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Forms and Frustration

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Wed, January 14, 2015 20:32:22

When I say "Forms and Frustration" as the title of this entry (there's a good word it always makes me think of the old paper diaries we all said we didn't write as kids) it's really me just being an impatient bugger.

I see the weather forecasters are predicting doom and gloom with high winds more snow than on the set of game of thrones and then the inevitable flooding when it all melts away again and what would the ideal motor for this be I hear you ask? Well a newly rebuilt Land Rover should do the job nicely I would think!

Listen to me moaning I do apologise folks it's not like I would even take it out if the registration turned up in the morning there are a couple of bits I want to sort first including changing over the gearbox mounts as they are past there best and after all this time and effort I have put into the old boy a little more wont hurt. The steering wheel needs to be set straight instead of 90 degrees out as it will drive me insane each time I touch it! Oh I need to sort out a 24v to 12v dropper for the CB and there is a Land Rover badge on the way too...bloody hell it's turning into a shopping list on here now!

So each evening when I return from work and look with hope at my coffee table where the post gets dumped I feel a little disappointed there's no registration for me but I know it's too soon the DVLA have probably only just opened the letter from me if I am lucky so expecting to see what wont be there is daft...or maybe it's just a little bit of hope.
 
NO GO ON REGISTRATION

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Thu, January 15, 2015 20:17:13

Bugger. Just bugger. I arrived home this evening to find two brown envelopes waiting for me one form the tax man and one from the DVLA so I got a little excited that was until I opened them...

The tax man wants more information and will I call them about the application for a NOVA number which I will do in the morning. Well that could swing either way I guess form good to bad but the letter form the DVLA is the real problem.

The DVLA want me to send them either MOD papers MOD654 / MOD654B or a Certificate of Origin from the MOD. I don't have any of these forms as I explained when I first called them before I started out on this project and was told not to worry! Well now I am getting worried...

I have had a dig around the tinterweb and can find no information on how I could obtain this sort of paperwork 17 years after the vehicle has been released from the MOD so if any of you good folk have experienced this and know the way forward it would be much appreciated. Everywhere is closed now so I cant talk directly to anyone until the morning so I suppose it will be a long night...

www.justturned40.co.uk
 
In my experience, ring them and discuss. If they sound confused and can't instantly help you without saying something like 'err' or 'oohh' or 'can I just ask a colleague', then they're wasting your time, and possibly making it worse. hang up and call back and eventually you will get somebody who understands your situation.
 
With regards to the tax man and NOVA number... I had no end of fun with that. Had to fill in a C&E109, provide a covering letter, etc and send it to the National Clearance Hub. Who ended up screwing up and sending it to the Personal Transport Unit in Dover. After much faffing turns out the importer hadn't paid VAT & IMPORT DUTY so I ended up paying that. But you won't have any due on this as its not an import. After that went through got the NOVA number and could carry on with the DVLA registration.

I originally sent the V55 in late November then the C&E109 in early December. I have only just recently received the V5C for the vehcle. So that kinda shows how long it could take. Once I got the NOVA number it took the DVLA ~5 working days to give me the V5C / registration for the vehicle so DVLA isn't the worrying part. Its HMRC and The National Clearance Hub which royally screwed me over.

Been pulling my hair out for the past several weeks but its so worth it when you finally get the registration back from the DVLA.


Chin up and GOOD LUCK. I wouldn't wish doing this registration process on anybody.
 
Just read this from start to finish.

Absolutely awesome read. Really makes me want to get one to.replace to dinged Disco.
 
SpiritMR said:
Just read this from start to finish.

Absolutely awesome read. Really makes me want to get one to.replace to dinged Disco.
Click to expand...

Thanks :) It is worth it even with the current registration issues!

Thanks to you good folk that have replied about the current problems the Tax man and DVLA open in a few minutes so the calls will start then...ready get set.....
 
Dentists and Dial Tones

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Fri, January 16, 2015 19:06:12

Well the day started off with a visit to the Dentists. I don't like Dentists I know they have a hard job staring into peoples sometimes stinky mouths all day but I am pretty sure mine is a bit of a sadist who enjoys inflicting pain in fact I am pretty sure the only reason he wears a mask is so you cannot see him smiling.

