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Land Rover resto - new project and Sandy p25


richardthestag

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crippling fuel economy prevented owners from pressing the loud pedal too hard. thus rev counter not required :D

 

I have been researching rust preventing products today. hot galv is out of the question. cold galv is as effective but a bugger to over paint

 

so rust.co.uk has been very thoroughly studied today. research is on going

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That is mighty impressive!  On the restorations I've done the areas cut away have always been much smaller, partly to help alignment but also because I didn't want to walk into the garage one day, see most of the car missing and get disheartened.

 

It's nice to have good quality repair panels available.  I've made my fair share of patches over the years and been surrounded by cardboard templates but you just can't beat a big repair panel that's the right shape.  As you say, trickier to find that you'd hope!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Been down in Devon over the weekend to get on with a bit of the project. Only I got a bit sidelined by the leaky water pump on my daily. I had a new waterpump to fit and a quick diagnosis by slackening the belts and feeling for play in the pump confirmed it is gone.

 

Piece of piss I am thinking. drain the rad down, while I remove the viscous fan, alternator and pas pump. that clears the way to get the pump off. only three bolts started to move and then tightened, no amount of in / out made them move any further. Heat didn’t really do anything either.

 

Then one after the other each of them snapped off. arse! The revised plan was to remove the pump and then  hope that there was enough to weld a nut onto. Two were fine but the long one predictably holds the timing cover onto the block. Alloy Block, steel bolt etc etc etc etc

 

Bolloxs

 

So what was a 2h job has turned out to be a strip down, and while I am this far I will replace the timing gears and chain. I considered the camshaft but to be honest that quadruples my costs and time and I am happy with compression performance and economy at the mo. So even though this engine has done nearly 170k on its original Camshaft I plan to leave it alone for now.

 

So timing gear and gaskets ordered, dirt cheap.

 

Problem is that I need to be back in Wycombeshite tonight so have borrowed the Jaaaag off Fathathastag. Yay

 

Snow forecast. Bolloxs

 

Cant get back down here again for 3 weeks

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Start by siphoning coolant out. got 8 litres out of the rad and water pump

 

post-3439-0-53886000-1483975842_thumb.jpg

 

Viscous fan is reverse threaded, I hearty whack with 3lb hammer sees it loosen

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Belts off and I can feel movement in the pulley = water pump bearing dead

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Ah! there it is, be done in a jiffy

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Bollocks!

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Pump removed - 2 of the broken bolts can be seen on the bottom mating face on the timing cover

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Engine at TDC

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Dizzy marked for #1 firing position

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Timing cover off, that chain looks a little slack - pretty common on Rover V8s, but the inside of the engine shows well cared for  8)

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Timing cover in parts washer ready to be put back to silver, buggered bolts ready for a battle

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Nice clean uncontaminated innards not bad for 168k miles

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Here is the bugger of a stud, going to weld a nut on it but need to practice first as the block is also alloy

post-3439-0-92820600-1483976526_thumb.jpg

 

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cold galv is as effective but a bugger to over paint

 

What problems have you had, and what brand did you use? I've used both Galvafroid and Zinga, but only tried overpainting the latter. Which reacted with etch primer but seemed OK with 1k standard primer.

 

That engine looks very good for the mileage - I'll post up comparison pics on my Stellar thread once I strip that down!

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I think I've got a waterpump for that upstairs. Got it for the V8 LtWt I used to have, but that turned out to have a P6 pump & timing case to make the engine shorter so it fitted.

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I did a similar resto on a 1973 2 door around the turn of the century.

FWIW I thought I'd try painting the steel panels with a couple of coats of one-coat gloss white, the same I'd used on the outside of the house doors (I'm not sure but think it was made by Crown?).

Yes, sounds like a bodge, but it was still largely rust free when I sold it 13 years later although I reckon the Waxoyl helped too.

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  • 1 month later...

A whole month later and I am back in Devon

 

Ok motivation has been lacking and I have been smoking around in the Jaaaag seen posing here

 

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Once broken bolt was successfully removed, the second on the cover was properly welded in which took a lot of effort and one oversized bolt to resolve. The stuck bolt in the block was the biggest nightmare. I hope that the helicoil holds but will need to be vary careful with the length of the bolt that goes into it. The root cause for the siezing of the bolt was probably due to a gasket breach from the water jacket just above it. bastard

 

Old chain removed was very worn 

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This is the timing cover cleaned, some nasty wear on the water pump which I cleaned up and zinc painted.

