I think Steve needs a matching pillow to complete his comfort package. Plus an endless supply of coffee and biscuits just as a reward for squeezing himself in there. One of the best thing to happen to the museum and workshop Wednesday was Steve joining the team. A master mechanic extraordinaire…plus a great sense of humour.
I think I find the Soviet stuff so fascinating cause it always just seems to manage to be such a paradox. This thing is somehow both gorgeous, and butt ugly. Rugged and unreliable. Brilliantly conceived and batshit insane. Simple and convoluted. You can drop the coolant straight out through a hatch, but you have to contort yourself nineteen ways to do the oil filter. Thanks for persevering through and sharing the journeys with us Steve & AAAM. Really enjoying the presentation style and sharing of the thought process and insights.
I was pleasantly surprised that Comrade 10mm didn't join the countless others when poor Steve was literally contorting himself to get into the engine compartment!
Steve you are the MAN! Spelunking in an old Soviet vehicle does not look like the best job. But many people appreciate the work you guys do. Great job to all connected with Aus armor. Thank you from America.
Your Russian is improving, Kurt! As for Steve, I'm a retired RAEME Vehicle Mech, whose career was spent working on Armour, so you have my unending sympathy. Great show, as usual, lads...
i think the thing was designed to take the whole cab off when working on the engine. You can se the connection points of the cab to the chaises at the @13:00 mark
Once again, Doc Steve tells the Russian Engineers, "Hold my beer," and then digs into a beast of a machine. Despite the tight twists, turns, and the constant ongoing knuckle bruising battle with Stalin's beast, he persevered with only one BLEEP. Great job Steve.
Greetings from South Carolina, USA! When we captured Al Asad air base in Iraq in 2003, we captured one or two of these with some kind of Soviet era radar unit mounted on it. I have some photos of it if you are interested. Thanks for another great video!!!
A friend of mine had a Russian agriculture tractor for his farm, which used the same V12 engine. And as the and couldn't get replacement oil filters and found out that he could use two large tiolet paper rolls end to end as a stop gap measure. Cheers
There were Frantz oil bypass filters (still in business I think) which did say in the 1950s and early 1960s that tp rolls could be used but later advised that 'modern' toilet paper was not suitable and would break down. I didn't ever see it in use but some of the government issue tp in use at the time was pretty much indestructible!
Great video lads. I really like that the videos you put out and the videos Bovington put out really compliment each other. Bovington seem to focus on how specific tanks were used in battle and their development, whereas you guys focus on the mechanics and how the vehicles actually work as well as documenting their restoration in detail. There's room on RUclips for both approaches.
I have never heard Steve swear so much working on anything else. Must be a right cow of a job. Like a lot of mechanical things the designers seldom, if ever, think about serviceability. Trying to imagine what it would be like working on one of these in the middle of a Russian winter. 🥶
You have to remember that at the time this vehicle was designed and manufactured vehicle life span was measured in hours. A T-34 engine was expected to last 500 hours and so a second spare engine was carried on the back deck. Now with that sort of thinking and being involved in a titanic war of destruction, do you really think that long-term servicing was a consideration? Personally I am surprised that there were servicing hatches as it was! Poor Steve, what a nightmare!
@@markfryer9880 It is post-war, and is on a modified T-54 or T-55 chassis, so built AFTER the "titanic war of destruction". Because they were made for 30 years, there may have been design modifications during the production span. Thus, based simply on the video, it is impossible to know if the "early" ones had the oil hatch, as this may be a later one.
I used to fix M113s' and this reminds me of fixing the TLC (Tracked Load Carrying) or tilley. You had to be half fruit bat to fix them for the amount of time you spent upside down in them.
Kudos to Steve for going the extra mile to pull that oil filter out despite the horrendous decision by the Soviet designer to make it as inaccessible as possible. 👍 I bet that was the first time it was removed and cleaned since the vehicle was assembled at the factory.
Has a service pit ever been considered for servicing tanks, etc.? They drive over it, and service personnel can easily access the hull bottom access ports. 🤔 😀
As a suggestion, something I always found useful for doing up clamps in difficult positions on engines is an electric screwdriver (with a torque setting if you want to get posh), a 1/4 inch drive and a Universal joint between the screwdriver and the socket. Then the spanner-turning just consists of pushing a button on the screwdriver.
