Update from Workshop Apprentice James (Patreon)

Hi Patrons, 

I’m James. I have been an apprentice at The Tank museum for 10 months and have already completed 6 blocks at college.

One of the first projects I worked on when I started here was the Churchill, working closely with Aaron to help rebuild the carburettors, making gaskets and preparing the cylinder heads for re-fit. We finally returned it to running order four months ago and it was exciting to see it featured in both Tiger Day and TANKFEST. We continue to bring it back into the workshop for constant maintenance.

I was very fortunate to be able to ride in the Churchill over TANKFEST and it was very rewarding seeing it run reliably the whole weekend!

During my time here I have also worked closely with Bob on the Valentine, helping with the suspension overhaul. I was particularly happy with the suspension units, the attached image is half of one completed.

In between the Churchill and the Valentine I worked on the Light MK4 to enable it to be used during the TANKFEST displays. This involved adjusting the timing and servicing the suspension and final drive sprockets.

Overall I am really enjoying my time at the Museum and I am hoping to gain a really good knowledge of a variety of vehicles and how they operate during my apprenticeship.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to updating you on my progress again soon.

James.