Ah, the yet unwritten future! Did I think about that the last days, or rather weeks!
Anyway, the plans changed, mainly due to budget and credit card limits.
First, things that didn't change: She will be used for a one week trip to Corsica to explore the back country in October and then for two weeks to the Tunesian Sahara in January. The interior should be nice and look basically original (basically done). The goal is to have a good to very good technical basis for some challenging trips under difficult environments, e.g. hot, dry and dusty to cold and wet (read the Sahara and e.g. Iceland).
The plan is to replace broken and worn out parts with upgraded ones. The cam for example was replaced with a Kent H200, the timing gear with a Cloynes duplex chain. It already has a 123 Ignition distributor from the previous owner. The broken rear diff got replaced with a Truetrac. The suspension is already upgraded from her days as a towing vehicle and is very solid.
So, the future: The rebuild carbs will be installed soonish, at the same time she will get a new set of Kent valve springs and tubular manifolds for the stainless steel exhaust as the original manifold is shot. The new Mocal oil cooler, thermostat and Goddridge steel braided hoses are already in the workshop, the old lines are brittle, the thermostat is leaking, so...
Since the last excurssion to the Sahara cooked the carbs and two fuel lines, some things will change: Replacing the low quality fuel lines with steelbraided goodridge ones. Isolate the exhaust front to back as well as the carbs with some self adhesive heat reflective material I found at a motorsport / racing gear supplier. To account for the already increased power, and due to age, she'll also get a LOF clutch, most likely with a obp clutch cylinder.
Also on the to be replaced list are all the hoses and vaccum lines etc... in the engine bay with Samco silicon ones, the fuel return will be replaced by Goodridge steel braided one.
On the maybe list I have the rear diff cage and crown wheel / pinion. Currently it is leaking heavily, that depends so, it using the other cage I have lying around fixes it, that's fine. Same goes for the leaking sump, that only leaks only on one bolt. If, and that is a big if, some external sealant isn't enough the sump will be replaced assuming it is not a engine block issue. Preferably with a SD1 Vitesse sump if I can find one.
On the I want list we have an improved cooling system: Proper header tank, silicon hoses, new radiator and electric fans. The engine did not over heat last time despite 55 degree celsius in the desert, which is good. Still, the radiator is 43 years old and it doesn't seem the viscous coupling has ever been replaced, at least I didn't find anything in the full list of invoices I have for the car.
That's the expensive bit, Allisport has a straight replacement kit with dual 280 mm SPAL fans, that looks really nice and promising. The header tank and hoses aren't that expensive so.
Whennall that is done, and all fluids are replaced and such, I will be bit poorer, but the car will be in ship shape. Throw in tires with the three mointain peak and snow flake logo to take the ferry in Italia in January, a new roof rack (needed anyway as I do not trust the old one anymorw) and a roof tent and I am all good.
The one thing I am absolutely not sure about is the cylinder heads. We'll see how she drives when the carbs and new manifolda are in, if anything the very lean loaner SUs are already very promising! But then, well, those flow optimized heads from Turner engineering aren't prohibitively expensive (well, the almost are) and sound like a fun thing to do. I do need to dig a bit deeper into how much power out put the 10 spline axles and stock diffs can take. Switching to 23 spline axles is not something I'd like to do, as I have the basically new 10 spline true trac in the back. Upgrading the front to HD with a 4-pin diff center would be ok so, especially since I somehow think the front diff isn't in perfect shape anyway.
To be seen, because I could always order a rebuilt front diff from Ashcroft and use the non-leaking diff housing for the rear diff. To be seen as soon as I passed TÜV and got her back to the mechanic for exhaust and carbs.
Still refusing to add up all the invoices so, that would be just to depressing. One of those instances where ignorance, if you can afford it, is a bliss!
Edit: Forgot about ignition, that will be some good inginition cables, new spark plugs and a new coil, nothing fancy, juat some minor upgrades.
Anyway, the plans changed, mainly due to budget and credit card limits.
First, things that didn't change: She will be used for a one week trip to Corsica to explore the back country in October and then for two weeks to the Tunesian Sahara in January. The interior should be nice and look basically original (basically done). The goal is to have a good to very good technical basis for some challenging trips under difficult environments, e.g. hot, dry and dusty to cold and wet (read the Sahara and e.g. Iceland).
The plan is to replace broken and worn out parts with upgraded ones. The cam for example was replaced with a Kent H200, the timing gear with a Cloynes duplex chain. It already has a 123 Ignition distributor from the previous owner. The broken rear diff got replaced with a Truetrac. The suspension is already upgraded from her days as a towing vehicle and is very solid.
So, the future: The rebuild carbs will be installed soonish, at the same time she will get a new set of Kent valve springs and tubular manifolds for the stainless steel exhaust as the original manifold is shot. The new Mocal oil cooler, thermostat and Goddridge steel braided hoses are already in the workshop, the old lines are brittle, the thermostat is leaking, so...
Since the last excurssion to the Sahara cooked the carbs and two fuel lines, some things will change: Replacing the low quality fuel lines with steelbraided goodridge ones. Isolate the exhaust front to back as well as the carbs with some self adhesive heat reflective material I found at a motorsport / racing gear supplier. To account for the already increased power, and due to age, she'll also get a LOF clutch, most likely with a obp clutch cylinder.
Also on the to be replaced list are all the hoses and vaccum lines etc... in the engine bay with Samco silicon ones, the fuel return will be replaced by Goodridge steel braided one.
On the maybe list I have the rear diff cage and crown wheel / pinion. Currently it is leaking heavily, that depends so, it using the other cage I have lying around fixes it, that's fine. Same goes for the leaking sump, that only leaks only on one bolt. If, and that is a big if, some external sealant isn't enough the sump will be replaced assuming it is not a engine block issue. Preferably with a SD1 Vitesse sump if I can find one.
On the I want list we have an improved cooling system: Proper header tank, silicon hoses, new radiator and electric fans. The engine did not over heat last time despite 55 degree celsius in the desert, which is good. Still, the radiator is 43 years old and it doesn't seem the viscous coupling has ever been replaced, at least I didn't find anything in the full list of invoices I have for the car.
That's the expensive bit, Allisport has a straight replacement kit with dual 280 mm SPAL fans, that looks really nice and promising. The header tank and hoses aren't that expensive so.
Whennall that is done, and all fluids are replaced and such, I will be bit poorer, but the car will be in ship shape. Throw in tires with the three mointain peak and snow flake logo to take the ferry in Italia in January, a new roof rack (needed anyway as I do not trust the old one anymorw) and a roof tent and I am all good.
The one thing I am absolutely not sure about is the cylinder heads. We'll see how she drives when the carbs and new manifolda are in, if anything the very lean loaner SUs are already very promising! But then, well, those flow optimized heads from Turner engineering aren't prohibitively expensive (well, the almost are) and sound like a fun thing to do. I do need to dig a bit deeper into how much power out put the 10 spline axles and stock diffs can take. Switching to 23 spline axles is not something I'd like to do, as I have the basically new 10 spline true trac in the back. Upgrading the front to HD with a 4-pin diff center would be ok so, especially since I somehow think the front diff isn't in perfect shape anyway.
To be seen, because I could always order a rebuilt front diff from Ashcroft and use the non-leaking diff housing for the rear diff. To be seen as soon as I passed TÜV and got her back to the mechanic for exhaust and carbs.
Still refusing to add up all the invoices so, that would be just to depressing. One of those instances where ignorance, if you can afford it, is a bliss!
Edit: Forgot about ignition, that will be some good inginition cables, new spark plugs and a new coil, nothing fancy, juat some minor upgrades.