Steve's a keeper. I think Aus Armour should provide him with a mechanic's pit somewhere in the shop so he can under the machinery more easily. At the very least get him a new watch. That was a nasty bath it took at 6:10. Cheeers from Canada
enjoy your time off kurt. all i can say is you are the man steve! you are the man! go have yourself an adult beverage of your choice! you certainly have earned it! you guys ought to paint "stalins monster truck" on the side in Cyrillic!
I am proposing that Steve be move to Legend Status from now on. I know he had the sheer luxury of the Donia, but squeezing into that maze of an engine bay took nerves of steel and supporting pain killers. My claustrophobia is bad, and I can normally watch without turning away. But this evening's episode had me watching through one eye closed. All Hail Steve the LEGEND. 😇
I never knew I was Clautrophobic until I toured the Submarine at OMSI in Portland, OR..... The Diesel smell ( it was one of the last diesel subs made) and the " electric grease" smell added to my discomfort.....
This is my favorite channel to watch. All of the characters are phenomenal. The skill, knowledge and desire to keep history alive is highly visible. It shows in all you do. Growing up on an Army Proving Ground, armour and artillery mean a great deal to me.
"Tasty bits." Museum is in good hands. Not military, but a Kharcovchanka would be an awesome addition. The design proved a little impractical (cabin fumes, poor insulation) and I think was overtaken by a more practical adaptation of your 'truck.' These look soooooo cool. I can hear Steve's job interview: 'How are you with leaks?'
Oh man. Seeing this blanket at the engine compartment looks so comfy. I can see an opportunity for some private to have some nap there hiding from NCO. I would definitely had one for sure
Nice video guys!! What a beast that 'truck' is - kind of cramped to work on for such a big vehicle!!! Good on you, Steve to accept the challenge. The information and video is much appreciated! See you next week!! 😀
I ALWAYS remove my watch before working on equipment like this ... haven't you learned that yet? This looks like a lovely old beast and I'm loving the vehicle.
Well, Steve, I thought I had been in some uncomfortable places while clutching a handful of spanners, but there would have been many more bleeps if I had been down in there, top man.
![Chino Pacas - Smith (ft. Junior H & Fuerza Regida) [Video Visualizador Oficial]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BVK6k56X30Y/mqdefault.jpg)
I think Steve needs a matching pillow to complete his comfort package. Plus an endless supply of coffee and biscuits just as a reward for squeezing himself in there. One of the best thing to happen to the museum and workshop Wednesday was Steve joining the team. A master mechanic extraordinaire…plus a great sense of humour.
Totally agree, you could almost have a channel just for Steve 🙂
Yep, a Steve channel, entitled Where's Steve? Much like Where's Waldo?
Maybe a hottie if he gets stuck overnight😅?
Steve “I’m getting to old for this kind of lark” the heart felt cry of all of us old spanner jockeys.
Here in Oz we’ve had - Steve “the crocodile hunter” Irwin, RIP.
We now have - Steve “the Soviet tank wrangler” FromAusArmour.
Good on ya Steve!
Steve really seems to see it as his mission to educate the public. I love the First Person Mechanic experience. What a great guy!
Misery loves company. Even if its virtual.
Steve is like a terrier, he just won't quit.
I think I find the Soviet stuff so fascinating cause it always just seems to manage to be such a paradox.
This thing is somehow both gorgeous, and butt ugly. Rugged and unreliable. Brilliantly conceived and batshit insane. Simple and convoluted.
You can drop the coolant straight out through a hatch, but you have to contort yourself nineteen ways to do the oil filter.
Thanks for persevering through and sharing the journeys with us Steve & AAAM. Really enjoying the presentation style and sharing of the thought process and insights.
I was pleasantly surprised that Comrade 10mm didn't join the countless others when poor Steve was literally contorting himself to get into the engine compartment!
Steve you are the MAN! Spelunking in an old Soviet vehicle does not look like the best job. But many people appreciate the work you guys do. Great job to all connected with Aus armor. Thank you from America.
