robin craig Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Nick, Thanks for the suggestions, i also have news. The kits were the right ones and the engine runs like a dream now although as I am doing spring (yes I know its June) tillage and am about to start planting spy beans. There is infact a conversion done by RPI engineering from the UK that allows the shift linkage mount to be moved and a two barrel webber to go in in place, or something like that. I am prepared to go that route if all else fails but frankly they were designed to run properly as designed and did that, the curse we are enduring is lack of usage. The fuel pump is electrical. Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 We tried fitting the electronic ignition kit but it was a no go. Further it was found that the gear at the bottom of the dizzy was knackered. We have elected to go with non shielded wiring and a civvy dizzy and plugs to get it running on the understanding that the knackered dizzy will be replaced by a proper one later down the line. If the vehicle runs and drives and is useable it will improve in condition is my main direction. The knackered exhaust was then removed and Gerry started making a new one from stainless. Again originality is not compromised and after a few runnings this one will loose its nice bright colour. Going to get ownership transfer sorted next week. Getting closer to having it on the road with some reliability and safety. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 So, I was sorting out a parts order today and ran into a brick wall. Land Rover part 599488 is the ball joint. It is no longer available. There are however a host of options if you dig deeper. They are all based around a repair kit in differing qualities. An OEM kit is AEU 2761 which is quite pricey, my local dealer quotes me over $130 for it and 3 days away. Curiously good old Rovers North have RBG 000010 at $109.95 or non genuine PLS 084 at $22.95 so I opted for four non genuine ones and will do both sides at once and have spares. I love chasing parts down, real satisfaction. Parts should be here Monday. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 We worked some more last night. Gerry has the exhaust fabricated and bolted in place and jut needs to move the truck to the other bay with the hoist to weld the sections together. He does grand work, he cut the tips that go into the manifold and TIG welded them onto the new pipe, one of the only proprietary pieces one needs to save. I had received some mushroom lenses in a swap the other weekend and I spent the night cleaning them of the many layers of paint using a razor blade in a holder and not scratching the finish. I removed the ruby style glass lens for the indicators at the front and stored them for spares and put the mushroom lens on. They give off much more light. It is all baby steps towards a serviceable safe vehicle but on a budget. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 I knew I had a spare tyre bracket kicking around and found it last night. Somehow looking at the parts manual I think that this is one for a right hand drive vehicle. I must look at the truck at work and see if I am correct. If so I may be in the market for a left hand bracket. Talking of brackets I was looking at these tie downs on the upper side piece on the left and right side. To me in my innocence I think someone has added them to be able to tie down things like a cam net to the top of the canvas under way. Any ideas anyone? R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 My mate Gerry has worked his magic and we have the truck up and running just wonderfully now. The biggest issue was the distributor drive gear that runs off the cam. It was so worn you could have shaved with it. No wonder we could not get it to time consistently. A replacement was found and electronic ignition was fitted and new plugs and wires. Now it starts first time every time. As far as running it drives like a scalded cat now. We have gone through the truck and replaced various brake components and it has reached the milestone of passing it's safety test and now it is down to do insurance and registration in our name and we can drive it. As we live on an island my mate brought it home last night on a garage plate. Got it home and coupled it up to the trailer. We are very happy R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I see your mate (or whoever is driving it) is wearing the "101 smile". That's how I look when I drive ours. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 We have had a bit of a go around in the final lap of registering the vehicle in my name and as a result it has taken some time but finally this week I have completed the paperwork that the Ministry of Transport required. All utter b/s but you have to do what government wants. Finally an ownership and paid up plates for the truck. Insurance for the year 180 dollars. At last R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m109a3uk Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Nice get out driving it then Robin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captkanuck Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Looks great Robyn. Congrats for getting it on the road. Glad the lens helped you get there. Derrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 So, I have just sent off the FOI request for the history, lets see what I get for nothing and then follow up elsewhere if needed. I had this old plate kicking around so I have a local supplier cut two blanks and I will make up some ersatz plates soon Little by little it will get done R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 I was floored by the turn around time of the FOI request I sent in. This arrived back the other day. If anyone can make some sense of it that would be appreciated. Sadly it comes back as a screen capture so I have taken a picture and posted that here. It was with 5 airborne brigade logistics battalion and with 7 Royal Horse Artillery which has an Airborne role. It seems that it has been around in Germany mostly. The gap is the early years of service which Merlin doesn't show. