ploughman Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 On 4/25/2021 at 8:23 PM, Zero-Five-Two said: Had a bit of experience with the Mk5 Coles, I remember they were real top heavy too, rolled terribly on corners Back in 78 we were building a footbridge over the A3 in Guilford for the county show. 2 of the 3 cranes we had were parked up on a path with a ditch alongside. Overnight it rained and washed out the ditch causing the 2 cranes to roll over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 59 minutes ago, ploughman said: Back in 78 we were building a footbridge over the A3 in Guilford for the county show. 2 of the 3 cranes we had were parked up on a path with a ditch alongside. Overnight it rained and washed out the ditch causing the 2 cranes to roll over. Bridging cranes were a nightmare. Our troop had a couple of Mk5s and a couple of Hydra Huskies when I was in Germany. Both spent more time in 37 Rhine Workshops than on the vehicle park - safe load indicators and boom extension sensors - they'd work their way through the line in the workshop, get to the end and go straight back to the beginning again as something or other would be out of date. The other thing was the pressure test certificate for the damn servicing trailer - the one piece of kit in the troop which never worked once during my 2 years in the troop. Even the Leyland Martian got a bit of a run out. We built an EWBB Bailey bridge over the main road for the Army Air Corps day using two Hydra Huskies - probably along the same lines as you did at Guildford - and at around the same time. We'd got as far as we could short of actually placing the span across the road for which we were going to get the police to close it for an hour or so. Typical conversation ensued - crane op, MPF, tp comd etc "nah, we don't need to wait, it'll only take us 10 minutes" (it was already dark and there was no traffic). So we did - but it was a close-run thing. Both cranes were at their limit - warning buzzer switched off - watching to see neither tipped by keeping an eye on the tyres - if the "squash" started to go out of them and they began to bounce we'd stop... But, we did it! Drama over, but the thought of tipping a crane onto the road when we were bending the rules was a bit "half-a-crown-sixpence"! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 1 hour ago, ploughman said: Back in 78 we were building a footbridge over the A3 in Guilford for the county show. 2 of the 3 cranes we had were parked up on a path with a ditch alongside. Overnight it rained and washed out the ditch causing the 2 cranes to roll over. Don't remember the crane incident, but do remember the bridge and the show. I was at 3 Training Regt at Cove that summer. Some of our training group were allowed to "volunteer" to do car park marshalling and the like. Turned out to be a good crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Zero-Five-Two said: Don't remember the crane incident, but do remember the bridge and the show. I was at 3 Training Regt at Cove that summer. Some of our training group were allowed to "volunteer" to do car park marshalling and the like. Turned out to be a good crack. Were you still at Cove the following year on the night of the general election when the Sgts' Mess burned down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trooper 3/9 RAAC Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Hi Rob, that's a great looking truck & you have done a wonderful job & the video paid tribute to all your hard work. Congratulations, I have enjoyed the journey along the way. Just for interest, what oil pressure does it have at idle & when you were on your video trip? cheers Pierre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 8 hours ago, 10FM68 said: Were you still at Cove the following year on the night of the general election when the Sgts' Mess burned down? In a way yes, I'd finished training and gone to 38 Regt at Ripon, but we were on exercise at Hawley when it happened, and everybody was trying to get over there the next few days to see how bad it was. Given that the whole camp was wooden huts, I bet it burnt well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 (edited) On 4/28/2021 at 2:03 AM, Trooper 3/9 RAAC said: Hi Rob, that's a great looking truck & you have done a wonderful job & the video paid tribute to all your hard work. Congratulations, I have enjoyed the journey along the way. Just for interest, what oil pressure does it have at idle & when you were on your video trip? cheers Pierre Haven't got an actual pressure gauge on the thing, just a warning light. Light stays out so it must still have enough, even when warm Edited June 12, 2021 by Zero-Five-Two spellling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted June 12, 2021 Author Share Posted June 12, 2021 Managed to fit in a bit of work on the Tanker today. Checked and adjusted the rear brakes, they did tighten up quite a bit, hand brake is down to 3 clicks and all 4 rear wheels lock. I did find a couple of hub seals have been leaking, not enough to contaminate the brake shoes yet, but they wont get any better. Routemaster bus hub seals are the same and the solution at London Transport was to drain the oil and pack the bearings with grease, so I think, while I have the wheels off I'll