ferretfixer

And the problem with this is...............................................:rofl:

Or the bed springs!!! :nut:

Happy Birthday Chris! Did you get another CVR(T) Variant to add to your growing collection! :-D (better than a box of chocolates & some Flowers!) :yay: mike. :thumbsup:

Yup, I reckon a 25 Pdr or a Bofors would be a LOT cheaper (& more easily obtained!) :sweat:

I, have a contact at Helstons & the qoute I got was £23,000. This is because the gun is still current equipment with some foreign armies. M.O.D sales has got to be the biggest rip-off in any sales area! Get your actual manufacturing cost, put on a 20% profit & then TREBLE the figures! I manufactured .50" Cal Brownings & GPMGS for a company for 11 years. It was an ENERMOUS eye opener, I can tell you! Buying guns in LIVE that are obsolete is cheap if they are old surplus. Buying current stuff costs a bit more!......:coffee: Mike

Another one you have to wath out for is 'It's Force Policy NOT to tc, Etc'. Challange then with 'Force Policy is NOT Law'! EVERYONE has to abide by the Law, INCLUDING the Police (Except it seems sometimes they think they above the law! :coffee:

During my time (70'2-80's Regular) Inter regimental rivalry was normal though friendly. EXCEPT when I was attached to 3 Para! They were in my opinion mostly hard men & mainly very good soldiers. BUT, being R.E.M.E Attached, we got stick. Penguins Etc (No wings =flightless birds!) BUT, it soon changed when they wanted /needed a favour! I used to say' only nob heads jump out of perfectly serviceable aircraft, &, What job are you going to do when you get out? Im a Vehicle mech, An Armourer, have HGV, Engineering qualifications Etc, Etc. I asked, are you going to dig holes for the council, lay roads, security work (Boring!) & when they & realised This logic, it soon levelled things out! I also discovered that when they pushed my too far one night when on duty as canteen cowboy. I WAS the hardest man in the world when I went back to my Armourers shop & came back with my own 9mm pistol & stuck it under the biggest mouthed guy in the room! No problems towards ME from then on! I agree, that on Operational momentum, EVERYONE is working together on the battlefield! A shame it's not like that ALL the time! :-(

Looks more like a Mobile Toilet!......:-D

Thats because the head of the Firearms Office at HQ Lewes, is a Ex-Traffic Divison Inspector. A right Tos*er called (Best I leave it blank!) who knows very little about Firearms. But THINKS he does! He once enquired about Expanding Ammo from my Father who is an Acknowledged Expert in the Firearms field. He wanted to know why hollowpoints expanded & 'Normal' Ball ammo doesnt?? My Father explained, that ALL Ammo expands!! What he meant was to enquire about HOLLOW POINTED ammo. Which DOES expand at a greater rate! If you cannot get a .303" variation on your cert, then just put in for a 7.7mm Variation. (Metric Equivelent of imperial .303") & they grant it! Marvelous how society is protected by people who dont even know thier own rules!! :yay:

Ian, After doing litterally hundereds of 'Pack Lifts' on 432's. I can only tell you at this stage of your problem. It would appear to be a starter motor problem. The symptom you discribe is typical of a s/motor begining to break down. The temperetures in the engine bay when under normal running conditions are immense! I often wondered how these machines kept running, such is the heat that is generated. That is why they are fitted with a heat exchanger. It would be a pack out job to change it anyway. So, if all cables & connections have been checked & found ok. It woule appear to be the s/motor. They are either go like you mention, or, the solinioid appears to stick. In either case, if you take the kindney plate out which is situated in the rear left (Looking forward) of the troop carying area. You should be able to reach the starter motor with a hammer & give it a clout! this works for the solinoid prob. BUT, does not always work with the symptom you discribe for a heat related area. If failing when hot, it is probably the inetrnal insulation/wiring that is failing. Or the wiring on it's solinoid. It is very difficult to tell otherwise pretty much anything without a pack lift. When out, it is an ideal oppertunity to check evrything else also. Tighten hose clamps, check electrical plugs & connections Etc. I hope this helps, but most things engine related, = Pack out! Good luck. Mike....:coffee:

Are you clear on your description of 'A Buckle on top of the 'Frog'. do you mean a Black plastic SCABBARD. Or a plain green or DPM Cammo pattern nylon webbing 'Over Scabbard'? If it's the Over Scabbard you refer to as a 'Frog'. Then the scabbard or Sheath to give it, it's INCORRECT title. Slips INSIDE the over scabbard / frog & the Male half of the buckle rotates over 180 dgrees & clips into the TOP of the plastic scabbard to retain it. On the rear of the overscabbard/ frog is usually a pair of brass 'C' hooks. also a web belt loop. The hooks are for positioning the frog/ overscabbard sheath to equipment or CBA wherever the wearer desires. The over scabbard usualy has a label inside calling it a FROG. There is available, a large black plastic clip which also clips into the top of the black plastic bayonet scabbard when the bayonet is worn with parade dress (No:2's) which enables attachment to a green nylon belt. I hope this clarifies things & is of some use to you? Mike....:coffee:

Good Move John, Not many mototists on the Motorway can actually drive! :shocked: Some of the vehicles we drive can sometimes seem VERY interesting to people who have never seen one before. The ensuing 'Rubber Necking' could cause a situation where there may be an accident through a momentry lapse of driving concentration! I always use one with a magnetic base fitting on my Ferret. You know yourself the attention one gets from onlookers when they see one of those!!!!!! :yay: Easily removed at shows/ displays in a second! :thumbsup: Mike.

