As they say it’s a small world, in the same week that this new thread appears, I have just started on the job of stripping several ex London bus AV 590 engines, which the customer has bought in as ‘removed defective’, hoping that useable parts may be recovered. The first one has sadly been run low on oil, however it clearly had a lot of work done to it by Craig Tilsley back in I think 1989. It is part way to 2AV specification with thin-wall con-rod shells and the larger gudgeon pins. Although the fuel injection equipment is missing, bracketry for the linkage points to it having had a DPA pump as well. Fortunately it has a standard crank, which was a surprise, and standard liners too. However the block has been skimmed by .035" so it will need 709 gaskets if it does go back together again.
paul motyka:
Grumpy Old Man,these any good.0
They’ll do for a start, although I’m not too sure about that on the far right of the picture. 
cav551:
As they say it’s a small world, in the same week that this new thread appears, I have just started on the job of stripping several ex London bus AV 590 engines, which the customer has bought in as ‘removed defective’, hoping that useable parts may be recovered. The first one has sadly been run low on oil, however it clearly had a lot of work done to it by Craig Tilsley back in I think 1989. It is part way to 2AV specification with thin-wall con-rod shells and the larger gudgeon pins. Although the fuel injection equipment is missing, bracketry for the linkage points to it having had a DPA pump as well. Fortunately it has a standard crank, which was a surprise, and standard liners too. However the block has been skimmed by .035" so it will need 709 gaskets if it does go back together again.
Who can fail to be impressed by the sound of a London transport RT or RM with an AEC lump and a Wilson pre select.
I hear LT’s remaining Routemasters are under threat, seems as though the braking system is a nightmare and spares are almost impossible to source.
I’ve driven an RT (once, not in London) and I thought “this would be OK to go to work with”, sat there in my half cab, in London, throw the timetable away, and just go with the flow.
Yes, the heavy-duty version of the MM6, one of the toughest and best off-road / site designs ever, due to its 2-spring rear suspension and bogie arrangement. Such as Wimpey and McAlpines had hundreds of them.
grumpy old man:
cav551:
As they say it’s a small world, in the same week that this new thread appears, I have just started on the job of stripping several ex London bus AV 590 engines, which the customer has bought in as ‘removed defective’, hoping that useable parts may be recovered. The first one has sadly been run low on oil, however it clearly had a lot of work done to it by Craig Tilsley back in I think 1989. It is part way to 2AV specification with thin-wall con-rod shells and the larger gudgeon pins. Although the fuel injection equipment is missing, bracketry for the linkage points to it having had a DPA pump as well. Fortunately it has a standard crank, which was a surprise, and standard liners too. However the block has been skimmed by .035" so it will need 709 gaskets if it does go back together again.Who can fail to be impressed by the sound of a London transport RT or RM with an AEC lump and a Wilson pre select.
Green Line was where the best ones were. 
Carryfast:
grumpy old man:
cav551:
As they say it’s a small world, in the same week that this new thread appears, I have just started on the job of stripping several ex London bus AV 590 engines, which the customer has bought in as ‘removed defective’, hoping that useable parts may be recovered. The first one has sadly been run low on oil, however it clearly had a lot of work done to it by Craig Tilsley back in I think 1989. It is part way to 2AV specification with thin-wall con-rod shells and the larger gudgeon pins. Although the fuel injection equipment is missing, bracketry for the linkage points to it having had a DPA pump as well. Fortunately it has a standard crank, which was a surprise, and standard liners too. However the block has been skimmed by .035" so it will need 709 gaskets if it does go back together again.Who can fail to be impressed by the sound of a London transport RT or RM with an AEC lump and a Wilson pre select.
Green Line was where the best ones were.
Well you’d know all about the Green Line ones Geoffrey, with you living in Leatherhead,I bet you stood behind the drivers cab in the downstairs saloon and made a noise like a DD.I bet the glass panel was a right bloody mess with “slaver” before the conductor slung you and your mam off !! Cheers Bewick.
gingerfold:
Yes, the heavy-duty version of the MM6, one of the toughest and best off-road / site designs ever, due to its 2-spring rear suspension and bogie arrangement. Such as Wimpey and McAlpines had hundreds of them.
I did hear at the time that these were a cancelled order of Wimpeys dont know how true it was.
My …Adams lorry is the same speck as Callagan lorry…top fed double drive diffs,with a diff lock. massive bogie axle,s. makers
plate at 60ton train.i,am thinking of selling her.the age of medicals each year is round the corner so i’am out of the game
…more time with motorbikes i think.