Earning the Respect of countless Service Mechs everywhere
Damn right
Your Russian is improving, Kurt!
As for Steve, I'm a retired RAEME Vehicle Mech, whose career was spent working on Armour, so you have my unending sympathy.
Great show, as usual, lads...
Nice to see a soviet vehicle actually designed for ease of maintenance for once.
Soviet vehicles do not need maintenance, comrade as they never break down. Ease of maintenance is only for weak and feeble capitalist machines.
i think the thing was designed to take the whole cab off when working on the engine. You can se the connection points of the cab to the chaises at the @13:00 mark
Love it, love it, love it. Steve is quickly becoming my favourite Workshop Wednesday...
AHA one bleep so far!!! AHA TWO BLEEPS!! Me with an afternoon on a Continental in an M3 was all bleeps!!😂 AHA THREE BLEEPS! Good show lads!!
Once again, Doc Steve tells the Russian Engineers, "Hold my beer," and then digs into a beast of a machine. Despite the tight twists, turns, and the constant ongoing knuckle bruising battle with Stalin's beast, he persevered with only one BLEEP. Great job Steve.
Greetings from South Carolina, USA! When we captured Al Asad air base in Iraq in 2003, we captured one or two of these with some kind of Soviet era radar unit mounted on it. I have some photos of it if you are interested. Thanks for another great video!!!
That cab with the triple split windshield and fallout-style instrumentation is so SICK
Stunning wagons , many still giving faithful service in Siberia and in the north where they are invaluable in the forests and mud . Pull anything
I know a few people who do that for fun. They call it caving😄
By taking us along in your repair adventures, we gain a whole new appreciation for what it takes to keep a museum fleet running.
Well done!!
Steve taking another hit for the team! Great video, really shows how claustrophobic these jobs can be.
Yes, we do appreciate all the dungeon crawling he does, and great work bringing the cameras in at good spots.
A friend of mine had a Russian agriculture tractor for his farm, which used the same V12 engine. And as the and couldn't get replacement oil filters and found out that he could use two large tiolet paper rolls end to end as a stop gap measure. Cheers
I think your friend was "mistaken". Using toilet paper rolls would be a good way to ruin even a Russian engine.
@@obsidianjane4413 Are you sure? In America there were toilet paper oil filters used on cars in the fifties/Sixties...
@@ricksmith4736 No there wasn't. There were/are filter systems that use media that resemble TP, but they are not the stuff you wipe your butt with.
@@ricksmith4736 yep pretty sure.
There were Frantz oil bypass filters (still in business I think) which did say in the 1950s and early 1960s that tp rolls could be used but later advised that 'modern' toilet paper was not suitable and would break down. I didn't ever see it in use but some of the government issue tp in use at the time was pretty much indestructible!
Great video lads. I really like that the videos you put out and the videos Bovington put out really compliment each other. Bovington seem to focus on how specific tanks were used in battle and their development, whereas you guys focus on the mechanics and how the vehicles actually work as well as documenting their restoration in detail. There's room on RUclips for both approaches.
Steve...Mate you are my utter HERO !! And Kurt. How may takes were needed for you to say the name of this awesome machine?
Just one 😉
Was thinking blooper reel the moment he said it.😂
I have never heard Steve swear so much working on anything else. Must be a right cow of a job. Like a lot of mechanical things the designers seldom, if ever, think about serviceability. Trying to imagine what it would be like working on one of these in the middle of a Russian winter. 🥶
You have to remember that at the time this vehicle was designed and manufactured vehicle life span was measured in hours. A T-34 engine was expected to last 500 hours and so a second spare engine was carried on the back deck. Now with that sort of thinking and being involved in a titanic war of destruction, do you really think that long-term servicing was a consideration?
Personally I am surprised that there were servicing hatches as it was!
Poor Steve, what a nightmare!
@@markfryer9880 It is post-war, and is on a modified T-54 or T-55 chassis, so built AFTER the "titanic war of destruction". Because they were made for 30 years, there may have been design modifications during the production span. Thus, based simply on the video, it is impossible to know if the "early" ones had the oil hatch, as this may be a later one.
