Redpawn
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I think these look really good with no turret. Great job on the restoration.
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oA little ferret story
- Thread starter Ferretboy
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Ferretboy
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The turret i removed....was added by the last owner....that removed about 500 lbs.....ferret no.54-82589 has some history....egypt in the 1950s...greece in the 1960s....my goal is to restore to 1960s....not an easy task....many modifications since then....a lot of work to get perfect.....it wont be exact...but very close....thanks for getting back....
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I am officially IMPRESSED!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
Ferretboy
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Well thank you for the kind words...hope to post more entertaining stories in the future....best wishes to you all...
Ferretboy
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Im now started on a reprodution set of pads that surround the roof opening.....ive searched the world over and only found 2 pads....there are 10 in total and they are all different.....i have some 1 inch id. Goodyear steam hose that i cut to profile.....and have cut some 1 inch steel rod as a core .....i will keep you all up to date on the progress.
Ferretboy
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The rubber hose has steel braid reinforcement...not easy to cut....so i adapted a cut off wheel to an old craftsman duplicator....got a profile cut.....
Ferretboy
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The 1 inch steel rod has been cut to fit as a core....frame...then the holes marked and drilled...tapped....cut 3/8 bolts as studs.....experimenting with some glues to find a good choice to bond the rubber to the steel core...i also have been useing a dewalt miter saw to cut all the angles....its for wood work...has a nice angle gauge....ive set it on fire twice cutting steel....with abrasive blades and melted some plastic parts.....ill tend to that later!!! All in all this was the only way i could go....im happy so far....next im going to try and reproduce a browning no.8 m.g. cradle mount which seems to be hard to find......or just too expensive???
Ferretboy
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Today ive been cutting the rubber....again the dewalt does a great job cutting the angles....it came from a company that used it to cut aluminum stock....was headed to the trash bin....i saved it....just needed a new switch.....going to need a few more things when im done....no problem.....found a very good glue i like to bond the rubber to the steel frame....E6000.....tried it on some scrap ....i cant pull it apart.....well until later....you all take care...
Ferretboy
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Have all the rubber cut now....some final fitting...prepwork...then ill be ready to start with the glue...its not perect or original...but much better than what i had..
Which was zero....
Which was zero....
Ferretboy
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Put the glue on the final part today....all looks well so far....i would much rather use original parts...but as time goes by....they are much harder to find....and then theres the price if can find them....this reproduction set may even look better than a new set...anyway im happy....be done soon.
Ferretboy
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Well have that project done....not to bad.....and i have the engine deck back on....a little slow doing that....working alone....you know....maybe im getting lazy......
Ferretboy
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Rear armour and jerry can rack back on.....getting closer the finishline...
Ferretboy
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There was a modification done on a few of the ferrets sent to Cyprus Greece.....wire cutters....not a nice subject to think about but....heres a photo of 54-82507.....and a photo of mine where they had been cut off and the welds ground down.
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You keep pulling me back through the Canadian research photos I've seen. ......I know I saw that wire cutter somewhere.....but where?
I searched back through "Canada Cyprus" and hit "Images" and there it is.
Your mitered cuts look fantastic on something that can't be easy to work with. Beautiful upgrades. Thanks for sharing.
I searched back through "Canada Cyprus" and hit "Images" and there it is.
Your mitered cuts look fantastic on something that can't be easy to work with. Beautiful upgrades. Thanks for sharing.
Ferretboy
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Hello there m1010plowboy and thank you ! Ive never seen that photo....will also visit that sight....fantastic.....ive been thinking if to reproduce the wire cutters ...but there not very attractive things....original yes but ???
Ferretboy
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Here are some photos of another modification.....ferrets originally carried a bren gun....in their service in Cyprus they had pintle mounts added for a browning 1919a4.....the photo of the one i have installed is an unmodified mount....the photo of the one in primer is 54-82589s. Modified mount.....when i get it painted i will install it....the mounts
used in Greece were cut and a length of pipe was welded to add 2 inches....sadly the previous owner sold or lost the rear mount.....i have an unmodified one....but hate to cut it.
used in Greece were cut and a length of pipe was welded to add 2 inches....sadly the previous owner sold or lost the rear mount.....i have an unmodified one....but hate to cut it.
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It's not easy cutting steel that had a purpose and might play an original role in another restoration someday. It's almost more fun to fab something up and try to fool the judges. However, they keep saying we can't take it with us.
If it's ok, I'd like to share some of your photos with some Northerners that keep posting pictures about Cyprus. I'll share some of those once the clearance is clear and meanwhile we might stir some memories of 589.
If it's ok, I'd like to share some of your photos with some Northerners that keep posting pictures about Cyprus. I'll share some of those once the clearance is clear and meanwhile we might stir some memories of 589.
Ferretboy
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Sounds good.....love to see photos and stories...thanks again.
Ferretboy
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The finishing part i need is the browning m.g. mount well maybe someday???
Ferretboy
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And yes i have a british mk.2 turret with all the goodies for sale....