Richard Farrant

Maybe they were part of Flight 19 and have just found their way out of the Bermuda Triangle :rofl:

This is a very early one, check out cab roof and front mudguards. I remember meeting the owner Normandy in 2004.

Of course it could just have been the red painted section of rope to warn you to stop paying out, last few turns on the drum :-D

Not sure whether this point has been made so far, regarding KERR ropes. They have a very limited life, the army procedures are to inspect it after every recovery operation, and on the regular equipment inspections. Due to the heat generated on a pull, the strands can fuse together, if this occurs, they should be scrapped. It is quite possible that some of these ropes that come on the market as used surplus, are failed ropes. The test is to lift the strands away from the rope, but if fused to the next one, scrap it!

I am pretty sure it was about that time, that 2 Comd Wksp was located in Mombasa, Kenya.

:-D :-D well spotted, Mike :thumbsup:

Hi Mike, I agree totally, re. bolt heads and Unified or Metric used on older vehicles, they stand out a mile, but BSW against Whit are not quite so bad and at least it keeps the thread form to a standard. On my restorations, I endeavour to keep to BSF or what ever it might be on the particular vehicle, but things like wartime Bedfords and British Fords can be a bit of a mongrel when you look at them, bodywork predominatly Whit, whilst NF and NC on chassis and running gear. Coming on later, the Land Rover 90/110 was still using BSF threads in the axles, Unified threads in engine, etc., and Metric elsewhere. Your comments on spanner sizes is true, the amount of people who think, for example, a 1/2" A/F spanner means that the thread is 1/2" . But.......what is more infuriating is not using the correct spanner for the nut or bolt. I have observed many using Metric or A/F on Whit, BSW or BSF and not even having the correct spanners for their vehicle :shake: :nono: no wonder the corners are always rounded off :-(

Mike, Not the same ?.........only in the head size, everything else is the same, pitch, angle, thread form. The term BSW was introduced in the mid Fifties, but for someone who is not brought up with all this, it is easier to call it BSW, so they can find data, threadcutting tools, etc. My father was in engineering from start of WW2 and he told me that the heads were reduced to save on materials, early in the war, even then they are larger than equivalent Unified bolts.

Dave, Will PM you..............do not want to be guilty of deviating from a thread, a court martial offence :shake:

I was going to reply to this one yesterday. The rear body work is more than likely to have Whitworth ( BSW ) bolts in it as that was the standard thread for coachbolts in those days. But..........when you come to the chassis, engine and mechanicals, you will find the threads are American National Fine and National Coarse.

Hi Tony, Not seen that article, but just had a quick look at Bart's book on postwar military vehicles and he does remark about Ford/AWD conversions being made for military market for export. There is a Trader 75 /AWD 3 ton truck shown in service with South African forces, apparntly also used by Egypt and Indonesia.

Thames was Ford, it was just a name given to their British made commercial range, earlier they used the Fordson name.

HIAB cranes were not fitted to the Army MK trucks, they were Atlas. You are on my subject here as I used to repair and test cranes and winches for the Army.

Hiab crane

Other way around I think and air cleaner usually has engine oil in it

Clive, Just a thought, are you charging these batteries as a pair, ie 24v, or singly? Might only be one battery that is causing the problem. Another thing that I have often come across, go to charge a discharged battery and no charge will register on the charger's ammeter. Try the starter switch and the load will sometimes stir something in the plates and it will then begrudgingly start to charge, getting better all the time. As yours are probably as flat as a witches t*t, this might not work.

Clive, Funny you should say that. I once heard a guy on an Australian radio station, he had a regular spot, something like Hints and tips from a Bush Mechanic. This time he was saying how to bring a dead battery back to life, he used a tablet that any household would keep, but I cannot recollect if it was Aspirin or Alka Selzer, maybe the latter as that would fizz up and perhaps desulphate the plates.

The 4x4 Trader in the advert could be an "All Wheel Drive" conversion, there is a similar one in preservation in East Kent. Do not recollect the British Army ever having them though, unless it was trialled.

Rick, I have been getting 14 mpg with my Bedford QL on a similar sized engine. Am I correct in thinking the air cleaner is in the cab, with a hose to the carb? Check that the inside of the hose is not collapsing, I have seen the inside layer seperate and be sucked in, not visible from outside of hose. re. your red light........have you checked to see if your bulb has not blown?

Clive, I recollect Mr. Goodman had one of the first Saracens on the rally scene, a GPO version. Just looked through my photos and found the Saracen, lurking behind it is this same Humber, photo taken at MVCG Knebworth Park D-Day rally in 1983. I recollect the owner came from Cambridgeshire. My photo is of little use as it shows no more than the one you have.

Rick, The supplier I use, deals with HMG Corrofast paint. The type that I get is their C71 Speedline which is like the old coach paints of days gone by. They have two large colour charts, one in BS colours, the other in RAL colours. Go to www.hmgcoatings.com and check out their product details for C71 Speedline, you will see it is available in RAL colours. If you need it matt or semi-matt, you will have to enquire because these are usually gloss.

Rick, You are in the motor trade, there are always local paint suppliers about who mix colours for bodyshops and garages. Ask for synthetic paint, with your RAL number and specify if gloss, semi-matt, etc. My local one, mixes a litre for £10, which is about the going rate.

Bedford did not specify a particular type or grade, but I have used a military supplied graphite in the past, which was like a grey paste, came in tubes, also used for the rear main seals on Bedfords.

Is that the The Stig in the centre ?