon out of the original petrol engine on mine. It does depend how you drive it; I drive carefully, double de-clutch, don't do more than about 40 mph and normally carry very little kit unless I have to for a show etc. I recently had some work done to it which included sorting the timing and mixture out (the EFS always ran them rich) so that might have improved it a touch. When it was in service, in 1996, mine had an engine rebuild which included new cylinder head, new pistons, liners, studs, dynamo etc. After fitting, it had a 260 mile test drive before the head was re-torqued and it was put back to bed. The paperwork confirms it achieved 8.6 on that run. If you can get into double figures, please tell me how!! :-D

I gather that LCT 7074 is the last D-Day landing craft left. Growing up in Crosby just north of the docks, I remember writing to the Merseyside Maritime Museum in the 1980s asking why they couldn't save it? Eventually, it was moved to the historic warship collection at Birkenhead but when that went under, the fleet once again became at risk. The U Boat (can't remember the number) ended up being cut up into sections and displayed at one of the Mersey Ferry Terminals, HMS Plymouth I gather is on the verge of being cut up and the Landfall, having just Googled, sank at her berth in 2010 but no idea what happened since. Yes the Vulcan team did it - but planes are sexy and have many busy-body RAF types to push for money and it's future. We seem to care little about our maritime heritage, although after Sunday's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, maybe we'll awaken from out slumber. Mind you, after the BBC's appaling coverage of the event, perhaps not.... http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/landfalls_sad_end.htm Cheers, Duncan.

Indeed - and you! Very tidy Gipsy fire engine that you have! Duncan.

Just not had time really... The rears were dirty from leaking hub seals, the front offside is a different colour as it was the spare and had been sat on the roof for 5 years! The previous tyre was too badly cracked do it was swapped after the brake work a couple of weeks back. The priority always was safety first then cosmetic so it will get done at some stage.....! Besides, I need to get some DBG first! Any further cosmetic work has been put back since it developed a rough running / charge-light on situation on the way back, which I suspect might be a poor earth from the voltage regulator. Fine when cold but gets worse as it warms up! So, once that's cured, maybe...... :-)

Well, I've got 326 back - and it looks amazing! The guys at Fire Engine Services have done a super job! It's like a new machine - cleanly pulling off from stand-still, not emitting massive clouds of smoke etc. Looks great too! In the end, they rebuilt the brakes and changed the fluid, re-covered the rear roof, re-painted the nose (wings and cheek panels), changed the clutch, cleaned and sprayed the underside and had a fiddle with the timing and mixture. Once that was done and I'd got it back home, I then set about polishing the new paintwork and t-cutting the rest of the bodywork before polishing. It took me 2 days but the results are decent I reckon. I used normal t-cut then a great polish from the USA Collinite No 476s Super Doublecoat. Goes on very easily with a damp cloth, polishes off with little hassle. Anyway, looks good - the shade has lightened (much closer now to the new paint) and the sheen is amazing! The polish says it lasts a year so......

The webpage for the archive services of the Motor Heritage Centyre at Gaydon is here: http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/store/heritage-certificates-and-archive-services/heritage-certificates.html You can order online with a chassis number, doesn't matter whether it's civvy or military. They traced the build date of my Series 3 109 ambulance with no dramas. Duncan.

Almost done - washed yesterday on the ramp prior to having the underside painted today: Duncan.

Well, the refurbishment of PGW 326 continues apace. I decided in the end that there were a few jobs that really needed doing sooner rather than later, either for safety reasons or before any further deterioration happened, and that were beyond me in terms of tools, time or good old fashioned competence!! So, I took it across to Fire Engine Services in Shropshire for them to have a look at: priority order was brakes - roof - running - re-paint of the front. Once it had arrived, they were as concerned as I was about the 'bucking' and bouncing in first and reverse gears, so they recommended checking the clutch before any damage was done to the rear diff or prop shafts. Sure enough, oil on the clutch, so that's been sorted. The brakes - good job they were checked! The front wheel cylinders were rusted and not operating, the rear n/s was leaking fluid onto the shoes and drum, meaning that the rear o/s was the only fully working brake! Still, all done now - cleaned, new front cylinders etc. The rear roof has been stripped and recovered - no rot present as I thought which was good news! Now, just for the repaint of the wings and cheek panels and a tweak of the mixture and timing. As they checked it over, interesting that they commented that given the wear and tear on the body and lockers, they wondered whether it had been a training vehicle at some stage! This, or a deployment somewhere, might account for the near 1,800 miles it accrued between 1992 and 1996. You can see the pictures of the progress on the Fire Engine Services Flickr stream. Can't wait to get it back! Should be much better to drive and should look much better, too. Just got to t-cut and polish the rest of the body now :eek:. Duncan. :-D

