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MiketheBike

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Everything posted by MiketheBike

  1. lesson #1: If after correcting everything you can think could be wrong, go back to basics. OK, so there were quite a few things wrong that could make my Ferret have poor top end performance. 1. The Altitude setting on the carb was stuck at 6000ft....fixed 2. Carb was full of crud....dismantled and cleaned 3. Carb pump assembly diaphrams perished....replaced 4. Fuel pump leaking petrol into oil....replaced 5. Two spark plugs were duff....fixed 6. Timing way off...adjusted by ear 7. Tyres running between 4 and 6 psi....pumped up I still want to check the timing (although I cannot seem to be able to find the timing marks on the flywheel), but today a revelation, and the Ferret almost flies....back to basics Mick!!! I checked to see if the carb was opening up correctly...linkages all nice an free at the carb....press the accelerator pedal...only about half to two thirds of full movement at carb. All the bolts holding the linkages down on the floor in the footwell were a mile too long, so the mountings were moving. Removed and shortened bolts...hey presto. It was kinda deceiving, because when I pushed the accelarator linkage to full travel at the carb, I could see the pedal move OK, and hit the stop on the floor. Its when the pedal was pushed (with a broom so I could see the carb) that the penny dropped. :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: Thanks to you guys for being soooo patient with me. Mick
  2. What the hell do you do for a living to be able to: 1. Afford all these vehicles 2. Be able to play all the time I'm jealous!!!
  3. I often wondered about having a small(ish) explosive charge in my car stereo, that would be activated if the power was disconnected....but thought better of it....this in the rear should do it though!
  4. Rather than B&Q or any of those places, try http://stores.ebay.co.uk/OWLIGHTING I bought some CCD cameras, with infrared from them ages ago, comes with software to hook up with a PC, and also bought a 4 port card to connect it up. They are pretty helpful. The ones I bought are still there, item number 300110227138 The quality in light conditions is real good, and the night vision is pretty damn good also. The PC only records when it detects movement, so you are not eating huge amounts of disk space....or you can hook up to a VHS/DVD recorder. The fact that you have a camera up might even dissuade them (they also sell dummy box or dome cameras. I know what you mean about schools. When I got caned or slippered at school, I didn't dare tell my folks as I knew I would get the same again from them! Now teachers cannot even tell them off without fear of having the parents come down and give them a mouthful!
  5. Brian, since I started contemplating buying one a few years ago, they appear to have steadily increased in value, although I am not looking at it as an investment I am pretty sure i will get my money back plus more if i ever sell. I have just joined AA roadside recovery, as the Ferret is less than 3.5 tons they will cover you on a standard policy. I will still carry a full compliment of spares, as they will most likley not carry the ferret specific stuff (like points, rotor arm etc). But its not like "the black box blew up" in a modern car....its going to be something kinda obvious that you can fix, or get trailored. I guess there are going to be some things where AA roadside assistance might help, just from another pair of hands point of view...like changing the wheel :-) or fan belt, as that looks like a mare! Mick
  6. Chris, is that the inspection hole for the fluid flywheel? I have got it kind of right by ear, but I am worried that the synchronisation plate has been moved and would like to see what the static timing for cyclinder 1 and cylinder 6 tells me. Thanks, Mick
  7. yet another question...sorry guys! How do I check the ignition timing on a Ferret? I cannot see the timing mark on the flywheel (I can just about see the teeth). Or is there some trick to viweing the timing mark? Do you just set up the static timing as best you can (by looking down into cyclinder one, and getting TDC kinda right)? How do I (or can I) check if the centrifugal weights that advance the timing are working correctly without using a timing lamp? I also want to check that the synchronising plate has not been moved (the red paint has been broken on the fixing screws), and without seeing the timing marks on the flywheel is getting the piston at TDC close enough for this check? Thanks, Mick
  8. While we are on the subject.....will landrover 101 tyres fit the Ferret (900 x 16)
  9. Brian, its hard to change, because it weighs a flippin ton. I got the spare back up onto mine, but I nearly had a prolapse doing it, but I'm not reknowned for my superhuman strength! I got the tyre fitters up the road here to change a tube for me as I had heard getting the rim apart and tyre off can be a difficult job. Next time I will give it a go though.
  10. Brian, I would agree with Chris and Lee, they are real easy to drive. Visibility actually surprised me...you have to move your head about, but its pretty good and easy to drive solo. I have been driving mine to work in fairly heavy traffic with no problems. Like Chris said, the steering wheel looks kinda odd at first, but it makes steering much easier and is comfortable. And it takes up less room on the drive than a large saloon car. getting all the correct oils/fluids is easy enough if you have a decent motor factor's near you that deals with classic motors (the one near me...Unity Motors, have most of it on the shelf).