One of the most badass looking military vehicles ever built!
Естет...😂
i love the way you say " WENNNSDAAAY"
Fantastic Workshop Wednesday
A good one... And music to match the machine........
My claustrophobia kicked in just watching you wriggle into position. Rather you than me!
Great video, Steve keeping it real with the bleeps 👍
Looks like a cozy place to take a nap!
Not in the Cairns heat mate....too bloody hot!
Please, please make these videos longer or do Workshop Monday and Friday's 😅 can't get enough of a fix 😮
I second that idea. I love these video's. Very informative and entertaining !
The most well-earned “bleeps” I’ve seen in a while!
What an amazing man Steven is Sing his praises because servicing these beasts is an ordeal!! Well done!!
you're a legend Steve...
Hats off to Steve. What an absolute bastard of a job. Far less bleeps than than I would have imagined 😁
I used to fix M113s' and this reminds me of fixing the TLC (Tracked Load Carrying) or tilley. You had to be half fruit bat to fix them for the amount of time you spent upside down in them.
Wow, Steve is nuts (in a good way). I will never, ever, complain about working on my Chevy pick-up again.
Looks perfect to take a few of your mates to Bunnings on a Saturday morning for a sausage sanga
Well done Steve, you wouldnt be a mechanic if you did not let out the occasional expletive, keep up the good work.
You can tell how much the engineers cared about the people using it by seeing how hard it is to change the oil on it.
They were probably designing from prison.
@@busterdee8228 Brotherman you obviously know very little about the Soviet design bureaus.
@@Michael-rr7um Obviously.
people? It is designed for Soviet soldiers, they are not deemed to be humans at all.
@@antontsau Yeah whatever you say.
just think steve sometime in the far flung future someone will be looking at this historical document to replicate youre work on this beast!
Whoever designed that engine compartment was truly eeeeevil !
These are some of the coolest vehicles ever built. Talk about a monster truck! If only they had a bit of modern engineering!
Kudos to Steve for going the extra mile to pull that oil filter out despite the horrendous decision by the Soviet designer to make it as inaccessible as possible. 👍 I bet that was the first time it was removed and cleaned since the vehicle was assembled at the factory.
Omg, fly me from Canada to be Steve's helper. Our combination of curse words will get everything fixed. What a beast of a truck.
Only 5 beeps Steve, looking good.
Excellent! Steve the Mechanic is very entertaining and informative. Thanks guys.
Another great episode. Ausarmour need to dig a mechanic's pit for Steve!
Great vehicle with plenty of space to go to supermarket for weekend shopping
Steve, you are a true gem and such a wonderful addition to the team. What a blessed day when you joined the fold.
Has a service pit ever been considered for servicing tanks, etc.? They drive over it, and service personnel can easily access the hull bottom access ports. 🤔 😀
As a suggestion, something I always found useful for doing up clamps in difficult positions on engines is an electric screwdriver (with a torque setting if you want to get posh), a 1/4 inch drive and a Universal joint between the screwdriver and the socket. Then the spanner-turning just consists of pushing a button on the screwdriver.
Steve's a keeper. I think Aus Armour should provide him with a mechanic's pit somewhere in the shop so he can under the machinery more easily. At the very least get him a new watch. That was a nasty bath it took at 6:10. Cheeers from Canada
It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Nice job Steve. You are a good narrator, and aren't afraid to find out what makes them tick.
enjoy your time off kurt.
all i can say is you are the man steve! you are the man! go have yourself an adult beverage of your choice! you certainly have earned it!
you guys ought to paint "stalins monster truck" on the side in Cyrillic!
Looks very similar to what the soviets used for their antarctic expeditions! Very unique tractor, I love it
I am proposing that Steve be move to Legend Status from now on. I know he had the sheer luxury of the Donia, but squeezing into that maze of an engine bay took nerves of steel and supporting pain killers. My claustrophobia is bad, and I can normally watch without turning away. But this evening's episode had me watching through one eye closed. All Hail Steve the LEGEND. 😇
I never knew I was Clautrophobic until I toured the Submarine at OMSI in Portland, OR..... The Diesel smell ( it was one of the last diesel subs made) and the " electric grease" smell added to my discomfort.....
wow! nice work Steve! they must have selected the smaller comrades as mechanics!!
