mammoth

time to give in and get a mig welder (not gasless) and you won't look back. The other factor often ignored, especially when youth is behind us, is how our eyes work at that particular focal length. eg For welding I use the specs that I got specially for computer work as my regular (outdoor) ones were no good at that focal length..

Since the idea of the olives is to shrink onto the tube options are inevitably limited - either cut the tube and make new pipe runs, or cut most of the way through with a dremel and split off with a screwdriver.

You're really getting into it now Ben. I hadn't thought of replicating cast brackets that way, great idea. What thickness of sheet was used?

Everything is available new here http://www.brassauto.com/cars8.html Only need a few $$$$. What is really interesting is the bulb for electric conversion. These may be more affordable, although there is a question about the currency of this business, http://www.veteranautolamps.com/black_and_brass.htm

Do they use a mantle to get a bright white light? Where can I buy burners and reflectors to restore some old ones I have?

In addition to the 6x4 Big Ben Thornycroft also produced a Big Ben crane carrier chassis, typically with a Jones electric crane. I thought from 1949. It carried a transfer gearbox behind the main 5 speed box. The PTO came out the top of the transfer case to drive the crane and which would also be handy to drive a winch. A friend this side of the water is desperate to source one of these transfer gearboxes. The 11 litre petrol Big Ben mentioned also had the transfer case, but without the PTO internals.

Colours varied depending on location and time line etc There are threads about colours on this forum which can end up confusing you further as the wartime colours do not have civilian equivalent standards which can be referred to. Mike Starmin has done a lot of research on this matter and has published several books so start by googling him.

Great work. I don't suppose you have drawings of the cab components? My radiators have cast iron top and bottom tanks so have not suffered in the same way. Your core looks to be in very good condition so it is a case of either finding replacement tanks or getting new ones cast using the oldies as patterns (allowing for shinkage).

The motor is 7.4 litre and is an updated version of the tank engine which came in left and right hand. This engine was used post war to repower buses and in fact was fitted to some buses ex factory. It was also used in industrial units. The contract for the mkll Hippo was issued in 1944 and the final one was built around April 1946. Only 600 were built and many remained in service until demobbed in the mid sixties. They were issued with different size tyres back and front and a later version had them with big singles all round. Not to be confused with the 19H Hippo in army service which was much the same as the civilian post war Hippo with the new 600 motor. I have the only one in Australia (long story) but most of the cab is rotted and I need doors and window complete or just fittings. Most of the cab is flat so I can make new.

There were two types of big end bearing - thick shell which is the case of this early one, and thin shell which we are familiar with in more modern engines.. The manual states that ""no attempt should be made to "let up" a cap by filing either the rod, cap or shim"". They would say this because if the crank journal is worn oval and the bearing is 'let up' (and presumeably scraped) there is a likelyhood that the conrod may break. The shim referred to in the manual instruction is the brass you can see which is sandwiched between rod and cap.

Wally, what is the meaning of the colums next to the chassis numbers? One of my matadors and a donor wreck are apparently 1942. The other one has a contract plate in the cab with number 'T334 27'. Does that help? The chassis rails are heavily flitched so the chassis numbers can't be seen.

Wally, would it be possible to share your records as we would love to get a better idea of how many and when, not just the Matadors but all AECs imported to Australia. Getting access to build records has been impossible for some years now. Hasting-Deering was the official importer until Leyland elbowed in and lost the plot. When looking at records need to remember that the Matador name for the 4x2 goods vehicle continued on post war in Australia and the Mandator name first appeared on the mkv versions. Looking at Steve Richards book he cites those chassis numbers as being included in a batch of 200 for the British army. The plot thickens!

A lot more research needs to be done on the subject but the most likely scenario is that as RW Brown was a major wheeler dealer he bought Matadors at disposal sales in the UK and exported them to Australia. Removing the cabs would have made shipping easier and they were flimsy anyway. You will note the quarter light on the spares trucks which are like a signature of both the Hastings-Deering and Newcastle built cabs and no others. Matadors were not used in the Pacific theatre of WW ll although it is thought that some may have either been purloined by the Aussies when leaving the desert campaign or have snuck down from India through Burma in that campaign and ended up at Darwin disposals. Most mats have a cast iron radiator shell. As mentioned, as Brown held an AEC dealer franchise so he could have drawn on stocks not yet issued to the British army, but surely there would be a record of civilian sales?

I am up the hill (for the benefit of non locals thats a 1000m difference in altitude!!) in Glen Innes so we must meet up to share notes and spares. Any chance of bringing the project to the truck show at Armidale in November? www.truckandautoparts.com -vintage show page. A couple of early post war AEC's are already registered to attend.

Hi Charlie, Whereabouts are you? I have two complete Mats and some of another. The chassis of all of them have been heavily flitched and the winches strengthened. Like yours all have been run with with 10.00-20 tyres. One was fitted with a coach style cab and used as a house mover and then went on logging in very steep terrain. Breaking 1" steel cable with the winch was not uncommon! The other has a civilian style cab (with wd contract plate still on the dash) was used for general haulage Inverell to Brisbane (580km one way) and then had a crane added. I have also added a photo of a survivor nearby which was converted to a dumper for taking molybdenum ore to the railway siding. Yours look like they have the Hastings Deering (Australian AEC import agent) style cabs. However they could also (more likely) have been imported by RW Brown of Newcstle who had cabs of a similar style built by a company across the road. RW Brown had a large fleet of these and many ran interstate Newcastle - Brisbane,. Newcastle City also ran a fleet of them. Look at the Joe Foggarty collection on the AEC web site. I am hoping to rebuild one of mine with the army style cab so if you are doing the same maybe we could get together on that?

