A. F. Budge, and the Diesel Stalwart conversion.
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At the end of service
At the end of service in 1993, all the B.A.O.R. Stalwarts were lined up in a German field for disposal.
A. F. Budge
A. F. Budge was a British civil engineering and construction company based in Nottinghamshire. It built many sections of motorway in Yorkshire and the north Midlands.
He also had a large collection of old military vehicles, and repair shops for that.
A. F. Budge bought hundreds of Stalwarts, and shipped them back from Germany
From John Rue's book - Stout, Strong and Sturdy
In January 1992 the Stalwart was officially declared obsolete by the Army and was listed for disposal and by mid 1992 hundreds of Stalwarts were to be found in vehicle disposal areas, some were to find new lives in the hands of caring enthusiasts.
There were signs of a reprieve when A. F. Budge Ltd. at Retford in Nottinghamshire, introduced the Perkins Phaser diesel engine to the Stalwart and radically improved the transmission system. The resultant vehicle was trialled with the Royal Marines at home and abroad with a high level of success in all kinds of terrain and weather conditions. But no sales were forthcoming. Sadly, due to the ‘economic situation and the industrial recession of the early 90's, A. F. Budge Ltd., Military Vehicles Division, collapsed.
At the time Budge were holding nearly 400 Stalwarts of which only two had been converted to Phaser diesels.
It is arguable that the changes brought about by Budge should have been carried out earlier in its service life and the story would have had, perhaps, a different ending. In time many Stalwarts will, no doubt, find peaceful repose in many a military museum throughout the UK but an equal amount will suffer the fate of other disposed vehicles - crushed into a cube and sold as scrap or maybe recycled to create the material for the next generation of military vehicles!
The Diesel conversion
It should be remembered that the MOD decided not to use a diesel engine in the Stalwart back in the 60s, due to the weight of the K60 engine compared to the B81 petrol engine. The Stalwart was already at 8.5 tons empty.
A. F. Budge put Perkins diesel engines in to an FV622 and FV624, and trialled them with the Royal Marines. No orders came from this work.
The two A. F. Budge conversions instantly stand out by the exhaust being in the left hand rear pillar, rather than the right.
It is presumed that of the contract had gone ahead, then the lost tool bin in the top of the left rear pillar would be reconstructed in the right rear pillar.
The Diesel conversion easily stand out by the exhaust being in the left hand rear pillar, due to the exhaust outlet being on the opposite side of the engine to the Rolls Royce petrol engine.
I think they used a -
Perkins Phaser 6 cylinder engine - 180 Ti
PHASER / 180TI ENGINE (YD)
The Phaser from Perkins is a range of turbocharged, turbo intercooled and air-to-air, four or six-cylinders diesel engines. All have the premium specification, performance and ease of maintenance to give to maximum productivity for the lowest operating costs in 90's trucks.
Perkins was an approved military supplier and holder of the prestigious Ministry of Defence quality standard AQAP-1.
Trials on HMS Intrepid in 1990 or 1991
This is a letter to John Rue from the Royal Marines Amphibious Trials and Training Unit, about the A. F. Budge trials.
I Royal Marines Letter to John Rue 1992.pdf
