Project Land Rover resto - new project and Sandy p25

[Rusty_Rocket]

Looking good!  The carbs on my '72 are SU HIF6s too.  Not original (and I think from an SD1), but I will keep them.  I prefer them to the standard fit Strombergs.  Does yours still have the AC mechanical fuel pump?  Mine does, but I don't think they're very reliable..

[richardthestag]

Looking good!  The carbs on my '72 are SU HIF6s too.  Not original (and I think from an SD1), but I will keep them.  I prefer them to the standard fit Strombergs.  Does yours still have the AC mechanical fuel pump?  Mine does, but I don't think they're very reliable..

 

the other project and fatha thestags white 72 both have mechanical pumps. this one has a leccy pump, blanking plate on the side of the timing cover

[richardthestag]

made good progress over the weekend, late write up because feeling cunty etc

 

anyway Stag, Landie and fatha thestags Range Rover went along to the Brayford Village show, not your usual sort of event, judging takes place from 10:30 until 15:30. The show opens to the public at 15:30 and prizes are awarded at 16:00. By 17:00 tumble weed is blowing

 

the moggie belongs to local Malcolm, also entered were mk1 Eunos and Late (1994) Mini dressed up like a cooper

 

 

Moggie won, second prize for the Landie and third for the Rangie. The criteria as set moments before judging by the head judge was "Exmoor" oh and he is MG through and through so allegedly expressed his dislike for the Staaaag*. Ha! as if I would ever accept an award, rather push my staaaag etc etc

 

*as told my Howard the Mini owner who doesn't deal well with not winning! got to love North Devon 

 

I did bag a 1st in the sculpture category though

 

 

[richardthestag]

onto the project Range Rover

 

Chassis stripdown ready for shipping the chassis out for powder coating. everything needs to be removed.

 

starting at the front for no other reason than front

 

lots of tight fixings but not that a little heat and a 3foot breaker couldn't resolve for me

 

had to roll the chassis forward, partly because of the heat under a tin roof but mainly because I was pissing off the swifts nesting in the back of the barn and they were trying to dive bomb me

 

pile of bits is growing, most of this I will clean back and paint chassis black

 

at the back is the rear axle a-frame and self leveling boge unit

 

a-frame fixings with 30mm nut and bolt securing proved somewhat of a challenger, I ended up removing the mounting from the rear box cross member and attacking one of the fat bolts with mr cutting disc

 

the boge has three ball joints, one at each end of the can and one on top of the back axle. two are seized solid and the piston in the boge flops about like a dick in a bucket, pretty much the same unit was used throughout range rover classic production so will seek out a more serviceable unit

 

 

[richardthestag]

chassis had these grommets fitted to where the gearbox cover bolts down and at the back over the rear axle. possibly for seat belt mounts, dunno yet will have a think about it. Anyway removed and bagged them, the photos is to remind me when i get around to reversing the removal process next month

 

 

 

front spring fell out because back offside spring has broken, never mind it is all coming off anyway

 

had an idea to support the chassis on a workmate, but it was too high for me to pull the front axle out

 

so ended up with axle stands and blocks of wood, wobbly as fook but to be honest without the front axle I can easily lift the front of the chassis. reckon on about 170kg stripped so manageable by a couple of lads to get on a trailer

 

front axle is out, removed a load of bits from it and drained it. will move to one side sO I can whizz the back axle off and then get the chassis out of the way. rebuild axles while chassis is away so that when it comes back I can get it rolling easily and quickly

 

2 weekends time for that.

 

In the meantime my daily Range rover has a chattering transfer box, can only mean the chain is now so slack it is kissing the casing! I have another to fit but it is a heavy bastard of a job. I also have a heater unit to fit to it! does it never end

[Rusty_Rocket]

Nice work, that chassis looks very good..

 

In the meantime my daily Range rover has a chattering transfer box, can only mean the chain is now so slack it is kissing the casing! I have another to fit but it is a heavy bastard of a job. I also have a heater unit to fit to it! does it never end

 

It doesn't ever end, no.  Not with the green oval anyway!!  Can you ditch the borg-warner and fit an LT230 in the daily?  They do seem to last a very long time and are easy to get hold of.

[richardthestag]

Nice work, that chassis looks very good..

 

 

It doesn't ever end, no.  Not with the green oval anyway!!  Can you ditch the borg-warner and fit an LT230 in the daily?  They do seem to last a very long time and are easy to get hold of.

