Alvis Stalwart Mk1 Pond Swimming Adventure !

[@philiprogers5772]

I can imagine it took a lot of courage to enter the water at that speed. You actually took off! Respect.

[@BenoCam]

It wasn’t that bad although I was a bit unsure what to expect of the slam inside as I don’t have a seatbelt on etc was a bit worried I might get knocked out but it wasn’t actually that bad

[@philco7044]

Balls the size of Jupiter ☄️☄️😂😂😂😂👍

[@davesport62]

That was a ridiculous send into the water. Excellent.

[@BenoCam]

Seemed like a good idea at the time 🤣

[@neilfoster814]

That high speed dive into the pond was epic! Never seen a Stally fly like that!

[@Jayneflakes]

That was wonderful. My Father drive these in Germany in the 80s, when I was still a kid. He took me out in one occasionally, but sadly we never went near water.

[@BenoCam]

I think all 3 of mine were based In Germany. This mk1 ended up being in un colours not sure where though. Most of them had the swim gear removed I had to track down the missing bits … took a while !

[@philipbellew9645]

Well done, that was a sink or swim moment at the end but clearly that machine is a serious bit of kit and your confidence in it and your repairs is a credit to you.

[@BenoCam]

Thankyou, it’s getting there .. took a while to build up that that big jump !

[@colinstares6207]

That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen for a while, your face was a picture, great video 😅

[@BenoCam]

Wasn’t expecting to get a shower like that. And for summer that was a lot colder than you would have thought ! The lake is fed from a spring which is constantly running so it’s cold ground water even in summer

[@cornwall_in_Squares]

Love the leap into the water! it will swim well on a cleaner lake.

[@daithiosioradain3380]

WhistlinDiesel approves this full send test 👍 Super restoration and lovely to see it put properly through it's paces with an infectious smile. Well done.

[@BenoCam]

😍👍👍

[@pjofurey6239]

Mobile bow wave maker , great fun , spent many happy hours in on and afloat in Mk2,s all,over England & Europe . Tidy job!

[@BenoCam]

I have a couple mk2s to do up at some point too, one is well underway

[@57northphoto32]

That was brilliant Ben, apart from the weed and hatches at least you found out it can fly. 👍🏻

[@BenoCam]

🤣👍

[@robleary3353]

Brill! Love seeing old bits of kit being given another go!.

[@BenoCam]

I have 2 more still to do up yet ! 😮

[@davedear929]

As a teenager I lived just up the road from the Alvis factory in Coventry.. it was always a thrill to hear and see all the 6 wheelers that the factory made..I even had a pal who worked on them I was so envious to see him riding in the cab on the main road. Good luck with yours. Dave from Coventry.

[@freedomforever6718]

Great fun. An excellent machine. Well worth the time to refurbish it. Thanks for the show.

[@BenoCam]

Cheers glad you enjoyed

[@MrS00p]

Awesome stuff sir! The Stolly Mk1 weed hoover is a sight to behold... noice!

[@BenoCam]

🤣👍

[@bryce1916]

Looks like a lot of fun.

[@derekjones1659]

There’s a saying, look before you leap. Who cares when you’ve got a wet suit handy, total admiration for both the video and the work that you have done 😊

[@BenoCam]

Ha cheers 👍

[@richardwells4370]

Brilliant, I love Stalwarts , great bits of kit , I want one ,

[@gjfreke]

Absolutely brilliant as always, love your content Ben !!

[@BenoCam]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@jonp8582]

Credit to you Ben, a fantastic restoration and fabulous to see you using it for its intended purpose, no feks given 😂

[@BenoCam]

Haha cheers

[@markburton8303]

That was fantastic! You've done a great job of the restoration and it is looking brilliant. It's great to see it swimming.

[@BenoCam]

Cheers it’s taken a while but we are getting there !

[@wideyxyz2271]

Brilliant and that leap was awesome ❤ A proper leap of faith.

