Catch 22 LBDR

Hi Raymond. Ross hear. I own a Ferret just over the border (as it were) in Co.Cavan. I have spent 5years bringing my wagon back from the brink so I guess you could say I have an intamit relationship with it. It had bean burnt out before I got it. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know . PM with my number sent.

They were fitting a Diagonal steam trap

[h=5]question. On the Ferret storage diagrams it lists a number of items to be stored in the engine bay. The oil can is obvious, but where do the other parts get put. 2x plugs sparking etc??[/h]

Just a quick update for everyone following this thread. I decided to go back to basics and assume everything has bean done wrong to date so far. I started with the Rolls Royce B series Manuel and checked the valve timing and discovered that it was out by almost 24deg, two teeth on the timing gears. After putting this right and resetting the ignition timing the engine fired up. It's still sounds a bit lumpy but pules and drives much better now. :cheesy:

Judging by the angle on the top (barrel bracket) I am guessing they were mounted vertically??

I am also restoring a quad. A MK3 with the beetle back body. It's a very long term project as the parts are hard got. You have a lot more of the body than me, I would be very grateful if you could post as many pics as possible, Thanks. Best of luck, Ross

While looking at the FV700 web site I came across two pics of SA80 mounts for a ferret. Rather than ask Andy about it I thought It might make an interesting thread. I did a search on hear but found nothing about it. Does anyone know where and when they were fitted into ferrets and can they still be got??

We use to Velcro them into the standard MK6 helmet. :-D

Thanks guys, but its how to mount the slow charger not the IBMS set up that I need. There must be some sort of rubber sprung (shock resistant) tray or something it mounts onto before it gets bolted to the dexion.

Thanks for your reply. It is not so much how to use the radios as how to mount the charger in the vehicle. there must be an adapter plate to do this but I dont know what it looks like.

Hi all, wanted to fit a 349 radio battery charger in to a vehicle but have no idea what it mounts on to for this. I was a signaller in the artillery but we never used 349's. Thanks Ross

Thunder birds are go!

thunder birds are go

Did the electronic ignition make a big difference, was it worth the money and was it difficult to fit? I just want to cover all my options.

Thanks Clive. Will this capacitor do the job? http://www.ebay.ie/itm/390354578700?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

I have rebuilt a Ferret from a burnt out wreak and have learned so much in my ongoing struggle. I am not a mechanic by trade and I live in Ireland ( over a slightly smaller pond) so I know all about the cost of shipping parts. This Forun is a fantastic source of knowledge for every kind of repair but is only the tip of the iceberg. I cant imagine you would get the same level of input (without speaking Russian) for the BRDM. The parts are there or can be made/repaired, you just have to look for them and the right people to guide you. The ferret is a very desirable vehicle to own and if you are considering its re-saleability I would say it is the MB Jeep of the armoured world. Its permanent 4wd makes it a great toy off road but watch out for that "wind up" when on the road. Mind your fingers on the top hatch too, it will eat them if ya let it. At only 4ton its not to bad on mpg or to ship. As for your friend who has one the only thing that looks better than a Ferret is two Ferret's . If I had the money and was serious about keeping the vehicle for a very long time I would conceder getting two, one really good one and one for parts. What ever you decide, happy driving Ross

As usual some great feed back on this forum . My plugs are RSN 13P's and are a bit black. I was going to set the points and plugs to the civilian settings but it seems the plugs are a bit fragile for that, thanks:red:. Someone on Face book pointed out that there should be a heat shield under the distributor to protect it from the exhaust, I dont have one fitted. when I removed the Rf box the interior was badly corroded, probably as a result of the fire. The fuel system has bean well cleaned several times. I even removed the tank (not an easy job on a MK 2/3 ferret) and fitted an inspection panel behind the radios. If the vent is blocked it will be in the outlet in the amour. The fuel pump is something that is on my mind a little bit. I cleaned up the original one and tested it, it seamed fine and pumps ok. Its a very simple diagram pump so what could go wrong with it? Is there a test to see if its pumping to the correct pressure, is it possible for the pump to half work, so to speak? The coil to distributor HT lead is also a concern as I reused the old one, it too could have bean damaged in the fire. A guy on face book also said he uses a landrover condenser in his ferret, is this a good Idea, and can I use any 12v coil? I have a lot to start with. I have got a heat shield on the way and am going to get some new HT wire to feed into the old conduit, coil to distributor. I am considering getting the RSN 12Y plugs, but this will be the 3rd set I have used in it and they are not cheep. I wonder would the 13's take a clean with a wire brush or am I tempting fate? I will also take a look at the air breather pipe but judging by the volume of fuel it's drinking I think it should be ok. Thanks guys:D Ross

They are new old stock spark plugs and yes they are a bit black. I guessed this was down to a poor spark and the fuel drowning it out when a demand was put on. The spark has improved vastly but I would have expected to see a bright blue "lighting bolt" from a 24v system. I posted the question on face book too and got some interesting answers, I thought the absence of the heat shield interesting. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4671802746/10151429085922747/?notif_t=group_comment My next step is to get a heat shield fitted and replace the coil to distributor HT lead with a new one. I will find out the part number of the plugs I have and let ya know how I get on. Thanks for your reply

