VICKERS MK6B's resto

[Rob Dyba]

Glad they are in your hands Colin, and glad they are in your workshop down under. I am sure we are yet to see your best work yet!!!! ..... Rob

[colin jones]

Hi Lynn, yes it is about time these were done and Rob I will do the best I can to make these come back to life again.
Having a good look at them today and removing a few parts they look to be in quite reasonable condition. I'm very lucky to have so many parts. I have a complete engine, trans, clutch/braking system, fuel tank, drivers seat, gunners seat and foot rests, turret baskets, pedals and linkage bogies for both tanks thanks to Luke, original crank handle and some of the aluminium work in both.
All in all a great lot to start with. I have taken a hundred or more photos so far so it will be very well documented during the entire process. If anyone has a contact a Pucka that would be very helpful as I certainly need a visit there.
Colin

[colin jones]

A couple of the seats and I have a complete radiator as well.

[Ben]

Looking forward to seeing your progress, very envious.

Ben

[eddy8men]

a rare beast for sure. good luck with the resto

[jdmcm]

WOW....how cool is that? Such awesome and rare stuff still popping up and guys pouring their blood sweat and tears into them...I think the hobby is on pretty stable ground these days, can't wait to follow the progress!

[colin jones]

I have spent the morning removing the reduction hub and it is in perfect condition. The only problem I have is I am missing the opposite side one so I will have to make one??? or something. I can't believe that after all these years it is still like new.

[Richard Farrant]

Hi Colin,
I see you are making a start on Wombat, you can just see the original UK registration number on front glasis plate, BMM978. It should have engine number S9469. Hope you will retain the Meadows engine in the restoration.

regards, Richard

[colin jones]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

Hi Colin,
I see you are making a start on Wombat, you can just see the original UK registration number on front glasis plate, BMM978. It should have engine number S9469. Hope you will retain the Meadows engine in the restoration.

regards, Richard

Hi Richard, I'm curious here. On Wombat I have the front glasis plate with the number 978 but the engine number S9466 which from what I can find is Kangaroo. Would this be a mistake in the paperwork information as I could not imagine the army would swap engines.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by colin jones

Hi Richard, I'm curious here. On Wombat I have the front glasis plate with the number 978 but the engine number S9466 which from what I can find is Kangaroo. Would this be a mistake in the paperwork information as I could not imagine the army would swap engines.

Hi Colin,
That information came from AWM vehicle number records. It could be that a glasis plate has been switched at some point. The 978 number was a British civil registration number and not used once it arrived in Australian service. An engine could have been switched, if they were struggling to keep the vehicles operational. There were 5 based in Victoria and 5 in NSW

regards, Richard

[Mike Cecil]

And all concentrated at the AFV School when it opened at Pucka in 1941.

With the degree of usage, I would not doubt that the engines were removed when worn, rebuilt, and re-issued, same as any other AFV, so it is quite possible to have the engine in this vehicle being one that is recorded as having arrived in Australia in another vehicle. With such a small purchase, I doubt there were too many spare engines purchased, if any.

The Centurion situation is a case in point: engines in tanks that arrived in Aust in 1951/52 pop up in other tanks over the years, having been removed, refurbished, and re-issued, some several times. While a much larger pool, and over a much longer period of time, it still illustrates the point. Hence, engine numbers are not the ideal way to make a positive identification: hull numbers and glacis plate markings are more reliable, as a change over of the front glacis plate is far less likely.

Mike

[BradB]

Ref the number 69 that's been punched into the parts.

Have a look at the "Matilda Diaries, Part 7" at the 2:00-2:01 mark. You'll see that the same style of punches to ID parts seems to still be in use today.

Fascinating!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77RfsFYaj4k

[Alex van de Wetering]

Have a look at the "Matilda Diaries

Brad, thanks for posting that link....great to follow the restoration of the Matilda!

The lettering on the steel beams you see in the video is a modern day equivalant of the punched numbers and is either done by laser printing, or by inkjet printing like in this case. It's not so much intended to mark certain parts, but more aimed to easily identify the type and measurement of the profiles, as well as the makers name. You also see bar codes these days containing info on material properties etc.

Alex

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by BradB

Ref the number 69 that's been punched into the parts.

Have a look at the "Matilda Diaries, Part 7" at the 2:00-2:01 mark. You'll see that the same style of punches to ID parts seems to still be in use today.

Fascinating!

Sometimes good ideas last for a long time. Case in point, the serial number for Cadillac Gage 4x4 armoured cars is stamped on the outside face of the front left lifting eye. That was where the books told me to go look when the Cold War Collection's 1969-build V100 arrived. In spring 2016 I looked in the same place on the Canadian Army's freshly delivered TAPV. The serial number is there too.