He told me that "This might have a hot spot here and there" as it felt like he was cutting my gums off with a blunt knife...you have gotta love having a deep clean. I am not a small man and most of the time I face the worlds problems head on not fearlessly but with a determination to get through and past them but stick me in a Dentists chair and I am five year old who just wants his Mummy! Still that was soon over and the next problem of the day had to be sorted.

First stop was the DVLA call about the rejected application for my Land Rover...Well all I am going to say at this point is always put a covering letter in with your application it just may save you some time worry and heartache. I have returned some forms to them and I will write up exactly what next week because I am doubtful that it is all they will want so watch this space.

Then it was the turn of the Tax Man this was not a call I was looking forward to either because they wanted me to contact them about the monies owing on the Land Rover. How a Landy from the MOD could owe Import Duty and VAT was beyond me so I picked up the phone and with my stomach turning butterflies I dialled them.

I would like to point out at this point I had spent most of the night tossing and turning had taken a visit to the dentist for some torture and just dealt with the DVLA my God I didn't want to make a call that would cost me more cash I didn't have for a car that I cannot drive but hell it just had to be done. So with a deep breath I gave the reference number and waited for my pants to be pulled down.

Ever had one of those experiences that when they are over you blink to yourself in pleasant surprise and the day just feels a little better? Well I had that today with of all people the Tax Man. Turns out that they had entered the landy in as a brand new vehicle and had since realised their mistake and rectified it and another letter is in the post explaining this. They also apologised...yes that's right the Tax Man said sorry for the cock up and I hope it hasn't caused you too much worry! So fingers crossed as that bit is now done and dusted that the next DVLA instalment isn't too painful either.

With all of that over I went out to potter around on Mator as there were a few little bits wanting doing. I started by fitting his new spare wheel cover...



I am pretty sure they have sent the wrong size out as it seems a couple of inches too small so looks a bit rubbish really. It can stay on for now though to help keep the winter off of the padlock keeping the wheel in place.

At the MOT I noticed the spring on the drivers side window wiper arm wasn't that good so I treated myself to a pair of new wiper arms...



At least I should now be able to see out of a bit of the window in the rain! I then fired up the old boy so he could warm through a touch and to just hear the engine run while I tackled the steering wheel. It sat at the vertical instead of the horizontal to and from the MOT annoying the hell out of me so I popped off the center cap...



Undid the nut and turned it around to sit the right way up...



By now the engine had warmed up nicely so I thought I might have a bash at improving the carb mixture as it was running very lean on the MOT test and did feel a little underpowered while driving it. After asking some cleverer folk than me on the forums I was informed where the mixture screw was. In the picture below the mixture screw for the Zenith carb is at the seven o'clock position and you turn it anti clockwise to increase the fuel mix...



As I turned it I could hear the engine pick up and it was nice to lose the "popping" noise when I took my foot off of the accelerator.

Then with a smug feeling of accomplishment and the tension of the last 24 hours easing away I set to fitting the window locks onto the doors. This didn't take long which was good because I was starting to loose the feeling in my fingers to the cold.



This was enough for the day I was getting really cold and tired and I decided that cooking dinner was a good option seeing as Wifey has a bloody awful cold and her coughing and sneezing over the food didn't seem like a particularly appetizing situation.

www.justturned40.co.uk
 
Last edited:
Badges & Spares

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Sat, January 17, 2015 16:40:54

You have got to love a long weekend off. Turn away now if you wish because I would just like to point out I am into day two of a four day weekend and boy do I need it! Nothing like some down time to kick back and relax... Yea right like I would ever just kick back and relax but I am enjoying just pottering around doing as I please more or less.

After a lazy start with tea in bed then a big fat sausage cob Wifey and I pottered along a riverside before getting home and me deciding that now would be a good time to sort out the sheds and greenhouse seeing as I am getting to saturation point of junk spares and clutter that most of I don't really need.

All I managed was the greenhouse and shed one before the light gave out but I am now the proud owner of one pile of junk to go to the dump and another pile to Ebay off so three guesses what I will be doing this evening!

