oily

just read your lovely message, thanks ever so much x :hug::hug: :kissoncheek::kissoncheek: :hug:

get a saracen or a ferret!:cool2: much more fun, and not as expensive to run as you might think!,oh, and hi, and welcome, by the way!:-D

it's ok Richard, was only teasing you,.....where? oh! where? does Clive dig these things up from?......

I reckon 1905,......:coffee:

email found:-D, and pics successfully sent, hope to hear back from you soon.... regards Matt

if it's finished, by then, could I turn up in my psuedo-modern rendition of a mini-moke? see attached pic, by then it'll be Deep-Bronze Green, or Nato Green+Black, with stowage baskets/camo nets/antenna etc, sort of like a Light Strike Vehicle that got shrunk in the wash....:cool2:

That's about par for the course, modern materials work better with modern fuels, I have to admit, I don't know much about Dingo's, ie, engine size etc, but I reckon the biggest petrol montego/maestro was probably more powerful in bhp terms than the Dingo engine, but the Dingo, more torquey, I suspect if you went off-road with your Dingo now, you'd notice the difference with the new carb...... good on you for experimenting tho! hope it goes well, post some pictures up of your Dingo,...-I like earlier stuff than my Saracen, but it's all usually more expensive.... here's my pride and joy, before and after restoration....

oi Richard!, you trying to pinch my idea?:nono: I thought of that first, AND my previous reply proves it!:n00b:.......

I reckon it's some kind of amplifier, or antenna, for early, long wave ship to shore, radio/telephone communications........ not that this is my field, at all.....:???

welcome, from 'oily'......saracen nut:cool2:, and lover of army green stuff.....:-D here is my main toy:........:cool2:

....-wasn't trying to put you off saracens!, I think everyone should have one!:-D, They are LOVELY! :cool2: beasts to own and drive about, yes even on the main roads!.....go ahead, get one (while you still can! ....very few around now!):cry:

Have you personally had, or heard it running? Do you mean it turns over?, as opposed to ticks over but won't fire. Well the engine isn't really that much different to any other petrol engine, ie. with fuel, and sparks at the right time, it should run ok. Even my Saracen is sometimes a little reluctant to start, if it's not been run for a few weeks. What seems to happen is the fuel drains back to the filter, as the fuel lines are rather large, as I'm sure you are aware, so the engine will tend to crank/turn over a fair bit before it will fire, and pick up. First of all, check the engine oil level! I'd check that the batteries are FULLY charged, as it's a big old lump to spin over. Then disconnect a spark plug (not teaching one to suck eggs here!), get someone to hold plug lead against the cylinder head somewhere WITH INSULATED PLIERS PLEASE!!!!, and check for a spark, while you spin it over on the starter button, if you have no spark, it could be dirty points in the distributor,-a very fiddly job to open up and clean/reset the points,(tie your 5/16ths/11mm spanner to your wrist with wire or string, I guarantee you'll drop it!). Once you've got a spark, check you are getting fuel up to the carb, to do this you'll need to undo the fuel banjo bolt, on the front edge of the carb body, I think an 18mm spanner fits, (again, tie the spanner to wrist), -loosen the bolt, and turn the engine on the starter afew turns, if all is well, you'll get a few squirts of fuel out of the banjo fitting, and on tightening it up, you should be in business. If not, -all is not lost, this next procedure is a little awkward if you aren't built like an elf! You need to open the small plate, in the bulkhead to the left of the throttle pedal, it is sort of triangular shaped, a large flat screwdriver should do it, once opened, you'll have access to the fuel pump, and it's priming lever, -a small flatt lever coming out the side of the fuel pump, which itself is a sort of squat, circular thing, about 3 1/2" across, and 2" deep, with 2 steel pipes leading in and out of it. Operate this lever about 10 full strokes, until resistance is felt, which should indicate that the fuel has reached the carb float chamber. Try starting the engine again, if no joy, try thumbing the starter again, -at the same time, operating the priming lever, yes it is difficult, but can be done,-I'm 6'1", and can just do it! If you aren't getting any sign of fuel, best check the fuel filter bowl, situated under the batteries, you undo the little 't' shaped wing-nut,-don't loose the little washer! and lower the bowl, swill it out with fresh petrol, rinse the filter off, again with fresh petrol, pop the filter back in and fill the filter bowl up to about 1" from the top, replace the filter bowl, do the 't' shaped nut up tight, but not over tight, work the priming lever again, and try the starter again, by now you'll be ready for a cup or two of coffee! This should get you started, if everything else in the engine is as it should be. Once your engine has started, try starting it and running it for about 10-5mins every week, and you'll find it should start whenever you want it to, keep the fuel tank as full as possible to cut down on condensation forming, and the most you should need if you don't run it for a while is a few burst of easy-start sprayed into the air intake grills, at the top of the bulkhead, in the driving compartment, either side of the steering wheel. There are loads of other extremely important fluid levels you'll need to check and top up, BEFORE you attempt to drive it anywhere, EVEN only a short, few yards or so,-if not done, very expensive and fiddly to repair damage is very likely to be done,- let me know if you need more info on these, please, Good Luck, Best regards Matt

