July 17 - ALE has completed the refurbishment of a 1976 Scammell Contractor, named Intruder.
Intruder was ALE founder Roger Harries' first truck originally acquired in 1983, and performed its last job in 2002, after working worldwide for almost 20 years.
The truck was initially outsourced to specialist coach builder/sign writer Graham Booth, who stripped the body down, organised the shotblasting and painting, and had most of the body panels remade to the original specification.
A specialist team of inhouse mechanics and workshop staff, led by Tom Banks, Gary Pemberton and Stephen Attwell oversaw the rest of the restoration project.
The project included a completely new air brake system, fully re-wired electrics, a rebuild of the original Cummins NTC 335 engine, and many more hours spent replacing and sourcing parts to keep the truck as authentic as possible and then connecting everything together to make it fully operational.
The ALE paint shop and fabrication department also played a big part in the restoration, refabricating and painting many original parts that they could not replace. The fluid flywheel and RV-30 gearbox were overhauled by GB Marine and the new tyres were sourced and fitted by Stafford Mobile Tyre and Battery Service.
"It was a huge undertaking as virtually nothing was salvageable, but with the resources available and a committed team we were able to put it into showroom condition," said Tom Banks, ALE's plant maintenance supervisor.
The original WNT in the early days
Tom Banks, Stephen Attwell, Gary Pemberton and Roger Harries by the WNT in its refurbished glory