The best part of the day though was when my youngest daughter decided to tell me that a good friend had dropped me off an old Land Rover badge for Mator five hours after he had done so and three hours after I had got in. Bloody teenagers when I asked where it was she just looked at me like I was stupid and said "On the dining room table" as if this was the most obvious place for something to be left as well as the first and only place I would look when arriving home "just in case" something had arrived. Still I am pleased as punch with it and it looks like the old motor is properly dressed now it is on...





Still a couple of bits I would like to fit in around everything else this weekend but whether I get the chance will be another thing....
 
Droppers and Damp

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Mon, January 19, 2015 16:12:33

Well I made right royal arse out of myself and it was online where everybody can now see for ever or until the human race dies out whichever comes first.

Now you see I was clearing out my sheds and I cam e across an old 24v-12v dropper I forgot I had bought as part of a job lot and this is a good turn of events as I needed to buy one for my new CB that Wifey bought me for Christmas. I took a quick look at it and its three wires and wondered to myself what wire did what so a quick photo on my mobile and it was uploaded online with exactly that question.....



But being a busy chap I failed to see what was right in front of my face that being the printed instructions on the sticker that is on the dropper that everyone and hos mate saw before me and quite rightly then proceeded to take the micheal out of my utter stupidity. I started to blame my eyesight but in writing the sentence started l laughing at myself and realised I wouldn't buy that so why would anyone else? Sometimes you just have to admit you are a tool it is just far easier than digging yourself a grave!

Now then seeing as that embarrassment is done with I had a day off all to myself today and decided to change over the gearbox mounts because in all fairness the old ones were looking a little bit ropey at best. Shouldn't take long that eh? What an hour max just support the gearbox whip the old ones off one side at a time and drop in the new ones.

Yea right why do I still think these things you would have thought I would have learnt better by now...



The nearside first and as you can see once I jacked it up a touch the mount broke up so it really needed doing. Could I get a socket or a spanner in anywhere near the rubber mount nuts either end no no I could not so no worries I thought I will just drop off the whole bracket instead. The bottom one came off fine but the bracket attached to the gearbox fought me for nearly two hours with seized nuts locking nut flaps in unreachable spots and the exhaust thought it would be just a bot funny to be in the way as much as possible especially at the angle where I needed to put a spanner.

I muttered and groaned swore under my breath and fought on...it fought back at every turn the fact it was freezing cold really helped out each time I slipped and banged a hand against metal but I won in the end. The rubber mount was now in two bits still attached to each bracket but I was done with being nice so out came my favourite bosh it tool the grinder. Within two minutes the brackets were clear and even though it was a bit of a pig to put back on it went on easily enough compared to getting it off.

Now at this point I was thinking to myself that I was bloody cold and maybe the offside mount would be ok really and wouldn't need doing...obviously it did so with gusto I had to muster from the depths I set to getting the old one off. It came off easily on all bolts too easily I mean its an old Land Rover there was going to have to be a price because there always is...

I looked around and was happy to find the new mount sat there with new bolts just wanting to be fitted. Nothing bad seemed to be lurking about I could even account for all of my tools so I set to apprehensively putting it back together...then the snow started.

I kid you not whatever forces are at work in this world do like having a laugh with me I must be like their personal play thing and not in a good way! I lay there underneath the Landy wondering why my legs were starting to feel really cold then I looked outwards and started to chuckle to myself because there was nothing to be doe at this point at the blizzard that descended in a matter of minutes. Still the mount had to be fitted as I didn't want to leave the gearbox balancing on a jack all night so I spent ten more minutes with my legs sticking out from underneath the motor slowly turning white.

Mounts done and me feeling happy it was all over I threw my tools in my shed noted to myself the damned white stuff really was settling and went on for some lunch. I came out an hour later after warming through to post some parcels and all of the snow had gone but after a cold morning lying on concrete I decided enough is enough for one day and I will tackle the electrical issue I have at the weekend.
 
great write ups as usual min...
listen, your comments on lying on cold concrete -
in my shed I have a boot lining from a mondeo ghia that went to the breakers, plus a rather large and thick cardboard box thats folded flat...lol..NO - your not having it, but for my old bones it helps in laying on cold concrete...
you really must source some sort of barrier from cold concrete, and a supply of cardboard is so good for catching dripped oils while servicing & topping up, then chuck the smelly cardboard away...EP90 is evil stuff that you dont want to lay in..
Me being with old bones, I also nave an old leather chairs cushion that does stirling work in sitting on or laying my head on while under landies also....

good hunting, and thanks for great reading again..
 
