Leyland Martian Gallery

[AndyFowler]

Thanks Alan ! Must pop down to Firepower again soon ! :-D

[les freathy]

Heres one from my area in the past, canterbury motors heavy recovery

think you will like this one Andy

[AndyFowler]

Thanks Les . What a beast ! If only we produced such beautifull lorries today ! :-(

[cosrec]

Bob phoned me today, He has been advised not to go the insurance route, as insurance companies now, as a matter of policy, write off all claims involving fire, because of the the potentially hazardous remains that are present after a fire. Bob is thinking that to get the Martian back on the road, he will have to repair it hiomself and bear the cost. He is desperate for an FV style dash and instruments, as this is the hardest part to source.

 

Bob was welding in the cab, but his house phone rang, he went indoors for 15 minutes to answer the call, and came out to find the fire, (which also claimed two angle grinders and a Mig Welder).

 

Bob now wants parts rather than photo's and valuations.

The sentinal aircraft tug we have has FV dash panel get in touch

[brianthesnail96]

Interesting to get a bit of history on the one by the M5, always wondered why it was there, even if it is a (predictably) sad story.

 

Where is/ was the one in Dursley then? The only breakers yard I know that's just off the A38 by Dursley is Martian- free sadly, and has been for the last 4 years at least. There was some interesting stuff in the private yard behind, but nothing as big as a Martian.

 

Just down the road from "home", I shall have to go investigating.

[cosrec]

Hi little story about a Leyland Martian.

Around about early to mid 70s we bought a gun tractor with the big crew cab of a chap in North Yorks for use in our recovery business it cost £400 we chopped the rear of the cab of and added home made recovery gear and it worked great for 3 years.. One day it disgraced its self and dropped a vavle insert. after being stood for a month i lost my temper with it and took out out the engine and box.

I then bought ex blue circle cement scammell 8 wheeler and removed engine and box for £300. two days after i had cut truck up Blue circle Melton offered me £300 pounds for rear axles of it . I was on a roll i then fitted engine Leyland 680 and scammell six speed box into Martian. Boy was i chuffed once fitted i had moved the radiator forward only slightly so lhe truck still retained its looks. the unusual design of the scammell box meant i could retain the original floor. then i had a long wait for a clutch flexy pipe being made to mate a master cylinder i had cobbled up to the scammell slave cylinder. The truck was parked up against the rear wall of our shed. When the flexey pipie arrived i hastily fitted it upon trying it i could not get a gear the clutch plate was stuck to the flywheel. So i stopped engine selected first gear and started engine again truck lurched backwards through asbestos steel wall and finally stalled when it climbed on top of a jones baler in shed. cost me 450 to repair wall and straighten baler. Thats how i found out that scammell gearbox went different way round to every body elses i ended up with six reverse and one forward

[Paddy]

After you'd stopped cursing for a week, what happened to the Martian?

[antar]

After you'd stopped cursing for a week, what happened to the Martian?

 

He fitted really good mirrors and drove all over Yorkshire and Humberside in reverse....

[cosrec]

After you'd stopped cursing for a week, what happened to the Martian?

 

I fitted a David brown 6 speed overdrive gear box to the engine. Because of the length of the box and propshaft angle i had to move engine forward completely destroying the looks of the vehicle worked on until early 80s. engine sold to farmer for corn dryer vehicle sold for scrap 350 + Tulsa winch off 1940s corbit truck. Original RR engine was sold to another farmer who reckoned he was recon aand fitting in grey Fergy for tractor pulling

[antarmike]

http://www.anarchadia.co.uk/2008/10/vintage-thing-no27-leyland-martian.html

I don't know whther this one has been on the board before

[cosrec]

[martinstow]

I've seen no recent pictures of the LWB martian, this is mine, what do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[martinstow]

Here are a few more - I've posted some video footage on You Tube as well. The plate is 52BM13. I've a back copy issue 23 of Wheels &Tracks magazine with a 9 page feature on the Martian. It seems to say the LWB version is a rare beast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[antar]

Here are a few more - I've posted some video footage on You Tube as well. The plate is 52BM13. I've a back copy issue 23 of Wheels &Tracks magazine with a 9 page feature on the Martian. It seems to say the LWB version is a rare beast.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24715[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24716[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]24717[/ATTACH]

 

LWB and long nose by the looks of it ! what engine is fitted ?

[martinstow]

LWB and long nose by the looks of it ! what engine is fitted ?

