Markheliops Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 Sorry if I don't answer any technical questions yet - I can't - as I don't know much about ARRV's. Although this time next year I shall be a Chieftain boffin - Rodney. I am at this very moment reading through my newly purchased operators manual, servicing manual and unit repair manuals, plus Chieftain drivers fault finding book and a driver mechanic AFV chieftain job aid book. Haven't even had the ARRV delivered yet but I find it especially helpful to know the starting, shutting down and emergency actions before the beast arrives at my door. I should have finished this lot by time war and peace arrives next year!!! I am amazed at the amount of lubricating and dip stick checking that goes on in the power pack, GUE, gearbox and other areas. I know if you drop the bulldozer blade and use some shackles etc - you can achieve a pull of 90 tonnes. Anyway - back to my reading.................................. Markheliops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landyandy Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 we are in the process of getting the museums arrv running,changing power packs and gue plus sorting out electrical probs,as we come across them as we what to use it for recovering the other arv"s if they break down plus the fact you can run contam fuel in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Nice one Mark! I look forwards to seeing /reading the updates as you post them and to seeing the beast in the flesh at sometime! Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FV1604A Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 The fact that you can run it on 'free' contaminated fuel will probably mean that it will cost less to run, than my heavily taxed diesel-powered Citroen C15 van. Well done, Mark, for saving it, very sincere 'bon courage' for the restoration; now get back to absorbing all that manual information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markheliops Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Hi guys and gals. Quick update: The ARRV is now at my location in Kent near the Hop Farm. Here is a couple of videos of the loading / unloading. Loading up. ARRV arriving. ARRV unloading. The transport was undertaken by Andy Long (NLBA) - a very professional service and I would recommend him to anyone with a fair sized load to move - reasonable too. Top Dog has stuck some videos up already so I won't put anymore up - just yet. Oh okay - just a couple then. Here is the demonstration rig I purchased with the ARRV - it's split into two units at the moment for ease of storage. Oh - does anyone know what this special tool is for? I was told it may have something to do with the engine mounts? If you want to see the entire photo album to date - here is the link. http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u233/Markheliops/Chieftain%20ARRV%20Mk7/ More updates when work commences. Regards Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Big, isn't it? There were four Challenger ARRVs going up the A31 the other morning, half the tracks hanging over the edges of the transporters. Looks like you've got most of the bits, though? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Now thats what I call a restoration project. Good effort! Now you will need to find about 30 cases of Herforder Pils (Yellow Handbags) to stow in all the various nooks and crannies to make it completely realistic. Actually no - come to think of it thats not all. You will need a dead gun tank on a holleybone behind it to make it completely realistic..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 RR Services have a NOS L60 on Milweb if you're interested ... Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Are the front and rear smoke grenade dischargers unique to that ARV? R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markheliops Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Hi all. I have spent the first couple of days working on the ARRV and as promised will share the highs and lows with you. I have two issues with the mechanical side of the ARRV at the moment: A) The GUE control lever is stuck in the load position so when you fire the GUE up it immediately revs up - which is bad due to the GUE having a dry stump so the oil has no chance of reaching where it should - the GUE is the small engine which charges the battery and provides the electrical power for the crane / gun turret, etc. I am presuming the cables are siezed due to being under water as they are in the bottom of the hull which was under 6 inches of water. B) The steering is a bit restrictive on the right hand tiller so requires investigating - I'm thinking the inter-locking pin that stops you pulling both tillers back at the same time - which would damage the gearbox - needs looking at as it was under 6 inches of water until I drained the forward hull. After wondering where to start first I selected the commanders cupola to be first to come off for no other reason than I keep banging my head and it is very restrictive when you are trying to attend to items in the hull. After consulting the tech manuals I found the copola would come off after removal of the brush box (a small electrical control unit) and 10 copola bolts. Oh yeah I thought - just like a Haynes manual - we'll see! To my great surprise - it came off without any issues at all. After blocking the cupola (I will attend to the cupola at a later date) I started to strip out the hull fittings such as the commanders seat (a bit on the heavy side), floor plates, batteries, battery boxes, battery trays and other associated items. The reason I was stripping the hull was to get to the 2 x bowden cables which control the GUE fuel supply and load / off load functions. Whilst I was down in the hull I decided to give it a spring clean and get all the muck out - of which there was plenty. It was wet, dirty and very smelly. I also found the usual 1/2 inch spanner and a couple of screw drivers to add to my tool box. I then needed to get to the business end of the GUE control cables (drivers position). I removed the drivers seat as it is seized in the down position by removing just four bolts. Again not the biggest area to work in so moving the seat made sense. The control cables can be seen in the picture above, just by the right steering tiller. They were very challenging to thread out through the hull. Due to their design you can not bend these cables or you risk damaging them. Eventually I managed to thread them back through to the hull and tied them to the crane controls, as high as I could. The point of this was to get them as high as possible to lubricate them as replacing these cables is not an option unless the fancy removing major assemblies - which I do not want to do without trying easier methods first. The method I am using to lubricate the cables is somewhat crude - but will hopefully to the job. That is as far as I managed to get in two days but I was quite happy with what I managed to achieve. I shall return to the steering inter-locking pin on my next visit. Markheliops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 making life as easy as possible right at the start by moving any assemblies that get in the way is a good way to go about it. good luck with it i hope it doesn't give you too many headaches. i've always liked the arv, it just looks right. rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Thanks for the update Mark ! All very interesting stuff ! