1954 Daimler Ferret armoured car

1954 Daimler Ferret armoured car

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LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Thursday 18th May 2017
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Well, preparations are flat out for the arrival of the Stolly!
I've just put the refurbished steering rack back on my Jag XJR ready to get that sold and it's off for MOT on Monday. Too many projects and not enough time, space and money!
Early-mid June we are going down there to help get it rolling again and pump the tyres up etc ready to have it transported our way.
In other news Dad and my brother have just decided to buy a 1967 Mustang. Lovely car but doesn't help with space biggrin

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Thursday 18th May 2017
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It would be nice! We do have a big workshop over the other side of the yard but unfortunately that has both of Dad's Dodge trucks in. Got a two post lift ready to go in too so it's going to have to sit outside for a little while under a tarp until I build a lean to or something out the back. Possibly even double width so that the Bedford can live indoors too.
At the moment there's some old rotten farm equipment and a bridge section (not sure why?) in the way of where I'm planning to put it so I'm hoping I can get permission from the farmer to move them or better still cut them up!
We got the Bedford started up again yesterday having put all the engine back together. It needs a belt on the front for water pump and dynamo but the spares we have are unfortunately too short. Only run it for a matter of seconds with vaguely the correct ignition timing and just the manifold, sounds absolutely lovely compared to how it used to though!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Friday 19th May 2017
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That was brilliant! The sheer level of panic taking it out on the road for the first time biggrin
Surprised he only got it up to about 25-30mph though!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
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Cheers GOG I'll have to check up on that! Go and pinch myself a transfer box as I'm going to be needing one biggrin

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Sunday 21st May 2017
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Got a bit done today, probably not as much as I should though. Washed and clay barred the TVR and then it was time to chill instead!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
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It will happen! In a way I'm desperate for it to arrive but sense says hold off for as long as possible to try and get things sorted here. It will make a bloody interesting thread though! I'll get plenty of photos of when we build a shed for it and stuff as well because everyone loves a bit of a shed build biggrin

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Tuesday 23rd May 2017
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Are you gonna bring your tripod and lenses this time?

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Saturday 27th May 2017
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Went up to Sheringham today in the TVR and had to get a snap next to the Cromwell on the way there!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Wednesday 14th June 2017
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Mark that'll be the Mr Dews clan then I take it? Hopefully see you all at War and Peace, it's getting close now. A few little things to do on the Ferret before we drive down there but nothing major.
Drove her to Kettering at the weekend for the Wicksteed at War show, a good event and well recommended. Lewis AceOfHearts came along in his Landy too, here is the Kettering Invasion Force parked up outside my better half's house as she lives just around the corner from the show.

Just to piss Lew 2 off I managed to prove that yes a Ferret is faster than an old Land Rover too, especially on the twisties biggrin


In other news the Bedford RL is back on the road too and has had a few successful local runs out. Tonight it was put to work collecting a shed for the garden, fitted in the back a treat!
A few niggles have arisen in that it isn't charging annoyingly. We've tried polarising the dynamo and cleaning all the contacts in the regulator box but no joy so far. The exhaust paste has blown out of a load of the exhaust joints and it is deafening inside the cab for a start let alone being gassed out! The indicator switch is a bit temperamental and the speedo works but intermittently. All things that can hopefully be sorted without too much head scratching.



LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Thursday 15th June 2017
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Yep it certainly was! That was probably heading towards Biggleswade on shed collection duties. It is a bit rough round the edges no doubt about it, but fundamentally all there.
Thanks very much, there's another shed of bits and pieces to add to that! Currently putting the engine back in Dad's 1977 Dodge Power Wagon, and doing a bit of mild fettling to his 1950 Dodge B2 1 ton truck ready for a show at the weekend. Nice old things I have to say

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Monday 19th June 2017
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Well we all made it there, and back! I found the metal fuel supply pipe on Dad's Dodge truck to be completely crushed flat, obviously from poor placement on an axle stand or something in the past. How it ran at all I will never know! It has an old fashioned fluid flywheel much like the Ferret and unfortunately the centre shaft seal is leaking like a sieve.
Had an interesting one on the way home in that on an S bend the Ferret suddenly felt all woolly handling wise and decided to spit me over the white line with a wheel on the opposite side of the road. I'm wondering whether it was either hot tarmac (being 32 degrees probably didn't help), wind up in the transmission suddenly unwinding, oil on the road or what but it didn't half get my heart racing! Since checked for steering play, loose wheel nuts and odd tyre pressures but haven't found anything obviously wrong!

Good news too, Stolly delivery scheduled for Friday morning

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Friday 23rd June 2017
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Thread later!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Thursday 20th July 2017
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Well preparations are underway for the big drive down to Kent next week for the War and Peace Revival show. Going to have a real good check over the Ferret over the weekend and possibly even look at fitting the military windscreen in as it may keep some of the wind blast out on the journey. Not looking forward to the M25 but I'm sure it'll be alright!
I've already bought myself all manner of over the top camping gear and a military tent, anyone would think we're going to be out in the wilderness for weeks rather than 3 days

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Saturday 12th August 2017
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Thankyou P6, I will try and repair the thread a bit, it's such a pain that Photobucket have done what they've done!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Sunday 15th October 2017
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Keep meaning to update this thread with new pictures but still haven't got round to it! Really pleased to say however that today after 15 years of searching I finally received a photo of her in service! I suspect early 70s somewhere.

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Monday 16th October 2017
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Here we are, apparently that photo is from its time with The Life Guards.


LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Friday 16th March 2018
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Another old photo for the collection smile

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Friday 15th June 2018
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Hello Shaker, good to hear you had a look round one. Yep the visibility is pretty poor but better than you'd expect when actually sat inside. Ours is off the road at the minute due to a few 'technicalities' I learned of so I need to get that sorted before I can get out and about in it again. Unfortunately in the grand scheme of things it's pretty low down the priority list at the moment. Might run it up and take it for a thrash round the field this weekend, long overdue for it!

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Tuesday 26th June 2018
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Did actually head up to the field in it at the weekend to burn the cobwebs out, the undergrowth was up to the top of the hull level so as I was crashing through it I ended up covering/filling it with every seed and bug imaginable. It wasn't very pleasant in there by the time I got back! Running like a top as ever smile

LewG

Original Poster:

1,358 posts

147 months

Thursday 28th June 2018
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Nice that's really quite reasonable money as it stands, a few bits to be done but spray it in a nice 'proper' camo and put some markings on it and that'd be worth an awful lot more. Considering what they used to be worth prices have gone almost silly now.