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Land Rover resto - new project and Sandy p25


richardthestag

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I went to st Michael's mount in Cornwall they had a defender they used to transport stuff across the causeway , when it comes up for sale it'll read , one owner low mileage, totally fucked chassis down

 

It was only a couple of years old , the chassis looked 20 years old

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More great work, this is going to be a nice one :)

 

The only way to get the onestop out of the front hubs is by dismantling and cleaning. which is a faff if you regularly wade. Damage caused to front hubs by running water contaminated gloop is likely to extend to the CV joints, BUT if used regularly should last  etc etc etc

 

Good balls (snigger) and modern hub seals to prevent leakage of standard fit oil

 

I fit Oneshot to all our Solihull shite.  Just can't get the EP90 to stay in the swivel hubs; even a new ball and seal only seems to keep dry for 12 months or so.

The oneshot grease does actually drain when you get it hot- do it straight after a run and plenty comes out!

I don't do wading though, not in any of them.  In fact I'd rather drive 60 miles to avoid going swimming!

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1958 LAND ROVER SERIES 2 - 2 & A QUARTER PETROL BARN FIND 1964 MILES!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1958-LAND-ROVER-SERIES-2-2-A-QUARTER-PETROL-BARN-FIND-1964-MILES/122793845536?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908131621%26meid%3Dec568649bfa146e985afda1af1357d70%26pid%3D100678%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D14%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D182848319696&_trksid=p2481888.c100678.m3607&_trkparms=pageci%253A4ebcd7e6-c7e0-11e7-b7d4-74dbd1804d46%257Cparentrq%253Ab1b89b5515f0ad78daae47c2ffff77c3%257Ciid%253A1

 

s-l1600.jpg

 

 

1964 miles you say?

 

An incredible 1964 miles on nthe clock - can only assume this is correct,as the speedo hasobviously never been changed,it has the same patina as the other instruments.

 

 

yeah but the numbers are all different colours, like some are sun faded way more than others. Got any history to back up the mileage claim?

 

Although manufactured in 1958 - it was,for some reason,first registered in1978,though on the V5 its taxation class is Historic Vehicle - so Tax and MOT exempt. Also has period correct Registration number. I can only assume it was used on a farm for the previous 20 years - hence the low mileage. 

 

 

 

Yeah Farmers use Traaaaaacturz

 

oh and your idea of "Surprisingly rust free" does not match with mine

 

Verdict =

a. remove speedo and find "oh no! not again :)" written on the back

​b. research history and find it was decommed from armed forced (air Force by the look of it, patches of blue) in 1978

c. thank God it is miles away

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oops meant to stick that on the ebay fred

 

Sa TURD ay's shenanigans

 

Youngling Thestags Rugby match at Whitgift was called off due to wet pitch at Whitgift so I boiler suited up and retired to the man cave for the afternoon.

 

using 1-2-1 epoxy paint from Rustbuster

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after mixing thoroughly in the tin, mix one part a to one part b - in this case 180ml of each

 

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part b is very gloopy

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however when the two parts are mixed together it combines quickly and easily. leave it 10 mins

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I then added 10% of the special supplied thinner. i probably didnt need to because

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it went on very thin indeed. stuck like shit to bare steel but didnt like the red paint that I wasnt able to remove. this is on the third coat and 1h after the first. the paint self levels nicely

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after an hour and a half the paint had thickened slightly so one coat was doing the job

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axle casing came up beautiful. pockmarks from previous rust were smoothed as the paint levelled.

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diff case needs another coat because I ran out of mix

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took 24h to cure to touch dry, 36h in and there are still bit that are tacky to touch. the guidance is full cure takes 2 weeks at 23 degrees celcius. I expect to be able to start reassembly after a couple of days. should be hammer proof after 2 weeks I guess

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very pleasant 6 hours spent in the man cave this weekend, cleaning threads, and tinkering

 

Figuring that the bolts would be same back and front for various bits I emptied all the bags and catalogued the as removed bolts

 

post-3439-0-10953400-1511204888_thumb.jpg

 

the long thin buggers hold the Boge Hydramat to the rear crossmember, new nylocks needed but otherwise reusable

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cleaning threads throughout, there are 10 on each hub, 20 on each carrier and a further 26 on the axle casing. over 100 threads to clean + the bolts

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I used a small fine sanding dremel to clean out the tapered hole that the steering balljoints go into