I do have a bit of old lino I use but a warm mattress would suffice lol.

Thanks for the compliment again chap I do like to drone on!
 
Broken Babygrows & Blown Switches

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Sat, January 24, 2015 19:09:20

No news on the registration but hopefully that's good in itself but the brake lights have been playing up again. They were sticking on then turning off then not working at all but after being parked up so long I have been lucky the rest of the electrics are playing nice.

I checked connections all the way through the lines they were fine as well as the power from front to back so I thought it must be the relay then seeing as it looks a little rusty. I just happened to have one in a box at the back of the shed amongst a box full of 24v spares I got months ago so I took the light box apart and found that just popping the relay out was not going to be that straight forward...of course not it is my old landy...



See that relay at the back the one that could not possibly be more awkward to get to to remove if it had two bolts on the inside among the wiring to remove to get it out...oh yea it did have two bolts on the inside among the wiring to get it off and I had to twist and bend to get my fat fingers in place then just as I was contorting in a position worthy of the karma sutra there was a rip as the backside of my babygrow gave out under the strain of my ass trying to escape from it.

With a jump on my part at the noise the sudden cold and worry it was the seat I had broken my hand slipped and I jammed my fingers down onto the back of the six way switch stabbed myself in the hand with a screwdriver then sat down with a bump so as not to frighten any passing pedestrians.

By now I was getting a bit peeved but I nearly had the bugger out, the relay not my ass, and it was soon swapped over with the replacement. This made no difference at all to the performance of the brake lights so I got out a replacement switch and popped it in place on the back of the servo. Now they worked again just fine but this is how the other two were and they didn't last long but upon advice from those who know better than me on such electrical matters I have ordered a decent make replacement switch ready for when this one burns out along with a new babygrow before I ruin all of my clothes again.

Just turned 40.
 
And it is complete.

Land Rover Rebuild
Posted by min200 Thu, January 29, 2015 20:41:18

The paperwork for Mator's first registration has been back with the DVLA for the second time for two weeks now. I have been stressing worrying driving myself around in circles tying myself up in knots creating scenarios that it would be sent back to me rejected again even though I have done everything the DVLA has asked.

I suppose I should explain what they did ask for after the first rejection. I was dumbfounded when it was returned rejected as I had sent everything that was requested but now the person dealing with my request had decided that I needed to send in the original MOD paperwork from when it was demobbed as well.

17 years have since passed since its demob so that paperwork doesn't exist any more so I called in a state of anxious worry the next morning to be told by the same team that this was not needed seeing as it had been sat around in a field for that time so could I send it all back with a covering letter and "whatever else you have for it".

I explained I had the MERLIN report showing all relevant MOD details and they were over the moon about that so I dully sent it all off the very next morning.

Well today the insurance company that gave me 60 days to get the registration sent a snotty email wanting it within 14 days so my worrying mind couldn't take the suspense any more so I called DVLA direct again today to see what was happening because the cheque we sent in to pay for the tax etc still had not been cashed. After being asked a minefield of questions determining the time and consistency of my last poo the lovely lady told me that yes it has all been approved and your Land Rover now has a registration number.

I was over the moon and even better she gave me the Registration over the phone because they are now allowed to do that so I could tell the insurance company. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and my Land Rover is now mine because I can drive it around for at least five miles before it breaks down but I don't care because I will just fix it and do it all again!

When I arrived home even more good news in that the V5 was sat there on the coffee table as well so I can go straight out on Saturday morning and get the number plates made up!

This really is the point where it all feels complete that the months of hard work sorting out the MOT and then the worrying myself daft for a fortnight over something I could not control was really worth it. Don't get me wrong I don't recommend being a worrying pillock like me because it is pointless and I know that but it does not stop me from doing it though over the stupid things but the opposite side of it is the high you get when it all comes together.

Man it feels so good to have built something like this and of course a logbook that states my Landy has had no previous keepers ;)
 
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