Series 3 Landrover owner

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I've found trying to replace the dangerous aged 6.50 x 16 Firestones a challenge.

As the landy will be used mainly on the road I was thinking about a modern tubless radial tyre. Would a 5.5 x16 steel wheel from Paddocks and a 205/80/16 A/T be a suitable replacement? I don't want to alter gearing or turning circle.
 
I found that with good series steel rims (clean them and then spray paint, straighten them if possible) you can use a good brand tyre and go tubeless. I intend to do this when my existing tyre wear out. Because the terrain over here is pretty much a tyre eater and because the roads have a lot of nails and other sharp objects I will stick in some Linseal OKO and carry a couple of tubes with me.

This method has worked wonders for my remote travels on my bike although I don't run tubeless on the bike. I simply put in 200ml of OKO into the tube and run 22 psi. Bomb proof!! Be proficient at tyre changing!! We don't have AA roadside here!

Whether you go tubeless or tube my option for remote driving is you need a backup solution. The standard series steel rim will last well if looked after. The 7.50 16 configuration for the series is the best way to go because you can fit a slightly narrow or fatter tyre without messing around with the gearing.

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Copper Discoverer LT265/75R/16 vs 7.50 16. That big of a tyre meant a lot of modifications and upgrades and to me was pointless.
 
We have been busy all day today fitting an electronic distributor and the Weber carb and what a difference it's made. The car idles well and the engine is smooth. We also adjusted the timing statically and then with a timing light gun. The engine no longer stalls at junctions so I'm a bit happier this week after all of the messy oil changes last week, then rewarded with even worse running was disheartening.

The steering is very heavy. The tures were low about 18 so I put 30 psi all round to start with. I then topped up the swivels, n/s was full but o/s was empty. I topped up hte steering box oil but that was full. I noticed one of the FWH had be left on 4x4 so turned that to 4x2. The steering is better but not great, hopefully replacing the perished tyres will help.

I'm looking forward to next weekend to work on it again, but don't forget everyone it's mother's day next Sunday.
 
We have been busy all day today fitting an electronic distributor and the Weber carb and what a difference it's made. The car idles well and the engine is smooth. We also adjusted the timing statically and then with a timing light gun. The engine no longer stalls at junctions so I'm a bit happier this week after all of the messy oil changes last week, then rewarded with even worse running was disheartening.

The steering is very heavy. The tures were low about 18 so I put 30 psi all round to start with. I then topped up the swivels, n/s was full but o/s was empty. I topped up hte steering box oil but that was full. I noticed one of the FWH had be left on 4x4 so turned that to 4x2. The steering is better but not great, hopefully replacing the perished tyres will help.

I'm looking forward to next weekend to work on it again, but don't forget everyone it's mother's day next Sunday.
The steering is pretty heavy, really you want to be moving to turn the wheel.
 
As with many old vehicles you become the caretaker of, the job list keeps growing as you discover more required work.

The next thing to be tackled is the coolant as it hasn't been changed in a very long time. Things rarely go to plan, the radiator drain plug has been rounded off and the hose clips, heater valve, thermostat, gaskset, all need to be replaced. I have managed to remove the cowling and drain it from the lower radiator hoses.

On the positive side the new wheels are here and I'm pleased they look the same dimension as the original 6.50 X 16 which desperately needed replacing.

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We haven't lost interest in recommissioning the old truck just yet. We managed to get some jobs done yesterday, mainly the much needed coolant system refresh.

Painted thermostat housing and fan cowling.
New expansion tank and cap
New thermostat and gasket
New heater valve
New radiator hoses
New heater hoses
Heater air duct
New hose clips
Prestone coolant Flush
8.1L blue ethylene glycol
Fill steering relay ep90 oil
Grease steering pivot points
Grease points UJs
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Good lot of jobs sorted there. When will you paint the block that lovely duck egg blue too
It took a lot of flushing and any series landrover enthusiast would have been appalled at the colour of what came out.

It's a great quality paint from Paintman and a stunning colour. I'd love to paint the block but the priority now is to try and preserve the chassis and bulkhead. I've had good results with Buzzweld chassis in one on a Jimny and Rav4. I'll spend a bit more time with the prep work on the landy this time round.
 
This stuff seems to work quite well, then primer and paint and some sort of wax spray on top and inside cavities.
Thanks Anaconda, Bilt Hamber do some great products. I soaked the thermostat housing and block in their crystals and it stripped off years of corrosion. I really like their clear wax stuff too. I'm not looking forward to getting underneath and treating the chassis, but it needs doing.

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It was a lovely sunny day yesterday so we made an early to start to get as much done as possible.

The rotten door tops were replaced and the new spare wheel and tyre mounted

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Replaced the plastic carb spacer which disintegrated on removal and fitted the missing manifold heat shield with the bracket and spacers. I'm not sure if it really does much, but I'm hoping it will keep the fuel in the carb from heating up and direct heat away from the spacer.
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