simonm

You mentioned stringing him on a bit, I'm all for that but in your case is it a case of "he knows where you live" take care. Where you are able to maintain anonymity scambaiting can be great fun, see: http://www.419eater.com and have a read of the letters archive

Alternatively a polytunnel? But, whatever you use, Ex MOD tent etc. Make sure it is very firmly secured. I did, also securely tied to my Saracen, but for one night when I was moving stuff, we had storm and I spent the night pulling an 18 by 24 tent out of a tree! I had the Flu at the time so the hot flushes were helpfully cooled by the freezing wind! (Always look on the positive side!)

Thanks from me to Joris. I tried both AVG free and paid for, real improvement when removed. I'll have a go with the MS next and see how that performs.

While AVG is free and works okay, it can really slow down your PC. I've moved on to BullGuard, but realistically, any anti virus will protect your PC, the thing to watch now is the extent to which it works in the background and doesn't become an irritation in itself.

Hydraulic reservoir same as fluid flywheel Morris Liquimatic No 1 http://www.morrislubricantsonline.co.uk/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=125&product=Liquimatic+No+1+ISO+10+Hydraulic+Oil I put Hypoid 90 in my wheel stations Gearbox, haven't needed to top up, but would most likely use 90. and when it comes to greasing the wheel stations, Richard advised the same 90 grade rather than grease as this will flow through the long connections easier (Richard, grateful for clarification on these) Also, lots of pictures here that might help identify where things need to go back: http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?23939-Ok!-now-I-have-a-new-Fluid-Flywheel-for-my-ailing-Saracen-I-want-to-fit-it!/page4&highlight=saracen

I had to do a double take and go and remind myself of my Mk 1/2 Ferret's original Reg. 00 EC 28 just not close enough. But have a look here: http://www.military-vehicle-photos.com/picture/number8221.asp I did a google search "00 EC 98" there's also some images on the Tank Museum website somebody has made some adjustments as it now has a turret.

The closest I would venture is a Hummel but with side armour cut back and wheels missing. Or something else based on the PzIV chassis

Hungarian! Of course. Just done an image search and the two that look like Pz IIs are "Turans" see: http://ww2total.com/WW2/Weapons/Vehicles/Tanks/Hungary/Turan/41M-Turan-II.htm

The two SPGs centre back look like Grilles The one marked 153, I think has its back to us. 154 ?? The light tank at the front left (of a Scimitar type shape) has its turret reversed? so we are seeing the rear, possibly a Panzer II ? Also the light tank upper right? (This really depends on how much it was developed during the war as not the same as the very early versions ) Top right a Panzer III

Amazing when you think that just putting a large tarp over that lot (of scrap), leave it for 60 years and it will turn in to £1million worth of historic vehicles! Also, the vehicle centre looks like a "Wespe" Self Propelled Gun, would normally have 10.5cm Gun. and the closer one, possibly a Grille? which would have a 15cm gun. The bit that looks like a dozer blade I guess is the rear of another vehicle

Also had a great time and thanks to the organisers and very friendly co-exhibitionists. I certainly learnt a lot more about Ferrets and met some lovely people. The quality of some of the vehicles is amazing and a clear incentive to keep sanding and brushing and painting and working to get it just so. Seems my Ferret is fairly uniquely original and well preserved - though a bit tatty. Whatever, I now know she can cope with Tiverton Hill! Only one day at Combined Ops as supporting Help for Heroes in Faversham with Saracen on the Sunday!

The stretch. How far can you reach to get that particular favourite spanner out of the Saracen engine compartment

I'll second "Phil Benham" what you will need to do to get the best price is accept that the lift will be when they have a vehicle going roughly from your area to that area that will otherwise be empty. ie a return empty or travelling to collect something. You might wait a week or so.

I'm now booked in with my Ferret. This will be my 1st proper MV show as previously have supported local shows and fetes. Only one day though, Saturday as will be also aiming to support the Help for Heroes car and boot fair at Faversham on the Sunday with the Saracen. Its going to be a hectic weekend, should be graet fun though!

Tripod and image stabiliser. Great comments, I was very careful not to strain having just put a new flywheel oil seal in, just used the momentum of the Saracen. Great fun and a few more trees to ge.

Got followed into Sainsbury's car park by a police patrol car, nor more than being very interested in an interesting vehicle. Stopped and had a long chat.

Simple solution is to use the DVLA online facility. Quick and easy.

and [video=youtube_share;lkg0pZR6MAQ]

Hi All I needed to remove some trees, ideally roots and all. What better use than a Military vehicle, military cable and military chain. [video=youtube_share;KusmJKNmFaA] Actually this harks back to what started my "obsession" for Saracens. Back in the early 70s I remember a news clip that showed an IRA roadblock, a big 3 tonner loaded with rubble. Saracen comes along and pushes it out of the way without even pausing!

