Jack Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 not sure about the tanks at Utah but when I was there a couple of weeks ago the halftrack had a letter taped to the side of it from the local mayors office stating that it was in a dangerous condition and that it must be made safe which judging by the amount of rot will probably mean removal and cutting upNigel Very sad state that halftrack is in Nigel. Does nayone know the history behind it? How long has it been there? Nigel - how was Ivy House? I hear it is for sale...one hell of a place for a business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Elkins Posted September 13, 2008 Share Posted September 13, 2008 Well the sun shone for a few mins last month so we decided to set about our Sherman resto!! First the false floor had to be cut out and then the Barrel and Mantle! closely followed by the comanders hatch!,next will be the turret then an appointment with mr shotblaster in the stubble field follwed by a long sleep in the shed over winter ,we need many interior parts so if anyone has a lead or a shed full of Sherman bits and pieces please get in touch ,cheers Adam I think There is still a sherman on sailsbury plain with no turret or tracks, it still has all the controls and dials inside. its where the public shouldnt be but not far from a byway. PM me if you want its location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 [ Nigel - how was Ivy House? I hear it is for sale...one hell of a place for a business. Yes it is for sale and as you say a great place for a business ,it is being sold as a going concern ready to move in and carry on trading even got bookings for next year,the price seemed very reasonable to me considering the good will and reputation Steve and Sarah have built up. Even though it is for sale we booked for august next year as it always gets booked up early in the school holidays and it is too convenient a location to move away from Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdepot Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 After alot of tugging banging and jacking we finaly got the turret to break free on the Sherman the other day !! andy and i also braved the cold this weekend and got the gearbox off and out !!!,final drive almost looks unused ! sadley the side cover on the gearbox has been long gone so the inside condition is not looking great at the moment !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 That box does look rusty , but as you say a long winter ahead. Maybe if it spent the time in an oil disiel bath? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joris Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Wow it's comming along nicely! When do you want it operational? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdepot Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Well when the turret is lifted off (to chicken to do it with that small loader waiting for bigger one to pass!!) we will get her into the shed for winter and a nice shot blasting session inside and out!! i would hope to have a motor in it and running by this time next year! maybe 18months until she looks like a Sherman again!!,cheers Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormin Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Have you got a source for the motor and all the other missing bits? Looks like there's a lot to find. Good luck with the restoration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvdepot Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 we may have got a complete motor with all ancillaries !! but we still need all the important things to get her on the move !!,if we can get her moving with a turret basket in the rest can follow i suppose !! so if anyone trips over a pile of Sherman interior parts give me a shout please cheers Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Great work guys, total commitment and it is going to be another one saved. Important work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 No pressure Adam - but you need a dead line. Armour and Embarkation is in June 2010 :coffee: would be something to have 3 Shermans from HMVF there...:readpaper: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajmac Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 (edited) It is incredible that so many WW2 tracked vehicles have been restored in recent years. I started to follow the interest back in 1992 when I first saw a local farmer driving his M4A1 Grizzly Nr Bobbington in South Staffs, he also had a Diamond T. We got chatting and eventually followed him over to Normandy for the 50th in 1994. IIRC there were two Grizzlys a Sexton and a few M5 Stuarts, one of them was local to me having come from Bridgenorth! NOW, there seem to be so many restored examples in the UK that I find it hard to believe. Where are they all coming from? For me the life of the vehicle pre-restoration is as intresting as the vehicle itself....I know that the farmers Grizzly came from Portugal and he brought it for next to nothing ! Lucky bugger :-) Alastair Cali, Colombia (at the moment) Edited December 13, 2008 by ajmac typo again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 The farmer from Bobbington is Dennis roberts and he has had his Grizzly since the early eighties. He had one of the first five and there were several more available for £6000 IIRC. Ian McGregor was buying them in Portugal along with Sextons, Humber armoured cars and M5 and M5A1 HSTs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) It has been a while since we posted anything about the sherman restoration. The search for parts continues, front seats now located and in storage in Italy (at my aunt's place until i can get out to collect them), engine should be being run up today prior to being packed for shipping. Small parts are trickling in to the workshop - we have nearly everything including the installation kit for the complete radio/intercom set up, found the track adjusting spanner in a scrap yard near our place in Normandy for a couple of euros, have more track wedge bolts than we will hopefully ever need, have most of the wiring NOS (at least most of the conduit anyway), have dashboard, clutch pedal assemby, the turret seats, little joe generater, one of the f/ext bottles, turret brake and numerious small parts. The big bits we are still hunting for (apart from the firewall which we will have to manufacture) are turret basket, breech block, prop shaft, prop shaft tunnel, first motion shaft for the gearbox and the gearbox final drive flange. Adam