mtskull

If you do find a source of locker door hinges, I would also be very glad to know where.

The word is a tad overused these days but, that is awesome! (The tank doesn't look too shabby, either).

Rick, is this the same photo that you have? They look like Neptunes for sure. The location is obvious on Google maps but nonetheless pretty safe from casual looters, I suspect. With nine to choose from and with them having been in fresh, rather than salt water, there ought to be plenty of engine spares for the Covenanter, plus a few Neptune restoration projects left over...... You're going to be busy!

Hi Richard, The carb number is UE 481. I have checked the main jets that were originally fitted in the carb when I first worked on it; they are numbered 130, which corresponds with the ones fitted to our other B80, so maybe there's still an air leak whick I have yet to find.... Andy

In my own humble opinion, I.think you are quite right to not give up on this engine; it is astonishing what can be achieved these days, in terms of recovering and remanufacturing parts. That said, should you be resourceful enough to find a nice NOS engine in a crate somewhere, then it would be silly not to....

Wow! It must be very exciting to find everything so complete and in such good condition, Rick. What next? -strip out and chuck everything into an industrial sized tub of molasses?

Richard, Thank you. It is very interesting to know what the engine was originally intended for. In common with the previous problem which you helped me with, I am being asked to sort issues arising from various other people's efforts, with very little record of what work has been carried out before. I was assuming that: a) The carburettor was the same one that was installed on the old engine and b) that it had actually run satisfactorily before. I cannot be certain that this is the case. The auto choke is currently disconnected; I was working it manually to get it started but the engine had certainly been well warmed up; 170 Farenheit on the gauge and the choke actuating thermostat had moved to the fully hot position. I don't propose to leave the B81 jets in that carb permanently but the improvement that they made suggests that something was very wrong with the jetting before. I'll have a look for the letters you mentioned and also find out the jet sizes that have been/are presently fitted. Andy

Another B80 query: Can anybody tell me what the differences are between the civilianand military spec. B80? The reason I ask is because I have been working on a military B80 (No. 1 Mk 5P) which has been installed in place of a civilian one (Mk 50M), which, I am told, ran OK but was getting tired. The replacement engine was bought direct from the MOD; we are using the military ignition system and the carburettor from the old engine. This carb has been stripped & cleaned, diaphragms inspected and OK; altitude control correctly set. With this carb installed, the military engine started readily and idled OK but was clearly running weak when trying to rev; it would accelerate but hesitantly and with a lot of backfiring. When I partially closed the automatic choke by hand, it would rev up and run smoothly. I have checked for air leaks etc. and found none. In desperation, I swapped the main jets for a pair from a B81 carb and guess what? -it now runs absolutely perfectly but I am a little concerned that I might simply have masked another problem. Is there a reason why a military engine would be jetted differently from a civilian one? One possibility that occurred to me is that at some time in the past the carburettor might have been replaced with one from a B60. I'll have to go back with a magnifying glass to find out what jet sizes we are using but in the meantime can anyone tell me what the appropriate main jet sizes are for B60/80/81? Any other suggestions or info welcome.

Without going into the merits or otherwise of the ban, it is important to remember that it is the sale of new petrol & diesel vehicles that is going to be banned, not their use. According to some industry analysts, by 2032 hybrid and electric technology will be so advanced that there won't be any demand for pure internal combustion engined vehicles anyway. Typical politicians: decreeing something that is going to happen anyway, to make themselves look good.....

Another example of the amazing Gosling painstaking attention to detail, where lesser men would have just used a longer, flexible hose. Gentlemen, I take my hat off to you.

Nice. Do you know what units the display is using, e.g. Lb/ft or Nm?

What a superb photo! Thanks for sharing.

Certainly the photo is post war; as for the car, it looks to me like a part-completed, fairly crude attempt at building a streamlined body on a pre-war chassis. From what can be seen of the original body, there are points of similarity with the Fiat 508 Balilla Sport but I doubt whether even an afficionado of the marque could say for certain.

Thanks again for all the input. Re. Plating, tax and MOT exemptions, that is somebody else's business and, whilst I have done some research of my own and drawn my own conclusions, I don't think it appropriate to open that particular can of worms on this forum. Suffice to say that, while there may be potential ways in which I might legally drive some of the later appliances on just my C1 licence, I won't be driving anything post 1960 unless I see a very official document stating that I am entitled to.

Surely the inclusion of holes is purely a function of the need to get a spanner on the heads of the bolts which hold the flexible coupling to the gearbox output spider? As in the case of the hood frame stays, I think I would have fabricated this component but maybe that is simply because pattern making isn't part of my skillset and I don't have a friendly local foundry. Neither, for that matter, do I possess the legendary Gosling eye for authenticity and detail which makes following this thread so fascinating.

