Diamond T Gallery

[Gordon_M]

Can any one tell me why the Yanks insisted on putting silly little rear view mirrors on the DT's, how the hell were they expected to see what was behind them with a mirror that small.

 

Can't believe you asked that. Why would you actually want to look behind you at all driving something that size - it's down to everyone else to keep out of your way ... Takes us back to that M26 video on the other thread.

 

When you need a rear view mirror for overtaking things you don't have to do much of that on a T or a Pacific, I seem to recall. Last time I took a T any distance it was no problem to just look round and see, but then I was a fair bit younger then.

[antarmike]

Can't believe you asked that. Why would you actually want to look behind you at all driving something that size - it's down to everyone else to keep out of your way ... Takes us back to that M26 video on the other thread.

 

When you need a rear view mirror for overtaking things you don't have to do much of that on a T or a Pacific, I seem to recall. Last time I took a T any distance it was no problem to just look round and see, but then I was a fair bit younger then.

Having driven an Antar for 12 years of course you need mirrors, the bigger the better. You are spending half your time squeezing past things and you need to be able to watch where they are as you pass and alter you actions to suit.

 

I probably passed 3 things in 13 years but was looking in the rear view mirrors at least once every ten seconds.

When I took my HGV it was a fail if you went longer than 15 seconds without using both mirrors.

 

How do you know you are safely past a cyclist if you don't use your mirrors? Sorry I can't agree with your stance.

Edited December 18, 2010 by antarmike

[dizzy-t]

Thanks for the back up Antarmike, didn't know about the 15 second rule for looking in mirrors, but when I was an HGV driver I was driving box van trucks very rare to drive a flatbed. You drive on your mirrors with a box, still cant understand the Yanks with their silly mirrors though, still it was war time, so I suppose they thought that there wouldn't be much traffic to be passed.

[abn deuce]

Were the mirrors on any of the military vehicles of the time that much different in size? I thought most of the reasons lay with minimise the amount of glass and reflective surfaces to reduce the chances of detection by aircraft and enemy soldiers ,as in the sloped windshield of the Canadian military pattern vehicles, that many military vehicles operated at least the larger ones with a co-driver so there were more eyes to see things and to be spotters if need when manovering .

Now if the question is should all vehicles driven on the road now have larger mirrors I say yes.

[antarmike]

Were the mirrors on any of the military vehicles of the time that much different in size? I thought most of the reasons lay with minimise the amount of glass and reflective surfaces to reduce the chances of detection by aircraft and enemy soldiers ,as in the sloped windshield of the Canadian military pattern vehicles, that many military vehicles operated at least the larger ones with a co-driver so there were more eyes to see things and to be spotters if need when manovering .

Now if the question is should all vehicles driven on the road now have larger mirrors I say yes.

 

Also with the DT the cab is so narrow compared to the Ballast body, that the arms have to be very long to get the mirror far enough out to see past it. Hanging a lot of mirror(=weight) on the end of such a long arm is problematic.

[Dave]

I have a couple of detatchable arms which drop into sockets on the front bumper corners, this way i have some half sensible wide view mirrors for driving, 30 seconds later we are back to original spec tiny ones.

I find that the bigger mirrors would need to be about 18" wider than the truck to see what is behind you but they do show what is coming up beside you.

The little ones are handy as i can see over the stowage box in the ballast box and see a long way back behind me.

Close up behind is a total blind spot but this is not a problem once i hit the throttle and show that i don`t have emission controls.

I think i have been overtaken BY a bicycle more often than the other way round.

The story of the hare and tortoise always comes to mind when i`m out in my T.

[MACCDT]

HI there

 

Can any of the group advise the following for 980/981:-

 

where to purchase oil filters for both Hercules and Rolls engines

what the best grade and make of oil to use in the above engines

 

thanks in advance :-)

 

MaccDT (Steve)

[diamond-t-steve]

Hi

 

i'm affraid I can only help you with Hercules engine as I have not had any dealings with the Rolls Royce. The original oil filters were made by a company called Fram, who still exist so filters are not realy a problem as they can be cross matched ect. The fram part number is FR-5294. There is also an oil strainer inside the bottom of the sump pan that is accessed by undoing the ring of bolts around the sump plug. There is also a small fillter in the body of the viscometer sender on the side of the engine block, both the sump strainer and the viscometer filter are just removed and cleaned with petrol or equivelent. When you change the oil filters try not to break the seal on the bottom of the 3 cases as they can be hard to re-seal. as for oil, the manual lists SAE 30 for above 32 degrees F temp and SAE 10 below 32 degrees F. Just get the best that you can obtain from a good commercial parts supplier.