My favorite channel on RUclips. Maybe someday I’ll be able to visit.
Another outstanding video with Steve and his trusty partner in crime are doing their magic.
Great work Steve. That is just a beast of a vehicle. At least you are not out on the steppe in January. Say safe and healthy, mate.
Comrade Steve! What a legend! Getting all the angles and the transitions for the shots ! Get the man some Tough-as work mats!
Not service friendly design. Great job Steve ! 😊👍
I want that truck! Love to see a modern version of that!
Steve suffers Soviet engineering for our entertainment
Can we say masochist boys amd girls?
Great line.😀
loved this thing when we visited back in February this year
I just scratched this one off of my list of "Vehicles to Own."
GREAT JOB, Steve.👏👍🥇
Wow Steve - you sure know how to live - and holy crap, changing that filter that looks like fun! Good thing you’re a scrawny little chap!
This is my favorite channel to watch. All of the characters are phenomenal. The skill, knowledge and desire to keep history alive is highly visible. It shows in all you do.
Growing up on an Army Proving Ground, armour and artillery mean a great deal to me.
may be get a hammock fnext rime...lol always great to watch the crew being things back to life and sometimes better.
Another very interesting and "easy" to work on Soviet vehicle. ha
Just what I would need for gold mining in Alaska!
It really amazes me how Steve knows what he needs to do.
I like the fact that post-war Soviet military truck designs - to this day - still bear a resemblance to the Studebaker US6 that they relied on in WW2.
Great bit of "caving" from Steve, scarily deep inside an engine bay. Great skills!
Back breaking,knuckle scraping graft, well done Steve. 🤓
There is a very nice 1944 Studebaker 6 wheel done in American livery for sale in Willalooka south Australia apparently has rare pieces.
My back hurts just watching him move around under the tanks. Someone get the man a proper service pit!
Steve= legend
Looks like heaven...
That sounds great! Very cool! I am even more envious...
so looking forward to tankfest, been trying to get to cairns since covid started!
Its impressive work, Steve, looking forevard to see you finding the Oil leak. Keep up the good work. Thanks a million.
Hilarious Steve love it, Looks like a Digger hiding place LOL
My favorite vehicle at Aus Armour 👌🤙
Well done team!
Great job as always,can’t believe Steve’s patience.
You are very lucky to have such a challenging job love what you do
Артилерийский Тягач тяжолий, I see, I click ‘like’. Amazing work, Steve.
Felt every sharp point, edge and cramp, Steve. Good job, mate! Love your work.
"Tasty bits." Museum is in good hands. Not military, but a Kharcovchanka would be an awesome addition. The design proved a little impractical (cabin fumes, poor insulation) and I think was overtaken by a more practical adaptation of your 'truck.' These look soooooo cool. I can hear Steve's job interview: 'How are you with leaks?'
Oh man. Seeing this blanket at the engine compartment looks so comfy. I can see an opportunity for some private to have some nap there hiding from NCO. I would definitely had one for sure
Steve makes the best vids.
I bet those discs for the oil filter would do pretty well in a ultrasonic cleaner to get all the fine particles out 🙂
Ahhh... The thrill of having rusty coolant running through your armpits!
Nice video guys!! What a beast that 'truck' is - kind of cramped to work on for such a big vehicle!!! Good on you, Steve to accept the challenge. The information and video is much appreciated! See you next week!! 😀
I appreciate Steve's thoroughness. Really fascinating to see inside these old Cold War vehicles. Thank you again!
I ALWAYS remove my watch before working on equipment like this ... haven't you learned that yet?
This looks like a lovely old beast and I'm loving the vehicle.
That's where my doona went! I would know those mildew stains anywhere.
Excellent mechanical detail.
Love the Russian background music!
Well, Steve, I thought I had been in some uncomfortable places while clutching a handful of spanners, but there would have been many more bleeps if I had been down in there, top man.