John
Bewick:
Carryfast:
grumpy old man:
cav551:
As they say it’s a small world, in the same week that this new thread appears, I have just started on the job of stripping several ex London bus AV 590 engines, which the customer has bought in as ‘removed defective’, hoping that useable parts may be recovered. The first one has sadly been run low on oil, however it clearly had a lot of work done to it by Craig Tilsley back in I think 1989. It is part way to 2AV specification with thin-wall con-rod shells and the larger gudgeon pins. Although the fuel injection equipment is missing, bracketry for the linkage points to it having had a DPA pump as well. Fortunately it has a standard crank, which was a surprise, and standard liners too. However the block has been skimmed by .035" so it will need 709 gaskets if it does go back together again.Who can fail to be impressed by the sound of a London transport RT or RM with an AEC lump and a Wilson pre select.
Green Line was where the best ones were.
Well you’d know all about the Green Line ones Geoffrey, with you living in Leatherhead,I bet you stood behind the drivers cab in the downstairs saloon and made a noise like a DD.I bet the glass panel was a right bloody mess with “slaver” before the conductor slung you and your mam off !! Cheers Bewick.
The glass panel would be spotless Dennis he would have been licking it whilst playing with his stick on steering wheel
I don’t think that this one has been posted before. Acknowledgement to either Peter Davies or Arthur Ingram.
And a later shot of the the same tanker after a repaint into the Spillers orange / pregnant snake livery that was used from 1970 onwards.
When did the 6 speed first become an option , the 9.6 and 5 speed mm8 used on drawbar work must have been dreadful
ramone:
When did the 6 speed first become an option , the 9.6 and 5 speed mm8 used on drawbar work must have been dreadful
The MK5 MM with the AV590 and 5-speed was really hard work. A E Evans put an ex Shell one ont road in 1969 - XYP 107 which was a London C C reg 1959-62. I was spare driver and took it to Sth Yorks Chemicals at Parkgate Rotherham for a load of crude benzene for Llanwern.It looked immaculate with nice s/s tank but what an underpowered thing it wasOf course the driver that was allocated to it was from Chesterfield,long server as well and he weren’t happy,especially as I were next in line for a refurbished MK5 and got a 1963 plate MM with 6-speed box and 2AV690 engine.You could choose a 6-speed box for a MK5 in 1958 according to my little book.You could also specify the AV690 engine as well,150bhp as apposed to 125bhp.
At A E Evans you got what was next off t’production line so to speak…there were one or two bleatings I remember.
Well regarding the 6 speed box, Smiles MMs could have had them when they got them from Oswald Tillotsons at Burnley , But old Tommy Smiles reckoned that they would be too fast & that the .drivers would have accidents, I was also told that it would have cost an extra £75.00. to the price of the new motors, Regards Larry.
Lawrence Dunbar:
Well regarding the 6 speed box, Smiles MMs could have had them when they got them from Oswald Tillotsons at Burnley , But old Tommy Smiles reckoned that they would be too fast & that the .drivers would have accidents, I was also told that it would have cost an extra £75.00. to the price of the new motors, Regards Larry.
My old mate Albert RIP had a MK5 ex Shell BP on A E Evans,reg was 218 BGC.Had a tar tank fitted and he did two loads of absorbing oil out to Appleby Frodingham (BSC) and two loads of crude tar back to BSC Chemicals Orgreave,Sheffield nearly every day. LPG ont same job had Volvo F86s and used to pass him ont old A18 - this is before the M18 and M180. But Albert used to get his own back as his wagon had a cargo pump whereas LPG had compressors.Four wagons could tip at same time at Scunthorpe end so when Albert turned up,last int queue and started pumping,his load was being shoved into LPG tanks - a cargo pump would deliver more power.He would then be first int queue to load tar and trundle back to Sheffield at 38 mph,nearly always getting back afore LPG. 
I know this is a Mk 5 thread, but others have slipped the odd Mk 3 in: I was at Gloucester Steam & Vintage Extravaganza today and spotted this Mk 3 (pic below) - it reminded me of those drays with trailers that Truman’s Ales used to operate, delivering to the resorts down the Thanet Way (A229) in Kent in the mid-60s. BTW, I do think the AEC Mk 5 was one of the most attractive lorries on the road at the end of the '60s - has anyone got a good picture of one of Alan Firmin’s? Robert 
The 6-speed O/D gearbox became an option on the Mk.111 range from 1955 and carried on being an option with the Mk.V. In the days of the 20 mph limit for a top weight lorry (until 1958) there wasn’t much call for the 6-speed option in the home marketplace. It was only the at the start of the Motorway age that it became more common, plus as Mr. Dunbar rightly comments, hauliers didn’t want to pay for it.
gingerfold:
This photo clearly shows one of the main design differences between the earlier Mk.111 MM and the newer Mk.V MM, which had a lower chassis height as a result of its underslung rear suspension. The Mk.V was a superb tanker chassis because the lower height gave improved stability.
So was there a Mk 4?