 

Hope this helps and Happy new year.. regards Steve..

[younggun]

on the trail of the star autos diamond t i have found a few pics here

http://www.star-auto.co.uk/content/gallery-recent-unusual-recoveries

 

there is a gd pic of the T asistting one of alleys dafs with a load

 

there is allso another t in pics wich seems to have a pionear crane inthe back never seen it before

[Adrian]

on the trail of the star autos diamond t i have found a few pics here

http://www.star-auto.co.uk/content/gallery-recent-unusual-recoveries

 

there is a gd pic of the T asistting one of alleys dafs with a load

 

there is allso another t in pics wich seems to have a pionear crane inthe back never seen it before

 

Thanks for the link Nick.

 

Does anyone know who bought the Star Autos' T?

[Tony Graves]

hi adrian the last i heard about star motors diamond the owner was fed up with time wasters and the diamond was back under cover and was being restored by star motors, perhaps if his price was more economical he could have sold it ten years ago,all the best , tony.

[Adrian]

Thanks Tony, glad to hear from you again. Hmmmmm, you can read alot into that. 'Timewasters' can often reffer to people who know the value of the vehicle and are not willing to offer the rediculous sums being asked!

 

All the best,

 

Ad.

[les freathy]

Just been having sort through and came across this item which appeared back in 2000 in the model rail magazine. I remember looking at the cover and thinking what no way but it appears it was genuine as the guy took photos of it to make a model for his railway. anymore details out there

cheers

Les

[diamond-t-steve]

Hi all.

 

I have just read this thread and I feel it has been posted in the wrong place and would be better here. It was posted by member loggydriver.

 

 

 

Diamond T help required for a Veteran!!!

 

 

The father of a friend of my other half was a driver of a Diamond T Tank Transporter in the Army. It's his 80th birthday in April and what she really wants for his birthday present is for him to either get a trip in or drive a Diamond T again.

 

Apparently he is a collector of classic cars, so he similar to us in his interest for historical vehicles. The gentleman lives in Guildford and she is willing to travel to where the Diamond T is based. I'm sure she would be willing to pay for the fuel!

 

Are there any Diamond T owners that would be willing to give this Veteran a drive or trip in their Diamond T for his 80th birthday in April? If you think you can help, please PM me and I can pass your details onto the Daughter of the Veteran for her to contact you.

 

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

 

Andy

........................................................................................................

 

 

I have had the pleasure of doing just that for WW2 veterans in the past. Too see the look on there face and knowing that you have made there day is for me what makes the effort to keep these pieces of history running worth while.

 

Is there someone in his neck of the woods able to help him out with his request??

 

Steve.....

 

[LoggyDriver]

Hi Steve,

 

Thanks for that, you beat me to it.. Cheers mate.:tup::

[Tony Graves]

Hi all.

 

I have just read this thread and I feel it has been posted in the wrong place and would be better here. It was posted by member loggydriver.

 

 

 

Diamond T help required for a Veteran!!!

 

 

The father of a friend of my other half was a driver of a Diamond T Tank Transporter in the Army. It's his 80th birthday in April and what she really wants for his birthday present is for him to either get a trip in or drive a Diamond T again.

 

Apparently he is a collector of classic cars, so he similar to us in his interest for historical vehicles. The gentleman lives in Guildford and she is willing to travel to where the Diamond T is based. I'm sure she would be willing to pay for the fuel!

 

Are there any Diamond T owners that would be willing to give this Veteran a drive or trip in their Diamond T for his 80th birthday in April? If you think you can help, please PM me and I can pass your details onto the Daughter of the Veteran for her to contact you.

