Series 3 FFR Lightweight Owner

[ratatooie]

Hi folks. I am the newish owner of a Series 3 FFR 24v Lightweight, bought just over 9 months ago. I have been getting to know it for a while now and love every second of driving it. It is hilariously terrifying. It is the first military vehicle and first classic 4 wheeled vehicle that I have owned (I also love classic small capacity Honda motorcycles). However, I have tinkered with and worked on lots of classic vehicles before in my spare time, including notably a Daimler Ferret 2/3.

This FFR was previously part of a local museum collection and was fortunately kept in running condition. I believe that it lived its life in Cyprus before coming back to the UK and then on to me. It has been painted up in what I am told is the Cypriot paint scheme - sand camo patterns over nato green and looks decent enough to my eye - different at the very least! It is pretty complete and in decent working order, instruments heater etc all work. It has been modified slightly in the past and no longer has the oil bath air cleaner. It also has an aftermarket carb, which I think is a Webber.

There are a few issues I would really appreciate guidance on:

1. There is a lot of movement in the steering wheel before anything happens to the direction of the vehicle. Turning the wheel feels more like a suggestion than a command! A decent amount of correction has to be made to get it to stay in a straight line. When stationary there is approx a quarter turn of the wheel in either direction before any resistance is felt. Is this normal? I understand that the steering box can be adjusted, but is there any point if this is as good as it gets?

2. There is a small blow to the exhaust. It sounds like it is coming from the engine bay rather than under the vehicle. What is the best source of exhaust parts in the UK? Are stainless systems worth the money? I have seen "Double S" mentioned as a supplier.

3. All of the radio hardware has been taken out. I do have the antennae boxes somewhere, but those would only be put on for a show. Therefore I am debating getting a second bench seat for the back so that I can take friends and family out in it more easily. Do you have recommendations for a supplier (and part numbers is poss)? Is it just a regular Series 3, 2 man bench?

4. We suspect that the shock absorbers would benefit from being replaced. Inspecting and testing the current ones is the next job on the list. I have read here that I should get RTC4235 for the rears and RTC4483 for the fronts. Is that correct? There appears to be plenty available online, but I have seen warnings against Britpart. What brands do you use in preference (Armstrong)? Also, what is your preferred supplier?

5. The gear stick appears to have snapped off previously and then have been welded back on, but at a "jaunty" angle so that you are almost grabbing your passenger's knee when reaching for the gear stick! Does a regular Series 3 gear stick work as a replacement? There are plenty on ebay at the moment.

6. The brakes function pretty well (I can lock the wheels fairly easily), but the vehicle pulls to the left quite noticeably under braking. Is this likely to just be a case of inspecting/adjusting/rebuilding the brakes or is this a known quirk?

7. The driver side fuel tank has a leak. This has been fine so far as we have just been using the vehicle for shorter journeys, so the other tank has sufficed. Ideally I would like to get this repaired or replaced. How much of a job is this to remove the fuel tank? Are NOS or pattern ones available?

Thanks! I'm happy to take my questions to another part of the forum if better placed.

[fv1620]

Welcome ratatooie. Its a good many years since I owned any LtWts but I'm sure you will get some comprehensive replies from others. Please share any pictures to bring you LtWt to life, particularly if it still has its 24v system as these so often get bodged or removed entirely. I wonder where you are located (approximately) ?

PS A picture of the 2/3 would be nice. I'm a great fan of the RR B Series engines & the vehicles that they powered.

[AR4412]

Welcome to the forum.

Feel free to share some pics of your lightweight, we like piccies we do. And cake.....

Some might say that a quarter turn of the steering wheel before the front wheels turn is excessive. I would start with adjusting the steering box to take the slack out of it, most of the wear in the box will be in the straight ahead position, so don't take all the slack out of it to make sure it doesn't bind when moving to full lock. A couple of inches of freeplay movement is usual in the straight ahead position. With the help of an assistant, check for any freeplay/movement in the balljoints and change if necessary. The bearing load on the swivel pins can effect how stable the vehicle feels on the road, so it may be worth checking those too. No harm as the vehicle is new to you.

Have a check to find the source of the blow before making a choice of the way forward. It may be a loose clamp/loose manifold bolts, it could be a cracked pipe or manifold. Plenty have fitted Stainless steel exhausts without any problems. But then, a full mild steel system is cheap enough to replace every few years without making you cry.

