Simon Daymond

yep, makes me want to go next year :-)

can you knock a flat screwdriver between the spacer and the end of the drum, and then spin the drum, removing the screwdriver and re-inserting, to work it loose? Looks like it might just be made up with paint. Sorry don't know much about these, but if it's just a spacer ring slipped over the wheel studs, it should pry loose (hopefully) Take time, few cups of tea etc :-) Failing that, are you sure the drum comes off seperately from the hub, it might be that you have to take the lot of? Clutching at straws though, honest answer is I don't know, but in situations like this, I try to take my time, and reduce the risk of any unforseen damage!

next you'll be telling me there's no such thing as Father Christmas :-o

then I'll have two :-) I've considered it, perhaps if the one I had was finished.

I've been watching this on ebay, seems all together, but it's too far away for me to go and look at. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AEC-MILITANT-1958-GOOD-TIDY-RESTORATION-PROJECT_W0QQitemZ110148758441QQihZ001QQcategoryZ122307QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

could you set a paypal account up for this, or similar? I donate to the RBL, but would be happy to chip in towards the actual wreath(s) as well.

but why would the passenger want a steering wheel? :dunno: Welcome Kim, perhaps one day I'll show you a proper truck; AEC Militant :-)

If he needs counselling, I'll chip in a few quid.

ok, how did the tank end up in the stream? :whistle: Bet there were a few red faces there.

couldn't you just tow it away? and leave behind a pile of scrap metal, some piles of rotten wood and four tyres, surely they'd never know :whistle: Seems such a shame.

one thing I tried once, was to get a sign shop to do me a stencil, I stuck it on, and painted the letters with flat brush, it looked almost signwritten, particularly when I retouched it after removing the vinyl, so that the edges weren't all perfectly straight.

can't we give the dancing girls an extra fiver to help out? :dunno:

Are those top shelf movies? :oops:

sign of a good painter, getting engrossed in his work. :-D I once tipped tipped a paint kettle of red paint down my front when it tipped of some step ladders, had a red streak from the front of my head right down to my boots. Lass in the office thought I'd been attacked! :-D

does anyone know why my gun tractor has a small square brass plate with pressed letter 'T' on it, fastened to the rear wooden body? Also, it might be related, but probably not, why do all my tyres have a small white 'T' stamped on them? Just wondering :dunno:

last landrover I painted, I took all the removable panels off, i.e. wings doors, bonnet etc, and stripped them on a bench, which was easier on the old back. Also, as the work was in small chunks, I felt I was getting somewhere as the pile of completed sections slowly built up. You'll probably find that if she is badly painted, then they'll have been little or no rubbing down between coats, which is good news, as the paint is unlikely to have stuck that well, also, you'll find that some areas are worse than others, particularly flat areas where the paint will have literally been ladled on, but other areas such as body sides should have less paint, as it would have run everywhere if painted too thickly. That said, it is a bit of a of a pain, but just think of the warm feeling you'll get when its' finished, or perhaps that'll just be the after effects of the stripper on your hands etc !? :dunno:

If it's on aluminium I doubt you'll be able to use heat, as it will warp the panels. You can't get it blasted, as it'll mark the panels as well, I'm afraid it's paint stripper, and plenty of it. Please don't go to B&Q, find a good decorators merchant, bulk is usually cheaper, say a 5 litre tin. I first get as much loose paint of as possible with a stiff wire brush and a scraper, but go carefully otherwise you'll scratch the panel, unless the paint really is thick. Then with the scraper, criss cross the panel you want to strip, taking care not to go to deep and damage the metal work, then liberally apply your stripper using an old brush, leave until it blisters then scrape off the layer, keep going till you reach bare metal, or until your arm drops off. ;-) If you get down to the bare metal, take the last remnants off using wire wool and stripper, wear gloves as stripper does tend to sting a bit, and good ventilation should observed as well, unless you want a good excuse not to finish the job , and spend some time in hospital instead. If you are decided you want to remove all the paint, then stripper is really the only way, don't be tempted to dry sand it, as it can leave mapping marks on the panel, which you'll only notice when you come to repaint. Landrovers should be easy, as long as you do a section at a time, you shouldn't get overfaced with it, that said, I don't envy you. :-)

I believe so, apart from the one owned by one of your members, Mally, I have yet to see another. I was speaking to a chap from the Military Museum, Newcastle, whilst at a rally at Elvington years ago. He told me my AEC was rare as they were often withdrawn earlier than the other types, because they were so damn slow. As the body was unsuitable for most civilian work, they were discarded. Apparently this all happened in the 1960's onwards, at a time when preservation was less popular, so along with most many complete examples were lost for good. Seems plausible to me at any rate, or am I just gullible! :-D My AEC has suffered, it has spent most of the time since being sold at auction in 1984, outside. When I acquired it in 1993, the cab was more holes than I care to recall, all the instruments had been disconnected. so nothing electrical worked, (I had to start her by touching the solenoid wire to the battery!). In about 1996, I re-panelled the cab, and was lucky enough to meet an ex-army sparky, whilst at the museum where I worked, and he very kindly spent ages sorting the wiring, so at least she would start and charge etc. Then life and kids took over, and the AEC took a back stage for the next 8 years or so. Only recently have I resurrected her from the farm she resided on, and bent my boss's arm up his back to allow me to bring the AEC down to work to try and get her up to a reasonble level. I drove her down a couple of weeks ago, causing chaos on the roads, only had two near misses! I worked out that the AEC hadn't been started for nearly 5 years, until recently. I put new batteries on her, checked the oil etc, and first time she fired straight up, amazing, was as though she'd never been laid up.

many thanks, well here goes! http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa246/sdaymond/SS850424.jpg[/img] and another (hopefully) http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa246/sdaymond/SS850429.jpg[/img]

thanks guys, I'll put some pics up, I was sure I saw somewhere in your forum how to do it, but now cannot find it for looking, could someone link to the relevant post for me, or briefly tell me how?

left school went to work in a Transport Museum for many happy years; left there to become a self employed coach painter, painting buses, coaches, lorries and the odd steam engine, and too many canal boats! Now I am the manager for a small coach company in Leeds, but still don't seem to be able to keep my hands clean! Anyone needs painting advice, I know I'm new, but ask away, I'll help if I can.

Hi to all, I am the owner of AEC Mk1 Militant, a 1953 Gun Tractor, ex MOD 36 BM 01. It's currently more rust than anything else at the moment, but I'm still hopeful! Regards Simon