Fugly

I am looking for any advice or information on a Saldin that I am researching. It has an Arabic numberplate showing Arabic numerals at the top , with English numerals at the bottom. Both display the number 81. It was painted mainly desert yellow, with green camo stripes. It was made in the late 60's perhaps early 70's. Hull number is ALV1084. It has black and white convoy marking on the rear skid plate . It was in RR services yard for some time , and I assume (usually incorrectly) that it was in service with some middle east country . I understand that Yemen , Iraq, Kuwait and some other similar countries purchased them direct from Alvis. Can anyone help ? Thank you !

Thanks Chris I looked at their website - I will give them a call. Cheers mate !:-)

From the video it looked like there may be some play (free movement) in the ball joint between the inner end of the steering rod and the bottom of the outer steering lever ? Might just be the video. ?

Hello Chaps I am near Sudbury , just the other side Derby. I want to get a trailer load of parts blasted and primed to stop further rot. Please PM me your phone numbers and I will gicve you both a call. Thanks Jim:-)

Hello All Could some kind soul look throught there manuals collection and see if they have any Saladin Manuals. I am happy to pay for them, but unhappy to pay the £64.99 wanted on ebay, just for a parts list. I have just spent a lot of money buying a derelict Saladin and would appreciate some help. I am happy with a pdf copy , or a disc, or just simple photo copies. Also if you have any Saladin documents or iinformation or production numbers it would be a great help. (I think this one is from the Middle East / Kuwait region, but it has no ID , just a hull number) . Also looking for a good shotblasting company near Derbyshire , :-) ?? Grateful for any help? Jim (Derbyshire)

Hello Chris I should get hold of an axle stand (s) , or some hefty wooden blocks and prop up the ferret under the hull, aftrer you have jacked it up . It will make things a lot easier and safer . Chock the wheels too so that it wont run away on you as you will have to leave the handbrake off. take the wheel off , and you will find it a lot easier, access will be much better and you will be able to concentrate on the job without worrying that the ferret going to fall on you.:-) Put all your parts/nits and bolts you remove in a container, best of luck . jim

Hey !! I am a mechanic, with a passport !! And I will do my best !! (And I need a holiday...) All I need is a huge fee and the air tickets !! It could be Wheel Bearing / carrier Worn suspension (unlikely) Rim collapsing / damaged Loose wheelnuts Loose steering wheel ( a long shot) Play in the steering system not attributed to the above Bulge in the tyre / shedding the tread Incredibly badly balanced tyre ( ie a wheel full of water) Neurolgical problems ( a longer shot):nut: (only kidding) Anything else ! Seriously - dont drive it until its fixed - If the wheel bearing totally collapses it is not impossible for the wheel to detach . I have seen it on an HGV. The tyres and rims are heavy , and bounding down the road at 40 mph they represent a reasonable threat to security. And you can absolutely guarantee that the day your wheel falls off on that "quiet" backroad , is the day the local boys brigade is enjoying its combined "walk in the countryside" with the local Mothers and grandmothers union and the potential bodycount will be huge. A non perfect strike .. My advice to you is to buy some tools, get an instruction manual get some good advice and get stuck in to it :-D You wont be the first person in the world to attempt DIY home repairs , and as long as you err on the side of caution , and ask questions whenever you need advice you should be ok. Remember its 50 year old technology and if you asked the man who designed your ferret to install windows 7 and set up internet banking he would probably pebbledash his pants. (UK pants , not US pants..) It will also add to your knowledge of the vehicle. We have all been in this situation , and you are not on your own. Dont fall prey to any "experts" who want to charge a fortune (because these vehicles are so specialist , experts are very few and far between. The parts required will probably cost a loss less than and experts labour charges. Hopefully your time is free? Strip it down ( then at least it cannot be driven !!) and post some pics. Check the simple things first , and work carefully backwards from there . Best of luck with it - and remember you can rely on help from HMVF !

Well whenever I am working on the ferret, things seem to go much better if There is some rock and roll or similar on the radio. Especially Buddy Holly !!! Weird eh ? I think that maybe this was on the tannoy in the factory when it was built !!! There is a definate character to some vehicles , generally older ones. if there is a ghost in it it seems avery happy one !

OK , so its a really , really stupid question , but has anyone ever encountered any "strange" goings on when working with their beloved vehicle ? Working alone late at night in the depths of some dark shed , and some one passes you a 7/16 spanner.. Any ghosts hanging around ? When you consider that the primary role of some vehicles was to bump off the enemy , and many of them were involved in some rather stressful encounters (to use a politically correct term) it wouldn't be strange to assume that some vehicles may have more history behind them than meets the eye... When you think how many crews were on some of these vehicles, and the length of time that some of them served - maybe they have more history than we know. There are numerous haunted ships and aircraft. Why not a tank ! Anyone seen a ghost ! Just to get the ball rolling , my Ferret seems to like Buddy Holly ...:red: its true.....

