I’m a long retired Canadian Armoured Corps officer. One of the last to actually train on Canadian Centurions. I’m impressed with your care & attention to detail when it comes to maintaining & restoring the tanks in your care. Well done.
Used to work on these at 38 Central Workshops. Always enjoyed my trips into the engine test beds & seeing these engines along with many others firing up. A nice trip down memory lane 👍
That was my job in the test house,the meteor bed,was also used for that shitty engine the meteorite Number 1 bed was for the K60,I think it was number 7 bed was B series, which was rigged for 2 test beds The last test bed we used to run the H 30 There was a cell at the end where the Alison test bed was When you came in the test house & up the stairs I was on the left was the meteor bed & on the right was the L60 bed
@@stewartbrown8115 Started in 73 as an apprentice, made redundant 3 years later. Did a stint in the test house as an apprentice, then used to go in when I worked in the LAD/Maintenance divisions. Spent a lot of time with Adrian (Ady) from maintenance in the test house. Servicing the extractor fans in the loft area wasn’t fun!
I started in 66,the new test house wasn't built then,it was the other side of the road,which became maintenance after the new test house opened,approx 73 There usedto be14 test beds in the old test house,with only 1 soundproof bed which was 14 bed,which was theend one on the right The rest of the beds were next to one another,the noise was astounding with all the beds in use The reason they introduced shift working in the new test house,was there were fewer beds,and the new breed of engines needed longer running in times When the L60 came out,it needed 40 hours running in,so by the time it was 1st cold started it needed 1 hour warm in the morning, & 1/2 hour lunch break,cos they still had the same breaks as the workshop, before they Started the shift system
@Gary Phillips did you ever work @ Ruddington?,I spent 2 months there @ the LAD during my apprenticeship, it was great there, out of the way,going for spins round the villages on test,everything thig from staff cars lorries, and quite a few Saracens sent there from the various TA units
This was the coolest thing. I "know" how engines work. I know all the parts etc. Can understand all the car talk etc, but it's a WHOLE different thing to see an engine pulled out of its home and run like that. Really drives home how it all fits together. Can't wait to see what's next.
Oh the joy at seeing and hearing that glorious V12 sing… Taking the rotor arms off reminded me of the time back in the late 80s, I used to remove the rotor arm off of my Ford Cortina 2L Pinto engine every night, as a theft precaution 😄👍🏼
You throwing the lit petrol around reminds me of when I tried to de-coke my bike exhausts by pouring petrol into them and setting them alight. I poured a little too early on the last attempt catching the stream of fuel and can alight and just like you, i panicked and threw the lit can into the air covering my friend and my bike in flames. Great fun :)
Nice clean run once firing achieved. Those mag ground cables used to drop out in service and were a bit piggy to refit once the kidney plate had been removed! All done by feel as no of line of sight!
It's always fun when you're starting an old engine on the floor. I know, because i've done it before several times. Old ford FE's are really loud with no exhaust manifolds on them. Not to mention the fire show out of the exhaust ports.
i like it - Jack's as happy as me when armed with a wet paint brush - if it all looks nice and clean it should run better haha engine start was very nice and nobody died hehe PS i have a pair of large radiators, were off Cummings diesel and 75KVA genies, due for scrapping but i think too good a condition if you are interested, will get some pics if interested
I've had the same thing with my old bike, folk asking if I've converted it to electronic ignition because it starts and runs so well, not the first time I've removed the cover to show them it's still running points
Interesting video! I’ve found a plant sprayer with petrol in works a treat for first starts, or your brake cleaner bottle you cleaned the plugs with, bit safer than an aerosol lid also👍
I hope you noted and kept any shims under the gearbox and engine mountings. If there were any and they are missing or not put back the same you will get alignment issues between the gearbox, clutch and engine. This will cause the main engine oil seal around the shaft to the clutch to fail quite quickly. This causes the engine to very quickly lose its oil leading to a seized engine if not noticed in time. From first hand experience on AVRE 01ZR15 during the NATO exercise "Iron Hammer". A seized engine because thd gearbox shims had not been replaced after the gearbox had been previously lifted out and replaced during repairs. We had to have the engine swapped in field workshops. Took 3 days to do and we were given a small box of leftover nuts, bolts and screws afterwards...
