question Little Things Please Little Minds - and a question on modification plates.

[Fugly]

:nut: Hello all

 

Hope the snow is not stopping all your vehicular activities. I just thought I would give you all a quick insight into my evening , and how a little event made me very happy.

 

I have started in a minor way to restore my Saladin, and yesterday I finally got the turret undercover ( after promising myself to do it since April ) - its now in a garage where I can work on it . The whole vehicle , and all its parts are now protected from the elements. Yesterday I scraped a lot of ice off the turret it and today it had thawed out.

 

Tonight , I had only intended to do little bit of work on it - playing really, but after seeing the number of seized parts all over the hull and turret , I wanted to "have a little go" at unseizing something. Armed with a tin of WD 40 . some spanners and a (SMALL) prybar I set to work on the gunners hatch - aware that it is "spring loaded" with a torsion bar , I worked slowly and was able to get plenty of WD40 into the joints . I clambered inside and unseized the locking catch ( no mean feat as the turret is sat on a wooden pallet so my work area is only 2 feet high on the inside).

 

I suspect the hatch has not been opened for over 20 years - so , expecting a long job I climbed out and started to work on the hinge .

 

 

 

Slowly, very slowly I was able to get some movement , as it moved in went more WD40 - and 20 minutes later the hatch was wide open - a further 20 minutes and it is closing smoothly, the torsion bar doing its job , springing the hatch open 3 inches from the fully closed. I,m a lucky boy and if some of the other hinges are as forgiving as this then I will be more than happy. I left the "shed" smiling .

 

I know I have a lot of work to do , but each little job is a step forward !!

 

It does lead me on to a question on modification plates. ( I spotted one on some equipment bolted to the turret) - If a vehicle was sold to an overseas government , would it have been modified on the same basis as if it had been with our MOD ? Does anyone know ? I know there will not be a definitive answer but generally speaking were modifications kept up to date on vehicles used by foreign governments?

[fesm_ndt]

you should of time lapsed youtubed it

 

ahhh glad you had a win, I hope I have such luck today

[Zero-Five-Two]

Very satisfying to get a result, however small, especially under ardous conditions. Best of luck with the rest of it

[Fugly]

Very satisfying to get a result, however small, especially under ardous conditions. Best of luck with the rest of it

 

Cheers for that - Whilst crawling around I spotted this - another little buzz !! Its reffering to the Browning .30 fitted at some point - It say Browning No 2 Mk 111 serial number MT124162.

 

 

I wonder if this was the guns serial number ?

[steveo578]

Fugly

I wonder if this was the guns serial number ?

 

Probably the serial refers to the gun mounting not the weapon. MT generaly means mounting.

 

Many MG mounts (and main armament mounts for that matter) have there own number -at least as far back as Mk19 mounting (Churchill 1 to 6)- in theory had the information been retained it would have been possible to ID a vehicle by cross reference- but no doubt it was pulped along with individual vehicle ID cards.

 

I've probably shown them before these are 2 plates removed from churchill range wrecks.

 

[Fugly]

Cheers - It would make sense the the MT was for "mounting" - :-)

[Fugly]

Yes it looks like its part of the MG mount .

 

Here are some pics !

[AlienFTM]

These pictures all show MTGxxx.

 

I'd expect MTG to indicate Mounting.

[paulob1]

i am in that mould now, set myself a doable task and dont get sidetracked until it is done...its very satisfying......although with my list of things to do it is a daunting task...i need a full time restoration, mechanic, helper man...urgently.

[schliesser92]

:nut:

It does lead me on to a question on modification plates. ( I spotted one on some equipment bolted to the turret) - If a vehicle was sold to an overseas government , would it have been modified on the same basis as if it had been with our MOD ? Does anyone know ? I know there will not be a definitive answer but generally speaking were modifications kept up to date on vehicles used by foreign governments?

 

The only one that really differed was the FV601D supplied to the German border police (Bundesgrenzschutz). Apart from being painted in that 'orrible "Tannengruen", it had the coaxial MG deleted and German smoke dischargers fitted (somewhat bigger and longer and in groups of 4). I don't think that they were kept up to date to the same standard as the UK vehicles, at least that's what my mate from the BGS says!

[ferrettkitt]

Looking good Jim

 

Will it be ready for the War and Peace show the 30th Anniversary? ...