Yes, I think those 90s will be highly sought after in a few years! I assume they were pumas with the Ford engine? I might put the date in my calendar too..... I keep thinking I must do something with the lightweight really - it's just slowly rotting away in the garage, the brakes have seized and the tyres are flat etc. But, we've had it since it was cast in 1992 and it's sort of part of the family now! It's a 1983 / KB, started with the RCT then 40 and 42 Cdo. Still had the piece of wood across the front to stop the helicopter strops from chaffing the bonnet etc. 12v but with racking inside for clansman and wing mount for radio on the near-side. When we bought an ex-RAF 90 a good few years ago, we did try to sell it but no luck - was probably half-hearted really. Needs a lot of work doing to recommission and I haven't the time these days. We did get it back on the road about 5 years ago - bought a new hood, has all the brake lines replaced etc - but then it just went back in the garage. Maybe one day.... Duncan.

Yes, I bought it from Marple Road Garage in Stockport, Tim was the chap a dealt with - top chap! They had a neat link with Lex who were the lessors at the time and were based in Stockport. I remember him saying that he used to travel all round the place to RAF stations to collect them. They had a large batch of yellow 90s which all came to the end of their 5-year lease in mid-late 2008 with very, very low mileages in addition to a range of other civvy pattern 90s and 110s. Immaculate condition, under the bonnet was spotless - even when I sold it after 2 and a half years and 12,000 extra miles!! The bloke who bought it - in Bournemouth - couldn't believe his luck!! As I understand, they leased more yellow 90s to replace them but this time on 8-year leases, so keep your eyes open in 2016! Sadly, other parts of the RAF such as mountain rescue went away from Land Rovers. Problem was on long runs, the gearing was still wrong and it was just never relaxed! I did replace the 205 tyres with 750 Avon Rangemasters which were better, but it really needed an overdrive to cruise comfortably on long runs. I used to do runs from Stockport to Southampton and then Oakham to Southampton - the former near enough a 500 mile round trip and you'd arrive feeling battered! I loved it to bits and do miss it - it was cool as anything :cool:, but it was the right decision I'm afraid! I replaced it with a MG-ZT estate which is rapid and gets me there in next to no time, using two thirds of the fuel! It also leaves me more cash to spend on the 109 ambulance, the Green Goddess and maybe one day - the unmolested ex-RM / RCT lightweight in my parents garage..... Duncan.

Looks outstanding! Good to see it being cared for so well! My Green Goddess is currently away having some work done, so I can share the excitement of seeing them completed and ready to roll! I would be interested to see what your views are on 'handling and performance' given it's on 12.00 x 20 tyres. My GG is currently on the original 11.00 x 20 Avons which are fine but quickly ageing! Given they're old and like rocking horse poo to get hold of (and just as ancient if you can get them!), and there are plenty of these Goodyear G388s about given they're the current in-service tyre for the Bedford MK, it seems a logical move to me! Duncan.

Stunning machine! A great find! Reminds me of the yellow ex-RAF 90 that I sold nearly a year ago - owned by Lex but leased to the RAF, a civvy pattern TD5 90 SW. Lovely machine, just over 10,000 miles in the 5 years of service and virtually new when I got it! But just too slow and thirsty on long runs so, unusually, common sense got the better of me I'm afraid.... :cry: Duncan.

