Starfire

If it was in those pictures that I posted, then it is spare. I know very little about that gear though. Cheers, Terry

I've got to say that I'm impressed that you're taking on a challenging project, in a country where spares are almost non existent. If it were me, I would have purchased the best example money could buy and just imported that, but it's good that someone wants to save these others as well. Cheers, Terry

I have about 10 years worth of these forms for my Saracen (82-92), and other maintenance records. In just about all of them, the mud wings (fenders) needed straightening Cheers, Terry

Of course, if the replicas don't need to be functional, you could have them 3D scanned and printed in a sintered metal, as 1 part.

I'm not sure but I assume that they are brass, or possibly alloy. It would be poured, face down, into an open mould with the back just being flat and then they would be bent into the toght shape, probably with a press. For best results, you would want to remove your originals, flatten them and then take an impression, but you should be able to make a mould in place and somehow flatten it, but there will be some distortion. Cheers, Terry

They're not a flat brass plate that is cast and then dished? Cheers, Terry

http://reprorations.com/Britain%20WW2/WW2-Britain.htm

No. AFAIK the only FV600 series vehicle that supported a Boiling Vessel was the Saladin. This was due to the fact that it had a substantially bigger generator than the rest (70A?), that was only just able to supply the BV. It was an unusual round one too and not the much more common square unit issued with later vehicles. The plug was under the turret basket somewhere. Cheers, Terry

Thanks! I looked them up and it appears that the heat shield is on backwards and there are a number of missing components, which is probably a good thing, otherwise I'd be tempted to try it out Cheers, Terry

There are two of these things in a back room of the museum, and we aren't too sure what they are. One is more complete than the other, but neither have any real markings on them. My best guess is some sort of kerosene heater. Cheers, Terry

Probably. I don't know how they are funded, but they're spending money like it's going out of fashion. Cheers, Terry

Yep, I've only managed to get it to go from N to F once. Normally, I'd have to stop the engine. F to R or R to F is fine, if you do it quickly and smoothly. It really sucks if your hand slips off the selector and you smash your thumbnail against the dash though :drive: Cheers, Terry

I've only ever once managed to get my Saracen go to into forward from neutral on the transfer case. Usually if I miss the shift, I have to stop the engine and select a gear before restarting. It does idle too high though - the Saracen should idle at about 400 RPM or something silly like that. To go from forward to reverse and back again, you have to either select neutral in the main gearbox, or hold down the gear change pedal and then smartly (as in fast and fairly hard) move the transfer case selector from one position to the other. Cheers, Terry

Just make a mess and then park up in a hill and let it all drain out of one of the access panels, along with all of the other gunk that has accumulated in there. As you need to drain ATF, it'll flow out fairly well anyway, being so thin. If you're really worried about it, spray a couple of cans of degreaser in their first and slosh it around with a spirited drive. Cheers, Terry

http://www.classicheads.com/Electronic_Ignition.html The fuel pump doesn't need to be anything special but should run on 24v and be in-line with your fuel line, as near to the tank as practical (mine is under the battery tray, near the filter). It should be wired so that you can turn it on and off; normally you shouldn't need it but can switch it on when starting and in the event of a vapour lock. The most important thing is shrouding that radiator. Cheers, Terry.

Looks good Post some pictures of the final setup - you still haven't told us what this is for! Or, you know, I could read your signature

