Sandy
Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Great pic Sandy, I wonder how many of todays tractors will still look that good in 70 years time!
My biggest fear is that when i die my wife will sell my tractors for what i told her they cost
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Sandy, is Billy a Dagenham made Major or an Ebro made Major? I've never been really sure.
The Land Rover is also interesting, a series 3 LWB (seems to be from the photo angle?) with aftermarket side windows and a tropical roof. I have a Series 2a SWB "Maltese Cross" 1970 model, it has the tropical roof, rear seats, and you can see where it has had a "Station Wagon" badge fitted now missing on the back tub, but it does not have any side windows, may be a special build.
The Land Rover is also interesting, a series 3 LWB (seems to be from the photo angle?) with aftermarket side windows and a tropical roof. I have a Series 2a SWB "Maltese Cross" 1970 model, it has the tropical roof, rear seats, and you can see where it has had a "Station Wagon" badge fitted now missing on the back tub, but it does not have any side windows, may be a special build.
1946 E27N, 1952 Major Diesel, 1959 Power Major, 1962 Dexta, 1962 Super Dexta, 1963 Super Dexta NP, 1964 Super Major NP, 1965 Super Dexta 3000, 1966 Major 4000, 1967 3000 PF, 1994 5640,plus Basildon built NH.
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
I would be confident all our Major's will be, and I have hopes of the Major becoming the first choice once again some time in the future!
Billy was 100% EnFo when new, but a long time ago he got a 1962 Ebro engine (I don't know why but that decision puts Billy in a special position for how he runs), looking around I'm wondering if it might be from a lorry (Ebro's B series, their equivalent of the Thames ET6), but it could equally be an industrial one. There doesn't seem to be much information on serial numbers and casting codes, which makes this all the more difficult. Also a long time ago Billy got an Ebro PTO casting and levelling box housing, again I don't know much more than that right now.
Kenny (the Land-Rover) was in a surplus army sale when we got him, I think he was the usual 24V FFR hard top series 3, completed in November 84. We got the tropical roof off a Station Wagon as it is worth having here, we fitted the windows too as it gives a bit more light inside and swapped the 2.25 petrol for an Isuzu 2.8TD, the electrics are now 12V and there's little sign of the radio stuff other than lots of big holes in the area where it used to be. Unfortunately he hasn't run for ages as the two way tap seal gave way and the new engine didn't come with a lift pump, we fitted a spare one we had but we're missing a crucial banjo to complete the job and it's taking rather a long time to find the right one!
Sandy
Billy was 100% EnFo when new, but a long time ago he got a 1962 Ebro engine (I don't know why but that decision puts Billy in a special position for how he runs), looking around I'm wondering if it might be from a lorry (Ebro's B series, their equivalent of the Thames ET6), but it could equally be an industrial one. There doesn't seem to be much information on serial numbers and casting codes, which makes this all the more difficult. Also a long time ago Billy got an Ebro PTO casting and levelling box housing, again I don't know much more than that right now.
Kenny (the Land-Rover) was in a surplus army sale when we got him, I think he was the usual 24V FFR hard top series 3, completed in November 84. We got the tropical roof off a Station Wagon as it is worth having here, we fitted the windows too as it gives a bit more light inside and swapped the 2.25 petrol for an Isuzu 2.8TD, the electrics are now 12V and there's little sign of the radio stuff other than lots of big holes in the area where it used to be. Unfortunately he hasn't run for ages as the two way tap seal gave way and the new engine didn't come with a lift pump, we fitted a spare one we had but we're missing a crucial banjo to complete the job and it's taking rather a long time to find the right one!
Sandy
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Does Kenny still have an MOD plate? If so the original MOD reg (NN AA NN) should be there and it may be possible to trace some history.
You're supposed to eat greens, not drive 'em!
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
We do have Kenny's old number plates, there's also a plate on the driver's side of the seat box where there's lots of stuff that could be the MOD information plate. Where would you look for this? (as the DVLA is probably unable to have this, or maybe it's just me not knowing about it) What I do know is that he had only done 15340 km when he was declared surplus from the army, so he's pretty low milage even now as the fuel problem has been there since 2008!
Sandy
Sandy
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
I asked on the HMVF web site and if you would be willing to share photos of the original number plates and build plates they may be able to fill in some history for you. The Military info plate would have things like contract numbers or service modifications codes.
You're supposed to eat greens, not drive 'em!
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Thanks Rob, I'm probably not going to do it any time soon as I don't have a pic of this plate and I would have to get through the wasp attack that Kenny is under recently, but the MOD reg was 73 KC 25.
Sandy
Sandy
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
I had hoped more would turn up but link here...
https://www.merlinarchive.uk/vehicle/73KC25
https://www.merlinarchive.uk/vehicle/73KC25
You're supposed to eat greens, not drive 'em!
