Band On The Run...

Always nice to piece together a vehicle's history, especially one that has a varied career like '32'. After AFS / Home Office service it was sold off to Clywd Fire Brigade for use as a foam carrier, fitted with a tail lift. I have posted photos on here previously showing it in service but I discovered these earlier and given the quality, though I'd share them.... Both were taken, days apart, in August 1996 towards the end of its service - Clywd FB bought '32' in 1988.

Just for clarity, these aren't my photos and were taken by David Jones and can be viewed on his Flickr feed - the two shots are linked below.

https://flic.kr/p/daJagM
 
https://flic.kr/p/daJamX

Both GYL 32C and ex-AFS S type LYO 788 before it (bought 1988, sold 1993) apparently replaced a T registration Leyland Terrier in the foam carrying role as the Leyland was overweight when loaded up. Funny when a vehicle made in 1965 replaces a vehicle made in 1978, especially when this happened in 1988 when '32' was already 23 years old and the Leyland only 10!

You can see the Leyland Terrier in the background in this shot in 1995:

https://flic.kr/p/efHqhF

Show Me Heaven...

The Lincoln Steam and Vintage Show proved to be a great weekend and a good place for the first solo show outing for 32.

As it was originally purchased from the RAF Firefighting Museum, the team there who had a good presence at the show (including the unique TNT 'lime green' goddess) were pleased to see it back and looking good.

Anyway, a nice weekend and 32 ran well overall, covering 150 miles over the two days but it is still running a little rich, although the air mixture screw on the carb is now all the way in. Perhaps the timing is out a little? Sadly, my socket set didn't survive the weekend. The locker floor on the small, rear, near side locker where the hinges attach as collapsed allowing the door to sag - and open. So, on the way home yestedray, going around a right hand bend somewhere..... If you find a socket set on the A46 or A1, it's probably mine!

Anyway, it's now safely tucked up in bed again with the special anti bird poo gaurds fitted.....

Ready For Your Love...

So, a good day of cleaning and sorting things prior to the Lincoln Show this weekend - what will be 32's second show of recent years.

A flat battery and the usual reluctance to start saw the battery from the Goddess connected and even then, it proved difficult to get spinning. Once it was going, the pipe bridge paraphernalia that is usually sat on the back was unloaded and washing commenced. As ever, only one bit can be washed as a time because it has to be chamoised off otherwise the very hard water in the Grantham area leaves large calcium marks!

Why the column number 42? That's a) correct for a petrol carrier and b) the meaning of life.

Time for a fiddle, too, with the extinguisher holders at the front. Expertly made by Tony, they do however allow the retro look foam extinguishers to rattle a bit taking the paint off. So, a pack of 50p foam spot things from Wilkinson did the job and they're now rock solid!

With the sidelight re-fitted - Tony replaced the two pole socket on its Suffolk spa holiday - it was time for a spin and to get some fuel (another £100 or so). With 25 miles done, it still is prone to running rich and running a little roughly but I'm sure the weekend will leave time to tinker and adjust this. Still, irritating - why doesn't it just want to run? This is a vehicle you always seem to have to fight.....

Anyway - the Lincoln show beckons....

Sit Down...

A chance visit to see Brian Whiteside, a prolific Bedford owner and restorer based just outside of Poole, netted a chance purchase of some more goodies to make the petrol carrier even more original.

I had popped in to grab a couple of wings for the goddess to have in stock, however, gazing into his store of goodies revealed a stack of original 'new old stock' Bedford RL seat bases! Apparently, these returned recently to the UK as packing in a box of Land Rover spares from India for someone.

Anyway, once they've had a wipe, they will be fitted in time for the Lincoln show this coming weekend - which will be the first proper show outing for the petrol carrier.

http://www.lsvr.org/

Lincolnshire Steam and Vintage Rally 2014

Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August 2014

County Showground A15 Lincoln LN2 2NA

Facelift...

Well, after it's spa holiday in Suffolk, 32 has returned north with some further improvements which Tony has spent much time and effort on, and very good they look too!

After a little issue getting 32 back in the barn owing to a caravan / motorhome owner parking across the doors inside the barn, the work could be admired.

The main reason for the journey south was to allow for the fire extinguisher holders that used to be on thr front to be remanufactured. This was a key part of these petrol carriers and both the Bedford and Commer variants had fire extinguishers mounted in this way - the Bedfords on the bumper and the Commers along side the cab doors on the head board. These foam extinguishers would thus be available for first aid fire-fighting if required.

Now, no trace of these brackets exists. GYL 29C still exists somewhere in Scotland but all attempts to trace it to see the real things have failed. So, with some very high resolution photographs provided by John Thompson (who co-wrote the book the 'Green Machine), these have been made from scratch.

Tony and his welders have done a super job and they look just right, even having the mock-up cream extinguishers fitted. The curved metal panels were made from Tony's old oil tank, so recycling in action.

Whilst down there, Tony also recreated the AFS mobile fire column number plates for the front and rear. It's not known that these vehicles were ever issued thus requiring these, however, in the grand scheme of things, numbers 40-46 were allocated for petrol carriers in the Supply and Transport Platoon of HQ Company ('Green Machine', page X). So - which number? As 42 is the meaning of life, it couldn't be anything else. To do this, we had to recreate the number mount for the front which sat on top of the roof-mounted flashing amber lights, the base for which we removed during restoration! You live and learn....

As part of that process, at the back, Tony also raised the rear lights up. These were a little lower on some RLs according to video footage but on the control vehicle, they were mounted higher up, away from damage and where they were less prone to waggling about and vibrating! Sadly, the original number plate didn't survive the transfer (the plastic numbers broke) so although we have kept it, a new one has been made.

Short Circuit Malfunction...

Well after a few months of little action over the winter, apart from the 6-weekly start up and run to charge the batteries, it was time for a spring clean!

So, once it started it was onto the excellent concrete pan that the farm has and which makes work and washing much easier! That said, the battery is beginning to struggle although it's difficult to tell whether this is because it's ageing or just not getting enough charge.

Anyway, jet washer out and it was soon clean although given the weather, I decided to polish the cab. Really, I should have done this last year when the paint had been applied but time was a factor. Now the polish has been applied, I suspect that a T-cut back to improve the smoothness would have been good. Perhaps next year! Still, it looks better than it did.....

I also tried to trace the cause of the sidelight fuse burning out. I removed all the bulbs then with a new fuse fitted, re-fitted each bulb in turn to see which blew it. Eventually, I traced it to the front nearside light. Was it the bulb? Nope, it's the light fitting itself. All of them - front and rear - are single pole fittings except for this one. So it will need changing in due course. Still, glad it's not the wiring!

The correct fitting - like most 'military' vehicle side and tail light fittings - single pole:

The incorrect one and the only side and tail light on the vehicle which is double pole:

Once that had been done, it was time for a quick test drive on the usual circuit - no problems and great fun! It's off to Suffolk this week some TLC - watch this space!