Stormin

My friend at DJM engineering had finished his extension to his unit so I was allowed room inside. Lucky as I doubt I'd have made much progress at all the last six weeks or so with the weather we've had. Ward La France Compressor truck.

Had a few half shaft gaskets to re-make. Then finally got it back on it's wheels about 6 weeks ago.

One of the hub oil seals and it's land was badly worn. Got a new leather oil seal made up and fitted a speedi sleeve over the original land to give a nice new surface for the seal to run on.

Been a while since I last posted any updates but I have been making steady progress. Got the rear axle brakes reassembled. Had to make new clevis pins for some of the brake mechanism as I couldn't buy any long enough :-( Had to make one new backing washer for S cam. Also had to make a couple of new anchor pins for brakes shoes, due to being seized and damaged on removal.

Weight of the engine and gearbox is directly over the driven wheels though, should give good traction, especially with original aggressive tread pattern tyres. Were the originals four wheel drive?

Looking like an excellent fabrication job. Wouldn't be surprised if you don't find customers asking you to build them one when it's done. Don't think I'd risk hot dip galvanising for fear of distortion, especially after all that hard work. Thin sheet metal doesn't like the heat of hot dip galvanising typically 600 deg plus. Best bet would be to use a quality zinc primer, seam sealer and waxoyle where possible, should give much better corrosion protection than the originals. Keep it away from salt water as that's far more corrosive than fresh water.

At this rate it won't be long before it's getting some fresh mud on them :-)

They'll be ones that have rolled over then!

Be a lot less likely they'll outlaw vehicles already registered and in use unless there are proven to be major safety issues with them. Where would they draw the line? Tracked vehicles... what about excavators? Vehicles over a certain age... what about all the vintage cars and tractors in use, not just for hobbies but as part of a business? Worst I can see is that they insist vehicles take some form of test and come closer to complying with a modern MOT, maybe some form of emmissions testing, but lets not encourage them.

Neil (Artists Rifles) on here runs an OT90, which is a BMP1 variant I believe. I think he's also maybe looking to sell, could be worth a PM.

Looks like good progress on the strip down. That back body is awkward to get off. They only really want to go vertically upwards because of the tight clearances between chassis side plates. We struggled a bit lifting using a overhead crane on mine and that was lightened with corrosion, they're a heavy lump. Goodness knows how difficult it was with a fork lift. Not looking forward to trying to get it back together. I may see how you do it first, you'll probably beat me to it. Good luck.

Yes it's a good show, kept our family interested most of the day. Unexpected bonus seeing such a cracking military vehicle. Don't know if it's the one in CMV, haven't seen a copy for a while. Can't be too many of them about so I guess it could well be. Someone else must surley be able to confirm

Spotted this at Hope show, Derbyshire. Amongst the tractors but attracting quite a bit of interest. It dwarfed eveything else there! It dates from WWII and was used on the Normandy beaches Dday +4. Restored my a couple of local chaps with several helpers. Must be quite well known on the show scene, it's not exactly inconspicuous, but the first time I've seen it.

You'll more likely want laminated glass rather than toughened in your windscreen. Most window places should be able to sort this out as it's commonly used in homes. Best to get one that can grind the edge after cutting as it reduces the chances of cracking. They should also be able to sort you out with self adhesive glazing strip(foam) or putty on a roll of paper. Much easier than using the gun type sealants and less messy. Plant glazing places are also used to dealing with odd sized flat glass cut to size. I'd avoid the Auto Windscreen places, they just want to charge you the earth on the assumption that insurance are paying for it.

No need to apologize as far as I'm concerned. Always happy to see a few extra images of great vehicles. Thanks!

Thermostat (where fitted) should save you having to look at temp gauge. The fan can cool the water in the Rad all it wants but if the engines not warm enough the stat shouldn't let the cold water around the system.

Cheap and easy one is to replace the thermostat with a modern high temp one. Most vintage vehicles run ridiculously low temperatures, too low for proper thermal efficiency. Just make sure everything else is in top nick, engine in tune and radiator not blocked and you should see an improvement in MPG.

Shame they're not allowed to be exported! They'd surely be worth more than that on the open market. Probably just the over supply in the US market that keeps prices so low. If the GL places let them go to exporters they'd see a better price and more money back in Government coffers.

You may even get one of the Bedford MJ's below that amount. Remember to allow for VAT, transportation, ministry test and registration costs if you buy from Witham's.

Haven't seen the half shaft yet, but any chance of using a speedi-sleeve over the part of the shaft where the seal runs?

If you're going imperial still make sure they are high tensile bolts and nuts. I'd suggest using spring washers or locknuts, if you want to avoid nylocs for authenticity, to make sure it doesn't come loose at any time.

4 No. M12 Grade 8.8 (min). Length will vary depending on thickness of spreader plates either side. Somewhere between 75 and 100mm. Assuming you are fitting on a Lightweight Land Rover with standard military crossmember.

Looks like you're already ahead of me with your restoration there. Be good to see another similar truck coming along and lend me encouragement. What are the lines infront of the crane where the gas bottles usually go? Look like air lines. I see a larger than usual take off from the air manifold block on the bulkhead / firewall.

Very very nice motor! Axles look familiar, having been playing around with some Ward La France ones for a good while.

Oh and more room for your elbow out the window as the rear sliding part is wider at the bottom. Definate bonus unless you have particularly small arms.