Grasshopper

Following much assembly and dis-assembly of the affected components, I have discovered the cause of the problem. The adjusters would both work independently with the shoe carrier return springs and "clicker" springs removed. When a load (fitting shoe carrier return return springs or the "clicker" springs) was imparted on the adjuster, the bottom one would work in one direction but slip in the other. Removing the adjuster nut assembly did require some minor destruction of the component as it is secured through the back plate to the adjuster gears by peining (this is the damage seen on the end of the adjuster). Upon dis-assembly, I discovered that the machined flats that engage the adguster gear had rounded of which was the cause of the slip. This was probably due to over winding in one direction or the adjuster having seized at some point in the vehicles life. Hopefully this information will be of use to any Ferret owner who suffers the same issue. Sorry for the poor quality pics, the light was fading and my phone doesn't take particularly good pictures. Vince

You could do, it's just easier if you use a crane!

I work at Selhurst railway depot in Croydon. The nearby Tennison road bridge is being replaced and I thought that the temporary structure put in place was not dissimilar to a Bailey bridge. I saw the manufacturer of said bridge at a recent trade exhibition, and they confirmed that their design is basically just a metric version of the original design. Why change what works!?! Please note, I have no connection with the bridge manufacturer or the companies involved in the bridge replacement project. Vince

Thanks for the comprehensive reply Diana; however the problem seems to be a disconnection between the adjuster nut and the cog wheel that sits against the back plate. I'll have a play though as I don't really want to have to strip it all off again! Vince

Technical question - I had to de-adjust my Ferret brake shoes to get the brake drum back on. When I wound the outer adjuster bolt in and out, I can see the adjuster mechanism working for the top shoe. When I wound the inner collar for the bottom shoe, both sets of adjuster gears wound. Now the adjuster collar spins round and round and nothing moves! What is the likely cause of this problem, and can I assume that this will require the brake shoes/carriers to be stripped off (yet again!) in order to repair it? I did test it prior to reassembly and all seemed to work ok. Is it easier to remove the hub to work on the brake assemblies? I did manage to unseize a brake tappet without removing the hub. Additionally, does anyone have any tips for fitting the return springs to the shoe carriers? Very fiddly and annoying to do.

I believe that the 6BT engine can be rated between anything from 205HP to 235HP just by tweeking the existing set up.

I got my sets from Bannisters.

I had the same issue which turned out to be a leaking fuel tank which was not readily apparent. I determined this by adding one Jerry can at a time over the course of a few days and noticed the floor paintwork had begun bubbling up.

A commercial vehicle ball joint splitter should do the job; the issue will be getting it to fit in the space! A few pipes may have to come out to get it in there.

I hope to be visiting with the family for a day, never did get enough time to put any vehicles on the road yet this year! Vince

Until recently we had our own, 18tonne ERF truck which was perfect for a CVRT or WW2 halftrack. We converted it form a curtain sided cargo body. Any show over about 10 miles distance I used the transporter but any closer and I used to drive the CVRT. Vince

Does anybody know what thread Daimler Ferret brake cylinder bleed nipples are? I suspect they are UNC but not sure (I have no UNC threads to hand to compare). Vince

My understanding (from a conversation with A.B long ago) is that prolonged use of Stormer track on a CVRT will cause the rear idler to crack due to the difference with the horn depth. Stormer rear idlers are different to CVRT, as are the final drives (I believe that CVRT were upgraded with Stormer final drives as part of the deiselisation process). I do believe that Stormer front sprockets are also different.

Chris, Are you aware that the Ferret has a pre-select gearbox? It is recommended that if parked up, leave it in gear to prevent the spring in the 'box from weakening (in neutral gear it will be in compression). The gear selector lever will move freely at all times (unless there is a really big problem!), the gear only being engaged when the Gear Change Pedal is depressed. With neutral selected, the GCP will "latch" in the depressed position when pressed; when a gear is selected and the the GCP pressed, it will rise up from this position. When the next gear is selected, when the GCP is depressed and released, it will rise up again.

You can remove the clutch assembly with the gearbox still fitted (I have replaced a clutch and drum on our Spartan); unfortunately it requires the drivers bulkhead to be removed which also entails (as you will be aware) draining the engine coolant (among other things) so I hope it doesn't mess up your shiny paintwork! You may as well strip the front end of the gearbox down in situ; worst case you will be changing the box anyway. Vince

That looks very much like our old tilt trailer. We sold it to a chap over there to tow behind an MAN.

Thus the vehicle retains its covert status

I currently have a Spartan, Scorpion, American truck and Ferret currently insured with that company and at one point they were stored between 3 sites. I'll be interested as to what they say come renewal time this year!

There will be no way to manually "pop out" the excess fuel button as it is on a latch. inside the fuel injection pump. As the previous poster said, it should pop out when the engine is started (it is connected to the fuel rack and allows it to reach an "over-fuel" position. The fuel pump governor returns the rack to the position into a "normal running" position). I used to restore vintage buses, many of which were AECs. A top tip would be to lubricate the rack with a couple of squirts from an oil can and do the same with the injection pump governor if the engine has not been run for some time.

I suppose one issue with the Cummins in a CVRT is with such short gear ratios the turbo probably doesn't get time to spool up? I've driven a lot of different (wheeled) vehicles fitted with Cummins B series engines and they are a good engine but lack torque at the low end so need the turbo spooled up in heavy and armoured vehicles.

The Scorpion I am restoring has a Belgian hull with a British turret. By your reasoning if I mark it up as British it will be a replica of a British Scorpion; if I mark it up as Belgian it will be a replica of Belgian Scorpion (both of which I'm fine with BTW). However if I paint it green with no markings does that make it a replica Scorpion?

The verification officer from your local MVT or IMPS should be able to help. I will be tackling this at some point in the distant future (having an ex-Belgian Scorpion under restoration) so will be keen to see how you get on.

I guess that the MCT interiors were reconfigured to APC spec during the diesel conversion, maybe even earlier. Not difficult to do and a much more pleasant working environment!

Thanks jchinuk, that answers my question. I can see that the rear door still has the mounting points for the gunners seat but it has been removed and converted back to APC spec inside. I'd guess that all the Milan stowage got scrapped (lots of lovely aluminium!).

Mike, I would agree with Chris that the interior has been put back to APC configuration with the Milan turret left in for war gaming purposes. I'd be interested to know if the back door still retained the gunners seat.