oily

Dear All, It is with great sadness, and deep regret that I feel I should inform you all that my dear Dad, 'Bob' Kill passed away in the early hours on 9th August, 2011. This was a terrible shock to my family and I, and we are all deeply upset..... My mother, Joan Kill has lost her dear husband, and my brothers and sister have lost our very, very much-loved dad. Although Dad was not a very 'active' member of our forum, he spent many an afternoon perusing the various posts, particularly those concerning Daimler Ferrets, ....which were his favourite vehicles when he was a serving soldier, back in the 1950's and early 60's. Earlier this year, at Overlord Military Vehicle Show, Denmead, Dad was lucky enough to get an extremely unexpected chance to have what turned out to be his last-ever drive of a Ferret Scout Car, belonging to Rob Soar, -a very kind chap, and a very dear friend of mine. Dad said to me "Do you think Rob will mind if I see if I can still get into a ferret?" (for the record, Dad had 1/2 an artificial right leg....), and with not much problem, he was soon in the drivers seat! Rob had, -unbeknown to Dad, overheard, and once Dad was in place, commented "Ok, soldier!, seeing as you are in my ferret, you can take it into the arena, for a spin!" Dad's face was an absolute picture!... and couldn't believe his luck!.... and with me as his 'commander', we proceeded slowly through the showground, and Dad drove the ferret around the arena for 1/2 an hour or more.... happily reliving his youth, from when he drove them in Aden, whilst serving with the Aden Protectorate Levies, when he was in the 3rd The King's Own Hussars. Skipping forward a few months, I look back at that day, and remember how happy Dad looked, grinning from ear to ear, as he peeped out through the drivers hatch of Rob's Ferret..... Thanks to Rob, a true soldier got one of his last wishes to come true.... And now, even though Dad has gone to his last posting with the Almighty God, he will forever be in our hearts and thoughts, and we will treasure our many happy memories of him for always... Rest In Peace, Dad, all my love Matthew xxx:cry:

Hi Richard, I'll ask my mate who works for 'Lawsons' Engineering Supplies, in Southampton....:cool2:

brilliant!:-D

ah! on my second look at the clip I saw it's at Jacksons.... were my saracen came from, before Ian Young had it!... I'll have to look again, and see if I can see my one amongst them....

where is THAT?!!!!!!.... look at allthem lovely Saracens!!!!!:cool2:

handbooks say 60Amp/h, I use 096 Batteries in mine, I think they fit Ford Transits, as regards rating, mine are 70 Amp/h, and it always starts, even after not being used for 3-4 months..... you are probably looking at £130 or so for a pair of new ones...:-D

I did mine a couple of years back with normal tools. Can you post a couple of pics to show what you are trying to do, and I will see if I can remember how I did mine.

I once drove my Saracen from Winchester, to Sherfield English, via the tight winding lanes on the outskirts of Romsey,... fault wasn't a really serious one, but quite nerve-racking.... it was about 10.00pm, on a cold winters night, icy roads and only my n/s headlamp was working!... I couldn't swap it to the o/s as I'd left my tools at home!....

Try squirting Bradex Easy-Start into the intake grilles... they are inside, high up on the drivers bulkead, either side of the steering wheel, and tucked behind the instruments and switch panel... if it stars on the easy-start it'll be the fuel issue, and if you need to rebuild the pump, it's a fiddly job, and awkward to get at it's under the throttle pedal floor plate, on the side of the engine.

I run a Saracen, and it's fluid requirements are similar to a Ferrets'. In 5 years, I've done just over 1500 miles, and so far have just topped up when required. Transfer Box - once, and since then level, viscosity and appearance of oil has not changed. Engine -as and when required. I have just removed the engine in order to replace Fluid flywheel seals, and have drained the engine oil, it seems ok, looks like weak black coffee colour, and again viscosity seems same as new, but I will put fresh oil back in and use the old engine oil for my oil can, and random lubrication of garage stuff, and hatches etc... I willl be replacing the gearbox oil, since even though the level never changed from the day I bought it, I suspect it's been filled with either auto transmission fluid or OM13, I've checked inside the box and it's still fresh and clean, almost as the day it was made, (1983)..... I would say, as long as you get it nice and warm when you use it, you could probably change it every 2000 miles. These engines were designed to use a little oil, anyway, so the constant check, top-up, should in theory almost rule out complete oil changes, save for the oxidisation that sometimes occurs in used motor oil left for long periods of non-use....

....oh and a dingo, for everyday use;)

I'd buy another Saracen, but a Mk 1, this time, as it's lighter than my Mk 5. I would get a B81 and fit that in it to see how much more responsive it would be. Then I'd buy a nice Stolly, a Mk 2, and fit it with a nice powerful modern diesel turbo engine, and get some engineering bod to make me up some sort of gizmo for either dis-engaging the drive on all wheels or some fancy extra diffs to eliminate the old wind-up problem, (and if it worked, I'd retro-fit the same system to the saracens) I'd get a troop of Ferrets, (including a Mk 1, altered so my dad can drive it with his one good leg....). I'd do my Class 1, and get a nice unit, with a decent low-loader, (which will have a nice living-van portion on it, to keep the Mrs happy at shows!)... and if i had any change left, I'd buy my mate John Martin's lovely FV432, and maybe a Centurion, too.:cool2:

All good, seems we could be getting somewhere here...

thanks... good ideas! keep them coming!....

