Expressions of interest, universal carrier track
 

Ok folks, looking for expressions of interest. I have been working on replacement track as a project for the last 12 months, I now have high quality samples which are due to be fitted to a carrier, the links will undergo vigorous testing to check on wear and tear before I go live with sales.

The product I can offer is made to the same metallurgical properties as the originals, however, they will be cast and finished to ISO standards.

At present the price is £8000 GBP for a full set of track which consists of 334 links. This price is based on small batch numbers ordered from the foundry.

Interested parties would need to submit a 50% deposit to secure their orders and prevent time wasting.

Please feel free to share with interested parties and contact me via email.

Track is becoming harder and harder to find. The last "used but nearly new" set I saw sold for 5K and that was four years ago......The war dated track you have on your machines need to be preserved before they are totally worn out, why not run on modern track which looks correct and saves the wartime stuff for static display / provenance ?

let me know what you think !

Kind regards

Richie

Www.vanguardrestorations.co.uk

Vanguardrestorations@virginmedia.com

Had lots of interest elsewhere, if I can get five more takers I can get the price down to £7000 per set.

I am interseted, send me all details

Fvdloo@arpobv.nl

Hi everyone, just a quick update regarding the track project. COVID 19 had put a stop to the project briefly, but it is now back up and running, I have signed off on a small production run now, it’s slow going as I am doing this alone..granted I have a close personal friend (local) helping me out with his factory / press / fabrication bays etc etc.

As soon as I get a set assembled I can post up images and answer any queries ! It has been a long process to get to where I am now.

Once I have this step sorted I can move onto bigger batches for folk who want new track on their carriers, alternate, folk who want to save war time track before it becomes worn out.


It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster but I am getting there so bear with me folks :)

Cheers

Richie

Just for those not on Facebook / social media.

I have now produced track which is undergoing strict QA along with testing, it looks like it’s all coming together nicely so far.

Here are a few sneak peaks at a couple of the links though.

Another angle

What ho, “just”? The Carrier Forum was up and running even before FB existed. And I’d say MLU Forum is the most social medium out here on the interweb :D

All kidding aside - great to see you’ve pulled off this project! :thup:

Well done Richard! Looking good.

Thanks Alex,

Very happy with the quality so far, it should be a game changer for folk who want to restore and use carriers without the fear of having to source good track now.

just an update on here for those who are not on the social twitter books...

production has commenced ! there is still a chance to get onboard with this batch, after that i cannot guarantee the prices will stay where they are... brexit and life in general has pushed up the prices of steel here, so NOW is the time if you are going to take the leap.

images below are as i unboxed the first 20 or so links, they look shiney but that is down to the packing oil... will need to dip them in isopropyl before i assemble them propper.

South Shields version :thup2:

Thanks bud, it’s because I have uploaded from Apple devices... does it every time. If it’s ok with you I will remove my pics and we can just use yours

Perhaps if you hold the camera upside down when you take the image it may then display the correct way up when you post to the forum?

Believe it or not...tried it.

I think you have to keep the camera the correct way up, but put yourself upside down...... :D
One of the biggest mysteries of today! Pictures showing up upside down, rotated 90 degrees.....selfies sometimes mirrored, sometimes not. pictures shpwing correct way up on your phone or camera.....but upside down in your picture viewer program....argghhh..

Richard, the tracks look excellent! Well done.

Alex

Something to do with the on going war between Apple and Google, and that's probably why the I phone 13 doesn't have google.

Picture
 

I also have trouble with Apple pictures on this forum. The pictures were rotated 90 degrees when I post them, but if I click on the picture and open it in a new window it’s the right way up. It doesn’t make sense.

I invariably take photos on my 'I' phone but always save them onto my laptop through a hardwire connection, rotate and save as necessary and only then use them for the forum, always posting them from my laptop. Never had a problem with doing it this way! Don't attempt to understand the technicalities but it seems to work.

I lifted these pictures from Richie’s webpage. Hope this settles the picture orientation debate :)

Attachment 120059 Attachment 120060 Attachment 120061

Thanks Hanno :)

Well we ran some of the track mixed into a worn set on worn sprockets, I was happy with the results, the track meshes correctly !!

Out of the five sets available there is one left, once it is claimed I can proceed with the production run, if nobody is interested I may buy it myself.

A joy to see!, Richard. :note: :salute: :note: :salute:

Hi everyone,

Just an update, the main production batch arrived with me ready for dispatch I still need to go through each link for final Q/A. The foundry have already done this at their end and issued the certificates of conformity, however, I just want to make sure !!

I have commissioned tooling for pressing pins so can provide tooling for those that want them folk wanting to re pin their current tracks etc etc) I am aware that Paul S, here in the UK is also conducting a production run of pins as an ongoing project.

Plenty of options out there for us all now which was the aim of the game !

I am glad this project is all but done now, the stress has been unreal and my little business is all but bankrupt now :( BUT IT HAD TO BE DONE !!!

Anyway, if anyone wants me I will be stood in a container with a go / no go gauge for the next two days.

Cheers

Richie

Well Done Richie! You do get stuff done! :salute: :salute:

Well Done Richie! You do get stuff done! :salute: :salute:

Cheers.

I think I will need a rest for a bit !

Brilliant Job Richie, i hope they all appreciate the effort that goes in to these things !

You have to admit that those are very pretty little castings. Almost too good to throw on the ground and drive over.

Awesome work Richie....again, well done

Yes they are finished somewhat nicer than the war time stuff, the links are investment casted then vacuum quenched in order to meet the strict Brinnel hardness scores.

In the end, due to steel costs I couldn’t supply pins at a sensible price, those who were interested were all given options to proceed or not, I am glad they chose to proceed and sort their own pins as it means we were able to do something that hadn’t really been done since the 40’s.

I have supplied my data on pin specs to everyone concerned so they can go and make their own. I can also provide the tooling to press the heads into pins if required.

I know Paul S from the UK is tooling up to make vast quantities of pins, so far as I know he has the tooling setup but is verifying metallurgy before he goes into production…..so there is another box ticked for us all.


I did make some interesting finds on the pin front surrounding pin diameters, to be honest, the whole track link project has been an eye opener on what was made, how it was made during different periods of the war.