Australian looking for Cold War beast

[Pumpkinate]

Hi,

I'm Steve from Australia.... Always been interested in WW2 And Cold War Militaria and actually joined the forum in 2011 but ended up giving up on getting anything because there's very little of these vehicles in Australia, it's expensive to send them over, and our Customs are aggressive and would likely refuse entry (as armoured vehicles are on the banned list of imports).

Now I'm back looking again... I would like a Cold War APC, it can be tracked or wheeled and the size is not an issue as I live in the countryside. It seems that importing one is possible with special permission but it's still risky and it would be a major bugger to spend 20k on shipping then have it refused entry etc. There are a couple of Soviet vehicles for sale in Australia at the moment, they belong to a member here. I haven't seen them yet as they are interstate. He has a 1989 MTLBU which is in going condition apparently without any issues (although the crew compartment has been gutted of its contents). The other vehicle is a 1969 OT64 which he had major headaches with. He's replaced the gearbox and bought a new engine but the engine has never been fitted, so whether it has other issues is unknown and it would need some work done to get running. I see that the OT64 is not a popular choice due to driving dynamics and poor reliability. Reliability would definitely be an issue here as spare parts are a long way away and no mechanic here would be familiar with these vehicles.

Anyway, greetings from Down Under and if anyone has any opinions or advice I'd love to hear it!

[Mike-13]

Hello Steve,

Welcome to the forum.
Hope you can find some nice tracks

Mike

[acmatman]

hello Steve ,I sold an OT64 to a dealer in the UK that ended up in Australia ,I became aware that the entry police gave the importer a lot of grief about getting the vehicle cleaned ,is the seller of the MLTB Troy ?
In a way I regret selling the OT64 but thats life

[Pumpkinate]

Thanks guys.

acmatman: yes Troy is selling both of them. Did your OT64 give you any grief? I've read the negative opinions on them but still got to say I kind of like them, partly because of their bonkers appearance but also because of their complexity considering when they were designed and made. Pneumatic everything, amphibious etc etc.
Do you know where in Australia your beast ended up? It must be the only other one here I think.

[acmatman]

I had no problems with the Ot64 I bought one in Czech with 900km on it , had some work done on it over there,if I had kept I would have had the collar around the turret where the driver sits removed ,that would mean your head would be out of the turret and your vision would ne greatly inhansed . I think Troy might know where mine ended up ,I think a company might have bought .

[Pumpkinate]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm thinking if everything he checked on the OT64 (engine, clutch, gear box, air compressor) was knackered then the other stuff will likely need work too. I'm thinking lots of rubber seals and gaskets to replace in the brakes, wheel bearings, diffs etc. And also blocked pneumatic pipes. I don't mind DIY but I'm always afraid of encountering a bolt that's fused tight with rust, or a part I can't source.

Its strange that vehicles that have done under 1000km seem to have stuffed gear boxes and clutches, you would think disuse would not wreck those parts?

Cheers,

Steve

[acmatman]

they are easy to clock ,I knew the man I bought from ,he was working in Ireland before the crash and had to go home ,he taught me how to drive my OT 90 and I went to Czech to learn to drive the OT 64

[Pumpkinate]

I think the MTLBU would be similar to the OT90. How do you like your OT90? Do find the tracked vehicles more fun than wheeled?

[acmatman]

the Ot90 is great fun ,however you need a bit of land I have about 10 acres I could do with a bit more ,if it has to be moved low loader time ,I have video posted in the video section

[Pumpkinate]

Yeah, I live on 70 acres but looking at buying a bigger block as well.