Starfire

Excellent,

Thank you guys, I should be able to sort it out from there. Hopefully it just needs a clean.

Cheers,

Terry

Thanks Clive,

Mine is actually British (ex. Hong Kong). The Australians only ever used the Mk. 2.

From the picture, that looks like the oil cooler at the top of the engine bay?

Cheers,

Terry

Sorry, it was in Broken hill, on my way to Dubbo, so it would have been a week or so before easter.

I know of at least 4 Saracens in Adelaide; mine is the only registered and running one. I bought it from a guy in Pambula.

Cheers,

Terry

I believe that only the civvy model was called the Champ and that technically the military ones had a thrilling name like Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4×4, cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1

As an aside, I didn't know that you slimmed it around here, Doug

I met you about 7 years ago in Dubbo one Easter and had a look at your Ferret and you took me for a ride. It was then that I went from thinking that I wanted one to knowing it! After years of searching and not having much luck finding a suitable vehicle, I widened my search parameters and ended up with a Saracen.

Thanks for helping me catch the green bug.

Cheers,

Terry

Hi All,

I've got a problem with the brake lights on my Saracen, they're staying on, so I assume that the switch needs a clean or replacement. Does anyone know where it is, how to get at it and/or possibly has some photos? I'm guessing that it's near the pedal somewhere and is mechanically operated?

Cheers,

Terry

101st Airborne. All Jeeps were used by the 101st Airborne, just ask their current owners

Cheers,

Terry

Well, I'd volunteer, but it's not the acting as commander, Terry, it's the 10,000 mile journey each side!

Come on, Sean, it's not like you'd have to get over here on a prison ship

Cheers,

Terry

I'm always a bit apprehensive before a trip in the Saracen, but once moving I always enjoy it greatly, even when there are problems (most of which have been my fault).

As I have been driving it more and learning its quirks, the apprehension has been going down and the enjoyment up. I don't even mind driving it in heavy traffic or on freeways.

Surprisingly, the hardest part seems to be finding someone to act as a commander. You'd think there would be people lining up to go for a drive in a Saracen

Cheers,

Terry

Thanks Richard,

I'll check the rims while I'm inspecting the coil on the weekend. I must admit that getting the old girl back in action is quite exciting. It really is a lovely little car to drive.

Cheers,

Terry

Thanks Richard,

Do you know the type/brand of the American tyres? If they are pneumatic, we will need different rims, as ours have no allowance for valve stems.

Cheers,

Terry

Hi All,

Our museum has a Mk 3 Dingo, running solid tyres. They are in very good condition, but we're thinking of taking her on a road trip next year (~2900 km) and should probably either have a spare set available, or change it over to pneumatic wheels and tyres.

Is anything available for the Dingo anymore? They're a bit of a strange size.

Also, has anyone had any experience in dropping the front driveshafts and running one around as a RWD?

Cheers,

Terry

That English is so bad, I swear that it was written by a Nigerian prince.

Cheers,

Terry

Bryan,

Yes please! The more data, the better

Thanks,

Terry

A word of caution with the Fox; they're a good vehicle, for sure, but finding any spare parts is reportedly a nightmare. If you get one, make sure that you will be able to maintain it.

I would suggest a Ferret, Saracen, Saladin or any of the CVRT range would be a better choice.

Cheers,

Terry

My guess is that the Ferret has recently been repainted and the paint is forming a nice insulating layer between the light housings and the body

Cheers,

Terry

If nobody can come up with the Ferret EMER, I do have the mod instructions with diagram for Saracen, which I think would be pretty similar.

Nah, the Saracen one will be heaps better, because Saracens are better than Ferrets

Now excuse me while I go and put my flame suit on...

Cheers,

Terry

British turn signals from the era earthed to the body and were notorious for not working without a decent earth connection. There should be an earthing lead going from each signal housing to the body (generally somewhere on the mud wing), with a good, clean connection.

Cheers,

Terry

Actually, I had a good look at it and it's in worse condition than I thought. I might give it a miss as shipping will be expensive for a gamble.

Thanks,

Terry

Another interesting thing that most people won't be aware of, is that the tank is actually divided internally, with the front 2 feet or so partitioned off from the rest of it and used to transport engine oil for the planes. It is pumped in and out via the hand pump mounted on top of the tank, and you can make out the weld line from the outside of the tank.

The owner of this vehicle, and (apparently) the farmer that had been using it as a water tanker for many years were not aware of this, until an ex-serviceman visited the museum and asked if there was still any oil in the tank; inspection revealed that it was, and still is, about half full of a thick tar-like substance

Due to the fact that the tank was made out of mild steel, it did not fare well transporting water and rusted quite significantly. It has been cosmetically restored but will never transport fuel again.

Cheers,

Terry

I should also probably mention that some of the early Saracens had some fairly significant driveline differences with later ones, which you can identify in the User Handbook.

Cheers,

Terry

Again, reviving an old thread.

I had to replace the filter in my Saracen a couple weeks ago and when it was all back together, the canister failed to seal correctly and I promptly lost about 10L of oil when I started it up. I thought that the seal was gone, but further investigation showed that the tips of the spiral had been pinched between the housing and the canister, the solution being to carefully fold them inwards before refitting the assembly.

Hopefully this information will help others avoid the problem.

Cheers,

Terry

If it's stuck in the up position, that sounds like a false-neutral to me; if the down position, it could be that the return spring has gone over centre.

False neutrals can be caused by poor operation of the pedal (a common problem is trying to press the pedal with the instep of your foot and your toe hitting the boxing above the pedal area, preventing it from being pushed all the way down (make sure you use the ball of your foot and that your toes clear the reinforcing), or it can be caused by your gear linkages being out of adjustment - I occasionally get a false neutral on 4th, if I don't pull back on the selector lever a little and really need to adjust the linkages. On the up side, I'm very strong in the legs and can easily reset the pedal, but most other people really struggle with it.

Like others have said, the pedal is a gear change pedal and should never be used as a clutch. If you do, it will rapidly wear out your gearbox, which is both expensive and difficult to repair. If you haven't already, get yourself a copy of the driver's handbook at the very least and read it thoroughly. One of the most critical things is the "pedal down" procedure, which involves selecting each gear (with the engine not running) and giving the pedal 6-10 full strokes, before selecting the next gear; this ensures that the automatic adjusters are kept tight (you can't over adjust them, so sometimes if you have a slipping gear, a large number of pumps will get it back in spec, unless it's too far gone).

Also make sure that you use the correct grades of oil, particularly in the gearbox:

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?13284-Saracen-RR-B80-Fluids&p=399965#post399965

Cheers,

Terry

Hi Andy,

Is it a Mk 1 or a Mk 2? The only difference between them is that the back of the turret opens up in two parts and swings to the sides on a Mk 1 (3 door turret) and folds down as a single part forming a seat on a Mk 2 (2 door turret). If it is the 3 door, can you get some detail photos of the turret? They're pretty rare and I've only ever seen them in pictures.

Whether it is a Mk 1 or a Mk 2, we'll need pictures and details of the vehicle anyway, you can never have too many Saracen photos

Cheers,

Terry

I always think those beautiful art deco instrument panels look strangely out of place in an austere CMP cab!

True, but they look even more out of place in a Universal Carrier

Cheers,

Terry

For the cost of postage, I would be interested. Can you please let me know how much it will cost to send to Adelaide, South Australia (5000)? Hopefully the fuel gauge will work better than the one on my Saracen

Cheers,

Terry