simonm Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 (edited) Hi, Just a short intro, should have done this a while back. Long time Willys M38 owner. My jeep - Veronica (actually wife's Jeep but her name isn't Veronica) Bought in Pakistan while out there on Govt service, wife in FCO. The jeep was Pakistan Army surplus and had previously been owned by head of British Council in Islamabad. The Jeep orginates from the Korean War, at the end of that conflict the Pakistan army bought a load of suplus equipment, I guess our jeep has been in at least 3 wars - Korean, and two between India and Pakistan (no bullet holes). We used to go mountain climbing in her, she would keep going up beyond where the Shoguns and Landrovers had to give up. Brought her back to the UK in 1998 and been in storage till about 2006 when I finally had some time to get her to UK MOT standard - new brakes, joints etc. Now moved on to A Saracen. Always wanted one from being a teenager - in my 50s and seeing them drive around in NI (on the news, I'm born and bred in Kent) Almost bought a brand new one from Wytham SV, it was a tender offer back in 2007, went for £4,300 I bid just below that! Should have bid higher. Bought my Saracen shortly after and have been working on it off and on. It now starts 1st time, engine runs so very smoothly, gears now work and fluid flywheel no longer slips - it was all but empty! Next step is to take her a bit further than the nearest layby / turning point which is just round the corner! Also putting effort into bodywork, she's in pretty good nick but I'm working through the panels, stripping down to bare metal then re- priming, gloss and then mat. It came with a Larkspur which I have kept though overlaid with a Clansman. My interest realistically is the mechanicals. Not so much the re-enactment though am a regular at Living History and love the re-enactment displays! Background and work is Oil industry, Computers, then marketing and now web. Not web design!!! I do the back end and SEO. Also saving the planet, wind turbines, solar panels, water recycling (www.solarkent.co.uk) - perhaps on the face of it not such a good fit with Military Vehicles, but I see it as a big form of recycling! Based on the top of the North Downs near Lenham. I'll post some pictures of Sherry (Scheherazade) the Saracen All the best Simon Edited April 5, 2009 by simonm typos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hi and welcome to the forum Simon, I am just down the road from you in Wateringbury so our paths may cross you never know, make your next stop for a cup of tea here. Enjoy :coffee: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyFowler Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hello Simon , welcome to the forum and glad to hear of another Saracen being preserved ,one of my favorites too ! Looking forward to the pictures , Andy :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoranWC51 Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hello Simon, Welcome to the friendly forum. Haven't been here that long but I learn lots every time I check it out. Out of curiosity: How is the Jeep buying situation in Pakistan? I've read, and heard, that the Pakistani army indeed had plenty of WW2 equipment. But is there a chance of buying and exporting Jeeps out of the country? goran_noren (at) yahoo (dot) com As always, Ps.I own and run a Febr 1945 Dodge WC51 that came out of Norway in 1994. Changed spark plugs, got new oil in the axles etc., bought canvas from John & Mary Worthing and drove down to Normandy, from Stockholm, and back, in 2 1/2 weeks. Never missed a beat.... My interest is in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought under General Clark and the 5th Army in Italy, from late 1944 til war's end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Welcome to the forum. Nice to see the southern side building up again. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeEnfield Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hi Simon, Great intro; Hope to meet somewhen soon-ish.........Military Mayhem, is a gresat one, if not at w&p, (Jacks place....but bring your own mug :cool2:) All the best, Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretfixer Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hello Simon, & Wellcome! :yay: PM sent to you. Regards:Mike. :coffee: Hi, Just a short intro, should have done this a while back. Long time Willys M38 owner. My jeep - Veronica (actually wife's Jeep but her name isn't Veronica) Bought in Pakistan while out there on Govt service, wife in FCO. The jeep was Pakistan Army surplus and had previously been owned by head of British Council in Islamabad. The Jeep orginates from the Korean War, at the end of that conflict the Pakistan army bought a load of suplus equipment, I guess our jeep has been in at least 3 wars - Korean, and two between India and Pakistan (no bullet holes). We used to go mountain climbing in her, she would keep going up beyond where the Shoguns and Landrovers had to give up. Brought her back to the UK in 1998 and been in storage till about 2006 when I finally had some time to get her to UK MOT standard - new brakes, joints etc. Now moved on to A Saracen. Always wanted one from being a teenager - in my 50s and seeing them drive around in NI (on the news, I'm born and bred in Kent) Almost bought a brand new one from Wytham SV, it was a tender offer back in 2007, went for £4,300 I bid just below that! Should have bid higher. Bought my Saracen shortly after and have been working on it off and on. It now starts 1st time, engine runs so very smoothly, gears now work and fluid flywheel no longer slips - it was all but empty! Next step is to take her a bit further than the nearest layby / turning point which is just round the corner! Also putting effort into bodywork, she's in pretty good nick but I'm working through the panels, stripping down to bare metal then re- priming, gloss and then mat. It came with a Larkspur which I have kept though overlaid with a Clansman. My interest realistically is the mechanicals. Not so much the re-enactment though am a regular at Living History and love the re-enactment displays! Background and work is Oil industry, Computers, then marketing and now web. Not web design!!! I do the back end and SEO. Also saving the planet, wind turbines, solar panels, water recycling (www.solarkent.co.uk) - perhaps on the face of it not such a good fit with Military Vehicles, but I see it as a big form of recycling! Based on the top of the North Downs near Lenham. I'll post some pictures of Sherry (Scheherazade) the Saracen All the best Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Hi Simon, Look forward to meeting you.......and welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
private mw Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 hi and welcome ..........:coffee: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonm Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 goran_noren asked about Jeeps in Pakistan. Well its 10 years since we lived there, had a great time and though it lacks a 'deserted' hinterland, there is a lot of wild land - great for off-roading - but whenever you stop there is a crowd that builds up very quickly. The vast majority of the old M38s were rebuilt and stretched for use up in the mountains, a very few were bought and retained in green by both ex-pat and Pakistani entheusiasts. Some, they were cheap were just treated as toys. Mine certainly was! Two owners back it was pink! When I bought it for all of £1,500, all the fittings were chromed, I'll sort out some pictures. Jeep parts and renovation was a bit of a minefield. I had been using a chap called Bhatthi in the engineers section of Rawalpindi. He had a yard along a back street - a muddy lane where his men worked on stretch jeeps. Big mistake, he got so far and effectively stopped, I think he had his eye on a free jeep! What does a Brit do? Well, fortunately I had a very good friend Yeldram who I worked with, Afghani background, loads of mates, in particular the Afghani Taxi mafia who paid a visit to Bhatthi and suggested that he finish work on the jeep double quick! Not the best restoration project but a complete strip down, all paint removed, primed and repainted, new brake lines and a new canvas, replacement seats and loads of other bits for about £300. Shortly after that, it was loaded onto a container and shipped to Britain. Realistically the problem with shipping Jeeps to the UK from Pakistan - I had considered it as well - is the horrendous paperwork, finding an agent who you can trust and the cost of getting the Jeep(s) both from wherever they are in Pakistan to Karachi, then on to the UK. Also, Pakistan is less and less safe as time goes by. While we were there, though there were bombings and riots, Europeans were not targets as such, even so it was less safe by the time we left in 1998 than when we arrived in 1994. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Coe Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 but I see it as a big form of recycling! recycling on a grand scale - that's right. How many of today's so-called eco-friendly cars will still be around in 50+ years' time? Welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les freathy Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Welcome Simon, another Kent man eh, iam further down the road to the coast next stop out my front door is France cheers Les Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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