mkVsten

There has been much written about various modifications of Ferrets based purely on official paperwork. I like to back these up with first hand or even better photographic evidence.

 

The the modification instruction C-30-541-000/CF-030 Stowage, Browning Machine-Gun tripod issue 1-11 Sep 1964 seems to be the ultimate smoking gun document for dating the change over for the Bren to the .30 Cal?

 

This is the one that details the stowage of the tripod on the left engine deck cover.

 

So, that then triggers the question, does anyone have a picture of a Canadian Ferret with the left engine deck without the fittings?

 

 

See what I mean?

What vehicle or vehicles does this switch fit?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Guys,

In the midst of my restoration and have discovered one of my hydraulic dampers is dry of fluid. Has anyone ever rebuilt one of these and if so what fluid is recommended for the rebuild?

Cheers

That is just too cool Andy. You will have heaps of fun with that one!

OK,

Perhaps a bit of a silly question, but would there be a "Correct" white paint for UN Service? Would the paint have been gloss, semi or matt white?

Have never really seen a thread addressing this.

Cheers

Hey Guys,

Thought I would chime in here...Ive been to Ketchican, a very neat little town and contrary to all the postings here, Ketchikan has a very mild climate. I know when you hear "Alaska" you think burr...very cold but...from the website http://www.ketchikan.com/ is a breif description...

Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska's "first city". We can boast of our beautiful setting, mild climate and rich history. Ketchikan has rainforests, fjords, glaciers and numerous waterfalls. Our temperatures are never very cold or very hot: in January, our average temperature is 35º and in July, it is 58º. One thing before you begin, get your umbrella. The rainfall measures approximately 15 feet per year!

So perhaps with the amount of rainfall they get, its closer to the weather in the UK :-)

Cheers

Guys,

Contact has been made with Peter, all is in the works. Thanks for the offers and suggestions!

Cheers

peter boys had repro at 150 each about 6 weeks ago

Peter Boys is Select Military Vehicle Sales. Thats who I am refering to. Hard people to contact...

Does any one have a source for Ferret Sand Channels? Either repro's or originals (ya, right). Select Military vehicle sales do not return e-mails. I have a container leaving Avonmouth (Bristol) in a few weeks and wanted to get a pair sent there to be shipped over to Canada.

Cheers

Yes,

Wondering as well how that John Deere seal worked out? Has any one here compare one to an original? Should I risk installing one in my Ferret, or go with an original... decisions, decisions...

Long time since making an update. Have been busy at work plus a vacation got in the way!

Made up a Wilson pre-select gauge and have been playing with the adjustments on the gearbox, have discovered 1st gear adjusting nut spring is not functional, so will have to replace it but I think I have been able to adjust up 1st and second gear to a functional state. Plan on going back at her tonight for a few more hours. Will report back with some photos...

Cheers

Say it aint so Brad! Are you getting bitten by the Land Rover fetish as well?

 

Robin

Robin,

Nope!

Just saw that ad on Milweb and thought I would pose the question about the Wolf.

Cheers

It's not hard to see where the money goes when you see what it looked like 'before'....

 

(I am sure this is the same vehicle, someone will tell me if not!)

 

Chris

Thats a nasty hit. Expensive to repair yes, but the vehicle is only worth so much. What year would this Wolf be?

A Wolf has the same basic shape as a standard Land Rover, but there are very few parts which are the same. It's is built on a completely different chassis, with a 300tdi engine, R380 gearbox. The axles are different, as are the springs and shock absorbers. The rear tub is very different and it has a special roll cage fitted, even the front wings are different. Electrics are all 24v, so different starter, alternator, wiring looms etc to a standard Land Rover.

 

They are expensive because there are relativley few in private hands, and they rarely come up for sale. The price seems to keep climbing as more people want them but no more are released. Those which you do see for sale are all accident damaged rebuilds. Having tried to rebuild mine to a good standard, the time and effort required, not to mention cost of the new parts soon adds up.... and that's providing you can find a rebuildable wreck which is cheap enough. The last few wrecked 90s through Withams were close to £10,000 and that's before you start with the new parts.

 

Chris

Thanks Chris,

Always wondered what the differences were. When I see them starting to be listed on Milweb with prices listed as "Offers in the region of £24,000" for a "genuine" example, I started to wonder. Even those Wolf copies can be quite expensive.

