The correct way to start a Chieftain or Challenger is to start the GUE first and put it on charge, then start main engine. In terminology it is not an isolator switch it is the Main Battery switch. I was a B3 driver for 4 years and a Driver Mech for 8 years on both the Chieftain and Challenger. Under certain revs the main engine generator does not function too well, it is usually only used on long marches. The button in the Infantry Tank Telephone is to get the attention of the crew inside. Good luck with the search light, it is rather dangerous as it will burn out your retina if you look directly into it when in operation. You have no Clansman radios ,only the harness. More importantly you do not seem to have a boiling vessel. You do not seem to have the laser range finder nor the traverse control. You do have the gun elevator. There is a shield on the left side of the gun that slides forward and back. In the forward position the gun can not fire ergo no recoil, safety feature, also by the loaders hatch, on the roof, if memory serves me right, you should find a large switch, this is the safety switch and should be on safe unless you want to fire the gun LOL Good luck with her, I am soooooo jealous. Oh, just a quick one , at the very back of the vehicle there are 2 stowage bins, just inboard of each bin you will see a large bolt head, this is rather important as you undo it to drain water out of the fuel tanks. PS if or when, you change the GUE fuel filter, be very careful as the retaining bolt is prone to shearing if done up too tight. Health to enjoy.
The correct procedure is the Gue first. The the main engine. You can’t run the gun kit on Chieftain with just the main engine on idle, on Challenger you can. I crewed both and cvr t.
I used to be a B3 crewman on Chieftains back in the late 70s early 80s (driver, gunner loader/radio operator) . We used to disconnect the auto changer to give smoother changes despite it being something you were not supposed to do. I seem to remember we started the generator first but it was a long time ago. There were also levers for the turret engine air breathing. The headrest was almost always broken and driving often involved holding the back of your head with a hand. In one camp I was in which was a training camp, a breech block went missing it was eventually found doubling as a seat!
Nice to see that this old girl is going to be renovated and did not end up down range as a hard target or smelted for razor blades!👍 The video brought back a lot of fond memories, l started on them as a gunner back in 1975. Then moved down to the drivers cab for a few years. In 1980 l moved back up into the turret to become a loader/radio operator, then in 1982 l did my crew commander’s course. I got to command a few for the next few years, crewed Mk2XYs through to Mk9s!
First start of the day for the L60 would be done using the GUE firing up to get the main genny on line. In winter the hydraulic starter is preferred (when working). On the ME panel the middle switch would be left up for the first 30 seconds when cranking to raise the oil pressure to the exhaust crank. Middle switch controls the solenoid for the fuel injection pump. Seen a few failures with bits coming through the top casing. REME A mech with 9 years experience on the dirty, oily beasts. Loved them.
Only ever had to use the dog clutch and hydraulic starter handle a couple of times after I joined my unit. It was rarer than hens teeth to find one that actually worked properly most of the time, thank god as it was knackering to get going sometimes!
@@peteturner3928 we used to wind the infantry up in co location by having a driver in the cab, a vm hidden on the gue with a spanner on the swash plate lever and a guy on the telephone. Every time the phone cable was pulled the vm would start the L60 and the driver would flick the middle switch up and down to simulate a rough start. Infantry stared at the guy on the pull start in wonder.
Woaha, a mighty chieftain,my favorite Tank.They blasted our fields of,in hildesheim area.i was amazed about this pretty tank.i was 12 years old.And,yes,i miss the B.A.O.R.
Enjoyed my time at hildesheim. I still think of it now an again and often wonder about the people I knew. Daves bar was legendary and Germany was a beautiful country from what I remember. Unsure what it is like now because I have never been back since I left in 93. One day I hope to go back and to see how things have changed from what I remember of my early years in 1rtr
Great video, started my career with BAOR in 85 on Chieftain as gunner… worked my way up to crew commander before moving onto Challenger 1. As many have mentioned lots of reliability issues with D&M side, the gun was bloody accurate and we trained to fight from pre-planned defensive positions anyway! (If the huge plums of white smoke from the cylinder liners on the L60 being shite didn’t give our road moves away) 😂😂 Good memories, every time we stopped there was a race to get the gearbox decks open and all of us sitting getting warmed up while the Op got the brews on from the BV “The most important part of the beast” oh and a CVR/T bivvi if you could pilfer one.!! Good luck with this project 👍🏻
always start the gene first looks lik eturret gun indicator is off the mark, its showing 10 o'clock but the barrel is 12 o'clock, great video and brings back so many memories. thank you
Oh the memories... Took my track test in a Chieftain, this was the second vehicle I ever drove on the roads, the first being a small car I passed my test in a couple weeks prior.
My Dad was on these back in the day as a commander. They used to wind up the infantry on exercise by storing beer in a few of the bag charge bins as they are water jacketed and kept the beer cold :)
You put a smile on my old face...EB71was frequently put on a heavy ferry to cross the Havel from a point near the Yacht Club and then participate in some bloody stupid excercise designed simulate delaying the 46 Warsaw Pact divisions that would sweep through Berlin and on to the Fulder Gap...I was eager to please the RSM cos I was almost permenently in his bad book...It was night, almost zero visibility but I valiantly leaped ashore in order to impress him...sprinted ever so tactictly for 25 meters - and met 01EB71 which was sitting innocently in front of me...I ran stright into the port side and saw many, many, stars...my nose came off worse than the tank but I was nevertheless told by the TC to ""get your filthy blood off my tank!!!"" Hap[py days....pleased to see it survived and has a good home - and you can't the phone back.
Great vid, really impressed that something made by British Leyland starts on the bottom😎. Sequential box is a surprise but absolutely makes sense as driver’s previous vehicle was probably a moped
British Leyland was a miss matched group of companies forced together buy goverment, Leyland trucks were called king of the road from the 1930's on wards , the WW2 army Leyland Hippos were still being used by road construction companies in the 80's , my grandad was in the R.A driver during the war and all his manuals were hand written and drawn during his training l'm not sure if that was because of the method of teaching or just a lack of printed manuals? but they were cool to look at and everyone seemed to have excellent hand writing skills the diagrams were very well drawn as well. But back to the point never confuse poor old British Leyland with the original and much older LEYLAND TRUCKS 🙂
I always forget how old these vehicles are, even the "new" tanks are really from the 70's and 80's. Reminds me of starting up an old John Deere Model B.