rigged up a temp arm for the steering lever which was missing one and it has been moved, steering under it''s own control (motive power provided by a 'big' tractor) in to the blast zone. She is slowly still giving up her secrets, there is no doubt that originally this was vehicle C-16 of what is looking like 2nd armoured. The unit designation is still under layers of paint. In another two years (hopefully much less) we should have that revealed as well. (When i say originally, of course i mean, that on the last layer of OD, under several layers of paint we are finding these markings, along with white stars - could have been stripped and repainted before we got her granted). The GMC353 and WC16 are keeping us 'honest' in the meantime.... Regards Ken Edited September 17, 2010 by kpu121265 Spelling - as usual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 have more track wedge bolts than we will hopefully ever need, Regards Ken Ken, does that mean my wedge bolts from Tom are in the UK now? I've heard nothing from Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 I don't think yours have even made it to the container yet Adrian - at least i've not heard anything from site. It looks like the end of October or early Nov for loading - so if they are there, and are loaded, they should be in the UK before Christmas. I have lots of them here (from the same source) if you need some sooner....? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 No problem Ken, I don't think I will be needing them just yet, it's not a job I'm looking forward to much either! I understood from Tom that he was dispatching them to your site in May, will have to check. Thanks. Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 17, 2010 Share Posted September 17, 2010 He may have done some Adrian, i just haven't heard anything. It's not a job i'm looking forward to much either, but it needs to be done. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrward Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Is this the Sherman from the park in Oro Grande? There were a number of interesting things there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I think so, we have an image somewhere of the tank in the playground, showing the handrail etc welded to it which explained some of the extra weld marks on the hull. There was apparently a steam locomotive and a jet fighter of some kind in the same park. The chap who rescued the sherman, also pulled out an artillery piece and a half track. If i understand correctly, the park had some trouble when a young girl was killed it in, falling or otherwisae hurting herself on one of the items in it. I can not find the link again now, will have a look when i get to my pc later. Anyway, the sherman is on the move in to the blasting 'zone'.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormin Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Are you taking the tracks and wheels off before blasting? Just thinking of the grit potentially getting into bearings. If it's anything like up here just waiting for a decent spell of weather now for blasting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 (edited) She is currently about 70 miles north east of you. Blasting can not start until we have finally checked all the possible locations for markings which is a long job - but well worth it so far. Given that the whole thing will be completely stripped down once she gets in to the workshop, the wheels and tracks might stay on for the initial blasting. Now we have the steering operational, it is relatively easy to manouver her with the tracks on. We will see..... I suspect we will be changing all the bearings anyway, and most of the road wheels are shot. Ken Edited September 20, 2010 by kpu121265 Spelling - what else.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcspool Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 If i understand correctly, the park had some trouble when a young girl was killed it in, falling or otherwisae hurting herself on one of the items in it. Here's a little background on the park: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/park-550-oro-grande.html I can think of at least one park / playground here in Holland which had a tank as an attraction, also removed due to HSE regulations. Great to see you are moving ahead with the Sherman restoration! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormin Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 She is currently about 70 miles north east of you. Blasting can not start until we have finally checked all the possible locations for markings which is a long job - but well worth it so far.Given that the whole thig will be completely stripped down once she gets in to the workshop, the wheels and tracks might stay on for the initial blasting. Now we have the steering operational, it is relatively easy to manouver her with the tracks on. We will see..... I suspect we will be changing all the bearings anyway, and most of the road wheels are shot. Ken Don't know why but I'd automatically assumed the tank was down South somewhere. Glad to here it's not and there may be a chance of seeing it at some Northern events in the future. Here's a little background on the park: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/park-550-oro-grande.html I can think of at least one park / playground here in Holland which had a tank as an attraction, also removed due to HSE regulations. Great to see you are moving ahead with the Sherman restoration! Glad to here the Tanks history isn't blemished by being implicated in any way with the unfortunate incident in the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpu121265 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Thanks, that's the link i was looking for, thankyou for posting. The chap we bought this one from was responsible for clearing the park of the MVs. The Sherman, in whatever state it is in, will almost certainly be making an appearance at next year's (2011)Ponderosa event in Heckmwondike (August i think). I doubt we will have her running by then, but she should be an interesting exhibit anyway - even if she still has the turret off and not much inside... If we are really lucky, could have the engine in by then, firewall manufactured, hull seats, driving controls and be able to move it about..... You need to give your visor a good flip up sometimes to make sure your vision is far enough 'up' the horizon..... Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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