Starfire

The main advantage of premium fuels is that they have a higher octane rating, which means that they are more resistant to pinging (pre-detonation) in high compression and high performance engines. They also tend to have additives that clean up the fuel system a little more than regular fuel. Given that most B series engines run 6.4:1 compression and even the "high-performance" ones (Mk 7 and Mk 8) only run 7.25:1, they're nowhere near being in need of high octane fuel. The relatively crude carburettors aren't too sensitive to fouling and they will pretty much run on any fuel you like. To that end, I run the cheapest unleaded that I can find, and have no problems with it. I've not tried ethanol fuel in my vehicles, but it can adversely affect some rubber and yellow metal components on older vehicles and therefore should be avoided, if possible. Cheers, Terry

Awesome work. I've never understood why people mess with the RFC cooling systems; I know a guy with a Mk 3 that has been "converted" to regular flow cooling too, and he has a lot of grief with it as well. Cheers, Terry

I love your progress so far. Keep it up. Cheers, Terry

There are also some special tools for installing some of the different seals. Speak to your supplier; they can give you the specifications of the seal and any tools you may require.

It happens all the time. One of my favourite movies, Aliens, used a modified Tommy gun with a Remington 870 shotgun mounted under it for the M41A pulse rifle, and an MG42 mounted on a steadicam arm for the smart guns. The officer's sidearm was a H&K VP70. Cheers, Terry

Plenty of people tell me that I'm crazy for owning a Saracen and a Ferret. Plenty more tell me how much they love them. At the end of the day, and being rather blunt about it, I don't give a f*** either way; they make me happy and that's all that really matters - although I do prefer talking to the people that like them Cheers, Terry

Congrats!

It might have been ground out, I've honestly not paid too much attention to it...

My rear door key is a 1/2" ratchet extension bar with a handle welded to the end of it. It works well. Cheers, Terry

I'm not sure whether it will fit or not. I'll have a look at my parts guide tonight - there are some issues here though: The 3 door Saracen Turret takes an M1919 Browning The 2 door Saracen Turret in a Mk 2 or Mk 3 takes an M1919 Browning, but the cradle may be different. The 2 door Saracen Turret in a Mk 5 or Mk 6 takes an L37 GPMG and the cradle may be swapped into a Mk 2 or 3. The 2 door Ferret Turret on early marks takes an M1919 Browning and is, as far as I know, nearly identical to that of a Mk 2 or Mk 3 Saracen. The 2 door Ferret Turret on later marks takes an L37 GPMG, but is not the same as the Mk 5 and Mk 6 Saracen turrets (although I believe that most of the differences are external). Cheers, Terry

I'm not sure on a Ferret, but on a Saracen, you can't see anything if the Tracta joints without removing the wheel station, with the exception of a hole through which a pin is installed (covered by a bolt). Whether that turns (based on where torque is being out in to the system) would indicate if there is a break on the inner or outer joint, but it'd all have to come out to fix it anyway. You should probably swap steps 4 and 5 too. Dumping oil is easier than removing components.

I wouldn't put too much stock in the description; it's fairly common for websites these days to take a collection of photos that they've found somewhere and add whatever story they like over the top of it. This one has the good grace to mention that they don't know the providence of the photos, but they still go with the clickbait title and description. Cheers, Terry

If you're not getting drive, you can do some diagnostics before removing wheel stations... Jack up one side (other side chocked) and with the transfer case in neutral, handbrake off, you should be able to rotate one wheel and the other should turn. Rotating backwards, should give about 5 degrees of motion before the other wheel starts moving back. If that fails, have a look at what the driveshafts are doing (you may need to remove the radio tray, some gearbox covers and the front driveshaft covers). If turning the back wheel doesn't cause the driveshafts to move and the front does, you know the break is at the back, or vice versa. If you can identify the problem being at either the front or the back, then removing the outer hub will tell you what condition your planet gears are in; if they look fine, then it's either the bevel box or tracta joints. Drop the oil from the suspect bevel box; a dead bevel box will have ugly oil in it. Repeat for the other side. Cheers, Terry

When I replaced one on the Saracen, we used 3 people and a fork lift. It was a pain in the arse. Cheers, Terry

Good to hear, mate

I've found the engine braking to be reasonable. On anything but the steepest hills, sitting in 4th with just a touch of throttle has it keep a constant 50kph without the need for brakes. Cheers, Terry

Your radios are Larkspur, but the two gold-faced boxes in the first pic are Clansman ANR. The loose stuff is a mixture of both. My guess is that the larkspur doesn't work and the Clansman is the actual intercom. Plug the helmets into the round ports on the bottom of the boxes and you should be in business.

Yep, mine is loud and unpleasant, especially on the overrun. Interestingly, the Saracen is much more civilised, despite running basically the same running gear, and more of it. Cheers, Terry

They're very similar vehicles, but not a lot is really interchangeable. Due to the relative size differences, none of the running gear or panels can be swapped, some engine components, storage bins and electrical gear can.

Yep, OM13 is what you should use (ISO 12 hydraulic fluid), but auto trans fluid will work. The filler should be the bold that is sticking up under the handle - careful though, if you overfill it, it'll spray out from the overflow.

I'd just use the complete weight of the vehicle for calculations; for the most part it doesn't matter if your dolly has a higher weight rating, or if the truck is slightly bigger than it has to be. If you really need an answer, you could work backwards though; take the base weight and subtract the weight of the pack, suspension units, tracts, etc. Cheers, Terry

If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a while, get them stainless sleeved. Not the cheapest option, but they'll last forever after that. Cheers, Terry

If it's just corrosion, you should be able to clean it up with a bit of light sanding and/or some degreaser.

Thanks Rob, That sounds tedious. Cheers, Terry

Let me know how you get on, Tim.