Regarding the king pin bush/thrust race I suspect that if you put your sample in the derusting solution a join will appear which shows that the bush is pressed into the race. I have seen an application like that elsewhere (but don't ask me to remember just where!). Any hammering of the pin against the bush will have peened the join line so it is not obvious. The metallurgical demands of each function are quite different so they must be two parts.

Vulcanising new rubber onto a tyre band involves considerable heat and that may have been responsible for expansion of the old rim. In respect of steel tyred (horse) carts every blacksmith (here in Australia) had a tyre shrinking machine to deal with both shrinking timber wheels but also the effect of tyres growing and coming loose with the pounding on gravel roads.

The oil to be used should be as thick as possible and steam oil comes to mind. There are some modern oils which have a sticking ingedient added in which case you wouldn't need much, just enough not to run away. (if that makes sense?). Ambient temperature (or lack thereof in old Blighty) is an issue for grease.

Thankyou to Onetrack for initiating this thread. I have yet to get under the trailer to do a thorough search for any maufacturer marking but can can provide some details which might assist. The project got slowed because the wheels turned out to be Budd wheels (ie 285 pcd) with 22" rims. Since tyres that size (22" 10.00) default to the same shopping list as rocking horse poo I have sourced 20" Budd wheels. There are "beehive" clearance lights high up back and front which are of the same pattern as fitted to Wylie steam kitchen trailers. and as the American trailers don't seem to have these. I am now wondering if these trailers were built in Australia. The springs are underslung and there are two air brake chambers with a mechanical pull cable as park brake. The frame work consists of U section RSJ for the main frame and square RHS for topsides. RHS would have been a specialist product back then. In order to treat rust and replace some sections all the sheeting will have to come off.

Mike, probably need to explain to Brits that in Australia & NZ sunlight is an often seen commodity and consequently it's effects on enamel paint systems are very noticable. Unless a vehicle is shedded for 95% of it's life enamel is a waste of time such is the destructive effect of the sun, particularly at higher altitudes (I am at 1,000m). For the old time vehicles I have become an advocate of epoxy enamel (ie hammerite without the hammer effect) as it is versatile in application, can be bought and colour matched locally, and has a high protective factor. After the first season it takes on a sheen, rather than a high gloss so looks the part. First coat on bare metal is epoxy etch primer as this is compatible with all other paint systems and thus leaves your options open. Paint systems are getting ever more technical and some of the old style paints are no longer effective due to the nasties being legislated out.

Handling liquid nitrogen - I used it for freeze branding (the hair grows white and doesn't present the animal welfare issues as with fire branding). Pour the liquid from the flask into a container, eg a lunch box which is nestled with polystyrene packing in a larger container, and which has a lid to slow down evaporation. There will be a bit of bubbling as the container cools down. The item to be cooled has to be got out so either tie wire to it or use long thin tongs. Wear gloves and goggle as if you were dealing with molten metal. As you lower it the liquid will boil and once this has stopped it is ready. Don't drop it in otherwise you risk cracking the luch box!

A vet that does cattle AI will have liquid nitrogen to sell and a container to hire.

Elswhere in the Auriga book it notes that in June 1917 the piston rings had a stepped joint instead of diagonal, so you have the earlier pattern rings. For my money I would be looking for higher compression, and if she seems to be vibrationg excessively you still have the option of maching weight off.

Looking at my copy of the the J Type spares list dated 1924 there appear to be 3 rings at the top (all part No 66217) and the ring half way down is described as 'locking ring for gudgeon pin' (60958). "The Book of the Thornycroft" by 'Auriga' dated 1923 is interesting as it describes design revisions and corresponding new part numbers. In respect of pistons Feb 1915 saw the height above gudgeon pin increased 1/16" and depth below increased by 11/16"; oiling groove omitted, six 9/16" holes added below gudgeon pin. June 1916 skirt thickened up. Further in, there is a section on over hauling and over/under size parts. It would seem that there was a later type piston referred to as a 'scraper ring type' (71713) which used different compression rings (70920) and a scraper ring (71714). The gudgeon pin is of the floating type. As far as "balancing" goes, what is balanced with what? In performance engines the weight of the reciprocating mass is balanced against the rotating mass of the crankshaft using counterweights on the crankshaft. It is more easily understood with single cylinder motorcycle engines, and the choices between balancing primary and secondry forces are more obvious. The Norton Commando was a good example of these choices at play as the engine was designed with a lower primary balance so the the motor would oscillate in the vertical plane on rubber cushions so the the secondaries could be more refined so your fingers didn't tingle as in the Triumph.

While dragging the wife round a heritage truck tour of the South Island last year I came across a set of Thorny chain drive wheels. Doug is now onto them and sounds like he is organising a milk run over the south island to bring a batch of finds home. Obviously there were quite a few chain drives exported to NZ.