Hi Andy,...can't seem to make your email address work:???, so here are the pictures, and more info about the goodies!...... here's a few pics of the carbs I was on about, the coin in a couple of the pictures is a 20pence, to show the scale of them. As you can see they are in as new condition, all the linkages are free-moving, and the floats also, tou may be able to make out the throttle linkage, this only requires 1 cable as the linkage synchronizes the butterfly-valves, and as you move the link by hand you can see, and feel the twin chokes moving. The chokes are seperate, but with a little simple link fitted between them can be made to operate simultaneously........ I reckon they'll bolt straight on in place of the standard ferret manifold, using either the air filters included, or plumb them into your standard ferret oil-bath, air filter..... where are you situated? ......ah Houston, we have a problem!:n00b: the pics are to good/too big to upload, can you PM, to me your email address please, and I'll send them direct... Regards Matt

I had similar problems on my saracen, with brake pipes resembling mutated penny-whistles!, change the whole length, for safety's sake, the main feed from the power-valve/cut-out (equivalent to master cylinder), on a saracen is about 10ft, and weaves in/out under everything under the floor, and I did it without removing engine/box etc, and it worked.....oh I got my pipe and fittings from a local hydraulic hose fitting company, very cheap, they made up the pipes, with fittings, and bent them to shape, ...for a crate of beer. True what is said though...I have to take the gearbox out to replace it now,and to do that, the front armour and engine need removing too, it'll keep me busy for the winter, I suppose!:cry:

....plenty of warm air found in the engine bay of any ferret/saracen/pig!,...I speak from experience! ouch!, the carbs also come with one of them sort of flat, wire mesh 'pancake' type air filters, fitted to each one, although, I dare say they could be 'plumbed in' to the exhisting ferret oil-bath filter,...all the spares/optional venturis and jets are still available new too, but given the size and weight of a ferret, compared to a Dennis ladder pump tender, with a few 1000ltrs of water sloshing around in it, I'd say the settings they are currently are at, would be very close.....if not guaranteed to put a smile on you face!, best make sure your brakes/tyres/reactions are up to it!:cool2:....never know, you might start anew craze -Ferret Racing!:yay::-D

How cool is that!, what do you need to know, Mr Dredd? ...although, when you do get it running, -you'll need someone 'up top', with all that extra stuff on the front, visibility will be awful!,:sweat: ....give me a shout, if you like, -I've had mine on the road for a couple of years now.... whereabouts are you?

the six wheeled thing isn't ugly,:nono: it didn't choose to be designed that way!,:nono: it is a long-lost brother (or sister!), of my lovely saracen.....wonder if it thinks you are ugly!.....:-\

these carbs are......WEBER Twin choke 28/36 DCD, there are two of them, mounted on a lovely cast ally manifold, with 'HCB Angus' cast into it,:nut: and are in as new condition. They are virtually tuneable for almost any car, but apparently were standard fitment on Fiat 1300,-1500,-1800B,-2300, and Ford Capri G.T.- Cortina G.T.,and -Corsair G.T. , but fitted as single units, on each of these, so fitted as a pair on a Ferret, or Pig, you'd get a flying Ferret and a Flying Pig!:shocked: I believe they were going to be an uprated fitment, to replace the old S.U. carbs, on the Dennis fire engines. As a kid, I used to live right behind the Fire Station in Eastleigh, near Southampton, they still used these fire engines then, and they sounded wonderful, with their burbling throaty sounding Rolls engines, I was thinking of trying them out on my Saracen, but the manifold won't fit..... shame!:sweat:

Andy, -if it is a B61, I'd still have a crack at putting it in a Ferret, you should get a little increase in performance, and slightly better mpg....also,....if you are interested, I have a rather nice, New, old stock double twin-choke carb and manifold, that will fit this engine that you are looking at (or any B60/B61 engine, for that matter). The manifold and carbs were originally intended for a fire engine, built by HCB Angus, in Totton, near Southampton,.... but as I said, they'll fit..... and they'd give even better perfomance and mpg....If you are interested, either pm, me or give me a call 07733309685, regards Matt

I would have brought my saracen, and no doubt had a great time:cool2:, if there is another one in the offing, maybe next year, I'll definately be up for it,....suppose it'll give me time to replace my gearbox!:sweat:

uploaded these pics in response to a thread on the 'Research' section, so that's where you need to look if you want to drool!:cool2:

thanks! -that sounds a bit didgy to me! ....hope the one I'm thinking of buying is a later one then!

'one' on one's way to a wedding, good job my 'commander' was wrapped up well, it was in Feb, last year! brrrrr!:shake: 2nd pic is, I think one that was taken on another Prom, for the son of a work colleague.......I'm pretty sure we upstaged eveything else that turned up!:cool2:

Thanks ever so..., Mike, - I've been scouring all possible places that I've been able to think of. These are really good pictures, did you take them? if so where were they? and was it long ago?.... I could do with a few of the tyres, if they were about to be cut up for scrap! Purely by luck, I made a nice 'discovery', when I bought a copy of a 'Tankograd' publication Britsh Special No. 9003..... 'BAOR Vehicles of the British Army of the Rhine 1945 - 1979'.....in it is a rather nice, large sized picture of Saracen 83 BA 77, ...only one didgit below mine..... Excellent book, save for a few 'mirror image' photos, -Ferrets with spare wheels on the offside, Beret badges over right eyes, ...that sort of thing. here's a few more pics of mine.....

oil seal, or remains of will have a number moulded into it, any reputable Bearing and seal Stockist ought to be able to cross match the number and they shouldn't break the bank either...prob in region of about £20 quid, or so, I'd have thought.