My ferret keeps dying when on a road run after only a few hundred yards and is completely gutless. The engine was rebuilt by a professional. It was striped down to its main component, eg the starter, manifolds etc were removed before he got it. The engine was honed ( and I think the head might have bean skimmed but I cant remember now ) new rings and head gasket were fitted and the main timing gear was replaced. The old timing gear had come loose and moved on it's shaft, as a result half of the gear was badly worn. The valves were ground and the oil pump given an inspection as parts of the timing gear looking tab were found in the sump. Nothing needed to be done to the crank shaft or other parts. When the engine returned it was cleaned and painted. A new starter and generator were fitted. The distributor was fitted out with new spark plug leads,spark plugs, condenser and cap, but the points and roter arm were cleaned and reused. A new coil was also fitted. Nothing was done to the RF box, or oil pressure switch and most of the wiring was cleaned, tested and reused. The fuel pump and thermostat was tested, cleaned and refitted. The carb was sent to a specialist to be rebuilt. It also got a new temp sender and lead.The engine was fitted into the vehicle and connected to a new gearbox. The fan was rebuilt and the rad replaced. The Ferret was 90% rebuilt/restored before the engine had its first test. After countless attempts to start the engine we decided it was a timing problem and the entire vehicle was brought back to the mechanic. He removed the timing gear, rocker cover and exhaust valve covers in order to time the engine. I do remember something at this point about the timing gear being one tooth out. After this the ferret ran fine, had plenty of power, would start easily etc. It was never as smooth as other ferrets I heard running, it was always a little lumpy. After a few weeks, while on a short drive the vehicle died, thinking it was out of fuel I changed over to the reserve. The vehicle would travel 100 yards before it would die again. It was concluded that fuel starvation was the cause and sure enough the pipes were blocked. I cleaned out the pipes and filter with an air line and extensions were fitted to the tank banjo bolts. This didn't cure the problem. We guessed that the carb jets were blocked and decided to give them a clean. It was at this point we realised that the carb had bean built by a cowboy. Only one accelerator jet worked, when we tried to remove one of the main jets the casting gave away where it had bean previously broken and glued back together. A very good attempt was made to repair the carb but it didn't work. A new carb was fitted, but the engine still would not run. Thinking it was the ignition timing caused by the engine being timed using a faulty carb. The timing was altered but it now refused to start. The engine bay was badly soiled with oil, petrol and dirt so the decision was made to remove the engine and fuel tank, repaint the bay, open up the tank and clean it properly and make an inspection panel so that the tank can be cleaned in the future without removing it. The engine was brought back to the mechanic to redo the ignition timing again. The engine was started and ran fine out of the vehicle. The engine was fitted back into the vehicle, a new set of plugs and a good set of second hand points were fitted. It was hard to start now until it would warm up a bit. once a little warm it would rev out fine and sounded much smother than before. It was idling fast and the distributor needed to be fully retarded now to keep it smooth. On a test drive the engine was gutless, unable to move out of second gear. After a few hundred yards she would die. A week spark seamed to be the cause. The spark was orange. The spark improved to a blue/orange after bypassing the RF box and fitting a different HT lead (coil to distributor). On short test drives the vehicle drinks fuel, will only get into 3rd gear when on a hill, needs to be revved right out to get any power and will only travail a few hundred yards before it dies. It will go a little farther when cold, but will not even pull off when warm. If left to sit for a few mins It will start up and move off again, only to die in a few hundred yards again.The main timing was not altered from when the engine ran the first time and the new carb was never touched either. I know there is a lot of info there, but I hope it builds some sort of a picture. Thanks Ross

This is what it looks like now. I dont have any up to date pics of the inside.

Thats a shame, you would be better with a personal loan maybe? I will see what I can do about the drawings.

Well lots of support for the B60 engine on hear. I think the people on this forum are very dedicated to preserving military history, witch is good to see. I too cringe at the thought of such an old and rare ferret being butchered to fit a diesel power pack in. Having restored a ferret from the ground up I can say you start to form a relationship with your vehicle. The vehicle I wanted was different to the vehicle I got. I think everyone wants to own a vehicle that war hopped from combat zone to combat zone, I got a Royal Engineers Ferret that never left Germany. But, as I found out more and more about my Ferret I found I was trying to perverse as much of it as I could. Soon the word "Genuine" became very over used. It's your vehicle to do with as you please, my advise would be; Don't change anything that can't be reversed easily, and keep all the parts you remove, because some day you will want to put them back.

This sounds very like fuel starvation. my guess is that dirt has caused a blockage somewhere between the tank and the engine. Overhauling the carb can be a tricky job if your not use to this kind of work. I would start with undoing your filter and fuel pipes and giving them a blow out with an air line. Also draw out the banjo bolts on the bottom of the tank. You will have to take out the battery's and battery boxes to get proper access to them. A lot (but not all) of them have a mod done to them, a short bit of copper pipe is pressed in to one end to prevent the engine sucking the last 2 or so inches out of the bottom of the tank. Check out this great site for some pictures ( http://www.ferret-fv701.co.uk/useful_info.htm ) you will need to scroll down almost to the bottom of the page. I hope this helps. Ross

Hear are some library pictures to give you an idea. [ATTACH=CONFIG]75290[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]75291[/ATTACH]

Hear are some library pictures to give you an idea.