@4:54 - the rubber switch in the phone box sets off a light by the right-hand side of the TC's cupola, alerting him to the fact that somebody outside needs to talk to him. It MIGHT be marked ET [external phone] or just a red/orange light. Red is for night-safe, BTW, but you probably knew that already. The Mk X had the enhanced frontal turret armour, code-named Stillbrew.
great commentary as usual i remember most tankies have no front teeth from incidents such as headbutting the bulkhead when stopping and as you suggested hatches slamming ya bonce etc - i have to admit, when i get into these things, i am always very wary of what teeth i have left in my head, my age doesn't help me either, and being shorter can help but when your legs don't seem to bend like flamingos can also hinder - like you my legs don't bend that way but my knees are shot, so there is a bit of swearing to get my legs to function the way they used to i like your mention of Smith instruments, most of which were probably made on a Friday afternoon, i have even seen them fitted to Russian recovery equipment (and they bloody worked, SHOCKED i was) dead right on the brakes and the handbrake, never used them either, we were always told these can stick when not in use, drivers start up, try to pull away and wreck the brakes which then means you have to wake that nice chap with the large spanner (SPANNER!) who would give you a very hard red faced stare, like a baboons backside - the only reason 60+ tons of tank might move would be if the Earth stopped spinning, i am reliably told this might never happen, i never argued with my sergeant since he was way ugliar than me looking forward to seeing this monster back in its Urban camo
Good vid..like everyone else says in the distant past I recall we always used to start with the genny first.As the driver the first thing that was drummed in was ..check the turret safety switch first, then jump in check master switch...no mention of ready round bins housing the crews booze....but brought back lots of memories cheers
Being an infantryman in the 80s i exercised on many occasions with these beauties thay had a very distinct sound and sitting on the engine deck when it was cold was awesome although you did tend to fall asleep, i never realised the crew compartement was so small anyway had the cold war turned hot we would have been very glad these beasts were backing us up, love to all 80s squaddies we were ready but thank god the call never came.
So I was watching the last video and I was very tempted to even write that how do you even drive a tank but I never did clearly I didn't need to as you are now doing it amazing thx you great video .👍
one of my brothers (ex 9th/12th Lancers) was a gunner driver on chieftans and scimitars /scorpian for 9 years . followed my dad who was in the 7th hussars as a gunner driver on cromwells and comets
The normal way of starting is to start the ''genny'' or aux gen and put the generator online. Then start the main engine (without depressing the accelerator. Doing it this way is easier on the batteries. The main engine should idle @300 to 320 rpm. The centrifugal clutch (an Achilles heel of these Chieftains, always have a spare) then starts to engage as soon as you rev the engine in gear, it's fully engaged by about 840 rpm. When driving you cannot change down a gear unless the rpm is below 1200 rpm (there is a governor on the gearbox). The max rpm used to be set at 2,100 rpm which would give you about 27 mph. Having driven more than 4,000 miles on these I'll happily answer any questions you have. 🙂
@@hillbilly8621 That is connected to the transmission by Bowden cable in case of electrical failurer, or a problem with the gear selector. It engages low reverse or 1st gear.
Since when is the “normal” way of starting using the gu. I think that is probably a unit thing that someone came up with. The gu’s primary task is to provide charging power for the turret when the main is not running. Using it to start was just a backup to the electrical starter.
I started and drove one in Barker Barracks Paderborn around 1980, when I was stationed there. I think it was with 3RTR. I remember starting the slave engine and then the main engine. The engine felt so far behind. I wasn’t a tankie, and it was soooooo much fun.
I stumbled on this channel a couple weeks ago and it's absolutely fascinating. This is such interesting and genuine content, I can see the comradery between you all, but also really genuinely talented and mechanically knowledgeable. I'm looking forward to seeing the restoration of this tank.
If I remember right that button is meant to sound a bell/buzzer inside the tank to let the commander know someone is requesting communication on the phone
And if the handset was buggered or missing you whacked your signaller on and used Morse code to tell the radio operator what to do,. I was a sig and we also hadn't a cheat card of simple signals to use if nobody in the tank knew Morse, lol Dot dash= Go Left/Target left (stationary) Dash dash= Go Right/Target right (Stationary). Dash dash dash= Stop. Long time ago though and never had to use it, so can't prove it's workable.
I remember having to replace the emergency gear cable and having to remove the power pack, gearbox, turret charge bins and floor. All the fun of the fair!
Looking at that gear lever made me think it must be like riding a motorbike, or even a Kettenkrad but without the front wheel and an extra 50+ tons. Sweet.
Was gonna be a smart arse and say most of your subs know how to start and operate a tank until I actually watched it and realised I knew phuck all, never knew that the gears was like a motorbike.., Matt paypal'd me a fiver to sound interested in this video.
Great video. I've never driven a tank but would love to have a go! I used to live near Bordon army camp and they had a huge common where they used to leave tanks, trucks armoured cars and many other decommissioned vehicles so they could practice recovering techniques. Climbing in and on all stuff was great fun, but when the army came out to play we had to scarper fast!
i used to take what we called a 'special trip' to visit a friend 'in a pub, figure that one out' he used to prep vehicles for all kinds of events, some of them for the Army, the madness, can't say much on that side as it was hush hush - but we invariably got to play with all kinds of silly things, our friend got the chance to rescue some items from that sand pit where there was once a war or conflict or something silly, some interesting Russian recovery gear
Me and my claustrophobia wouldn’t be driving one of those things. My dad who was 6 feet tall served in tanks in WW2 , 79th Armoured Division, in flail tanks . I can’t imagine that there would have been any more room in those things, especially in combat. Interesting video.
Awesome stuff, now I just need to find a chieftain just laying around. That bit not so easy.😮😢, but I do wonder if I did see one of your beautiful beasts in real life growing up in bordon /whitehill used to see them driving around and apc carriers a lot. There Was the REME recovery and fitting school there, growing up my house backed on to one of there training grounds, if I didn’t see them you definitely heard them lol, brings back great memories, even remember seeing a apc embedded in a house next to whitehill post office one Sunday morning as a boy, the owners where luckily sleeping upstairs and a learner driver lost control or a track can’t remember and the apc ended up in there front living room, just with its rear and orange flashing lights showing lol, good job they have rear doors, at least they could get out lol, was a happy ending though all people fine just the owners of the house with a tank stuck in there living room for a couple of weeks until they secured building and removed apc, cheers guys will tell u more soon
Be great to see her back up to tip top shape. Hopefully you can find sights and periscopes and make the turret work! They really look the best on the move when the gun is stabilised!