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landyandy Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) ours is not quite that bad but still probs with the electrical side as damp and condensation have done wonders to all the multi plug connecters,as far as the control cables go we make a funnel mould around top and heat up wd40 and let it work its way down,usualy doe,s the trick Edited September 21, 2011 by landyandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Mark, to add an alternate cable lubrication method, not that Andy's is wrong or bad in any way. My mate Dave Lowe (known as Daphne to his friends) lubricated a Land Rover 101FC winch control cable by making up a resevoir with threads at the bottom to screw onto the top of the cable sheathing. He then added oil to the resevoir and connected it to the shop compressor which he left turned on at a suitable psi and went and had a few pints and went to bed, or something similar. He went back about a day later and the oil had worked it's way down between the outer sheathing and the inner cable all the way to the end. Doing this was in his view simple and effective and safe and time effective. My 2 cents worth. Mark you did not answer the question about the smoke grenade dischargers. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rambo1969 Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 Ive finally been proved right! Helipops is officially mad :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.Rimmer Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Not trying to teach anyone how to suck eggs,but Plusgas reaches the parts other spray oil will not(WD-40 is like water by comparison,IMO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topdog Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 To lubricate cables, cut the finger tip off a vinyl glove, pull it over the end and tie tightly. Pull the body of the glove up and fill with plusgas. Tie glove end, squeeze tight and let the pressure and gravity do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 (edited) Not trying to teach anyone how to suck eggs,but Plusgas reaches the parts other spray oil will not(WD-40 is like water by comparison,IMO). ========================================= A bit of a clue for these substances is to Google around the manufacturers COSHH sheets , you can gleen a few clues , in this case they state Hydrocarbon Distilates 75 to 100%. - ,,,, to 100% leaves a bit of scope ! Stated for the worst case safety aspect for COSHH . So we are looking at I would guess petroleum distilates (a unspecified light ends / more probable - light ends mix ? ) safe for transport , probably with a bit of magic added (Teflon , graphite, MOS2 etc) - plus a bit of pale spindle oil (as light as it comes) and the rest will probably be Stoddard (White Spirit). ----------- It seems the all magic "3 in 1" oil is basically 100% pale spindle oil ISTR.. Edited September 24, 2011 by ruxy speling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markheliops Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 Are the front and rear smoke grenade dischargers unique to that ARV? R Hi Robin. Sorry mate - I have no idea if the front and rear smoke dischargers are unique to the ARRV? I'm sure someone will know ................ any takers Gents? Regards Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topdog Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 A couple of photos of the ARRV. Mark and I did a bit of work today and the inside is looking a lot tidier. We have had trouble in lubricating the bowden cables though. We put a gallon of paraffin into the fire extinguisher, pumped it up to 150 psi, connected the tube to the end of the bowden cable and released the pressure. You would have thought it would go in with no trouble but after half a cup it has stopped. Its still under pressure so we have left it to soak. Its going to come out somewhere...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topdog Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Sorry about the quality of the photos, its only an old phone. Must take the camera next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landyandy Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 A couple of photos of the ARRV. Mark and I did a bit of work today and the inside is looking a lot tidier. We have had trouble in lubricating the bowden cables though. We put a gallon of paraffin into the fire extinguisher, pumped it up to 150 psi, connected the tube to the end of the bowden cable and released the pressure. You would have thought it would go in with no trouble but after half a cup it has stopped. Its still under pressure so we have left it to soak. Its going to come out somewhere...... try tipping some boiling water down the outside of cable as it expands it creates a gap between the casing and inner cable , being under pressure it will help it force through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markheliops Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Hi all. The ARRV project is in fall swing again after I have moved house, Naughty Nurse moved house and the Xmas festivities are well and truly behind us. Trying to lubricate the bowden cables was not successful so the GUE had to come out to enable me to get to the offending item so I could change it over. To be honest I wasn't a job I wanted to do yet but didn't have an option in the end. I also have an issue where the GUE is revving at it's maximum and manually moving the FIP control lever is having no effect. As you can see there really isn't much room which is somewhat surprising considering the size of the beast. For those are aren't armour aware, the GUE charges the batteries and powers the hydraulic starting system. On the ARRV provides power to the crane and on the MBT it also charges the turret batteries. It's a Coventry Climax engine. It took me around 2 hours to disconnect various bits and pieces which I thought was quite good for a first time effort. The EMER doesn't really explain things in much detail so you'll left to your own devices for most of the operations. You can see in the picture above just how little room you have. At this point the GUE was lifted 2 inches off the hull to enable me to get to some rather annoying cables. At this point, the GUE needs to be lifted at the front approximately 45 degrees to enable it to miss the bulkhead. This was the most delicate part of the operation and thanks to Topdog (David) for popping down and operating the crane for me as I had to stay in the engine bay to watch out for the GUE catching something. I wouldn't take much contact to break something on the main L60 engine. Once clear of the hull the GUE was deposited on the deck so we could lower the radiator and recover it over the rear plates. It wasn't ideal but I was hampered by the low barn ceiling. All in all it would have been easier to do it outside but due to cars parking outside the barn, getting the ARRV out can be a bit tricky. I then gave the GUE a jet wash - not spotless but clean enough to dismantle without fear of getting anything contaminated. Now I have a nice hole to clean out. Anyone who saw me doing the FV432 at Beltring will know it's something I'm very good at. I need to replace two bowden cables, service the GUE and check over the L60 whilst I can get at it. A question for those who are in the know - Is it possible to run the main engine with the GUE out of the tank? Updates as and when. Markheliops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Nice one Mark , thanks for the update , very interesting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I love the assorted gloves used as blanking-off plates! :-) Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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