ratty

Other interests? Well lots I suppose but like many on this forum they tend to have a mechanical bent. Cars, Bikes, Trucks, Engines basically anything oily and greasy that can be dismantled-put back together and leave bits left over on the bench and still work! I collect pocket watches for those rainy dark nights when going out to the shed isn’t very appealing. Breathing is a good hobby that I hope to continue for many years. Processing alcohol into p*ss I am proficient at this and will always help others if they have an alcohol surplus. The following photos show my Jaguar 340 outside Browns Lane, my Jaguar XKR with one of my favourite aircraft (no prize offered but who will identify the location?), me on my Triumph Daytona at a track day, my brand new Dodge 8L V10 engine that I am looking for a suitable project for. There’s more, so many things to be interested in, how do some people find time to be bored?

Hi Mark, stayed at Avrils place for 4 nights whilst exploring the area and she spoilt us rotten. I think I am still bruised from a thumping she gave me, can’t remember what it was over, but the group I was with fell about crying with laughter. The dressing station was a very sobering experience, and I shall return soon as 5 days was just not enough time to do the area around Albert justice.

Note he’s groping his favourite lady, and kissing his girlfriend, does that make him some sort of two timer/bigamist?

Well done your majesty you truly are a certifiable saddo! Photo was pre W&P, however study it well as this is how I expect you to replace my ropes in future or there will be no more of your kinky bondage type shenanigans using my apparatus.

Some photos I took last year whilst on holiday in the Somme. Here is a selection for those of you that are interested. I have named them with their location and if you search that location on the marvellous WWW you will come up with far more commentary of more detail than I can give. I hope they inspire some of you to take a tour. You can loose yourself for hours in all these locations. The shear numbers involved I still cannot comprehend. I have more to come as I sort them out.

Ferret and Spartan together for the benefit of those of you that didn’t attend War and peace, and all us saddos who cant get enough Armour.

It was in the wash!! am working on a beer/scotch/red wine cammo effect for the next one, will save a fortune in cleaning bills!

Daisy here would be happy to oblige :-D

As spotted in a Private Members Club (possibly, all sources are secret/confidential/figments of my warped mind, however all photos are genuine fakes). Grasshopper models the latest in CVRT Uniform. Please note Lord Burley and Grumpygit you will be expected to dress correctly!

If others like them we should keep posting :-

Enthusiasm Vince! Wow I should be charging you top rates as a lifestyle GURU. Now don’t go getting carried away as you know you could upset the fine broken/unbroken balance of the universe (that is to say if you fix this one something else is sure to malfunction). Spiky jabby bits in the arm, always a pleasure to work on CVRT’s.

Some of mine for your enjoyment:).

Yes but you must admit it has the presence of a high quality perambulator, the sort pushed around by posh nannies, not a cheap and nasty Chinese knock off. Next time we erect it maybe you would oblige by wearing a large bonnet, nappy and suck a dummy:evil:.

Well you do a good job of that:cool2:. I do like your ammended signature, very fitting.

Nice Photos below, note the smug look on Mikes face as he raises the WLF boom out of reach!

More float screen photos from Beltring.

Whisky is made for sharing glad you liked it. I hope my luck/influence/witchcraft continues to work on your Spartan rather than your bad luck/incompetence/voodoo curse rubs off on my Spartan. This is one photo of the beast with erect screen more to follow.

I have no recovery insurance, I carry an A frame tow bar to get the Spartan to a safe place and will worry about what to do if the situation ever gets that bad! (too many people spend so much of their time worrying about what MIGHT happen that they never actually get out and DO anything for fear that it MAY go wrong).

Another successful mission, Spartan home safe and sound. Great few days away, nice to meet some forum members and put faces to names. The journey home was smooth and uneventful, many thanks to Jason for being a trusting fool and commanding for me on the drive back to Southend-on-Sea. The minor temperature problems of the journey down appear to have been cured by the replacement of the missing gearbox inspection plate (small round plate positioned below the gearbox drain plug for maintenance purposes). With this now in place air-flow takes the correct path through the radiator and the engine ran beautifully all the way home. Thanks to Andy of the AFVS for his advice on this matter and for Grasshopper who was bright enough to ask the question!

No the mission was to GET TO BELTRING therefore I consider it a COMPLETE SUCCESS.:cool2: The journey home will be another mission.:shake: Just off to collect the Ferret and drive that down, then will stay till Sunday, hope to put some faces to the many names on this forum.

