Big Al
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Posts posted by Big Al
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I've done a couple of camps there. Nice to see they have updated the gate guardians. I remember a Churchill there, the last time I stayed for a battle camp. Lovely pictures
The Churchill has been saved and is currently being restored.
Al
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It looks fairly complete would be good to see it saved and running.
Big Al
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Yeah I probably will Ian
.Bill.
I live in the midlands and have tried diffrent leaving times over the years I found the best one is stoping over on the sunday and watch others rushing around and sitting in jams wating to get of the show ground. I found leaving about 4-5 in the morning on monday the best the roads are quite and can be home for 8ish
Al
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The Tank museum bovington use thw above and they have been very good
Al
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It will be good to have all the collection under cover. In this stage also the wash down will be very usefull for the running fleet a big improvment, with the next stage new workshops ect will allso make big improvments for the museum all for the better for staff,volinters,Friends,and most importent the public.
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Im sure someone from the museum will make a statment on this. The web site is not the museums one.
Big Al
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It was a good programe remember those days well
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Looks nice and clean very usefull bit of kit to have.
Al
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Definitely not a 439, looks like a 436 variant to me ...
Andy
And me withams still have a lot of kit for it and FV 436's for sale have a look on there web site
Al
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Just like to say well done to all our Girls and Boys who are taking part in the games thay do it for the love of the sport well done so far and carry on the good work last night history was made. Has you all know the Boy and Girls from the forces had to step in and keep the games safe it makes me feel proud to have served and been part of a great team.
Big Al
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Track bashing sprint heavey Cent ect
Track bashing sprint light CRTV carrier
9x9 tent put up and take down sprints
Al
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just thinking the same!!!
Gerry
Well said
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Very much looking forward to watching the restoration of her !
....hey she may be in a bit of a mess but at least she appears to be more or less complete and she hasn't had a battering at the 'wrong' end of a range either
....unlike a lot of 'restoration' projects we see on here..fair play for your endeavours to save her !:laugh:Yes she all there tin works gone tracks dont move engine is there gear box complete with a bit of oil and she will be running ! Funny there is still oil in the gear box which we have sent a sample away for testing to see whats in there hopefull more oil than water. John is planning to have a good look at the engine and get the tracks moving after the show season is over a winter project aiming for 2014 for up and running we hope !
We will keep posting updates but this week its W&P John will post the plan on his return. I am at present laied up with a badly broken ankle so not much help at present and unable to make W&P this year
:-(.Al
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John asked me to post these photos of the state of the inside CHURCHILL7.pdf
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The official handover ceremony for the chassis plate will take place next Saturday morning at War & Peace.
John Riley, custodian of the plate for the last 20 odd years !!!
Great news I have been involed with John Pearson in the recovery untill I broke my ankle a few weeks ago it will be a great day when the plate is returned to it thankyou John R for looking after the plate and returning it the whole story should be writen down and post here it will make good reading there has been a few twists and turns and problems over come to get it saved it will now start a long restoration to a running state.
Alec
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Sorry for dragging this one back up but I removed the Cheiftain that was sat down town into the port a couple of years ago with my CRARRV.
Me and my crew were covering the annual firing camp with our CR2 sqn (A Sqn, 1 RTR) when the odd request came in for a recovery job. Its not very often we get the chance to do some serious mileage on public roads but that drive from ther camp gates into town was awesome, until we meet a milk tanker driver!!
The Cheify was winched off its resting place then towed up to the port to be collected another day by the HET guys. The rumours where it was going to be put up as a gate guard in camp but Im not sure it ever did. The main reason for it being removed from town was someone had complained that it was dripping oil and the council wanted it gone to avoid paying for the clean up?
There is a cheify and a leo gate guards at castle martian camp at present may its the same one it looks tidy
Al
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Sorry for the delay in adding to this thread but I have a strange fault (some would say many faults but ....). When I try to reply to posts from my home computer, it shows a dialog box for a fraction of a second and then closes it, meaning I cannot type in it. I can only reply from my work computer, which I am not supposed to do.
