N Dentressangle

Proper update in the next few days, but one of the 'issues' I have is the fixing of the instrument panel cowl. When Billy the Bodger did the heater matrix, the dash didn't necessarily go back together the way Land Rover intended. Clips and screws were left out, bits of plastic broken etc. Much of it I've managed to fix, but the cowl for the back of the instrument cluster has no means of location of fixing I can see. It's basically just placed on top, and flaps about. Here's the view through the windscreen of the bracket holding the instrument cluster to the dashboard top: I reckon there are some tabs of prongs missing here. The manual is bugger all help as usual. What am I missing here which holds the cowl on, and what do I need to buy to sort this out?

It's an especially fine rust trap, even by the elevated standards of BL. To bolt on that nice thick spreader plate to the wheelarch, then spot weld it is the work of genius. There's no way the Brummies would ever have actually sealed it all properly, so all it takes is a little water between the two pieces of metal and I'm guessing it'll have rusted the arch through within a year. All whilst nicely hidden under the carpet on one side and some enthusiastic underseal on the other. Mine has been too rotten to have held in an accident for years, but has passed MoT's without comment. I guess the RR was designed pre-seatbelts in the rear, and the rust trap of wonder was a cheap fix when the legislation changed. Or perhaps I'm being kind.

If you mean the one on top of the rocker box, then it's this one you're after: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Series-3-Oil-Breather-Cap/312030113860?hash=item48a671b044:g:9FQAAOSwy~BaPRIP Plenty of others on Ebay. There's an oil filler pipe too, on the RH side of the engine, but that normally has no breather pipe fitted although the cap can look similar to the one above.

Might have some Ghia badges if you want / need?

Ain't that the truth. Both of them. Yep, if you use the S2 forum you will get all your rivets counted to the nth degree, all minor revisions for that year spotted which yours mysteriously doesn't have, and maybe even be accused of it being a S3 in disguise if you're lucky! Just ignore them.

The market is a bit nuts, as you say, so I reckon you'd see £2k+ on Ebay, if you can be arsed with that. The Series 2 owners forum also allows free ads, so you could always try it on there for £2k ish.

If I were a real 'think of the children' type, I'd have been back to the place which Mot'd the RR and asked them how they didn't spot the distinctly mobile seatbelt mounting on the n/s rear. However, I'm of an age where I can remember when inertia reel seatbelts were a costly optional extra, and wearing one in the back of a car still feels a bit belt n braces. So I couldn't care less. Once the bolt holding* the belt to the wheelarch was removed, the carpet was peeled back, a line drawn back to vaguely sound metal, and we set to with the grinder, equipped with a sexy sounding "plasma disc". So a very thin cutting disc, in reality: I managed to cajole a mate to help, who's better with a welder than me (not hard), and we ended up with quite a big hole: The metal was weird. Kind of almost soft and buttery, and even when cut back to 100% sound metal not something you'd want to hang from the edge of a skyscraper from. God knows where LR got it from - maybe given the recent fall of the iron curtain in 1992 Solihull had taken some deliveries from the East. Anyway, we set to making a template, cutting new 1.5mm steel and ended up with quite a nice job: I put a couple of pieces in to sort the rot a bit further down the arch, and gunged the whole lot up full of Vactan, paint, roofing sealant, underseal and then Waxoyl. Now even more watertight than the govt's plans for Brexit

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Lightweight-Spares-or-Repair/192611270707?hash=item2cd886c033:g:qyIAAOSwnr9bUh0P "it just requires someone to start to rebuild and make good" Yeah, just*

The o/s wheelarch is now sorted and ready for underseal and potions. The chisel and grinder opened up a good sized hole in the inner arch. A small gap had been left between arch and boot floor by rubbish LR seam sealing. The water had got in and the inevitable happened. I'd normally try and neatly let in metal and butt weld it, but in this case a lap welded patch seemed more sensible: Once painted and given a coat of underpoo it'll never show, and will be so drenched in Waxoyl it'll stay drier than the Kalahari: The n/s was already in my mind as probably a different story. At first, all looked OK, and I thought the welder might stay in cupboard. No fucking chance. A combination of thick underseal - the flaking, dry stuff from the factory plus a more recently applied layer of gunge - was hiding a lovely bit of rot to sort out. I especially enjoyed the approach to rust around the seatbelt mount - fill it with underseal and bathroom sealant! What could possibly go wrong. Ah well. Here's where I am so far, with a bit more stripping down to go before I start making up some bits of steel:

No fuel available here any more, but I spotted this beauty whilst up in Newcastle this week: According to this: http://www.spenceanddower.co.uk/portfolio/dex-garage-newcastle-upon-tyne-1931 It originally included rest and washing facilities for chauffeurs awaiting the conclusion of their employers’ business or entertainment in the city centre; a car lift and turntables to transport these large chauffeur-driven cars to an available parking space; washing, servicing and refuelling facilities as well as a new car showroom. You don't get that at Blue Boar or Clacketts Lane.