 

I have a spare low mileage BW transfer box that I robbed from a breaker I did 10 years ago. just needs time and fluids

 

They seem to last about 170k ish before they start to chatter away on overrun. eventually something goes bang in them and all drive is lost. driving very carefully at the mo

[richardthestag]

Managed to find some motivation and did two jobs on my daily this weekend 

 

#1 fixed the droopy drivers door. replaced the door half of the top hinge to stop the door from clouting the B Post.

 

Removal of door means disconnecting electrics, feeding the harness through the a-post. Then clout roll pin out to allow the check strap to be removed. Lastly two circlips on the top of each of the two hinges.

 

the door can then be simply* lifted from it's hinges and fixed.

 

* I found hammering my paint tin opener screw driver in between the body and door hinges got shit started

 

Anywayz! I found that

1. the top door section was shagged
2. the bottom a post section was also shagged.
3. The catch plate is loose inside the door, remove all screws and it will rattle its way all the way to the bottom, turning a 10 min job into a 3 hour job. replaced top bolt to hold captive in place
4. The metal on the door frame around the top hinge is soft!, needs weldage but not today

 

Door can now be farted closed. This is something P6 owners will know about also. i.e. the gust from a fart will ker-lunk the door closed

 

 

 

[richardthestag]

other job was somewhat less smol

 

Heater has been grinding and occasionally filling cabin with nasty electric smellage.

 

I bought a second hand heater unit about 10 years ago, fitted a new motor to it last year and bench tested it on Friday. all ready to go-go-goooooooo

 

as with most British cars, infact probably all cars made since 1970 (except series Land Rover oh and Morris Minors), the heater is the first thing on the assembly line, normally suspended in the air while the world is attached around it.

 

Mine is somewhere behind this lot

 

Fortunately only the lower dash needs to be removed, the heater unit can then be swiveled out from under the top dash

 

Ahhh there you are

 

Not many folk know that the second item added to a new car on the Range Rover production line was the bottom heater hose in the engine bay. Wedged tight between the back of the LH head and the bulkhead. Thanks chaps. what a bastard

 

The loom can be split into stuff that comes from the drivers side

 

and the passenger side... the big fuck off lump is the vents for the aircon. it is charged up and works so I am not disconnecting it. I will need to work around it

 

by removing screws that hold the top and bottom sections of the aircon / fresh air vents I could make it flexible enough to bend it out of the way.

The heater unit moved but not enough. After some anglo Saxon swearage I undid the 4 connectors that hold the centre console in place and hinged the whole lot backwards and out of the way

 

Bang! and the heater is gone!

 

Hour and a half in, two crazed knuckles, much scratches around left lower arm and caked in shit from the engine bay. time for lunch 

 

[richardthestag]

astonishing how much mess can be made by one sober chap really

 

 

 

old and new side by side. new didnt have the aircon temp slider fitted. so I transferred that across

 

New unit slid in easily now I know which side it goes in from.

 

putting together. the bottom heater hose in the engine bay was somewhat less fun to refit than it was to remove. 

 

at this point and 5h in I have had enough. the car starts, the heater works and is quiet, it is pouring down with rain, it is beer o'clock. finish after work tomorrow

 

 

only issue is that the fresh air vent doesn't open fully, bastard. something has slipped. anyway good job that I have a) aircon and 4 electric windows. who needs fresh air vents

[richardthestag]

just finished getting it all back together. fresh air vent does work,

 

drivers door rattles

 

Need to change the bottom hinge also then

[timolloyd]

That looks like a monumental effort, nice one. I'd have scrapped it.

[AMC Rebel]

I have a spare low mileage BW transfer box that I robbed from a breaker I did 10 years ago. just needs time and fluids

 

They seem to last about 170k ish before they start to chatter away on overrun. eventually something goes bang in them and all drive is lost. driving very carefully at the mo

Er....

 

Oh dear

 

[richardthestag]

Er....

 

Oh dear

 

IMG_1690.JPG

 

the warning sound is like a faint chirup sound that seems to come from the passenger side of the trans tunnel. normally on overrun from A-road speed.

 

If your doesn't chirup chirup chirup occasionally then rest your sphincter for a while longer ?

[AMC Rebel]

the warning sound is like a faint chirup sound that seems to come from the passenger side of the trans tunnel. normally on overrun from A-road speed.

 

If your doesn't chirup chirup chirup occasionally then rest your sphincter for a while longer ?

 

Flip knows how I'd hear it over all the other racket, but there is something that sounds like a dire transmission/drivetrain issue at speeds of 70+.