be doing the same. The wheels are off, 2 at a time, for cleaning and painting Seen here in red oxide, awaiting grey primer and DBG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted July 31, 2021 Author Share Posted July 31, 2021 Finished the wheels off, and gave the tyres a once over with Autoglym last weekend Then started on the front wheels They did need doing And look better for it. Just got to get the red paint splats off now. She's out to her first show next weekend at Woodchurch, so much work today with the old turtle wax. Not by hand, I have to admit, it was hard enough graft with a polishing machine She does shine up well, but at one point I was considering the merits of a matt IRR respray 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted July 31, 2021 Share Posted July 31, 2021 Well done Rob, look forward to seeing you and your AEC next weekend, all being well. The old girl is looking great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuffen Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 What an achievement. You deserve to look at her and smile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted August 1, 2021 Author Share Posted August 1, 2021 8 hours ago, Richard Farrant said: Well done Rob, look forward to seeing you and your AEC next weekend, all being well. The old girl is looking great! Be good to meet up again at a show, hope it stops raining by then 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67burwood Posted August 1, 2021 Share Posted August 1, 2021 On 6/12/2021 at 10:24 PM, Zero-Five-Two said: Routemaster bus hub seals are the same and the solution at London Transport was to drain the oil and pack the bearings with grease Land Rover had the same solution for leaking swivels, they sell tubes of one shot grease which might be handy for your truck. Good work on the polishing, it’s a big beast to clean but it does look good 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyLearner Posted August 7, 2021 Share Posted August 7, 2021 Hopefully Rob you spotted before setting out that Woodchurch is pushed back a week due to waterlogged ground. Did you get notified by them? I found out by chance two days ago. Frankly not sure next weekend is going to be any drier but looking forward to seeing your tanker if you can make it. I have a pass to show my Austin Healey and will be there next Saturday. I've been following this thread for years and it's given many hours of happy reading- many thanks for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted August 7, 2021 Author Share Posted August 7, 2021 When the decision was made at about 10pm on sunday the internet went mad with people messaging each other, I had half a dozen contacts giving me the bad news. Not sure how much it will dry out during the week, but forecast is promising. Apparently a final decision will be made on Tuesday, more info on their facebook page. Hopefully will see you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LandyLearner Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 Good to finally put a face to a vehicle today Rob and great to hear your wagon thundering round the arena at Woodchurch. Thought you might like a couple of pics of your fleet I took. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 On 8/14/2021 at 8:15 PM, LandyLearner said: Good to finally put a face to a vehicle today Rob and great to hear your wagon thundering round the arena at Woodchurch. Thought you might like a couple of pics of your fleet I took. Thanks for posting the pictures, and great chatting on Saturday. Sorry I didn't get over to see your Healey, there was too many people turning up at the Tanker I couldn't get away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 As you may have noticed the Tanker made it's debut appearance at a show last weekend. No point posting any more photos, the ones Landylearner has posted already look pretty good. Have got a bit of video of trundling round the arena with the other Military stuff Tanker in the Arena at Woodchurch 2021.mp4 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted August 20, 2021 Share Posted August 20, 2021 Magnificent! You've done a fantastic job. The DBG looks brilliant and really complements the tanker - every inch a true British military classic. Just great. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motleyholt Posted August 21, 2021 Share Posted August 21, 2021 I hope there was an award for the most mirror like finish on a military vehicle😂. Incredible job well done though. Is there anything left to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted August 21, 2021 Author Share Posted August 21, 2021 23 minutes ago, Motleyholt said: Is there anything left to do? Yeah, quite a bit actually, but I don't let people look at that bit! Inside of the pump room, and all the valve gear is yet to be finished. Currently this is on hold. There should be a canvas cover that fits between the tank itself and the pump room, but barring a couple of scraps most of it had rotted completely away. Without it the rain just pours in and wrecks everything. So little point trying to do anymore just yet. Richard and Charlotte at RCH Canvas are making a new one for me, but as there is no pattern or another tanker to copy it is all having to be done from