OZITIM

Yes, that seat gets hard. 500klm, thats an epic journey. I was surprised how good it was on fuel. When I climbed out of the turret when I got to Mareeba, the crowd at the show asked how was the drive, I think they were surprised when I said 'bloody terrible'! I loved every bit of it though. But the wind, shaking and noise, sure takes some getting used too.

How was your butt? I find the seat in mine to be pretty damned uncomfortable after 20-30km or so. The most I've ever done in mine was just shy of 500km in 2 days (Adelaide to Pinnaroo and back again) and it was murder

The rear lights are an Australian army mod. The army wanted to fit brake lights and indicators and looked around for what they could retro fit. At the time, the army had a supply of AB130 International truck lights, which they acquired in the mid 60's. These were subsequently fitted, with the light protectors made up in a RAEME workshop. So if you want replacement lights, find an old international truck. Evidently, Dodge AT4 also used the same lights. Their is a great Dodge AT4 still in service in the military as a funeral gun carriage. Its a beautiful truck. Ive not every seen a mk1/1 in Australian service. It is definitely Australian, but never seen a photo of this model in service. I dont know of any other 'Australian mk1/1' that is getting around.

Dear Tim,

 

Cracking job there on the rebuild, I understand why you were anxious.

 

A couple of questions, are the rear lights a modern adaptation and were many mk1/1 in Australian service?

the temp was sitting around 30 degrees. Going up the hill it got up to around 200 degrees, but im not entirely confident about the gauge. Its an old temp sender. I need to get a new one. I pulled up regularly and checked it. It seemed hot to me, and I didnt want to push my luck. Coming back at night, with the temperature at around 21 degrees, it was perfect. It didnt seem anywhere near as hot as it did during the day.

This is what I started with. It was found in this condition.

You can see in the pic, that I am already covered in sweat. Sun cream on. It was bloody hot. I drenched myself down with the jerry can half way too.

I took the Ferret on its longest run yesterday. 80 klm from Cairns to Mareeba and back. No big deal you say, but between these two towns is the Kuranda Range which a climb from sea level to 1083 feet. It was blisteringly hot, however it made it up the range and all the way. I collected second place at the military vehicle show, and drove back at midnight. Half way back, I encountered a bushfire, coupled with the darkness and the amount of smoke I inhaled, it was an epic journey.

The first two pictures are of me pausing at the bottom of the range and getting her ready for the long slow grind up the range. The last picture is about half way up and Im pouring water on the radiator and generally giving the old girl a bit of a cool down.

Remember that this vehicle was recovered as a wreck in a paddock in the Australian outback. I rebuilt everything, so it was a nervous trip, panicking about what I might have missed or done wrong.

OK, you guys were too quick to solve the last picture. Lets try this one. I have no idea what it is. I have a bunch of them. At a guess its a foot step for something.

I just google image searched this tank. Wow, its not looked after very well. What a shame.

it'll never happen, none of these small towns will ever spend the half million Euro's to get a blown-up German tank welded back together and sitting on it's own wheels/suspension, much less the other million or 2 you would need to get it running.

 

The Vimoutiers Tiger 1 is a prime example, they can't even find the money to preserve it, much less restore it. It's sitting there rusting and looks like it was painted by the local kindergarten.

 

They would be better off selling it and putting up a commemorative plaque, before the machine turns into a pile of Iron Oxide.

No problems mate. Let me know if your stuck. Its no problem to put something in the post.

$50 Aussie dollars would be more than fair. These are first rate.

If they are not 100% I will return the money.

Ive got plenty of NOS tracta joints in boxes too.

Ive got NOS spares still in the timber crates. I dont know what the postage cost would be. They arnt exactly light.

With regards to the gearbox/transmission leaks. Make sure that you have not overfilled it with fluid. This can cause it to leak. As for the hubs. Strip them down, replace everything new, new seals, bearing, CV boots, hubs and repaint with military issue paint, fill with 80w/90, wait and watch it leak. Repeat this as many times as you want, and it will produce the same result. Trust me, Ive done everything, tried everything, it just leaks. Over time, you will convince yourself that it is leaking less.

Get him to email me on policepsychology@yahoo.com.

Im not sure as to what the price of radio stuff is. If people could give me some idea of what might be a reasonable ask. We are all friends here!

Regards

If anyone wants one, let me know.

Impressive, but to be honest, I would be more impressed if Toyo tyres made a bartrack tyre to fit an actual Ferret.

OZITIM

have a look at this trial ferret. It had a Perkins Phaser diesel engine in it. The hull was significantly altered. But a cool looking machine. Nice turret.

OZITIM

wow, thanks for sending those pics and the great comments. Now is the time to drag out that radio set and revive it with a new mint condition film scale. This must be to a radio guy, like finding a box of spare tyre hub caps to a Ferret guy. haha

The two units on the right in the photo, are two old ones that were also in the box, but unwrapped and in pretty poor condition.

I have at least ten units that are in as new condition. As you can see by how they were packed, someone has taken a lot of care to ensure they are protected. They are in sealed packaging and wrapped in foam. Its interesting that they are in the lot that I have, as their isnt a lot of radio stuff with it. A box of radio cables that I will photo and put on here, but other than that, that is it. If anyone wants one (or ten) of these, let me know. Give me a ring on 61 438151730 or 0438151730 in Australia. Happy to post them anywhere.

I knew you guys would know what it was. Radios are not my thing. I carried enough of them on my back in the army.

Regards, OZITIM

Im opening up some old stock and finding stuff that looks completely foreign to me. I have no idea what these parts are. I hoping someone can tell me what they are and what they are for.

Ive opened up a box and found about a dozen of these things. New old stock. British FV markings. The stock was all supposed to be Ferret.

It states 'Film scale and Drive Unit (no.2)'. What ever they are, they took a lot of care to look after them, as they are wrapped in foam. They are mint condition.

Any ideas?

I have a lot of other weird stuff that I will post as I go.

Many regards, OZITIM

Thats a nice looking Ferret.

OZITIM

The Saracen is easy to drive and sits on a comfortable speed. It has limited left right visibility, but is easy to get into, compared to other FVs. If you have creaky knees and a bad back, the saracen is a lot better than a Ferret. As for maintenance, Im yet to find a FV that doesn require it. The maintenance and brakedowns is all part of the fun.

The 'expert' is 'quite certain' that the amber room is there. What happened to the crated spit fires in Borneo, they were 'quite certain' they were there. what ever happened to just shutting your mouth until you find something. A bit like the random guy that tells me, every time I take out an FV onto the road, that he is going to build one. Just shut your mouth and do it. Too much talking in this world.

Wow, you have more patience than me. I cant tolerate these guys. If the vehicle was so awesome, the military would still be driving them. But in the day, they were the thing. The pyramid of Giza is a pile of rocks, its nothing compared to the buildings in any major city in the world. But in the day, the pyramid was a pretty impressive thing to behold, and still is. The wilson pre-select auto was the best thing since sliced bread in 1952, but you wouldnt want one in your car now. But, they even today, you have to give credit to the engineers who built them back in the day. Whats wrong with these idiots. Dont they understand that these vehicles are time capsules to the time they were built and thats what makes them great. Seriously, these guys really annoy me. Armchair experts that dont know the difference between a 13 ml spanner and a half inch.