greyhound32122

evening all fuel tank is on it's second top coat and copper pipe arrived today so i can start on fuel lines at the weekend. be glad to see it all back together and running again. if any one has a half decent radiator for a diamond t 4 ton chassis laying about doing nothing please let me know. not worried about condition as long as casting's are not broken cash waiting. cheers Sam G

hi john i went to the dallas dig out today and they sorted me out with the fuel fitting's that i required. didn't realize the fuel fittings are the same as on the dodge vehicles. also purchased 2 set's of pioneer tool's for my empty racks so it was a very positive morning. cheers sam

does anyone know anything about this ex military scammell s26 6x6? it turned up in are yard the other day for storage as a friend has bought it but we don't know anything about the specific vehicle other than it's serial number indicates it is number 5. is it one of the demo 6x6 drops built for the military or was it built for something else? myself and the owner would be very grateful for any information and history of this particular vehicle. sorry for the poor image as it is from the web vert but i shall take some fresh pics tomorrow, also is there any numbers located on the vehicle that may help with finding it's history? regards sam

that would be brilliant if you could john thank you do you think they may supply the squared 90 degree elbow as pictured? cheers sam

afternoon every one my fuel tank came back a number of weeks ago with 2 new plates let in so it should be good for a good number of years. last job is to fit new copper fuel lines as the truck had rubber hoses fitted previously so of course i need the correct fittings. image below is what came with the nos fuel filter bowl and i need a couple more of each of the fittings to go in the carburettor, fuel tank and fuel pump. fittings left to right: 1/4 bspt - 3/8 bspt adaptor to screw into fuel pump 1 required 1/4 bspt straight fitting 2 required 1/4 bspt 90 degree elbow 1 reuired if any one can point me towards a reliable supplier or indeed any one has some of these fittings and are happy to sell them then i would be greatly interested. the fittings are the last piece of the puzzle to get the 969 back on the road so any help is greatly appreciated. regards sam

think panes garage is in Upton-Upon-Seven as i recall seeing the ward parked out side the front of the garage when i went to the Welland steam show earlier this year. nice to see such an iconic truck still owned and operated by a working garage. cheers sam

it is certainly Jason Jeffries DT 981 so it must be Jim's sherman

Hi Sam sorry about the links not sure what happened but hopefully you can see the pics. just like to say thank you for your reply on your 969 re build thread on the G503 forum i have got some nos axle oil seals coming from the states so it should all be good. massive congratulations on getting your truck running must be very exciting to get over the brow of the hill at last. last night's job involved getting the exhaust bolted back into the truck. next job will be to replace the fuel lines from tank to carb. cheers sam

sorry chaps i shall have another go. should be visible know i hope cheers sam

gradually ticking jobs off the list. saturday i got the inside of the cab cleaned ready to be wax oiled and drained the oils out of the axles, gear box and transfer box. [ATTACH=CONFIG]109421[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]109422[/ATTACH] sunday refilled with fresh oil, wax oiled the inside/outside of the cab, front wings, bulkhead and bonnet and rapped the exhaust in titanium coated turbo charger manifold rap. hopefully will make the truck a little more comfortable when on longer journeys. [ATTACH=CONFIG]109423[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]109424[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]109425[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]109426[/ATTACH]

thanks john luckily it is just the front near side which is playing up all the others are sound though i shall replace the seals on both sides of the front axle just for peace of mind. cheers sam

thanks for the advice John, i didn't think about the internal seal on the front axle. does that mean the CV joints on the front axle are just greased? and yes the cab floor get's really hot as there is no heat protection at all under the floor panels other than a small heat resistant pad sandwiched between the bulk head and the throttle linkage just above the exhaust manifold. i shall post a pic of the oily swivel tomorrow john. regards sam

winter is coming fast so it is time to start sorting out those jobs which wont fix them selves. this year was my first season out with the diamond since i bought it from the Cameron auction last year and i am really happy with the truck and it has certainly fulfilled my expectations. i have completed just over 500 miles to local events and next year i am looking to venture out to A & E and war & peace with plans to drive out to the D Day 75th in a couple of years. last saturday i went out for a 30 mile run before tackling the list of jobs which is required to get the truck ready for next year. [ATTACH=CONFIG]108246[/ATTACH] removal of fuel tank which i didn't realise leaked till i filled it up the first time and found multiple pin holes in the welds on the back half way up from a patch welded in by some one else. also the tank has been brazed before so will probably repair the repairs as i can't imagine a good tank being available. [ATTACH=CONFIG]108247[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]108248[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]108250[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]108249[/ATTACH] other jobs include replacing the swivel seals on the front axle as there is more oil and grease on the out side than inside the housings and i need to spend some time on the exhaust getting it sealed up better and look at insulating the exhaust system as particularly on hot days my feet were burning and couldn't keep my foot on the throttle. hopefully i will be able to keep updates fairly frequent. cheers sam

i am looking for the bracket and extinguisher to go on my 969A if you know of one cheers sam

would like to bring my DT 969A and probably just myself only issue is if a&e clashes with the Diamond T 75th in 2016. met Adrian at war & peace and he did ask if i could come and if the 2 events don't clash i would really like to attend and being only 60 mile away i can drive down no problem. cheers sam

the long wheel base T would be a nice restoration project even the cab & body work looks half tidy at a glance. wonder what the chances are the Hercules engines are still fitted?