scratch. This, of course, is taking a bit of time what with measuring, test fitting, adjusting and so on. But progress is being made, and from what I've seen so far, they are doing a good job 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 Quick restoration update as there hasn't been too much work in that department recently, all effort went on polishing and getting ready for the first show. Long time ago, back on page 16 of this blog, in fact. I took one of the tank drain valves off, to drain the remaining fuel out of the rear tank. This weekend I managed to get 3 more of them off. Still got one left but that tank still has about 200 litres of fuel still in it, so will need draining properly. They look like this. If you remember they are made by Saunders of Cwmbran, Wales. Company is still going and new diaphragms etc are still available off the shelf. Easiest way to clean them up is to dunk them in the electrolysis bucket for a couple of hours. So, strip down and line up on a bit of threaded bar to get the current through Couple of hours in the bucket Follow that up with a quick wire brush over and the main bits are ready to paint Starting with a coat of Bondaprimer. All the internals are made of brass and are surprisingly clean considering how long it has been since they were last in use. Replacement diaphragms are in hand so we'll all be sorted, shortly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland_laddie Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 2 hours ago, Zero-Five-Two said: Quick restoration update as there hasn't been too much work in that department recently, all effort went on polishing and getting ready for the first show. Ahhh, but the updates are always worth waiting for 🙂 and getting her to the first show is an important mielstone in the restoration. Hopefully next year she and I will begin the same place for a show (with Johans panzer) and I can see her for real. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero-Five-Two Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 Busy weekend for Tankering one way and the other, good results all round. First off, Must big up Richard and Charlotte from RCH canvas. After weeks of measuring making and adjusting, we finally got to the end of the canvas that joins the tank and the pump room. It has been a considerable challenge for them, complicated shape, no pattern and nothing to copy from, built completely from scratch. But they were up to it and the finished product looks pretty good. Top section rivetted on Off side And the near side. Unfortunately I ran out of rivets, so couldn't finish the job, but it all fits nicely and should keep the rain out. After that excitement, moved onto another on going saga. Trying to find the "right" shade of red paint for the drain tap tops and the fuel out valve. I've tried various shades, and didn't like any of them, either too dark or too pink or orange. Got a result earlier in the week and finally found a shade that I think looks right. Minor downside is, it is a coach enamel and takes 3 or 4 days to dry, then several weeks to harden off. Next problem, what colour primer to use, as I know this will affect the final colour. A search of the net suggests white, yellow and even blue. Best answer set up a test From left to right, white, yellow, blue, and red. Interesting result here, not much difference in the white yellow and red, but the blue gave an unexpected bonus. The only blue I had, for the test, was some gloss left over from painting the Saltire badge. Painting over gloss is never good as the new coat tends to slide off, but here it only slid off from the lettering making it look like they had been highlighted. Photo doesn't really do it justice, looks really striking in the daylight, but black lettering would be better than blue. So, clean it all the different colours off. Start with a base coat of gloss black, then red over the top hoping it will slide off in the same way. Again, photo doesn't bring the colour out right, looks pink here. This was taken a few minutes after painting and the red is already sliding off the letters quite nicely. Looks really good Fuel valve looks orange, but honestly it is the same red paint as the valve handle On the other hand, it could be pink. Either way it has got a fortnight to dry, as we are off to Yorkshire to visit the in laws. Plan A, when we get back, is full steam ahead with finishing the pump room now that the new canvas will keep the rain out. I'll let you know. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67burwood Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Zero-Five-Two said: First off, Must big up Richard and Charlotte from RCH canvas. After weeks of measuring making and adjusting, we finally got to the end of the canvas that joins the tank and the pump room. It has been a considerable challenge for them, complicated shape, no pattern and nothing to copy from, built completely from scratch. But they were up to it and the finished product looks pretty good. The canvas looks very good, I’ve read quite a few recommendations for RCH canvas, I’ll be getting in touch with them shortly to have a cupola cover made and seat cushions for the wot6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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