Most Memorable Vehicle
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So many SWB Landrover stories
petrol tanks under the seats - leaking and smoking at the same time.............
The broken half shaft - 'just put it into 4 wheel drive - we'll have a two wheel drive landy' - it took MT a week to get out the 2 hammered ends of the half shaft............
and being towed behind one in the snow on an old tea tray - magic (I still have the scars)
Awesome..............
Arc
petrol tanks under the seats - leaking and smoking at the same time.............
The broken half shaft - 'just put it into 4 wheel drive - we'll have a two wheel drive landy' - it took MT a week to get out the 2 hammered ends of the half shaft............
and being towed behind one in the snow on an old tea tray - magic (I still have the scars)
Awesome..............
Arc
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That last tale reminds me of riot shield races across the Salt Lake at Akr. Each section would get a 6 foot riot shield, attach to the towing eye with Don 10, and then have an LAC (they were usually the lightest) to sit on it and hold on tight. Then race. God, that polycarbonate would get hot.
Also, another jape. Again, on the Salt Lake, set the hand throttle to say, 6 mph and have the driver trundle the thing forward in a straight line. The driver then has to jump out, run around the back, pass infront, and then jump back in before it hits something/the Med/trundles off into the distance. Did I mention he had to wear his S6?
Owning an ally air portable Land Rover would make my happiness almost complete.
Also, another jape. Again, on the Salt Lake, set the hand throttle to say, 6 mph and have the driver trundle the thing forward in a straight line. The driver then has to jump out, run around the back, pass infront, and then jump back in before it hits something/the Med/trundles off into the distance. Did I mention he had to wear his S6?
Owning an ally air portable Land Rover would make my happiness almost complete.
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The Blue Bomber will doubtless be remembered by anyone serving on 100 Sqn in the early 80s (and maybe remembered by some of our 'guests'). Cant remember the model, some pre-Sherpa minibus contraption but it worked (usually) and was great for gettig down to the beach or the NAAFI ( I dont think we could take it of the SBA). Ekaton Sminos!
Montego turbos - often given one of these for staff visits to stations; slow to accelreate but seemed to wheeze along alarmingly if you had the patience and open road to get to a reasonable speed. They became very light at the front I recall and steering was, umm, interesting.
I suppose OC Admin's Metro was 'interesting' after we filled it with water at Happy Hour at Laarbruch - that must have ben late 80s/early 90s/ I dont suppose that sort of 'high spirits' happens any more.......
Montego turbos - often given one of these for staff visits to stations; slow to accelreate but seemed to wheeze along alarmingly if you had the patience and open road to get to a reasonable speed. They became very light at the front I recall and steering was, umm, interesting.
I suppose OC Admin's Metro was 'interesting' after we filled it with water at Happy Hour at Laarbruch - that must have ben late 80s/early 90s/ I dont suppose that sort of 'high spirits' happens any more.......
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I remember nearly seeing a corsa being mated upon by the MFV. OC eng's pet shiny borrowed his corsa and pulled out of the waterfront without looking. coming the other way was said MFV. MFV stopped over the corsa with all firemen plastered across widscreen. Shiny couldn't open the door and had to be helped out of passenger seat.
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Al R,
With all the mentions of Land Rover Lightweights / Airportables, here's my baby:
Many would have spotted me at the back of the Offrs Mess at Odi stripping it down to parts and then rebuilding it and then repainting it in 18 Sqn / 1310 Flt markings (possibly historically inaccurate for a Lightweight but hey, it's my toy). When it's stripped down for summer (doors off, screen folder flat etc) it looks even better (and I have the soft top and various other 'options' as well).
As for the 18 Sqn G-Wagen, a bit before my time, although it did make an appearance at 18's 90th, I believe Mercedes wanted to impounded it because (as already mentioned) the Argies never got round to paying for it. Hence it was shuffled around from place to place in the back of Chinnies for years so Mercedes couldn't get their hands on it. Eventually, because getting spares was proving impossible it was given to the RAF museum.
Owning an ally air portable Land Rover would make my happiness almost complete.
Many would have spotted me at the back of the Offrs Mess at Odi stripping it down to parts and then rebuilding it and then repainting it in 18 Sqn / 1310 Flt markings (possibly historically inaccurate for a Lightweight but hey, it's my toy). When it's stripped down for summer (doors off, screen folder flat etc) it looks even better (and I have the soft top and various other 'options' as well).
As for the 18 Sqn G-Wagen, a bit before my time, although it did make an appearance at 18's 90th, I believe Mercedes wanted to impounded it because (as already mentioned) the Argies never got round to paying for it. Hence it was shuffled around from place to place in the back of Chinnies for years so Mercedes couldn't get their hands on it. Eventually, because getting spares was proving impossible it was given to the RAF museum.
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Fantastic stuff WeeMan. Does she get driven in anger a lot? I did a recce for one a few months back, and it seems that one with a Perkins Diesel lump is the honey to go for. 60 years old next year too, of course.
