Starfire

Is this on an older vehicle? Generally, this kind of arrangement is seen in vehicles from the 70's onwards and is an attempt to reduce emissions by recirculating the gunk and fumes that would come out of the crank case breather into the inlet stream of the vehicle for further combustion. Vehicles prior to this generally just had a small filter or a tube that would just spill any overflow onto the road. I guess an exception, and someting that is in place on my Saracen, is for vehicles with relatively sealed engines for fording; the crank case has to breathe, but the fumes have to go somewhere, the inlet being a fairly simple solution. In order to prevent this happening again, you need what is called an oil catch can, and these are commonly used in motorsports or performance cars. You can also make one yourself without much trouble (I've seen some functional but unattractive ones made from some hose and a coke bottle). There are also about a billion different Chinese made ones available on eBay. Cheers, Terry

Three quarters of a million for a wooden bus seems... excessive. The restoration does appear to be of a very high quality, but their starting point looked to be pretty good and that kind of money would pay for half a dozen full time staff for a year, all the parts you could possibly imagine and you'd still have at least a quarter of a million left. I don't get it. Asking for $25k to pay for petrol on top of that seems to be quite a reach. Cheers, Terry

They were a first class rifle indeed.

Thanks for the clarification With a B80 powering it, it must be one hell of a winch on the Centurion ARV! Cheers, Terry

Thanks Richard, I Don't want to get into an internet fight and I know that most of these military applications that you have listed run wet sumps, but my statement was that I was not aware of a B80 in military use with a wet sump. I could be, and probably am, wrong Champ - B40 Generators - NFI Martian - B81 Nubian - B81 Humber FV1600 - B60 Cheers, Terry

Given that your avatar is the Dennis logo, and as far as I'm aware all of the military B80s had a dry sump, I'd already guessed that you had a fire engine Not to worry though, those of us poking around with old vehicles need to stick together and need all the help we can get Cheers, Terry

Then what keeps the breech block forward?

If it's the manual that I managed to find too, please note that it's missing a couple of pages. Cheers, Terry.

Any of the suggestions are good ones, but I'll agree that a small charging set is a good starting point. You won't need any special tools, just a set of screwdrivers and AF wrenches and they are very forgiving little engines. The only thing that they lack which you will find on a more modern/powerful engine is overhead valves and a pressurised oil system, but the basics are the same. I would also suggest that you invest in a good book or two on the subject. While a little "American", there are really good ones available on blueprinting Chev and Ford V8s; many of the processes described are excessive for most engines, but it will cover things like bearing clearances, machining operatings, timing and tuning. Once you've rebuilt your charging set, you'll of course need a Saracen to put it on like mine [video=youtube_share;8M-3ABUc_oI] Cheers, Terry

Bleach will get rid of mould but it may also get rid of dye. I would soak it in a moderate bleach solution for a while (10% or so for an hour or two) and then throw it in the washing machine on a normal cycle. Cheers, Terry

From memory, the parts are relatively easy to remove (one screw up near the gas reg will separate the had gaurd and one screw in the bottom of the pistol grip), so you could always just give it a try (I have no idea if they will fit or not, but I assume so). Changing the carry handle is a pain though, so it'd probably be best to leave the standard one on there. Cheers, Terry

It would be part of the CES wouldn't it. The orginal Humber 1 Ton had a designated spot or holder for everything you could possibly imagine, including a machete, which I believe was mounted on the driver's door. Cheers, Terry

I only have some limited experience with the B80, all of which have the dry sump arrangement. As you seem technically capable, perhaps try temporarily replacing the strainer arrangement with a length of hose going straight into the oil pan and see if that gives satisfactory results? That would certainly tell you if the strainer was the issue or if you need to look elsewhere. Cheers, Terry

Such a short tow should not have hurt it. The reason that they recommend against towing at all and insist that it be done at low speed for short distances with both the gearbox and transfer case in neutral, is that the oil pumps in the gearbox and transfer cases are driven by the input shafts, so there is reduced lubrication flow and pressure. 100m or so wouldn't even register. Cheers, Terry

To remove one of the tie rods on mine (same sort of ball and taper) I used a medium gear puller. It wasn't the right tool for the job, but it worked. It was also fairly cheap. Cheers, Terry

Dougy, I finally got my home internet connection fixed and can watch YouTube videos again; that was very helpful, thanks.

Thanks AlienFTM, Other than a possible compatibility issue (the only thing that I can think if is that the ignition nay be too "noisy" or that the generator may not be able to provide enough power), does my basic design seem sound? Cheers, Terry

Does anyone have experience with Clansman installations? I'm a bit surprised that there haven't been any responses, given how knowledgeable everyone usually is around here

The worst bit about this one is that the third picture clearly shows a pair of axle stands sitting right there on the ground. He had the equipment but must have been too lazy to use them Cheers, Terry

If you get stuck, Tim Vibert has a number of complete refurb B80 Mk 6A engines in Australia. http://timvibert.com.au/index.php?page_id=155&category_id=115&category_linktext=Saracen%2FSaladin He may also be able to supply individual parts (he has much more stock that is not listed, so it's always best to call/email). Cheers, Terry

The other thought I've had is that maybe the 4 CB2 boxes in the back should be replaced with DBs, so that randomn passengers can't mess around with the radios, when fitted. Cheers, Terry

Hi All, I have been trying to make up my mind if I should go with the period correct Larkspur or the affordable and (relatively reliable) Clansman radio setup for both the intercom and (later) radio fitout for my Saracen Mk 5. I have decided to go with Clansman, but having never worked with it before, I thought I'd post up my initial system design and musings for your consideration and comments. From what I can gather, the ANR stuff can be a pain to get everything working together, so I am thinking that the older style, non-ANR components would be easier, although they don't come with the sexy yellow faceplates :cool2: My initial design drawing: Initially, I would only be installing the Intercom components, consisting of an IB2, 5 CB2 boxes, a CBF/CPU combo and a DB. The diagram has orange lines for the main bus ring (I had some trouble with routing in Visio, so the lines should basically go around the perimeter of the inside of the hull, instead of across the floor as shown). This should allow for each seat to be equipped with a headset on the intercom setup and allow for the installation of the two radios detailed. I have not quite worked out where all of the other boxes should be installed, particularly the IBHA and DCCU for the 352, probably towards the right side of the front of the hull, above the main distribution box. Will it work? What can I/should I improve? Does anyone have any general questions or comments? Cheers, Terry

I've seen the trailers for sale occasionally, but had no idea that there was a tent set available. If I could find a set of teenage, I'd be inclined to grab one of the trailers, because that would take it from being reasonably handy and kinda cool, to bloody handy and awesome. It'd look good behind my Saracen Cheers, Terry

They occasionally come up on UK eBay, but I've never found one that will ship to Australia. Cheers, Terry

I just noticed that (according to your signature at least) that it's an M4A4. Is it running the Chrysler Multibank engine? If so, I'm going to need some pictures and some YouTube videos because those things are really cool. Cheers, Terry