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On Sunday I gunked the worst off the bolts and lobbed the lot into the tumbling vibrator

 

Then got on with cleaning threads on the axle casing

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cleaning up the swivel pins and bearings and declared fit for reuse

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after about 2hours in the tumbler the bolts came out like this

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A quick wobble around through the tumbler media found me a big old bunch of rusty grains

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settled in a cleaned the threads up and inspected the bolts for damage. 90% needed no cleaning, the die spun on and straight back off again. just 3 bolts have been rejected as the flats are rounded

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ready for bagging and axle reassembly this weekend

post-3439-0-87665100-1511205260_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

 

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in other news the chassis has finally been blasted. minor rust damage is all localised around the rear drivers side outrigger and spring mount

 

photos courtesy of fatha thestag

 

The chassis is upside down here, was blasted last friday and already has surface rust developing!

 

This bit is on the main chassis rail inside the rear drivers side mount outrigger. simple repair after I cut out the shat

post-3439-0-55824000-1511205839_thumb.jpg

 

the is the same side bump stop plate. just going to cut this off, repair the chassis under neath and then weld a new plate on again

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these patches are on the inside of the rail and very close to the bump stop ^^

post-3439-0-06381400-1511205840_thumb.jpg

 

Going up Devon later this week and will visit and weld up on Friday, they are going to reblast, epoxy and powder coat on sunday / monday. Plan is for chassis to come home again monday.

 

Best get cracking getting those axles back together again!

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as the weather has got more wintery the recently installed heater unit on my daily has chosen to partially wedge the fresh air vent open. I can access it with the centre console removed but cannot be arsed to right now.

 

so, two vents and clock removed

post-3439-0-67681200-1511206270_thumb.jpg

 

foam rubber wedged into the hole

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test drive confirms toasty warm! Job Bodged

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Took the day off work today to weld up the chassis prior to it being zinc painted and powder coated.

 

First time I have seen the chassis since it had been grit blasted, I was a bit nervous from the piccies that Fatha thestag had emailed me.

 

Ok so there are a few patches around the back end of the chassis and need for a couple more. this is the drivers side chassis rail, rear sill outrigger and rear axle spring pan. I went over the patches with a sharpish ice hammer, anything soft was marked out to be cutout and replaced. Also wanted to tidy up some of the existing welds.

 

post-3439-0-54323000-1511544697_thumb.jpg

 

This is the drivers side rear axle spring mount, and the only place where rust had broken through a patch. this is all going to get cut out

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this is the rear spring mount on the passenger side, patched but solid and passed an extensive test with the hammer

post-3439-0-67486300-1511544698_thumb.jpg

 

these chaps were on the floor behind where I was working, pair of rust free 2 door shells and rear light housings. they almost ended up in my car ;)

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Another view of the patches around the drivers side rear axle

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And getting busy with the cutting disc. I was pleased to find that there wasnt rusty metal behind the patches, that most of it had been cut out, patched and then heavily waxed inside. all that wax is going to make a right mess in the oven when it gets preheated.

 

The two rusty angles are very heavy duty and curved to the shape of the chassis. I think they are part of the original build. They are solid so I cleaned them back and used as a basis for welding repairs

post-3439-0-19391100-1511544700_thumb.jpg

 

This is after cutting out the rust by the drivers side rear outrigger

post-3439-0-67568100-1511544700_thumb.jpg

 

Not original but I welded in a 2mm thick plate over the top of the angle brackets. 

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Pleased with progress so far

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post-3439-0-91394300-1511545511_thumb.jpg

 

All the above reinforcement was to allow the bought bump stop mount to be welded into place. this came from YRM

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post-3439-0-87228200-1511545512_thumb.jpg

 

I am in love with this welding setup. took a bit of fiddling to dial it in right but is so easy to use

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post-3439-0-73411300-1511545513_thumb.jpg

 

Seem to have forgotton to take a load of pics, so this is at the end of the job. The scrap pile

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after working my way through my entire stock of zirconium flap discs Rebecca gave me this. fucking awesome. trade only, going to get more!

post-3439-0-53360200-1511545514_thumb.jpg

 

flapped back and ready for the next stage

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post-3439-0-42089500-1511545515_thumb.jpg

 

Chuffed

 

Tomorrow, I need to weld and rebuild the rear axle, oh and fix the Jaaaag and the exhaust on the Series IIa and the indicators on fatha thestags 72 Range Rover

 

Hoping to pick up the completed chassis on Monday, watch this space

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While I was messing about with the Jaaaag Fatha Thestag was trying to fit a new column indicator, main beam, horn switch

 

The fault was that when using full beam, if the indicators were switched on then all the lights would go off, not very helpful. There didnt seem to be an issue with side lights nor dipped beam. 