As a native Cold War West Berliner I agree. Btw., the training site was Ruhleben fihting village, right next to the Olympic Stadium (Which housed the British Berlin Brigade HQ). i have been there once during a training exercise with the German civil defence. It still exists, but is today being used by Berlin police (which have their HQ right next door). It is possible that I was once in this particular tank, when the british Berlin Brigade had their open door day at RAF Gatow back in the 1980s. They had an absolutely manky Chieftain, full of live ammunition there for display, full of bag charges, HESH rounds and magazines full of vent tubes, and the children climbing all over thie stuff. The squaddie on duty told me that they had cleaned and prepared another chieftain for the display, but unfortunately the night before the open door day it cauht fire, so they had to get a tank from their active reserve.
Hi guys, that was a excellent video, makes one want to go out and buy one and drive it to work and back ( I work for a prison) but I would like to put my hand up to apply for the job of apprentice driver or tank polisher, best regards from a Kiwi living in Australia.
So the button you pressed in the phone box on the back would give an alert to the crew via their intercom, a bit like a quiet horn type sound 😂 that’s so that the commander doesn’t think about reversing before the infantryman at the back has managed to unreel the phone and get a message over to the crew inside
Also to add, it cuts all of the intercom when using those phones, or at least it does on challenger 2 so that part of the reason as well, so the commander doesn’t think his comms have gone
@@michaeljones-qm4wq I’m waiting for an old boy to take the bait on this comment and say something like “Ah bunch a puffs nowadays I mind back in ma day we had pints of AL-39 fe breakfast”
Sprockets and vibration- we always used Hylomar blue paste on the bolts but even that had little effect- they shake themselves lose after a days motoring especially on roads.
I can remember the early chiefies from when I was in. I wanted Tanks, but was shoved in Signals- bearing in mind I'm 6'2 or was then perhaps this was no bad thing.
You must check the emergency gear selector is in neutral before startup , as. It overrides all other gear selections. A soldier was killed at a North Yorkshire tank regiment detachment when a driver hadn’t done that check.
I witnessed this, Catterick RAC Training Regt (4RTR) 1974. The Soldier killed was REME, the driver was a D&M Instructor. Not thought about this 40 plus years. RIP.
@@MrHewes In this particular instance the vehicle was being used to shunt a "Dead" tank back into the hanger. Rather than get the solid steel bar, the REME lad held a large lump of wood, he got between the 2 tanks and as the driver crept forwards in Emerg forwards, the wood shattered, pinning the lad to the 2 Glacis plates. The driver, S/Sgt D&M instructor, selected elec reverse (or so he thought ) and floored it, obviously he forgot about Emerg F/wd and the lad was killed. A tragic event that should not have happened. RIP.
Very similar starting procedure to Chieftain AVLB, although I don’t remember the having the generator switch, and some commanders would insist on a hydraulic start for some reason
Turning the ME over for a few seconds on hydraulic allows the oil to circulate to the top crankshaft which for a vertically mounted opposed piston engine is important whereas this is not an issue for the bottom crankshaft. You can't do that with the electric starter motor as you need to have the fuel pumps and FIPS switched on to engage it and so the engine (assuming it is running well) will start straightaway. This is more important as a first start of the day, when cold etc. Stop the engine when warm and if you want to start it again soon after it is ok to do so on electric starter.
I served on Chieftains from 1972 to 1987 up to 1978 in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, then transferred to REME in 78 Due to my experience of them got to command the Chieftain ARV sometimes. Not nice! Surprised none of those who previously crewed these things have mentioned the hydraulic start. This was always the recommended method for starting, Start the Gen engine, Set the revs, engage the hydraulic pump, pull the lever to the left of the seat on the floor, until the Main engine started. Don’t use the L60 engine too long it will expire in a cloud of white smoke as the cylinder liners move, (horrible horizontally opposed 2 stroke diesel). followed by silence and for the REME VM‘s 6+ hours work with your head down and arse up getting the engine out. Never offer to do the gearbox end, it’s filthy and afterwards your overalls stand up in their own. Spent 6 hours changing the engine once, sent the driver off to test run it before we replaced the engine deck T piece, good job as the new engine expired after they got about 100 metres. Ho hum trundle off in the 434 for a few hours and get another one followed by 6 hours more fun, who needed sleep eh?😢😢😢
I was "A" Sqdn Tiffy 4/7 Drgs 1972 in Tidworth. Left 4/7 when they moved to Germany. You are correct. The correct procedure was to start aux. engine and use hydraulic start for the main engine. Problem was the selector gear for the aux engine was a straight "spur" gear and often didn't mesh when the aux engine was running which meant stopping the aux engine, engaging gear and start all over again. Hell! just use the main engine start on batteries. Engine change was a pain especially the flywheel bolts accessed from a small cover below the belly of the tank. Crew had to crawl below the engine compartment, undo the ring of bolts and remove plate. Wipe all the oil which, had accumulated on the floor of the engine compartment, from you face and clothes, then undo the flywheel bolts.
Used the aux gen hydraulic start if the vehicle had been standing for any time , sometimes l😢 11:20 eft the fip switched off and turned the engine over till the oil pressure light went out..then again , I was a stinking 🎉A mech artisan staffy so what would I know about anything
Step 1........plug in the "boiling vessel" make a nice cup of tea, and let someone else start the tank. The Berlin camo would be great for a trip into town, park next to the cafe, and the coppers wouldnt see it in the least.
It's strange how the years dull the memory. I could have swarm the GUE switchwere on the right, but I gave checked on my nearly 50 year old trade diagrams, and I stand corrected. Abd yes the button in the Infantry tank telephone box is the call button.
We were night driving through a wood when the turret violently spun around, the driver was too close to the trees and the searchlight hit it, when we opened it in the morning white powder fell out, my memories to this day say it was on the right but all the evidence shows it on the left.
I sure hope you get that old rhino lining off of the tank and make it beautiful again with a nice beautiful paint job and a beautiful sandblasting manicure
this tank was Berlin Based in Smut ts Barracks hense the Urban cam. i lived in Berlin from 1977 till 1999 as civilian mechanic class 1 driver, so you gus have saved one of the twelve Cheiftans as some were stripped ansd sent to Salisbury plain as hard targts on the ranges.
That button in the phone box is probably a bell that rings inside the crew compartment, letting the crew know that the infantry outside want to talk to them.