[@BenoCam]

Haha cheers , it was fun to do !

[@rayscrase7919]

We had the later model in Germany with the little splash board on the front so ideally the water didn't go over the windscreen,"hopefully", as you've learnt always shut the hatches, load sheet with the ridge pole if possible, one thing I've noticed missing on all of these rebuilds , our motors all had a white line painted on the hub when we did a lot of off-road they could get axle "wind up"

[@BenoCam]

Yes I need to paint on the white lines on the hubs. I have a splash board was just worried I would damage it

[@Kernow80]

That looks such fun. The shock on your face when it nearly went to the bottom when you nose dived into the lake was hilarious 😂

[@kite7214]

Brilliant vid, Ben. Jo Hewes eat your heart out. Haha

[@BenoCam]

🤣👍

[@jasonbarton3883]

Fantastic work nice to see my late farther used to instruct on the stollys ship to shore replenish

[@BenoCam]

Could have done with a lesson or two from him 🤣

[@ricktomlin5529]

Having driven one of this on German roads I don’t envy you. The almost full turn of the steering wheel before the steering actually does anything is quite challenging !

[@BenoCam]

Whaaaat they were like that from new ?! I just thought they were worn out now !

[@twin40dave]

YES, Beno, that was so funny , especially the second time you launched it 😅😅😅😅 great video, though well done for giving it full send 😅

[@BenoCam]

Cheers glad you enjoyed, it was a lot of fun making this one !

[@ashleywebster2659]

Great vid! You may want to think about christening it the General Lee and fitting a Dixie horn if you're gonna be doing many more jumps like that... 😁

[@BenoCam]

🤣 re paint it bright orange 😍

[@glenharrison123]

What an epic adventure! Great content, hi from New Zealand mate!

[@BenoCam]

Cheers glad you enjoyed !

[@davenewman4596]

After watching the dive into the pond im definitely subscribing 😂

[@BenoCam]

😍👍👍

[@BadgerBadgerBadger28]

Stolly time yesss!!!!

[@BenoCam]

Taken me a while to upload this one but got there in the end 🙂

[@pauldashwood2897]

Great stuff ..I drove one off road many moons ago it was great fun …..keep well guys

[@gunnerbob1855]

Best invest in a splash board 😊

[@GlideYNRG]

Swamp thing... 😁 Awesome to see.

[@BenoCam]

🙂👍

[@blowduke]

What a machine big boy toy that one

[@BenoCam]

😍👍

[@DanielPurvis-q7m]

Simply awesome and completely nuts at the same time 😂

[@BenoCam]

Haha cheers 😍

[@tom_123]

When she started to tilt over when you dropped in at an angle, I thought ‘oh no’!

[@BenoCam]

So did I ! I had no idea what the bottom of the pond was like or what angle etc so it took a bit of figuring out !

[@tom_123]

You were right to give it the beans when you felt it going over! You guys have some amazing adventures!

[@cousinjack5100]

Great video ..misses liked it laughing her head off over your face cold and wet ..😂

[@BenoCam]

🤣 it was a warm day and the water was pretty cold so my brain needed a second or two to process what had happened 🤣 I did think for a second we were going to the bottom though

[@EG3HC]

That jump was epic!

[@BenoCam]

😍👍

[@bongofury3176]

I involuntarily shouted 'whahey' as you flew in. always wanted one of these...

[@BenoCam]

🤣👍👍

[@jfro5867]

Jeez, you almost went under there!! You really are a nutter 🫣

[@BenoCam]

It looked worse than it was , but only because I closed my eyes

[@stephen8468]

Love the channel mate, keep the videos coming!

[@BenoCam]

Ideal, cheers 🙂

[@TABRO284]

Great stuff Ben.

[@BenoCam]

Cheers glad you enjoyed

[@Fourwheeljive]

Smashing video! Lots of fun!