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
After Ford stopped production of the Major in 1964 they would have undertaken to supply parts for a 10 year period which was the standard automotive obsolescence period. As UK made parts began to dry up some parts made by Ebro were supplied by Ford as Ford parts in that 10 year period. Ford continued to assemble the 592E engine at Dagenham until 1970 as an industrial engine with "S" prefix serial numbers, this was possible because all components were by then made outside Dagenham, and these were also supplied as new replacement Ford engines for the Major tractors and Thames Trader trucks. From 1970 to 1974 Ford then supplied engines made by Ebro but described as Ford engines as replacements for the tractors and indeed Thames Trader trucks.
I used to go to the MOD sales at Ruddington in the 1970's and early 1980's, fascinating sales with some weird and wonderful items and always a great selection of Land Rovers, although these were very difficult to buy with the arms dealers and other traders having orders to fulfil. I did manage to buy a few tractors, mainly MF, and also several Bedford TK trucks, as you say all with very low mileage. Great times, memorable days, sadly no longer.
I used to go to the MOD sales at Ruddington in the 1970's and early 1980's, fascinating sales with some weird and wonderful items and always a great selection of Land Rovers, although these were very difficult to buy with the arms dealers and other traders having orders to fulfil. I did manage to buy a few tractors, mainly MF, and also several Bedford TK trucks, as you say all with very low mileage. Great times, memorable days, sadly no longer.
1946 E27N, 1952 Major Diesel, 1959 Power Major, 1962 Dexta, 1962 Super Dexta, 1963 Super Dexta NP, 1964 Super Major NP, 1965 Super Dexta 3000, 1966 Major 4000, 1967 3000 PF, 1994 5640,plus Basildon built NH.
Re: Brochure suitable pic of Billy
Thanks very much Rob, the military entry into service date is the same as on our papers so I'll see if I can get the serial number checked, but what I can see is also right, as is the specification. I'm yet to work out what the stuff below means.
The engine was definitely not new when fitted as the sump and front mounting plate have different layers of paint from the rest of the engine, also the plate is not a tractor one but a converted industrial one (with some of the most professional welds I've ever seen by the way). Billy also has an exhauster pump, with a homemade fuel pipe from the tank to the lift pump using the original one (a std. one) cut in half with an extra middle section. Someone had the foresight to put Billy's real serial number in place of the previous one (in the usual patch below injector no. 1) but in doing so virtually removed all traces of what there was before. This was fortunate as the ID plate dissappeared at a different time (although you might not think that if you look now as we got a new one) and if the engine had kept its previous number we wouldn't know Billy's serial number. This makes finding out the previous history of the engine much more difficult, to spite Ebro using a separate engine number under injector no. 4. That's because for some reason this engine number was never used on official documents, making it pretty difficult to associate an engine number to a tractor, lorry or industrial serial number. Sadly there's no list of numbers like there is from Ford, so you have to guess, but for anyone curious the engine number is usually a bit more than double the corresponding tractor or lorry serial number and massively bigger than the industrial serial number (which I'm not sure I've actually seen but there must have been some as adding the contemporary tractor and lorry numbers doesn't reach the engine number's figure) which for some reason never really took off to spite the same sort of advertising campaign from Ebro as Ford did in Britain. I don't know of any records on Ebro vehicles or engines from the company, but that's something I'm quite keen to find as people here don't seem to have any proper information either. If anyone finds anything else or has an ebro block handy then please let me know what you actually have and what numbers you see stamped in the usual areas and also below injector no.4. Some time I'll find the time to do the report on Super Billy and also the half Super Major although I'm trying to find out what a lot of the casting codes mean and also of course awaiting the big day when Super Billy runs again.
Sandy
The engine was definitely not new when fitted as the sump and front mounting plate have different layers of paint from the rest of the engine, also the plate is not a tractor one but a converted industrial one (with some of the most professional welds I've ever seen by the way). Billy also has an exhauster pump, with a homemade fuel pipe from the tank to the lift pump using the original one (a std. one) cut in half with an extra middle section. Someone had the foresight to put Billy's real serial number in place of the previous one (in the usual patch below injector no. 1) but in doing so virtually removed all traces of what there was before. This was fortunate as the ID plate dissappeared at a different time (although you might not think that if you look now as we got a new one) and if the engine had kept its previous number we wouldn't know Billy's serial number. This makes finding out the previous history of the engine much more difficult, to spite Ebro using a separate engine number under injector no. 4. That's because for some reason this engine number was never used on official documents, making it pretty difficult to associate an engine number to a tractor, lorry or industrial serial number. Sadly there's no list of numbers like there is from Ford, so you have to guess, but for anyone curious the engine number is usually a bit more than double the corresponding tractor or lorry serial number and massively bigger than the industrial serial number (which I'm not sure I've actually seen but there must have been some as adding the contemporary tractor and lorry numbers doesn't reach the engine number's figure) which for some reason never really took off to spite the same sort of advertising campaign from Ebro as Ford did in Britain. I don't know of any records on Ebro vehicles or engines from the company, but that's something I'm quite keen to find as people here don't seem to have any proper information either. If anyone finds anything else or has an ebro block handy then please let me know what you actually have and what numbers you see stamped in the usual areas and also below injector no.4. Some time I'll find the time to do the report on Super Billy and also the half Super Major although I'm trying to find out what a lot of the casting codes mean and also of course awaiting the big day when Super Billy runs again.
Sandy