 

Lucas "Prince of Darkness" at his very best

 

He managed to remove the column top cover and then kind of struggled. I helped by removing the steering wheel. I have a little puller for range rover wheels, 2 minute job!

 

Fatha then stripped it down so that the new switch was in place but then couldnt get it back together

 

Gave up on the Jaaaaag just in time to help.

 

Fatha thestag couldnt get the wiper switch back onto the other side of the bracket. this is a blurred pic of the old switch because I wasnt wearing my glasses when it took it, probably.

post-3439-0-38004300-1511633741_thumb.jpg

 

after a lot of fiddling, trying to work out which screw went where and how the loom routed I got to this point. Wheel went on and all is working beautifully

post-3439-0-89377900-1511633741_thumb.jpg

 

Found root cause of the original problem though. This is a 4 way bullet connector, Fatha thestag was struggling to get the new switch to fit so I gave him another. But then on finding the original in the bolt tray at the end of the job had a look and thought " that don't look right!"

post-3439-0-19845000-1511633742_thumb.jpg

 

Cut it open and ....

post-3439-0-51661000-1511633742_thumb.jpg

 

Old switch was never going to be binned anyway, just because, anyway I plan to give the old switch a good clean and put it on the shelf as a spare

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Distracted by the Jaaaag and Fatha Thestags Range Rover yesterday Plan was to crack on with cleaning up the rear axle of the project.

 

Lots of surface corrosion

post-3439-0-59282800-1511718652_thumb.jpg

 

Used a twisted wire brush on my axle grinder. pretty effective as shifting all the loose stuff to various other places

post-3439-0-51142000-1511718651_thumb.jpg

 

Drivers side of the axle. wasnt expecting great things from here, this is below the area that I did a lot of chassis welding on Friday

post-3439-0-60417000-1511718653_thumb.jpg

 

Sure enough the wire brush made the holes less smoll. One of the rusted weakened brackets supports the rear spring the other is for the radius arm, so both pretty heavy duty. the last is the axle bump stop

post-3439-0-63007600-1511718654_thumb.jpg

 

Took measurements for where the new bits will be welded

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Then found a hole in the diff pan, it was looking pretty ropey to be honest

post-3439-0-23402100-1511718657_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

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Decided to put it off not longer and got busy with the cutting disc

 

Fairly easy to cut through the welds down either side of the bump stop. A gentle tap and it fell orf. what was under it was rusty remains. The axle tube however is pretty good, better in fact than the bits of tube that are right next to it.

post-3439-0-01869800-1511719412_thumb.jpg

 

more measurements from the location of the radius arm mount

post-3439-0-05663600-1511719413_thumb.jpg

 

all gone and flappy disked back. the steel of the axle tube itself is about 8mm thick, there is no part that I need to replace. I might lay down some beads in the hollows though and smooth back prior to painting

post-3439-0-66568700-1511719413_thumb.jpg

 

got busy with the "icepick" hammer and found much soft metal and holes

post-3439-0-61208300-1511719414_thumb.jpg

 

it has to go, patching is not worth it, used a thin cutting disc to cut around the collar of the diff pan so as not to damage the axle casing

post-3439-0-17722000-1511719415_thumb.jpg

 

then with careful use of the cutting disc, cut through the welds that hold the diff pan flange to the axle casing, I did it in chunks.

post-3439-0-63902400-1511719415_thumb.jpg

 

all gone

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Mr Flappy smoothed the old welds back ready for the new diff pan

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traditional scrap pile photo

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zinc primed, looks like a giant die holder

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spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning back the front radius arms so they can be chassis blacked. blimmin wire cup disc thingy shat all its wire out, most of which I found embedded in my work trousers.

post-3439-0-21729200-1511720161_thumb.jpg

 

More action tomorrow afternoon, does the chassis get powder coated?

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day late, powder coat machine failed. no real harm done as I can stay on in Devon and do my paid work down here on my work laptop.