Anyway, Black Prince did defeat us! We had multiple problems including a faulty starter motor that was never effectively fixed despite 3 rewindings meaning all ignition and carburation had to be checked by towing whole vehicle in gear. We had to get the spark plugs out by putting someone in the pit arm up, King Arthur and Excalibur style and then jacking them up until they were squashed into the belly plate to reach. Plug spanner had to be remade for each plug. 18mm plugs were all faulty having to be dismantled and rebuilt with some 14mm components. Whole HT system was very brittle and we were refused the loan of a distributer cap we tried to borrow so we could try new leads (dared not try and remove old leads due to possibility of breaking cap.) Carbs were faulty with broken internal mechanism - oddly the carbs are sprung wide open, the throttle mechanism is what shuts them. If the rod comes off, it springs to full throttle! We temporarily replaced the carbs with ones from a Liberty engine.
Unfortunately, it seems that a report of "it turns over" (temporary success with the starter motor) was taken to mean "it runs" but in fact we were not in position to go for a start tow until the Friday afternoon. It ran "OK" considering that the carbs were not any more than guess set but unfortunately, as soon as it started, exhaust gas and water erupted from the right hand radiator, indicating a fully blown head gasket, probably from the frontmost cylinder on the right hand bank which we had been unable to get the spark plug from, we had hoped running it would clear that plug. Had we been able to get it out then the head gasket leak would have been obvious but we had not been able to find a gorilla with arms long enough to reach it.
NB Although similar to Churchill, the engine is different, in particular it has two larger carbs rather than 4 on Churchill and it only has one distributer and one plug per cylinder instead of a duplicate system as on Churchill. The other difference is a 24 volt system so the starter motor is unique and water and exhaust pipes that run in the space you normally put your hands to reach the plugs from the top.
We felt terrible at letting everyone down and spent the saturday trying to find if we could do a gasket change but on Sunday the team (*) ensured it at least attended by towing it round the areana with the Chieftain recovery vehicle. A poor substitute, sorry folks!
(*) Team was less Big Al who had made a spectacular job of tripping over on Friday night and had broken his ankle that meant his one foot was pointing to 12 oclock, the other to 5 oclock and he was in Dorchester Hospital being screwed and plated back together.
Vehicle is now better than it was, has been turned over with clean oil in gearbox and engine and chassis lubed. Fixing it will not be too much trouble or we can refit the original parts and put it back on display - decision yet to be made, not by me!!
John has forgot to say that there is little information on Black Prince in the arcives so it was made more difficult to work on. We did tried and a lot of hardwork and time was put in traveling back and forth to try to meet the deadline but we did fail I do hope the suits do decide to get it running under its own power one day it would be a sight !
Al (Leg up and at home)
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Don't know how to post pics! I may need to send them by email to Big Al and get him to do it for me!!
Well I do have some time on my hands at present !:cheesy:
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I believe it was a failed head gasket
Yes bob it was a failed head Gasket when we did a tow start it did run under its own power for a short distance which was a bit of a reward for all the hard work it was decided only on sunday to tow it around there is some talk that it may be repaired
Al
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Milan and LAW 80 also 66mm,GMPG sutain role
Al
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Floods
in MV Chatter
Dont use your hosepipes ban still in place !
:confused: Al
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Very intresting did you do any filming of the trip ?
Al
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Chieftain turret drill trainer (or gunnery simulator)?
Is there any Chieftain turret drill trainers around ?
Al
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When I was in you had to fire left and right handed with the SLR, when the SA80 was bourght into service this was not possible as stated in other posts. My other hoppy is shooting and I shoot competions nationaly and internationly in competions that require you to shoot left and right handed funny I seem to shoot better left hand than right handed !
Al
War and Peace Revival *New Location*
in War & Peace show.
Posted
See you there Dave
Al