Well, I finally got to see this today, after it had been blasted and primed and it is a strange beast indeed. We have it at the museum parked next to a standard (Australian) towed Polsten, so it was interesting to make some comparisons... Unfortunately I didn't get any photos, but I can describe a few things. First off, the actual gun cradle is the same as that of the other Polsten mount. If the gun on that one were free, I'm fairly sure that it could be removed and installed on this one. Secondly, the heavy seat tubes contain compression springs and are used to counterbalance the weight of the gun and sighting equipment - they are connected to the elevation mechanism via a pair of steel cables and pulleys at the forward end of the tubes (or would be if those parts weren't corroded out and damaged). The shield setup is a proper job; they have quick release mountings and are just too well made to be anything other than factory. It is currently fitted with a towing eye and 2 mounting legs, but it looks like there should be at least one more leg, possibly more. There is a provision for an axle but it is not present. It is marked with GM-H on a few parts, but the ID placard is missing. My hypothesis is that it was built late-war, or possibly as a prototype for use on merchant navy vessels. There are a number of photos of them having standard towed single mount guns setup on their decks for self defense and this may have been built as a more seaworthy option that could still easily be moved into place and not require a fixed mounting point. Thoughts? I'll try and remember to get some better photos this week. Depending on when I get to it, it will be either grey primer or fresh green paint. Cheers, Terry

Good to hear from you. If you do end up in Australia, I'll take you for a Saracen ride and a beer. Cheers, Terry

Don't read too much into it. If you're willing and able to turn a spanner and do the maintenance, they aren't too bad, as long as you get the fact that it's essentially a heavy truck and a rather complex one at that. If you're confidant that you could maintain a truck, you can manage a Saracen, especially if you understand the fact that it has a lot of things that need checking/maintaining and the fact that things are hard to access. I still have nightmares about topping up my fluid flywheel - especially the bit where the guy helping me do it dropped the special tool (that is supposed to stop things falling into the flywheel housing) into the flywheel housing 1) Buy the manuals. 2) Read the manuals. 3) Read the manuals again. 4) Buy good tools. 4a) Especially the special service tools like the fluid flywheel tool and the drain plug tool. 4b) The user handbook lists all of the tools in the standard tool kit in the back. Make sure that you get all of these, at the very least. It mostly lists combination wrenches and box spanners, but I would suggest getting ROE wrenches and sockets instead. Some deep sockets will also prove handy. As yours is a Mk 6, it is probably fitted with the B80 Mk 6A engine which uses UNF threads, in which case you can get away with not having Whitworth tools, although I do run into the occasional Whitworth bolt, usually lurking somewhere in the engine bay, but not on the actual engine. I bought the 25/32 spanner and socket, as per the tool list, but I have never found a need or use for it and it was a pain to find them (my tool shop ended up having to order them in and it took months)! For the bigger sizes (> 1"), get 3/4" drive sockets, as well as a short (~1.5') and long (~2.5') breaker bars and a 3/4" to 1/2" adapter. This allows you to do things like crack your wheel nuts (1 5/16") with the breaker bar and then use a 1/2" ratchet to undo them the rest of the way. 5) Follow the service schedule. 6) Read the manuals again. In between all of those steps, ask questions on HMVF and Facebook. Cheers, Terry