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New chain and sprockets installed and engine wound over once

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Working out what bolts go where. 

post-3439-0-13924900-1486754108_thumb.jpg

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Not so much Haunted Range Rover but probably Haunted workshop

 

What a bastard day, every job was one step forwards two back. The haunted workshop messed with bolts and missing tools . Everything that might have failed me did!

 

Getting the timing cover back on was ok, one helicoil failed. ffs never had that before. So the whole lot comes off again. I went to great lengths to protect the new chains from swarf

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So it was taken apart 3 times to get to this point arghhh fuckin argh

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The easiest bit of today was removing the sump. There was no gasket ffs. I had a cork one so it went on after cleaning

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No real shit in the sump, there was a very small amount of sludge which I cleared. else proper clean inside

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Crank again confirmed that I have looked after the old gal for the last 10 years etc

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So after battling with tools that mysteriously move themselve I did manage to get the sump reinstalled and then tried to prime the oil pump. 

 

Rover V8 can be a  nightmare to get primed. It is easy to see why when it is apart. the strainer draws oil to half way up the block, it then travels forwards and through the timing cover to drop into the pump. the pump then has to mess with oil coolers that are level with the top of the water radiator. FFS anyway I failed to prime and need to pop out tomorrow to but some vaseline. wish me luck

 

 

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My perceived failure to prime the pump was some what of a premature ejaculation

 

Removing the top pipe on the rad for the oil cooler found it full of oil. Shame I had just been down to Sainsbohs to buy a tub of Vaseline! The nice lady on the pharmacy told Fathathestag (I was too chicken) it was over by the Canesten and Preparation H. She had a faint glimmer of snigger on her face as I was standing next to him.

 

While at the supermarket it seemed rude not to top up on beer, Fathathestag also pointed out that he had run out of English Colmans Mustard. We took two so that when it emptied next time we would have another to save our blushes.

 

The boot face lass at the till ran the lot through her barcode scanner and on paying said "no idea what you chaps have planned but I defo don't want to be in on it!" probably

 

Anyway, dizzy installed, I wound it over on the starter and after 30 seconds the oil light went out. reconnected the HT lead to the coil and it chuntered away almost starting 

 

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I did notice that engine oil was pissing out of the joint between oil pump housing and oil cooler. Hmmmmm Easy fix was removing the oil filter to find that the cooler securing bolt was just finger tight.must have forgotten about that when I was swearing at the car last night.

 

Anyway, got him started once that I properly fitted the HT lead to the coil but had flooded it before I realised. Anyone who has flooded an RV8 will know. arghh fucking bastard cunting thing. Anyway he started only to be shut down so I could refill the cooling system. 

 

Easy, no issues, no further oil leaks :D

 

Test drive meant revealing the oil soaked barn floor to Fathathestag who was philosophical about it....

 

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Test drive found no faults other than Mr Rangie didnt like doing nothing for a long time because the Autobox was stuck in 1st until coaxed out of it. Oh and the heater blower did nowt on any of the 3 settings! A hearty thump on the top of the dash fixed the latter. Using #3 on the autobox selector fix the first issue and it was been fine since :D

 

post-3439-0-20053500-1486926744_thumb.jpg

 

Fathathestag's 1972 Rangie is enjoying barn cover again. nose to nose with Alan the 1972 Rangie Resto that I can now get back on with.

 

post-3439-0-14325200-1486926747_thumb.jpg

 

Oh but I found that the inner wings are utterly fucked on the daily and also the footwell on the passengerside is somewhat crunchy! Might be Jag'ing through the summer as Rangie is now way will pass Mr MoT in July

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Barn floor mess was due to a complete failure of the expensive* oil tray that I had bought.

 

It probably failed at the point that it received the nut that I had been trying to weld into the stuck stud on the block.

 

I recall the bastard thing fizzling away as it dropped into the oil filled tray. I do recall some satisfaction that the fucking nut didn't set fire to the oil at the time.

 

However haunted barn ensured that it made my weekend so much more miserable..

 

* I cannot see what something that collects waste oil drips should cost anything at all. 

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The boot face lass at the till ran the lot through her barcode scanner and on paying said "no idea what you chaps have planned but I defo don't want to be in on it!" probably

 

I was similarly concerned after buying a large tub on Friday to prime my pump, at the same time as shopping for a Valentine's day card...

 

post-5223-0-49674500-1486934574_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

right chaps

 

Been back in Devon, my daily Rangie is working very rude at the mo so leaving him the fuck alone!