 

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

 

Andy

........................................................................................................

 

 

I have had the pleasure of doing just that for WW2 veterans in the past. Too see the look on there face and knowing that you have made there day is for me what makes the effort to keep these pieces of history running worth while.

 

Is there someone in his neck of the woods able to help him out with his request??

 

Steve.....

 

 

Agree also. What a brilliant idea! I have done the same for other veterans in the past and it probably gave me as much pleasure as them. I currently have two 'Diamonds' but live just behind Omaha Beach, Normandy in France. A drive in a 'Diamond' along the Invasion Beaches!!!!!!!.......You can call me on 0033 231 10 11 98.

[LoggyDriver]

Agree also. What a brilliant idea! I have done the same for other veterans in the past and it probably gave me as much pleasure as them. I currently have two 'Diamonds' but live just behind Omaha Beach, Normandy in France. A drive in a 'Diamond' along the Invasion Beaches!!!!!!!.......You can call me on 0033 231 10 11 98.

 

 

 

Hello Tony,

 

Wow, that's an amazing offer. I will pass your very generous offer over to my missus and she will let the Daughter of the guy concerned know. Hopefully she will accept.

 

Thanks very much Tony.

 

Andy

[AndyFowler]

Couple of Diamond T pics here ! http://www.singas.co.uk/HTML/sussex_estate.html

[TooTallMike]

I was on the website of one of our Portuguese suppliers and noticed in the top right corner a photo of a civilianised 980/1 with a heavy trailer. It implies there are 5 photos in the gallery but I can only get one to appear.

 

http://www.efacec.pt/PresentationLayer/efacec_ctexto_00.aspx?idioma=1&local=5&area=1

 

Regards - Mike

[radiomike7]

I was on the website of one of our Portuguese suppliers and noticed in the top right corner a photo of a civilianised 980/1 with a heavy trailer. It implies there are 5 photos in the gallery but I can only get one to appear.

 

http://www.efacec.pt/PresentationLayer/efacec_ctexto_00.aspx?idioma=1&local=5&area=1

 

Regards - Mike

 

Click on 'Seguinte', no more truck pics though.

[diamond 981]

I was on the website of one of our Portuguese suppliers and noticed in the top right corner a photo of a civilianised 980/1 with a heavy trailer. It implies there are 5 photos in the gallery but I can only get one to appear.

 

http://www.efacec.pt/PresentationLayer/efacec_ctexto_00.aspx?idioma=1&local=5&area=1

 

Regards - Mike

 

Looks more like a Federal,the wings and bonnet sides are certainly more Federal looking than Diamond T.

[Tony Graves]

hi, the truck in the photo is 100% a federal, the wartime cummins engined version, the trailer looks like the back end of the dyson 50 tonner, all the best , tony.

[TooTallMike]

hi, the truck in the photo is 100% a federal, the wartime cummins engined version, the trailer looks like the back end of the dyson 50 tonner, all the best , tony.

Ok thanks,

I couldn't see the hydraulic dampers at the front so had ruled that out. I figured the bonnet sides and grille must have been modified. Thanks for the correction.

 

- MG

[George McKenzie]

I have been around heavy hauling most of my life and have been a big collecter . In Canada you won't see many big things from the war . After the war they were too big to ship back so you lucky collecters have them now to play with .I have two DT969"s I am parting one out .I gave my friend the cab to put on his DT 981 , the onlyone I know in Canada that can be restored .The other one is now a tri axel with different horspower . My DT's ,one has the Diamond T emblem on the rad and the other doesn't . The one I am parting out moved buildings in Edmonton till it was wor out . The one I am restoring has a five window cab that the Ca army put on them .and has 19000 miles on it . When I was a young fellow dad bought a 3 ton DT and we hauld elcolyte ( in 45 gallon barrels ) to mix with Normanwells NWT crude oil , 1000 miles one way for the air planes in Northern Canada and Alaska ect: My last job in the north was with the icroad truckers, _60 C

[dizzy-t]

Does any one know how many Diamond T's Pickfords had in their fleet, and what happened to them after they were pensioned off?. :readpaper::readbook: