Alvis Stalwart First Swim. Will it Float or will it Sink ?! Mk1 Restoration Project : Part 2 

Mr. Hewes sent me your way and it's great fun to see vehicles like these brought back to life.

Came here from Mr Hewes. I´m loving this. I drove the Mk 2 back in the early 1980´s, here in Germany. Best thing I´ve ever driven. It´s just great to see these beauties getting the love they deserve. Thank you for this and looking forward to more. 🤠

My favourite truck, it’s shape is so distinctive and functional !

Good to know the one from Mr Hewes will at some point be restored.

Stalwarts are just brilliant things on the mystical lottery win list along with CVRT

We had those at 21 squadron RCT back in the 1980s, and most of ours didn't float, as the BBC's Jim'll Fix It found out.

I used to drive the Stalwart back in 1988, when I was in the Royal Corps of Transport based in Germany, took a bit out of my arms with the large steering wheel that just constantly shook. Love seeing someone restoring one though it brings back memories.

Pro-tip about patch paneling and doubled panels = rust. You have a hole, you then draw (right angles - round holes only if you have large radiuses or feel confident with a hole saw) your patch. You cut your patch panel (just a whisker larger than what you've drawn, maybe two widths of a grinder blade over the line), place it over, and tack it on the perimeter. Then, using a very small angle grinder (there's ones with long necks and 10 cm blades / air or electric, doesn't matter it's about the precision they give you, because they're smaller, you get a cleaner, narrower cut) you start a slice through both of the materials (parent and patch) just before one tack, and through the next. You then push (or pull if you have access from behind) the parent material a bit (by pushing the patch in or pulling from the other side, like i said) so it's even with the good, solid parent material and you start welding in 4 cm long strips. Even if you haven't completed a tack to tack slice, you don't weld it more than that. Then you go to the other side of the patch, and do the same, but also finish the last cordon on that first side you started with, which by the time you're done, has had time to cool off. You then repeat this process in a concentric pattern, until you're finished. You'll get a good, solid panel, with no doublers (which hold water and air and rust like hell, both your patch and the parent material right up to the weld and through). You'll also have very little warp and a very good finish. Just my 2 cents. I know it's a bit tedious, but when you're done, if you so desire, you can grind off the excess weld and you'll be left with a flat panel that can be then taken through the block and hammer and nobody will be any wiser - that it's been patched.

WELL DONE! First swim out and back in with dry feet!

Great to see the stalwart going again great work Ben!

Wow, Ben. What a triumph. The Stolly didn't let you down and looked great cruising across the quarry. If I was 40 years younger, I would have done it myself as well. Keep it up mate. K

The tin worm has been busy. How heartbreaking... but great to see she's in good hands.

I envy your toys.

Wow...looked incredibe in the quarry.......what an achievement!!!!!!!

Thanks for restoring and be encouraged to restore the Mk2 with the jib + 14:54 and another Mk2 in the background.

Well done chaps, Dunkirk spirit and all that .... As I am in Denmark, you wouldn't catch me in the water with that thing for all the tea in China .... Not meant to float 🚂

Famous for bearing failure! Never run them without water in system. Everybody was taught this ad infinitum. I think they were a ceramic bearing.

Mr Hewes brought me here. That was excellent. I envy the amount of space you have to work on things. I really like Stalwarts, first saw one in a book at school when I was 10. Loved them since. They do look a bit wallowy in the water. I get the sense that if the cargo compartment was full, the thing would capsize at the merest breath of a cross wind. Maybe it is an unjust criticism. I imagine the weight of all the running gear makes the C of G much lower than it looks. I suspect though that it is using the tyres as buoyancy. Thats bad because it means the centre of buoyancy and centre of gravity are close together, which causes instability.

Great to see you swim and not sink to the bottom. You have done a great job, well done Ben. Can’t wait to see it swim again. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

Superb. That's a total success. It floats, and it drives, everything else can be sorted as and when!

Well Ben! I can remember looking in the water at that old lorry chassis many years back in the quarry. And I thought history was going to repeat its self! But no, what a result Bet your well pleased with how it went, but you do put the work in! Great video👍

A great job well done, I've always loved the look of the Stalwart. 😎

Ben you've been doing a great job with this truck mate. Hopefully when the weather improves will come down and visit you

I think you should take it over to st Michael's Mount at high tide, that way i can come and watch 😀

Fantastic work 👌, looking forward to seeing more adventures with this and restoration of the Mk2 thanks for sharing 👍💨💨

Fantastic to see it all turning in the back!

Great first test, well done for getting it back swimming.

Well done Ben and team it's great to see her swimming again 👏 👍 😊

Wonderfull machine, only withdrawn because they had a petrol engine when the MOD opted to concentrate on diesel

Another awesome video from. Thanks

Incredible. What an adventure. Would be great to see more long-form videos detailing the restoration processes you do. I’m curious how you fabricated those long control rods.

Nice to it again as I used to drive them when I was in the army, scary when you 1st dip your nose in the water and you can hear the front winch housing starting to filling up😱keep up the good work👍

Congrats on her maiden voyage! Amazing to watch something that looks like it should plummet to the bottom actually swim around.