Another cracking video mate, that cent's gonna be a beaut when done up. Shame she's going over the pond. Keep up the regular videos mate we all love to see em!
That is going to be a beauty when you pull your finger out. When the fire extinguisher came out and I believe under health and safety guidance one of you was meant to shout nee naa nee naa
Love these videos, fascinating to watch the engine bay has come up a treat. The engine is impressive, will you be refurbishing the old unit for a future project? If you are that will also be interesting to watch.
Is that the factory standard paint colour? I guess it must be, just checking. Love your work on these iron beasties-must be very satisfying every time one drives out the door. A shame such a great English piece of history goes overseas, especially when so few were made. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 🛠👍😁🇦🇺🦘
The problem with mags like that is they have a shelf life regardless of use. The points in mags of that era usually have tungsten contacts that oxidise, as opposed to earlier platinum which stay good, but the main problem is the coils soaking up moisture and growing green mould. I have been supplied with 40 year old, untouched, ex MOD, still sealed in the box for tropical use vertex mags, that have been absolutely dead. The coils were mouldy and had to be replaced.
I assume that unlike the Merlin theres no flame traps in the intake manifold, and no priming system to help the cold starting? I know from experience that Merlins can be quite difficult to start when they have been inhibited due to the oil that is used to inhibit the carb.
New to your channel, I am very impressed about your knowledge of these awesome vehicles! How did you get into this kind of work? Keep up the good work, stay safe and keep the videos coming!
Another awesome video, and lots of great detail. Bit of an odd question, could you tell me the RAL or BS code/colour for the blue paint you're doing the radiators in? I'm doing up a 1955 Austin K9 Truck, and the engine is rather scabby. Cheers :)
Shame to put the old exhaust on rather than zoomies :D You can put aluminium plate-an-bar rads in, by welding an aluminium hole plate to the end to the core. It works well.
Every since you had Cody on I was thinking to my self, what the hell is this Avre they keep banging on about, I would have put money on the tank being a Centurion. So I guess I was mostly right. So is the Avre part the gun package, cause that doesn't look like a 105mm or a 17 or 20lb gun??
What is the connection between you and Fitter Mat. You work on the same projects. But it looks a Fitter Mat do/document more of the grunt work on the vehicles.
@@MrHewes I see, But I do not complain. It means only more interesting videos for me. Keep up the good work both of you. And I loved the sound of the meteor engine
I can answer that, no. (Joe did explain about the fact it’s not been started for many years, the carbs holding a lot of fuel, and having to be filled by the lift pumps and the points being corroded.)
Well worked on them after overhaul in the main workshops, we used to spin them over on the test bed until the oil pressure had built up,switch the mags on & hey presto fired up straight away
I’m a long retired Canadian Armoured Corps officer. One of the last to actually train on Canadian Centurions. I’m impressed with your care & attention to detail when it comes to maintaining & restoring the tanks in your care. Well done.
How’s your wokeness coming along under Truedope?
Can't talk about anything without politics these days, y'know.
@@johnnunn8688 Holy cringe, dude. You're every bad stereotype of "chode who is no longer invited to Christmas" right now.
Your video production skills are improving with each one. Really enjoy the content and knowledge.
Fantastic ! Great job. I haven't heard that sound since Bergen Hohne in 73. Thanks a lot.
Used to work on these at 38 Central Workshops. Always enjoyed my trips into the engine test beds & seeing these engines along with many others firing up. A nice trip down memory lane 👍
That was my job in the test house,the meteor bed,was also used for that shitty engine the meteorite
Number 1 bed was for the K60,I think it was number 7 bed was B series, which was rigged for 2 test beds
The last test bed we used to run the H 30
There was a cell at the end where the Alison test bed was
When you came in the test house & up the stairs I was on the left was the meteor bed & on the right was the L60 bed
When were you there?,I left there in 75,went into the merchant navy
@@stewartbrown8115 Started in 73 as an apprentice, made redundant 3 years later. Did a stint in the test house as an apprentice, then used to go in when I worked in the LAD/Maintenance divisions. Spent a lot of time with Adrian (Ady) from maintenance in the test house. Servicing the extractor fans in the loft area wasn’t fun!