[@inguzwulf]

I'm an ickle bitty jealous. She is a thing of beauty.❤ I've loved these things since I first saw them (but like wagon wheels, weren't they bigger back then?). And I swear Gerry Anderson modelled his Shado Mobiles after them (from UFO). Ah, bisto..er, I mean mammaries..er, memories...😇

[@tom_123]

Oh my god, when the cab goes under!

[@BenoCam]

Haha I wasn’t expecting that

[@raymills6782]

a brilliant demonstration.

[@gregedmand9939]

You need a submarine "Dive! Dive! Dive" warning and one of those "Aooogah" horns! I thought you were headed straight for crush depth for a moment there... 😂

[@ATomRileyA]

Great video, that full send into the water was something else haha. I wonder if you could rig up some compressed air nozzles to blast the weeds out when on the move, might be useful although with that much weeds you would be stopping/blasting air all the time so might not be so useful. Or a big stick :)

[@BenoCam]

Yes that would work ! Probably not going to take it in weeded places too much though don’t want to jam up one of those thrusters 😬

[@Deanoo7]

🤣🤣🤣 absolutely brilliant!!! 👍👍👍

[@BenoCam]

🙂

[@sidestickflyer]

Amazing Ben!

[@BenoCam]

Cheers 🙂

[@Rook1-72]

That’s a beauty pond entrance,,😂

[@gsxrjeff]

can't believe you went "the full monty"

[@BenoCam]

Seemed a shame not too !

[@dog11222]

Newbie mistake, leaving the hatches open.... been there, done that, great vlog

[@BenoCam]

I had never even sat in one until I bought this one and restored it so I’m having to learn it all by myself… usually the hard way 🤣🤣

[@andyscud5842]

drove one of these a mk2 for years in the Artillery stunning vehicle, you havent got the wind up markers on the wheel hubs to let you know when you need to get rid of the twist on the drive shafts and as much as its good video. Using a HMLC correctly is a joy,,, How about going over a knife edge ridge next?

[@BenoCam]

Yep I will get the white lines done on the hubs… I also have a mk2 artillery limber I’m restoring and an Abbot SPG ! Vids of both on my channel 😊

[@Rook1-72]

The rest of the pond entrances were beauty’s 😂😂😂well done lad’s

[@nicolasansom2681]

Love it! ❤ 😂

[@BenoCam]

🙂👍

[@ai-d2121]

That was fun to watch and probably to actually do.

[@mgstu]

love it ! :) :) shes really getting there now ! not much you can do re the weed, which is a shame...

[@BenoCam]

Got there in the end, just a few things left to finish !

[@mgstu]

@@BenoCam i did notice she sits higher in water than any other ive seen.... wierd... still V cool mind !

[@9erunionjack]

super job keep it up well worth the shower lol every days a learning day

[@BenoCam]

Cheers yeah it’s all taking a bit of working out 🤣

[@samfletcher4808]

That was amazing

[@jasonlefley2117]

Great video. Be interesting to see how the turbo engine compares in the other stolly

[@BenoCam]

Yes I think it will be better. This one is slightly underpowered I think, I mean it’s fine empty but I don’t think it would do too well with 5 ton of cargo in the back !

[@jasonlefley2117]

@@BenoCam 6bt Cummins be great swap lol

[@Daniel-S1]

Great Video and the obvious vehicle that comes to mind that was missing from Operation Market Harborough.

[@BenoCam]

Haha quite a trek for me unfortunately but I would like to get up to that show one year. I was stuck at work this year and missed it

[@markellis7819]

Brilliant video.

[@stevehill4615]

Stolly's always look so futuristic to me like they could've come out of Gerry Andersons Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet or UFO.

[@mrspudly1]

Great fun I noticed your tiller board isn't fitted yet, once fitted and extended out for entering the water you won't get so much water splashing over the cab.

