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1151 (Wallsend) Sqn ATC Series 3 109 Land
Rover Project
Introduction
The Squadron purchased the land rover in late June 2007 from L.Jacksons of
Doncaster. The vehicle was loaded onto the trailer under its own steam
despite not having being started in four years. Shortly after getting the
vehicle back to 1151 Squadron, the Land Rover was inspected to REME (Royal
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) Periodic REME Examination (now known as
a Mandatory Eequipment Inspection) standards which are considerably more
in-depth than a Civilian MOT.
The hood-sticks and tilt were removed and the entire vehicle was steam
cleaned prior to the strip-down. By the end of the first day the spare
wheel, bonnet was removed and the team started on removing all the light
fittings. Every nut ,bolt and screw were in poor condition with years of
rust; the seemingly simple task of removing light fittings without damaging
them turned into the second full days worth of work. Every part that was
removed was closely inspected for serviceability with the cadets carefully
noting any unserviceable (U/S) parts in a list for replacement.
It was decided after the inspection that all rubber boots, bushes seals and
all tyres needed to be replaced due to the damage caused from the suns UV
rays on the rubbers over such a long period under cover in the storage field
at L.Jacksons.
The cadets could not get enough of the Land Rover project. The Squadron
spent thousands on equipping the garage out with tools, repair manuals,
parts manuals, H&S equipment and not to mention the endless hours of
assesssing and writing risk assessments out. This was all prepatory work
that had to be completed before a cadet could even pick up a spanner!
The Project Leader & Preparation
WO Duffy even had to write out a WRITTEN SCHEME OF EXAMINATION on the
compressors that we had purchased. Fortunantely, WO Duffy had done all of
this before on his H&S training courses during his 10 years of service
in the REME. His time as a civilian mechanic came into its own with the
required MOT standards. Despite WO Duffy’s time as an ‘A’Mech (Armoured
Mechanic) during his service with the REME, Land Rovers were his bread and
butter work, second nature and easy to work on.
Cadet Involvement
Each Sunday the cadets attended the Squadron to work on the project without
fail. It was decided after the first few weeks that WO Duffy needed to
prepare which work the cadets could realistically carry out so the routine
was changed to include a band practice for the cadets for the first hour of
each Sunday before they could start. This helped the Project Leader to
prepare all of the tools, equipment and paper-work as necessary.
This careful planning has worked very effectively and it has enabled the
project to run smoothly and without incident and allows the maximum amount
of time for the cadets to get hands-on with the Land Rover restoration. The
project proved so popular with the cadets, WO Duffy had to make a rota of
who would work on the project and when. The project was run on a Sunday but
soon had to extend the working days to include Tuesday and Thursday nights
when the Sqn programme permitted.
Skills Training
The restoration project contributes directly towards the cadets Duke of
Edinburgh Award Scheme involvement, specifically to the skills section of
the award. Silver and Gold Award cadets benefit particularly as the project
allows the required number of hours for the skills section to be fulfilled
easily.
Since June last year, WO Duffy has trained the cadets in proficient use of
hand tools and air systems. This training will be enshrined in a certificate
awarded at the Squadron presentation evening and it will state that they are
competent to operate these tools with some skill and with safety in mind.
Cadets training in their civilian lives (i.e. at school), no longer offers
such hands on skills. The cadets have gone from a very ‘fingers and
thumbs’ approach to mechanics to ‘hands on skills’ in a short period
of time which is incredibly pleasing and rewarding to see. The ATC’s motto
is ‘Venture Adventure’ and the cadets spirit in this project really
lives up to that motto!
The End-State
At present the Land Rover is stripped down to its chassis. The rebuild will
begin soon; the project team anticipates that around £1500 on parts and
painting will be required to return the vehicle to its ‘as-issued’
condition. The Squadron will not be scrimping on parts – this is a full
overhaul and restoration not a bodge and scarper job. WO Duffy’s attitude
of doing things skillfully from the outset still holds true from his service
in the REME whose motto is ‘Arte et Marte’ which, translated, means
‘By Skill and By Fighting’.
The cadets involved in the project are incredibly proud of their work and
justifiably so!
Land Rover Owner International will be doing a major
article on this project once we are further down the line. We intend to have
a rolling chassis ready for Jul 08 with the project completed by the tale
end of this year.
More information at http://www.1151.org.uk
:)
If
anyone has any parts in good condition that they are prepared to donate to
the Squadron Land Rover Project, they would be very welcome indeed!
Please get in touch if you can assist us in any way! :) 1151@aircadets.org
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