I started in 66,the new test house wasn't built then,it was the other side of the road,which became maintenance after the new test house opened,approx 73
There usedto be14 test beds in the old test house,with only 1 soundproof bed which was 14 bed,which was theend one on the right
The rest of the beds were next to one another,the noise was astounding with all the beds in use
The reason they introduced shift working in the new test house,was there were fewer beds,and the new breed of engines needed longer running in times
When the L60 came out,it needed 40 hours running in,so by the time it was 1st cold started it needed 1 hour warm in the morning, & 1/2 hour lunch break,cos they still had the same breaks as the workshop, before they Started the shift system
@Gary Phillips did you ever work @ Ruddington?,I spent 2 months there @ the LAD during my apprenticeship, it was great there, out of the way,going for spins round the villages on test,everything thig from staff cars lorries, and quite a few Saracens sent there from the various TA units
This was the coolest thing. I "know" how engines work. I know all the parts etc. Can understand all the car talk etc, but it's a WHOLE different thing to see an engine pulled out of its home and run like that. Really drives home how it all fits together. Can't wait to see what's next.
Love it! The learning curve often smells 5h1t and burnt hair. Carry on guys.
Sounds and looks like a spitfire engine.
Same block
THAT ENGINE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. WHAT A MAGNIFICENT MACHINE. AND SOUNDS LOVELY. 🫶🏻💯👍
As an ex Tankie I love your work.
Bril!. Bodgey bros do it again!. Nice one! Ted doing his job as always!. Great job!. Nuff said.
Oh the joy at seeing and hearing that glorious V12 sing… Taking the rotor arms off reminded me of the time back in the late 80s, I used to remove the rotor arm off of my Ford Cortina 2L Pinto engine every night, as a theft precaution 😄👍🏼
Love your work, guys. Fascinating, educational and very entertaining.
You throwing the lit petrol around reminds me of when I tried to de-coke my bike exhausts by pouring petrol into them and setting them alight. I poured a little too early on the last attempt catching the stream of fuel and can alight and just like you, i panicked and threw the lit can into the air covering my friend and my bike in flames. Great fun :)
Wooooow, that is a beast of an engine, awesome lads🇬🇧👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Nice clean run once firing achieved. Those mag ground cables used to drop out in service and were a bit piggy to refit once the kidney plate had been removed! All done by feel as no of line of sight!
Sounds like it belongs in a 1930's race car. Bloody brilliant!
Great video especially with the explanation of what you're doing 👍👍
That is some beast of an engine. Apart from setting yourselves on fire, the first start went well. Well done.
It's always fun when you're starting an old engine on the floor. I know, because i've done it before several times.
Old ford FE's are really loud with no exhaust manifolds on them. Not to mention the fire show out of the exhaust ports.
Mega video, quickly became my favourite channel to watch!
Cheers bud
Love the engineering!
Awesome video of fire breathing tank engine. I have seen aircraft engines do the same thing
crazy stuff man, so much power :D
Sounds amazing, well done lads
i like it - Jack's as happy as me when armed with a wet paint brush - if it all looks nice and clean it should run better haha
engine start was very nice and nobody died hehe
PS i have a pair of large radiators, were off Cummings diesel and 75KVA genies, due for scrapping but i think too good a condition if you are interested, will get some pics if interested
An impressive sight when a a large petrol engine is run straight out of the crate.
Great work 👏 👍
Start up videos are just epic, raw power!
Top video boys
Proper job
Looking good in bronze green 👌
When the fire into life the most beautiful noise.., love it top content again 😎👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Great channel and your talk through keeps the steps clear for us watching beginners.
Doing great work! That fire was quite impressive, both from the engine and explosive spray! 😅
Beast of an engine .. all the old engines are monsters
Damn what a beast, Bit scary too
What a sweet sounding engine.
