CVRTNick Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Well said,it seems fine in the warm,but flesh,metal & cold are not a good mix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratty Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Good work Nick, We CVRT owners need to keep Grasshopper well practiced in the art of fettling these wonderful toys! (We also need to ensure he stays small and supple maybe we should bind him in a manor similar to that used on ancient Chinese ladies feet?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david052 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I heard a theory that when, in the mid-90s, some arms reduction was required, NATO needed to reduce the number of "tanks with main armament in the range 75mm - 105mm". Having already decided to sunset Scorpion on account of the carbon monoxide emissions during firing, it was a simple trick to designate Scorpion a tank and then scrap it. RESULT! But to those of us who gave life blood to Scorpions, it was NEVER a tank. END OF. When I was in we had to occaisonally have our CVRTs counted by the Russkis under the SALT agreement, I think it was, under a particular Op name that escapes me at the moment, and they were only Sultans, yet they were classed as armour, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 When I was in we had to occaisonally have our CVRTs counted by the Russkis under the SALT agreement, I think it was, under a particular Op name that escapes me at the moment, and they were only Sultans, yet they were classed as armour, so... I was going to say SALT, but SALT was a Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. The agreement in question was, I believe, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe or CFE (as shown by a search for cfe arms agreement in Google taking me straight to Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_Conventional_Armed_Forces_in_Europe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Good work Nick, (We also need to ensure he stays small and supple maybe we should bind him in a manor similar to that used on ancient Chinese ladies feet?) It's ok Nigel, the diet is going well and all my trousers now fit again! Been seeing an osteopath so i can turn my head as well, which is a bonus. Anyway, back on topic. An electrical-wizard friend of mine is currently rebuilding the distribution box, which was a rusted mess inside. He has just informed me of a plug and insulator we need, so i have just made enquiries about getting a new plug, and I think we have spare insulators in stock. We hope to move the hull into the shed this weekend. Will post some pics if we do. Vince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 He has just informed me of a plug and insulator we need, so i have just made enquiries about getting a new plug, and I think we have spare insulators in stock. RS stock a full range of NATO/Clansman type (Amphenol) MIL-C-5015 sockets & plugs http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=retrieveTfg&binCount=442&Ne=4294957561&Ntt=MIL&Ntk=I18NAll&Nr=AND%28avl%3auk%2csearchDiscon_uk%3aN%29&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&N=4294965339+4294953928&Nty=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) With help from a couple of friends, we got the Scorpion in the shed this weekend. Not as easy as it sounds..... Vehicles in the way included a WLF, 3 tractors (one in bits), a Dodge ambulance and a dead S3 109 landie. To make temporary space in the yard for these, we had to move a caravan, a horsey-type trailer thing and a car transporting trailer. Then we had to take many, many shunts to get the Scorpion past the pillars in the shed (very tight fit) to its new spot. The owner of the shed has kindly given us a 2 vehicle space so we can pull the torsion bars and final drives out each side without needing to move other things. The formerly seized final drive now turns freely, so proving it was iced up during the previous move. i plan to remove and strip both final drives as a precautionary measure. I included the pic with the Dodge because I liked it. The dodge is very nice, and started (on it's 6v battery) easily after not being used since September. Just took a bit of petrol thrown in the carb and it fired up immediately. It has enough space to move backwards to give us access to the Scorpion, but it will remain across the front of the CVRT to allow the landlord access to his stuff in the shed. Edited January 26, 2009 by Grasshopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 Found the hull number on the back, but due to corrosion, I can't properly make it out. Anyone know what a Scorpion hull number should look like? It looks like SC (B or 3) 0010. It is an ex Belgian one, so should it be SCB? Sorry its a it blurry, it haven't yet figured out how to reduce picture sizes on my computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 A couple of interior shots. We did give it a clear out once in the shed. There is a distinct lack of wiring loom in the front, but i have a dashboard in stock which has a lot of the loom still attatched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Daymond Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 looks like that'll keep you busy for a while. I was wondering how come it's in such a stripped down state? was it an aborted restoration project, or was it stripped to be scrapped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 From the history it sounds like it went to Alvis after the Belgians were finished with it. Quite a few went there after disposal. The Belgian vehicles were actually built in Belgium, so you can't really say it went back to Alvis. The vehicles they bought were refurbished or converted to diesel and sold on to other countries. My Sultan was supposed to go to an African country but the order was cancelled, it was also fairly stripped down when I got it. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Chris is correct in that ours was handed back to Alvis, and was stripped for diesel conversion. I am led to believe that this was one of the first hulls to have the hole for the diesel exhaust cut in it. The method (and person?) cutting the hole were deemed inadequate, so this hull was layed aside with a badly cut hole in it. A larger plasma cutter was employed on later conversions! I have had some info back on the hull number, and it appears that Belgian vehicles began BE-SCO. It would seem that someone has used an upside down 5 as an S, so that would make our vehicle BE-SCO 10. It did come with a few early (and subsequently superseded) fittings in the hull, so it may well be the 10th Scorpion hull the Belgians made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Spent today chopping up 2 8ft railway sleepers into 2 ft sections. Easier said than done as A) they were under the Scorpion B) I was by myself C) They are b*****d heavy! I had to get under the vehicle and push them out with my feet, and if anyone has ever been underneath a tank, they will know that it is always a slightly unnerving experiance. I will happily crawl around under trucks, landies and trains, but the flat bottom of the hull I find slightly claustrophobic. Using a circular saw, wedge and hammer, I cut the sleepers into sections (easier to type than it was to do it!). I jacked up the hull, and the Scorpion is now sitting on blocks. Rather fitting, as it is in Croydon.