Amazing what supply and demand can do to prices...

Why is there such a huge price difference between a Landrover Wolf and a regular MOD Landrover of the same body style, for example a Defender 110 vs one in Wolf trim. They have the cool look but that can't be the reason for the jump in price. Engine,suspension difference? Body changes look minimal.

Cheers

Eddy,

Best of luck on your trip to pick up the carrier. For what its worth, I pull my mk I* universal carrier with a Diesel Ford F-350. It has a 6.4L V8 Diesel rated at 350 hp and 650 lb-ft torque. The truck is rated for max towing weight of 15700 LBS. The trailer is rated for 14,000 LBS, its fitted with electric brakes.

Load is cross chained front and rear using grade 70 chain.

I can tell you when I have the carrier loaded and I'm buzzing down the highway at 100km/h I know its behind me.

I could not imagine doing that trip using a Touareg as a tow vehicle. :shocked:

Your right on the money Andy. Took this video about an hour ago. Keep in mind, its starting off in third gear. The home made muffler is a bit loud, but the exhaust tubes are leaking as well which adds to the noise. Seems to back fire through the carb, will have to play with that a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdJJgzQe7uk&feature=channel

Just to keep you all up to speed…

All fluids have now been changed. Fluid flywheel was down about three liters!!! Topped that up of course.

I cleaned up the adjusters on 1st and 2nd. They did not seem to stick and the rust that was on them mostly wiped off with a rag. Very odd.

I reassembled everything (counted the turns on the self adjuster nuts when I removed them to re-install the same number of turns). Popped the top back on the transmission and re-filled with oil.

Started right up with no problem and after checking the fluids again (engine oil and gearbox) I tried 1st and 2nd and absolutely nothing. Third is very strong, enough to drive her around in and out of the shop. 4th and 5th seem strong as well.

Tomorrow I will fabricate the wilson pre-select gauge and double check the gearbox settings. I know its going to have to come apart, but it would be nice to take her for a proper drive before I tear it apart.

The fun continues!!!

Short video of transmission operation before I clean things up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N732ENGhIsU

Brad,

 

It's no surprise that the 2 rusty adjusters, at the bottom of the photo, are the ones you're having a problem with. Get someone to pump the pedal in gear while you watch the adjusters. It may be that they're siezed and might work if freed off. I think you need to drain the oil out of that box and check for water as a start though!

 

Chris

Chris,

Here is the oil. Nice eh? Looks like the stuff spewing from the BP well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Yick! :cry:

Not sure what story this tells you Andy. I don't know enough about the gearboxes (yet) for it to do anything for me except you can tell its been sitting for a long, long, time.

Did you remember to peddle up before trying the gears??

Yup,

Always peddle up...photo coming for andy. Its looks pretty nasty to me...

Hi Brad,

 

Undo the bolts around the cover above the brake bands if you're unlucky they might look like the picture below. Pic courtesy of Jim Davies

Andy,

I will go pop the cover off right now and see what I will find. Camera in hand of course...

June 21st update...

After installing the exhaust (with a homemade muffler that came with it...nice :cool2: ). Replaced one brake line, bleed the brakes I sorted out a few loose wires, I connected the drive shafts and she was ready to check the transmission operation. (nice to have the brakes for this)

I started it up and after allowing it to warm up, poped her into reverse, selected 1st gear and poped the change pedal. A little lurch was all I got. 2nd gear was the same feeling. It didn't look to promising at this point. When I selected 3rd gear, she started rolling back! Turns out, 3rd, 4th and 5th gears seem fine, just 1st and 2nd seem non existant.

I only wanted to prove the driveline operation today, the transmission will require some further investigation. I assume its possible (and most likely) that both 1st and 2nd brake bands are totally burned away or would poor adjustment cause this issue?

Keep in mind the previous owner only ever started the vehicle a couple of times and never drove it or moved it from where its been sitting for the past 9 years. I have no idea how long the owner before him had it or if they abused it until it broke then they parked it. I assume that may have been the case.

Will take a video in a bit to post.

Cheers

Can any one recommend a supplier in the UK for military vehicle paint? Prefer a vendor you have had good results with.

Basically looking for bronze green and engine paint, may pick up Matt NATO green and black as well.

I see Marcus Glenn is selling paint, has anyone used it? With what results?

Cheers