Supernaut's Cars - E36 323i / mk3 Megane / S1 Land Rover

[dome]

@Supernaut this sounds familiar, here's my experience with abs rings on mine. 

https://autoshite.com/topic/47222-domes-shonky-moderns-2009-megane-3-dci-sold

 

Page 1 I think, not sure if that's any use to you.

[Supernaut]

9 hours ago, artdjones said:

I think the stub axles are available as a separate part 430197682R/430180707R, so a s/h one should be available.

Or https://www.ebay.ie/itm/404932263502?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=5282-175127-2357-0&ssspo=pJeoqRs3QcG&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=1gRsBydUQIa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Not exactly cheap, but still probably a lot cheaper than stub axles.

Jesus, how fucking much for just a wee metal ring?

My neighbour mentioned he usually takes the rings out of wheel bearing kits for a Trafic, and I suspect that's cheaper!

 

Yeah, it is.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351921161719

[Supernaut]

I just phoned my new employer to confirm I'll definitely be in on Monday morning.

I also asked about mk3 Megane rear ABS sensor holders. The owner said "we have a way of doing those... I'll call you back"

Ominous?

[Tickman]

Good to get the inside information 

[Supernaut]

I bought a battery for the Megane off Tayna because I thought it was a wee bit tired. Nope, upon shining a torch into the bubble on top it's still bright green. No noticeable problems with the car either.

 

So I had a spare, new, battery doing nothing.

 

Oh look, it's exactly the size of battery the BMW takes too. The battery in the BMW had August 2020 scrawled on it in marker pen and I've flattened it a couple of times in my ownership. Going by the Ah and CCA ratings the new battery is an upgrade. It's been in the BMW since about 9am and seems fine!

[Supernaut]

Assembled the soft top frame over the weekend.

I'm also painting up the frames for the rear bench seats. No photos of that, just imagine some angle iron in the same blue as the bodywork.

The seats are currently in the hands of a local reupholsterer. They'll just be staying in the factory spec grey vinyl.

[Six-cylinder]

On 07/02/2025 at 11:48, Supernaut said:

Oh look, it's exactly the size of battery the BMW takes too. The battery in the BMW had August 2020 scrawled on it in marker pen and I've flattened it a couple of times in my ownership. Going by the Ah and CCA ratings the new battery is an upgrade. It's been in the BMW since about 9am and seems fine!

That's is Tipp-ex, I mark all my new batteries like that. I seem to get through about 5 a year, but I do move them around sometimes if I take one off to charge it and have a spare of that type it goes on.

[Supernaut]

24 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

That's is Tipp-ex, I mark all my new batteries like that. I seem to get through about 5 a year, but I do move them around sometimes if I take one off to charge it and have a spare of that type it goes on.

It was still pretty healthy considering it was from 2020! It's just that I ended up with a spare brand new battery through my own incompetence.

That August 2020 battery is now under the workbench in the shed as a rather hefty spare.

[Supernaut]

I couldn't help seeing how it looked.

[Supernaut]

I put the steelies back on the Megane today, and washed both cars.

 

I also didn't put the jack properly under it and...

The door still works. I just shrugged and painted a load of kurust on it.

If it didn't already look like it's spent the entire 14 years of its existence so far being beaten like a ginger stepchild, I'd perhaps be mildly annoyed.

As it stands? Meh.

[Supernaut]

Anyway, the Land Rover is slowly getting closer to the road.

Currently the windscreen is back off while we mess about with the wipers and demister vents etc.

 

The wipers are interesting*. It has two different Lucas wiper motors on it. If I'm using the vernier calipers correctly, the driver's side has a 7mm shaft and the passenger side has a 5mm shaft.

The wiper arms are also a highly inventive historic bodge. The driver's side one is far too long and the wiper goes right off the glass (no idea whether it ever did much like that!) while the passenger side uses a 9" long arm with a 10.5" wiper blade. Looks straight off an MG Midget or some other old British car.

However, the spring in the 9" wiper arm has snapped.

 

 

I'm just slightly lost. Probably need to source a shorter arm for the driver's side anyway, perhaps just buy a pair of better arms the right length? Who knows.

Plus it'll need new wipers too, of course.

 

I've found some Land Rover wiper arms on ebay but of course they don't list the length of them! They just say "suitable for a Defender" or whatever.

I reckon anything we buy will need to be adapted to fit anyway. The shafts on the motors are just threaded, and the wiper arms on there have had holes drilled in them and grub screws added.

[Supernaut]

Land Rover progress!

