madrat

When I bought my pioneer a couple of months ago I had to pay 'scrap money' for it. Actually the scrap yard refused to sell it on the basis that I wouldn't pay enough to make it worth their while! They said that it weighed 12 tons at £290/ton :cry: but during negotiations it was obvious that they knew it wasn't worth 12x£290 and we settled on £2000+Vat. I knew that I paid over the odds for it but it was worth saving and I'd do it again if I had a chance Good luck if you decide to go ahead...

This one did come from that part of the world although it was moved on Saturday so probably not the same one? Seems to be a lot of unloved ones about :cry: I reckon that camels would be faster than Scammells? although the shed is better set up for camels!

Yup, should be possible to have a good look and probably not a problem to put a battery on and try to start the beast. Thanks for the offer of help! They are near Newcastle-Upon-Tyne-Shire. I'll be back there in the next month and will take better pictures of the vehicles in the yard.

Yeah its handy isn't it!? We figured that you could get over 50 scammells in :cool2: If you don't mind please PM me the number, they look better than mine!

Noticed that in And this one

Yesterday was a good day :-D the new toy is safety put away in a nice dry shed awaiting her makeover! Thanks to Poptopshed and Grumpy - Top Blokes! I taken a load of pictures so that folks can see what Ive got ahead of me, I'm sure that better vehicles have been broken up and I'm also sure it wasn't a very sensible buy, however its a mk1 and I'm bonkers:banana: I would welcome anyones comments or information. The Reg number is 24-EK-13 and the chassis number is STAL 70 if anyone has any info or pictures of this one I would be delighted to hear from them! I'd also be interested to know if any of the following parts from a mk2 would fit this mk1 Roof hatches Tailgate radiator grid thing in the bit at the back (Technical description) Brake components steering parts wiring loom battery isolator box thing center wiper gearbox radiator The good news is that she is safe and I can't find any holes in it, the bad news would be: Engine seized (Plugs out and water in the holes) Gearbox seized (Linkage stuck in neutral, wheels locked up) Swim parts missing various bits stolen from her (Rear floor, tailgate) Some parts of the wiring cut and removed Accelerator, Brakes, Handbrake and Clutch don't do anything when pressed or pulled! Anyway, on with the pictures!

I think it was around £4k although it hasn't run in 10 years I believe. I'm interested to know the reasons why you wouldn't have another? Is is just difficult maintenance and hard to source parts? If it was going to be a good investment then I might consider it, Terry Brooke's is at the other end of the country unfortunately otherwise I would probably go and have a look at his ones! I'm not that bothered about the rapier, just with such a low millage and being so clean inside I thought it might be a good investment/project :cool2:

I was staggered by how clean it was inside, it came direct from MOD and was covered up by a heavy canvas. You are right about the exterior being an easy restoration. I think it had 621 or 62.1 miles on the clock! The Saracens were indeed good projects although possibly a bit over-priced? And everything plus dreaded VAT :argh:

Thanks Chris, I've found a bit more info on them, I think it should have a Detroit diesel engine? What would you suggest would be a fair price for it (Assuming that it started and stopped)?

Thanks! I should have taken more pictures when I was there but I was a little distracted. There wasn't anything else tracked in there, and they know what things are worth, so no bargains to be had :cry: There is another Pioneer, a few Saracens and two Commers? There are also two stolly hulls in a very sad way :-( I agree that the near vehicle is a 432, although covered up it looked like one to me! The rapier was the only one I could get into, the interior is just outstanding! Are these rapier vehicles rare? And what would it need to have with it in order to be worth restoring? I'd hate to see such a thing get scrapped :argh: I've been trying to find out a bit more on the M113 but not having much luck, any info appreciated! More pics of the same interior:

Hi Guys, The scrap yard where I bought my pioneer from had a couple of tracked MV's that I had a quick look around. Its been bugging me as to what they are! I didn't take very good pictures I'm afraid, but then I know you guys like a challenge! :cool2: I'd like to know what it is, what its worth and whether its rare or not! I could only get into one of them but I was fascinated by all the kit inside it!

