Richard Farrant

Roger, I have an army parts list for 1950's Q4 with ohv engine and cylinder head gasket is P80923. The book covers the following chassis numbers; 38A0001 to 38A3499 and 38A5000 to 38A5200 regards, Richard

Saracen !

A lot of the WW2 British military vehicles were Negative earth and used a common type of CAV control box and dynamo, Austin, Bedford, British build Ford WO types and so on. Oddly all the Austin civilian type lorries during the war, inc those made for the NFS and Civil Defence were positive earth, while the military ones were negative.

At that time all UK based vehicles were in constant use for training, major exercises and so on. I recall an instance in the late 70's of a Stalwart Mk2 belonging to a Royal Engineers unit, awaiting stores (spare parts) to repair it and it stood for so long that the unit sent a birthday card to the REME workshops after 12 months. When stores were ordered you would sometimes get a return note with a 'dues in' date which might be over a year away, this is where they were awaiting new parts to be made and delivered, then a week later the part would arrive with a packing date of some years earlier! This did not help getting vehicles back into service and very frustrating.

PM sent re. this advert

Hi Steve, If you can borrow a Neway seat cutter, they are adjustable and make a nice cut, don't forget to check the seat angle that you need. Here is a link so you can see what they are like. I have used these a lot in the past and very impressed with them. http://www.fondera.co.uk/neway-range-of-valve-seat-cutters.html regards, Richard

Hi Mark, Have you seen this website from a dealer in Austria who lists a NOS one,, no rings or gudgeon pin though. https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjYpcvE74_5AhXHVMAKHW4YB8IQFnoECAsQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vintage-motorcycle.com%2Fen%2Fparts%2Fnorton-pistons-nos%2Fnorton-piston-nos-1931-9-633-cc-40-0&usg=AOvVaw1undPxz8lbPQCEBRJj1QZD

Hi John, I remember the 4.236 engine was fitted to the Massey Ferguson 175 tractor of the late 1960's. of course, it was a 12 volt system. Companies like Agriline sell new starters for around £300 for these tractors. It would not be a big problem to convert the Eager Beaver to 12v if it made it easier to keep the machine going at a lower cost. Of course you would need to double check the flywheel teeth are same number, etc. Just a thought! Richard

Hi Ian, if the pinion teeth are badly worn and this has happened before, it may be wise to inspect the flywheel teeth as they could be damaged. If you are looking through the hole where starter fits, go all the way around as engines sometimes tend to stop in one or to places so damage may be local.

Hi John it is many years ago since I was working on Mk1 Militants but by recollection was that the rod had a flange on the gear stick end with 3 bolts in it, the holes were slotted and you had to hold the lever in a particular gear position before tightening bolts. I had a feeling that it was accessible down the side of the engine bay. Forgive me if I am wrong as this was around 45 years ago !

Not a photo, but an illustration from the manual. regards, Richard

Agreed Terry. I went on Saturday and it was good to meet old friends from MVT and IMPS clubs. The event was like a step back in time to how the shows and rallies were 25 years ago, the good old days! I had not been before and well worth the visit. Judging by the size of the car park it was extremely well attended. Well done to the organisers.

The S type, 4x2 was discontinued around 1959-60 when the TK was introduced, but the R type 4x4 continued in production to around 1969. The R type 4x4 was available on the civilian market during all this time so unlikely this is a S type converted to 4x4 if it is an early Sixties model.

Yes, after replying I had a feeling I had come across 7FW codes on parts when overhauling Leyland DROPS.

7FW was an AEC part number

Look like ones on rear corners of jeep bodies.

Having looked at Merlin archives in the past for various other vehicles, I am pretty sure where there is an entry at the bottom stating 'Date Not Recorded' this is the first holding unit and it would been in a period well before the Merlin system was introduced. Merlin does not always give a full history if the vehicle had been in service for a long time.

Looking at the label, it indicates that the drum is for a trailer, 7TR code. Also not sure whether the Leyland 4 tonners had FV numbers allocated to their parts.

I recognise that T16 Carrier. It was restored localy (Kent) and I rode in it briefly when it won and award at an event.

I would say it is possibly for a GMC 270 engine and is an exhaust valve

4.5 in. equates to 115mm and the T62 tank uses this calibre, looks very similar.

The tanker is featured on the front page of the June issue of Classic & Vintage Commercials with a 6 page article. Just picked it up today and yet to read it.

I value my complete collection of W&T as excellent reference material, far better than the more recent magazines on the subject. Bart was an authority and I guess nothing would pass him as editor if he thought it incorrect.

Hi John, I agree with you. I think the organiser needs to realise there are two types of Exhibitors at this show, those with trade stands, who pay to be there, and (hopefully) get income from sales to cover their costs. The other group of Exhibitors is people like us, who have to pay a fee to display, but get bugger all in return. Having been going since the start when it was the IMPS annual military vehicle gathering, it seems to me that the event is heading in another direction and our MV's are no longer needed in big numbers. I know a lot of people from across the world who come to see what is/was the largest gathering of historic military vehicles on Earth and that draw is now being lost.

They look like parts from a Corgi, the engine has Brockhouse on the plate so that and the wheels shows it not to be a Welbike.