I never took much notice in Service. You dont always when your priority is a certain repair. You dont always have the time (Or can be interested, after all it's a Military bit of kit in your daily job!) to check out things other than what your tasked to repair. I can only assume that privately owned vehicles recieve the usual care & maintainance lavished upon them that an in Service example wouldnt! I know that You Chris, would clean your filters a Damm sight more regularly than a driver/ crew member would! You have to think that a Squaddie will only do what he can get away with. No more, if possible. His mind set is, 'It's not mine, & after all the Army is a big firm'. Anything goes wrong in general. HE, doesnt' have to put his hand in his pocket! As for private owners, WELL......As we ALL know. That's an entirely different matter!!! Good luck on sensibly pricing a new set of pads Chris! :thumbsup:

Well at least you know they are VERY easy to get at & replace Chris! Obviously, you are going to check the disc's before fitting new pads? :-D RE: Hull Drain Cover. I seem to recall when I had my Scorpion, there was a 'Valve' or manual hull drain plate/cover. I cant remember if you put your foot on a Button to open it via a cable. Or, it was on the front by the Tillers that you turned a screwed knob & it opened the valve to drain water. I think it was probably the latter. This was for the driver to operate after exiting water after the vehicle had deep waded, or swimming in the early days when they were all fitted with screens. Never had to look under the hulls of our Sampsons or Spartens. Only scorp's & Scim's! Yours may possibly not have this facility if it is a later manufacture & they did away with the valve? But, It did make life easier to drain the hull whenever you wanted! :yay: Mike.

OOPS! Cheers Chris, Typo!!! I crewed enough of them to know how to spell it's damm name! The winch was not a great sucess in Service, & we used to remove it & use the vehicle basicaly as a prime mover for towing casualties back for repair. This left a bit more usefull space a bit like a Sparten to carry our personal gear. Still, it was still a CVR(T) range toy & great fun to drive. Mike. :thumbsup:

Now THAT, i would be very interested in seeing! :cool2: It's not like your making anything up Neil. There is documented publicly viewed evidence on this 'Project'. It is a contencious issue due to timescales, age, producing docs from 'The company' stating what 'Restoration' was done Etc. Word against word, BUT, SOMETHING positive should be offered back to you, surely? I suspect what the final answer is going to be from 'them'. But, I empathise with your position & there should be SOME positive outcome for you. I sincerely hope. Genuinely Sent, good luck to you.. :yay: Mike.

Only trouble is what the heck are we all going to read about now on the forum? :confused: Well, a new thread that I would imagine will be a protracted series. May well be seeing the letter to a 'certain company'. and the ensuing replies that they send back to Neil!!!...............:whistle: should make for some VERY interesting reading!.....................:cool2: Mike.

The only way you would really know this is with the vehicle history cards. As you are aware, a lot of scorpions were later converted into Sabre configuration. I know for a fact, one of the Scorps had a wheel staion blown off and track broken when it went through a minefield. Crew unhurt. It was recovered by the sampson & very quickly repaired & put back into action. There is a well known photograph of a R.E.M.E soldier standing on the engine deck of the sampson on the Falklands. This was taken in Stanley right at the end of the conflict. They guy in question was a personal friend of mine when I knew him from a previous unit we both served with at the same time. A Corporal then, & when I encountered him a few years later a Sergeant when I was at the School of Infantry in Warminster. He regailed me of REAL stories of how it all REALLY was for him in that conflict! There was also a scorpion at S.E.M.E in the BDR wing (Battle Damage Repair) with a large hole blown in the front Armour & also a damaged Rad grill. This was from the first Gulf war. The damage was from (Again!) friendly fire! a 30mm A/T round went through the front lower hull, hit the trans/ steering unit. Broke it, & ricoceted up through the radiator & exited. Crew unhurt! They simply replaced the trans/ steering unit & put the damaged one on a pallet in front of the vehicle for show. The hull damage was also left. I doubt it is still there, but you never know. I havent been back for 8 years! Mike.

Health & Hygine wasnt insisted on then with all the 'Progress'?? installed with todays 'Modern Fighting Forces'! My god, Blue Tardis'-es. How Bloody tactical! At least with a shovel Recce, the 'contents' broke down & turned into Nutrients for the soil/ ground. I bet Troops will be issued with surgical rubber gloves to have a Pee with next! A microwave to gamma iradiate the toilet paper with first. The powers that be, dont know what to waste money on next! Etc, Etc...... Rant, Rave... disbelife....Etc...:???

Wouldnt mind checking out thier 'Webbing' set's either!!!!! :-D

Im sure I saw an article on the news a few months back. About that top Observation bunker being restored & converted for the Coastguard. I may be wrong, unless there is another further along the clifftop. :??? Where Battleorders used to be based in Willingdon near Eastbourne. At the rear during WWI was an Airship mooring point also, so I was informed by an elderly local when I was up there a while back. I would think there would be more info at the local Council archives? should anyone wish to investigate? Mike

Is this actually 100% comming into force? Any published confirmation at all? I wouldnt be in the least suprised! ANOTHER piece of EU Legislation that we will HAVE to comply with, no doubt? Shame we cant' comply with EU Firearm legislation. IE: We COULD have semi-Auto Military rifles, Handguns ETC......... A good example of this govenments pick & mix choice of rules. Again, it's benifits the Governments purposes, but NOT the voting public they 'Serve'???? :-\

Lee, You forgot to mention hugely inflated gate entry prices! :shocked: Guess who never went.......:cool2:

Phew, Thats alright then Robert! Guess most will have to look forward to: Filthy Toilets, Non running water to the handbasins, Over priced food, overflowing Bins, Etc, Etc........:-D