David Herbert

I think you need to remember that this is a 60 year old armoured vehicle. When they came out they had a very acceptable performance for the day but if it has bigger tyres and been uparmoured that will have greatly reduced that. Try working out the power to weight ratio of a vehicle that you do consider to have acceptable performance and compare it to the Saracen. I suspect that you will find that the Saracen has about 1/4 of the power to weight ratio which is why you can't roar up hills. Putting it differently, plenty of modern cars have the same horsepower as a Saracen. One resonably fit person could push the car on the level. See how many people it takes to push a Saracen on the level. Something that has not been mentioned so far is that because Saracens have all the wheels on each side permanently geared together, if the tyres are not of precisely the same circumference they will try to turn at slightly different speeds. This loads up the drive line causing vast amounts of drag which saps power. David

I like the cylinder head pulleroffer ! David

Been used for the 1920's version of drag racing judging by the exhausts 😄. David

The FV430 family specify a straight SAE 30 oil in the engine, transfer box, auto box and steering gearbox. Multi grade oils were not available when these vehicles came into service but I doubt that 10W-30 would cause any problems except possibly in the auto box.. However people have been known to put EP90 in the steering box which results in no brakes or steering. If you put auto trans fluid in the auto box you get very harsh shifting and very wrong choices of gears as it can't tell what is happening. Often overlooked is that you must make sure that the fuel pump governor is kept topped up with red auto trans fluid (any version of Dextron) as it is possible to have a catastrophic engine runaway if the level gets low. If that happens you have a very short time to press the red emergency stop pedal in front of the steering levers. ONLY the final drives get EP90 but also remember to grease the final drive seals through the grease nipples on the outside face of the hubs. As with the suspension arm pivots, the grease acts to push out muck and water as much as to lubricate the bearings so must be done regularly. Have fun David

Edinmass, There is virtually nowhere in the UK where it is guaranteed to never freeze so unless your vehicle lives in a heated museum building and only comes out in the summer anti-freeze is required. The corrosion inhibitor aspect is good too. I have just done some work on a modern GM auto box and was surprised to find that there were several ceramic magnets in the oil pan just stuck on by their own magnetism. They had collected a huge amount of swarf from when the converter died. If I ever work on an old engine with a tin sump but no magnetic drain plug I will definitely put a magnet in there as it is such a simple mod with huge benifits. David

Is that starting handle long enough ? David

Could this be the one that lived at Duxford up to about 25 years ago. That one was owned by a (film hire?) company known as Bapty (or similar) at the time and was in the film The Dirty Dozen. There are not many 12 ton half tracks around. David

No not that one. As I said it had front end styling that was a miniture version of the Antar. Bonneted and with the same type of grill guard but just smaller. I could believe though that it was a normal control version of the truck in the above post. I am very frustrated that I can't find a photo. I am sure that there was one posted in the last few years on HMVF. David

I am afraid that I totaly agree with Nick. However there was a British space program when we were still deluding ourselves that we were a world power. Obviously rockets are built as light as possible but it is possible that a really big one with its trailer could justify an Antar to pull it and that could have been obtained from the MOS or Chertsy - possibly a very early one that had been used for acceptance testing? I am also thinking that the movements might have been associated with the Atomic Research Establishment at Aldermarston, which is in the right general area. The Nuclear weapon transporters towed by 1970s AEC units looked vaguely like covered rocket trailers. Also there was a Mini Antar which I think was prototyped as a rocket carrier. It shared the same front end styling as the proper Antar but was a normal sized truck. I think I have seen a photo of one with a half cab somewhere in HMVF. David

I know that you have done the obvious things but this is how I would set about it: I would jack up that wheel but with the vehicle chocked so you don't need the handbrake. Engage and release the handbrake and check that the wheel is still free. If not the problem is either in the handbrake linkage or the bisector. If it is free press the foot brake and confirm that that brake has stayed on. Undo the hydraulic pipe at the wheel cylinder and if that releases the brake you have a collapsed flexible hose or a squashed metal pipe. If the brake is still on with the hydraulics disconected then the problem is either the actual slave cylinder or the bisector mechanism. Take them to pieces and the answer is in there somewhere. I would expect rust in the cylinder or a broken spring. Good luck, David

