fesm_ndt Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 One of the fundamental items that I believe change during this era is braking systems changed from single circuit to dual circuit. My Acmat caused a bit of stress as the parts manual stated it had a single circuit but to be imported into the UK in 1982 it had to meet the then current rules of having dual circuit brakes. That would be a good start to find out which euro year brake standard they want you to refer to. If I would of had to convert mine to dual it would have cost a bomb, but I am thinking you could get later model bits from breakers yards, pretty much bolt in. But as you said it would be nice to have what you need to do in a list upfront than guess. I am no means a UK DVLA expert, I have to use an engineer in Australia to approve mine to the Australian Design Rules, which are stricter than euro blurbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWade Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I saw this truck on ebay a while back, i was tempted my self. Looks like you have a handy bit of kit, once you have sorted it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 Good ole Ebay eh !! :shocked: Ebay and Vodka isnt a very good combination, gets you errr me into all sorts of crazy situations It had been advertised earlier and was soooo tempted but my sensible side kicked in and as there had been a bid already placed I didnt bother and let it go, and spent the next few days wishing I bought it, a couple weeks on I was away with the jeep offroading and an email came through on the phone saying an item had been re-listed, looked, and there it was, again, relisted, this time ... well its mine now haha, but proving to be a real pain getting it all legal, ive found out that as its over 25yrs old it dont need a certificate of conformity and its exempt from type approval testing ... great, problems solved or so I thought, DVSA still argue and wont plate and test it because of the braking system, which by the way are probably better than most newer trucks on our roads today, the Americans like the Russians and Germans dooo like to over engineer everything, and why not eh, my arguement is if its exempt from type approval, they cant refuse to test and plate it, unless ive missed something or they arent telling me something, or telling me something just so it wont be on the road, when I joked to the fella at Dvsa about it being around 7 ton of ornamental scrap, he said that that is what the DVSA would prefer as the overall outcome, they just dont want to deal with older vehicles on the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierman Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 That's some Truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) From pictures it looks like who ever put body on was hoping to get around plating and testing buy calling it a recovery vehicle. But this wont work for a vehicle this size that carries a load on its back. I would suggest you find out what its load ratings are eg overall each axle etc. Preferably from the manufacturer and have this in written form. Next you will with out a doubt have to convert it to dual circuit brakes. This will mean a few valves and piping on the chassis may be an extra air tank and a new foot valve. next the brakes have to be able to cope with the weights suggested. This may mean another set of spring pots on the rear axle plus another overload protection valve. (although it might have a transmission brake I don't know). Next it will have to be fitted with obligatory lights/indicators/brake lightsf/ fogs (with relevant marks on them if they want to pedantic). side rear markers and side guards. having done this and it passes you should in theory be able to down plate to a weight you can drive it on a car licence although looking at it I very much doubt it. It will be possible to test it and I wish you luck with it but look carefully at cost before going to far with cosmetic work. I guess this type of vehicle will have been used and approved for use by US forces in Germany if so you used to be able to use the german approval no in the UK Oh and you will need some different front wheels or some boy racer arches on the front plus spray suppression gear all round Edited December 12, 2014 by cosrec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted December 13, 2014 Author Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) The cosmetic details arent really a problem,, I have downloaded the C & U regs for guidance with everything including side protection, rear underun etc, most have been attended too however I am aware that further alterations may need to be made to certain things, there are exemptions and possible work arounds within the rules and to be honest I want to truck to conform or exceed as much as possible, the front wheels maybe an issue however they cant be altered so wing extensions may need to be fabricated, however there are at least two vehicles on our roads with the same front end setup so further research will be done here. I know and have all the weights, wheel and tyre sizes, vin no etc on the manufacturers plate thats on the truck and have a weighbridge certificate for its unladen weight so it could be downplated to 7.5 ton but that will be pointless as it could only realistically carry a Fiat 500 or something of that size. Side, front, rear marker lights/reflectors headlights, indicators arent a problem, the headlights and rear lights have been changed for uk use, the markers just need to be fitted. The 25 year age exemption from type approval for hgv's is the main issue, my truck is uk registered and is indeed 30 years old, however it has never been uk plated or tested or indeed used on the road, it was an unfinished project so to speak, an exemption is an exemption so I cant see why or understand why it cant be made to be fully roadworthy and plated and tested. I have also just read that there is currently consultation in place to remove even more hgv exemptions which include Breakdown vehicles, that actually doesnt apply to me as im seeking to have my truck tested so I can use it for my intended purpose ... I believe that no matter how the consultations go that these exemptions will be removed, its simply a matter of time that soonish, every vehicle built after 1960 will need testing of some sort which may leave quite a number of ex military vehicle owners like myself unable to use their vehicles, which will be a great shame, good ole nanny state eh !! Edited December 13, 2014 by Bandit additional info added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 Maybe a silly question but have you checked to see whether the braking system might already have been modified to meet UK requirements? - MG Due to circumstances beyond my control I havent had much truck time for a few months but I do now know that the brakes are dual circuit but dont know yet the config, spring pots are on the front rear and hold brilliantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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