Series 2A FFT For Sale

[kman]

Hope this does not breach any protocol...

I need to sell my FFT and have pit an ad up on Gumtree - https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kuranda/cars-vans-utes/ex-army-1969-land-rover-series-2a-fft/1156162166

As those in the know will observe, the tub is not kosher. The previous owner replaced it with a GS tub. I found the tail gate replacement and fitted it but the tail lights are not orientated as per an FFT and there are no Jerry Can holders.

Howard

[Diana Alan]

Hi Howard

I'm a little confused, you say the lights are not orientated in the correct alignment, however as far as I can see they are exactly correct for a SIIa FFT.  What may be missing is the half circle shaped foot hole on the LHS of the lower panel of some SIIa FFT. 



(That and of course that you are using an SIII power distribution box and later antenna mounts)

Diana

[kman]

Hmm. Yeah. Not too much on the ball, am I. I thought the FFT had horizontal to allow room for the jerry cans.

Thanks for pointing that out Diana.

Howard

[Diana Alan]

Hi Howard

An easy mistake to make. 

If you look at the original Rover production photos, you will note that the jerry can holders (unique to the SII/SIIa FFT) are higher than the cookie cutters and spaced inboard to clear the lamps.  (That position may be the reason for the design treatment of the stepthrough area on the FFT and FFR.  In the later models they kept the design but moved the lamps and jerrycan holder.)

Diana

[kman]

Also, re the radio stuff. I originally had a C11/R210 plus an SCR522 to fit in it as we had in '61 but it was so bulky as to limit the usefulness of the rig for club activities so decided to go with more recent gear.

Howard

[Diana Alan]

Its a bit of radio history I'm interested in.

We know that the American gear was used in SVN and the later SIIA but often using the Yank antenna mounts often on the rear panel, but I don't know if the radio tables fitted to the SIII FFR and Perentie FFR were ever fitted to the SIIA or did they merely mount the MT-1029 onto the Larkspur radio tables?

[kman]

Sorry, I was out by then. Out of interest I have attached a photo of one of our Land Rovers which, if I had bothered to look carefully, would have shown what you pointed out....

Howard

[Diana Alan]

Thanks for that photo (hope you don't mind that I saved a copy).  Its good to see the battery setup, I've been trying unsuccessfully to acquire 4 of the original Larkspur batteries, but see that they seem to be regular automotive/industrial batteries in that image.

I know its a long time past, but there appears to be 5 batteries in that array? Am I confused or are there 4 or 6?

Also note that the radios are mounted across the vehicle rather than longitudinally operated from the rear.  Is there a reason for this, or so that they could be operated from the front driving compartment and rear tub?

[kman]

No worries re the photo. I can't recall the batteries: the c11/r210 was 24 V and the SCR522 was nominally 28V so it is possible that we had six - four series/parallel for the C11/R210 and two series for the SCR522. The SCR522 would only have light use so battery capacity would not be an issue.

As for the mounting, operation would be from the back. It was probably to allow room for the SCR522.

We did not have any proper facility for the SCR522 as they were not intended to be mounted in a Land Rover. As you can see the antenna mount was a bit of a Heath Robinson affair!

Howard

[303Gunner]

Of interest is the ARN: 111-510. This also appears to be the one in your 1961 pic. Is it the same vehicle?

Very nice vehicle, all the same. 

[kman]

It is not the same vehicle. I put that plate and the 504/136, Eastern Command signs on it as. recollection of years past.

Howard