VICKERS MK6B's resto

[Tim Lovelock]

Hi Colin,
As always, very much enjoying your progress and thread.
You've mentioned the crank handle above and swing down bracket.
Can I ask, what do you crank with it?
Cheers Tim

[Tim Lovelock]

Hi Colin,
Some more footage of Light tanks (apologise if you've seen it).
BEF in Belgium..
The carriers seem to have some traction problems on the cobble stones.
I think Charlie Chaplin even makes a brief appearance lol
Cheers Tim

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/i...ect/1060034934

[colin jones]

Rich, You might like the smell of your chocky sauce but I'm pretty sure the taste would have something to be desired for Lynn's right you need ice cream to disguise the taste
Tim, the crank handle is for the engine. The Meadows engine is facing the back of the tank and there is a tube that has a crankshaft extention running through it. there is a recess in the turret basket which you can see in post No 5.
I think they put the engine and trans in a hull first then all sat around a table to work out how to manually start it and came up with the rear facing crank system with tubes, recesses and hang down bits Great footage by the way.

[Mike Cecil]

I wonder how many of those in the footage survived the retreat to Dunkirk, let alone the entire war.

Colin, the crank arrangements are astonishing. What holds the swing-down crank holder 'wishbone' in the stowed position? Some sort of clip or a leather or webbing strap?

Only the Poms ...

I placed a link to your thread in the closing stages of my article in KVE News on the Vickers MkVIA. I hope you may get even more regular 'thread watchers' from it, as your restorations are exceptional and deserve a wide audience.

Mike

[colin jones]

Hi Mike, thanks for the mention on KVE. The crank handle has a small spring clip at the top which I haven't made yet until I go the to hardware and buy a cheap wood saw that I can cut up for the material. They make great clips.
I am now making the second top and the two turret ball races and It will take me a week or probably two as there is a lot of machining to do to house the 220 x 3/4" ball bearings. Another challenge to do some quite precision work. I have cut the first layer of material on my plasma and it is just beautiful. It is times like this when you can do accurate parts when you want and not have to rely on a third party and wait for them to fit your job in. Quite a major expense to begin with but it is now paying for its self and keeps the missus happy as well

[colin jones]

I am going to make the race in layer and weld them together as the profile is not something I can do in one piece but as I am able to cut all layers very accurate it will not be a problem as long as I manage the heat during the welding process. When I first saw the top of these tanks, I was amazed how thin the material was not knowing the profile of the turret ring and race as that is where it gets its strength from. The turret is almost as wide as the tank itself.
It really a very good design and a very interesting one to make as well. I had I price of $7k to make each race and a 2 month waiting time from China. Happy to make my own.

[Lynn Eades]

Mike, I have wondered what made it back across the channel as well, but it seems like nothing did.
About 63,500 vehicles were left behind, as I recall. I have no idea of what was sent.

[David Herbert]

Originally Posted by colin jones

I am going to make the race in layer and weld them together as the profile is not something I can do in one piece but as I am able to cut all layers very accurate it will not be a problem as long as I manage the heat during the welding process.

Colin, I wonder if you could rely on the bolts that hold the ring to the hull and not actually weld the layers together at all. The turret is not very heavy and the balls are hardly going to prise the layers apart. I am thinking that building the ring in layers should work pretty well. The running surface will need to be relatively smooth and the ends of the segments be aligned but there are enough balls that the surface loading will not require hardening of the running surface (though it would be nice). Actually WW2 proper tank turret rings were soft enough that there were instructions to move the turrets from time to time to prevent indentations forming.

Great work as always.
David

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I placed a link to your thread in the closing stages of my article in KVE News on the Vickers MkVIA. I hope you may get even more regular 'thread watchers' from it, as your restorations are exceptional and deserve a wide audience.

Mike

For anyone who is interested to read about the 10 Vickers Light Tanks MkVIA that went to Australia, here is a link to the article that Mike Cecil wrote, it is on pages 20 to 26 in the newsletter:
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/43129...ac526b00db.pdf

It is incredible that 50% of them are now known to have survived, including Colin's two. Great work Colin, you obviously don't have too many interruptions during your working days!

regards, Richard

[colin jones]

Thankyou Lynn and Richard.
I have cut the ring gear and very happy with the result which was a concern as to how to do it but problem solved.

[David Dunlop]

Hi Colin.

Any known surviving crew members from either of these tanks still around that you know of? They might enjoy watching them get rolled out again once you are done.

David

[Tim Lovelock]

Originally Posted by colin jones

Rich, You might like the smell of your chocky sauce but I'm pretty sure the taste would have something to be desired for Lynn's right you need ice cream to disguise the taste
Tim, the crank handle is for the engine. The Meadows engine is facing the back of the tank and there is a tube that has a crankshaft extention running through it. there is a recess in the turret basket which you can see in post No 5.
I think they put the engine and trans in a hull first then all sat around a table to work out how to manually start it and came up with the rear facing crank system with tubes, recesses and hang down bits Great footage by the way.

Thanks Colin,
That all makes sense now.
Cheers Tim

[Douglas Greville]

Colin. You mention making spring clips from cheap wood saws. How do you cut and shape the clips? I would have thought the spring steel too tough for normal tools?

Regards
Doug