1964 Alvis Stalwart
Discussion
So, where to start?
Those of you that have been reading my Ferret thread will know most of the story up to now but for those that don't, here it is.
As a 9 year old into all sorts of old vehicles and trying to fix anything I could (usually making it worse) I went to school in a nearby village, taking the bus there every day. Parked just off the road in a farmer's field was this big old boat like 6 wheeled military lorry, so with a keen eye for military vehicles I set about finding out what it was and all about it. I hated going to this particular school and was getting bullied and struggling with work, the usual, so in a weird way driving past this poor old machine thinking that one day I'd save it and give it a better home was sort of a small motivation to make it through the day and carry on. On a couple of occasions I had climbed in the back for a closer look and managed to take a few photos. This one is approximately 2003, taken by a 10 year old me.
20170504_233607 by Lew Garner
I managed to twist Dad's arm and we approached the owner on a few occasions about buying it but it was never for sale. He lived in a lock keeper's cottage in the middle of nowhere as a bit of a recluse, and allegedly years ago used to actually sail the Stalwart back to the house!
Anyway around 11 years ago the 'Stolly' disappeared from the farm and that was that. The farmer wanted rid of it and urged the owner to sell. Nothing happened so he took it upon himself to get rid and it was sold to a military dealer, who allegedly arrived with a low loader and managed to get it running out of a petrol can with new batteries, ticking over like a Swiss watch after God knows how many years out in the elements.
Anyway idly browsing through one of the military vehicle sales websites recently as any sane person does, I spotted four Stalwart Mk1s for sale and thought I'd click on the ad just out of interest. Reading through, hold on... that reg number sounds familiar. I checked back on my photo and sure enough, there she was. I'd found 'my' Stolly
20170506_110548 by Lew Garner
20170506_113216 by Lew Garner
It was probably a given from there but I arranged a visit and had some help from Trevor the owner, who is now looking to retire and move to France. He and his son Neil helped in removing the sun gears from the planetary hubs as the driveline is stuck at present, we believe due to a transfer box issue. We eventually come to a deal and a date was set for delivery, that being today!
So a brief bit about the Stalwart in general, it was designed in the late 50s primarily for a Cold War scenario, designed to carry ammunition and fuel alongside main battle tanks over pretty much any terrain. They are also amphibious as it was foreseen that it would need to cross rivers/lakes etc in the field. They have a payload of 5 tons and use two PTO driven Dowty water jets to push it through the water at a speed of around 6 knots. It is a Rolls Royce B81 straight eight petrol engine, twin plate 12 inch clutch powering a 5 speed box with full speeds forward and reverse, the transfer box then transmitting drive through a H pattern with various prop shafts and bevel boxes etc to all six wheels. Notoriously complex and susceptible to 'wind up' as it allows speed differences side to side but not between all three wheels on one side if that makes sense, meaning all three wheels on one side try to rotate at the same speed regardless of whether you're going round a corner. It's a commmon occurrence apparently to see a Stalwart whacking up a kerb to 'unwind' the wheels on each side.
Delivery day
After not a great deal of sleep last night I turned into the yard at 7am and there it was on the trailer.
20170623_073314 by Lew Garner
Having no sun gears in the hubs means basically no brakes so thankfully the lorry trailer had a big winch on letting it come down with a pretty controlled descent. I was on steering duties and nearly wrenched my arms off just trying to keep the thing straight down the ramps, no power steering as dead, 9 tonnes and four steering wheels adds up to a fairly heavy experience.
We then drafted in the little Ferret to pull it back round to its resting place for a while, a task the little beast managed with relative ease!
20170623_081924 by Lew Garner
20170623_082404 by Lew Garner
20170623_083524 by Lew Garner
Really all we've done today is just farted about lubricating hinges and having a good look over her. We took the plugs out, cleaned them and put a good squirt of WD40 down each bore for good measure.
