spanish982 Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hello everybody, My name is Conor and im an apprentice heavy vehicle mechanic in the Irish Defence Forces. Im currently involved in the restoration of a Comet A34 and would greatly appreciate any advice from any of the site members. Ill try and post some pictures soon (providing i can get permission of course) Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 hi a warm welcome to the forum we await pics mate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shane.c Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Welcome to the forum, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhughes Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Which one are you restoring; and will she run again or just be a cosmetic tidy up? :cheesy: j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanish982 Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 Its the top one John. We had it running for about twenty minutes last september after about 8 weeks of work on it. Unfortunately it started firing oil and water out the exhaust once it heated up. From what i've been told it was ran a few years previous with very low coolant which has caused some damage to the head. We've had the radiators reconditioned and we have a spare engine which we are in the process of changing over at the minute. The spare isn't in the best condition though. It was left in a crate partia;lly exposed to the elements for the guts of the twenty years. The plan is to have it fully operational for august. The main problem we have is a complete lack of original tools for the engine and spare parts like seals and gaskets. Very few resources are being allocated to this project at the minute as other vintage vehicles are taking priority Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhughes Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 If i remember correctly it last ran about 8 years ago and had "technical" problems. I'm sure someone out there will have knowledge of a source of spares for the RR Meteor engine if you ask. Can any useful parts be recovered off the other 2 comets? What other vehicles are being refurbished, i know one of the bren gun carriers, a Landsverk tank were running a couple of years ago but the ford Mk VI armoured car broke down at the MVCI Curragh show last May (Quick Plug Weekend of 18/19 May 2013). It would be good to see a selection of the old girls out for some of the upcoming aniverseries. :laugh: j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Greetings Conor...you are indeed lucky to have a job like that! Will you get to play with the Scorpions? Cheers Timbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanish982 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 The other Comets have all the hatches welded shut John and the higher ups don't want us opening them up unless we're really stuck. One issue we had when we started last year was two holes in the left and right exhaust manifolds which had allowed water in the engine in the three years it had been lying idle. The manifolds were too corroded to get a good weld so we had the wizards in the welding shop make up two new ones but im not sure if they can be trusted at high pressures. Ya the landsverk and the bren carrier are both working at the moment and they should make an appearance at the next show and for Cavalry day as usual. The Ford MK VI is running, i removed the starter motor last year as there was damage to the bendix but that was repairerd and we had it down in Coachford in Cork for a vintage rally last August. Hi timbo, as far as i know there's a tender out for the scorpions to convert them from petrol to diesel so we might not see them for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Bu*ger - there goes my plan to sell my surplus J60's to the Irish then! Guess they will be good for another 10 years once dieselised.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanish982 Posted January 17, 2013 Author Share Posted January 17, 2013 We're actually looking to offload the Jag engines, called the Jag factory and they dont want them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbo Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 pm sent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donegalpatrol Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Ill take em off your hands! ill hitch up the trailer and be down at DFTC in the morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin33ba07 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hello ,anyone looking for a Spartan ? http://www.milweb.net/webvert/76171 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donegalpatrol Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 She looks great but I'm really after a turreted cvrt....ambitious project I know but gotta start somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin33ba07 Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 so am I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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