Great video, nice to see you keeping the points setup rather than going electronic
I’ve seen people “improve” things like that. And it never impresses me
I've had the same thing with my old bike, folk asking if I've converted it to electronic ignition because it starts and runs so well, not the first time I've removed the cover to show them it's still running points
Interesting video! I’ve found a plant sprayer with petrol in works a treat for first starts, or your brake cleaner bottle you cleaned the plugs with, bit safer than an aerosol lid also👍
Good work.....👍
Brilliant, thanks.
Brilliant motor sound. 😁
You can’t over rev it, HOLD MY BEER MATE! Said every sapper ever.
I hope you noted and kept any shims under the gearbox and engine mountings. If there were any and they are missing or not put back the same you will get alignment issues between the gearbox, clutch and engine. This will cause the main engine oil seal around the shaft to the clutch to fail quite quickly. This causes the engine to very quickly lose its oil leading to a seized engine if not noticed in time.
From first hand experience on AVRE 01ZR15 during the NATO exercise "Iron Hammer". A seized engine because thd gearbox shims had not been replaced after the gearbox had been previously lifted out and replaced during repairs. We had to have the engine swapped in field workshops. Took 3 days to do and we were given a small box of leftover nuts, bolts and screws afterwards...
Yes I’m very much aware, I have done manny of these now, also there are shims under the engine water rail also.
Steel wire brush on the radiator will straighten a lot of the fins out quite quickly
Another cracking video mate, that cent's gonna be a beaut when done up. Shame she's going over the pond. Keep up the regular videos mate we all love to see em!
The beast lives 👌
New subscriber. Found u through WD, who bought a tank from u. Love the work u do. Best wishes from Scotland
I just bought a tank from Scotland 🏴
@@MrHewes where about. Am in East Lothian.
cracking video
Keep this up bro
Brilliant, real word spannering. Looking forward to see it run 😊
I LIKE IT!!!
👍👍👍👍👍THUMBS UP👍👍👍👍👍
Why you haven’t got more following bamboozles, me. Fantastic 10 minutes viewing
Thanks and keep up the interesting content
Cheers
I did not know you had a soft mallet! Probably a mixup.
Fantastic vid joe. Your becoming better and better at presenting👌👌
Thanks!
Lovely 27 Liter RR Meteor engine
Indeed it is!
Scary starting that thing up with no manifolds. I thought firing up a detroit without them was bad!
Likes, i love it😊
"Private, why is that tank not operational?"
"Dog ate me funnel, sir".
That is going to be a beauty when you pull your finger out. When the fire extinguisher came out and I believe under health and safety guidance one of you was meant to shout nee naa nee naa
Love these videos, fascinating to watch the engine bay has come up a treat. The engine is impressive, will you be refurbishing the old unit for a future project? If you are that will also be interesting to watch.
Yes we might strip down and repair the original engine in time
Love u guys
Chucking easystart into it like my old Maestro
Is that the factory standard paint colour? I guess it must be, just checking. Love your work on these iron beasties-must be very satisfying every time one drives out the door. A shame such a great English piece of history goes overseas, especially when so few were made. Greetings from Tasmania Australia 🛠👍😁🇦🇺🦘
The problem with mags like that is they have a shelf life regardless of use. The points in mags of that era usually have tungsten contacts that oxidise, as opposed to earlier platinum which stay good, but the main problem is the coils soaking up moisture and growing green mould. I have been supplied with 40 year old, untouched, ex MOD, still sealed in the box for tropical use vertex mags, that have been absolutely dead. The coils were mouldy and had to be replaced.
Amazing vid, love the way you film all the human parts like accidentally lighting the engine on fire!! Haha
Because in life things don’t go to plan, too manny people try make them selfs look good and it’s unrealistic
@@MrHewes keep it up man, love how these armored vehicles feel within reach!
Didnt realise a tank was petrol??😵💫😵💫💥💥💪👍
Great vid, these are getting better and better Joe 👍👍
Thanks 👍
Nice Bose 802 and sub hanging up ... make about as much volume as the engine !
