Canadian Dept of Defence drawings.

[Chris.Banhidy]

A query for those in Canada.

Where would the Canadian Dept of Defence store the technical drawings / blueprints and manfacturing specifications for the Valentine tank.. and would they still be available ?

It looks like I have a huge job ahead of me if i buy this stripped out Valentine.

Pictures to follow if i am successful getting my hands on the hull.

Preliminary advice says the running gear including rubber is remarkably in good shape. No front armour past the nose.

Techical drawings would at least give me a chance at working out the costs ahead of me if i was to get plates remanufactured.

[Nick Balmer]

Hello,

I cannot speak about Canadian Valentine drawings, but you could do a lot worse than contacting David Fletcher, the curator at the Tank Museum and Bovingdon in England.

They do "tank packs" including several marks of Valentines. These are made up of photocopies from original technical manuals and drawings.

I have one set of Valentine drawings from the museum.

Often David Fletcher has additional drawings and information in his collection.

With a Valentine pack you would be able to make your initial assessment, and then look out for that special drawing later on.

You guys must have a lot more pocket money than I get!

Good luck.

Regards

Nick Balmer

[Chris.Banhidy]

Thank you !

Firstly i have to work out what Mk it is.

The armored section where the driver sits and the top deck is missing.

I know its 65mm plate $$$ per kilo on that theat entire front section.

Seriously the cost can't be any more than the dollars i have spent on restoring MGA'a and MBG's

[servicepub (RIP)]

I have years of experience in crawling through Canadian Archives, Canadian War Museum and DND historical records. Not once did I see anything remotely resembling the Valentine drawings. However, I did find the 30-odd volumes required if you wanted to set up a shell manufacturer for Naval gunnery.

Typically, these drawings would have been held by the Department of Munitions and Supply as DND was only a customer for these tanks - they were not involved in the design specs in any way. Unfortunately, the DMS archived files are still not properly accessioned and it may be years before Archives gets around to doing this, assuming that the Valentine drawings still exist. There is a real possibility that the Angus plant would have held onto these and then disposed of them when the last Valentine rolled through the doors.

[Rob Dyba]

Having also gone from restoring little English cars with attractive lines to big green things with thick skins for a new challenge I hpe you take the following on-board Chris-

If you think you have seen the last of Lucas electrical systems think again.
Cost of restoring an MBG from an absolute wreck to showroom finish is nothing compared to refabricating bulky things from thick steel to resemble something a farmer threw away 50 years ago.
MGB parts, on reflection, were suprisingly easy to find.
Your current workshop jack, car stands, socket set & spanners are now redundant. you will need bigger everything...
Your shed, although always too small, is really now phisically too small
Your wife will now, after years of complaining about MGB's taking up the driveway & all available undercover parking, express a deep sense of loss about them as she gazes on a big rusty thing getting unloaded off a semi that's blocking your suburban street.
Double every rough cost you think of, and times your rough restoration time by 4
If you don't have an oxy set- get the one with the really big bottles........


Rob

[ron]

Hi Rob,
Here is my favorite quote from a movie starring Donald Sutherland,( Odd Ball )
Negative vibes man,
Just kidding at least it gets us out of the house, I will be up to see you before we move,
Regards,
Ron,

[Chris.Banhidy]

Originally posted by robobmc
Having also gone from restoring little English cars with attractive lines to big green things with thick skins for a new challenge I hpe you take the following on-board Chris-

Your wife will now, after years of complaining about MGB's taking up the driveway & all available undercover parking, express a deep sense of loss about them as she gazes on a big rusty thing getting unloaded off a semi that's blocking your suburban street.
Double every rough cost you think of, and times your rough restoration time by 4
If you don't have an oxy set- get the one with the really big bottles........

Rob

Hmm do we have the same wife ?

Thanks for the advice Rob.. one of my mates here in Vic has already offerred room in his shed.. he was making noises about making adding another bedroom to the workshop for me.