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Great site - I came across it 1 or 2 years ago when I Gooogled on Hilton CVD , up came several photographs somebody had take prior to it being levelled.

You need a S2A rivet counter to date the engine serial No. accurate to compare to the build date of the vehicle. Unfortunately you can never say with paint colour , ABRO re-cons get a full double-header coat of SKY paint , the reflectance shows a different shade to a thin single coat direct on to rough cast iron. Solihull factory paint to my eye has more of a greenish lime content.. Lots of cast markes - are just that , often they are near to a Rover Drg. No. but don't match. For instance mil. S2A front timing cases could be S2A or S3 No. 554541 BUT the other covers used on S2 & S2A mil. engines were Nos. 549532 , 514451 , 531723 , 516029 However - your set up around the basic block - does seem correct for that period of FFR

It is the same as they all are from the Solihull factory from about early S2A - nobody knows for certain - a bit like MOWOG paint or is it MoWoG paint .

A simple tube beam with sort of pipe flanges welded on - to which you bolted the chrome swivels. I had one but it is concrete foundation reinforcement now - recycled in true Rover style.

The Belgian military had some Series 3 , 2 wheel drive. One turned up on a Forum in the US and then another turned up in the UK. Different style NATO non-rotating pintle with Lunnete rings and different lighting being the obvious clues.

This is quite a complex subject. I prefer to examine the hardware existing and then determine what is correct / wrong & then consider the possibilities , not much has survived being molested over 40 years. If you are fitting a 24V 90A genny then to be correct you should be looking for such as a 3mb engine prefix 951 , this has a military timing case cover with a machined platform to take 4 qty. 3/8" set-bolts to secure the genny bracket (pressed steel) located at the dizzy side of the engine (this is when the 7 stud military water pump is used). =============== The 24v 40A genny (yours probably had / has) used different mountings (lighterconstruction) with different mounting bracket & belt tensioning , IIRC there are a few differences with the belt pully idler assembly. Your existing engine could have been fitted with this , if you don't have all the bits - it may pay to watch & wait until a lump comes available with all the correct bits even if the genny is useless & the engine raxed up, you may be lucky & get some screened electrics with it. Once you have these bits - you just need a sound block & head with a Solex 40PA carb. to look correct. To be honest - for a 40A genny correct set up with a 40PA - much more of a project and costly than a 951 prefix that are easy to come by (assuming you want a show vehicle with the bonnet raised). ========== For FFR - I stick to very late Lightweights , I have a Rover 10 (early type) with all the bits to restore it , but that is a lot easier as negative earth 12 volt , still looking for a good (much more rare) Rover 10 (late type) but probably unobtanium. More 6 & 8 turn up than 10's ..

I used to buy paint amongst other things at the Catterick Misc. Auctions , to get what I was after (on a pallet load) - I had to take all sorts inc. sufficient blackboard paint for several schools, aluminium wood primer (it was good stuff) etc. etc. I did get the odd can of SKY Blue and have preached for years it is the correct colour , despite all the stuff being sold as Duck egg green. However to most peoples eyes (inc. mine) it does have more of a green cast than blue and this seems to be the reason DEG seems to have taken hold. However things are not so simple - The RAF had to use a new name of SKY blue for a existing "patented" colour called Camotint , the history of this is well established and accounted for on the internet. Camotint is SKY. eg Second World War Appointed as a Squadron Leader and honorary Wing Commander on 22 September 1939, in the same period, Cotton was recruited to head up the fledgling RAF 1 Photographic Development Unit (PDU) at Heston Aerodrome. This unit provided important intelligence leading to successful air raids on key enemy installations. With his experience and knowledge gained over Germany and other overflights, Cotton greatly improved the RAF's photo reconnaissance capabilities. The PDU was originally equipped with Bristol Blenheims, but Cotton considered these quite unsuitable, being far too slow, and he consequently "wheedled" a couple of Supermarine Spitfires. These Spitfires, later augmented by de Havilland Mosquitos, were steadily adapted to fly higher and faster, with a highly-polished surface, a special blue camouflage scheme developed by Cotton himself, and a series of modifications to the engines to produce more power at high altitudes. In 1940, Cotton also personally made another important reconnaissance flight with his Lockheed Electra Junior over Azerbaijan via Iraq. etc. Lucas' research, matching paint samples from various preserved aircraft bits, provides convincing evidence for six shades being used on BoB-period aircraft. 1) Sky Grey - light grey 2) Sky - the light grey-green Camotint-inspired shade 3) Sky Blue - light powder blue 4) BS381(1930) No.16 Eau-de-Nil - pale green (Duck-egg Green?) 5) BS381(1930) No.1 Sky Blue - aquamarine blue (Duck-egg Blue?) 6) an unidentified light blue-grey seen on some Gloster-built Hurricanes. Apart from the last, all of these would have been available in the supply chain, and if Sky wasn't available, the Squadrons would have used the next nearest shade they could get their hands on. Even photographs aren't going to help you decide which shade to use - much research, using recent publications, is indicated. I think many older publications may have gone with the official Air Ministry line (Sky, Type S). Aero modellers have had their knickers in a twist over this for many years now , me - - I just get a quality machine enamel mixed up by the 1 litre when I run out.

