Richard Farrant

Simon, I heard that Frank had packed up the paint business, but from what you are saying it sounds like it is still running? I was sceptical of Frank's labelling of Service Brown/Canadian Brown being the same colour, the colour cards were a bit small to get the feel of the colour, so I bought a can but it was quite obvious it was not right. As for your bad experience with another , they have a different paint manufacturer now, the company they got to do mine was HMG ( a well known major producer), and I have to say it is an excellent paint and covers well. It is not as dark as ammo boxes (Service Brown). regards, Richard

Hi Ivor, I get that problem as well and only on HMVF, no other forums, if you go to the top left of your new message page there is an A/A symbol (Switch editor to WYSIWYG), click on that and all will be back to normal, but you have to do it for each message. regards, Richard

Hi Simon, I had the same dilemma and tried various suppliers and spoke to other restorers who had done vehicles in that colour. I had only found minute chips on the vehicle not enough for a match, but a good few years back was given some pannier frames from an Enfield that an old boy bought after the war, I sold them on, at the time not thinking about the paint sample but in my mind I knew what looked right. I bought a tin of "Service Brown " from Frank, but it was more of a green. Then a breakthrough, I was dismantling a 1942 armoured car and a large support bracket inside that possibly had not seen the light of day since it was built, had SCC No2 Brown, it had been covered so not faded. RR Services sent it to one of the major paint manufacturers and got a match, they have the spec with my name against it. If you are going to W&P I will try and remember to take a sample with me, but no promises as I am apt to forget, too many things to think of. Where are you located? regards, Richard

OMD80 is nor more an SAE80 than OMD75 was SAE75 ........... it is a military designation and does not relate to viscosity, they are both 10w/30 engine oils and as improved to later specs then the number changed ...... OMD75 to 80 to 80X and now it looks like the latest is OMD90.

Is it what they called a "Desert Rose"? (think that was the term) ........ a urinal

alright then, one more stab before I turn off ................ anyone to use them .. if they are desperate :-D :sleep:

While working for the MoD from early 70's, there were the odd few QL's still in service and like a lot of old stagers, they were not the common GS vehicles but specialised bodied ones and the QL's were mostly QLR, but not normally in Radio format, one I remember coming in for repair was the Commanding Officers caravan from an Engineer Regt. The Hippos suddenly appeared having come out of storage, to supplement the 10 tonner fleet whilst waiting for the Foden 8x4 to come into service. The nearby TMP had a load of them and we saw them in workshops regularly until the spares dried up. I think they might have come from the Antwerp Vehicle Depot. I would very much doubt the QL artic survived long after the war, never see many photos of them.

Officers only?

Hi John, Lubricant grades are normally only listed in Maintenance Schedules, in this case for a RB44, you need AESP 2320-E-200-601 and it lists OEP220 for the gearbox, which is 80w/90 gear oil. The transfer box uses OMD90, which I believe is the latest version of engine oil, perhaps someone can confirm this one.

oh no, I was joking then ........ you mean its true? Yellow and white seem unlikely colours to indicate a nasty surprise if you dug a hole there. Ah, just seen your edit ..............I was not correct then. Is it for Women to use?

OK, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em ............. is it a sign to indicated a latrine had already been dug at this particular location?

Why do all the Mystery Objects always end up with latrine suggestions ? :-D

From evidence early in this thread this particular tank went up for tender at Ludgershall 21 years ago, so how can any profits go back to the army, it is the present owner who gets that. This is business, they have had to store it all those years and keeping back a good one to put out on the market years on is what it is all about.

Just noticed, not directly to do with vehicles, so not convoy plate, then it must be one of those stores marks again, for printing and stationary stores

It cannot be this easy ......... will try the convoy marker plate fitted under the rear of lorries, same as bridge plate on white. No I did not expect that to be the answer

I was going to guess it was a shipping marking for Commercial Cargo on a government account, but think I am probably way off the mark, it is probably the national flag of some obscure Japanese colony

:embarrassed: can't keep this up. Thanks Clive, I mixed my light and dark blues up, hence the second guess.

RASC Stores

Looks like a stores distinguishing mark for RAOC AOD Stores - to be moved by road or rail within a theatre of war.

So long as they are not any of those from the dark ages, too far back for me to remember 1966, that fits as that International entered service in 1964.

Thanks Clive ........... looks like I am on a roll again

Hi Joe, British Army used Champion J8, you could use J8C now (copper core)

Clive, I think one of the Saracens had 12.00 or possibly larger, tyres on it and the test was to see how much pulling power they had in heavy conditions. The International Dump truck, which is actually known as a No.1, Mk3 (ACCO not being an official army title) was probably dragged as a dead weight with wheels locked and the bicycle wheel was to measure speed as the Saracen speedo would not be accurate due to wheel slip.

Is the wheel driving a pump?

The only clue I can see is that the device is mounted on an Australian Army International 2.5 ton 4x4 truck