Of course the propellers that used to be on the front of aeroplanes have given way to big ducted fans on the front of modern jet engines. David

I agree Doug but that assumes that we restore things for the benifit of the moron public. In that world a rat rod will always get more attention if parked in a line of historic fire engines. Do we do this to get attention at all? Or do we just have an emotional link to our chosen piece of metal , feel a need to put it back as it 'should be' and then having done that we take it to a show so it can be with other treasured bits of metal. We also get to network with other owners and interested public. I much prefer shows that are not catering to the general public but of course there is now so much investment in any show that the public have to be admitted for to pay for it all. That means that catering, toilets, security, etc become a much bigger part of the equation and the core point of the show becomes insignificant. Sorry to stray so far from the point of this thread, now that Mammoth has found the true chassis number, presumably a lot of the info relating to 3035 is not applicable. Do we know what is known about 3033 ? David

I think any effect would be that the pee encouraged rusting which will have had a small effect on reducing residual tensions in the very surface of the castings. Grit blasting the rust off afterwards will have had a much bigger effect. I think it makes a nice colourful story but they might as well have danced round it for the same effect. David

Some time ago I bought some leak sealer intended for central heating systems. It was about £17 for one litre (yes, I know I was crazy to pay that) and about the consistancy of milk. When pouring it in I realised that it was actually very watered down PVA adhesive ! The smell is quite distinctive. Some time later my forklift started to loose coolant to an anoying extent. It was from the huge number of hose connections relating to the gas vaporiser. I tried dismantling, cleaning, carefull reassembly but it continued to leak. So I tipped in about a cup full of ordinary general purpose B&Q PVA glue. Instant result, no leak and been ok for two years now. Any PVA that is not blocking the leaks is very much disolved and has not caused any noticable problems. There are no new deposites visible through the filler neck and I will definitely do this again if need be. David

Taking a compression test wouldn't have told them much with the stuck rings I think. David

Good Grief ! I think this might be a little too sophisticated for a WW1 engine. The major variable in the case here is "does it work?" When they pull a cylinder off I think it will be very obvious where it has been getting tight and simply giving it a few thou extra clearence should make a huge difference. My inclination with the ring gaps is to make them deliberatly rather wide. This engine runs with much lower cylinder pressures than even a WW2 one and will do such a low annual mileage that fuel efficency and oil contamination are not important within reason. It just needs to start and run reliably. Making it a bit loose might make it easier to crank too... David

Having a DVD in the toolpost brings a whole new meaning to CNC ! I am a bit concerned about wear on the feedscrew and nuts though. On the question of pistons though, all will become much clearer if the engine is taken to pieces but my feeling is that a couple of thou extra clearance in the bores is all that is needed and that will have no detectable down side at all. David

The Ebay advert above is very interesting. I have a small diesel narrow gauge loco with a two cylinder engine. It has provision for a dynamo for lighting but no provision for a starter. That unit would start it and look right too. Thanks David

Both wot2h and Ian, If you click on your name in the top right of the screen, then 'profile' you can add your location which will apear on the left of all future posts that you make. Saves people asking where you are if they want to help you. Remember that many place names exist in Australia, NZ, UK and Canada so country as well as town is a good idea too. Sorry, I don't have a Fordson badge but you would have been welcome to it if I did. You will find one. David

Why would it need the tie rods if it was bolted to the chassis and drove through chains to the rear wheels? I suspect it is, as Citroman says, actually a rear axle and originaly had wheels not sprockets on the ends. David

It has been suggested that it is much harder to bleed brakes when using silicon fluid as it tends to move around bubbles of air instead of pushing them along the pipe in front of it. Presumably to do with surface tension. I think this is more of a problem with vehicles with larger diameter brake pipes than with modern cars that have 5mm OD pipes. I think if the silicon fluid had swelled the cups they would either have not sealed or would have jammed. You seemed to be describing the feel of brakes that still needed bleeding (although you had bled them). David

There are drain plugs in the floor ! David

On the side of the chassis rail above the LH (passenger side) step. David

Don't worry guys, they have a rather nice chassis / cab Peerless waiting in the wings and another in kit form to use any parts left over from the first. Our evenings are secure for some time ! David

I thought that was what you meant I presume that you have noticed that each different gun has a different shape opening in the turret front caused by the different positions of the sighting telescope. David