Can't work out whether this is comedy, documentary or drama.... Great effort boys!

Last time I saw one of them running was as a kid in Colchester.

how deep is that quarry? you must have confidence in your welds 😄

Great fun vehicles , mark 1,S rarer , used to be a wall built from about 40 stollys at the range setters yard Warminster , the mighty jonnie vize , fun all,over Europe with these

Brilliant. 🦆🐳

A nerve racking moment, but welldone

Very very brave, love the confidence in the repairs and just going for it.

This is crazy :) ❤

Very interesting video guys keep up the good work - congratulations from Aotearoa New Zealand 👍🇳🇿

Well done! You've put alot of effort in so congratulations are in order. I have a similar problem wit my rear door. I have a MK2 with a grotty door so bought a new one. Only trouble is it's for a MK1.

Down to the Ferry boat and across to the shipwrights should be a good test . Nice job of the restoration,.

Hello Ben, I really enjoy your content, it is raw and engaging. I hope you continue to deliver content, I very much enjoyed the in depth details in this video. Thank you.

Absolutely fantastic. Great job on the resto and swim test!

Fantastic work. Great that you got its feet wet and kept yours dry. A few teething problems, but no problem.

Amazing work Ben, well done. All your vids are great to watch, keep them coming 👏

The third Stalwart hiding in the back of shot

I saw the thumbnail, and thanks to Mr. Hewes (& Ted) I recognized the Stolly. I’m happy, I’m amongst friends here….

Nice work!

Used to drive them back in the say, many a miserable hour spent in them

Very impressive. They sit in the water nicely. 😊

Well done guys brave and entertaining.

Excellent work pleased I found your site thanks to Mr Hewes👌

I like the idea of amphibious vehicles and a Stalwart for daily driving would be neat (quiet a lot of storage space for groceries for sure). But i wonder how stable it is in the water. Wouldn't it be going to capsize first chance? And in case of a roll over: What are the chances of anyone in the cabin to get out in time? On an somewhat unrelated note the floating Stalwart reminds me of the german battleship Bismark(?) whose huge turrets where designed to fall out in case of capsizing. They fell out very well when the ship rolled over when taking on water after it got hit. But the ship nevertheless did not manage to get back up and sank anyway.😢

Holes in the hull you say... o~0 Sounds like a ringing endorsement for "Flex-Seal" liquid water proofing by the gallon. Get it in white, a few drops of OD dye and Bob's your uncle. ^~^

My favourite military vehicle ❤

I didn't think those prop bearings sounded good when you first engaged drive to them. Been on a Stolly up on Lake Windermere a few years ago with a guy on the Amphib meet.

Top works boys thanks for sharing 👍

Beautiful machine, thanks

Job well done 👍

Yes part 2

very well done - not many of these that are left can go swimming

Actually it's not the only way to find out - you could have (maybe after removing the engine?) filled the bed with water and looked for where the water leaks out.

Needs the splash board fitting on the front.

Great job Ben. When is the dive lift going in? 🤔🤔

There used to be a Stolly sat next to the Nemesis ride at Alton Towers. It appeared to still have all its swim gear. Not sure if it's still there now.

What a great video! I have an old friend with a stolly, so i have been lucky enough to drive it round a farm and he took me to a pub in it for a pint years ago. He actually had a spare stolly with the Hiab in the back which didn't run, I wonder if its the same one? He was from Horsham. I'm going to subscribe so I don't miss the next vid cheers

Nice!

That is the engine it should have had from new :o) And the sides should have been hinged half way up so they leak less :D I was wondering about the big space between cab and gearbox, and then I remembered it was for the turret basket on the armoured car version. You have an excellent machine there.

Wonder why the Stalwart did not come in an 8x8 version? Is the underlying running gear the same as/based upon the Alvis Saracen and/or the Alvis Saladin? If so that would make the Army supply chain a lot better

A friend used to remanufacture swim gear for Stollies. I wonder if he has any sets left.

really enjoyed the video, how did you connect the diesel engine to the gearbox? are Bedford and Rolls Royce mounting points the same? or did you make an adapter plate , if so how did you overcome the input shaft length with an adapter plate? or did you machine the gearbox mounting face down by the thickness of the the adapter plate?? really interested in how you did this?

I'm a decent lottery win away from owning one of these myself.

So you've managed to set your car on fire in the middle of a lake. While it's raining. 😅

👍

it works ,, but i'am not going to war in that yet ,,,,,;;

😎👍

As you say suspect a cooked bearing ☹️

Should copy Top Gear and swim to France 🇫🇷 with Stolly

Needs a petrol engine stollies spit flames

No tail gait is a big hole

Playing with trucks in the bathtub is not so stupid now is it DAD!?

Add more tinder ..MORE TINDER...!! HOW CAN YOU BURN YOUR SHOP -- IF YOU DONT HAVE ENUFF TINDER..?

Only one critacism but very annoying ! you use "SO " far too much and very annoyingly

Wandered who bought the stolly of joe , great vid , that b80 rolls was a shite engine , diesel is the way forward for sure , once new of a guy near bovington Dorset that turned his to diesel , some metal fabrication ,cool trucks 👍

What r your tanks I'm a tank guy

Nice work!