Did you strip the paint right back, what condition was the ally? People say they don't rust, but the chassis does of course, and ally scabs up like a bugger too. You're right, in summer rig they're the dogs bollocks.
A good resto, I like it.
Did you strip the paint right back, what condition was the ally? People say they don't rust, but the chassis does of course, and ally scabs up like a bugger too. You're right, in summer rig they're the dogs bollocks.
A good resto, I like it.
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Thanks Al,
This is how it looked when I bought it on ebay for £400; a bit of a wreck with a rotten bulkhead and chassis, but exactly what I was looking for:
The chassis was so bad that when scrapping it, the first 'cut' to separate it into two parts, forward and aft, I did by hand without tools. I managed to source a rust free replacement chassis, bulkhead and top rail from ebay. The springs, bushes, brake system etc are new. The first priority was simply to get it road legal and presentable. In the future I may fit a different or reconditioned engine and gearbox and make other mods.
In terms of corrosion, most of the large steel parts needed to be replaced (but this is 1968 vintage and they were made until '84 I believe). Fortunately brand new galvanized chassis are available and items like the bulkhead can be sourced.
Most of the aluminium parts were in very good condition underneath the paint. In some places there had been electrolytic corrosion where the Al was in contact with steel. These aluminium parts, where too far gone, were easily replaced and refiited with plastic sheeting between the Al and steel to hopefully limit its recurrence.
Small steel items I restored with electrolysis, a technique that brought rusty old components back to shiny bare metal ready to red oxide primed and hammerited, with minimal effort. The batting staff may have wondered what the bin of bubbling brown liquid with wires coming out was! Bolts and fixings were a nightmare to remove (I am now familiar with about 20 different ways to remove seized nuts and bolts) and so were all replaced with zinc plated items which were then liberally greased.
After a lot of blood and sweat, here's how it looks underneath - good as new:
I guess I have accidentally become a bit of a Land Rover geek. I am a big fan of a no-nonsense machine that does what it is designed to do, very well. I don't have much time for cars which are little more than fashion statements, or which you are afraid to get scratched or dirty. The Land Rover is the epitome of simple, rugged engineering and if ever you do have a snag, a hammer and leatherman will mostly get you home!
It's currently off the road for a brand new wiring loom to go in. Roll on next summer!
This is how it looked when I bought it on ebay for £400; a bit of a wreck with a rotten bulkhead and chassis, but exactly what I was looking for:
The chassis was so bad that when scrapping it, the first 'cut' to separate it into two parts, forward and aft, I did by hand without tools. I managed to source a rust free replacement chassis, bulkhead and top rail from ebay. The springs, bushes, brake system etc are new. The first priority was simply to get it road legal and presentable. In the future I may fit a different or reconditioned engine and gearbox and make other mods.
In terms of corrosion, most of the large steel parts needed to be replaced (but this is 1968 vintage and they were made until '84 I believe). Fortunately brand new galvanized chassis are available and items like the bulkhead can be sourced.
Most of the aluminium parts were in very good condition underneath the paint. In some places there had been electrolytic corrosion where the Al was in contact with steel. These aluminium parts, where too far gone, were easily replaced and refiited with plastic sheeting between the Al and steel to hopefully limit its recurrence.
Small steel items I restored with electrolysis, a technique that brought rusty old components back to shiny bare metal ready to red oxide primed and hammerited, with minimal effort. The batting staff may have wondered what the bin of bubbling brown liquid with wires coming out was! Bolts and fixings were a nightmare to remove (I am now familiar with about 20 different ways to remove seized nuts and bolts) and so were all replaced with zinc plated items which were then liberally greased.
After a lot of blood and sweat, here's how it looks underneath - good as new:
I guess I have accidentally become a bit of a Land Rover geek. I am a big fan of a no-nonsense machine that does what it is designed to do, very well. I don't have much time for cars which are little more than fashion statements, or which you are afraid to get scratched or dirty. The Land Rover is the epitome of simple, rugged engineering and if ever you do have a snag, a hammer and leatherman will mostly get you home!
It's currently off the road for a brand new wiring loom to go in. Roll on next summer!
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For rust, try this.
http://www.bilthamber.com/deoxc.html
Probably the best stuff on the market, and biodegradable too. I chucked a couple of Rover V8 manifolds in earlier this year and overnight, they were restored to new. Awesome stuff.
Yours looks like its a good sympathatic job and I agree with that you say about them. AND they're uber chiq too. With that in mind, a quick search of that devil site, Autotrader, reveals 8 on offer, starting at £1800. They won't go down any, so yours looks like a nice little success story.
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk.../search.action
http://www.bilthamber.com/deoxc.html
Probably the best stuff on the market, and biodegradable too. I chucked a couple of Rover V8 manifolds in earlier this year and overnight, they were restored to new. Awesome stuff.
Yours looks like its a good sympathatic job and I agree with that you say about them. AND they're uber chiq too. With that in mind, a quick search of that devil site, Autotrader, reveals 8 on offer, starting at £1800. They won't go down any, so yours looks like a nice little success story.
