Starfire

Welcome in

My mum wasn't a fan of me getting the Saracen either, but she likes to come for rides in it now.

Cheers,

Terry

Speaking of Bedfords, this one has almost finished being restored.

Cheers,

Terry

No part numbers, but Stalwart, I believe, by comparison:

 

 

 

It looks the same as the ones on my Saracen too.

Cheers,

Terry

Ok, I'll have a good look and take some photos. Anything else that I should be looking for to positively rule in or out that it was a military vehicle (fittings, etc.)? It's the only RL that I've ever seen personally, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Cheers,

Terry

Hi All,

We have an ex-RN Bedford RL flatbed with a HIAB at the museum and we'd love to find the original British registration number for it, so that we can apply the correct markings. Is there any way of matching a chassis number or something to the proper registration?

Cheers,

Terry

Yes, air will get into the system the second you undo the connections. You'll need to bleed it off once you reassemble it. Unless you plan on leaving it that way for an extended period, a little air won't hurt the lines or the fluid.

Cheers,

Terry

Unless you're planning on driving it without accumulators, I would just slip a small plastic bag over the end of the pipe and hold it on with a zip-tie or electrical tape; that will stop crap getting into the pipe in a cost effective manner.

Cheers,

Terry

Very nice. Got any vids of it running?

Cheers,

Terry

And yes Richard in Australia which should make finding parts and having them posted and shipped here an interesting challenge.

Richard comes to Corowa every year; you might be able to get him to sneak some bits over in his carry on luggage

Cheers,

Terry

Wow, your insurance industry sucks. The policy I have on the Saracen allows anyone to drive it, provided that they are appropriately licensed.

Cheers,

Terry

Sean is right, cutting the old shaft out of the eye is the best option, but you will probably need a lathe or mill to do it properly and you'd also need some experience in those kind of machining processes.

I would suggest that you take the part to a local engineering firm and have them do it for you. It won't cost too much and it'll be a fairly simple job for them. You'd also probably want them to run a die down the new shaft to ensure that the threads are ok.

They could also do the final assembly and weld it up.

Cheers,

Terry

Mine is mounted on the top of the rocker cover on the Saracen.

I got new liners and a machined crank... 32 years ago!

Cheers,

Terry

Joy of things like Grandkids and Nephew's? You can wind them up , then hand them back.

Yes, absolutely that. I took him to the movies the other day, loaded him up on sugar and fizzy drinks and then palmed him off back to my sister

Cheers,

Terry

I don't have any kids myself, but my 3 year old nephew loves my "tank" and always keeps asking me when he can go to the "tank house" (the museum).

He also likes working on it (handing me tools and stuff) and cleaning it, because "we're men and men fix things".

I guess that there is some hope for the future

Cheers,

Terry

i am 23 and i bought my first military vehicle in October 2014 now a sensible person would start of with a small Dodge or a GMC but being the type of guy who's smallest vehicle is a modified defender 90 this wasn't the case. so i jumped in with both feet and purchased a 1943 diamond t 969A which i am just enjoying more and more and look forward to each weekend. all i can say is i am glad petrol is getting cheaper so happy days .

 

regards sam

My first, and so far only, MV is a Saracen Mk 5. Sometimes you just have to jump in the deep end

Cheers,

Terry

Cool vehicles, but why would you want to remove the armour? That's the best bit!

Cheers,

Terry

I've just turned 35 and have a grey hair or two (although I started going bald about 10 years ago, so who knows about what should be on top!), but I guess that I'm around to keep things going.

I know for a fact that one of the guys in my club's daughter, who is in her early 20s, has claimed one of his GPWs and she regularly drives that around.

There is interest, but I guess that a few things that make it hard for younger people are that prices are up, WW2 vehicles are getting very old and, younger people don't tend to have the same sort of car culture as previous generations.

My younger brother is 25 and just about all of his peers see vehicles as a means of transport and nothing more. They aren't into their cars, they are into where their cars can take them, and most of them have no idea how to do even basic maintenance.

Cheers,

Terry

Haven't seen you on the forums for a long time. How has your Saracen been progressing?

Cheers,

Terry

Hi Jason,

Here are some pictures.

Cheers,

Terry

Hi Jason,

They aren't specifically for sale; the plan is to get the engine running and then fire it up on open days, while also keeping it as a spare for the M3 Stuart, but the museum is in the process of raising funds to purchase the current property, so anything that works towards that goal will be considered.

I personally don't know too much about the engine; I know that it's not running but is complete - or near complete and the workshop manager feels that he can get it going without too much money being spent on it. It is from an LVT originally and is plated as being manufactured by Continental for the Bureau of Ships.

I'll be at the museum tomorrow, if you'd like me to make some enquiries about it and maybe take a few photos?

Cheers,

Terry

We have an engine and mounts for an LVT in the workshop.

Cheers,

Terry

Which part of Australia? It's a big place (almost a big as all of Europe).

Cheers,

Terry

If you enjoy the Ferret on road, you should try the Dingo. The gearbox is 10x better to use than that of the Ferret and with the driver's seat in the "High" position, visibility is excellent.

I'm trying to buy a Dingo at the moment, but we don't seem to be able to agree on price (there is very little information available about what they are actually worth and changing hands for).

I really enjoy driving my Saracen on the road and don't find the size to be much of an impediment, but the visibility is quite poor and I would not drive one without someone in the turret.

Cheers,

Terry

Something from a ship?

Thanks for clearing that up, Clive

Cheers,

Terry

We found this kicking around at the museum when tidying up yesterday. Does anyone know what it might have been used for? It is quite large and heavy and is probably made of solid steel.

Cheers,

Terry