Phantom Phixer Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 (edited) Hello All, Im new to military vehicles and am hoping that you maybe able to point me the right direction. Ive upto now concentrated on restoring historic aircraft. Mainly in a musuem environment with static airframes but recently Ive purchased an ex Malayan War Auster AOP9 to return flying condition. Pics in my gallery for those who are interested:). As a child I made a many a model of Tamiya's excellent 1/35 Bren Gun Carriers and to this day Ive always retained a soft spot for the odd looking vehicle. Albeit a soft spot restricted to looking at the odd picture I stumble across. Now that Ive grown up a bit, (ok lets change that to, now Ive a little money in my back pocket) Ive been wondering of late could I get hold of a Carrier to restore to running order. So the questions are (thats if you all dont mind helping me) 1) Are there any Carrier restoration projects available to purchase, if so what kind of price do they fetch. 2) What are they like to work on? Ive never even seen one in the flesh so any pointers would be apprecated. Is it an easy vehicle to return to running order? Ive seen the measurements and weights on Wiki for a complete vehicle and wonder can they be restored by someone in their garage like you would with a classic car or do weights of components make it a more problematic project? 3) Ive seen a couple of companies mentioned on the forum, and seen a few people on the www that do spares. Are they an easy vehicle to find stuff for? 4) If I managed to complete one, can they be road registered and if so can they be driven on a normal UK licence. 5) Is there any reading material that anyone can suggest so that I can get to know my subject better so I can make informed decisions on whether this is an achievable project for me. I am so sorry if these are deemed to be daft question, but I am a newbie to military vehicles and I hate jumping into projects head first without doing some research. many thanks for any help offered Martin Ps Ive spent a whole morning looking around the forum fantastic stuff. Unsure if this request for help should go into british vehicles or tracked so have placed in both. If the mods want to delete one posting please feel free. Edited October 13, 2008 by Phantom Phixer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford 369 Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 there is a couple of recently released books about carriers but I cannot think of the authors name but am pretty sure they are available through milweb ,Nigel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Carriers are very hard to find these days and good complete restored examples will cost approximately £15,000. I have heard of examples going for more. The books which ford 369 was refering to can be found here. http://www.universalcarrierbook.co.uk/ They can be driven on the road if you have an H Licence. As new tracks are currently unavailable it would be unwise to do much road mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Johns Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 (edited) They can be driven on the road if you have an H Licence. As new tracks are currently unavailable it would be unwise to do much road mileage. Because of their weight, at least 4 tons you will need to use a truck to transport it, too heavy to go on a car trailer Edited October 14, 2008 by Nick Johns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick W Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I looked at the Carriers. Have a look at one in the flesh, they are a bit bigger than I imagined them to be. There was, and still is, a carrier hull with some associated parts near me on Milweb at the moment. The guy wanted a bit too much for it, else I would have been tempted, it wouldnt be worth the amount of money needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Transport is a problem with carriers because with an unladened weight of approximately 4 tons you will very lucky to get away with a 7 1/2 tonner. Without a specially made light-weight body the most a 7 1/2 tonner will carry is 3 1/2. I am still looking for a suitable beavertail or similar if anyone knows of one for sale at a reasonable price. I have an HGV Licence. Carrier parts are very hard to come by and you will end up fabricating most of the sheet metal work. The price will soon mount up if you want a 100% correct carrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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