hello all you technically minded people, - here's a little puzzle for you all. My 74 yr old Dad, Bob Kill is a registered disabled driver, who is able to drive automatic cars only, his current vehicle is a 2.4ltr Volvo C30, it has a fold-down throttle pedal for use with Dad's left foot, since his right lower-leg is a false one. He copes remarkably well with this arrangement, and walks without any walking stick or crutches. The fact he only has 1 and 1/2 legs is only apparent when he sits down, and the artificial knee joint shows up as 2 'bulges' in the knee of his right leg. Recently, at 'Overlord 2011', another forum member, and colleague from S.O.E. (the show's organisers), let my Dad climb in his trusty, (and slightly crusty!), Ferret. When the show had finished for the day, and members of the public had dispersed, 'ax40', let my Dad tootle-off to the now deserted arena, with me as 'commander'. My Dad drove Ferrets, Saracens, and Centurions, (and other vehicles too), 50 odd years ago, when he was serving in the Queens Own Hussars, and 3rd The Kings Own Hussars, previous to that, so you could say he knows more than a little bit about these vehicles.... Anyways, -heres to my main reason for this post,.... Dad is umm-ing and ahh-ing, as to whether it would be feasible to easily and cheaply convert/adapt the pedal controls in a Ferret as follows: Modify Throttle Pedal to allow operation by left foot, (leaving original in place to allow right-foot operation). Modify Brake Pedal for operation by either left or right foot (so normally abled driver can use it. Next comes the stumbling block:.... if there is provision for a left foot brake pedal, it would possibly encroach on the space needed for the GCP, (Gear Change Pedal), making the pedal area a little 'crowded' I think, looking at the space available it might be just possible to do this mechanically, but also I was wondering if there's any way the GCP could be operated pneumatically, for when Dad is driving, and by the pedal, when a normally able driver is using it? Of course I realise there is no standard engine driven air supply on a Ferret, as there is on a Saracen (Tyre pump), but I think an electric compressor could be rigged up, and hidden in a side bin, to provide a suitable compressed air source. Any thoughts or constructive ideas are welcome. Dad has been thoroughly 'bitten', by the Ferret-bug, and is thinking of selling his car to fund: a) my sister Debs' Wedding, b) finish the restoration/modification of his Trojan 200 bubblecar, (which I'm so far successful with,-replacing it's original 198cc engine and manual gearbox with a modern 250cc scooter engine with CVT belt transmission) and since driving the Ferret again, c) buying and adapting a Ferret Mk1,(turretless for ease of access) We are also wondering about the legality of such a conversion, since there is probably no commercially available kit to convert/adapt a Ferret in this manner. Can you all rack you brains and feed me your opinions/ideas? maybe we can get an 'Old Soldier', back on the road, or maybe just round the arenas at shows? many thanks, oily

Hi, Mr 'Tired and Dirty Ferret', from Mr 'Currently in pieces Saracen':undecided:

pretty much all of it,...... painting, welding/fabrication, sand/gritblasting, bodywork, and mechanical stuff, also housework and cooking...lol!

Some great comments coming our way....keep 'em coming... Exhibitors at our show 'OVERLORD', are always treated as guests..... If you didn't turn up we'd not have a show! Please, come again next year, ...who knows, maybe some of you might actually join our 'Band of Brothers,(and sisters!)...

Well you are all more than welcome to join in our show, next year, at OVERLORD 2012 ! A real show, for real enthusiasts, put on by real enthusiasts, and yes, we are the best of both worlds!....

I had a little snoop about at the new showground the other day, and I am very much looking forwards to attending what promises to be another great show. Sadly i am not able to attend with the other 'great love of my life', as my Saracen is currently in pieces while I set about replacing its 'incontinent' fluid flywheel,.... I will be bringing along my other new purchase, a 9x9 command tent, -luxury accomodation, for Nikki, my 'understanding' and 'enthusiastic' fiancee:angel:, my son Brad:laugh: is also coming. I will be driving down in my 'psuedo' 'Prototype Springer-Buggy, sort of lookalike':drive:,...... so I hope it stays dry! See you all there!

Happy Birthday, Richard!

just looked at the box,.... mine is an 'ORBITOR', Prospector T200. Water resistant coil. Auto calibration. Auto discrimination between ferrous and non-ferrous. LCD Backlit display. Ear phone jack. Does not rely on motion, so pinpointing is easy. Detects coins to 9" deep, and larger objects to 30".

hi Clive, I too have recently 'delved' into the wonders of metal detecting, -thanks to my lovely fiancees Christmas present to me last year. I'm not sure, in the scale of things, where my detector falls in the 'Which' metal detector to buy, but it defineately works, it's light and easy to use, and discriminates well between precious/ferrous/non-ferrous quite well. the 1st time I used it, we found about £5 in pound coins and change, down on Calshot beach, amongst the shingle.... I think I'll be taking it with me to 'Overlord Show', this year, maybe I'll find some more loose change!..... or even some much needed saracen tools/parts! lol! hope to see you there? Regards, Matt

I always only ever use satin, synthetic paint on my saracen, it's cheap. I just get it mixed up as necessary from my local paint supplier 'Autopaint', of Lowford, near Burseldon, Southampton. It lasts very well, and has an excellent resistance to scuffs and scratches, as previously said, by others, a quick wipe over with WD-40, Duck Oil, or even diesel will bring the slight sheen back. I generally give my saracen a retouch/repaint every 2-3 years...... but then again it is kept outside, under tarpaulins, so the cold/damp effect it's paint more then something kept in a nice warm garage....

Hi all, Apparently there is a special tool for accomplishing this task, which allows removal of the lower pulley assembly, by all accounts it is like a large bolt which screws into the internal thread on the front of the pulley, whilst the other end bears onto the nose of the crank, and pushes the pully off the tapered end of the crank shaft. taking the pulley off allows removal of the oil tank, which in turn will provide the shifting-forward clearance required to remove engine from saracen.... just when I thought, "this is all coming to bits quite easily!" Does anybody have one I could beg/borrow/steal/buy?