The bench seats in the rear are standard Series items. Defender ones are available, but I'm not sure of aftermarket Series ones as mine had them fitted on purchase so have never looked for them.

I have Armstrong shock absorbers for mine. Mainly as that's my surname. The part numbers you quote are correct for an FFR. Make sure that the springs themselves have free movement and aren't rusted solid from lack of use or lubrication.

The gearstick is a standard Series item. A snapped one is quite common to see. Buy new if possible, as a second hand one may be worn on the selector ball making gear selection difficult.

As the vehicle is new to you, it may be worth your time taking the drums off to inspect what you have. Pulling to one side could be adjustment/wear, contamination from a leaking hub seal or brake cylinder, wheel bearing freeplay, or excessive swivel bearing freeplay. The brake set up is different on pre and post mid 1980 vehicles.

There appears to be more suppliers of tanks than there was, as I've seen that DDS metals do them now too as well as Britpart. Make sure it has the part number 552176 or STC613. If the latter, make sure it says it's a military tank and not a 'Clamshell' as they were sharing the same part number. NOS stock ones are hard to come by, and many second hand will suffer from pin prick holes in the sides/seams just waiting to let go. Changing a fuel tank is easy enough. Do-able on your own, but easier with an assistant to lend a hand.

Been a few years since I had my dirty hands on a Ferret Scout Car.

Regards,

[ratatooie]

Thanks very much for the welcome and the helpful advice above folks! I will keep you updated on my progress. It is going to be a nice winter running project to get it a bit more up to scratch. It is still 24v - it has the 2 battery set up where the middle seat would be. I'm located in the Isle of Man. I believe that there are a few other LtWts here too, but have yet to meet the owners. It does drive fine, but with quirks, some of which I think I can improve fairly readily based on your kind advice!

Here is the beast in question:

image003.jpg (674.61 KiB) Viewed 6080 times

image004.jpg (178.74 KiB) Viewed 6080 times

And the Ferret 2/3:

Screenshot_20241212-164636_WhatsApp.png (1.99 MiB) Viewed 6080 times

Our current Ferret issue is to get all of the storage bins mounted properly as well as to adjust the brakes. We had them working really well previously but then had to rebuild the front right corner completely so have to start again, bleeding, adjusting the shoes etc etc, which is a bit of an art on these things. I suspect that it is quicker than the LtWt, but have suggested a race to the owner of the ferret to test the point!

[AR4412]

That's a nice looking lightweight you have, thanks for sharing the pics. I've always liked that colour scheme.

(I still can't believe people want to drive the FSC for fun. Just getting in and out of the driver's seat is a mission.)

Regards,

[fv1620]

Thanks for the pics. Let me guess that the most asked question about the FSC is "What are those black pointy things?" I hope there are plastic tie strips around them as they tend to disappear.

[ratatooie]

(I still can't believe people want to drive the FSC for fun. Just getting in and out of the driver's seat is a mission.)

It is a mission, especially when the current driver is almost certainly more portly than the original crew it was designed for! That said, you do get used to it and there is a lot of adjustment in the seat back and forward. You can also take the seat back support off really easily, which makes getting in and out from the turret much easier. If you get in/out the front hatch, you really have to have good mobility in your knees though!

I must admit that I love driving it. It is very unlike anything else that I had previously driven with the pre-selector and fluid flywheel. You get used to it really quickly though and it becomes really intuitive. That said, we haven't taken it on any longer road trips yet!

Thanks for the pics. Let me guess that the most asked question about the FSC is "What are those black pointy things?" I hope there are plastic tie strips around them as they tend to disappear.

Yes! Tying the black covers on is a good idea! We also get asked whether the gun is real (it isn't).

[fv1620]

As you are probably aware are there flat rubber covers for the FSC smokies as well as the more common pointy ones.

I once did an experiment with flat ones on one set & pointy on the other. The flat covers received little attention but the pointy ones invited more curiosity being fondled incessantly & pushed inwards. I'm sure a psychiatrist could explain that!

[brinv8]

Nice, I like the colour scheme, see that somewhere before.....

[ratatooie]

Nice, I like the colour scheme, see that somewhere before.....

Lovely! When we first bought it, we did consider repainting it fully green, but in the end didn't and decided to keep is as it is. I really like it!