I assume that unlike the Merlin theres no flame traps in the intake manifold, and no priming system to help the cold starting?
I know from experience that Merlins can be quite difficult to start when they have been inhibited due to the oil that is used to inhibit the carb.
Should have turned the lights out to see that all cylinders were firing.
If you have a “spark” at the points it shows they’re dirty!
Jesus! how do you guys work with the noise of that roller door banging and clashing all day long!
This is absolutely awesome. I would love to do something like this. How did you get to be in this job?
Where did you learn this stuff lads??? Outstanding 😎👍🇬🇧
Self taught, also I listen to clever people
@@MrHewes no better way to learn 👍😎
The Coventry Radiator Company made the original Radiators. Not sure if they are still in business. They depended alot on the MOD
I don’t even know why I watch this shit but I keep coming back for some reason 😅 you got me invested lol
New to your channel, I am very impressed about your knowledge of these awesome vehicles! How did you get into this kind of work? Keep up the good work, stay safe and keep the videos coming!
Very interesting video, keep,it up.
Il do my best
57 varieties of alien - what a coincidence with Heinz!
what a video making machine
It dose seam to be!
Great video I’m new to your channel are all tanks run on petrol
No but early ones were, most are diesel now
Another awesome video, and lots of great detail.
Bit of an odd question, could you tell me the RAL or BS code/colour for the blue paint you're doing the radiators in?
I'm doing up a 1955 Austin K9 Truck, and the engine is rather scabby.
Cheers :)
Il fined it for you
Duck egg blue
That Meteor Engine firing up must be both deafening and amazing at the same time. Mr Hewes, how the f""k do you know so much?
I listen to people. And I love to learn
If you were in the REME you would be in Colchester by now.
Shame to put the old exhaust on rather than zoomies :D You can put aluminium plate-an-bar rads in, by welding an aluminium hole plate to the end to the core. It works well.
How long has this donk sat in a box, post recon? I’m guessing a few years. Hope it was preserved properly 🤞.
Since 1993
Is it a spitfire engine
Every since you had Cody on I was thinking to my self, what the hell is this Avre they keep banging on about, I would have put money on the tank being a Centurion. So I guess I was mostly right. So is the Avre part the gun package, cause that doesn't look like a 105mm or a 17 or 20lb gun??
What is the connection between you and Fitter Mat. You work on the same projects. But it looks a Fitter Mat do/document more of the grunt work on the vehicles.
Mat is a good friend of mine he comes down to help most weekends
@@MrHewes I see, But I do not complain. It means only more interesting videos for me. Keep up the good work both of you. And I loved the sound of the meteor engine
If, IF the rads were screwed, could they be rebuilt? (At a huge cost, obvs).
Yes they could but these are okey
Fantastic where's Matt ?
Probably in bed
This is so interesting joe , were these engines known to be this tough to start even during the war and when in use ?
Remember this hasn’t ran for 30 years. And took 1 hour to start. Now it’s ran it starts instantly! Very good and reliable engines !
I can answer that, no. (Joe did explain about the fact it’s not been started for many years, the carbs holding a lot of fuel, and having to be filled by the lift pumps and the points being corroded.)
@@MrHewes ah that makes sense mate 👌
@@johnnunn8688 thanks makes a lot of sense
Well worked on them after overhaul in the main workshops, we used to spin them over on the test bed until the oil pressure had built up,switch the mags on & hey presto fired up straight away
I think you need a longer airgun,, maybe 4 feet!
What kind of money do those engines go for in that reconditioned state. I’m thinking a lot😮
Up to 100k
😊
What colour paint are you using to match the engine?
Army engine recon Duck egg blue
@@MrHewes 👍
Did you learn your craft in the army?
I’m a farmers son, I have nothing to do with the Army
맥가이버.
Spitfire?🥸
Congratulations 1991 versus 2023 1991 Won the battle Happy New Year to you all
LIVLRG
Just 1 Armored USA National Guard Unit has more fire power than the entire Kanaduh doh Army, fyi.
ahahahaha