[@BenoCam]

Not fitted but I do have one. Figured it would be a shame to break it

[@chiswolfenden2400]

I definitely approve of her

[@BenoCam]

😍👍

[@DavidWhitehead-uh7yw]

My dad was in the army,and my dads REGIMENT organised a families weekend to see them while they were camped up. While there my dad let me have a go at driving his CHIEFTAIN tank.What a buzz that was. But also they took us and other kids of their dads out on the Soltau ranges in the back of a stalwart and what a laugh,they've go some power,but it's scary when you see the flames comming out the end of the exaust pipes...😅😅😅

[@BenoCam]

I want a Chieftain so bad ! Have a look at my other videos where in one we go look at one which is a big restoration project ! Sadly a little too much for me right now 😞

[@DavidWhitehead-uh7yw]

@BenoCam BEN WHY DON'T YOU TRY And Get hold of Mr HEWES. He might be able to help you get hold of a decent enough chieftain tank that only needs A bit of doing up.. Love the channel keep up the good work mate👍👍👍 I

[@sendyarwindasetyawan9022]

Wow

[@BenoCam]

🙂

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Excellent!!!! Time to get the bilge pumps working!

[@BenoCam]

Yeeep they were kept busy !

[@terryh8421]

Pond life!

[@BenoCam]

It all had a shock that day 🤣

[@philipspencer1834]

Great work gang…. 🤣 Stalwarts don’t like too much pond weed…… 👍 Time to get the load bed covers back in. 😎 @Ben… didn’t the Stollys have a deflector plate under the windscreen for swimming?

[@BenoCam]

The floor is all ready to go back in I just need to wire up some bilge alarms so I can monitor what’s going on inside, it’s quite nice being able to poke your head in the back and have a look as it is. Yes I have a splash board but it’s an original and only thin wood. I would have trashed it that day but hopefully will still get it fitted one day.

[@saarekristi81]

I want to know how is it driving on water without sinking? What i can imagine is the way BTR80A works by having transmission from inside to straight outside of a tank and drives without sinking. And i was thinking, is this a 1960s oil in the transmission wall.?...

[@BenoCam]

Because the whole hull is waterproof. The drive shafts exit through the hull through oil filled bevel boxes so there’s no leaks . There’s just a few hull bungs to put in to make it ready although it is a strange feeling when you first go in !

[@ThePman113]

Great to see the progress! Does the Stalwart have a bilge pump or is the only way water come out is through the drain?

[@BenoCam]

Yes it had bilge pump pipes which run off the swim gear via Venturi style suction valves from the dive, also I wired in a 24v large boat bilge pump just as a backup but there’s no real sump in the hull so you need a couple inches of water before it will pump out

[@johnedwards1685]

I thought they had a bilge pump. And I also vaguely remember an air compressor going as well. Mind you its been a while.

[@BenoCam]

Yes they do have both , but you need a couple inches of water before the pump kicks in as there’s no sump for it to sit in. Yes the air does the brakes !

[@chiggsmcfallen2711]

Been looking forward to this Ben

[@BenoCam]

Taken me a while to upload as I have been away straight after I filmed it with terrible Wi-Fi for uploading . Well that’s my excuse anyway.

[@QALibrary]

9:35 I am sure this vehicle came with a splash board but that could have come on the MK2 version onwards

[@BenoCam]

It did and I have got one, but the army chopped the brackets off the cab and I haven’t re fabricated them yet. Also it restricts your view rather a lot plus it’s only a couple planks of wood I would have smashed it to bits or worse still split it and smashed it through the front windscreen !!

[@gtd65]

The water plunge caused some exclamation from me! Muppet!