If I remember rightly first you start the GUE, leave it to idle for a few mins then rev it up to 2000 rpm, flip it to charge ( you hear a change in tone as it does and a change in the smoke behind if you're outside of the tank ) , then you start the main engine. You can usually get away with starting the main engine on it's own but not a great idea to do that especially when it's very cold as you may end up with exploding batteries with resultant destroyed clothing and a trip to the quartermasters to exchange stuff as they are either side of you in the drivers cab ( your prod racks aren't in as you haven't been on ranges for a bit and on normal schemes it's a handy place to put your webbing, beer and mars bars ) and then you'll have to rob the ones out of the turret to finish your road march after being crashed out to the gold run. Don't ask me how I know that.
That was truly enlightening for a Joe Public person. Great video and gives you the true reality of what these vehicles are really like. (Which to me is remarkably pretty primitive mixed with very efficient mechanics and systems) but this was a treat .
How about getting a Tank with an Inertial Starter, complete physical ball ache to start them up, but the sound of an Inertia Starter is immense. Don't know if any of the British stuff had Inertia Starters, suspect it was a German thing. Great Vid, love the channel 👍
As an ex REME mechanic on Chieftains.... 5th Inniskillen Dragoon Guards, now disbanded.Osnabruck....As stated by the last poster, start the GU first, that will charge the batteries and supply power to the turret. The only thing you didnt show was the hydraulic starter.... If you need help with the hydraulic starter, I am the Master of the Messerschmitt valve!
having watched "the tank museum" and "oz armour" i had the naive belief that all old tanks were both spotlessly clean and things to be looked at and talked about.... i now find out that some are covered in crap and cobwebs and used in the name of fun and awesomeness.. fuck yeah... big noisy metal monsters given life and love is boss.. regards and best wishes from a tankless manchester council house
The gue was always used to start a tank ch or cr the cr would struggle off batteries and you had to prime the oil system too. The gue was always uesed when sat still to charge and run everything including the bv
Interesting Video, this tank is in good condition, especially if you compare it to Russia's confirmed reserve tank stocks as to which the condition of those make this look brand new.
I think everyone has commented on most of the points so I’ll not repeat. The little bin on the rear left attached to the back left bin contained the first aid box. Have fun, if you need help all you have to do is ask so many ex Tankies on here we would all love to have another play. I have to say stop saying isolation switch please 😂 it’s a master switch. And please clean the drivers cab please, dear me looks like a lancer had it last 😂 (sorry lads just kidding) The tank was with us in Berlin as part of the Berlin, Armoured squadron. I see a lad called Dave Slade on the back decks I think he was 2nd troop with C Squadron but could be wrong. The tanks with stillbrew Armour didn’t have a searchlight as I recall? They had the search lightbox, but that contain TOGS Sight. When stopping the engine, you should turn off the generator before you turn the three switches off! And turn them off one at a time, normally from right to left. Paul 1420H
Mr Hewes, if the electronics gear is no longer available, but you have known good units or better service documentation, have you considered getting in touch with local universities / colleges about making a drop in replacement? I only ask as I recall various industries and services donating engineering equipment to faculties, and then the tasks and jobs of making stuff work, figuring it out and so on. the learning value is priceless and real-world. everyone wins . basically.
Sorry I didn’t ask how to start and drive a tank. If I thought I could actually get myself in a tank I would have asked you how to operate the tank.and in all fairness every time I watch a video on a jet I don’t ask how to start and fly the jet. Anyways it was a good video keep up the good work
I was a gunner on Chieftain in 1972 with The Lifeguards in Germany, we were shown how to start the generator. We had a winch gear to open the breach, you had to put the winding mechanism on and turn rapidly untill the breach dropped, not very practical like just pulling a lever.
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The correct way to start a Chieftain or Challenger is to start the GUE first and put it on charge, then start main engine. In terminology it is not an isolator switch it is the Main Battery switch. I was a B3 driver for 4 years and a Driver Mech for 8 years on both the Chieftain and Challenger. Under certain revs the main engine generator does not function too well, it is usually only used on long marches. The button in the Infantry Tank Telephone is to get the attention of the crew inside. Good luck with the search light, it is rather dangerous as it will burn out your retina if you look directly into it when in operation. You have no Clansman radios ,only the harness. More importantly you do not seem to have a boiling vessel. You do not seem to have the laser range finder nor the traverse control. You do have the gun elevator. There is a shield on the left side of the gun that slides forward and back. In the forward position the gun can not fire ergo no recoil, safety feature, also by the loaders hatch, on the roof, if memory serves me right, you should find a large switch, this is the safety switch and should be on safe unless you want to fire the gun LOL Good luck with her, I am soooooo jealous. Oh, just a quick one , at the very back of the vehicle there are 2 stowage bins, just inboard of each bin you will see a large bolt head, this is rather important as you undo it to drain water out of the fuel tanks. PS if or when, you change the GUE fuel filter, be very careful as the retaining bolt is prone to shearing if done up too tight. Health to enjoy.
Dodge challenger?
Ok totally got that, what is your opinion on the geny start
Can you tell if the tank still has the gun stabilization system?
I think the genny start was a tanky thing, as REME did not always do that.
The correct procedure is the Gue first. The the main engine. You can’t run the gun kit on Chieftain with just the main engine on idle, on Challenger you can. I crewed both and cvr t.
As a former Leopard 2 driver, I am surprised about how huge the differences between these two tanks are. Thank you for letting us take a look inside.
I used to be a B3 crewman on Chieftains back in the late 70s early 80s (driver, gunner loader/radio operator) . We used to disconnect the auto changer to give smoother changes despite it being something you were not supposed to do. I seem to remember we started the generator first but it was a long time ago. There were also levers for the turret engine air breathing. The headrest was almost always broken and driving often involved holding the back of your head with a hand. In one camp I was in which was a training camp, a breech block went missing it was eventually found doubling as a seat!
Is that jackp ex rh
Yup! Crewman between 78-81! Generator was always started before ME to protect gun metadines!
Nice to see that this old girl is going to be renovated and did not end up down range as a hard target or smelted for razor blades!👍 The video brought back a lot of fond memories, l started on them as a gunner back in 1975. Then moved down to the drivers cab for a few years. In 1980 l moved back up into the turret to become a loader/radio operator, then in 1982 l did my crew commander’s course. I got to command a few for the next few years, crewed Mk2XYs through to Mk9s!