...I didn't get the Land Rover tyres I bid on despite the bid being higher than the winning price of 3 of the 4 lots of similar tyres in the last tender! Hey ho.... :embarrassed:

Not sure how the engines compare, however, I've just refilled the engine of my Bedford green goddess with Morris SAE 30 - a 1950s 6 cyl, 300 series petrol engine. Morris used to supply the emergency fire service green goddess fleet when they were in service as I understand, I emailed them and that's what they suggested for regular use (also suggesting engine storage oil for longer-term layup). http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scripts/prodview.asp?idcat=139&idProduct=165 Cheers, Duncan.

Thanks for the kind comments! Yes, she is in pretty good condition mainly as the previous owners after Withams kept her undercover! She was filthy when I sdaw her advertised on eBay and when i went to look, but underneath the grime lurked a diamond despite the sky-high mileage!! (There are seemingly few GGs with mileages anything like 5,000!) I think quite a few people bought GGs on a whim as the prices dropped away and then just stored them outside, where of course they rot pretty quickly, especially as the rear roofs which are only covered in lino are notorious for cracking and letting in water and the cab roofs leak as the vinyl deteriorates. She'll look even nicer when the re-chromed Bedford badge is back on :-D. Cheers, Duncan.

Well, finally got around to jet washing 326 yesterday afternoon - first time since I've owned her and quite probably for the first time in several years! The dirt fell away and has left quite a smart machine! So nice was the weather, added to the fact that the brakes weren't binding, I popped out for the first run in 4 months in the late afternoon spring sunshine. Roll on summer and a few shows!! A few pics below... I also have an 11.00 x 20 bargrip tyre and split rim available - currently advertised... http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?30049-11-00-x-20-Goodyear-bar-grip-tyre-amp-rim-Bedford-Green-Goddess-RL

A shame as it's a nice vehicle - I sat in it and had a look when I was down there, sadly I haven't got either the room or the cash (one RL green goddess is quite enough, thanks....). It was barn stored then the owner died recently if I recall, Brian then bought it to save it really. It is pretty complete and in good condition, except for the front wing which is easily replaced. Hope someone buys......

The Google Streetview cameras are mounted on a structure that sits on top of a normal car, often a a Vauxhall Astra in the UK, so they end up being about 10ft above ground level, with several cameras simultaneously filming different angles (this image grabbed from Wikipedia):

Well, a little bit of progress recently - I do keep the blog updated - http://pgw326.blogspot.com/ - but it's always useful to give a summary for those that graze here I guess!! The charging fault has been solved I think / hope - I managed to get hold one of the solid state voltage regulators that were procured for the entire fleet in 1999 but never fitted and then sold off along with all the spares and vehicles! Mine was intended for PGW 206, but looks pretty good on mine all the same! I haven't started it up yet since there is far more of the mounting studs showing than with the old CAV unit so I need some metal sleeving to anable the nuts to be done up - I did order some via eBay but it was 1mm too narrow. Still, I have had the ignition powered up and light come on, so hopefully it'll all work and the dynamo won't have lost polarity etc.... Still, I now have a spare of those too! Old CAV unit: New solid state unit: Power!! I also played around with the lights - got the rear blue light fixed (new bulb and took it apart to get the worm drive for the reflector going) and then discovered that the original AFS flashing oranges at the front still work too! I knew it was in pretty decent condition when I got it - it's been undercover since being sold at Withams - but I took off one of the rear hatch covers to see inside - looks and smells like new wood! I also managed to get some new period flat blade wipers from Transwipers, which look the part: The cab was also treated to a visit from the Dyson in Dec and given a wipe from top to bottom too! Next job - other than the roof which I might strip and get someone to re-cover for me - is to clean / degrease the underside and repaint in something suitable: At least it feel like progress - it's also off soon to a friendly local coach company who are going to check and re-furb the brakes as required.

Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)

Welcome! I've just taken the plunge (in the last month) and bought a Green Goddess though no plans to convert to diesel. Never had anything much bigger than Land Rovers really so all a voyage of discovery! I have started a thread on here which also links to my progress blog: http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?27424-PGW-326-Bedford-Green-Goddess Can I also recommend RSOLES - wealth of info on there and many that know more than me - mostly Green Goddess but a fair few ex-AFS RLs on there too..... http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rsoles/ Any queries - give me a shout or PM! Cheers, Duncan.