The Shorland Site - Shorland Mark 1 Armoured Patrol Car 27 BT68

The Shorland Site - By Clive Elliott

Shorland Mark 1 Armoured Patrol Car

(27 BT 68)


	In the dealers yard 1987. It is the only Mark 1, but is surrounded by about 20 Mark 3 APC's.
	A view from the escape hatch. Note that the visor release levers have been fitted upside down. Not only are they more difficult to operate but the return springs stretch & snap when used!
	Looks fairly complete. However, all the seat belts have been cut up, the wiring behind the dash had been ripped out and all the instruments have been smashed. Note the early pattern heater
	The front part of the bonnet armour revealing the Shorland’s identity: AC/4P/RH/9. This means: Armoured Patrol Car, 4-cylinder petrol, right hand drive, serial no 9.
	Removing the NATO green paint to reveal disruptive matt black (surprisingly) on high gloss Deep Bronze Green.
	Rubbing down the vehicle to reveal the black patterns
	Making sure I can record the patterns accurately.
	The base of the single fuel tank was quite rusty. All attempts to repair it by reaching down inside & applying ‘gunge’ failed to stop the leaks. The problem was that although you can release the fuel tank it will NOT drop through the chassis nor be removed through the rear flap. When the Shorland was made, the armoured body was dropped down over the tank and chassis. My solution was to cut about an inch off the bottom of the tank and then remove it out through the back. Apart from the rusty base the rest of the tank was in reasonable condition. A new base was constructed and I can now remove the tank easily whenever it suits me.
	Once the wings and engine armour were off it was easy to work on. Note that the radiator is special and is not a standard Land Rover part.
	There's even more room with the radiator gone...
	Which makes painting easier.
	The armour over the foot wells
	The foot well armour removed, revealing a grey Land Rover underbody.
	The vehicle rubbed down & painted.
	Although it is looking rather strange, at least it’s running.
	A crowded engine compartment.
	Note the heater blower on right
	Although it doesn’t look it, everything including the springs had been painted green.
	The chassis was in reasonable condition even though it had never been undersealed. This was due to it not initially being a military vehicle; but a police vehicle.
	For comparison: An army Mark 3 which had been undersealed. As usual, the water creeps in and spreads underneath the underseal doing more harm than if it was left to breath and dry out on its own. Note the different differential and exhaust systems.
	The upholstery was in a rough condition...
	So, the seats had to be stripped down and reupholstered
	The vinyl/cloth lining called Dunlop TRAKMARK becomes brittle with time and cannot be repaired satisfactorily.
	The turret getting a new lining. TRAKMARK is used in many British AFVs and it comes in various colours because it is also largely used in the yachting world. It is very expensive, but I was lucky to purchase 'off cuts' in the correct colour from a boat yard.
	The rust on the chassis was not too bad.
	There was a lot of deep rust on the inside of the armour where leaking water was trapped inside the foam rubber underneath the TRAKMARK lining.
	Generous coats of red oxide paint are applied to keep away the ‘steel worms’.
	And, even more red oxide.
	All finished!! Note the three antenna bases fitted in strange places. These were as I found them originally. I assume that at one stage this Shorland was used as a command vehicle or during trials of different radio systems.
	The disruptive matt black copied exactly as it was originally; although looking a little unusual on gloss green. Many people have told me that the vehicle has been painted incorrectly and it would never have been painted that way!
	On the way to its first show in 1988, and the wheel fell off! Not having driven the thing on the road before I assumed the slightly strange noises were coming from the turret. On a roundabout, the rear of the Shorland hit the ground very hard and I watched a rear wheel roll across the road, up the verge, through a hedge and into a field. So, the lesson learned is, always check your wheel nuts!