 

anyway all done at midday, just need to watch Bargain Cunt and have my lunch, then off down the road to pick up the borrowed trailer. and head out on the A361

 

Here is it still warm from the final bake, 

post-3439-0-91233200-1511893760_thumb.jpg

 

needed a bit of mechanical help to lift it off. not massively heavy but still 200kg of unwieldy steel

post-3439-0-51918400-1511893761_thumb.jpg

 

dropped and strapped onto the trailer

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March 2015

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November 2017

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Maneuvering the trailer into the field was a fiasco that involved two Range Rovers. The ramp is steep and narrow, maybe 8" wider than the trailer, the lane at the bottom is narrow that I couldnt take a swing and drive straight up. Ended up driving past the entrance, then unhitching, swiveling the trailer round, hitching up to the 2nd Range Rover to drag it up the ramp

post-3439-0-66988100-1511893764_thumb.jpg

 

After a distressing amount of shouting at Fatha thestag left hand down etc we got to this point. It is a lot easier to reverse a trailer back down the ramp with me driving, my brain works quicker than my mouth. NOT what Mrs thestag has been telling me for years.

post-3439-0-23867300-1511893765_thumb.jpg

 

plan was devised to get the heavy chassis into the barn with just Fathathestag and me, with one end supported, the pair of us lifted the other end and shoved it as far as it would go before the engine crane went off at an angle, then reset the crane and did it again.

post-3439-0-21016200-1511893766_thumb.jpg

 

quick reorg of the barn, moved the drivers side frame to the back so the chassis can sit where it did. means that in Jan I can use the crane to lower the chassis back down to Horizontal and refit axles

post-3439-0-65038400-1511893766_thumb.jpg

 

Break for Christmas now I think. All depends on it I go on Horrorday with Mrs Thestag and the saucepans

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That looks the nuts....... is the price dependent upon size/colour/condition etc....

Q. - do you have to 'chase' all the/any threads in the chassis? Or can you place sacrificial bolts in place etc (will they crack the finish as it's all 'melted' together?)

I've read up on home systems for smaller parts - using an old oven (guess what's in the corner of the garage!) but never remember reading about the Q's I have above.

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That looks well. Surprised you didn't knock up a couple of dollies: angle iron, plywood and some castors, and a few spot welds would see you right. Man of your abilities could knock some up in jig time, surely?

 

Q. - do you have to 'chase' all the/any threads in the chassis? Or can you place sacrificial bolts in place etc (will they crack the finish as it's all 'melted' together?)

I've read up on home systems for smaller parts - using an old oven (guess what's in the corner of the garage!) but never remember reading about the Q's I have above.

Last time I dealt with powder coating and baked stove enamelling, the guys we used were first class (ex Clyde shipbuilding guys who really knew their onions): they wouldn't work on something until it was fully plugged, and even then they recommended chasing everything out, and deburring the odd edge as necessary. Better safe than sorry, and I took that as gospel from them.
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That looks the nuts....... is the price dependent upon size/colour/condition etc....

Q. - do you have to 'chase' all the/any threads in the chassis? Or can you place sacrificial bolts in place etc (will they crack the finish as it's all 'melted' together?)

I've read up on home systems for smaller parts - using an old oven (guess what's in the corner of the garage!) but never remember reading about the Q's I have above.

 

surprisingly there are no threaded holes on the chassis. Plenty of bolt holes though and these were all bunged up prior to coating.

 

If working at home I would run a sacrificial bolt through what ever was being powder coated 

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That looks well. Surprised you didn't knock up a couple of dollies: angle iron, plywood and some castors, and a few spot welds would see you right. Man of your abilities could knock some up in jig time, surely?

 

 

I did kind of think about it. The plan was originally to use the hoist and a long rope to the back end of the chassis and suspend the whole think horizontal on the engine crane, 2 tonne crane and a decent ratshit strap and I could have done that. but it kept pissing down and I thought two of us lets just shove the bastard. only took 2 mins to shove it in this way :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

service day for the daily driver, realised also that I haven't done any underbody protection this year, that will have to wait, ideally need to clean back some of the existing flakey underseal. eek

 

Thought I heard a brake pad out on my epic grand tour of the midlands and south west yesterday but checking today found that they all have plenty of meat left on them. Also checked wheelbearings etc and all seem ok, dunno

 

Changed diff oil on both ends. sorted for the under the car stuff.

