Chris_Collins

This original vehicle had come via Hugh Davis from outback South Australia. I believe when Hugh rescued it it was upside down which may have saved alot of the sheet metal and at some stage an excavator bucket had been rested on its roof. It looks alot worse than it is with all the timber having rotted away. The initial thought was it could be rebuilt but after assessing the complete Tilly from Len Watkins the chassis of both are a bit too far gone. Attached Thumbnails

Here an update from John Neville, showing the First Tilly arriving from SA. Its currently posted on MLU. "Having finally got all the Tilly photos on to a computer that is easier to load on this forum than using an Ipad it is time for an update and a few more 'before' photos. Chris aquired over a peeriod of about four months either complete(?!) or the remains of a total of four Morris Tillys out of what we beleive was forty that came to Australia. All so far have been 'knockdown' versions with removable rooves. There was enough to complete two vehicles as detailed above. To date we have completed the rebuild of two rear axles, front axles, two sets of springs, tailshafts and steering boxes. Out of the total of about ten complete sets of front and rear springs I salvaged enough leaves to reset two complete sets. Many of the leaves were broken or had splits running lengthwise, which I had never seen before. Many hours of hammering to reset the leaves sand blasting and reassembly. Attached Images

I would think it unlikey you'd see any insignia on overalls much like denim BD, maybe rank on a slip-on. as for REME, it seems to depend on the division, guards seemed to keep the black beret to the armoured regiments, and attached units, other units reverted to more generic options. even 1st (motorised infantry )grenadier guards, who were in the armoured brigade, wore a kakhi beret, or GS cap (cowpat), while eleventh armoured division allegedly "everyone" wore the black beret. i would say if you were porteying a REME LAD unit attached to an armoured regiment, a black beret would be feasable, but you're probably more correct with a kahki beret or gs cap. but really you're in workwear, so the importance of regulation headdress is a bit loose, a cap comforter would be as likely. save yur insignia for a set of battledress, and probably only your "sunday best" set. i hope this is of some help. I hope you get over the "Walt complex", l look at it from the reenactor POV, (card carrying water mitty), it always seems a shame, vehicle restorers and owners spend an enormous ammount of money and time on researching and restoring a vehicle but undermine their own efforts by turning up in civvies/modern kit, because they worry their old squaddy mates will give them a wind up? I'm sure that boat has long sailed. Just some thoughts from the counter point of "not dressing up"

For this very reason My Tilly is going to be SCC2 brown with disruptive SCC14 (probably foliage pattern), and upside down or slanted stars, gas paint and all the nuances that make it British. All the jeep jockeys down in the Atipodes tent to opt for an Olive Drab, and it should drive them bonkers! Can't wait! Already plotting a 15 cwt truck in Caunter or Malta pattern as a future project. Also in reference to brown canvas, i note that Soldier of Fortune supply reproduction british tentage in a rich reddish brown colour, so it must be widely available now.

The armoured car regiment attached to 7th armoured div (desert rats) used M3 75s in their heavy troop instead of AEC mk3s, they typically grouped them together and used them as an artillery battery, i think they were eventually replaced by AECs, but were used untill their guns were shot out. i think this was a carryover from Italy. Theres plenty of stuff about this subject in the various 7th armoured accounts in print. Humber AA is interesting! I always presumed that stuff never made it past prototype stage.

Time for an update! :blush: AndyB, sorry i havent peiced together those photos yet though now the rear axle is coming together, i should be able to get what you need now that its more than just a bewildering array of parts back from the sand blaster. below you can see much of the progress we've made so far, note SCC2 brown made up based on Mike Starmers mixes (from Tilly Colours a great little resource), suprisingly close to the colour of several parts we're finding here and there (not to mention amo boxes). A nice original feature we have on the diff housing on the SA tilly is a partially whitened diff, no doubt for the convoy light, kind of suprising it would have such a feature as you could barely see it fron another vehicle Another project we are contemplating is the steering wheels, the originals are badly degraded and we're debating either finding better new old stock examples or homebrew recasting them using High impact resistant resins, A local wheel restorer quoted a scary figure. we're figuring they must be a pretty common wheel used in a variety of Morris/BMC vehicles and we're hoping some might surface (hint hint...) Next major task is getting the wheels cleaned up and tyred, then we're sacrificing a Morris 10m for a decent uni-chassis. Cheers Chris Collins

Andy B: I'll see what I can do! Should be able to find what you want though it might be somewhat disassembled. Richard: it is still a bit of a treasure trove there though now due to the road situation getting some of his bigger vehicles would be a real challenge to get out, though he has a lot of nice things under cover. Cheers Chris Collins

Hello All, Some months back I introduced myself and the Tilly that Hugh Davies had located for me, a rather battered relic, but due to its location has remained largely free of serious rust. Heres some new shots of it in my mates workshop. Our first step is to strip back to the "chassis", make it sound then on to the steering and suspension, so bits are progressively being sent off to the local sand blaster then being undercoated, plenty of "minion" work for an unskilled/inexperienced knucklehead like myself, leaving the more technically challenging work for my Mate /mentor/master John Neville. Unexpectedly an opportunity came up to acquire some more! through Hugh Davies and negotiations by John Neville, i met Lenny Watkins, who offered me two more, it was an all or nothing offer, as he said as soon as you see the good one you won't be able to leave it. Despite initial misgivings, I don't regret getting them both. Especially since much of the sheetmetal of the "rough" one is sadly as thin as egg shells and of little use. We may get an engine and lots of useful fittings out of it though. The Good one is, extremely complete, its not without issues but despite not being ran for 15-20 years with new points, goes! and moves under its own steam! :wow: Very exciting! My Wife has named it, rather appropriately, Matilda! Its not without its isues and may need the sacrifice of a morris 10m Since a feature on the first tilly was placed in Tilly Text, a chap called Andrew Curran in Perth, currently restoring a Austin Tilly offered me parts he rescued from a Morris Tilly in a garage due for demolition many years ago, which should be arriving tomorrow at my work. Exciting times! Chris Collins

Yes, HM forces do have a knack of making slightly quirky/complicated/heath robinson items, which is probably part of their charm.

