WIX Archives

Re: On UK Telly Last Night

Posted by Graham ODriscoll on Tue Jan 29, 2002 07:35:57 AM

In reply top On UK Telly Last Night posted by Paul McMillan on Tue Jan 29, 2002 04:03:35 AM

I forgot all about that...damn!
I can't comment too much because I didn't see it, but I'm intrigued by the bit that a Centurion took part in the Gulf War. Did they mention which side it fought on....pretty such it would'nt have been the allied one, specifically UK. I think we had got rid of all our front line Chieftens by then, let alone Centurions!!
Don't forget this is a TV program with a limited budget and limited timescale, hence the expedency of fitting the Jag electrics just to get it moving probably. I'd opt for properly maintained mags any day.

Will be interested to see how they cope with the 10 day rebuild of a dH Moth in a forthcoming episode....!!!




: Was a program called Salvage Squad. In it they had 10 days
: to restore a 1950 Centurion Tank to working order. This t
: ank had a bit of a history. It took part in the Suez campa
: ign in 1956 and the Gulf War of 1991.. I kid you not. Anyw
: ay.. It has Tony's favourite engine a Meteor, which as we
: all know was based on the Rolls Royce Merlin... So now you
: know the Engine was still in Combat 1in the 1990's, 50 ye
: ars after the first time..
:
: Anyway thats not why I am posting.. They could not get the
: Engine to fire.. The techie realised that it was an ignit
: ion problem. So he took out the old magneto and replaced i
: t with an Electronic Ignition from a V12 Jaguar Engine (he
: also had to put in a voltage converter to take it up to 1
: 2 V (Car) to 24 V (Tank).
:
: Anyway that worked.. The question I have is:
:
: a: Why didn't the army do this while it was in service?, a
: ll those old war stories you hear (especially about aircra
: ft) whereby they had a 'Mag Drop' and the engine did not w
: ork. Surely a conversion like this would make much sence.
: Also does any WW2 aircraft fly with a similar conversion..
: I know that some restorers want straight out of the facto
: ry rstorations.. But for safetly.. Wouldn't you want somet
: hing other than a Magneto?

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