Jump to content

Starfire

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,041

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Starfire

    Adelaide airport visitor 1962

    in Aviation

    Saracen brake bleeding

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    The general rule is that you should always bleed the system from the furthest point from the pump, so start with the backs, do the middle and then front. If it really needs bleeding (or you've had it completely drained) you should also bleed the accumulators, which have bleed points on them as well.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    Ferret modernization project

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    I'd like to express interest in your internal fittings (my spare Ferret is missing heaps of bits) and your engine, if you do get around to changing it over. PM me if you're keen.

     

    When I first got my Saracen, I wanted to convert it to a diesel, but I've learned to live with, and love, the B80.

     

    Some Ferrets in British service were fitted with brake boosters, one of those would be an easy retrofit to yours. It won't give you fantastic brakes, but it will be better. Also note that the Ferret brakes are manually adjusted. If yours aren't set correctly then they will be awful.

     

    If swapping the engine, you'll need to be wary of rev ranges - the B series redlines at 3750 RPM, which is quite low for a modern petrol engine and quite high for a diesel, making them hard to match. In all honesty though, the Ferret has reasonable power to weight, and a properly maintained B60 is very reliable. If I were going to modify a Ferret to have better performance, all I would do is fit a smallish turbo to it; with its relatively low compression ratio and slow running, it should add an extra 50hp with no stress at all, although a water to air intercooler may be needed.

     

    Noise is always going to be a problem in the Ferret, no matter what you do to it. You're sitting between a pair of drive shafts and the shape of it puts you near the focal point of a bell shaped interior. They're surprisingly quiet on the outside and surprisingly loud inside. Padding may help, but it's hard to say. I just wear a headset. If you do fit padding, make sure that it is fire retardant and doesn't off-gas any toxic chemicals. Fire is a real threat in the Ferret.

     

    For the seat, the early Ferret seats suck. Later ones in British service were fitted with the same seat as the Fox, and it is more comfortable and offers reasonable lumbar support. I would be very wary of a bucket seat in a Ferret, especially a Mk 2, as it will hinder you getting out in a hurry, if you need to.

     

    For bead locks, you'll need to replace the rims, I would think. I doubt you'd find anything off the shelf to fit a Ferret, so you'll probably have to go custom, which will be pricey.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    FV part numbers rationale

    in I may be stupid, but......

    Posted

    I have seen examples of the same part having different part numbers depending on when it was packaged and by whom. For example, I have 3 little boxes of rubber battery breathers. 2 of them were packaged in 1961 by Lucas and are marked LV6/MT4 LU/862335 and the other was packaged by Alvis in 1955 and is marked LV9/BOE FV-13550. None of them are marked with an NSN.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    ferret hubs

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    Hi, Does anyone know the procedure for the fitting of the Sun Gears into the hubs. The manual is not very clear, so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

     

    Jim.

     

    Unlike the Saracen, it doesn't have to be timed, so you can just shove it in there and then shim it up.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    Ferret vehicle History cards deciphering

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    The history cards rarely go all the way back to manufacture. I'm not sure if the record keeping system changed over at some point in the past, but it seems that when the old card was full, a new one was issued and the old one was discarded.

     

    VHF indicates the type of radio setup installed.

     

    Code changes are generally significant upgrades. I know my Saracen had one when it was upgraded to a Mk 5 and when it was changed from an ambulance to an APC.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

    Daimler ferret drive problem

    in British Vehicles

    Posted

    Yep, something is broken, it'll be a driveshaft, bevel box, inner or outer tractor joint or the reduction gear assembly in the hub. Draining the oil from the assemblies and seeing which is full of metal will be a good start towards finding the problem.

     

    Cheers,

    Terry

×
×
  • Create New...