Hello Ian and Paul, I'm based in Australia, so taking my Morris to a Uk based manufacturer might be a bit tricky, Hmmm looks like it will be a local source after all! Cheers Chris Collins

Hello All, My Tilly Project ticks along getting bits sandblasted and primed as we strip it down, I though it time to look into getting the Canvas tilt, screen and other odds and ends. tried Allied forces withought any success, I'm mindful they're a small outfit and its "peak season" so I'm happy to wait, but are there alternatives out there? Would Worthings be worth shooting a query through to? I'm sure i could find a local source to cobble together something "suitable" but it'd be nice to get one fron someone who had actually seen examples/patterns etc. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers Chris Collins

Hello all, As i'm looking at getting my Morris to a rolling chassis, so i neecd to start thinking about tyres. i like the look of AVon Traction Milage tyres, but the price makes me hesitate, and i wonder if there are issues with handling and vibration? i intend this vehicle to be semi regularly (~monthly) capable of doing a 80km round trip, not just something that tootles around at a show then gets loaded onto a trailer. Are there other options with "town and country" style tyres out there, or is it best just to get standard 16 inch civi road tyres? the commonly seen wartime practice of grippy tyres on the back and road tyres on the front, looks like a good compromise but I do like the look of Tillys with "town and countrys" all round. I've been warned off using jeep style tyres as they have pretty poor grip on roads. Adviced based on your experiences would be appreciated Cheers Chris Collins

The colour throws me a bit, but it does vary from a colour not unlike british Bd to a dark olive drab. The Pattern is the pre- austerity ORs Service dress uniform, its very similiar to Australian ww1 service dress without the integral belt.

Hello AndyB, I already have the morris tilly file collection, theres some nice shots that are very useful but nothing of the mysterious block. Thats a very nice tilly you have btw, i can't wait to have mine back to its former glory. cheers chris

Hello All, My Morris Tilly is in what i can only describe as the "reconstructive archaeology" stage, EG: which bit of rotten timber went where, how thick etc. we're really scratching our heads about the rear folding seat position, and a mysterious set of brackets on the drive-shaft tunnel. They look like they're for a block of wood, that maybe the seats rest on when they're folded down, but finding good pictures is tricky. also were the areas in the corner beside the wheels blanked off or here they left as cavities? the latter makes more sense, (somewhere to squirrel some rat-packs or other kit) but definitive proof is hard to come by. Some good pictures of the folding seats would be also very handy, as i suspect we'll end up fabricating them. Thanks for any help you can give. Cheers Chris Collins

Hugh davis Has been extremely helpful from my first dealings with him, its nice to meet a Military vehicle enthusiast who is very open about sharing knowledge and leads on various finds. :thumbsup: Gday scrivo, its been too long since we've chatted, hope to see you at the Airshow or winchelsea! started the 'reconstructive archaeology" process last night, we think we've got some idea on how the woodwork goes together now and timber sizes. Cheers chris

Thanks for your kind words gents, Mash, yeah we thought we'd warm up with something straightforward fesm_ndt: actually it was this article that encouraged me to seek one out, and and the starting point makes mine look positively like NOS! Its also encouraging that theres a few Morris 10s floating around to source parts from down here, a shame that they're largely Post war ones, we really need bonnet sides and and a grille surround. Its a shame some pesky MG owner has likely lifted the motor for his toy. I gather that the floorboards should be removable to allow access to the fuel tank? Chris Collins

Greetings all! my name is Chris Collins, a long time lurker on HMVF and now I've actually got something to post about I thought it a good time to make my introduction. I"m a long time Mil history enthusiast, reenactor, modeller and unashamed anglophile (except in matters of Sport of cause). I recently had the experience of a lifetime in tagging along witrh a couple of mates, with the Princes Irene Brigade partaking in Operation Market Garden 70th Anniversary commemorations late last year, An experience I'll always treasure. In the spirit of "having a go" and having always wanted to get a Military vehicle, I've set my sights on a Tilly. After a few Leads I now posess a slightly abused looking Morris Tilly found in the middle of Australia by Gent by the name of Hugh Davis. I'm being mentored by a mate called John Neville who is quite experienced with Military vehicle restorations, im particular renewing coachwork and panel beating. (thankfully!) We've cleaned her out and started dissasembily, and what we're finding is quite promising looking, the gearbox actually looks quite good internally, and the only serious rust is a few patchable spots in the floor pan as you can see she has a few deficientcies, but shes suprisingly free of serious rust. Naturally I've joined the Tilly Register and the local Morris register, and now I'm putting out feelers for relevant parts and information, even good photos of parts like the folding seats would be more than invaluble. Anyway, thats me and my project, I look forward to chatting with you all, and I hope to be at Corowa for a few days this year.