simonm

Thanks. Useful about the MOT, might be a stumbling block. The actual sale prices, yes, I had looked and they still look reasonably attractive, then there is VAT and commission to add. Plus a good £1000 to drive it home, but that will be an adventure in its own right. Still thinking.

Thanks for this. It has developed into a productive line of research

I was wondering if anybody has had any experience of buying from the Dorotheum Pinzgauer auction. I suppose this should be on the "I may be stupid but ... " forum thread But I have rather fancied one for a few years. Obviously actually buying it is not the issue, they actually give guidance as to whether they are roadworthy or not. I expect I can insure pretty well same day, just add it to the fleet policy, also get there and drive it home, basically get to Calais and pay for a ticket. The missing thing is a legal number plate. To get me through Germany and France then 10 miles of England to Sandwich. Any thoughts or experience Simon

Its to reduce the chance of it being stolen. In the same way, whenever I park my soft top Land Rover, I always park it with the front wheels turned (with the steering lock on of course) so it can't be easily winched up on to a trailer.

Would that be a Bowman mobile (inter) phone?

Spotted in the Daily Mail (seemed the best thread rather than create a new one) Challenger 2 crushing a German civilian car near Lippe. The damage to the car was 12,000 euro, no mention of how much the tank will cost to repair. The link goes to the original report : http://www.epa.eu/disasters-photos/transport-accident-photos/tank-overruns-car-photos-51970271

Didn't this happen more recently with the Supacats prior to the 2nd Gulf war? I'm sure its not an urban myth.

I was going through an old shed and came up with Farmer's Weekly 9th April 1965 (50 years ago). Apart from the Jackson's fencing advert, a Kent company that has gone from strength to strength, the Farmer of the day was offered all sorts of ex military vehicles. The picture says it all, Austin Champs, Land Rovers from £225, Bedfords and Humbers. What did strike me was the selling off of relatively recent vehicles, anything with Rolls engine (almost certainly a B series) will be not much more than 10 years old. (No Saracens or Ferrets)

I go as a visitor rather than exhibitor, I keep meaning to take my Saracen but while it might get there - all down hill, I don't think it will get back, certainly not the last bit up to the top of the North Downs. Anyway, while W&PR has just about everything i want to see, maybe there were a few things that stuck in my mind as being incongruous. The posh classic cars all for sale through a posh classic car dealer taking pride of place - maybe have MVs that are for sale instead? Then in front of the grandstand, the vintage car show that was next to the army recruiting tents - though well done the army coming! On the entrance, a bit too much boot fair bric a brac than army surplus. At the Hop Farm, the Bric a brac was a right turn as you entered, Everything else was to the left. The MVs and static displays well they were all far away. But, taking into account the comment - what would you change? Not having to manage such a huge logistic enterprise, I would hate to comment - but.. What about a fenced off circuit going through the site that anybody exhibiting can join and drive around as and when? We, the public get to see a selection of MVs drive past, the exhibitors get to drive around without having to dodge the public. Just a thought and a way to deal with the huge site.

Forgive the humour but my first thought was "Pope Mobile"

Maybe its more a case of availability? There were few imported into the UK - no local wars during the few years that the M38 was built, so most remained in the US or were shipped out to Korea. My guess is that any in the UK will be like mine, bought in the sub continent then brought home to the UK. Or maybe disposed of from the US airbases. When did the US Military start destroying rather than selling its surplus vehicles? I'll hunt down / take some pictures

I've got an M38 (more accurately my wife has) . 1951 ex Korean war. We bought it back in 1995 when we lived in Pakistan, it was ex Pakistan Army and had been through many civilian hands, most recently before us the deputy head of the British Council in Islamabad. Ex Korean war as we know that after that war, a great many were disposed of in the direction of Pakistan. We shipped it back to the UK in 1998 and it is currently being revived after having been laid up over winter. Its pretty original apart from the carburettor and the rear axle which is from an M38A1. Also non standard exhaust, a WW2 style rather than the M38 which should go all the way to the rear of the jeep.

With a Ferret (as with Saracen etc) the thing that will go or has already failed and been replaced is the fluid flywheel seal. I've had to replace on both Saracen and Ferret. As to how to check? Actually I'm not sure of a fool-proof way that doesn't involve any extended inspection and testing, (maybe others have some advice here) unless it has failed badly and there is a puddle of whatever was last used to fill it, ideally Morris Liquimatic No1 . If it does fail, actually its not that bad a job fixing it, in simple terms its a case of moving the gearbox forward - lots of tin to remove and nuts bolts, but 2 hard days work. The Saracen is another thing entirely! Also check that the temperature gauge works. Ideally ask somebody who already has a Ferret to go with you when you inspect - that's the benefit of a Forum / group like this.

What with the image of the chaplain's truck and the soldier with the hand gun, reminded me of the story of the Popemobile that was commissioned to be built for the Popes trip to Peru "The Vatican commissioned a local firm to modify a Toyota, and their design included not only Kevlar bodywork and 5cm, bullet-proof Plexiglass, but also, at the front, mountings for a couple of machineguns." http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/popemobile-is-no-fired-up-holy-roller/story-e6frg6zo-1225925215318 Clearly they expected the Pope to fight back!