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Strangely there appears to be a typo as the first line of the history is "67" as the year yet that is before the "date into service" R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughman Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 On the first page of the print out / screen shot. Why is there such a large difference between the Disposal date and the Cast date? In this case nearly 4 years, was it storage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Dear Bryan, yes I spotted that also, no clue myself, looking for all the answers and help I can get R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 8, 2014 Author Share Posted September 8, 2014 A careful study of the front of the vehicle shows no signs of the VRN plate ever being bolted or rivetted on. A quiz over on FB and a bold decision and voila I have painted the background for the VRN on the front and rounded the corners and painted the plate for the back. A ton of time was wasted today on non MV tasks and that :shake: knackered my spare time but I still managed to get a bit done. If i get time on my breaks I will get the number up tomorow. I'm kind of working backwards around the subject but creeping up on it slowly and making headway regardless. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m109a3uk Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I probably watched that one go through Blackbushe. Used to go to all the sales there as its 10mins from my house:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 10, 2014 Author Share Posted September 10, 2014 Bet you dont have the sale catalogue with it in it do you Tony? Yes, I have been driving it around our lovely island. Went visiting this young lad who turned 6 that day and gave him his birthday presents including a Corgi Land Rover toy. He will come for a ride one day. His name is Trevor, and for those of you old enough, he is clever even if he wears mismatching socks! R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m109a3uk Posted September 10, 2014 Share Posted September 10, 2014 No Robin helen tidies all that kind of stuff up!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Spring is happening, the snow is slowly melting, the clocks have gone forward, there is a sense that vehicle season is around the corner in a month or several. I was digging through what I thought was a pile of old invoices and receipts from the previous owner in a binder this morning. I had a nice surprise, he had applied for and was successful in getting a copy (looks like a photo) of the original Vehicle History Card. I am having it scanned by a more techie person, my lady, and will post it up soon. Interestingly there are some differences to what came back on the Merlin report and I will need some help in deciphering it. Somehow I put more faith in a record that is hand written and made at the time rather than lifted data from some computer that had to be data entried by someone who could have made their own version of what units might be from an era that they were not around in. Its almost like Christmas and my birthday (yes Tony you missed that one) all rolled into one. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 So here we have it. So I only see two units. The 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and 4th Royal Tank Regiment. Can anyone else make anything else out? Thanks Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-boy Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 So here we have it. So I only see two units. The 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards and 4th Royal Tank Regiment. Can anyone else make anything else out? Thanks Robin Can't see any other units, apart from vehicle depots and such but I was intrigued, as I joined 5th Skins (I was REME) about the same time as this vehicle, so it brought back some fond memories. Thanks for posting and good luck with the work. Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Dear Steve, Thank you for posting, what a wonderful stroke of luck that you served around the same time. I have no clue as to what markings I can do the wagon up in and a REME slant would be different and appropriate. Would love to see any images of wagons from the time even if not 1 tonnes. Anything that gives clues to what was done at the time. I am assuming you were REME. Did you recall any 1 tonne wagons at the unit? What was the vehicles that the Regiment was on in those days? Chieftains? If you have stuff you would like to share please post in here or email me. Brilliant, Thank you Robin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-boy Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hi Robin, I doubt if I have any photos of 1 tonners, or much else come to that, as I didn't own a camera (still don't!) and only have a few pictures from those days. I will have a look to see if there is anything that might be of use but the only one I know I have is of the personnel of the WO's and sergeant's mess taken in March 1979, at Imphal Barracks, Osnabruck, Germany. I seem to remember there was also one of the LAD personnel, but probably not any vehicles. The regiment had Chieftains then and in 1979 I had my one and only stint on exercise in Canada, at BATUS, naturally. There were a number of Rover 1 Tonnes, with each sabre squadron having possibly two, one of which was an ambulance, but it's a long time ago and a bit hazy. I'm also not sure whether any were REME, but HQ squadron REME may well have had one or two. I'll get back to you once I have looked through my sparse collection of snaps. Regards, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-boy Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) Hi Robin, I doubt if I have any photos of 1 tonners, or much else come to that, as I didn't own a camera (still don't!) and only have a few pictures from those days. I will have a look to see if there is anything that might be of use but the only one I know I have is of the personnel of the WO's and sergeant's mess taken in March 1979, at Imphal Barracks, Osnabruck, Germany. I seem to remember there was also one of the LAD personnel, but probably not any vehicles. The regiment had Chieftains then and in 1979 I had my one and only stint on exercise in Canada, at BATUS, naturally. There were a number of Rover 1 Tonnes, with each sabre squadron having possibly two, one of which was an ambulance, but it's a long time ago and a bit hazy. I'm also not sure whether any were REME, but HQ squadron REME may well have had one or two. I'll get back to you once I have looked through my sparse collection of snaps. Regards, Steve. Hi again Robin, I've had a look and as suspected, apart from what I mentioned earlier, I have nothing at all from my two years with the 5th Skins. I have a copy of the 1979 regimental journal and even that has nothing useful, and being poor-quality black and white pictures anything there would have been of little use. I'm sorry I can't be of any help, and looking back at my army career I have very little to show, when I witnessed so much which would be of interest. But that's life, and no point crying over it. I just hope there are others on the site who may be more forthcoming. Good luck, Steve. Edited March 15, 2015 by Ex-boy Date incorrect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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