 

I haven't been that fast for ages as the death wobble also happens if you hit the slightest bump at higher speeds. 

[richardthestag]

Flip knows how I'd hear it over all the other racket, but there is something that sounds like a dire transmission/drivetrain issue at speeds of 70+.

 

I haven't been that fast for ages as the death wobble also happens if you hit the slightest bump at higher speeds. 

 

bloody hell you not fixed the death wobble yet?

 

what have you done so far to fix it? you need any help?

[AMC Rebel]

bloody hell you not fixed the death wobble yet?

 

what have you done so far to fix it? you need any help?

So far -

 

Replaced Steering damper (which did seem a bit crap) with a brand new Bilstien one

New front shocks fitted as part of the move back to lower (closer to standard height) suspension.

Been to Landy specialists who charged me £££££ to rebuild the swivels with new bits

Returned to them when it wasn't cured - seemed OK

Death wobble came back (or maybe never went away)

Replaced track rod and two track rod ends - if anything made it slightly worse, despite the TREs being sticky 

Currently minus a hockey stick which took me about 2 months (and the purchase of a new angle grinder) to remove (due to spare time constraints and being useless).  I can't press the new hockey stick bearings in - tried using a vice (plenty of claims on t'internet that would work but not for me) and a threaded bar and sockets.  Plan is to do the bushes (including the rears).

 

2 TREs haven't been changed yet.

[richardthestag]

Found masses of enthusiasm today to do load of stuff . On the 1972 Range Rover rebuild project I finished the front caliper rebuild.

 

After stripping and grit blasting the calipers I painted them back in mid August. The paint took ages to go off. maybe I laid it on too thick, maybe the paint is a bit shit. dunno, anyway the paint is rock 'ard now

 

I abandoned all hope of the outer halfs of the original rear lockheed calipers. By happy coincidence the outer half of newer and more available "metric" rear Lockheed calipers are the same dimension and have no threads in them. I could of course rebuild the rear axle around metric calipers but that will be certain to cause chaos at any point in the future. So retaining imperial threads etc on the main part of the rear caliper seems to be the way to go

 

next up is to fit new seals and pistons. Brakes is important in stopping, I tend not to fuck about with brakes, Bigg Red provided me with seals and pistons.  this is he start point, have cleaned all the mating faces back to bare steel

 

Two seals and one metal ring that holds the dust seal in place. The seal with the stripes is the main seal, the dust seal has two lips on it like a crank seal

 

I use red brake grease, bigg red supply sachets of this stuff. these are going to be on the shelf for months so want to protect against nasties. Insert main seal into caliper.

 

slide piston into it's bore, then fit dust seal into metal ring and fit it over the piston

 

like this

 

then using a g clamp and a flat piece of metal clamp the whole lot together. the trick is to be completely level

 

Get it right and it looks like this

 

Get it wrong and the metal ring bends and is scrap, you might think meh, BUT the metal ring can at this point be removed with a fingernail. it is the metal ring that holds the dust seal in place so, .... just saying

 

Done! 8 pistons in two front calipers, I knackered 3 metal rings. I did well.

 

Before torquing the halves back together at 65ft lb (guessed based on research and what it took me to remove them) I sanded back the paint from under the bolts.

 

Finished

 

Touched up the paint on the bits and bobs and bolt heads and done.

 

[Guest Lord Sward]

So far -

 

Replaced Steering damper (which did seem a bit crap) with a brand new Bilstien one

New front shocks fitted as part of the move back to lower (closer to standard height) suspension.

Been to Landy specialists who charged me £££££ to rebuild the swivels with new bits

Returned to them when it wasn't cured - seemed OK

Death wobble came back (or maybe never went away)

Replaced track rod and two track rod ends - if anything made it slightly worse, despite the TREs being sticky 

Currently minus a hockey stick which took me about 2 months (and the purchase of a new angle grinder) to remove (due to spare time constraints and being useless).  I can't press the new hockey stick bearings in - tried using a vice (plenty of claims on t'internet that would work but not for me) and a threaded bar and sockets.  Plan is to do the bushes (including the rears).

 

2 TREs haven't been changed yet.

 

 

Did all that plus a steering box to no avail and give-up with my Disco V8.  Moved on to Defender Td5. Decided it was too crude and moved onto a Disco TD5.  Which I still have.

[richardthestag]

this weekends schenanigans

 

rear caliper rebuild.