[@BenoCam]

😮

[@gtd65]

@@BenoCam 🤣🤣🤣 it was funny though

[@generalstarcat9961]

Imagine taking this to the local garage

[@swanseamale47]

Watched the staaly going in the second time. Starts humming Titanic theme song..... 😅

[@BenoCam]

🤣👍

[@darrenhawken9766]

Great vid , didn't they have a deflection board fitted just below the windscreen so they could enter the water at speed Thanks for sharing 👍💨💨

[@BenoCam]

Yes I have one for it but figured I would break it jumping it in like that. It’s only made of wood

[@darrenhawken9766]

@@BenoCam not Ben proof ..🤣🤣

[@martingardener90]

Great video, I was wondering did you try to get back to shore by just using the wheels? It would have been very slow but drier! I'm also glad you had power steering when towing as I've had the pleasure of being towed in a dead Stolly - fairly puts muscles on you!

[@BenoCam]

I did try but that weed was so dense it wouldn’t power through it

[@royjennison3916]

I saw that coming getting stuck in the weeds , alarm bells rang after the first outing clogged up the vents

[@BenoCam]

You clever thing you

[@trampertravels]

I note that you did not have the wading board fitted to the front of the cab it reduces the bow wave.

[@onehunglow5978]

what great fun. would love to come and be a passenger 1 time.

[@johnd7288]

That looked like great fun ! Should put the John Deere in the lake ? Great video !

[@BenoCam]

Not sure I would be allowed to borrow it again 🤣

[@davefrench3608]

A Stolly is just the most ridiculous amazing vehicle. Schoolboy error to dive in the the roof hatches open Fabulous fun!!!!

[@BenoCam]

Up until that point it’s never got near the top of the windscreen even so I figured it was better to have them open incase it rolled over or something… more chance of being able to get out quick !

[@marknewell7355]

Awesome 👌 hows the diesel con version coming on

[@Linkan83]

9:05 Dive! Dive! Dive! 😅

[@oliverblacher4470]

Mint video Beno, always watch your mine videos. Big balls smashing that into the lake at speed. Like how Vin said Sunday drives not emmet c***s. Take care lads, PS how far down are you, past clay country?

[@BenoCam]

🤣 cheers, we are just outside of Falmouth. Will try and do a few more adventures with it when I get a chance

[@peterbuckley5204]

My brother was a tracked vehicle mechanic in the REME he said trouble with stalwarts if they broke down afloat the cargo would have to be thrown overboard to get to the engine lol😅

[@drn.explorer66neale]

Really Great, I thought it was going under on the 2nd dive in,lol. Are you showing anything up the steam rally this weekend Ben?

[@BenoCam]

So did I ! Sadly I have been away at work and only just got back so I have nothing ready 😬 would bring the tank but the starter motor needs looking at 😞

[@Alec-i5p]

Id say thats why it has roof hatches 😂😂

[@BenoCam]

My idea on leaving them open was that if it did start to turn over or something it would be quicker to get out !

[@lauriepocock3066]

My TR6 taught me to sit on a old Tesco plastic bag to prevent getting a wet bum

[@BenoCam]

I need to get the seat re sealed in material as the sponge from the seat soaks up all the water 🤣

[@jeremybentley820]

Rather change the mechanical seal. If a water pump's 'mechanical seal' dries out after being submerged (or used). It 'Will' fail.... the rubber gland that protects the bearing from getting wet becomes hard and no longer flexible, the result is that it will crack and tgat defeats the job of the protective grand. What a wonderful piece of military machinery.... Enjoy.

[@iNireus]

Wonder how many people who drove these where trained up and still around.

[@BenoCam]

Plenty of people by the comments. Mostly telling me a splash board would be a good idea 🤣

[@Tom-gr6nx]

great video bet that was nice and cool lol.

[@BenoCam]

It was a lot colder than I thought it was going to be hence all the funny noises 🤣

[@darrenjones3681]

I’ve seen stollys do fast water entry but perhaps the swim board helps not porpoise so bsd

[@1961kickboxer]

She’s a beautiful old girl

[@SiaVids]

Definitely speed and power is the way to go. 😁

[@BenoCam]

It was odd how the fast run in was actually a lot less scary 🤣