1954 Daimler Ferret armoured car
Discussion
Thankfully yep, did a bit of research and it's basically a 1350 Series U joint as used on loads of stuff, most recently post 2007 Defenders etc so that was a result.
Fuel tank is about 25 gallons as I remember, so about 100l, quoted range in the manual is 190 miles on road
The Stalwart in the background of the photos has a ludicrously large tank at 110 gallons, at current prices I suspect it'd cost about 6-700 quid to fill it
Fuel tank is about 25 gallons as I remember, so about 100l, quoted range in the manual is 190 miles on road
The Stalwart in the background of the photos has a ludicrously large tank at 110 gallons, at current prices I suspect it'd cost about 6-700 quid to fill it
Before I proceeded any further with the Ferret realistically I wanted to start her up to make sure I had no major leaks or issues, particularly from the fluid flywheel as that'd mean gearbox out again to do it. All linkages and mounts are connected up so I fitted the plugs and cables needed to run, plonked some batteries in and primed the oil filter etc. There was a horrid noise from the fan area on cranking so we suspected a blade was contacting the housing, in the end we took the radiator out again and turns out one of the fan axle mounting bolts was slightly longer than the others causing it to hit the back of the fan hub. With that sorted we put some petrol in a funnel down a line to the pump and gave it a go once oil pressure was up, not even a hint of firing so I checked for a spark and there was nothing. The only thing I'd disturbed really that would prevent spark was the points so I had a look in the distributor again and after much head scratching I'd fitted a wire and fibre washer to the points in the wrong order grounding them out, hence no spark. With that rectified it fired up and run as sweetly as ever, only for 30 seconds or so as no rad fitted
That was great Dan, sounded sweet as a nut afterwards. Night before last I dug out two of our spare Trak Grips and fitted one onto a rim I'd previously sprayed up with a new tube and flap, have left the runflat insert out so we'll see if that affects it at all. 
Had a bit of a mishap with a leaky air gun when pressure testing the fuel tank that needless to say has necessitated buying a whole new tank from Banisters as the old one is somewhat larger than it used to be
so that needs a clean out and seal with a repaint now. Apart from that it's coming on nicely
Had a bit of a mishap with a leaky air gun when pressure testing the fuel tank that needless to say has necessitated buying a whole new tank from Banisters as the old one is somewhat larger than it used to be
so that needs a clean out and seal with a repaint now. Apart from that it's coming on nicely So a small update, the replacement tank was pretty nasty inside so whilst I had a pattern to work to I thought I'd try repairing the old one, this took weeks of panel beating, pressing, making fillet pieces and welding back together. We pressure tested it and repeatedly filled the tank with water to check for leaks but got there in the end.
It is a ridiculously tight fit in the hull which meant grinding some of the welds back and percussive adjustment etc. The mounts had to be repaired as they are bonded rubber onto two metal plates and had either split or come away from the backing, so we used some Tiger Seal bonding adhesive for that which seems to have worked a treat
With that refitted we cleaned up all the internal components and refitted driveshaft covers, my pal completely stripped and cleaned up the driver's seat and runners so it's like it was 60 years ago now. 3 of the 4 seat mounting studs had broken so I tried drilling through the floor to nut and bolt it down. That went well as the drill bits went instantly blunt
It may be a bit cowboy but it was out with the universal drill, the mighty plasma
Following a few test runs it was evident she was misfiring quite badly, I checked a few of the usual things and changed the plugs, checked fuel supply but realistically knew it was the timing of the double points sets. I tried adjusting them in various positions to no avail so it was stump up and buy a Jolley electronic ignition. Fitted and wired in on Saturday and now running like a top
With the interior back in and panels on we went for a decent test run to uphold the empire, all seems good and only got better as each mile passed
It is a ridiculously tight fit in the hull which meant grinding some of the welds back and percussive adjustment etc. The mounts had to be repaired as they are bonded rubber onto two metal plates and had either split or come away from the backing, so we used some Tiger Seal bonding adhesive for that which seems to have worked a treat
With that refitted we cleaned up all the internal components and refitted driveshaft covers, my pal completely stripped and cleaned up the driver's seat and runners so it's like it was 60 years ago now. 3 of the 4 seat mounting studs had broken so I tried drilling through the floor to nut and bolt it down. That went well as the drill bits went instantly blunt
It may be a bit cowboy but it was out with the universal drill, the mighty plasma
Following a few test runs it was evident she was misfiring quite badly, I checked a few of the usual things and changed the plugs, checked fuel supply but realistically knew it was the timing of the double points sets. I tried adjusting them in various positions to no avail so it was stump up and buy a Jolley electronic ignition. Fitted and wired in on Saturday and now running like a top
With the interior back in and panels on we went for a decent test run to uphold the empire, all seems good and only got better as each mile passed