First start of the day for the L60 would be done using the GUE firing up to get the main genny on line. In winter the hydraulic starter is preferred (when working). On the ME panel the middle switch would be left up for the first 30 seconds when cranking to raise the oil pressure to the exhaust crank. Middle switch controls the solenoid for the fuel injection pump.
Seen a few failures with bits coming through the top casing.
REME A mech with 9 years experience on the dirty, oily beasts. Loved them.
All i could remember was the three switches. A mech but only for my last 18 months of my 8 1/2 years. Should have changed to b mech years earlier.
Only ever had to use the dog clutch and hydraulic starter handle a couple of times after I joined my unit. It was rarer than hens teeth to find one that actually worked properly most of the time, thank god as it was knackering to get going sometimes!
@@peteturner3928 we used to wind the infantry up in co location by having a driver in the cab, a vm hidden on the gue with a spanner on the swash plate lever and a guy on the telephone. Every time the phone cable was pulled the vm would start the L60 and the driver would flick the middle switch up and down to simulate a rough start. Infantry stared at the guy on the pull start in wonder.
Anyone who can incorporate the phrase “ random zoominness “ into a tank video definitely deserves more suscribers …
Woaha, a mighty chieftain,my favorite Tank.They blasted our fields of,in hildesheim area.i was amazed about this pretty tank.i was 12 years old.And,yes,i miss the B.A.O.R.
Enjoyed my time at hildesheim. I still think of it now an again and often wonder about the people I knew. Daves bar was legendary and Germany was a beautiful country from what I remember. Unsure what it is like now because I have never been back since I left in 93. One day I hope to go back and to see how things have changed from what I remember of my early years in 1rtr
Great video, started my career with BAOR in 85 on Chieftain as gunner… worked my way up to crew commander before moving onto Challenger 1. As many have mentioned lots of reliability issues with D&M side, the gun was bloody accurate and we trained to fight from pre-planned defensive positions anyway! (If the huge plums of white smoke from the cylinder liners on the L60 being shite didn’t give our road moves away) 😂😂
Good memories, every time we stopped there was a race to get the gearbox decks open and all of us sitting getting warmed up while the Op got the brews on from the BV “The most important part of the beast” oh and a CVR/T bivvi if you could pilfer one.!!
Good luck with this project 👍🏻
Yes cvr bivvie is much more weather proof.
Brings back lot's of memories, love to have another drive one day .
It's also possible to start the main engine using the generator
I want to know how you picked up so much knowledge about these vehicles. It's amazing to see you work at them.
I have a good team of people that assist me from all over the world
always start the gene first looks lik eturret gun indicator is off the mark, its showing 10 o'clock but the barrel is 12 o'clock, great video and brings back so many memories. thank you
Oh the memories... Took my track test in a Chieftain, this was the second vehicle I ever drove on the roads, the first being a small car I passed my test in a couple weeks prior.
My Dad was on these back in the day as a commander. They used to wind up the infantry on exercise by storing beer in a few of the bag charge bins as they are water jacketed and kept the beer cold :)
Ah the memories, that L60 sounds a good one . Berlin brigade is a great camo and will look awesome. I’d love to relive the old days and have a drive
Painting it back to Berlin camo is going to be nice!
You put a smile on my old face...EB71was frequently put on a heavy ferry to cross the Havel from a point near the Yacht Club and then participate in some bloody stupid excercise designed simulate delaying the 46 Warsaw Pact divisions that would sweep through Berlin and on to the Fulder Gap...I was eager to please the RSM cos I was almost permenently in his bad book...It was night, almost zero visibility but I valiantly leaped ashore in order to impress him...sprinted ever so tactictly for 25 meters - and met 01EB71 which was sitting innocently in front of me...I ran stright into the port side and saw many, many, stars...my nose came off worse than the tank but I was nevertheless told by the TC to ""get your filthy blood off my tank!!!"" Hap[py days....pleased to see it survived and has a good home - and you can't the phone back.
Great vid, really impressed that something made by British Leyland starts on the bottom😎. Sequential box is a surprise but absolutely makes sense as driver’s previous vehicle was probably a moped
🤣
British Leyland was a miss matched group of companies forced together buy goverment, Leyland trucks were called king of the road from the 1930's on wards , the WW2 army Leyland Hippos were still being used by road construction companies in the 80's , my grandad was in the R.A driver during the war and all his manuals were hand written and drawn during his training l'm not sure if that was because of the method of teaching or just a lack of printed manuals? but they were cool to look at and everyone seemed to have excellent hand writing skills the diagrams were very well drawn as well. But back to the point never confuse poor old British Leyland with the original and much older LEYLAND TRUCKS 🙂
I came over all nostalgic when you lifted the louvres. I could even smell the hot oil.
I always forget how old these vehicles are, even the "new" tanks are really from the 70's and 80's. Reminds me of starting up an old John Deere Model B.
Nice little bit of a look round and show how to start/stop the engine.
@4:54 - the rubber switch in the phone box sets off a light by the right-hand side of the TC's cupola, alerting him to the fact that somebody outside needs to talk to him. It MIGHT be marked ET [external phone] or just a red/orange light. Red is for night-safe, BTW, but you probably knew that already. The Mk X had the enhanced frontal turret armour, code-named Stillbrew.
great commentary as usual
i remember most tankies have no front teeth from incidents such as headbutting the bulkhead when stopping and as you suggested hatches slamming ya bonce etc - i have to admit, when i get into these things, i am always very wary of what teeth i have left in my head, my age doesn't help me either, and being shorter can help but when your legs don't seem to bend like flamingos can also hinder - like you my legs don't bend that way but my knees are shot, so there is a bit of swearing to get my legs to function the way they used to
i like your mention of Smith instruments, most of which were probably made on a Friday afternoon, i have even seen them fitted to Russian recovery equipment (and they bloody worked, SHOCKED i was) dead right on the brakes and the handbrake, never used them either, we were always told these can stick when not in use, drivers start up, try to pull away and wreck the brakes which then means you have to wake that nice chap with the large spanner (SPANNER!) who would give you a very hard red faced stare, like a baboons backside - the only reason 60+ tons of tank might move would be if the Earth stopped spinning, i am reliably told this might never happen, i never argued with my sergeant since he was way ugliar than me
looking forward to seeing this monster back in its Urban camo
Great video. My boyhood dream was to drive tanks etc, sadly never happened but great to see these old beasts get a new lease of life. 👍
some museums have tank fests that lets you drive tanks, check it out
My place of work back in the day.....loved it
Had the privilege of playing on these as a kid in batus when my dad was in charge of the tank sheds as a vehicle specialist in the 80s
Good vid..like everyone else says in the distant past I recall we always used to start with the genny first.As the driver the first thing that was drummed in was ..check the turret safety switch first, then jump in check master switch...no mention of ready round bins housing the crews booze....but brought back lots of memories cheers
This video gonna have a million views soon... well done Mr Hewes.
