Matador Steve Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Can anyone help with information stamped on my Matador chassis plate. What or where is MTRS B403, The vehicle seems to have recieved an overhaul there in what looks like October 1954. Thanks Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Can anyone help with information stamped on my Matador chassis plate.What or where is MTRS B403, The vehicle seems to have recieved an overhaul there in what looks like October 1954. Steve, These plates are a post war addition. The overhauls were often done by contractors to the Ministry of Supply, each one given a number, such as your B403. During the war, they were known as AAW, Army Auxilliary Workshops, quite often garages or engineering companies. I have not seen a definition of M.T.R.S., but hazard a shrewd guess that it is something like this, Mechanical Transport Repair Scheme ( or Shop ). If it were done by one of the REME Workshops, they had their own codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Steve Posted March 30, 2009 Author Share Posted March 30, 2009 Thanks Richard Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Elsdon Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Where is the Chassis plate on a Matador, and is the overhaul plate located in the same place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Steve Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hi Adam The plate is fixed to the chassis, just to the rear, of the nearside front spring rear hanger. Would this be the original position?. I need to do some more detective work as the plate on the engine side cover is stamped 0853 6044, also there is a small zinc plate pop rivetted inside with the correct number 0853 8386 but what apears to be a different engine number to the original build sheet, this little zinc plate does not look of original manufacture. As yet I cannot find the engine number as the engine needs a steam clean and I dont know where I should be looking ? In short I think one of several things may have happened. (1) The engine has been changed, in service (2) The cab has been changed in service and/or both engine and cab (3) someone has fitted the wrong engine side cover. Have other Matadors owners got the little zinc plate under the windscreen inside their cab ? Anyway if anybody is the proud owner Matador 0853 6044 I have your side cover! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 (edited) This is my plate, on the Scuttle, below the drivers window, Near the engine cover. What does the chassis say. There is a chassis number stamped directly into the chassis in about 1/2" high numbers, just behind the nearside front spring, rear shackle mounting, fairly low on the chassis rail. some chassis (mostly post war) have the number about 8 Inches back from this location in the middle of the chassis rail. Edited April 1, 2009 by antarmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Can anyone help with information stamped on my Matador chassis plate.What or where is MTRS B403, The vehicle seems to have recieved an overhaul there in what looks like October 1954. Thanks Steve[ATTACH]9096[/ATTACH] I guess you knew your Mat's original Census number was H5471486? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Steve Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hi Mike No I had no idea about its Census No, when was the census taken? I have looked in the cab and found where the factory plate must have been, the bolts which held it on look to have been ground off, as the rad is off at the moment you can see where the dome heads are still captive welded on the other side. Looking at the AEC build sheet the engine number for this Mat built 4/11/1944 is 9043, according to the new zinc plate in the cab the new engine number is 11217, would this be 2,174 units later? If the plate on engine side cover is to be believed then this vehicle seems to have aquired a much ealier cab and a much later engine to its build date. Thanks for the info regarding the position of the chassis number, as you thought it was hidden under several coats of paint, directly below the brass overhaul plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 No I had no idea about its Census No, when was the census taken? Looking at the AEC build sheet the engine number for this Mat built 4/11/1944 is 9043, according to the new zinc plate in the cab the new engine number is 11217, would this be 2,174 units later? If the plate on engine side cover is to be believed then this vehicle seems to have aquired a much ealier cab and a much later engine to its build date. Steve, The Census number is actually the Army serial number that is painted on the door and rear of the lorry, beginning with letter "H". In 1947 the numbers were changed to the two numbers two letters two numbers type of registration plate. The different engine number is nothing unusual for military vehicles, although it seems to puzzle the collectors. Having worked in the Army workshops for years, I can tell you that not many vehicles went though their service without an engine change. If your Mat had a major rebuild during its life, that would explain, but in other cases, engines were changed rather than repair, for practical reasons, ie time out of service, breakdown in the field, etc. There were massive resources for overhauling engines on production lines, so old units were returned through the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abn deuce Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 If the British system was like the American then large numbers of vehicles were brought in to rebuild depots all were disassembled repaired and parts replaced as needed and reassembled from what parts were at hand to make complete vehicles with no pattern just reassemble repaint and return to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Steve Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks for the info, I was completely puzzled, maybe trying to read something into it when in fact the answer seems so simple Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracks & wheels in dir Posted May 14, 2009 Share Posted May 14, 2009 Hello, I have come in to this conversation a bit late...But I have recently bought a Matador vehicle number 12RH46 & chassis number 0853787 fitted with an engine type A187 which is stated on a brass plate afixed to the engine block rear of the injecctor pump...Which I belive must have been changed at either the "rebuild" Feb 1952 at (MTRS B83) or "overhaul" May 1954 at (MTRS B403)...As neither the engine or the radiator has any facilty for a starting crank, ( hole in rad or dog on crank shaft)could anybody tell me wether AEC stopped making the engines in this style, is it as near genuine build or has somebody hashed the wrong engine and radiator in the old girl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philb Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Mine is and, as far as I know, most Matadors are fitted with the A187 "7.7". It's the thick-wall bearing version of the earlier A173. All the drawings I have show the front of the crankshaft is enclosed - so no option for a hand crank. Although my radiator (cast iron header tanks) has a hole for a handle, it does not line up with where the crankshaft dog would be anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracks & wheels in dir Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hello Philb, thanks for your reply...I get so many conflicting stories from potential parts suppliers...Mine also has a sort of hole in the bottom of the rad...Well more like a half hole sort of scolloped out...So presumambly the later engine is a bit more robust on the bottom end?...BTW is that your Mat in your photo,if so was it at Ward Jones`s place at High Wycombe the other week having the compressor fixed/adjusted? Regards Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antarmike Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 Radiators where made with both aluminium and cast iron Headers versions, as were Main gearboxes, and transfer gearboxes. Both the Mat's I have had were Ali header tanks, (I have a spare cast iron one) and on both my Mats, (1953 production) the hole in the rad lines up with the handle bracket on the front spring, and the dog on the crankshaft. I have hand started both on too many occasions, but my experience is yes everything should be there. (you may find quite a lot of side play in the front spring. ) This makes shunting a trailer more difficult, but when Hand Cranking the handle moves the spring from side to side and it comes into conflict with the Rad so I have fitted spacers over the end of my spring to limit sideways movement to a couple of Millimetres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracks & wheels in dir Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hello Mike, thanks for your reply...Interesting stuff an all...I am still a bit confused though,as after speaking to John Ayres today who`s late Father Jim Ayres of Stokenchurch, Bucks...Who was a legend with regards to all things Matador..Not only opperated several of the Old girls contracting and extracting round timber from woodland arround the High Wycombe area including a six wheel drive version ,but also repaired other contractors Mats including changing chassis and the like...It was when he was working with one of his Mats at The West Wycombe Park in the mid seventies, extracing the last of the Elms there, that I fell in love with the old Girls (I was only a 16 year old then, where has the time gone !!)...Anyway I digress somewhat,getting back to original point...He said that as far as he knew all the Mats that he and is Father owned and worked on had the hole in the rad and the starting dog on the engine,as I have always remembered them also...Mine has neither of the above,John did suggest that it could have been fitted with a be a bus engine and rad ,is this possible? I have attemtpted to upload a pic of the brass engine plate I mentioned in my erlier messages....( Update on that is I can`t "file to big ggrr) Kind regards Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.