Leaving aside the specifics of the task being carried out when the accident happened, it is a good idea to raise awareness of the potential for Hydraulic Injection Injury. No doubt there are plenty of MV's and associated vehicles which use hydraulic systems, not to mention the equipment used in restoration and maintenance. Try Googling "Hydraulic Injection Injury" if you have a strong stomach...:wow:

Thanks for that, chaps! Pretty much what I suspected but good to have it confirmed.

With pleasure. There are a number of battlefield maps available but as this is a contemporary military map I consider that it is most likely to be definitive. BTW, I just spotted a further clue: a stream crossing the road in exactly the right spot to explain the Bailey bridge in photo 3.

Thank you for your kind comments. I have found another photo on the web, which just about ties everything up. We've come a long way, so to recap, I will refer to the IWM colour photos thus: 3 POWs photo 1; Shell crater & soldier photo 2; Sherman & Bailey bridge photo 3. Points of evidence: 1) The IWM caption for Photo 1 refers to the POW's walking along Route 6. Having looked at some battlefield maps, it is clear that this corresponds with the present day Corsa della Repubblica, also known as Via Casalita. 2) The same ruined building is visible in photo's 2 & 3 and, I believe in photo 1. Everything in all 3 photos, from the tree-lined road to the relative positions of the mountains, is consistent with them being taken in the same vicinity. 3) The same ruined building can be seen in the B & W aerial photo of the destruction (see previous post). The substantial construction and large vaulted arch visible in the ruined interior, suggest a church. The building also appears to have been set back slightly and at an angle to, the adjacent road. 4) In the photo of post war reconstruction (see previous post) there can be seen a ruin with points of similarity to the aforementioned building, location as described. 5) Here's an aerial reconnaissance photo taken shortly before the major destruction took place. It shows a church in the correct location on Route 6, set back and at an angle to, the road. The road is lined with trees to the south of this location. Comparison with the photo of the ruins shows surviving buildings that are consistent with this being the location. I am convinced that this church is the ruin which can be seen in photos 1, 2 and 3; this would place their location at the bottom right corner of this photo, i.e. within a few metres of the present day junction of Corsa della Repubblica and Via Bari. I would just like to emphasise that, while I am as sure as I can be, my conclusions are not set in stone; there is always room for another pair of eyes to look at, or another mind to consider, or another photo to add to the evidence.

I've been doing a little more digging, using the ruined building in the background as a clue. I think it is the same building as in these three photos (not easy to see in the third, postwar reconstruction photo and the view is in the opposite direction), and that it stood on the corner of Via Gabriele D'Annunzio and Corsa della Repubblica. There appears to be some kind of memorial garden on the site now but I haven't been able to ascertain exact details. If I am correct, that would pinpoint the locations of the photos very accurately. Now, who can identify the somewhat worse for wear sports car in the second photo?

That photo has been "flipped". Here it is in the correct orientation, along with the other two for reference. The view in the original POW photo is looking West, so North would be to the right. The relative positions of the mountains and the ruined building in the background surely place all three photos in close proximity to each other (I have just spotted something: might that be the same knocked-out Sherman visible to the right of the Valentine?) As to the present day location, I must confess that I had missed the reference to Route 6; there's a complication in that, in addition to the possibility that the rebuilt road might not follow the exact line of the original, in present day Cassino two streets are designated as route 6; one is Corso della Repubblica (as seen in my first Street View photo) and the other is Via Enrico Nicola, which isn't far away and is pictured below. Surely the location is somewhere in this area? Reading an account of the battle, there are references to Valentine bridgelayers being used to bridge a variety of obstacles, such as shell craters in roads etc. so IMHO there isn't much we can deduce about the location simply from the presence of the Valentine.

OK, not military but I'm sure the expertise exists on this forum. I'm currently helping to maintain and troubleshoot some old Dennis fire engines (an F24, F27, F45 and a pair of F46's, for those who are familiar with these things). Obviously, it would be advantageous for me to be able to carry out road tests from time to time. I don't know the Max Authorised Mass of any of these but they are pretty hefty machines so I am certain that they come in at over 7500kg. I have the C1 entitlement on my licence. As I understand it, I can drive the F24 & F27 under the "pre-1960 unladen" exemption, but not the others as they are all circa 1970. My main queries are: What constitutes "unladen" with regard to a fire engine? I wouldn't be carrying water but would it be necessary to remove ladders, equipment etc. as well, in order to comply? Would a class C licence be required regardless of the vehicle's age if it were being used for business? (these are often hired out for film & TV work). Does any special exemption apply to fire appliances, or are the driver's licensing requirements the same as for any goods vehicle? Thanks, Andy

Agreed, it is difficult with all the modern buildings in the way but we are definitely in the right area of town; your location looks pretty accurate. We're only a couple of hundred metres apart......

Because I just can't leave these things alone, I have been searching Google Street View and I believe that the photo was taken in the approximate vicinity of the Church of St Antonio, on what is now Corso della Repubblica.

The colour photo is from the Imperial War Museum collection. The IWM reference is TR1797. http://media.iwm.org.uk/ciim5/32/302/large_000000.jpg