That be nice 🤣
Being an infantryman in the 80s i exercised on many occasions with these beauties thay had a very distinct sound and sitting on the engine deck when it was cold was awesome although you did tend to fall asleep, i never realised the crew compartement was so small anyway had the cold war turned hot we would have been very glad these beasts were backing us up, love to all 80s squaddies we were ready but thank god the call never came.
So I was watching the last video and I was very tempted to even write that how do you even drive a tank but I never did clearly I didn't need to as you are now doing it amazing thx you great video .👍
Great minds and all that 😉
@Mr Hewes 😄👏🏾 they sure do thanks for the reply.
one of my brothers (ex 9th/12th Lancers) was a gunner driver on chieftans and scimitars /scorpian for 9 years . followed my dad who was in the 7th hussars as a gunner driver on cromwells and comets
Going to love watching the restoration for this!
The normal way of starting is to start the ''genny'' or aux gen and put the generator online. Then start the main engine (without depressing the accelerator. Doing it this way is easier on the batteries. The main engine should idle @300 to 320 rpm. The centrifugal clutch (an Achilles heel of these Chieftains, always have a spare) then starts to engage as soon as you rev the engine in gear, it's fully engaged by about 840 rpm. When driving you cannot change down a gear unless the rpm is below 1200 rpm (there is a governor on the gearbox). The max rpm used to be set at 2,100 rpm which would give you about 27 mph.
Having driven more than 4,000 miles on these I'll happily answer any questions you have. 🙂
Do you mind explaining a bit about the emergency forward and reverse he pointed out?
@@hillbilly8621 That is connected to the transmission by Bowden cable in case of electrical failurer, or a problem with the gear selector. It engages low reverse or 1st gear.
Since when is the “normal” way of starting using the gu. I think that is probably a unit thing that someone came up with. The gu’s primary task is to provide charging power for the turret when the main is not running. Using it to start was just a backup to the electrical starter.
The "Adjustable Hammer" was bloody perfect!! 🤣
Thx mate, my kid just asked me how to start a Tank. Life saver!
I started and drove one in Barker Barracks Paderborn around 1980, when I was stationed there. I think it was with 3RTR. I remember starting the slave engine and then the main engine. The engine felt so far behind. I wasn’t a tankie, and it was soooooo much fun.
Wow memories, I was in Berlin great times and I loved driving these babies.
I stumbled on this channel a couple weeks ago and it's absolutely fascinating. This is such interesting and genuine content, I can see the comradery between you all, but also really genuinely talented and mechanically knowledgeable. I'm looking forward to seeing the restoration of this tank.
If I remember right that button is meant to sound a bell/buzzer inside the tank to let the commander know someone is requesting communication on the phone
Sounds about right il have a play!
Yep it was the way Infantry could attract the TC attention to answer the phone
And if the handset was buggered or missing you whacked your signaller on and used Morse code to tell the radio operator what to do,. I was a sig and we also hadn't a cheat card of simple signals to use if nobody in the tank knew Morse, lol
Dot dash= Go Left/Target left (stationary)
Dash dash= Go Right/Target right (Stationary).
Dash dash dash= Stop.
Long time ago though and never had to use it, so can't prove it's workable.
Actually a really interesting video plz keep doing stuff like this!
Cheers
Looks like a fixer-upper. Reminds me of a show I used to watch where these rich guys would get these old tanks and get them working again.
I remember having to replace the emergency gear cable and having to remove the power pack, gearbox, turret charge bins and floor. All the fun of the fair!
I’m a 2434 from 1974…..74/14 to be precise, (the old will know)….you start the GUE first of all….this charges everything….as taught at Catterick!
@mikewingert5521: Correct. I'm a 2407 from the 60s (served on Cents & Chieftains.....mostly as driver).
Glad you explained about your use of the donkey engine. I note other comments regarding this.
Looking at that gear lever made me think it must be like riding a motorbike, or even a Kettenkrad but without the front wheel and an extra 50+ tons.
Sweet.
Was gonna be a smart arse and say most of your subs know how to start and operate a tank until I actually watched it and realised I knew phuck all, never knew that the gears was like a motorbike.., Matt paypal'd me a fiver to sound interested in this video.
🤣 Mat is a Yorkshireman no way he would shell out £5
@@MrHewes I told him I had his IP address!
@@MrHewes hahahahahha...to true
Interesting stuff. I had ride in one down at Bovington many years ago - lovely and smooth ride.
Much more to it than I imagined. Interesting that the yellow light is exactly the same as they fitted to the Military Series Land Rovers.
Lots of bits and pieces are spotted on other military vehicles
Great video. I've never driven a tank but would love to have a go! I used to live near Bordon army camp and they had a huge common where they used to leave tanks, trucks armoured cars and many other decommissioned vehicles so they could practice recovering techniques. Climbing in and on all stuff was great fun, but when the army came out to play we had to scarper fast!
i used to take what we called a 'special trip' to visit a friend 'in a pub, figure that one out' he used to prep vehicles for all kinds of events, some of them for the Army, the madness, can't say much on that side as it was hush hush - but we invariably got to play with all kinds of silly things, our friend got the chance to rescue some items from that sand pit where there was once a war or conflict or something silly, some interesting Russian recovery gear
You mean the heath as we called it I drove one of these on there nearly every day for 3 months before I swapped it for a challenger recovery tank
Learnt to drive a chieftain at Bordon.
Me and my claustrophobia wouldn’t be driving one of those things. My dad who was 6 feet tall served in tanks in WW2 , 79th Armoured Division, in flail tanks . I can’t imagine that there would have been any more room in those things, especially in combat. Interesting video.
I seen the inside of the AMX 13 and it was much more simple to start and drive then a Chieftan thats for sure
Awesome stuff, now I just need to find a chieftain just laying around. That bit not so easy.😮😢, but I do wonder if I did see one of your beautiful beasts in real life growing up in bordon /whitehill used to see them driving around and apc carriers a lot. There Was the REME recovery and fitting school there, growing up my house backed on to one of there training grounds, if I didn’t see them you definitely heard them lol, brings back great memories, even remember seeing a apc embedded in a house next to whitehill post office one Sunday morning as a boy, the owners where luckily sleeping upstairs and a learner driver lost control or a track can’t remember and the apc ended up in there front living room, just with its rear and orange flashing lights showing lol, good job they have rear doors, at least they could get out lol, was a happy ending though all people fine just the owners of the house with a tank stuck in there living room for a couple of weeks until they secured building and removed apc, cheers guys will tell u more soon
That Berlin brigade camo is proper good!