I have come across a few marking similar on Ex-MOD engines , I would just paint over it as it is not of any importance. More important is the decision to paint / dress the engine in the condition it would be ex-Solihull or how it would look after a ABRO recon / engine preservation with a preserved date stencilled on rocker cover etc. Early engines (early 1960's) did have a sort of Fery grey finish , your colour would be as near SKY Blue / Duck Egg Green (Both RAF colours and arguably the same colour). Wit time , heat & grime - it does discolour to0 a pale lime colour that can fool.

251 pre-fix is 2A pet. 2286cc (supplied as 7:1 cr) The head could have been changed to 8:1 , the block could equally have been taken off another engine & ancillaries changed around it. There are a few specific military pre-fix (specifically for some FFR) but 251 is not one of them.

Almost certainly the 80th manufacturing day of the year or a batch number , QC as the blocks go through the transfer line. Typical of mass production. Often very important castings that go through individual machining have a treacability number cast on and another individual sample with the same number cast on the casting (this is later removed and retained for Q.C.) Sometimes yet another one is removed for chemical & physical lab. tests before machining starts. When the samples are removed it is normally subject to independant witness and branding with unique ID stamps. Not a big problem with iron castings but with steel castings there can often be a few casts to gat a radiograph defect free casting for highest classification , standard procedures often releases the defective ones for gouging and weld repairs for lesser quality jobs where possible.

I think a PO has converted a Suffix G panel & tried different idea for cutting the holes - the better side seems to be hand-worked as well - the holes dont look correct , but I would need a hands on look.

It all depends on the engine timing case cover fitted , at the build time of your truck there were a choice of 5 qty. covers and 4 qty. pumps . Pumps were in fact 7 hole . 8 hole or 9 hole !! A fair guide is that the military 7 hole pump is used on the FFR 90A genny front cover. ========= PS - not much of a clue because the FFR 90A front cover on some contracts could be fitted to a 12 volt GS ?

A PO has removed both the F700 headlamps and it seems fitted a civvy type. The apertures & holes should be like this :- Probably the original would have been corroded and the PO has replaced the panel. There were 3 qty. panels used on mil. 2A 330950 (some Rover 10 & 11) 336466 - Suffix G onwards 336366 FFR (toastrack/ rectifier)

Dates 66/67 Sounds like a standard FV2361 3 qty. manuf. 1. Pressed Steel Co 2. Roots Pressings Ltd 3. Sankey Ltd. Very slip possibility of being a J.D. Brockhouse.

Just joing the S2C forum - obviously as much info. as possible & photographs aids the few mil. rivet counters

============================================ Water pumps get a bit complex - depends on the engine timing case cover fitted (and there were 5 qty. covers in use at this period). I have been caught out on this once before - best to close study the hardware if known to be original. IIRC - the military 7 stud pump is not often used. In your case , it does look as if you should have a 9 hole pump Rover 530477 (after many S/S - now known as STC3758). The stencil - would be for ID after fettling & before machining / branding.