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk.../search.action
Some years ago I borrowed my ATC squadron's ex RAFG Sherpa crewbus to move a fridge from the mother-in laws to our place. Twas the middle of winter, starting to snow like it was going out of fashion. Missus was cold (and expecting). Belting past Marham at all of 45mph the locks failed on the engine cover between us and we became temporarily blinded by a cloud of snow and years of assorted c@*p blowing round the cabin. Finished the journey with Mrs BL sitting with her feet holding the damm thing down. Had to get rid of it a few months later cos the rust was seperating the body from the chassis!
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You're all wrong
Best 'service' car I've seen was the limousine (ex funeral directors) bought and 'modified' by 197 Cse at Linton a few years back. Pure class. That course travelled in style - it even did a high-speed drive-past and j-turn on graduation day, sending the then CI into a towering rage, which was rather amusing to see. I'm sure someone must have some pictures of it. I believe it went to Valley but no idea on its fate....
GnP
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Anyone get to use a Trabby as a Sqn runaround in Germany after the wall came down? We had one and had it painted black like a staff car. Think it even had Tac plates for authenticity. Those were the days.
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When I was at Newton in the early 80s the RAF Police had a Royal Blue Land Rover that was used solely for visits to RAF units by the Queen, a bit like the Popemobile but without the bullet proof glass. It was absolutely immaculate with white cotton seats, chrome bars for the Queen to hold on to and every bit polished to within an inch of it's life, even the tyres. It was about 30 years old but had only done a few hundred miles as it was trailered to parades. In 1983/4 it was sold off as surplus to requirements for a few hundred quid to some knowledgeable old copper. I wonder where it is now?
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96AM02(If I remember correctly) - a 109, that was apparently a military hearse in a former life(chrome bumpers and the all important hand throttle
)
Scene- Weston super mud airfield, summer course at the VGS. Sun shining and roof off...
Take one Mark 3(T31) recovery trailer, hang it on the back of said 109, and attach a rope to the steering wheel. Find unsuspecting fool, to sit in the passenger seat and drive off across the airfield...then set the hand throttle, climb out of the drivers seat, out over the back and onto the trailer. The rope gave about 5° of steering in either direction and it was possible to get right out onto the fantail rampy bit on the back of the trailer
Ben Hur? HA!
Also, 'reverse tug of war' with 2 lightweights- Both facing the same way, but one pushing and the other reversing...the noise of squealing tyres was amazing
Sledging- Towing a Moggy Minor bonnet behind a Lightweight around the airfield on a wet day
The bonnet had been liberated from the dump on the edge of the airfield, and had Westland helis logo all over it once upon a time.
Finally, Cheddar Gorge....We had a gliding site at the top of the mendips: Halesland- Now home of a civvy club.. Anyway, heading back to Locking on a sunday, the favourite game was to start at the top, turn off the engine but leave the ignition on, and coast down to the bottom whereupon the engine was started again...the resulting backfires echoing off the sides of the gorge had an amazing effect on the grockles!
The best one was seeing some chappie with one of those sandwich board 'end of the world is nigh' jobbies doing his thing to the crowds...he certainly thought it was, as he leapt 6' in the air as the driver(who'll remain nameless) timed it perfectly
....Didn't do the exhaust box much good though
Aaahh, the folly of youth
)Scene- Weston super mud airfield, summer course at the VGS. Sun shining and roof off...
Take one Mark 3(T31) recovery trailer, hang it on the back of said 109, and attach a rope to the steering wheel. Find unsuspecting fool, to sit in the passenger seat and drive off across the airfield...then set the hand throttle, climb out of the drivers seat, out over the back and onto the trailer. The rope gave about 5° of steering in either direction and it was possible to get right out onto the fantail rampy bit on the back of the trailer
Ben Hur? HA! Also, 'reverse tug of war' with 2 lightweights- Both facing the same way, but one pushing and the other reversing...the noise of squealing tyres was amazing
Sledging- Towing a Moggy Minor bonnet behind a Lightweight around the airfield on a wet day
The bonnet had been liberated from the dump on the edge of the airfield, and had Westland helis logo all over it once upon a time.Finally, Cheddar Gorge....We had a gliding site at the top of the mendips: Halesland- Now home of a civvy club.. Anyway, heading back to Locking on a sunday, the favourite game was to start at the top, turn off the engine but leave the ignition on, and coast down to the bottom whereupon the engine was started again...the resulting backfires echoing off the sides of the gorge had an amazing effect on the grockles!
The best one was seeing some chappie with one of those sandwich board 'end of the world is nigh' jobbies doing his thing to the crowds...he certainly thought it was, as he leapt 6' in the air as the driver(who'll remain nameless
) timed it perfectly ....Didn't do the exhaust box much good thoughAaahh, the folly of youth
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Driving a Bedford TK Runway Caravan from Leeming to Honington max 40mph and the windsock wouldn't come down
Wouldn't volunteer for that one again
VEEPS
Wouldn't volunteer for that one again
VEEPS
