Tony B

Welcome along. Don't be afraid to post pictures of your models. What's your main intrest?

Tony the other truck i was considering was a leyland hippo - i must say a truck does has a certain presence on our cornish lanes! Has a presence? I'd have thought it dominates! :-D

The little lamp over the back axle. That's why the diff cover is painted white, it reflects when running on blackout lights.

Headcorns about 45 minutes, down near the Lasham Air Warfare musuem. Used to go there quite regularly so know it well. Thanks.

POOH to you! From 18th November this year no vehicle 'First used before 1960' will need an MOT in England! :-D I've got the new pipe on order should be here tomorrow. The only problem is the siteing of the brake master , right under the steering coloum! I have a set up devised to use the pressure bleeder, but it takes more time to get it attached than to do the job. What I've done on my 12 volt Dodge is used two strips of LED under the wings. They are cable tied to the support rib and wired to the side lights. You don't even know they are there. But when on they light up the wheel arches and show the true width of the vehicles.

My DVLA and MOT were quite happy with the copy of the Chrysler build sheet. The declared age was 1943, which is fact a year to early. Might be worth putting an official query in now. By the middle of next year DVLA will ahve fudged an answer.

Found this one two WC54s 'Somewhere in England'. Note the white blackout lines on the edge of wings and wheel arches. My paint brush will be out!

I've just taken my 54 in today for testing, no problem I had previously talked to local DVLA, they helped me with paperwork and told me go forth be happy and come back with MOT and insurance. I just went to my local Miltary sympathic place, Dakar at Swanley and booked it. One flexi hose needs replacement. The MOT also started the process to create a new VL5. My vehicle is only 2.6 ton so dosen't fall into any strange catergory. Though as all OFFICIAL channels still insist on using the word Ambulance, in that case a Class 4 would apply regardless of weight! Last one out shut off the light?

Just been down to Halford's for a couple of flexi hose clamps. I took the oppertunity to read the side of a tin of thier 20/50 Classic oil. It's described as a Traditional, Green Mineral oil. With added seal thickners, LOW DETERGENT, with a thicker viscosity. Formulated for 60' 70' 80's engines. I'm old enough to remember when the black and white 405 line ITV had adverts for the first Q20/50 oils, it was toted as the greatest thing since cars began.

The wording is ' First used prior'. So I suppose if you build a complete vehicle from NOS parts, it was not First used ' prior to 1960. I had a copy of the build card and the vehicle had been previously on UK reg. So the little box was quite happy. An import that was registered some where else shouldn't have any more than the usual hurdles. As the intial MOT on re registry starts the process of the new VL5 I should think it must still contnue. Going to be a right mare's nest. By the by, I also noticed a newly instaled test rig for trailer connectors.

Whatever story will be a long one. Welcome to the home of sympathtic ears, and hysterical laughter.

We help each other mate! :-D

I took Katy my 54 for MOT test. Despite the brakes being more than adequate for the rolling Road, one of the front flexi pipes had been nipped by the steering stop. This particular hose has been a pain, but if you're replacing or move a flexi hose on the front, be careful about the routing that it has the room not to catch. Everything else passed no problem. One oddity on Front position lights, sidelights to the rest of us. Post 1935 a vehicle does need them, showing steady white light to front. Now Katy hasn't got any conventional lside lights! They are also supposed to work off the same switch as the headlights, which is a complication on a 54. The front black out lights worked so that was fine, but I'm going to fit another set, probably small LED to the outer extremities for saftey sake.

Took Katy for her MOT today, found one of the flexi hoses had been nipped by the sterring stop, so have to change that. But as the MOT trst also started the creation of a new log book, every detail had to be entered. The official MOT log on test screen, came up with the information 'From 18th November 2012, no vehicles first used before 1960 will require an MOT. So if the test staions are getting that it must be happening!

And you get given the bird! Normally very dirty. :-D (The things we do on a wet morning for amusment)

I've just had a pair of ww1 binoculars repaired and serviced by this place. http://www.opticalrepairs.com/ Very nice job.

Having just has a quick nose around net. Suggests the cartridges may be of pre war manufactuer. There are a lot of specialist forums out there, good luck on finding out.

Would make a nice target though. :-D Enemy equipment was taken on tour as a fund rasier.

You know you can get done for pouring oil on troubled waters? :-D

Are those boxes standard ISO? Ideal for the back of a MJ.