Here you can see both the extent of the work needed and the basic layout of the inner workings
20170623_090245 by Lew Garner
Fuel tank at the front, all 110 gallons of it! The two sliver boxes are the air cleaners.
20170623_090252 by Lew Garner
Engine and water jet ducts at the rear.
20170623_091652 by Lew Garner
20170623_135648 by Lew Garner
Swim controls etc for going in the water, I suspect these wont be needed for a while longer yet!
20170623_135733 by Lew Garner, on Flickr
Here is looking to the right side of the cab, complete with rifle racks
20170623_164459 by Lew Garner, on Flickr
We tried a couple of batteries on it to see if it'd wake up at the dashboard and sure enough it did, even the original 1964 fire protection system lit up when the test button was pressed
20170623_143635 by Lew Garner, on Flickr
Also freed off and lubricated the drop sides
That's all for today, I need a pint!
Those of you that have been reading my Ferret thread will know most of the story up to now but for those that don't, here it is.
As a 9 year old into all sorts of old vehicles and trying to fix anything I could (usually making it worse) I went to school in a nearby village, taking the bus there every day. Parked just off the road in a farmer's field was this big old boat like 6 wheeled military lorry, so with a keen eye for military vehicles I set about finding out what it was and all about it. I hated going to this particular school and was getting bullied and struggling with work, the usual, so in a weird way driving past this poor old machine thinking that one day I'd save it and give it a better home was sort of a small motivation to make it through the day and carry on. On a couple of occasions I had climbed in the back for a closer look and managed to take a few photos. This one is approximately 2003, taken by a 10 year old me.
20170504_233607 by Lew GarnerI managed to twist Dad's arm and we approached the owner on a few occasions about buying it but it was never for sale. He lived in a lock keeper's cottage in the middle of nowhere as a bit of a recluse, and allegedly years ago used to actually sail the Stalwart back to the house!
Anyway around 11 years ago the 'Stolly' disappeared from the farm and that was that. The farmer wanted rid of it and urged the owner to sell. Nothing happened so he took it upon himself to get rid and it was sold to a military dealer, who allegedly arrived with a low loader and managed to get it running out of a petrol can with new batteries, ticking over like a Swiss watch after God knows how many years out in the elements.
Anyway idly browsing through one of the military vehicle sales websites recently as any sane person does, I spotted four Stalwart Mk1s for sale and thought I'd click on the ad just out of interest. Reading through, hold on... that reg number sounds familiar. I checked back on my photo and sure enough, there she was. I'd found 'my' Stolly
20170506_110548 by Lew Garner20170506_113216 by Lew GarnerIt was probably a given from there but I arranged a visit and had some help from Trevor the owner, who is now looking to retire and move to France. He and his son Neil helped in removing the sun gears from the planetary hubs as the driveline is stuck at present, we believe due to a transfer box issue. We eventually come to a deal and a date was set for delivery, that being today!
So a brief bit about the Stalwart in general, it was designed in the late 50s primarily for a Cold War scenario, designed to carry ammunition and fuel alongside main battle tanks over pretty much any terrain. They are also amphibious as it was foreseen that it would need to cross rivers/lakes etc in the field. They have a payload of 5 tons and use two PTO driven Dowty water jets to push it through the water at a speed of around 6 knots. It is a Rolls Royce B81 straight eight petrol engine, twin plate 12 inch clutch powering a 5 speed box with full speeds forward and reverse, the transfer box then transmitting drive through a H pattern with various prop shafts and bevel boxes etc to all six wheels. Notoriously complex and susceptible to 'wind up' as it allows speed differences side to side but not between all three wheels on one side if that makes sense, meaning all three wheels on one side try to rotate at the same speed regardless of whether you're going round a corner. It's a commmon occurrence apparently to see a Stalwart whacking up a kerb to 'unwind' the wheels on each side.
Delivery day
After not a great deal of sleep last night I turned into the yard at 7am and there it was on the trailer.