 

Yes it is long nose and LWB, Volvo engine 13,500 cc turbo diesel engine number 628222269

[martinstow]

6x6, do you have any captions for the Martians in the previous post? The Recovery and crew cab gun tractor are obvious but I had always thought that the gun tractor for 8" howitzer was similar to the cargo but with a lower tilt and a crew access ladder plus door on the nearside. Look at USY 925 on the first page of this thread and you will clearly see the ladder and split in the canvas, yet it has a full height tilt. Compare with my old one OSU 809 which had the full height tilt but only two small dropsides at either side for access to the spare wheel which I am sure was a 10 ton GS cargo.

 

Am i right in thinking that the lwb cargo with spare mounted between the cab and body was a concept that did not make production?

 

Here's a photo of mine ..

[rbrtcrowther]

What is it like to drive on the road with a diesel engine fitted? Everyone keeps telling me they are just too slow and not much fun on a long run. Really like the recovery version but was put off by all the Quicker to walk stories:cry: One guy even said his explorer was a greyhound compared to his 680 diesel leyland.

[antar]

What is it like to drive on the road with a diesel engine fitted? Everyone keeps telling me they are just too slow and not much fun on a long run. Really like the recovery version but was put off by all the Quicker to walk stories:cry: One guy even said his explorer was a greyhound compared to his 680 diesel leyland.

 

I had a recovery version with a Perkins 540 v8 in it (2800 rpm) and a spicer overdrive gearbox. Flat out it would do 35mph but getting it flat out took about 5 minutes on a level road ! I once suspend towed an Explorer from Leyland, Lancashire to Stockport (fortunatly on a Sunday) on every incline we were down to about 5mph. We were really lucky not to be pulled up.

[gritineye]

I've seen no recent pictures of the LWB martian, this is mine, what do you think?

 

Nice, never seen one of those.

 

I had a recovery version with a Perkins 540 v8 in it (2800 rpm) and a spicer overdrive gearbox. Flat out it would do 35mph but getting it flat out took about 5 minutes on a level road ! I once suspend towed an Explorer from Leyland, Lancashire to Stockport (fortunatly on a Sunday) on every incline we were down to about 5mph. We were really lucky not to be pulled up.

 

Similar experience when Forceful was recovered 35 hilly miles by this Cummins powered one, on a busy Monday though, very slow and hellishly noisy (look at that exhaust!), but the price was right.

[martinstow]

What is it like to drive on the road with a diesel engine fitted? Everyone keeps telling me they are just too slow and not much fun on a long run. Really like the recovery version but was put off by all the Quicker to walk stories:cry: One guy even said his explorer was a greyhound compared to his 680 diesel leyland.

 

This Volvo engine takes everything in its stride at 35mph. It gives good turbo boost and all tappets are accurate, runs very clean when it's warm.

[martinstow]

I had a recovery version with a Perkins 540 v8 in it (2800 rpm) and a spicer overdrive gearbox. Flat out it would do 35mph but getting it flat out took about 5 minutes on a level road ! I once suspend towed an Explorer from Leyland, Lancashire to Stockport (fortunatly on a Sunday) on every incline we were down to about 5mph. We were really lucky not to be pulled up.

 

Guess the lack of wrecker gear makes a difference, plus this engine and turbo boost. The worst hill I've taken was in 3rd gear, but that's where most modern wagons struggle. Steep climbs it'll take in 5th. If anything it produces more torque than the petrol version, having seen other's hill climb footage.

[tacr2man]

I found with the original engine , mine was a guntractor converted to wrecker, max continuos road speed was about 43/45 mph at about 3650 rpm , rev limited to 3750 IIRC . Longest revovery I did was from silvertown to bicester ( lift and tow artic) . Steepish hills would sometimes get you into 1st high ( 3 speed transfer box) .

They were very efficient at converting fuel to heat tho

[Desert Rat]

I was asked the other evening if anyone knew what happened to a Martian Gun tractor called 'Aladdin' ?

It used to be in the Norfolk area but it hasn't been around for a few years.

Does anyone know what became of it ?

[cosrec]

Its all up in the air at the moment but might be trading in a Leyland martian Recovery vehicle it is in very good condition and would be for sale it is in near army condition and has not been knocked about modified except for rear lights and paint work cab tin work good lots of history can only sell to good home thats condition of current owner any one interested

[Smithy]

Glamorgan Fire Service's ex-army Recovery Vehicles.