I tend towards Fetes and local shows. Not only do the kids love it - either the Ferret or the Saracen - but can actually touch and if they are parked on grass, can sit on the sides (they bounce if they fall off onto grass). The only rule i have is that parents MUST stand with kids at all times. I learnt early that it is all too easy to be taken advantage of. I actually had a Head Teacher come up and ask if I could display the Saracen at his school fete, he used the word portable climbing frame! No! What is best is the real veterans who come up and recount tales of driving or being ferried around in Ferrets and Saracens in variously Cyprus, Germany, the UK, NI. Being blown up in them, loving them and hating them. They are both still in need of more sanding, priming and painting but the overwhelming feeling from those who comment is that we (all of us who maintain and run and show our MVs) are doing a great job maintaining a bit of Britain's history and good luck. For me what is worst is when nobody comes up for a chat and to comment.

I've got a part working Larkspur system, radio and intercom and now got the headsets, but disconnected so not powered up. Overlaid with this is a pretty bog standard clansman with power box and two headset boxes allowing 4 headsets. Its so much easier and while it might not be strictly as per it left the military, well I'm not running a museum, anyway, a few snips of the zip ties and unbolting the coms boxes and its back to original.

I have no knowledge of the BRDM but the thing in favour of the Ferret Mk 1/2 (rather than turreted ferrets) is the ease of removing or moving the gearbox when the fluid flywheel seal fails, which they all do eventually. Last time I replaced mine it took a day to remove and a day to re-fit. As a fun vehicle, go for the Ferret, mines a 1/2. Also, while I don't know about spares across the pond, there is a wealth of willing virtual assistants who can advise. I suppose I am biased.

I've just tried my seat and unfortunately you might be stuck with a tight fit. I'm 5 foot 6inches and have just realised that the top of my head - when the seat is forward - is about an inch below a welded nut on the roof, I think i'll be wearing a helmet from now on. When I lower the seat. This is the effect of the seat going down and back a bit, I end up with about 3 inches above my head. If you are 6 foot, I guess that's your head touching the roof. Having had the seat out recently and oiled all the movements, I know it is moving freely.

I guess I have the same drivers seat and will have a look at where it is set and where my head comes to. As to being only 6 foot.. I raised mine so I could see out. On the subject of Saracens, has anybody replaced their exhuast? I guess mine has a couple more years but I have just had to weld up a crack in it.

Thanks, that would be really appreciated.

Hi, Sort of on this subject and to do with "barrels" where do we stand with smoke dischargers, the kind that are pretty standard on Ferrets and Saracens and other ex military vehicles?

Can I offer a bit of Karma .. I came close to buying a house, there was another interested party who the seller had promised to give a further 5 days to come up with the funds, they had been trying for months. We didn't have a problem and expected to get the house. But we were dissapointed and we all acted honoroubly. 6 months later the house was on the news under water... While we had gone on to buy another house that is just about as high in Kent as you can go

Hi Matt I would recommend "Try Not to Laugh Seargeant Major" by Roger McGowan and Jeremy Hands. It covers exactly this period and is very funny. It also takes a serious look at what NATO was facing. Simon

And to finish off the day, on the drive home she (12 tonnes of Saracen) conked out, just managed to coast away from blocking Faversham Road in Newnham. An awful noise, black smoke and then petered out and stopped! My guess was a vapour lock but that didn't explain the noise. A vapour lock as it was a very hot day and we had been going up and down hills and valleys. After a rest for an ice cream and to cool down she started but still made a huge noise, but not when idling. I got home - maybe I shouldn't have driven - but turned out to be a loose exhuast bracket, a bit of tightening, and all okay. I'll put it down to a bit of excitment. A bit worrying at the time!

Just come back from exhibiting my Saracen at a local country fair, got talking to the chap that ran the roundabout, all of 83 years old and lived next to one of the US airbases between Royston and Bishops Stortford in Essex. He said that they started with Lightnings and eventually had Flying Fortresses based there, when the Americans moved out, he said literally overnight abandoning a huge amount of kit. The base commander had told the locals to help themselves, including to a load of jeeps! Going on from this, apparently Studebaker Weasles are no good as agricultural vehicles! ( A little bit of research, I'm guessing RAF Nuthampstead) Being a fairground enthusiast - though a retired Farmer - he said that after the war, many of the anti aircraft gun bases were converted into fairground roundabouts! More than that, the octopus, thats the one with the hydraulic rams that make the capsules go up and down, again from anti aircraft guns, what better use for the rams ! On the smaller more gentle roundabouts, the drop tanks from fighter planes were in turn converted into the kids space ship / fighter planes. He said that during the war, if they came a cross a drop tank, this would be cut open and used as a rudimentary boat! As to Saracen's, one ex Saracen driver who used to drive them in Northern Ireland, recounted how he arrived in Belfast, totally forgot about driving on the left - no real clues in sitting in the middle - and rather irritated the locals on his 1st patrol. Also when driving along parked up roads, the protruding wheel stations made a mess of the sides of the cars. Another chap who was a trooper often in the back of Saracens, how in a convoy of three, the rearmost one was blown apart by a 1,000lb bomb (IED) his, immediately in front was pushed forward by the blast. Talking to people like this makes displaying worth it!