20170623_073314 by Lew GarnerHaving no sun gears in the hubs means basically no brakes so thankfully the lorry trailer had a big winch on letting it come down with a pretty controlled descent. I was on steering duties and nearly wrenched my arms off just trying to keep the thing straight down the ramps, no power steering as dead, 9 tonnes and four steering wheels adds up to a fairly heavy experience.
We then drafted in the little Ferret to pull it back round to its resting place for a while, a task the little beast managed with relative ease!
20170623_081924 by Lew Garner20170623_082404 by Lew Garner20170623_083524 by Lew GarnerReally all we've done today is just farted about lubricating hinges and having a good look over her. We took the plugs out, cleaned them and put a good squirt of WD40 down each bore for good measure.
Here you can see both the extent of the work needed and the basic layout of the inner workings
20170623_090245 by Lew GarnerFuel tank at the front, all 110 gallons of it! The two sliver boxes are the air cleaners.
20170623_090252 by Lew GarnerEngine and water jet ducts at the rear.
20170623_091652 by Lew Garner20170623_135648 by Lew GarnerSwim controls etc for going in the water, I suspect these wont be needed for a while longer yet!
20170623_135733 by Lew Garner, on FlickrHere is looking to the right side of the cab, complete with rifle racks
20170623_164459 by Lew Garner, on FlickrWe tried a couple of batteries on it to see if it'd wake up at the dashboard and sure enough it did, even the original 1964 fire protection system lit up when the test button was pressed
20170623_143635 by Lew Garner, on FlickrAlso freed off and lubricated the drop sides
That's all for today, I need a pint!
Edited by LewG on Wednesday 19th July 23:53
Just to add I also managed to track down her history cards, here are the copies. As we can see into service January 1964 and disposed of 1988. A lot of time spent on Germany with BAOR, short for British Army Of the Rhine. At one point it served in the same regiment as my Ferret albeit a few years later.
Screenshot_2017-06-17-10-48-29
Screenshot_2017-06-17-10-47-17
Screenshot_2017-06-17-10-48-29Screenshot_2017-06-17-10-47-17Edited by LewG on Thursday 20th July 00:10
I don't know about that actually, I did wonder myself. I imagine Class 1 is 'dire'
Funnily enough there was talk of this over on the Historic Military Vehicle Forum about making a modification doing just as you say, potentially fitting some sort of dog clutch on the front props to disengage them. I suppose it's a case of whoever is brave enough to put their mind and wallet to it and give it a go. There is one running I believe in the States with a big diesel in and higher ratio transfer gears in the T/box and no front props, they claim a comfy cruise at 55mph!
Funnily enough there was talk of this over on the Historic Military Vehicle Forum about making a modification doing just as you say, potentially fitting some sort of dog clutch on the front props to disengage them. I suppose it's a case of whoever is brave enough to put their mind and wallet to it and give it a go. There is one running I believe in the States with a big diesel in and higher ratio transfer gears in the T/box and no front props, they claim a comfy cruise at 55mph!
Worked on these while I was in the Army ( Vehicle Mechanic "A" REME)
Even though your Documents say B Vehicle it was classed as a Light A Vehicle.
The Reliability Classification:
Class 1-As New condition, could be subjected to 100% equipment failure reporting, Definately Equipment Failure Reporting for all Major Assembly failures. All "A" and Light "A" Vehicles (A=Armoured) were regularly (Every 10-15 years) Base Overhauled and on completion of the Overhaul would be released to Service as Class1.
Class 2- similar to Class 1 but the BER Limit (Beyond Economic Repair) kicked in for Non-Armoured vehicles
Class 3 Fit for the knackers used ( Normally around the 10 year point) and with a low BER limit
Even though your Documents say B Vehicle it was classed as a Light A Vehicle.
The Reliability Classification:
Class 1-As New condition, could be subjected to 100% equipment failure reporting, Definately Equipment Failure Reporting for all Major Assembly failures. All "A" and Light "A" Vehicles (A=Armoured) were regularly (Every 10-15 years) Base Overhauled and on completion of the Overhaul would be released to Service as Class1.