t is going you may be called up to quell civil disturbance. Or crush a few XR protestors blocking motorways. Suits me it really was great to drive her again. Slight weep from one of the front brake hoses so that needs a new copper washer and a bleed. Apart from that nothing major. The bottoms of the storage bins are pretty rotten and really the whole vehicle could do with respraying at some point. Not essential at the mo, it still comes up quite well for a wash and an oily rag finish. Wicksteed at War show this weekend at Wicksteed Park so hopefully we make it there and back. We took it for some evening green laning yesterday so I'd call that a good test
it really was great to drive her again. Slight weep from one of the front brake hoses so that needs a new copper washer and a bleed. Apart from that nothing major. The bottoms of the storage bins are pretty rotten and really the whole vehicle could do with respraying at some point. Not essential at the mo, it still comes up quite well for a wash and an oily rag finish. Wicksteed at War show this weekend at Wicksteed Park so hopefully we make it there and back. We took it for some evening green laning yesterday so I'd call that a good test 
Tried some extra firepower to deal with petrol panic buying chaos
The weekend at the Wicksteed at War show ended up being a success, great weather and thankfully the Ferret didn't miss a beat. We even overtook two Morris Oxfords and a Citroen C2 with a space saver tyre on the way home
One of the highlights was looking round a chap's M41 Walker Bulldog tank, it had received a full restoration some years back and was truly stunning. It was originally built by Cadillac and as a result he'd had the seats done in blue leather with fitted and bound carpets! Sadly didn't get any photos
Another almost annual update to the Ferret thread. On the return journey from Wicksteed last year it appeared to run like a top. I parked it away and got it out for a run some weeks later and it was very poorly, misfiring and sputtering all over the place. I couldn't even face looking at the bloody thing after so much work, so it got parked for winter and that was that. This year I had every intention of leaving it tucked away to focus more on getting the Stalwart rolling, that was until my little cousin texted me, 'can I use the Ferret for my prom?'
No way was I letting him down so I went into the dark depths of the barn and fired her up after months of sitting, a task that proved remarkably hassle free! I didn't even have to charge the batteries so that was a result. I started with tidying and finessing some of the electronic ignition installation which was very much 'experimental' in its execution with wires and zip ties all over the place.
The exhaust has been making a horrendous rattle when driving for ages, so I cut the silencer open for a look and it'd rotted badly inside, I suspect getting whipped around by the exhaust flow and potentially causing blockages. In the end we replaced it with a newly made one as there was nothing to feasibly weld back together. Road testing it didn't feel too bad but was still breaking up under load so my theory was fuel was our issue. The filter was clear as were the lines so I took the carb off for a check. At this junction I tested the mechanical fuel pump as my fear was this had packed up as it's probably one of the worst jobs for access on a Ferret! Thankfully cranking the engine with the supply pipe over a tray it splurged fuel nicely on every turn of the cam, so should be fine. I knew I had a 'new' carb in my parts stash so I reluctantly unwrapped that and bolted it on. It feels wrong after so many years sealed up!
So far I've put a good few miles in and it runs pretty much spot on, it needs a bit of fine tuning as it's running rich due to black smoke on sudden throttle application etc.
The good news is we successfully made it to the prom, it was a great evening and well worth the effort to see such big smiles on our arrival. Also quite pleased I now have another mostly working machine again
No way was I letting him down so I went into the dark depths of the barn and fired her up after months of sitting, a task that proved remarkably hassle free! I didn't even have to charge the batteries so that was a result. I started with tidying and finessing some of the electronic ignition installation which was very much 'experimental' in its execution with wires and zip ties all over the place.
The exhaust has been making a horrendous rattle when driving for ages, so I cut the silencer open for a look and it'd rotted badly inside, I suspect getting whipped around by the exhaust flow and potentially causing blockages. In the end we replaced it with a newly made one as there was nothing to feasibly weld back together. Road testing it didn't feel too bad but was still breaking up under load so my theory was fuel was our issue. The filter was clear as were the lines so I took the carb off for a check. At this junction I tested the mechanical fuel pump as my fear was this had packed up as it's probably one of the worst jobs for access on a Ferret! Thankfully cranking the engine with the supply pipe over a tray it splurged fuel nicely on every turn of the cam, so should be fine. I knew I had a 'new' carb in my parts stash so I reluctantly unwrapped that and bolted it on. It feels wrong after so many years sealed up!
So far I've put a good few miles in and it runs pretty much spot on, it needs a bit of fine tuning as it's running rich due to black smoke on sudden throttle application etc.
The good news is we successfully made it to the prom, it was a great evening and well worth the effort to see such big smiles on our arrival. Also quite pleased I now have another mostly working machine again
I stumbled across this today and it reminded me of this thread
https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalog...
https://www.bidspotter.co.uk/en-gb/auction-catalog...
Apparently there is a Ferret Mk 1 in service in Ukraine!
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1559532999523...
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1559532999523...
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