Centurion photos

[Dan Martel]

Mike,

This time I think I'm finally starting to get a hang of everything you've been trying to tell me. I took the earlier photograph of the tanks on the train and cropped it down to just the rear deck of the last vehicle. I can see the five engine (forward) and five transmission (rear) covers quite clearly. All rotating on the same single hinge.

Just so that I'm clear in my mind, the engine covers and the transmission covers can't be opened for maintenance at the same time, and for each individual engine cover to be opened the turret must be made to rotate a few degrees. If I'm right, what a pain in the butt this vehicle must have been.

Cheers,
Dan

[matilda IIA]

Hi Dan and Mike
To lift both sets,The radiator covers are opened first then the radiators are opened, the louvers then rest back on the radaitors, the engine covers are then lifted and lay against the rear set thus giving access to both sides.
Kind Regards


Forgot to mention that with the turret rotated to the left, you remove both turret bins and all the louvers can be opened at once(in order of cause).

[Mike Cecil]

Yes, however, removing the two turret bins was a tedious process, as they mounted on studs with nuts and washers. I think the Canadians et al all left theirs in that original configuration, and continued to lift the covers in sequence by rotating the turret, as per the manual.

Whereas Australia devised a modification that mounted the bins on steel straps attached to the back of each bin, and held to the turret by u shaped pieces - the straps slid into the u shaped pieces that were welded to the turret in place of the studs. The bins could be lifted clear of the turret quickly by a couple of the crew - I think your Cent has that mod, Matt? Makes bin removal and cover-lifting a whole lot simpler.

Mike C

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

That would explain the extra bits inside some of my NOS turret bins. Painted in primer only, they must be part of the Aussy modified fitting kit.
Although, on reflection, my bins are the long ones, but I guess a modification to the mounting of the short bins would have been carried over to the long one?
Rich.

[Mike Cecil]

Richard,

No: only the left hand (two short bins) were so modified.

The long bin had a mod to mount the Unigun: maybe they are to do with that?

Mike C