Be great to see her back up to tip top shape. Hopefully you can find sights and periscopes and make the turret work! They really look the best on the move when the gun is stabilised!
I have periscopes too! Yes should be quite the spectacle
As a native Cold War West Berliner I agree. Btw., the training site was Ruhleben fihting village, right next to the Olympic Stadium (Which housed the British Berlin Brigade HQ). i have been there once during a training exercise with the German civil defence. It still exists, but is today being used by Berlin police (which have their HQ right next door).
It is possible that I was once in this particular tank, when the british Berlin Brigade had their open door day at RAF Gatow back in the 1980s. They had an absolutely manky Chieftain, full of live ammunition there for display, full of bag charges, HESH rounds and magazines full of vent tubes, and the children climbing all over thie stuff. The squaddie on duty told me that they had cleaned and prepared another chieftain for the display, but unfortunately the night before the open door day it cauht fire, so they had to get a tank from their active reserve.
Hi guys, that was a excellent video, makes one want to go out and buy one and drive it to work and back ( I work for a prison) but I would like to put my hand up to apply for the job of apprentice driver or tank polisher, best regards from a Kiwi living in Australia.
So the button you pressed in the phone box on the back would give an alert to the crew via their intercom, a bit like a quiet horn type sound 😂 that’s so that the commander doesn’t think about reversing before the infantryman at the back has managed to unreel the phone and get a message over to the crew inside
Also to add, it cuts all of the intercom when using those phones, or at least it does on challenger 2 so that part of the reason as well, so the commander doesn’t think his comms have gone
@@tombell5599 if you put a £1coin in there, you can get a can of coke out on exercise.
@@michaeljones-qm4wq I’m waiting for an old boy to take the bait on this comment and say something like “Ah bunch a puffs nowadays I mind back in ma day we had pints of AL-39 fe breakfast”
Thanks for the advice, im about to head off to my local tank farm and use your tips!
Really enjoyed that video, always interesting to see something a bit different.
I like different
Sprockets and vibration- we always used Hylomar blue paste on the bolts but even that had little effect- they shake themselves lose after a days motoring especially on roads.
Always start with the G.U.E. Then move on to the main engine.
In training we had to use a bit of long winded method of starting the wagon up.
I can remember the early chiefies from when I was in. I wanted Tanks, but was shoved in Signals- bearing in mind I'm 6'2 or was then perhaps this was no bad thing.
Exactly what I needed. Finally now I can run over my boss' car with my Chieftain MK 10. Hypothetically ofcourse.
Well that will teach him for parking in your parking space.
Here to help
You must check the emergency gear selector is in neutral before startup , as. It overrides all other gear selections. A soldier was killed at a North Yorkshire tank regiment detachment when a driver hadn’t done that check.
It won’t crank if it’s in gear. Only on hydraulics
I witnessed this, Catterick RAC Training Regt (4RTR) 1974. The Soldier killed was REME, the driver was a D&M Instructor. Not thought about this 40 plus years. RIP.
@@MrHewes In this particular instance the vehicle was being used to shunt a "Dead" tank back into the hanger. Rather than get the solid steel bar, the REME lad held a large lump of wood, he got between the 2 tanks and as the driver crept forwards in Emerg forwards, the wood shattered, pinning the lad to the 2 Glacis plates. The driver, S/Sgt D&M instructor, selected elec reverse (or so he thought ) and floored it, obviously he forgot about Emerg F/wd and the lad was killed. A tragic event that should not have happened. RIP.
Very similar starting procedure to Chieftain AVLB, although I don’t remember the having the generator switch, and some commanders would insist on a hydraulic start for some reason
Turning the ME over for a few seconds on hydraulic allows the oil to circulate to the top crankshaft which for a vertically mounted opposed piston engine is important whereas this is not an issue for the bottom crankshaft. You can't do that with the electric starter motor as you need to have the fuel pumps and FIPS switched on to engage it and so the engine (assuming it is running well) will start straightaway.
This is more important as a first start of the day, when cold etc. Stop the engine when warm and if you want to start it again soon after it is ok to do so on electric starter.
I served on Chieftains from 1972 to 1987 up to 1978 in the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards, then transferred to REME in 78 Due to my experience of them got to command the Chieftain ARV sometimes. Not nice!
Surprised none of those who previously crewed these things have mentioned the hydraulic start. This was always the recommended method for starting, Start the Gen engine, Set the revs, engage the hydraulic pump, pull the lever to the left of the seat on the floor, until the Main engine started.
Don’t use the L60 engine too long it will expire in a cloud of white smoke as the cylinder liners move, (horrible horizontally opposed 2 stroke diesel). followed by silence and for the REME VM‘s 6+ hours work with your head down and arse up getting the engine out. Never offer to do the gearbox end, it’s filthy and afterwards your overalls stand up in their own.
Spent 6 hours changing the engine once, sent the driver off to test run it before we replaced the engine deck T piece, good job as the new engine expired after they got about 100 metres. Ho hum trundle off in the 434 for a few hours and get another one followed by 6 hours more fun, who needed sleep eh?😢😢😢
I was "A" Sqdn Tiffy 4/7 Drgs 1972 in Tidworth. Left 4/7 when they moved to Germany. You are correct. The correct procedure was to start aux. engine and use hydraulic start for the main engine. Problem was the selector gear for the aux engine was a straight "spur" gear and often didn't mesh when the aux engine was running which meant stopping the aux engine, engaging gear and start all over again. Hell! just use the main engine start on batteries. Engine change was a pain especially the flywheel bolts accessed from a small cover below the belly of the tank. Crew had to crawl below the engine compartment, undo the ring of bolts and remove plate. Wipe all the oil which, had accumulated on the floor of the engine compartment, from you face and clothes, then undo the flywheel bolts.
Used the aux gen hydraulic start if the vehicle had been standing for any time , sometimes l😢
11:20 eft the fip switched off and turned the engine over till the oil pressure light went out..then again , I was a stinking 🎉A mech artisan staffy so what would I know about anything
Step 1........plug in the "boiling vessel" make a nice cup of tea, and let someone else start the tank. The Berlin camo would be great for a trip into town, park next to the cafe, and the coppers wouldnt see it in the least.