There was this one on Ebay not so long ago: So they are out there. Or you could just buy a Fiat 127 and cut out the Balkan middleman.

On a Sprinter or something? I spent 5 hours on Friday on a Class 220: How they can make a train to supposedly replace the IC125 which is actually more cramped, noisier and less refined is beyond me. Because DMU, I guess. Even the new ones GWR are parading around are just DMU's. 'Cross country' was a good summary of my journey, actually.

Had an hour or two yesterday afternoon to start on the rear arches. All wire brushed, hacked at with a screwdriver and Vactanned on the rusty bits: With the Vactan dry, you can see a couple of holes in the metal of the body either side of the spring: The one above the shocker is worst - I suspect some more digging around would make a nice little crater. It's soooo tempting to fill them with underseal, but I suppose I'd better get the welder out!

Well, not much to report for the past week because the Range Rover's been at the garage. I'm happy these days to farm out the jobs that need extensive crawling about on my back, and the car's been making a bloody awful howling noise ever since I got it. As soon as you got past about walking pace, seeming to come from the rear. In fact, it sounded as if something like this might be happening: but my mechanic reckoned wheel bearing or diff were more likely than backseat wolves. Wheel bearing was duly checked, found to be knackered and changed, but the howling persisted. Spare RR diff was found and fitted, and the wolves are now happily sleeping. Here's the old diff: Obviously you can't see from the pic, but the pinion for the planet gears had spun and worn the carrier to the extent there was a good 1-2mm play side to side in it. Result: scrap diff, especially as the teeth were starting to show wear too. It now drives like an RR should, and you can hold a conversation in it at normal levels. God knows how the guy I bought it from put up with it - I think it's been howling away for a long time. Next job now it's back in my garage is to clean out the back arches and underside, repair and Vactan where needed and put some more paint / underseal on the vulnerable bits, ie all of it.

Pricey, but they're what it needs, I agree: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HUMBER-SCEPTRE-1-11-BRAND-NEW-CONDITION-HUB-CAPS-X-4-FREE-UK-POST/142856038540?hash=item2142e2288c:g:3pUAAOSwGzlTuVGN There are at least 3 singles on Ebay though at much keener prices. Maybe worth buying those and holding out for a third?

Thanks for the heater - just what I need in the current cold snap.

Mrs D's daily drive is an '84 Mini 25. As said, they rot like shit and are an acquired taste to drive. I'd echo the enthusiasm for standard trim. There must be 20 modified ones for every standard one. Most done badly, by complete twats.

https://forums.mbclub.co.uk/threads/w124-wiring-diagrams.93178/ Any use?

You wonder, don't you? Wouldn't be the first Rover cooling part with a blindingly obvious inbuilt design flaw...

https://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254643 It sounds like a good clean of the throttle body might help. In fact, it all sounds EGR / throttle body related. I'd be inclined to go cheap early, buy a couple of cans of carb cleaner and do the EGR and throttle body and see what that does. Shame you can't just bin the EGR on these engines without a remap.

Well, that's what usually happens - good save on the car first though! I never thought I'd miss seeing awful cars like Maxis. Now I struggle to tell cars apart, and half of them are white Audis anyway, the utilitarian styling* and actual colour are really nice. There's an almost complete lack of 'aggression' to the look of BL products of the time, no hint of speed or performance of any kind. Which is probably completely appropriate.

Different couriers. DPD for the first, Royal Mail for the second. The packaging is just shit. Completely unfit for purpose. I'd let Nissens know, but I don't see why I should performance manage them as well as the guys I'm paid to!

Replacement rad arrived today, just in time to fit over the weekend for Monday. Different vendor this time, so hopefully better packaged. Damaged one returned to vendor, so refund on the way. At least this one should be OK. Lightning can't strike twice, can it? Packaging looks ok anyway. I'll just check it over before I fit the thing. But what's this? For fuck's sake. Yes, it's a different radiator, smashed in the same place. Check the pics. £350 worth of knackered sodding radiators. Re-core here I come!

Same here - Hermes booked through Interparcel then dropped at my local Co-op. Never had a problem so far, and as cheap as it gets.

Sounds very fair. Plus p n p to Stroud? And let me know how you'd like the money.