======================================================= OK - I have managed to lock on to the Contract No. 88" FFR's some RHD & others LHD (chassis were not unisex - meaning only one steering relay hole). From the chassis No. yours was RHD (LHD start 244 / suffix B0 WO designation 8 (Rover Mk.8) TRUCK UTILITY (soft top) 24 volt 40 amp NSN 2320-99-893-3166 Chassis range 24105242B to 24113302B So - possibly the Item was for 8060 trucks if they were all taken up. It now seems that Royal Navy contracts & some (if not all) RAF Contract vehicles were taken out of the ARMY Contracts. This seems the case if they wanted 24 volt vehicles - the odd ones turn up re-plated as helistart vehicles etc. If the record card was not at Deepcut (missing from Beverley Museum of Army Transport records) - then it could have been re-mustered to RN or RAF. The RAF museum can lock on to individual chassis numbers but RN / RM trucks can be difficult - the RN vehicle numbers were re-cycled - not making it easy. There is a person with the Nom-de-Plume of 88FFR on the Series 2 Club Forum who seems very good at records.

This is the older carried for radio - The No. 4 Mk3 (UK6TN) 12 volt 100 Ah - they are in fact starting batteries for tanks , so not a deep cycle leisure battery. Normally two would be carried - the Lightweight "Unitary Kit" in fact has a spare storage tray to carry two additional , the very latest specification is the "Armasafe" , obviously if you are paying - then that is the only problem.

Under the old rules - it would get a suffix K (01/8/71 to 31/7/72) as if it were a new vehicle . These rules changed about 1983 when Q reg. was introduced , If you could prove date of manufacture - then you get that datable registration , otherwise you get a Q. Are you able to give details of such as the Contract or NSN , if you don't wish to state your chassis No. on the internet - just use two or 3 "x" in the middle of the number (the start / finish are important). With this info. - there are a few people who can give you a bit of addl. info.

EK - nominally is 62/63 Civilian 2A started Sept. 1961 , seems as if the change from Rover 6 to 8 contracts was lagging a bit. All the TA Land Rovers I knew of were in DBG until 1971 when I came across a brand new Rover 1 (2A Lightweight) that had been sprayed in OD. Clive is correct about the date of introduction of NATO IRR , I purchased a Lightweight about Easter 1980 from Ruddington - it had a damaged front wing and the paint was splattered. On examining bits of the paint I realized it was something different , contacted Dufay Titaine and was supplied with the spec. sheets - that was when I became aware of IRR paint.

Your body panels inc. behind the seats would probably have been sprayed with this paint , subsequent coats would follow by brush. Like NATO IRR over several years it fades right down , behind your seat backs - use a bit of T cut to reveal.

INTO THE NIGHT SKY RAF Middleton St George : A Bomber Airfield at War. by Paul Tweddle Page 154 shows one of these trailers being drawn by a David Brown (photograph - author) - parked in front of a Whitley (I think) with large stencil OIL. Page 37 shows a AEC Matador bowser refueling a Halifax (photograph IWM CH4462) Will try and show the photographs tomorrow.

There is a nomenclature plate on the chassis next to the brake lever. Certainly seems to be the real thing - possibly may be the only one in existance ?

I have not managed to get a good look at a winterized FFR 109" - so don't know for certain but I think they would have made use of the radio batteries for the SB-ORD "Inter Vehicle" slave start.. Possibly there was pacility to quickly change the slave socket supply cables from the starting batteries to the radio batteries. 24 volt are probably like the 12 volt slave start sockets - a few different methods , it seems not all 12 volt GS carried the extra tractor battery in the tub. One of the Ex-MOD jump start cables I have is brand new (I think not modified) it has a pair of croc clips at one end instead of a slave start socket at each end giving more versatility. The helistart versions with side reeler - some photographs I have seen seem to have a Anderson plug or sililar for the heli end. http://www.ttabconnectors.com/index.php?page=products&internal=SBORD%20Inter-Vehicle