Success we made it!!!! 60 miles Southend in Essex to Beltring arriving at 21:10hrs Tuesday, still daylight what a bonus. Many thanks to Grasshopper for being a patient and trusting commander/giant fly swat.:shocked: Spartan behaved very well with only a brief appearance of the Temperature warning light, that was cured by running in a lower gear increasing the engine speed :confused:(yes I know that sounds wrong but stay with me while I explain) the increased engine speed draws more cooling air via the fan through the radiator thus aiding cooling, simple! Quote from Tony B:- What I want to know is where you get the midget deformed octopus with super strength. You know the one? The one the designers expect to service such vehicles. Well tony it’s like this you need to be a special form of mentalist/masochist With an above average pain threshold and a stubborn streak too dumb to know how or when to give up.:banghead: To see if you have the right attitude/aptitude try removing the saddle from your trusty bicycle and proceed to lap the arena at Beltring four times, if you do this then tracked armour is just the hobby for you.

Just been beaten in by the darkness, CVRT’s bite hard enough in daylight let alone at night when you can’t see all the sharp pointy bits! Diaphragm arrived this morning (thanks Andy) is now fitted and has cured the potential flame thrower impersonation. The new gearbox filter assembly has also now been fitted and wired in to the warning lights. Oh boy that was a lot of effort for a simple oil change but Spartan now has fresh oil and new filters for both engine and gearbox I hope she appreciates it! Deck armour is back on (it was nearly dark by this point) a few more fittings to replace and with luck and providing nothing else rears its ugly head I still hope to drive it down to W&P within the next day or two.

Thanks for the words of encouragement Grasshopper, sanity is not a strong point with me fortunately. However Catweazle I’m not completely barking so I shan’t be getting involved in any form of Boat, powered or otherwise, very happy to watch from the shore but feeding my breakfast to the fish isn’t a hobby I’m too interested in! Sirhc my Spartan came with no dipstick or the top tube that takes the dipstick into the driving compartment, as a result gearbox oil sprayed out of the remaining short bit of tube liberally coating everything in the left hand side of the gearbox compartment. I cleaned that all up, fitted a replacement dipstick and topped the gearbox up – only I didn’t, as the hose linking the filler to the gearbox was missing! Yes you guessed it the right hand steering brake got a good dousing of oil. So new steering pads both sides and an impressive oil stain on the drive that I seem to add to every week.

It’s the re-enactors. :box: Always doing the Somme can’t they try doing a desert campaign? :cool2:

For an easy relaxing distraction this weekend I decided to change the Oil and Filter in my Spartan. Being clever I thought I would do both the Engine Oil/Filter and the Gearbox Oil/Filter together. Being extra clever I thought I would change the old style Gearbox Filter assembly for one of the more modern ones with a bypass sensor and warning lights wow! Step one drain Engine Oil and remove old filter, that’s when the fun starts. 1. Belly unwilling hulk underneath Spartan to remove inspection/service hatch as per the manual. 2. Laugh uncontrollably at the ridiculously small aperture through which I am supposed to change the filter but continue to remove the bolts anyway. 3. Discover that the inspection/service hatch has been well and truly stuck in place with instant botchit/mastic/glue/elephant snott combo. 4. Give up trying to remove inspection/service hatch from underneath. 5. Remove engine deck plate and dividing wall between driving compartment and engine bay to afford more sensible access to the offending items. 6. Pound crap out of inspection/service hatch from inside Spartan using large hammer and lump of wood. 7. Return to the special damp cold position underneath Spartan to remove Oil drain. 8. Discover Oil drain has been fitted by Godzilla, crawl out from underneath muttering, cursing and trying to remember where my 24” breaker bar is lurking. 9. Pass 40 minuets looking for a breaker bar that is not where I would ever expect to find it, turns out I had actually put it away last time I used it and there it was in the draw where it should have been more rude words followed. 10. apply much force to Oil drain, Oil drain gives way, smack head on floor, curse. 11. Place container under sump to catch waste oil, wind catches stream of oil and foils my attempt to contain the ecological disaster that follows, more cursing. 12. Remove old oil filter and sure enough Godzilla had done that up with enthusiasm what a mechanic that lad is! 13. replace filter and oil drain then set about the task of pouring 11ltrs of oil into the engine, I managed to liberally coat the exhaust manifold with oil and this did prove entertaining when I started the engine to check for leaks. 14. Start engine to check for leaks, reassure passers by that “no it’s not on fire it’s only a drop of oil on the exhaust”. 15. Notice an interesting jet of fuel exiting the right hand accelerator pump curses! Turn engine off before bursting into flame. 16. Add replacing accelerator pump diaphragms to the list of jobs to be completed before the drive down to W&P. The list gets longer the time gets shorter ho hum! That’s enough for now, needless to say the gearbox filter/oil change didn’t go smoothly either may report more following my evening appointment with Dr Scotch Nigel