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazz Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 (edited) Just found these 2 pics, slightly on topic. Thats me in the gunners seat. Bazz Edited January 30, 2009 by Bazz more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted January 30, 2009 Author Share Posted January 30, 2009 Nice armoured hedge! (note early 3 barrel smoke dischargers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlienFTM Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Early? They have something different now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Yes, they were swapped to 4 pot ones a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 The 3 pot ones look like the same as those fitted to the Big Wheeled Ferret :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVRTNick Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Hi, Seeing as it doesn’t have it’s flotation screen & I don’t know of any ex-Belgium one’s that have.It looks like it will have be an ex-British Army one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) Yesterday was the first day of "proper" work on the project. First job was to erect a large industrial racking shelf we have been loaned by the landlord. It's the perfect size for storing all the large items we remove (i.e wheels and suspension), and the Scorpion happened to be parked exactly the right distance from the wall for it to fit! Its about the same height as the upper decking of the CVRT so I can just get behind it, although I may have to leave any rear-end restoration work until either the vehicle is mobile or the shelf dismantled. The usefulness of the storage far outweighs the lack of rear end access at the moment. The rest of the day was spent removing the road wheels and the one remaining track. I have been "loaned" a small air impact wrench from work, and this made removing the 72 wheel nuts much easier although it did struggle with some and we had to resort to a breaker bar. For some reason most CVRT road wheel bolts I have come across seem to have a lot of thread damage at the end, so when the nut is near the end of the bolt it becomes very difficult to remove. We had to resort to using a 6 ft bar to remove the wheels on one side, as they were well and truly stuck on with dried mud. The rest just required a couple of taps with a mallet and block of wood. The rear idler wheels would not come off, so I will have to remove the hubs to get them off. I have discovered that one rear idler arm bush is badly worn, so this will need replacing, as will the track tensioners which seem to leak. We already have some new ones in stock. The next lot of work will be to remove the final drives and rear idler arm assemblies. Edited February 14, 2009 by Grasshopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 (edited) In the last pic, you can clearly see the hole that has been cut in the side of the hull. We plan to plate over the hole, but does anybody know how we can cut a recess in the hull? Bear in mind that the hull is aluminium. I also noticed that the welding on the flotation skirt ledge is pretty appalling. Don't know if the Belgians produced their own hulls, but when compared to our British Spartan the welding is far worse on this vehicle. Edited February 14, 2009 by Grasshopper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Vince, The Belgian CVRTs were built in Belgium using parts sourced locally, so they would have done the welding! I don't think the hulls are that hard to cut as plenty of people have cut them up. Someone told me they cut up a Sultan using one of these http://www.screwfix.com/search.do;jsessionid=21B3Q2VQNAPW2CSTHZOSFFY?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=reciprocating+saw and that it was fairly easy. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 The difficulty is going to be cutting the recess at a consistent depth, as you cant stick anything to the hull. We could do it with an angle grinder, ut it wouldn't be very pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmite!! Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 In the last pic, you can clearly see the hole that has been cut in the side of the hull. We plan to plate over the hole, but does anybody know how we can cut a recess in the hull? Bear in mind that the hull is aluminium. I've used my variable speed router with a milling bit, roller bearing & a template to mill a recess in aluminium to a depth of 5mm with success in the past.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 Was able to spend some more time on Sunday on the strip down. With an enthusiastic extra pair of hands removed the rear idler assemblies, but found the wheels still won't come off despite much persuasion with a hammer (and bit of wood), so going to put them in a press. Also removed the track tensioning rams, rear bump stops and front bump stops. We then turned our attention to the final drives. The sprockets came off fairly easily, and with the aid of our friend Mr Air impact wrench, made short work of removing all the securing bolts. A few strikes in the correct place with a sledge hammer, and the final drive fell perfectly onto the piece of wood we had placed under it. The drivers side assembly still had the brake caliper and handbrake band fitted, so these had to be removed first before the drive unit could come out. Before removal, I drained the oil out of each drive unit, and found mostly water in the one which I had suspected had frozen up a few weeks ago. While my assistant removed the armstrong dampers, I set about trying to find the special tool I had made for removing the torsion bar retaining pins. It's basically a long unf threaded bolt, which you wind into the base of the retaining pin, and you then turn the nut against a large washer which causes the pin to pull out of the hull. Having failed to find it, I spent ages looking for a suitable bolt to make another, and ended up re-threading a suitable length bolt. We then removed the first pair of torsion bars and suspension radial arms, and found the hull cavities they sit in in were full of water. Lots of water. I may remove the fittings on the side of the hull to gain access to the suspension cavities so that I can treat the insides with waxoil or some similar product. In one of the pictures, you can see damage to the front r/h/s flotation skirt shelf which I will need to get repaired (It was like that when we got it, honest.....). Anybody know someone who is good at aluminium welding? Ps sorry about the quality of the photos, only my camera phone doesn't like taking pictures in the low light of the shed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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