Perhaps I'm echoing what has been said above, but surely the whole point of removing pre 1960 vehicles, not just military, was because we as collectors had shown ourselves to be overwhelmingly trustworthy (there's always an exception). Having an alternative "specialist test" undermines that decision. As to the value of the MOT, again to echo what has been said, it is no more than a snapshot, the vehicle can develop a fault on the way home from the test. Case in point, my own jeep which gets a fair proportion of its miles going too and from the test centre, had the lining of a brake shoe seperate on the way home, of course it was put off road until it was safely fixed. Otherwise I had a full years MOT on a clearly unroadworthy vehicle. Anyway, my Ferret and Saracen have never had an MOT, both are checked each time they go on the road, even if it just to get the newspaper! I have no doubt this is common within this community. But, as to the comment that started this thread, I think it was valid and right to be raised. I disagree with the suggestion, but that is the point of free discussion.

Hi All, a bit late to help with the ailing saracen, but I wanted to comment on the option of drawing the engine forward rather than all the way out. In my case the engine was running great, starts on the button - once the petrol has been pumped through - but a dodgy fluid flywheel seal. 3 years of topping up on a regular basis then various attempts with interesting magic seals that you put in with automatic transmission fluid and finally a realisation that the seal had to be done. I had already replaced the seal on my ferret, then the gasket, but that was by removing the gearbox not engine, its a MK1/2 so not that difficult (LOL). As to the paper gasket, I used gasket goo and then ran ptfe tape (the thicker gas type) all the way round twice before re joining the two halves of the flywheel. Also, when removing the flywheel seal retaining plate, there are two threaded holes which are used to tighten a couple of bolts into to push the plate out, do it very very slowly and evenly so that there is no risk of cracking the plate. Back to the Saracen, I have a very good engine crane, certainly enough extension to take the engine all the way out, but its just me doing the job and its outside and my experince is the more bolts and stuff taken off the more left over at the end of the job. So, by removing grill, fan assembly, front engine support, drivers seat, not too many panels to get access to the flywheel, yes you can change the seal without taking the engine all the way out. Note the two rails that the front of the gearbox and rear of the engine sit on, just slide the engine froward on these while supporting at the front with crane. Working on the flywheel / seal is fiddly, especially working around the steering assembly, and fortunately in hindsight, for me the right thing to do. However I'm not sure that there would be enough room to completely remove the flywheel. I replaced the seal with a John Deare equivalent that has a dual seal. The large washer that holds the seal in with the retaining plate can simply be reversed to make it fit. Anyway, so far so good, though there is not anything that would go wrong more so than taking the engine all the way out. What slowed the whole operation down has been this dreadful wet weather, I'm working outside, most weekends it has rained and the job has sat out there waiting. Its now fired up and been manouvered, all fine so far! And no puddle of fluid!!! Here's a whole load of pictures taken during the project https://plus.google.com/photos/103108505805474614266/albums/5665617871700136369?authkey=CI2miu7a2Izefw Hope all this helps somebody Simon

Hi, I thought a note on what can go wrong if compressed air was used that had traces of oil in it. Many years ago 1983ish when I worked in the oil industry I was offshore Port Said, about halfway between Egypt and Cyprus. Part of the equipment on the oil rig is a mud pump, a very powerful machine that pumps drilling fluid (bentonite mud) so that it circulates through the drill string and then up the drilled hole cleaning out the drilled cuttings. This pump had the equivalent of accumulators such as will be seen on the Saracen, in the Saracen's case to have a reserve of pressure, in the mud pump to balance out the reciprocations of the piston. The accumulator in this case was a huge steel ball shaped device with a bolted plate on top that was at least 1.5 inches thick. The mud engineer had topped up the pressure from cylinders marked nitrogen but in fact had been filled locally with air. When the pump started, the accumulator exploded, driving the top cap (having stripped 10 or so very large bolts) through a cable duct and on through the ri floor, another inch or so of steel. I remember all this very vividly as just 2 hours before I was working directly above and in the path of the top cap. Basically, compressed air with even the smallest amount of oil under high pressure is explosive. The pictures show before and after, and the cap with a hand to show scale and some of the damage

If you need to replace the CV joints, the old Ford Transit CV joint is an exact match.

Sun's out and I'm back to the taking out stage. Engine is running well and its only the fluid flywheel that is the problem so I'm aiming to be able to move it about the 6 inches or so forward to replace the seal, otherwise its engine all the way out for the sake of it. Just pressure washed so I'm not going to be too black by the end of this.

Must have been a captured one, Going back to "South Pacific" the hairstyles were also from the wrong era, but matching in well with the M38!