RSSRobot Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Well folks - Friday 13th lived up to it's name. Within 5 minutes of leaving home I almost lost the front of the wifes Explorer when an old biddy stamped on the brakes right in fornt of me at a set of traffic light. Cue four wheel skid #1 of the day. Got halfway to picking up Jason when the phone rang. Pulled over to answer it and it was the truck driver - conversation went: Driver: "Where are you mate?" Me: "Just leaving Dagenham to pick up a mate and I'll be at the destination at about 10:00 Why, where are you?" Driver: "I'm sitting outside the warehouse at Gt Yeldham - didn;t they tell you I was delivering it at 08:30?" Me: "No - I was told you were leaving the yard at 8:30 - it's going to take me an hour to get to you" Driver: "mump, mump, mump, get here as quick as you can mate" So I hot-tooted it throught the back lanes to pick Jason up - only to have a bimblehead in a BMW (what else) pull out of a side road in front of me and proceed to bimble along at 5 mph. Cue four-wheel skid #2 of the day. Anyways - collected Jason OK and had a more or less uneventful ride up to Gt Yeldham arriving at 10:17 - not bad timing really considering. Thats when Friday the 13th bit again... THere's the OT sitting on the back of the low loader, unchained and with the ramps down ready to come off. But no "Tee" key to unlock the OT with. So there was no way we could unload her!!!! Driver was even less amused as he had another job to go to so we got the tools out and after a few minutes of twiddling and twisting persuaded one of the rear door locks to open. From there it was plain sailing - I jumped in, started her up then reversed off. As I was coming off the driver was whipping off the outrigers and boards and by the time I had stopped and put the hand brake on he'd got the ramps up and every thing chained dowm. Signed for delivery and he was off. Then I had to leave Jason sitting guard on the OT whilst I shot off and picked up the chap who runs the storage - he'd just come out of hospital after having a toe amputated. Once the hangar was unlocked Jason guided me in and we parked up between a Bedford QL and a Leyland Leopard. So - despite the worst Friday the 13th threw at us - SHE'S NOW HERE IN HER NEW HOME!! :yay::yay::yay::yay: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 GO HOME! Put kettle on and relax! Ithink maybe you've done your bit for the day. Well done mate! worth waiting for, think of the tales you can regale at the bar....:sleep: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Happy days...... I'm really pleased for you. Let's face it, taking on an OT-90 requires a degree of commitment and nuttiness. So, role on the first opportunity for a looksee. Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Well done Neil, Everything comes to he who waits ! You taking the beast to War and Peace ?:bow::bow::bow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Great to have a happy ending, it has been hard enough reading about, it let alone doing all that for real! Thanks for keeping us posted. Good luck with it from here on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowtracdave Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Lets hope that you have used up all the bad luck and things will finally go right for you from now on Neil . Time to start enjoying the machine . DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Well done Neil, Everything comes to he who waits ! You taking the beast to War and Peace ?:bow::bow::bow: Thanks every one!!! Yep - the beast will be going to W&P this year Andy. Will be with the AMVG crew over in the America's field - look for hull #151 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 What an epic, post some photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Thank .... for that,I was getting severe cramp keeping everything crossed for so long:sweat: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 I had some Friday 13th bad luck today. Firstly our trailer failed its annual test (brake imbalance on same wheel as last year despite only having done 400 miles since rectifying), then my project CVRT wouldn't start now that Mike has soldered all the wires together properly, and then the clutch master cylinder on my Discovery failed. Went to the IMPS barbeque this evening and got there safely with MUTT, halftrack and WLF safely though, so we'll deal with those issues tomorrow. Not to mention the HUGE fire at work (Selhurst TMD) today which closed the fuel point, then the yard, then Norwood Jct station, then the mainline from London Bridge. Flames were 30ft high and a few explosions, probably propane bottles. It was in an empty yard next to the depot which had been fly tipped in. Friday the 13th you say...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest catweazle (Banned Member) Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Thank .... for that,I was getting severe cramp keeping everything crossed for so long:sweat: Thats just your age:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Thats just your age:-D Mmmm.. you might just have a point there, sounds like the voice of experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 Heh - think you got problems?? You wanna see the bruises left from getting the OT into the hangar yesterrday!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 How did you get bruised doing that ? are you talking about trying to get into the ot-90 without the key ? will you have to do much repair work to set the lock right again ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Locks on Warsaw Pack armour aren't the same as ours - they are screw-locks. Basically you insert a special "Tee" shaped key and wind it in our out to unlock or lock the doors. We were lucky in that one door wasn't screwed in tight so by jiggling some screwdrivers about we could unscrew it and thus open the door. Got the bruises simply because my ankles still won't give enough support to climb onto the vehicle in the recommended way so I have to pop one of the troop compartment hatches at the rear roof and climb up through one of those!!!! Roll on a years time!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Great news Neil, finally it's home!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Can you fit a Stannah to an OT? Can you post a picture of the Key? Reason being there is an intresting story told about Brixmis. when the T-64 was coming into service a Russian TV proggramme showed an over head shot of the turret with the key being used. From this a key was reverse enginnered, then a Brixmis team entered storage building on a range, opened one up and phtographed the interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 No to the Stannah - do what I have to these days until my ankle heals - pop one of the roof hatches in the troop compartment and climb out of that!! Photo of the key - will do it tomorrow for you mate!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Thanks mate!:yay: Can't wait to get an oppertunity to see the beast in the metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Thanks mate!:yay: Can't wait to get an oppertunity to see the beast in the metal. Here you go Tony - the dreaded "Tee" key - hopefully you can make out the shape: This one is fabricated by Russian Military as they only have one original - and that has the spanner on the end to fit the fuel fillers and oil/coolant access plugs.... Which reminds me - thats something else I need to sort out before July 8th!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 That looks like the description of the gadget! Weird isn't it, 20 years ago that key alone would have been your retirment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ives Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 weird key neil you need to change your signature now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Thanks for the reminder Dave - sig, now changed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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