a friend sent me a link to this web site which is a recovery specialist with 2 diamonds for sale one is a 969 with a civi cab fitted and the other looks like a 970 pontoon re bodied. i would have a go but i have potentially committed my self to another diamond which i have to go and look at soon, hopefully a buyer can be found for them before they are cut up. http://www.breakdownvehicles.com/

took my 969a to the south cerney steam rally at the week end for the first time and it turned into the perfect weekend as i got to meet Adrian and Jason who attended with their 980 & 981 T's plus 3 days of perfect weather. saturday evening me & Adrian went out onto the run way to have a go at driving each over's diamond's which was fantastic as i have been waiting to drive a 980 for a long time and i can safely say i want won :laugh:. then we were joined by a good friend of mine from Webbs transport so naturally had to have a line up. like to finish off by saying another big thank you to Adrian for letting me drive his 980 as it really was a dream come true, hope next year is just as good. cheers sam

thank you for your replies John i have found sources in the UK who can supply the rubber and the glass which is good so the protective mesh is the key item to find, may get lucky. $861 to ship the chain to the UK hum may have to think about that before committing i think. cheers sam

i went thursday for my first ever visit to w&p and i thought the event was vary well laid out with lots to look at. my only gripe was that there was only 1 diamond t to look at but that might change next year. met adrian scott and john comber for the first time which made my day and found a few parts on the stalls for my 969a. had some dealings with Mr Wildenberg which was an experience but managed to purchase some parts and get a discount which i am told is rare! i think if next year works out i would consider taking the diamond as i have been offered a half way stop if i want it which may work out nicely as it is a good 180 mile trip one way for me to drive the diamond up. i also went to the Welland steam rally on saturday and there was a nice military section there with a DT 980 which i had a good look around, 2 explorers and a very well presented M18 hell cat. not sure how many of the vehicles at welland normally attend w&p but there was a good selection to look around. cheers sam

Hi John do you have the small window which is in the back of the cab? ideally i need the glass, rubber seal and the protective mesh. also i see on an older thread you managed to find the correct adjustable towing chains for the wrecker. could you tell me were you got them from please? as i have looked on ebay and at war & peace and haven't had much luck yet. many thanks sam

spot on David the full counter sunk bolts nearly all came out on there on free will and those which didn't we just heated them up and hammered the armour plate around the bolt and left them to cool for a few minutes then they just came out. the very top row of hex head bolts which also hold the mud guards on had to all have nuts welded on as the hex's had rotted away but still came out easily. one thing I would say is when removing the armour plates start at one end and work your way along as we made the mistake of trying to remove the middle section first not realising how tight the plates are to each over.

we think the eight plates removed so far way about 3.5 - 4 ton all together but the 2 front plates still require removing. regarding the turret that is there actually i think Andy know has every part for the comet so it is literally finish stripping down then start blasting, painting and re building. cheers sam

evening every one this is not a full on in depth restoration thread but more of the occasional post as things happen. i have been fortunate to be able to give Andy a hand with his Comet which is good for both of us as i get the opportunity to learn about both the Comet and what it takes to restore a derelict tank to full working order. plus it has got Andy motivated and excited again which has been proven with the endless large grins and smiles over the weekend:D. starting off saturday morning by removing the mud guards and getting the periscopes un bolted we soon followed with the removal of all the top guide rollers from the side of the hull and started the lengthy task of removing the counter sunk bolts which hold the 5 sections of armour plating. by 10:30 saturday night we had 3 sections of armour plate of and thinking about sunday. today we had the rear section of armour of the right side and by 6 pm had the same 4 sections removed from the other side and to are surprise every bolt was oiled and came out fairly easily bar 1 which resisted so we had to burn the head off. some of the flush counter sunk bolts had to be warmed up but came out no probs. pics from today: saturdays progress with mud guards and the added on steel plates removed, periscopes un bolted and the 3 armour plates removed. sunday morning ready to start again next job is to un seize the front right idler arm and remove the left arm so the final armour plates can be removed. then will be ready to remove all the suspension ready for shot blasting and painting. cheers sam

looks like a really nice event with lots going on. i have checked the easiest route on google maps and it is 68 miles one way so i reckon 2 1/2 hours in the 969. which would be a nice run on a sunny friday after noon. cheers sam