sirhc

Looks like a Vickers FV433 Abbot SPG. Chris

Mick, There are timing marks on the flywheel. If you can get someone to turn the engine over while you shine a light through the inspection hole you should be able to find it. I timed my engine by adusting the distributor a little bit at a time, starting it up and listening to it. Not the official way of doing it but you can pretty much time it by ear! There's a plug on the side of the distributor you can squirt oil in to lubricate the timing weights. Chris

That just means the internals have been protected with inhibiting oil. Turning it over would displace the oil. All reconditioned engines are supplied in this condition, to prevent corrosion etc when standing for a long time. Chris

Jack, There is a book of publishers you can buy, I forget the name but my brother has it. You will need to send a few chapters to hundreds of them and hope someone likes it! Chris

Richard, There is a priming lever on the fuel pump. Good luck in trying to reach it though! Chris

Brian, I suggest you go along to a few shows, there are plenty down in the South East. You will find MV owners are mostly a friendly bunch and will be more than willing to show you round a Ferret. I bought mine as a wreck when I was 18 and have been showing it for the last 5 years. I don't think I'll ever be able to sell it! Chris

Pete, Those scrap Spartans will be expensive, and they're totally bashed about now. Anything worthwhile has been stripped.... :-D and the stuff thats still on them is either bent, broken or smahed. If you want a Spartan, Sultan, Samson or Samaritan I can probably help though. They will be more expensive than Withams were charging, but they will also be nicer. As for the price of that Spartan at Withams? I'm not sure as I didn't ask. It did look interesting though, and would be easy enough to swap to standard track if the experimental stuff caused a problem. It was fully loaded with ballast though! The yellow Scorp hull also looked like a track/suspension trails vehicle. It was certainly a mess. Chris

Brian, The Dunlop Trak Grip tyres used on Ferrets have a very thick sidewall, which supports the weight of the vehicle when the tyre loses pressure. They weigh 55kg each, I know because I just sent one to someone! Any 9.00 x 16 tyre will do the job, I have some Continental pattern tyres on mine. Changing the tyres isn't too hard, if you have the right equipment. Unfortunatley I got 2 punctures on the way to Kemble last year, and had to put new tubes in! Luckily I borrowed some tools and a Scammel Explorer and the job didn't take too long! I suggest you read anything Ferret related on Dougs website, then join the Ferret-Heaven group on Yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-heaven/ This is a mailing list with 395 members, there is an extensive message archive with answers to almost any question you can think of. Chris

Pete, Not all of them have been refurbished, you saw the 4 'new' ones by the sales office. From what I was told they will be priced about £30k. Good, clean vehicles will be about £15k with the cheaper vehicles going in tenders etc at £5-7k. 300 will take a while to get rid of, the ones to look out for are the half a dozen or so REME vehicles with winches. Chris

Brian, There's nothing complex about them. No electronics, no really special spanners, you can fix them without a computer etc. The mechanics are simple, the parts are mostly easy to find and there is nothing you can't fix without looking in the manual and approaching it logically. Driving is easy, the gear change pedal doesn't take much getting used to and the steering wheel is actually very comfortable. Don't expect it to drive like a modern car, but after a few miles you will wonder what all the fuss is about. Take it relativley slow, allow yourself room to slow down and make sure you unwind every now and then. Decent glasses or goggles and intercom headsets make driving fairly pleasant. Last weekend I did over 400 miles, mostly at 45-55 mph on A roads and motorways. The fuel bill was about £230 which isn't too bad, the worst thing is that the drivers seat starts to become uncomfotable after a few hours. Chris

I think it was everyone! Someone was already snoring when we were walking to the tent, and I know my Dad was snoring too! I suggest we all take ear plugs next time, there are too many noisy men, crows and dogs! Chris

Brian, I have a tech bulletin somewhere from Rolls-Royce which states they are fine on Unleaded Fuel. I've been running mine on unleaded for the past 5 years and covered 1000's of miles with no problems. These engines were designed to run on 1950s fuel, which if I remember correctly didn't contain lead. I will find and post the bulletin when I get home, unless someone beats me to it. Chris

See Withams at Beltring, they were £145 a few years back but I would expect them to be nearer £200 by now. They do advertise in Gun Mart, so have a look in there too. Chris

Jack, I can assure you it was dogs keeping you awake at night, I know this because they kept me awake too! :shake: Chris

I own the bottom half of a Scorpion! Chris

Don't believe everything you see on TV. http://www.tanks-alot.co.uk/salvagesquad.htm Chris.

Scorpion is also spelt wrong.

Clive, There are a few of them in amongst the Scorpions in this photo. I guess this was 1993/4 or so, due to the Foxes, Scorpions and Ferrets all parked up? Any idea where this was taken? Chris

There were some FV432/30s at Withams with that strange grey/green colour scheme. Was it primarily used at BATUS or elsewhere? Also, did all the Milan Compact Turret Spartans end up at BATUS too? I've seen a photo of loads of them lined up at Ashchurch or Ludgershall in the early 90s but I've only seen a couple in private hands or museums. Chris

Is it an OPFOR vehicle for use at BATUS?

Is there any adjustment in the linkage? Maybe you need to extend the rods out a little bit to get full pressure?

Rambo, We came from Nottingham, not Northampton! 400 miles round trip for us! Thanks for the use of your tent! Chris

I've posted loads of photos in my gallery here: http://gallery.sirhc.co.uk If anyone wants a higher resolution version of any of the photos let me know and I'll email it to you. Chris

Typical, my Ferret and Lightweight played up all the time we were at the Plain, but were fine all the way there and all the way back! We all had a great time, pity we couldn't stay longer. We've got some great photos, but I'm tired and I think if I leave it any longer before a bath the dust will turn to concrete! Chris

Try his email awise1@cinci.rr.com Chris