 

The outer half from the original 1972 Lockheed Calipers was horribly corroded. I found that later "metric" Lockheed calipers from the Range Rover Classic has a very very similar outer half. For some reason that escapes me now I was keen to have imperial 3/8 24tpi fittings on the rear calipers (even a concourse just from pepple fuckin beach would fail to spot the difference).

 

So I found a pair of rear calipers that needed rebuild from a 90s breaker. £50 delivered.

 

Cleaned and stripped the newer calipers and here is a visual reference to the two pairs, silver is old, corroded outers

 

Here is the other side. the fluid feed is on the same side, same place. the only difference I could see was a drain hole that goes to fresh air on the other side.

 

Here are the two newer units before and after a trip to the blast cabinet, very theraputic

 

 

Trial fit is a success

 

Piston and seal fit is a success

 

this sort of shit fucks me right off. the darker bleed nipple is a lockheed original, I searched until I found one that looked the same sort of dimensions. What was sent was completely different. I can cope with the neck being longer but the end that goes into the caliper is way longer and only just allows for 2 threads to connect before it bottoms out. Going to be "avin a chat" with them tomorrow.

[richardthestag]

oh and new arrival is imminent. in the shape of a nice unmessed with 1965 88 IIa ready for sympathetic restoration.

[3VOM]

this sort of shit fucks me right off. the darker bleed nipple is a lockheed original, I searched until I found one that looked the same sort of dimensions. What was sent was completely different. I can cope with the neck being longer but the end that goes into the caliper is way longer and only just allows for 2 threads to connect before it bottoms out. Going to be "avin a chat" with them tomorrow.

20170924_182726.jpg

Taper looks different too.

[richardthestag]

Taper looks different too.

 

yep, hadnt even gotton that far.

 

I can see the originals being cleaned up and reused

[richardthestag]

travelled down to Devon last week so I could work in the barn to do a transfer box swap on my daily.

 

Transfer box sits on the back of the gearbox and splits the drive to both front and rear axles. later 1990s ish RR Classic transfer box has a viscous centre diff that automatically locks up if it detects a "very" rather than "quite" different speed between front and rear axles. All RR Classic transfer boxes have high and low ratios selectable by a lever. On the rear of the transfer box is the hand "transmission" brake.

 

The transfer box, diff and brake make the moon seem quite light.

 

Anyway mine started chirruping on overrun indicating that the chain is slapping the casing, i.e. it is fucked. I know that eventually it will just break or snag and cause the output to break, either way all drive will be lost. I have the t-shirt.

 

My last RR daily driver had this fault and I fitted a low mileage transfer box to it which it only had for 10k before it was broken for parts. the transfer box came off it again and went into my garage. it is this unit that I plan to fit this weekend.  

 

actually isnt that difficult a job but naturally I was blighted by many wee little bastard pixies. hiding tools, seizing bolts etc

 

I installed the car on my hydraulic ramps which gave me good access right up until the point I needed to undo the gearbox mounts. I then lowered the ramps and rested the front axle on my axle stands.

 

In the engine bay, simply remove viscous fan and disconnect lambda sensors

 

Inside the car remove the centre console and drill pop rivets that secure the gear selector and transfer box selector

 

Under the front remove 5 nuts securing the newish stainless front section. then spend an hour and a half cursing the one that will not shift. While I am there gaze in despair at the weeping core plug! Oh that'll be where the coolant is going then. Same thing on the other bastard side. going to need to take stock on what to do with the core plugs, if two are fucked then good chance the rest are too. arghhh

 

It did in the end with very careful use of the air cutoff disc and a nut splitter

 

Disconnect front and rear props and cable tie them to the chassis out of the way. disconnect the exhaust mounts, remove the offside mount and cable tie the exhaust to the nearside chassis rail. Remove the speedo cable and transducer electric box that sends the sign to the dash. Then lower the box as far as it will go.

 

Removed the nearside mount now I had access to the top bolts. removed the transfer box breather, the temp sensor, disconnected the handbrake cable, disconnect the transfer box selector, removed 3 17mm nuts and 3 13mm bolts and slid the transfer box backwards off the autobox

 

Here is the low mileage unit ready to go back on, once I have swapped out the viscous diff. must remember to install the right unit back on the car. that would be a ballsache wouldn't it

 

Turning the output shaft on the box from the car back and forth I could feel the slack in the chain - just in time for this one I think

 

this is the remnants from the atf drained form the unit on the car. Yes most of that is magnetic. oops

 

 

 

 

[Rusty_Rocket]

Nice work.  I utterly hate doing gearbox/ txb jobs on RRCs and Discos- lying on your back, with sh*t falling in your face, with the constant threat of something (seriously) heavy twatting you on the noggin and making your day a whole lot worse!