I'm afraid its the car! Makes the pioneer steering feel rather direct and precise :-D I may well sell the pioneer but I want to get it pretty much put back together rather than lose money by selling it as is. The main object was to save it from the scrap prices, I was initially looking for an explorer but got carried away! :n00b: I hope that other pioneer finds a home, there are plenty good things about it but I guess its a bit overpriced for the work needed?! Did you get a WLF? (I keep getting that abbreviation mixed up with WTF which mrs madrat says is something completely different? :whistle:) Thanks for the lead on the B81's, if the website is to be believed they are very cheap!? I think the clutches that Trevor had on his one will be the first mod, the fuel I can cope with for now! The sound from the B81 is just superb :yay: The scrap yard which my pioneer came from has two very decrepit stolly's that might yield some good spares before they get cut up, if anyone needs any bits then let me know!

Awesome project!! Nice to see someones project that makes my stolly rebuild look like a weekend job :-D .... go on the mad Alvis restorers :banana::banana::banana:

Thanks for the input and encouragement, will be a while before it gets here and a while before anything is done on it but surely thats better than getting scrapped?! Typical story of my life, I either have time but no money to work on these things or the opposite! The latter currently being the case :-D :shocked: Did I mention it has a seized engine, seized gearbox and a load of missing parts?! (Don't tell mrs madrat but she has a nice mustang that would go some of the way to repair this baby! She's off on holiday next week so PM me your best offer! :nono:)

Oh God! Just received a life changing bit of information in that my stolly offer was accepted! Thanks to Poptopshed and Grumpy for passing this one onto me, I promise to take good care of her :-D Comments and input almost always appreciated :cool2:

Top people! Fed us roast potatoes, gave us beer and drove us around W&P in the back of the stolly :-D if anyone has an email address for Dave then please PM it to me, wanted to get a chance to offer thanks and a contribution towards his fuel but we couldn't find him before we left! Thankyou-Please

Thanks for all the input guys! All I can say is watch this space.....

I figured it was a little over what it was worth but then thats where the negotiation starts! What is different about the cab layout in the MK1? I've only briefly sat in a mk2! Thanks!

I saw that one thanks, perhaps its just me but is that a little overpriced considering the work required? You will see from my Scammell that I enjoy a project! :cool2:

Ummm, always loved the stolly, but not ever been serious about buying one until now! :cool2: Top bloke was Trevor, he was kind enough to take me and mrs Madrat out for a short road run one evening! This rather cemented my desire to join stolly ownership! The modifications he had made certainly made the stolly more drivable, he did mention that the cummins v8 doesn't get any better mpg's than the petrol though :shake: but far more reliable I guess? The clutches like all good engineering were very simple, I'll certainly be doing the same if I come across a stolly looking for a new home :cool2: Oh, and does anyone know Dave who owned the stolly '983 UXU' I never got a proper chance to thank him for the beer and time spent chatting away to us!

Hello, Just wanted to say thanks to everyone we met at W+P, it was great to put faces to names and we both felt very welcome! We will be back next year with more time to spare and hopefully get camped out somewhere a bit better! In the meantime I've attached some pictures of the group photo that Mrs Madrat took, unfortunately my camera has too many buttons for her and they are a little out of focus :nono: Feel free to move the pics or link to them somewhere more appropriate for all to see! Mr+Mrs Madrat

and MADRAT!!! Looking a bit bonkers in that hat, not used to all that sun you see :-D

Might go and have a look, not sure if I can be polite to the owner mind you! What do you say to someone who bought that in all seriousness?... "a set of 3 spoke alloys would set that off nicely!" or something I guess :confused:

Can anyone remember what the ferret went for last time? Its just up the road from us and we have a dark shed and lots of nato green to help it out! :-D