Stefano

I just know that I'm in for some flak here, but never mind... Judging from the photo of the hillman tilly, I would say that it's painted S.C.C. 2 / S.C.C. 14 Blue/black disruptive to the standard Roots Group pattern. There's far too much contrast for the disruptive to be S.C.C. 1A very dk. brown. As regards Satin vs. Matt finish, my rational is that if the b****y things were painted matt back then they should be painted matt now. I know that RR supply eggshell finish because "that's what everybody wants"(quote), but that doesn't mean that it was the correct finish. As it is, I painted my Triumph in Matt S.C.C. 2 just before Normandy '94, and 15 years later, due to wear and copious amounts of WD 40 over the years, it's looking decidedly "eggshell". The chances are that an eggshell finish will take on a semi gloss finish after a few years, and never attain the "patina" that makes an older restoration look authentic. I well remember a veteran driving my friends' Universal Carrier back in '99 that could not believe that we'd actually restored it. Well, that's what I think anyway. I will now go into a dark corner and wait for the bombs to rain down........... Stef.

Rien, As promised, here are some photos of the Triumph 3HW valve lifter and how it fits in the head. You can also see how it lines up with the cable in the head. If you need to know anything else just let me know. And get some photos of yours up! Cheers, Stefano

Rien, As far as I'm aware, all 3HW engines were fitted with a valve lifter assembly. There was an internal cam that worked on the valve rocker, with the actuating spindle emerging from where you've got the cork. An lever was fitted to it which is pulled by the cable which emerges through a threaded hole in the head which was fitted with an adjuster. Between the lever and the adjuster hole a volute return spring was fitted. If you need photos let me know. Cheers, Stef

Tank at the back of the first M20 looks like a Convenanter, not exactly a high point in British tank design....

Rien, Try Bruce-Main-Smith, they do photocopies of most manuals. Triumph workshop manuals were way better than most, although the 3HW spares catalogues weren't really up to much. They're not really difficult bikes to work on, and generally very reliable. It's got quite alot in common with early post war Speed Twins [gearbox (although the ratios change) clutch, mudguards, stands, battery carrier, chainguards, oil tank, brake pedal, footrests and quite a few other bits and bobs]. My advice is to find a Tiger 80 piston and gear up the engine sprocket by a tooth, that way the performance comes right up to prewar standards. You can even upgrade the brakes by using the fully floating shoes used in sixties bonnevilles. All the best, Stefano

Rien, Tyre size would have been 3.25 - 19 front and rear. Spoke sizes were:- Front 7-1/2" x 10G x 78° (x10) 7-1/2" x 10G x 99° (x10) 8-7/8" x 10G x 78° (x10) 8-7/8" x 10G x 99° (x10) Rear 8-3/4" x 9G x 76° (x10) 8-3/4" x 9G x 100° (x10) 9" x 9G x 76G (x10) 9" x 9G x 100° (x10) 10 Gauge = 3,2mm, whilst 9 Gauge = 3,6mm, so the answer is yes, the front spokes are thinner than those used at the rear. Post up some photos of the 3HW, great bike, and not too many around anymore. Cheers, Stefano

Hiya, Judging from the low contrast between the two colours I would say that the WOT2 in the photo is in S.C.C. 2 (brown) with a S.C.C. 1A (very dark brown) disrupter. When I get round to painting mine (once I've found the bits to rebuild the back axle..) I'll be doing it S.C.C. 2 / S.C.C. 14 (blue-black) disruptive. Brilliant vehicle by the way, wonderful to drive. Cheers, Stefano

I've driven my mates' pioneer a bit and have found that I start off in third on the flat, and use fourth if there's a downgrade. Changing up is a doddle, and I've found that the quicker you move it through the gate the better the change is. You get a feel for the gate and you don't need to look down after a while. Changing down is an art that I've yet to master, but I'm sure that it can be done....

Ha! Another morris, excellent. Welcome aboard, Stef

Hiya, Not absolutely sure about this, but the car on the left could be a 1940 Packard.

Maurice, With any luck it's going to be repainted soon. Stef

Last year we did a drive through for an italian film with my friends' Sherman. they had this truck mounted overhead camera and they told us to drive through the gap.... We told them that it was cutting it fine, but no, they said there was plenty of room...

Looks like the 53rd (Welsh) Div. , although I thought the background would have been green, not white, so I may well be wrong (as usual). Stefano

Tim (too), Going a bit off topic, and I apologize in advance, If the Barrett Jackson jeep had been sold for the sort of money it went for at an auction in Italy, a number of arkward questions would have been asked, I guarantee you. Basically, if Mr. A has a large amount of money of indeterminate colour, he can put something up for auction, have an associate (Mr. B) buy it (better if he lives abroad) after a bidding war (with associate (Mr. C)). B coughs up the readies (A's dodgy money), and A puts them in his bank account, all above board. Another, slightly less lucrative take on the same theme is to (a) buy a ratty old car at auction with clean money, (b) sit on it a while, © sell it on (at a profit, natch) using the same system as above and everybody's happy. Oh yes, scrap the car and sell the bits on Ebay (d). As long as the numbers aren't too big nobody asks any questions, the money's clean, and tax isn't a problem. Organized crime (Us Italians invented it as you all probably know) has thousands of scams running at any given time to launder their money, most of them incredibly imaginative. European auction houses (and governments) have been tightening things up alot in recent years, but the result is that the real bad boys just move their operations elsewhere whilst the rest of us get buried in red tape. Such is life, Stef