At least with an Offender, you have a hole in the seat box and can support the lump with a crane 

Are the chains for the old BW still horrendously expensive?

[Guest Hooli]

Looks much easier that way than when I swapped a gearbox on a disco with two trolley jacks  on a muddy floor in november rain. Oh I was a few hundred miles from home too as my LT77 died and I knew a bloke selling a R380.

[RichardK]

the warning sound is like a faint chirup sound that seems to come from the passenger side of the trans tunnel. normally on overrun from A-road speed.

 

If your doesn't chirup chirup chirup occasionally then rest your sphincter for a while longer ?

 

 

Whooo, I had a lucky escape a couple of years ago then... nearly bought an RRC making that sort of noise and no-one had any idea of what it was...

[andy18s]

My P38 was bought cheap because of this problem

Seller thought it was propshaft related until I took him for a spin..

Still took me a good few months to be bothered enough to get under it and swap it

[richardthestag]

good news is that the side effects of sertraline are fading. no headache today for the first time. Can cope with anything else it throws.

 

Anyway enjoyed Marr and May fighting this morning on telly so didnt get out till nearly 11, probably underestimated the amount of effort to get the transfer box back on all by myself. Gravity helped me get the old one off.

 

Again the Pixies were out in force, mischievous little buggers.

 

Fitted new oil seal to the input of the transferbox

 

had a massive brain wave to strip the transmission brake and viscous coupling from the transfer box to reduce bulk and weight

 

First attempt to fit was using my transmission jack. tricky because the transfer box is wider than it is long, and it is well slopey, the transfer box fits at a 45degree angle ish, 

 

so then with it roughly in place I jacked up the side that goes onto the gearbox tail. after a lot of faffing got it where it needed to be

 

then tried to roll both trans jack and trolley jack forwards and the whole lot slipped. fortunately I have ratshit strapped it all to the trans jack. I tried 4 times to do it this way then gave up and wheeled out the big guns

 

Figured using two ratshit strips I could lift the transfer box at the right angle

 

after a whole load of messing about, finding that the transfer box was in neutral - not going to help rotating the spline at the gearbox end - then realising that the viscous diff needs to be installed if I want to rotate the chain. arghh

 

In a nutshell 4 and a half fucking hours to get to this point*. I could have made the proper cradle in that time rather than messing about with ratshit straps and various lengths. In the end I got it at the right orientation. two finger gap between transfer box and autobox tail. went underneath and pushed the box into place. holy crap

 

fitted the gearbox mounts, front prop, speedo drive, handbrake cable, breather and handbrake cable.

 

Then fannied around fitting the cross member before taking a closer look at the leaky coreplug. it is dripping constantly so might need fairly urgent remediation. damn

 

Anyway, aside from the core plug I still need to fit 

rear propshaft

front exhaust 

install middle exhaust back onto its hangers

bolt up the front anti rollbar

install the viscous fan

 

bolts and nuts left to fit

 

scrap pile

 

*took a 90 minute break in two chunks because of fed up and sometimes walking away from a job and going back to it helps

[richardthestag]

got it up and running last night, no real issues, front exhaust is a ballsache because it is bulky and fiddly to feed into place.

 

top tip - get a length of 2x2 and tiewrap it to the underside of the front pipe y section just behind the cats, kind of a balance point. this helps manoeuvre it into place and then it can be held against the bottom of the engine with a trusty trolley jack. This means that I can get the manifold nuts in place and tightened without putting stress on the downpipe nor myself.

 

Centre section of the exhaust was just disconnected from the front Y and its central mounts and then moved to one side. this was a five min job to pop back into place. 

 

The front antiroll bar just swung back into place and four bolts secure it to the chassis.

 

Jacked up the back axle so I could refit the rear prop

 

then tested the viscous coupling was working which it is

 

while I was under the car I lobbed a bodge evostick metal putty into the weeping coreplug. I know it will need fixing very soon because it will probably rot faster now.

 

Replaced the lambda sensors and cooling fan and all done.

 

Car fired up and reversed and went forward in both high and low range - yay

 

which is good news because it was blocking the project cars chassis in the barn that need to go off to the powder coaters today!

 

 

Jobs left to do

refit the interior

set the hand brake

work out why the whole front nearside corner is covered with ATF!! - I think it is the PAS pump