It's strange how the years dull the memory. I could have swarm the GUE switchwere on the right, but I gave checked on my nearly 50 year old trade diagrams, and I stand corrected. Abd yes the button in the Infantry tank telephone box is the call button.
I always though you,d have to be brave, stupid or desperate to stand behind 60 tons of steel that has a habit of reversing at a moment's notice!!!
We were night driving through a wood when the turret violently spun around, the driver was too close to the trees and the searchlight hit it, when we opened it in the morning white powder fell out, my memories to this day say it was on the right but all the evidence shows it on the left.
I sure hope you get that old rhino lining off of the tank and make it beautiful again with a nice beautiful paint job and a beautiful sandblasting manicure
wow... that's like my childhood dream came true!!
this tank was Berlin Based in Smut ts Barracks hense the Urban cam. i lived in Berlin from 1977 till 1999 as civilian mechanic class 1 driver, so you gus have saved one of the twelve Cheiftans as some were stripped ansd sent to Salisbury plain as hard targts on the ranges.
That button in the phone box is probably a bell that rings inside the crew compartment, letting the crew know that the infantry outside want to talk to them.
If I remember rightly first you start the GUE, leave it to idle for a few mins then rev it up to 2000 rpm, flip it to charge ( you hear a change in tone as it does and a change in the smoke behind if you're outside of the tank ) , then you start the main engine. You can usually get away with starting the main engine on it's own but not a great idea to do that especially when it's very cold as you may end up with exploding batteries with resultant destroyed clothing and a trip to the quartermasters to exchange stuff as they are either side of you in the drivers cab ( your prod racks aren't in as you haven't been on ranges for a bit and on normal schemes it's a handy place to put your webbing, beer and mars bars ) and then you'll have to rob the ones out of the turret to finish your road march after being crashed out to the gold run. Don't ask me how I know that.
That was truly enlightening for a Joe Public person. Great video and gives you the true reality of what these vehicles are really like. (Which to me is remarkably pretty primitive mixed with very efficient mechanics and systems) but this was a treat .
Glad you enjoyed it!
Need the 'Test Set Clansman Harness' to check all the radio boxes. Then a couple on 353s in the turret.
How about getting a Tank with an Inertial Starter, complete physical ball ache to start them up, but the sound of an Inertia Starter is immense. Don't know if any of the British stuff had Inertia Starters, suspect it was a German thing.
Great Vid, love the channel 👍
Sherman?
D and M instructor on Chieftain and CVRt at 6ft 4 I never had a problem getting in or being in the cab.
even if 80% of the people watching this will never drive a tank, its still facinating
I do love the Berlin camo
As I asked in previous video l am happy to hear about Berlin camo getting reapplied 😁😁😁😁😁good call in my opinion 😁😁😁😁
Bestest from Scotland 👋👋
As an ex REME mechanic on Chieftains.... 5th Inniskillen Dragoon Guards, now disbanded.Osnabruck....As stated by the last poster, start the GU first, that will charge the batteries and supply power to the turret. The only thing you didnt show was the hydraulic starter.... If you need help with the hydraulic starter, I am the Master of the Messerschmitt valve!
having watched "the tank museum" and "oz armour" i had the naive belief that all old tanks were both spotlessly clean and things to be looked at and talked about.... i now find out that some are covered in crap and cobwebs and used in the name of fun and awesomeness.. fuck yeah... big noisy metal monsters given life and love is boss.. regards and best wishes from a tankless manchester council house
Looking forward to seeing you get this one done, thanks for posting.
Love this! Keep it up. Cheers from 'merica!
"Looks pretty much disgusting" 😂 lol Sir despite all general hate towards the Chieftain you're in possession of one beautiful war machine
Oh boy, i just love the mk10
Nice video, thank you for this effort
Excellent stuff, great it’s being saved.
The gue was always used to start a tank ch or cr the cr would struggle off batteries and you had to prime the oil system too.
The gue was always uesed when sat still to charge and run everything including the bv
Interesting Video, this tank is in good condition, especially if you compare it to Russia's confirmed reserve tank stocks as to which the condition of those make this look brand new.
The button in the Infantry Tank Telephone (ITT) alerts the crew, when pressed, that someone wants to talk to the crew
I think everyone has commented on most of the points so I’ll not repeat. The little bin on the rear left attached to the back left bin contained the first aid box. Have fun, if you need help all you have to do is ask so many ex Tankies on here we would all love to have another play. I have to say stop saying isolation switch please 😂 it’s a master switch. And please clean the drivers cab please, dear me looks like a lancer had it last 😂 (sorry lads just kidding)
The tank was with us in Berlin as part of the Berlin, Armoured squadron. I see a lad called Dave Slade on the back decks I think he was 2nd troop with C Squadron but could be wrong. The tanks with stillbrew Armour didn’t have a searchlight as I recall? They had the search lightbox, but that contain TOGS Sight.
When stopping the engine, you should turn off the generator before you turn the three switches off! And turn them off one at a time, normally from right to left.
Paul
1420H
Pretty cool video!
well it fire up nice and yes they get dirty but one thing i so happy you swearing and cursing on your channel yes i swear too but is so nice to see
Mr Hewes, if the electronics gear is no longer available, but you have known good units or better service documentation, have you considered getting in touch with local universities / colleges about making a drop in replacement? I only ask as I recall various industries and services donating engineering equipment to faculties, and then the tasks and jobs of making stuff work, figuring it out and so on. the learning value is priceless and real-world. everyone wins . basically.
Sorry I didn’t ask how to start and drive a tank. If I thought I could actually get myself in a tank I would have asked you how to operate the tank.and in all fairness every time I watch a video on a jet I don’t ask how to start and fly the jet. Anyways it was a good video keep up the good work
So where do you find these stunning pieces of British archaeology to restore
All over the UK
I was a gunner on Chieftain in 1972 with The Lifeguards in Germany, we were shown how to start the generator.
We had a winch gear to open the breach, you had to put the winding mechanism on and turn rapidly untill the breach dropped, not very practical like just pulling a lever.
It’s called the Stop Running Back. It should always be fitted unless you have gone to Red.
You hold down that button for radio communication to oic inside the tank.
good engine in that by the looks of it hardly any smoke on tickover be good to know the history on it ie what regiments used it in germany