Radek, judging from the number, it's off a 1928 A.J.S. 350cc (specifically a K4 de luxe sporting model), although I would think that it would fit the bulk of 1927 and 1928 3.49 hp AJ's as well. Cheers, Stef

Thierry, I'm afraid that I don't know how to see your photos, why don't you try posting them on the forum? As regards the "ML" numbers, I've found that most of the cycle parts are stamped this way, and the numbers correspond to those used in the spare parts catalogue. My lower steering stem has the /l\ (War Department) mark as well. Photocopies of the Spare Parts and Workshop manuals are available from Bruce Main Smith or Groucho Publishing. Cheers, Stefano

Kuno, I had a vague idea that the Maltese cross on the S.M. 82's fuselage had something to do with Order of Malta so I looked it up and this is the basic jist.- The S.M.O.M. (Sovrano Militare Ordine di Malta), Is an internationally recognised extraterritorial Christian organisation based in Rome (on similar lines to the Vatican State and the Republic of San Marino in that it issues passports, stamps etc, but differs in not having an autonomous territory) that traces it's roots back to the 10th century. From 1530 until the French occupation in 1798 it governed Malta, and at one time posessed the strongest fleet in the Mediterranean. Nowadays it collaborates with the Italian Armed forces with humanitarian aid and provides relief around the world in collaboration with the U.N. The S.M. 82 therefore in all probability carries the Maltese cross as well as the Italian Air Force markings because it was last used as a hospital aeroplane. I must admit that I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of a sovreign state with absolutely no territorial aspirations but there you go.... Cheers, Stefano

Kuno, It's The Savoia Marchetti SM. 82, seen from the side

Richard, Ooops, The timing cover threw me, I thought it looked like another exhaust pipe...

I will happily stand corrected, but the combination looks like a Royal Enfield KX 1140, presumably one of the four supplied to contract C11467 in September '41

Yup, Basically the G. 212 was an uprated version of the Fiat G.12 transport plane (bigger fuselage). It was already on the drawing board in 1943, but due to the way the war was going did not actually fly until 1947. Originally equipped with three 860hp Alfa Romeo 128's, the later models received three Pratt & Whitney R 1830 twin Wasps with a slightly more comforting 1065hp per engine, and after having seen civilian service, were used by the Italian Air force up until the late fifties. Out of the nineteen built, the 212 at Vigna di Valle is the only survivor, and possibly the only three engined Fiat extant.

Hello Everybody, The Italian Airforce museum at Vigna di Valle is about 40km northwest of Rome on Lake Bracciano, and for once there are very few reasons to be apologetic about an Italian museum. The setting is spectacular, the layout very good, with none of the down at heel feeling that you usually get in Italy (or at Hendon for that matter), and the quality of the exhibits is generally excellent, allied to the fact that most of the italian stuff on show is beyond rare. The first three halls are immaculate with (thankfully) no audiovisual rubbish taking up space. Funnily enough, the WW 1 hall is an ex Austro Hungarian hangar that the Italians got as part of War Reparations, whilst the WW2 hangar dates from 1930 (Vigna di Valle was a flying boat base). The fourth hall is being brought up to scratch at the moment so alot of the postwar exhibits can't be seen, but if the museum just consisted of the three Schneider Trophy 'planes under a leaky tent it would still be worth the visit... Museo Storico Aeronautica Militare Aeroporto Vigna di Valle 00062 Bracciano Rome Tel. 06 99 88 75 00 Opening Times:- 01/06 - 30/09 09:30 - 17:00 01/10 - 31/05 09:30 - 16:00 Closed Mondays, Christmas Day, New Years Day and Easter Sunday Entrance is free Photos below are of:- Caproni Ca. 3 - Spad 7 Macchi M.39 - Macchi castoldi M.C. 72 Suface Radiators of the M.C. 72 - Fiat C.R. 42 Savoia Marchetti S.M. 79 - Macchi M.C. 202 Savoia Marchetti S.M. 82 - Macchi M.C. 205 North American P 51 - D - Fiat G. 212 Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX - De Havilland DH 113

It's true, tank prices have been getting steadily sillier for some time now (a hundred and sixty grand for a Stuart - do me a favour), and yes, it has alot to do with supply and demand. It must be said however that the ownership of a tank is generally more of a team effort, with the costs generally spread over more people (it is in our case anyway), and actual running costs aren't really an issue, considering the mileage (transportation is another matter, but it would be the same with alot of softskins). It's true that everything is incredibly heavy, but a Sherman, if complete, is alot less complicated to restore than you would think (the dreaded multibank excluded), because of it's simple and robust construction. My Morris CD/SW is proving to be alot more of a challenge.....

Hiya, Mine is ML 515