Daimler Ferret - ex Canadian Forces

[Topfmine]

I had two Ferrets 01CA67 AND 01CA68, one spent its life in Gibraltar on the rock and the other was an up armoured spec against mines used in NI. easy to work on. I even rewired one, very easy to do, have all the manuals EMERS and tools, even had spares from the camp up the road, good old days. would get another if I had the space, nice toy to work and play on.

[Peter Laidler]

What are the chances of getting two consecutive numbers like that. What year were they? I had a lovely old Bedford QL Machinery truck, 77YC16

[Topfmine]

They were dated 1958.

[Peter Laidler]

Thought they'd be about then as we had a very old Land Rover ex Wombat carrier with mechanical winch, 35CL21 still doing the rounds a few years ago and that was from 1959

[Topfmine]

These were decommissioned in the early 90's.

[Seaforth72]

Amatikulu - Contact me as I have lots of historic photos that could not be included in the book. Colin MacGregor Stevens www.captainstevens.com. Seaforth72 at gmail dot com. I would like to find out the serial (hull) number of yours and the Canadian Army Registration number as I may have photos of your Ferret in service.

Colin

QUOTE=Amatikulu;312885]In June of 2013 I thought I needed a project to fill up my spare time so I bought a Mark 1 Ferret that was ex Canadian Army from a guy here in the USA. My previous experience of vehicle restoration had been a 1956 Triumph Tiger T110 motorcycle, back in the 90's.

I decided to start this restoration thread because it has been 15 months since it arrived at my home and I wanted to share some of the experiences with anyone else that is crazy enough to need a project to fill up their spare time

Here's a picture of it taken at the previous owner's place.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...6d70adbe-1.jpg

Well, to tell you all the truth, there's a lot more to vehicle restoration than I thought. I learnt that there are a lot more systems that can go wrong, so you cannot just change the oil and spark plugs, squirt a bit of easy start in the carb and then tear off round the street in a 4 ton vehicle.

I learnt that you really have to tear it all down to ensure that the brakes are going to work, that the fuel tank is sound, that the tire rubber isn't perished etc. etc.

I also learned that an armored vehicle has very heavy parts and I'm not as strong as I was before I turned 50! Try taking all four wheels off by yourself - that's a workout that the wife doesn't understand when you are complaining about just how sore some of your muscles are. She thinks your pulling a fast one to get off the home improvements list.

Anyway, I would strongly recommend you get a partner to work with you if you are attempting a restoration - preferably one who's in great shape, strong as an ox, limber as a leopard and with small hands to get into those fiddly spots.

Ok, for those of you who are laughing at my whining, the truth is that I have actually done quite a lot of work and have enjoyed nearly every minute of it.

So what have I accomplished so far? Well, I have finally stripped the interior and removed the engine and gearbox.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...a75f0c19-1.jpg

And what a good thing it was that I pulled the engine as here is a sample of the brake lines tucked under the rear bevel box where you could not see the damage

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...30af0fa5-1.jpg

To continue on a positive note I have met a lot of interesting folks that have helped me along the way on the various internet forums that have been very helpful with information.

It can all be a bit overwhelming when you start by stripping one piece only to discover that you really need to go even further until eventually you discover that you are running out of space to store all the parts. I'm fortunate to live in sunny Florida so in my case the space problem was solved by moving the cars out of the double garage and parking them in the driveway - the Wife was understanding of this . She wasn't very understanding when I told her I needed to spend a large sum of money on a split unit air conditioner as my garage was unbearably hot in summer and my work output dropped :devil:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...6155b4e5-1.jpg

SO some lessons learnt so far:

Lesson 1 - there's no such thing as a simple restoration - it will end up being a complete restoration

Lesson 2 - You need a partner as you are not as young as you used to be.

Lesson 3 - Make sure you have a large enough working and storage place for your project - one that's usable all year round as time is precious.

Here's some of the fun stuff - sifting through the dirt, slime and general filth that comes out from the hull. I took some pictures of the remnants found in the ferret - things that were jammed against all the working control rods adding to the friction !

Nuts, bolts and washers -

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...555ef46b-1.jpg

Ammunition and links

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...fed0c363-1.jpg

Odd bits and pieces

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...c6b6431b-1.jpg

Coins

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...85924703-1.jpg

And beer bottle tops!

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...74fa44e5-1.jpg

Here are some pictures of some sheet metal parts that I have had rebuilt. The first picture is of the indicators. My ferret came with the typical later militia modification using US lights "scabbed" on to original light towers. I have chosen to go back to the light tower indicators and rebuilt the originals.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...ddf879dc-1.jpg

I took great pains to keep the section of plate that had the FV number on it :salute:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...e96fe1e3-1.jpg

The next picture is of rebuilt antenna bases. These had been cut up to fit a later US style antenna base, but as I'm restoring to a late 60's Larkspur era, I restored them to fit the correct type of Larkspur mounts ( You can source NOS Larkspur bases from Tim Vibert in Australia).

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...f8e9d099-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...cf13146d-1.jpg

Thanks to Colin MacGregor Stevens booklet on "The Ferret Scout Car in Canadian Service" I have seen a picture of the pattern of camouflage used by the Ft Garry Horse while in West Germany in the late 60's and as mine was one of the Ferrets sent by Canada to West Germany, I am now seeking more information or colored photographs of what appears to be a four color pattern. Can anyone help with this?[/QUOTE]

[Amatikulu]

Attachment 116611

Just an update to say the restoration was completed last year and she is licensed and on the road as a an antique vehicle in Florida

[Gil Boyd]

All its missing is a Bren
One with a turret and a six wheel drive Ranger Rover TACR/2 RAF Fire Engine are on my shopping list before I jump into my box. The TACR/2 was my dads last engine in service at RAF Luqa in Malta, and they gave it to the Maltese for their fire service at their airport when Dom Mintoff kicked us out in 1970's.
I missed the sale in the UK of the actual fire engine some months back...........heartbroken as all my brothers would have chipped in. It was immaculate inside and out as it had been dried stored for 30 years and Malta is as dry as a bone anyway.
These projects are so much fun if you get the right ones.
Well done on that restoration looks great and I am sure its the topic of much conversation locally. Good job it wasn't an ex British one, as you would have found a ream of FOSTERS under the radio

[browningautorifle]

Looks good now. In our case, the .30 cal would be mounted. A friend of mine in Alberta spirited two away as they were brought to be range targets. Don't know if he still has them.

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Yes we had 30 Cals on the turret version which I prefer in NI, but never saw the turretless version in my service