6 X 6

Fantastic !!!!!!!!

Thank you for your reply. That's such a handsome and capable piece of kit and looks so good behind your Mat. I'm sad to hear of it's fate.

How interesting. Typically, in which countries have Chieftains ended up ? Cheers.

Are these stills taken from forthcoming Hollywood Blockbuster ?

Please use any of my 'photos as you wish. Your informed and helpful posts are always appreciated. According to the Registration Certificate I acquired this lorry from Ted on 02 05 1999. Getting this Scammell into it's present condition has been an expensive and very time consuming business. The 'photo below shows this same lorry standing outside Ted's house in the state in which I bought it almost 10 years ago.

I certainly did enjoy today's outing. Thanks for putting me right, I'm no Gardner expert and was going on what Ted told me when I bought it.

What I've noticed is that there's a turning point where your mates stop telling you how stupid you were to buy the lorry and how you'll never be able to get this bit, or that bit, and that you'll never get it running and then start telling you you're a jammy b**ard. This turning point when you stop being totally stupid and magically become a lucky, or jammy, b**ard usually happens at about the time you get the lorry back on the road.

A well known phenomena.

I've even heard of Scammells left lying unattended in their own poo for six months or more.

Looking good. Just think how long you'd have had to wait if this job had been done on the National Health Service.

Some brilliant 'photos Mike. What's the story behind this trailer ? Did you build it ?

Well, I hope you like the lorry as this is the one you'll be driving on your forthcoming tour of inspection.

It certainly is. In true Gardner style there's a total eclipse of the sun every time you start it up but once it's warm, hardly any exhaust smoke at all. It's an LXB 150 uprated to 180 on the advice of Steve Guest. 'Tick Over' Ted and Steve installed it and I was told it had only done 100,000 miles when they put it in. Previously it powered a removal van. It's a very sweet engine with a lovely exhaust note.

And a few more.......

You have to be an industrial grade of bonkers to attend a show in freezing cold weather on a New Year's Day. It seems quite a few of us are that bonkers. All of these 'photos were taken today at the annual New Year's Day road run held at North Petherton. This event is organized by the Somerset Steam Traction Club. It was too cold for me to stand around waiting to get a clear shot of vehicles with NO people in the frame AND it was a very dark overcast day. I hope you find something of interest to you in these pix.

After a very early start on a bitterly cold morning I drove YSV 865 on an eighty mile round trip to attend the annual New Year's Day road run held at North Petherton. This event is organized by the Somerset Steam Traction Club. The Scammell performed superbly all day. Here's a few pix. So far so good. Just down the lane from the farm where I have my headquarters. Roadside check to see if all is well. No big bits had fallen off so onto Glastonbury. Arrived ! Everyone has seen photographs taken by the prolific vintage commercial photographer Gyles Carpenter........ this is a photo of Gyles ! Gyles's work can be seen on websites and in all the magazines. He has done more than his bit for the movement and today he travelled from his home in Kent to be at this show. Good for him. Stopping on the way home for a bite to eat in downtown Wedmore. There's never anywhere to park. Safely back in it's den.

"or maybe don't even know about" there you have it Andy, I mean, if 'they' knew how much fun we're having they'd ban it tomorrow as stopping anyone enjoying themselves seems to be the main thrust of government policy. From 31st of Jan 2009 they've even banned bondage. That means it will be illegal to tie up the Mrs. No wonder people aren't bothering to get married these days. I ask you, where's it all going to end ? Thank you for your New Year greeting. The lorry is ready and I'm sure I'll get there and back in one piece. Will take camera.

I might start a thread on this subject in the next week or so if no one else has already done so by then. Stuff like pulling over and letting cars pass when we're out on the road with a slow moving HMV's helps avoid potentially dangerous situations building up. Most of us do this sort of thing. (I hope)

Still, it did only have one careful lady owner.

That's a concern many of us share. It wouldn't take much to get us banned from the roads. Maybe we could start a thread looking at ways whereby we could avoid this fate. Degsy, regarding originality, I have a lorry with trafficators but I also have "lollypop" flashers on the same vehicle for road use that can be quickly removed when arriving at a show. You're dead right, it's daft and dangerous to go out on the Queen's Highway with an indicator system most other drivers will never have seen before. Kind regards, Tom

What about periodically posting pics of Stan's motor's Granny ? Would that help persuade you to bring forward this restoration of National Importance ?

Thank you Degsy, excellent advice. We all have a duty to maintain braking systems in perfect working order for the very reason you allude to in your final sentence. I'm sorry if it seemed as though I was suggesting otherwise as that was not my intention. If you look back over my posts I am appealing for information rather than making a recommendation. Really, we are voyaging into an interesting area here. I mean, what is a "restoration" ? I'm sure we can all think of vehicles on the rally circuit that were cruddy old lorries that stood for years and then were given a paint pot restoration and may now look resplendent in new paint with all the correct markings but beneath the paint is that same cruddy, and potentially dangerous, lorry.

Stan Wass's old motor.

Welcome to the forum. It sounds as though you, unlike me, will actually know what you're talking about. Look forward to seeing any 'photos you may have being posted. Cheers.