Minesweeper

Brilliant! Tony

I have been fortunate to visit the museum in Coventry again to see how the Maudslay is getting on and see that there is good progress being made with the body. The seat box has been put together and the crossmembers for the body have been cut. Sorry about the picture quality but it is an awful place for photography! The engine has been sent away for professional attention but it was due back last Tuesday and should be in the chassis by now. There is nothing major left to do so the target has been set to have it on the road in the next five months. I am helping out with a steering wheel and some other odds and ends so it is all getting quite exciting! One thing the Gang are concerned about is starting it for the first time. I have suggested using an impulse starter on the magneto but, unfortunately, they don't have one. Can anyone offer a clockwise Simms impulse starter please? I hope to report more progress later this week. Steve

Thanks Lofty - that's very kind! It is an added bonus for us that others are enjoying the story and also adding information and advice all the time - and that is very much appreciated. Doug - there have been some old bits of paint and we have looked very carefully to see what colour it originally was - but it is all so tired and faded that we have not been able to say. I do not think that there is any paint left on the wheels at all, now. Not much help! Tony

No, the undercoat is grey but the finished colour will be the same "green" as the Dennis. That undercoat of grey was recommended by the original paint supplier and exactly the same procedure was used on the Dennis. Seems to work OK !

Thanks, Mike! We are always pleased to have advice or reassurance! Tony

We are very much at the mercy of the elements and have just been very fortunate these last few days when we had a spell of fine weather when the chassis was taken away for sand blasting and then returned afterwards. A damp atmosphere would not help with the painting! The painting is done in the lorry shed with no additional heat. It seems that with everything that we do, we have to fight for space and ideal working conditions. Tony

Well, I can tell you what we do - but I don't think that the Professionals would necessarily say that we do it correctly! We have followed the same path with the previous four lorries that we have completed and it seems to work! Anybody who has followed our "postings" over the years may remember that when we started on the Dennis, we bought quite a vast quantity of the recognised colour "green" in one litre tins to complete the whole Dennis project. It was ordered in "Satin" but when the first tin was opened some time after it was purchased, we found that we had been supplied with "Gloss" paint which was really quite inappropriate for the lorry. Then we found that the paint manufacturers had ceased trading so there was no recourse to them to get that put right. So another lot of paint was ordered from a another supplier who did a great job in matching the green colour of the "Gloss" with a green "Satin". Bear in mind that "gloss" paint seems to stand up better to any kind of punishment and wear than the soft "satin" does which in turn seems to stand up better than a soft "matt". So we had - and still have a good quantity of that original "gloss" paint. And we have been using that as a final layer of undercoat before the final coats of "satin" are applied. So the whole process. The first coat of Bondaprimer is applied to the newly sand blasted metal surface as quickly as possible after blasting. All of our chassis' have been rust-pitted over the years and whilst the rust has been removed in the sand blasting process and the metal has been left clean, we have never attempted to fill the pitting before painting - that would be a monumental job and after all with a lorry approaching 100 years old, you would expect to see some signs of ageing! We do not have the facility of being able to spray the paint so it is all applied with a brush. There is a lot of "dabbing" with the brush to ensure that all the "pits" are covered and filled. We generally leave the first Bondaprimer coat to really harden off for a few days before applying a second a second coat of it. This is then followed with a coat of recognised grey undercoat - maybe two. With the Dennis, we then followed that with the green "gloss" mentioned above and used this as undercoat which is gently rubbed back when it has dried. The reason for this is that it will be harder than the final "satin" coats of the same colour so should the final coats chip, it will reveal the glossy green which is expected to be more resilient and will be exposed rather than the grey undercoat. At least two coats of the final "satin" are applied - but sometimes three are required to give the depth of colour that we need. As always, we like and accept advice and any comments or suggestions will be very welcomed! Tony

So very easy to be critical! It would be just as easy for anybody intending to attend any event in which they have a particular interest to contact the editor of a Club Magazine before hand and ask if the Editor has anybody in mind to do a report on it - and if not, would you like "me" to do it? Tony

We have gone for "early", Tom - I think that we will need as much time as possible to get there before the stipulated deadline. To the best of our knowledge at the moment, we think that there will be at least another three 3-tonners who intend to enter and that is not counting the Grundon's Pierce Arrow. Should be a good show! Tony

The Historic Commercial Vehicle Society organise a London to Brighton Run each year on the first Sunday in May. Next year, they have included a Special Class to mark the commemoration of the start of World War One and have invited their members' vehicles from the WW1 era, especially military vehicles and those derived from the Subsidy Scheme up to 1920 to be entered.We have entered the Dennis and understand that several other military vehicles from the same period will be running. Tony

A electrical switch of some kind?