There is one for sale on Ebay at the moment , i am sure it would really upset the PC crowd at Ebay if they knew what it was for, as they easily take offence at anything slightly interesting ..... They dont sell grenades anymore , or inert ordanance , or anything that even resembles a gun... I tried to sell a Sten sling on there and they went mad!

A Mk 1 would probably be faster and less top heavy. There are 2 (Mk 1/2's?) for sale at Manby Motorplex, both runners but needing work £4000 plus VAT,a nd there may be a discount if two are bought together . I think a reasonably well restored (but needing TLC) Mk 1 should be around the £4500 - £5000 mark.

The Mk 1/2 on ebay has vanished ! The 2/3 I think is still on there. I would recommend the ferret to any first time budding collector , as it (mainly) no more complicated than a Landrover , spare parts are generally available and they dont take up much space. Historically they are one of the longest serving vehicles the the British Army used and they have seen some (limited) action. It better to but one that is restored , as opposed to a wreck as the wreck prices seem high at the moment , and the sale prices for complete running vehicles doesn't appear too high in comparison. Fuel consumption is awful , expect around 5- 10 MPG :cry: If you want any particular advice , post it here on the forum or PM me

Thanks Clive Much appreciated .

I am after some research information so I am hoping that they will be able to assist.

Hello All Just for a bit of fun I thought I would start a thread to sample what we are all doing this (fine?) easter weekend, towards our military vehicle interest... I just want to reassure myself that I wont be the only person in the world getting grubby hands or catching a cold !! To get the ball rolling - I will be standing at the bench, working on Ferret wiring. I am dangerously equipped with several rolls of wire , a soldering iron and a heatgun. I will be continuously interupted by my Jack Russel who will be trying to become intimate with any inanimate object. Hence I will have the radio on to keep my foot tapping , and my leg unmolested .........:cool2:

Hello Nick ! This site is full of very experienced people so I am sure it will assist in many aspects of your modelling, also please let me know if you ever come across a decent PLASTIC scale model kit of the Daimler Ferret . I heard a rumour that Revell were going to do one ? Cheers anyway ! Jim

This is a general question . I have recently emailed the Alvis fighting vehicle society but received no reply. I did this via the website http://www.afvsociety.co.uk/index.html Do anyone have a direct contact email or phone number , or can someone from the society please PM me . Thanks JIM :-D

iT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE THAT PICCY !

Hello All Does anyone own Ferret 02CC80 - a nice in service picture is available :-) . Cheers Jim

Looks better than mine ..... My castings are badly pitted . Its got to be a great improvement. Jim

Thanks Chris I have a good friend in Derby who is : a) ex Soldierb) A trained electronics engineer c) a Clansman fan D) And and ex Ferret / Saladin crew And he is going to make me a new loom :-D Whoopee !! He is already interested in the ferret from his previous work on the radio and intercom, and after a phone call tonight he has offered to make a loom ! Still dont know what to use for connectors - May de-solder the old one and reuse where possible ? Although the connectors and ID tags are still of concern , the expertise is now there ( which I am sadly lacking !!)

Hello all. Yesterday I turned my attentions to the condition of the wiring on my ferret. In short its been condemned ! I was hoping to get away with replacing a few lengths of cable , but in reality I have accept that its at least 35 years old , and had been slowly rotting throughout that period. In some places the rubber looks oj, but the other end of the same cable (where it may have been more exposed to UV etc) the rubber is cracked. Where it has cracked the water has got in and corrosion has made the strands break. Some of the connectors are badly corroded too (see pics) Anyway , it needs a new loom. I can source cable , but what connectors to use ? Could I de- solder the cables and recycle the old connectors - and does anyone know the best tags to use to identify the cables . Any advice appreciated

Can anyone advise me on the values of a Saladin , and pitfalls of ownership. I have been asked about the value of a stripped down, poor condition and partially incomplete vehicle. What is the parts availability like (I am used to the Ferret and Willys Jeep) so would I be in for a shock ? And how much is a well restored Saladin worth? And does anyone have one for sale ? All info gratfully accepted. Can anyone advise? :-D Thanks Jim

Cheers Andy , Your a star Thats just what I needed (thanks for updating the website too 02CC12 is now famous ! - well at least in our house !!

Can someone help me out I want to know the correct route / position for the part of the wiring harness that goes to the Generator on a ferret. Could someone post a pic or refer me to a sketch showing the correct wiring route. Mine was all disturbed , and in the wrong place when I bought the ferret and I want to put it back in the correct place ? Thanks in anticipation Jim:-D