haybaggerman

I'm impatient to see how a saracen does in the snow, but we havn't had any..............yet

Hi Oily I repaired mine with a mate, it was paper thin and we welded patchs over some parts of it, and filled tiny holes in others. After a 35 mile round trip there are lots of new pin holes in it. Eventually I will have one entirely made of weld. Cheers Paul

Very nice

Well done A message of hope for those of us nervously eyeing up all the 432's that are around Paul

Very nice, enjoy! How much more do you have to pay for this varient compared to the 432? Paul

Hi there Welcome to the forum, there are several active saracen owners on here to compare notes with. Paul

Nice piece of work

I religiously move mine around regularly throughout the year............... but only because they are always in the way of something or other. Paul

No worries, good luck!! and if you get lost in Devon then give me a call (pm for number) and I'll rescue you from the locals (they're dangerous when they smell out a new gene pool and you're of breeding age too) Cheers Paul

I've seen the dinscott one a few times as I bought a saracen from there recently. There are cosmetics to tidy, including tinwork here and there, but Dave has got the kit to do it and its a negotiation point if you don't have the time. However, its pretty complete, lots of interior goodies, and an awesome sight. If I were braver and had more cash I'd buy it. Worth a look and a trip to Cornwall for. Cheers Paul

When I bought my ferret in 1995, in Yorkshire, the guy had a fox with (I think) a scorp turret on it, maybe the same one? Cheers Paul

so the job has started!! Photos please Oily Cheers Paul

The second video is great.....I can just picture the faces of the patrons sat outside when they heard the rumble and whining and then FV1609 pops from around the corner....Priceless!! Its one of life's pleasures, watching the face of pub patrons as a large piece of armour just rumbles by.

Hi Yes, it has an oil cooler mounted above the engine, sorry to hear about the fordson, these old tractors are going up in price fast, probably because they are sought after by the explosion of small holders. Maybe the cooling system needed a good flush through? I think I'll get the thermosat out next and boil it in a pan, see how it opens. Cheers Paul

Hi Richard Thanks for the input, I was hoping you might pick this one up:) I drained a little oil through the plate at the very front of the hull, which I thought was the oil tank, but I am happy to be corrected here. I was thinking of fitting electronic ignition, it has certainly helped the ferret along. hadn't thought of dragging breaks, Thanks Paul

The trouble is it could be a number of things. The flud flywheel needed about a pint of oil to top up so thats bad news. The rad is certainly pushing out alot of heat so water pump is working at least up to a point. May be she is running rich, that would make her run hotter. Will take some more investigation I think, although the froth was probably condensation due to not having a run out for about 15 years prior. Hmmmm............

Not only are you back but you're in CMV this month riding on a tank!!!!

Where did you find that Oily? Rather fancy one myself:)

good advice, thought I'd have to be towed a couple of times there, but she came through!!! The issue was heat. As soon as she got properly hot (now I know what you mean about cooking your left foot) she started to mis fire. In fact we had to stop by the side of the road for half an hour to let her cool because hills were becoming impossible. Then, as soon as she had cooled down she sounded fine again and went on until getting hot again, by which time we pulled into the field at Cobaton. Just about to leave and I thought I'd check the engine and water levels. Water right to the top. Engine oil right to the mark, but above this were a few inches of white froth. Head ghasket thought I? So I let a little oil out of the drain plug to see what the situation was, and the oil was clean, no water. Maybe the froth is just condensation as this is the first run she has had for many years. Right then, head off, fingers crossed. On the way back same story as on the way. A lengthy stop to cool down about half way and ran poorly when hot. When I thankfully got back to the yard she wouldn't start again, the starter wouldn't even turn like a connection was lost. An hour and a half of cooling later and she started right up and drove nicley again, engine sounding smooth. At least the exhaust bandage held out!! I recon possibly the condenser or vapour lock? Definitely heat related. I had left the cover off the fluid flywheel for the trip and the heat coming from there also cooked the left leg. Tomorrow I'll check all levels and see what has happened, if anything. Cheers for now, a very fatigued Paul

Thanks Mike If (when) this one comes off I might give that a go, or maybe a proper repair over winter........ No idea how far she'll get today, fingers crossed Paul

The road run is on sunday and I don't think she is ready. The exhaust silencer has been welded and also, as a temporary measure we have bandaged the joint between the manifold and next exhaust part with loads of layers of gun gum, bandages and wire. This has resulted in a much better sound from the engine, and a better drive. but..... has anyone else used this stuff, I'm finding it is smoking, havn't gone far with it yet, but the bandages seem to be going white in places (burning or curing, I cant say), is this normal, will it stop after a while or is the saracen manifold too much for this material? Any insights VERY much appreciated as I don't want to be towed home behind the tractor with my tail between my legs Thanks Paul

She goes really well. Faster than a ferret? I think a pig is good useable armour with lots of space for passengers, now you've got me thinking....... Paul

A photo for me? Thanks mate, and uncanny too because my acv also has the nearside airfilter removed at the moment, are you spying on me? Thanks for the photos, is that a temporary shelter thrown up over the engine for the repair job? Cheers Paul

Quite pleased tonight. I've got the intercom in and working now so road ready at last. My thanks to Toolman for his advice, picked up a clansman outfit and connected it to a 24v supply to one of the old larkspur boxes. I'm particularly pleased to have found that when I switch on the 24v at the old larkspur box, the remaining larkspur crewboxes light up red bulbs. The saracen now looks like an armoured brothel!!! Paul

Great posts these, thanks for taking the time. Its the kind of thread some of us will try to turn up through a search in 2 years time when our own seals go. Cheers Paul