I have really agonized over a response to this question and honestly, I think you may be getting in over your head, unless you have plenty of spare cash. I would never even consider owning an armoured vehicle without having the time and experience to do most of the spanner turning - I make a decent wage, but there is no way that I could afford to pay someone else to do all of the work for me and besides, the maintenance is a big part of the ownership experience. 1500 hours is an excessive amount; don't forget that is based on Nick's complete rebuild of his Mk 6 with his psychotic attention to detail included in essentially a concourse restoration - you probably won't find a better Saracen anywhere. While I can't give you an estimate of what you should be doing or spending, unless you can find a workshop that is familiar with this kind of vehicle, you will be paying for their time to learn how to work with it, which will add to your costs. If you can find a local military vehicle group, it would be worth your time to join it. Unless anything is actually broken on your Saracen, your best bet is to pay for a full flush and service of all of the gearboxes, oil, hydraulic and fuel tanks and then pretty much learn to live with it. New paint is nice, but doesn't affect how the vehicle will run. Fitting electronic ignition and an electric fuel pump will also make it easier to live with. If you think that you're going to be able to get the vehicle "sorted" and then just have it sitting around ready for a spur of the moment joyride, I think that you're going to be disappointed with it. Post war British AFVs were noted for being overcomplicated and difficult to maintain and the Saracen, while quite capable, rugged and fairly reliable, was one of the worst offenders, which is why they were rather quickly replaced with the FV432 in front-line British service and other vehicles around the world. The Saracen has 14 gearboxes, a fluid flywheel, a dry sump, a tyre pump and a hydraulic system, all of which are going to leak to some degree and need checking and maintenance at some stage. The vehicle needs to be run at least every 2 weeks to ensure that the generator bearings do not run dry, otherwise there is a real risk of damaging it on startup. I understand that you have also purchased a Fox, which being essentially an evolution of the Ferret, has similar mechanicals with the added problem of spare parts being very thin on the ground. I really don't want to discourage you, but I think you need to look at this more realistically and understand that owning an armoured vehicle is like buying a horse - unless you have a lot of money and staff to take care of it, you are going to have to invest time, effort and money into its upkeep and it will largely cost you the same whether you use it or not. Learning how to work on such a vehicle can be very rewarding though. I like to describe owning a Saracen as "the best terrible decision that I've ever made". It's expensive and frustrating, but it's also great fun and certainly gives me something to do. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Cheers, Terry

I don't know that the carrier was exactly successful, but I believe that the answer lies more in their application than their capabilities; the carrier was designed to go up against infantry, where it had reasonable capabilities, while a tank is designed to go up against other tanks. Cheers, Terry

The Saxon is ok, for what it's worth, but isn't really suited to their requirements or doctrine. I'd like one in my collection, but I wouldn't want to go to war in one Cheers, Terry

Don't forget, Clive, that the Land Rover FFR was designed and produced significantly after the B series, which probably explains some of the improvements. The lack of shroud on an RFC Saracen explains the overheating though - I'm not aware of anyone that has removed the shroud and does not have significant problems with heat management. Cheers, Terry

True, but Matt is talking about export from Australia and import into South Africa; a slightly different situation. Also, I'd be inclined to package it in a different box, with no military markings on it, after painting it yellow and marking it as a vehicles wheel hub or similar; that way none of it is a lie, but it doesn't invite additional scrutiny. That said, Montie has gone rather silent and has been absent from the forum, so I have no idea what the status of this project it - although I'd love to see him get it on the road. Cheers, Terry

I'm glad to hear that putting all this info together was of use to someone else! I've not got a radio install in yet, but I do have a Clansman intercom. Being a bigger guy and the fact that the radio tray goes to the side of the driver's seat, it will make it harder to get in and out of than it already is, but I do still kinda want a radio setup. I would also need to get a higher-end radio license to use military frequencies and would still have the problem of not really having anyone to talk to anyway The Clansman gear uses the same bolt spacing as the earlier Larkspur gear and was therefore quite easy to physically install. I believe that your Saracen is a Mk 6, so you will have a similar problem to me in that the existing mounting studs are somewhat inaccessible through the interior padding. Fortunately, there were still a few of the original solution to the problem in place, being stud extensions. I made up some more by welding 1/4" AF nuts onto the heads of 1/4" AF bolts and screwing them on to the existing studs (which appears to be what they did in service). The guy that made the cables up for me didn't do a great job (a couple were faulty and some of his soldering is barely any better than mind), and so I've only got a few of the boxes connected, and there is a bit of ignition noise on the system, but I do have a lot of corrosion in my ignition junction box (I've got a replacement, but haven't fitted it yet). I have my harness running in an open loop, which is technically a fault condition, but it works fine. With the driver and commander headsets set to open mike, (+M), the system works exceptionally well and we can clearly communicate, even when running at 50 MPH. Current system diagram: I honestly would not consider running a Saracen on the road without a commander and working intercom. Before the intercom was fitted, we used some cheap walkie-talkie type headsets that actually worked fairly well, as long as they had fresh 9v batteries in them. Cheers, Terry