Wipers!

Screenwash bottle!

Door seals*!

*More like a gentle verbal suggestion to the rain to please stay outside but only if it's convenient. Oh, never mind. Come in anyway.

[Tayne]

Sit on the seat sideways, brace the lower corners of the door with your feet, bend the door from the top for a better seal.

[Supernaut]

Achievement unlocked; seat frames and number plates.

[warch]

On 03/03/2025 at 11:45, Supernaut said:

I've found some Land Rover wiper arms on ebay but of course they don't list the length of them! They just say "suitable for a Defender" or whatever.

I reckon anything we buy will need to be adapted to fit anyway. The shafts on the motors are just threaded, and the wiper arms on there have had holes drilled in them and grub screws added.

I have an issue with wiper blades always been slightly too long for the windscreens so they hit the metal surround and eventually disintegrate. Still haven't managed to sort the correct length blades from anywhere.

[Supernaut]

Current Land Rover status; faffing about with the canvas roof.

The rest of it is pretty much done!

The screenwash jets do require a tiny bit of adjustment though. The shed ceiling is a good 20ft+ high...

 

We're going to end up just waiting to get the seat cushions back from the reupholsterer.

[Supernaut]

Breaking news!

 

Also:

Good times!

[AnnoyingPentium]

Congratulations on getting the Landy on the go, and the MOT pass for the BM.

[Supernaut]

Ah, the Land Rover still hasn't moved.

I'm busy all day tomorrow, but at some point soon we'll need to somehow shunt it around the roughly 7 tonnes of plasterboard between it and the door.

The space down the side of the plasterboard is a good couple of feet wider than the Land Rover, so it theoretically should be possible... With a lot of shunting.

[Supernaut]

Went to Crail yesterday with @Tayne and we found out how quickly a Tesla Model Y Dual Motor can do the quarter mile. The answer is; yes, quite quickly.

We also saw a few things in the show area.

[Supernaut]

This morning has been spent preparing for some shuffling and shunting.

It currently sits here;

It needs to go through here, which is only a few inches wider.

Then out here;

The tractor and stuff can be moved out of the way easily.

Tomorrow it shall get some fresh E5 sloshed in, the tyres pumped up, and an attempt shall be made!

I've managed to move the back end of it a few inches sideways with the trolley jack already, so let's see how it goes.

[Supernaut]

More shuffling with the trolley jack has resulted in rotation.

[Supernaut]

[Supernaut]

It's marking its territory, and it won't go into high range, but still!

It runs well, and moves under its own power.

 

The drivers seat is currently a random cushion and a wooden board, so an upgrade from the standard seat that's still with the reupholsterer guy.

[Tayne]

It looks a lot better now it’s outside.

And is that Marine Blue, or some sort of RAF  shade?

[Supernaut]

26 minutes ago, Tayne said:

It looks a lot better now it’s outside.

And is that Marine Blue, or some sort of RAF  shade?

It's some sort of RAF shade.

I've just driven it back inside and I'm in the process of lifting the floor so I can twiddle with things on top of the gearbox and transfer case.

I want to get it to go into high range!

[Supernaut]

I still can't get it to stay in high range, it'll go for a short while then jump back out. I think something needs adjusted.

However, I found a photo of how it looked when we first dragged it out of the shed it was languishing in.

Quite a transformation.

 

Also, the reason it was rebuilt onto a galvanised chassis in the first place:

[Supernaut]

It stays in high range nicely after swapping that bolt around.

We then fitted the AA and British Horse Society badges, plus the rear Land Rover badge.

Then I took it for a drive up to the building site.

I achieved 15mph in 2nd gear high in 4WD.

 

A friend also visited in their Evoque.

69 years apart!

[Supernaut]

Spare wheel on the front;

Tow bar on the back;

 

 

 

I had a moment of genius* when fitting the spare wheel hook / bracket things. They have bolts that go into captive nuts in the bonnet. One was very stiff in the threads. So I opened the bonnet and ran it through the captive nut from the other side. Cleaned up the threads nicely.

I can't get over how tiny this vehicle is, though. It's 5 feet wide. I tried putting a high lift jack in the back and it was against the bulkhead behind the seats and still sticking slightly out the open tailgate.

The whole thing will look hilarious out on the public roads.

[Supernaut]

Can I nominate my own photos for calendar shots?

 

I keep the Megane and BMW in that yard area anyway, and was just moving the Land Rover about. I took a chance for some photos while it was burning a hole in the ozone layer on full choke.