  11. Brian, I am also new to the forum (and MV ownership....a ferret!!). I am no mechanic, but so far its all basic stuff, and you just need to get your head around the pre-select...but I have to say it only took a few miles to get the hang of it and it appears to me a better way to chaneg gears!! As you may already have noticed, the guys on here have a wealth of experience and are glad to share it. If (when) you do buy one, be prepared to pick the flies out of your teeth after each run :-D
  12. well, I got the fluid flywheel tool.....kinda briliiantly simple really. I guess that is wind-up and the fluid flywheel out of the equation. Timing is my next stop. I checked the distributer, and referencing the field repairs handbook, it says if there is no red paint on the screws holding the synchronising plate it may have been messed with....well there is no paint. How do I set check the TDC via flywheel markings? I can just about see the teeth on the flywheel, but don't have a hope in hell of seeing the timing markings. Is it a case of removing the spark plug in #1 cylinder and trying to get that at TDC? Mick
  13. Richard, who? Salvage Squad or someone else? Am I being unkind then? :cry: Mick
  14. Salvage Squad will have that up and running for Beltring :whistle: But seriously...do people really take on projects like that? It looks a hopeless case, there really appears to be nothing left!
  15. Oh yes...reminds me ofthat cringeful interview on Des O'conner with Stan Boardman!! :-) :-) :-)
  16. hey, I saw that go swimming during the credits! Well,,,splashing!
  17. I NEVER believe anything on TV. They just "happened" to find the two missing links from the track, that just happened to be held together ready for the links to be inserted....I bet thats happened to you guys before? Its was good to watch, in a "reality TV" sort of way. I did watch the Comet restoration later...now that was good.
  18. If it takes you longer than two weeks to restore an MV, you should be ashamed of yourself!!! I just watched salvage squad and they restored a Centurion in two weeks, so why is it taking you guys soooo long to restore yours! :-D :-D I think Nick Meade played down his talents just a little bit, even to the point of claiming he did not know what AVRE stood for. He must have been biting his tongue for most of the filming ;-)
  19. I think its an interesting question, not from a "measurement/statistics" point of view, but just from a "these are the types of guys/girls invloved". If we asked "how many women are interested in MVs", it would not get an adverse reaction? Anyhow, that said, I think just being interested in Armour is what floats my boat...god only knows why! My main obstacles were (and still are) cash and dry storage (getting the kids on my side helped in the eventual "wearing the wife down" process :roll: ) I would not say I had a huge interest in war (although I have some strong views about how we (mis)treat our current and old troops and their families!!!) I have more interest in the machinery, the mechanics and the sheer scale of the engineering. My view of a nice looking machine appears to be ugly in others eyes (pigs, saracens etc), although the ferret is kinda cute. So there you have it.....two trips to Beltring, got hooked on wheeled armour (from a couple of displays, one behind that hotdog stand in that little field...all very nicely set out) and speaking to a few guys who were passionate about showing me their vehicles, getting poorer as each week goes by, but grinining every time I go out in it. sorry...what was the question?
  20. The train was quite crowded, so a U.S. Marine walked the entire length looking for a seat, but the only seat left was taken by a well-dressed, middle-aged, French woman's poodle. The war-weary Marine asked, "Ma'am, may I have that seat?" The French woman just sniffed and said to no one in particular, "Americans are so rude. My little Fifi is using that seat." The Marine walked the entire train again, but the only seat left was under that dog. Please, ma'am. May I sit down? I'm very tired." She snorted, "Not only are you Americans rude; you are also arrogant!" This time the Marine didn't say a word; he just picked up the little dog, tossed it out the train window, and sat down. The woman shrieked, "Someone help me put this American in his place!" An English gentleman sitting nearby spoke up, "Sir, you Americans seem to have a penchant for doing the wrong thing. You hold the fork in the wrong hand. You drive your autos on the wrong side of the road. And now, sir, you seem to have thrown the wrong bitch out the window."
  21. Clive....darnit...I nearly had it....NOT!!! next!
  22. Nothing along the lines of James Bond's jetpack from Thunderball? Are items 350 in figure two significant, or are they just holding the tank in pace within the sphere?
  23. dammit Clive!!! OK, are they detonators or something on the front? Is that why it needs to travel in a particular orientation, to keep them forward facing? Is it used against something on land or in the air? Mick
  24. You say its about 2ft diameter, and its a weapon. Does it rely purely on its speed and weight to cause destruction, or is it some kind of defensive/decoy weapon? There does not appear to be any sort of payload...explosive or otherwise? Is the water cooling to make it stealthy...so the device has minimal heat signature?
  25. Richard, yes I read that: The Japanese R&D team put the machines together, following the German instructions, and... there was something very bizarre and other-earthy standing in front of them -- a ball shaped flying device without wings or propellers, that nobody knew how it flied. The fuel was added, the start button of this unmanned machine was pressed and it .... disappeared with a roar and flames without [into] the sky. The team never saw it again. The engineers were so frightened by the unexpected might of the machine, that they promptly dynamited the second prototype and choose to forget the whole incident." did seem to fit the bill, but a Japanese/German collaboration to build it was discounted in an earlier post, so I dropped that line of thought. Mick
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