Class 2- similar to Class 1 but the BER Limit (Beyond Economic Repair) kicked in for Non-Armoured vehicles
Class 3 Fit for the knackers used ( Normally around the 10 year point) and with a low BER limit
Edited by AaronP041 on Saturday 24th June 00:20
Edited by AaronP041 on Saturday 24th June 00:20
Edited by AaronP041 on Saturday 24th June 00:25
PS Have fun!
The old Stolly has a party trick!
Backfiring, can be induced with gay abandon, (when up to temprature) and motoring along,ignition off, heavy boot on the go pedal, ignition on, crank her up and she'll clear the pipes in anarchic fashion complete with flames.
Spark is dual points (syncronising the things is a form of vodoo!)and the B81 is sensitive to timing and definately the condition of the points.
P.S. The breather system for the fuel tank is primitive IIRC and basically dumps in the hull if you overfill (They had bilge pumps) and it can lead to a slightly worrying condition of Fire!
The old Stolly has a party trick!
Backfiring, can be induced with gay abandon, (when up to temprature) and motoring along,ignition off, heavy boot on the go pedal, ignition on, crank her up and she'll clear the pipes in anarchic fashion complete with flames.
Spark is dual points (syncronising the things is a form of vodoo!)and the B81 is sensitive to timing and definately the condition of the points.
P.S. The breather system for the fuel tank is primitive IIRC and basically dumps in the hull if you overfill (They had bilge pumps) and it can lead to a slightly worrying condition of Fire!
Edited by AaronP041 on Saturday 24th June 00:18
Edited by AaronP041 on Saturday 24th June 00:21
Thanks all! I think first thing is to assure ourselves that the engine will turn over to start with. After that we can hopefully go for the big fire up.
Turned the master switch on today and tried swinging the start switch but absolutely nothing, not even a clonk. I had a fiddle with some of the wiring behind the dash and managed to lose where I pulled a connector for the ignition switch from so some testing with the meter is required! Daft thing to do but you know how it is when you get over enthusiastic
In the fullness of time I'd like to fully restore her back to immaculate but if we can prove that some of her systems actually still work that'd be a bonus. A vast majority of the work is more related to how long it's sat more than anything. For example the throttle pedal is stuck. The linkage has several rods, clevises and a massively over engineered cross shaft to take the pedal movement from the right hand side of the vehicle over to the left hand where the carburettor is, you can move both ends individually no problem so it's evident the shaft itself is just tight to turn. On the plus side this is easier than a Mk2 Stolly as that's even more complicated with a hydraulically actuated throttle.
Either way I'm very much looking forward to it, I'd love to have a go in a working one like you were so lucky to do Captain S, I've no doubt they are immense to drive.
Turned the master switch on today and tried swinging the start switch but absolutely nothing, not even a clonk. I had a fiddle with some of the wiring behind the dash and managed to lose where I pulled a connector for the ignition switch from so some testing with the meter is required! Daft thing to do but you know how it is when you get over enthusiastic
In the fullness of time I'd like to fully restore her back to immaculate but if we can prove that some of her systems actually still work that'd be a bonus. A vast majority of the work is more related to how long it's sat more than anything. For example the throttle pedal is stuck. The linkage has several rods, clevises and a massively over engineered cross shaft to take the pedal movement from the right hand side of the vehicle over to the left hand where the carburettor is, you can move both ends individually no problem so it's evident the shaft itself is just tight to turn. On the plus side this is easier than a Mk2 Stolly as that's even more complicated with a hydraulically actuated throttle.
Either way I'm very much looking forward to it, I'd love to have a go in a working one like you were so lucky to do Captain S, I've no doubt they are immense to drive.
Cheers for that Aaron, as you say the two sets of points is much the same as the ones on the Ferret, we spoke to Trevor about this and he said in the past he's made up a little gauge to set them to 45 degrees as they should be. Should be an interesting project if nothing else, to hear her fire up again would absolutely make my day
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