The Ultimate FC

**101 Ron** · 5th February 2011, 10:36 PM

There seems to be a few over in the land of the long white cloud, all privately imported.
I have heard a story of where 3 or 4 stollys are being imported to australia for someone who wants to run one of those you can drive a tank or big army truck place where the general public pays to do so.
Also there is some other stuff like Sadalin/Sarasen and tracked british APCs.
All that stuff is cheap as to buy in UK.......just getting it here is the problem.
I have been doing very little to my stolly due work pressures and the heat wave.
It is ready for a inspection for Historic Plates, but it may be a month also before this happens.
I have received the two rust free cabin hatches from from another stolly owner in Qld which is a god send as mine were a big problem.
I am learning some parts which I may need are kicking around Aust if you know where to find them.
Still learning about these machines.
A local bloke spent 8 years driving one in REME and never had any problems with the drive system.
Everyone who has had any real time with these machines in service loved them.
I have discovered a few facts too.
The French were to make the stolly under license as the Aurochs made by Berliet( I dont know how many were made and the deal fell though when Rover purchased Alvis)
Some were painted in desert colours for the first gulf war( I have no idea how many or if any made it to the gulf war as it was at the end of there life with Nato and everyone was trying to go diesel.
My Stolly has a few layers of army green and then a desert brown of the british army and then green over the top of that.
I am guessing the last green paint job was after army service.
If any one finds a service pics of a Stolly in the gulf war I would be interested.
The little screw top tube ( fitted on the engine ) which is suppose to hold engine reconditioning /service details was empty so I have currently no more cues to its service history.
I may find out more when I start sanding to paint it.
A Army brass plate in the cabin is missing to.
My shopping list of missing parts is some thing like this.
1x Electric bilge pump.
1x hand bilge pump
1x boiling vessel and wiring with plug.
10 tracta joint boots (not needed in a hurry)
Radio gear mainly for the intercom
Every thing else is serviceable.
The water proof Clansman speaker I have fitted on the rear LHS tool box is not a normal fitting.....only one is usually fitted to the RHS front of the cargo bay .
The bracket which has been removed from the LHS tool box( above the clansman speaker ) is not a normal fitting too.
I have two brackets which bolt to the inside of the rear tailgate which after some guessing from the Stolly forum site is to hold a ladder which seems to be abit of a rare fitting.
There are some very large non standard bolt holes in the rear of the cabin to hold something very heavy ........?
I am wondering what this stollys job was in the british army.

Bracket on rear tail gate (ladder) and note radiator, hull outlet in floor and the plate and loops for straps to hold two water jerry cans.

**wagoo** · 6th February 2011, 10:00 AM

''Everyone who has had any real time with these machines in service loved them''

The British are like that though. Anecdotally they also loved those truly awful Morris Quad artillery tractors of WW2

I'm amazed to learn of so many Ozzy Stollies that are now crawling out of the woodwork.Were they all private imports?Or did they come out with the Commers, Humbers etc for the A bomb business?
Wagoo.

**101 Ron** · 6th February 2011, 09:49 PM

All private imports.
The once plentiful supply of stollys in the UK has dried up and parts to some extent.
A lot of stollys went for scrap 10 years ago.
Alot have found there way all around the world.
Small numbers were used by other Nato countries (not aust) and this helped to spread them around.
They were also a commerical design.
Other than russian imports the stolly is the last common amphibious load carrying wheeled truck readly advailible to the restorer or commerical operater.
Some thing like 50 percent of Larcs didnt survive the Vietam War and there was not a great number made with a large number still in service with different armed forces as there is nothing to replace them...therefore not many LARCs around.
The DUKWs are around ,but are now very old for a commerical operator and most numerious use for them ,other than private restoration is in america were something like 250 of them are tourist water/land buses.
It is estimated another 250 survive with restorers.
I think 21000 DUKWs made
about 1200 Larcs and Stollys made. .........remember 500 Larcs lost in vietam.

**101 Ron** · 6th February 2011, 10:03 PM

Some more pics
French Auroch version

A stolly in the desert

Stollys which have found commerical lives

**101 Ron** · 6th February 2011, 10:09 PM

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWjcgBg71kQ&feature=related]YouTube - AMFIBIE INVASIE SOURCY VITAMIN WATER by Natwerk & Woedend![/ame]

**juddy** · 7th February 2011, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by 101 Ron

YouTube - AMFIBIE INVASIE SOURCY VITAMIN WATER by Natwerk & Woedend!

Great idea **** Music...

**wagoo** · 7th February 2011, 12:17 PM

The extended WB duck bus would have been an engineering exercise!
Wagoo

**101 Ron** · 10th February 2011, 05:09 PM

I had a win today.
My Stolly is now on historic plates.
This has been a bit of a long slog to do the right thing with the RTA and the club registra.
I have heard of a few oversize historic vehicles being on historic rego and the oversize not being declaired.
I didnt want to go this way as if a accident happens it looks bad for the clubs involved and opens a big can of worms which wouldnt do anyone any good.
The RTA have been helpful and fair and the restrictions I have on the vehicle are reasonable.
It took a hour and half to get it processed to today and the staff were having a little bit of trouble trying class what a alvis Stalwart is.

I have to carry in the vehicle a bit of paper saying its OK to be slightly over width.
This is important as in NSW the Stolly may have to go though truck checking stations with automatic oversize sensors.
The next battle is trying to get some comprehensive insurance at a reasonable price.

**101 Ron** · 10th February 2011, 06:01 PM

One of those kiwi Stollys.
It looks like it is the first try at swimming after a restoration.
Note when it first backs in the clank of the compressor, which is a stolly trate.
When he tries out the jets for the first time or tries to drive out on the jets alone you can just hear the cativation as the inlets on the sides grab air.
This is in salt water too!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmEzOvRc-lk]YouTube - Alvis Stalwart in New Zealand - 1st Swim/Dunk[/ame]

**iain reed** · 10th February 2011, 07:26 PM

congratulations ron well done on getting plates

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