This is of the Halford's site, so obvously company propoganda, I'll get details off the tin, if I can find the thing when I'm lookinging for it! Tomorrow. http://reviews.halfords.com/4028/537977/reviews.htm

Been doing the research for the story bosrd on the boxes. RED CROSS BOXES At 05:30 on the morning of Monday 1st July 1940 a German aircraft dropped a note at Jersey Airport. The note demanded the immediate surrender of the Island, as the Island had no defences and had been bombed previously the Bailiff (Head of the local government) Coutanche had no choice but to comply. For almost five years until the very last day of the Second World War, the Channel Islands remained under Occupation. Being only Nine miles long by Five miles wide, Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, like the sister island of Gurneresey had never been self sufficient. Large quantities of essential supplies were imported from England. Over the years of Occupation the population was increased by an Occupying force peaking at about 35, 000. With supplies from England cut off, some supplies were imported from France, itself suffering shortages due occupation. What shipping that was available was under German control, and was mainly used for military supplies, this plus the attacks on convoys by Allied naval and air forces led to a critical supply situation, especially for the civilian population. Matters became extreme following D-Day when the Islands faced nothing less than a total blockade. Despite this Hitler issued orders that the Island’s were not to be given up, and that defences should be strengthened By the middle of July the German Navy considered that the they could no longer supply the Islands, and it was suggested that civilians be forcibly removed from the Island. Hitler reserved this decision to himself and prevaricated. On the 10th August 1944 German High Command, the OKW issued orders that the commanders of the forces in the Island’s should guarantee their survival as long as possible, by strict rationing and the cutting down of supplies to civilians, men woman and children. By the 8th September the situation had deteriorated even further, the Islands had estimated forty five days minimum rations. This did not include medicines and there was also a severe shortage of fuel to cook any food available. As it was considered no longer possible to remove the civilian population by German shipping a proposal was made that a message was passed through the Protecting Power, in this case the Swiss government, to the British Government that they should supply shipping to evacuate the population. This was put to Hitler on the 18th September and he, reluctantly, agreed to contact being made. On the 19th September the German Foreign ministry asked that Britain be informed ‘On the former (My Italics) British Channel Islands supplies for the civilian population are exhausted’. The German’s were willing that all except men fit to bear arms should be evacuated; or to allow food to be imported. No British ministry objected, and planned that food should be sent rather than evacuation. Neither were there objections from the Military who considered the Garrison to be a spent force. The matter was placed before Winston Churchill, his reply was ‘Let them starve. No fighting. They can rot at leisure’. When the War Cabinet next met Churchill said that the reply to the German Government must be that as long as they remained in Occupation they were responsible for feeding the people. Following this reply the German government contacted the Island Commandant Von Schmettow for information concerning the food situation and the total number on the Islands. On the 2nd October he replied that the Islands had 28,500 troops 12,000 on Jersey 13,000 on Guernsey and 3,500 on Alderney. There were 62,000 civilians, 39,000 on Jersey and 23,000 on Guernsey. Food would last till the end of January 1945, with shortages starting to occur immediately. Medicines were finished; evacuation was out of the question. There followed weeks of legal political wrangling between the British Government, the German government, the American Congress and the Protecting Power over whose responsibility under the Hague Convention it was to keep the civilians alive. By the 7th November the Bailiff’s of the two main Islands, Carey for Guernsey and Coutanche for Jersey were allowed to contact the Protecting Power directly and appeal for aid. Grudgingly Churchill gave consent for the International Red Cross to supply food parcels and essential medicines to the Islands. To this end the Rd Cross chartered a Portuguese vessel the SS. Vega to deliver supplies. On Friday 8th December 1944 Coutanche announced in the local paper The Jersey Evening Post-‘I am officially informed by the German Authorities that a Red Cross ship was, weather permitting, due to leave Lisbon on the Thursday December 7th for the Channel Islands. The ship will call at Gurneresey first, enroute to Jersey’. The SS Vega did not leave until the 20th December arriving at Guernsey on the 27th and Jersey on the 31st. Her cargo consisted of 119,792 standard food parcels, 108,592 from Canada and 11,200 from New Zealand. There were an additional 4,200 Diet Supplement boxes from British Sources. 5.2 tons of salt 4 tons of soap, 96,000 cigarettes (Tobacco was found to quell hunger pangs) 37 cwt (1,850kgs) of medical and surgical supplies and a small amount of clothing for children and babies. There after the ship made a further five visits the last being on the 31st May 1945. The typical contents of the parcels were: Canadian 5 oz Chocolate -12 oz Biscuits- 3oz Sardines-16 oz Milk Powder- 6 oz Prunes- 12 oz Corned Beef- 7 oz Raisins – 8 oz Sugar -4 oz Tea- 4 oz Cheese- 16 oz Marmalade- 16 oz Butter- 10 oz Spam- 3 oz Soap- 1 oz Salt and Pepper. The New Zealand parcels contained. 4 oz Tea- 16 oz Corned Mutton- 12 oz Lamb and Green Peas- 6 oz Chocolate- 16 oz Butter- 16 oz Coffee and Milk- 6 oz Sugar- 7 oz Peas- 14 oz Jam- 16 oz Honey- 12 oz Cheese- 6 oz Raisins. The parcels were issued through the local St John’s Ambulance Brigades at the rate of one per person per month.

Ah the joys of an English summer! I was on Skype to friend in New Zealand yesterday, she has similar weather and tempratures at the moment, but they are at mid winter!

The tin is up the yard somewhere, I'll take a picture of it and post the details. The T-214 engine runs quite happily on it. I'm also still trrying to track down a local supplier for Morris straight gear oil though.

I think it must be a bommerang then! At 4:30 this morning it was schything it down!.