 

Engine oil needs doing but wanted to sort out why ATF is coming through the front grill

post-3439-0-95249500-1513361039_thumb.jpg

 

The return pipe on the PAS pump is soaked as is the area under it. The engine fan is just blowing the stuff everywhere

post-3439-0-37479900-1513361039_thumb.jpg

 

Jubilee clip was loose and wouldnt tighten so another fitted. gunked off the area and hope that is fixed.

post-3439-0-43596500-1513361040_thumb.jpg

 

Next up is to check on the thermostat, main reason is the poor performance of the car heater. Bit of a twat to remove, put old and new in a pan of water and brought to the boil. The old opened at 70degrees and the new at 88.

post-3439-0-01563700-1513361041_thumb.jpg

 

Fitted and heater performance is restored

 

Tomorrow will be rear axle work on the project

 

firstly here is the cat confirming that the Die is suitable for wheel studs

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very robust lumps of steel

post-3439-0-92192900-1513361364_thumb.jpg

 

new diff pan

post-3439-0-39247600-1513361365_thumb.jpg

 

should be fun day tomorrow

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Pub last night, proper off grid establishment on Exmoor. Has had a female touch to the Christmas decorations

 

Stoat has pride of place on the tree though. The stoat gets relocated to various locations, nice to see him back again.

post-3439-0-82850500-1513453838_thumb.jpg

 

This is the replacement, fully functional Boge Hydromat bargain that I nabbed on ebay and collexshuned from Leicester on Thursday. It is from a more modern Range Rover than my 72 project but the Boge unit itself is the same throughout.

 

My trusty windee gun died trying to undo the two bolts that hold the a frame to the bottom link :(

post-3439-0-48475100-1513453839_thumb.jpg

 

Disconnect the lower balljoint from the damper needs a pair of spanners, mine are a mm too thick but do the job, the gaitor is in great condition. Modern repros are made from tissue paper

post-3439-0-46289400-1513453840_thumb.jpg

 

Top balljoint is under another intact gaitor, jubilee clip was seized and therefore sacrificed to save the valuable and unobtainium gaitor

post-3439-0-07982300-1513453841_thumb.jpg

 

balljoint was undone thus liberating the Boge unit for clean and paint

post-3439-0-66220400-1513453841_thumb.jpg

 

The top mount is different for early cars, early top mount is on the right

post-3439-0-12654400-1513453842_thumb.jpg

 

need to remove the balljoint from the top mount so a new one can be installed. I find by running a thin cutting disc under the hex head section helps

post-3439-0-63339500-1513453842_thumb.jpg

 

Much abuse from stilson and 3lb hammer

post-3439-0-18710600-1513453843_thumb.jpg

 

and it turned. see the two red dots, the stilson slips so I need to know when it starts to move

post-3439-0-72299800-1513453843_thumb.jpg

 

And that is out, top mount to be shotblasted and painted next

post-3439-0-18823300-1513453844_thumb.jpg

 

 

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Also today

 

chased the thread through on all four hubs, the cat was right on the die size :)

post-3439-0-62880400-1513455246_thumb.jpg

 

CV joints next, quick clean

post-3439-0-13904200-1513455247_thumb.jpg

 

remove the balls and assess balls and cage for wear. this one is a Dusey  8)

post-3439-0-76986900-1513455247_thumb.jpg

 

This one is not, see the wear line on the inner cage

post-3439-0-17320900-1513455248_thumb.jpg

 

Next up is to align the new bits on the rear axle, steel rule and spirit level set me up perfectly

post-3439-0-22277400-1513455249_thumb.jpg

 

welder is buggered though. gas is leaking from the pipe. need to get some clips tomorrow to secure it. Wasnt in the mood for welding today anyway

post-3439-0-76517600-1513455248_thumb.jpg

 

concentrated my efforts on sorting all the radius arms and stuff out, remove the bushes from this rear radius arm and the "stainless" sleeve was stuck..

post-3439-0-85588500-1513455249_thumb.jpg

 

heat and cutting slots,etc failed

post-3439-0-32130200-1513455250_thumb.jpg

 

eventually gave way, then found that the arm is bent, arghhhhhhh only 3mm out but still

post-3439-0-81146100-1513455250_thumb.jpg

 

more tomorrow

 

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