Expense is a factor, too! The last steering wheel that we had powder-coated only cost £30 plus VAT! Quick and easy with quite acceptable results! Tony

Thanks, Roy! A very handy reminder! Tony

Next year, 2014 is 100 years after WW1 commenced - and we already have the Dennis and the military Autocar to take part in anything that we may think is appropriate to commemorate it. There is no way in which the Thorny can be completed in time for that - but we have said that it would be rather nice if it was completed in time for 2018 - 100 years after the end of the war. The Thorny is now well underway - Steve has been in Axminster this weekend and has made great progress in completing the machining of the pistons - there will be pictures very shortly - that exercise has gone well. So very soon, the engine can be fully assembled as all the other engine parts are ready. The gearbox is completed - new wings and mudguards have been made - new springs have been made and are waiting installation - new castings for the radiator have been made, machined and are complete - but we do have the core to make. We have new front tyres in stock - but still require back ones, so they have to be made. So I would hope that we shall see some significant progress within the next few months - and we can then assess the completion date again! Tony

The answer to that one is "How long is a bit of string?" You will guess that we want to get things apart as quickly as possible - but if we want to preserve a bit and not destroy it, then we just have to keep at it until it gives in. I think that it would be fair to say that that every bit completed is one more bit towards ultimate completion. We do look forward to getting the chassis completely stripped so that it can be sand blasted and properly assessed - and then painted so that we can start putting it altogether again. Tony

We have not been able to move the bottom sections of the bearings so far as they are very stuck and they may not come out until we can put the King Pins under a big press and get them off that way! So no way of reading what is on those - if anything! The top halves of the bearings are very heavily rusted as well - and if there was any mark or engraving on those, then it has long disappeared - they are very pitted! So sorry - cannot help with that! Tony

Yes, they did have covers but not surprisingly, they were missing from the chassis when we obtained it. Something else to be made as I think it most unlikely that we will ever find originals! Tony

Most interesting, Roy - and thank you! Tony

This is "Arthur" - he is a cross between a Chinese Lion Dog and some kind of Terrier - and he belongs to my Neighbours. He seems to like my company and spends a lot of time with me. Unfortunately he has not yet learned to pass the appropriate tools when they are required!

The next step was to empty the old back axle case of oil and other debris. After scooping most of the “oil” out we left the drain plug off and left it to drain. Steve then made a start on the chassis restoration by bending the tow hook back into shape. We packed it with fire bricks, got it red hot and lent on it until it went back into shape. Back to normal, and it gives us a couple of extra inches of room to push the chassis back into the shed.

We have had quite a busy few days, getting things moved into position ready to start on the chassis (with a gap in between to go to the GDSF). With the departure of the JCB we had to move the Peerless chassis off the Thornycroft by hand and get it out of the way behind the shed. A good opportunity to practice basic physics. The photos are fairly self explanatory. First we used rollers to bring the Peerless forwards on top of the Thorny until we got to the point of balance where we used the chain block to pick it up and drop it on to a trolley As there were only the three of us we roped in a passer by who was only too happy to help. The chassis was really very heavy so we had to be quite careful not to drop it on anything delicate (like a foot). Now on two trolleys we pushed it around the back, using sheets of steel on the gravel to allow it to roll Once it was as close as we could get it, we lifted it on end then levered it the last few feet into position. Now against the spare Thorny we put it up on blocks and secured it to stop it landing on anybody. I wonder how long it will be before we get it down and rebuild it?

As part of our reorganisation and tidy up we have these early Dennis parts available for free to a good home. They came from a 1930's Dennis 1.5 to 2 ton truck. They are no good to us. Buyer collects. Chinese razor blade manufacturers need not reply.

We have had quite a productive day today. The plan was to get everything out from our spare parts pile, tow the Thorny chassis out. Take off the Peerless chassis and put that back and put the Thorny chassis into the shed ready to begin the strip down. It nearly all went according to plan but we ran out of time to get the Peerless chassis back so that is still sitting on the Thorny. A job for another day. Getting the Thorny out was quite a squeeze. We had to jack the chassis around to get it pointing in the right direction. Picking it up was a little difficult as well as the axle was not very well attached to the chassis. We got it in to the shed without any bother and with a couple of inches spare. We didn't have time to tidy up the spare parts pile either s that is also a job for another day.

PM sent! Not a "J" but thank you once again!

Even more surprising is the Chicago street car. What is the tracked vehicle with the boy sitting on it?