 

Been all over the 1972 Alan project, work this time is all about the drivers side rear quarter

 

here he is at the start having had much rustiness removed

 

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Here is the boot side and arch welded 

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the new curtain ready for prep

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All clamped up

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An welded in

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happy days

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next is to finish off the b - post

 

As usual, measured up and made a template

 

post-3439-0-58459300-1488749970_thumb.jpg

 

at this stage it is useful to finish off all those old cutting discs

 

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Is it gone? chose another from the pile

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After much fucking about an fiddlin I get to this

 

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post-3439-0-72153500-1488749974_thumb.jpg

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while I was having fun today I did a major clearout of the barn

 

Triggers Broom ?

 

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Believe me none of this is any good at all...

 

Apart from the nearside sill - heavy duty repro homemade sill - free to collector

 

And headlamp boxes - which I am keeping

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while I was having fun today I did a major clearout of the barn

 

Triggers Broom ?

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131757.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_132059.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131702.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131709.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131712.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131720.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131723.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_132306.jpg

 

Believe me none of this is any good at all...

 

Apart from the nearside sill - heavy duty repro homemade sill - free to collector

 

And headlamp boxes - which I am keeping

 

so it'll be going on a Q plate then :mrgreen:

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so it'll be going on a Q plate then :mrgreen:

 

Keep the original registration number

Your vehicle must have 8 or more points from the table below if you want to keep the original registration number. 5 of these points must come from having the original or new and unmodified chassis, monocoque bodyshell or frame.

 

Chassis, monocoque bodyshell (body and chassis as one unit) or frame - original or new and unmodified (direct from manufacturer) 5

Suspension (front and back) - original 2

Axles (both) - original 2

Transmission - original 2

Steering assembly - original 2

Engine - original 1

 

Need 8 points, have 13 - lost one possibly because Engine is same type but from an SD1

 

Body frame is restored to same specification as it left the phactoree

 

No Q plate for me

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That is so much work!

 

Surely there would be a market for new shells? Like all of those "heritage" MGBs 

 

JLR are on a project to rebuild a load of classic 2 door range rovers in the factory, prices start at £135k

 

As part of this there are rumours of new body frame parts. It all bolts together on these early cars

 

Front inner wings come off as a unit.

with the roof off , the rear tailgate surround (called the goalposts) can be unbolted.

Then two bolts at the top of the a post, 4 down the side of the a-post, the gearbox cover and front foot well unscrewed and two body mounts, the whole side of the car can be removed from the chassis. This then leaves the bulkhead and windscreen surround in place held be two body mounts

 

There are body frames lurking in australia, middle east and south africa. it is tempting to fill a container with them but will be uber pricy

 

so far I am a smidge over 150 hours on the body. one side was way quicker than t'other as I learned on the job

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while I was having fun today I did a major clearout of the barn

 

Triggers Broom ?

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131757.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_132059.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131702.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131709.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131712.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131720.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_131723.jpg

 

attachicon.gif20170305_132306.jpg

 

Believe me none of this is any good at all...

 

Apart from the nearside sill - heavy duty repro homemade sill - free to collector

 

And headlamp boxes - which I am keeping

 

Got a tenner for it from the scrapman which is good for 2 pairs of pints.. nearly

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Here is a little more hardcore early Range Rover pron

 

Fatha thestag and I did a jollyboys day out to Belgium in 2014 to buy his car. A lot of money at the time but around £10k saving over buying a car from the UK classic dealers! Anyway it is a UK car that was exported in 1980s and ended up with a collector in Luxembourg who finally decided to sell up when local MOT rules became farcical. He passed the sale onto OLDTIMERFARM in Alter, Belgium which is where we pick up the story.

 

Dad saw it advertised in UK classic mags, contacted the seller who simply said "come over and see it and you will buy". The seller had been fucked around by a number of dealers etc. We booked up Eurostar and travelled over. everything matched up, it was/is a pearler. The deal was struck without even haggling. repatriation, MOT and registration were included in the deal. 

 

Fatha Thestag and I travelled back to Brussells where we waited for our Eurostar home, we chanced upon a bar and drank out own body volume in Stella and ate every cheese and ham toasty in the buffet on the Eurostar.

 

Anyway roll forward to mid last year and a serious off road chappy Andrew St.Pierre White contacted Fatha thestag via Range Rover Register as he needed to borrow an early 2 door for a project.

 

This is the outcome of that project.

 

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