As the replacement half chassis required the removal of the old crusty rotten seat box, it seems a good opportunity to repair this and get it back up to standard. The battery box / tool box under the passenger seat was very rusty and the two end panels were corroded away at the seat belt brackets to the point the ends almost fell off when I removed the box.
First job was to fabricate a new battery box, this I done out of stainless steel for a longer life. It's also less corrosive on the aluminium where the two join with rivets. I copied the old design and made the box out of three parts.
And here is is just hung together for a trial fitment, in the back ground is the very rotten old box. I've no idea what was actually holding this in still.
Then everything was welded together using stainless steel wire in the MIG.
Once all panels were attached to the seat box it was given a dam good de-greasing, 34 years of leaking gear boxes and cow poo had created quite a thick layer of crud that took a good few hours to remove.
After a good layer of paint it started to look really smart, I even sprayed the underside so it's nice and shiny for the MOT inspector
The seat box was fitted bare as it's much lighter this way, then all the seat runners etc were attached after they had all also received a clean, and their movement was un-seized. Yes I now have adjusting seats again.
The handbrake received a new rubber seal and all is starting to look proper
I would have though it was many years ago this scene looked so tidy and clean
So it's coming along nicely, next job custom stainless steel exhaust and manifolds.
First job was to fabricate a new battery box, this I done out of stainless steel for a longer life. It's also less corrosive on the aluminium where the two join with rivets. I copied the old design and made the box out of three parts.
And here is is just hung together for a trial fitment, in the back ground is the very rotten old box. I've no idea what was actually holding this in still.
Then everything was welded together using stainless steel wire in the MIG.
Once all panels were attached to the seat box it was given a dam good de-greasing, 34 years of leaking gear boxes and cow poo had created quite a thick layer of crud that took a good few hours to remove.
After a good layer of paint it started to look really smart, I even sprayed the underside so it's nice and shiny for the MOT inspector
The seat box was fitted bare as it's much lighter this way, then all the seat runners etc were attached after they had all also received a clean, and their movement was un-seized. Yes I now have adjusting seats again.
The handbrake received a new rubber seal and all is starting to look proper
I would have though it was many years ago this scene looked so tidy and clean
So it's coming along nicely, next job custom stainless steel exhaust and manifolds.
honolulujoe
Well-Known Member
wow! looks awesome, wish I had the metalworking skills of some of you chaps on here.
So here was my take on Series 3 V8 conversion exhausts.
The old system I'd been running and patching up for some time consisted of Range Rover classic cast manifolds and down-pipes bodged chopped and bent.
My new plan was for larger boor stainless steel and Range Rover P38 tubular manifolds. But to get them to fit and in fact to give me even more space than the cast manifolds offered, I'm fitting the P38 manifolds backwards,,, This means the standard LH manifold is on the right and vice versa, so they exit forwards, there's much more space like this.
The old RH manifold now Left hand, exits directly over the chassis so this needed a tight bend, i put a swept piece of stainless steel plate inside to help flow the gasses.
It's a bit hard to see but this is the right hand side with a standard P38 LH manifold fitted
First job was to join the two sides together as closely as possible in as tight space as possible.
Once that down-pipe and V arrangement was build the rest was easy, complete with Lambda sensor mounts.
And the rear section, note no rear silencer, this only runs a center straight through silencer.
All the mount brackets were also made from stainless steel, and miged together using stainless steel wire.
So from underneath at the front and it a bit hard to take a meaningful picture but this is it all attached.
And from the back looking forward.
The old system I'd been running and patching up for some time consisted of Range Rover classic cast manifolds and down-pipes bodged chopped and bent.
My new plan was for larger boor stainless steel and Range Rover P38 tubular manifolds. But to get them to fit and in fact to give me even more space than the cast manifolds offered, I'm fitting the P38 manifolds backwards,,, This means the standard LH manifold is on the right and vice versa, so they exit forwards, there's much more space like this.
The old RH manifold now Left hand, exits directly over the chassis so this needed a tight bend, i put a swept piece of stainless steel plate inside to help flow the gasses.
It's a bit hard to see but this is the right hand side with a standard P38 LH manifold fitted
First job was to join the two sides together as closely as possible in as tight space as possible.
Once that down-pipe and V arrangement was build the rest was easy, complete with Lambda sensor mounts.
And the rear section, note no rear silencer, this only runs a center straight through silencer.
All the mount brackets were also made from stainless steel, and miged together using stainless steel wire.
So from underneath at the front and it a bit hard to take a meaningful picture but this is it all attached.
And from the back looking forward.
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samc88
Drivels spiritual representative
Rubins4
Well-Known Member
Just to second what has been said already; wish I had them metal fab skills.
Landy looks great.
Dr_evil
Banned
I take it back about the P38 manifolds, they do have to go backwards due to the chassis legs being in the way
I've done the same as you using the passenger side on the drivers side but backwards and then for the passenger side I've cut up the drivers side into separate pipes which I'll then route individually back to the front of the block and into the 3-1 flange
I've done the same as you using the passenger side on the drivers side but backwards and then for the passenger side I've cut up the drivers side into separate pipes which I'll then route individually back to the front of the block and into the 3-1 flange
Some more updates.
The steering relay has been replaced, this was a lot easier than I was expecting having read what some people have tried on here to get this out. I removed the inner part then resembled externally using jubilee clips to hold it together. Next as the vehicle is complete I used a trolley jack and a length of solid bar slightly smaller diameter than the relay to apply pressure until the front wheels were just off the ground. From the top I then tapped the relay housing left and right using the copper side of a copper hyde mallet. This tapping caused the relay to move a little each time in an upwards direction until the top flange (the only tight fitting part) was clear of the chassis, after that it just pushed on out. As you will see below the housing and chassis cavity was full of mud, there is about an 1/8th" (2.5mm) gap all around between the housing and the chassis, the only contact part is at the very top for about 1/4" (6mm).
The new replacement relay would not fit in the hole due to the size of head on the screws that hold the bottom end plate in place. It looks like the original Landrover part used non standard screws in that the head size is much smaller than is normal for a bolt with that size shaft. The replacement part uses standard off the shelf screws and these foul the hole. Easy answer is to swap the screws over then every thing fits perfectly. The picture below shows the top cover with the standard sized head screws fitted, as you can see they are larger than the original and protrude out side the diameter of the cover. This is not a problem on the top but a pain on the bottom cover and need replacing.
And with a good helping of waxoil in the housing and sealant around the top to stop water and mud ingress this is sealed for many years.
The front hubs, bearings, and breaks are now done and looking nice.
More to follow
The steering relay has been replaced, this was a lot easier than I was expecting having read what some people have tried on here to get this out. I removed the inner part then resembled externally using jubilee clips to hold it together. Next as the vehicle is complete I used a trolley jack and a length of solid bar slightly smaller diameter than the relay to apply pressure until the front wheels were just off the ground. From the top I then tapped the relay housing left and right using the copper side of a copper hyde mallet. This tapping caused the relay to move a little each time in an upwards direction until the top flange (the only tight fitting part) was clear of the chassis, after that it just pushed on out. As you will see below the housing and chassis cavity was full of mud, there is about an 1/8th" (2.5mm) gap all around between the housing and the chassis, the only contact part is at the very top for about 1/4" (6mm).
The new replacement relay would not fit in the hole due to the size of head on the screws that hold the bottom end plate in place. It looks like the original Landrover part used non standard screws in that the head size is much smaller than is normal for a bolt with that size shaft. The replacement part uses standard off the shelf screws and these foul the hole. Easy answer is to swap the screws over then every thing fits perfectly. The picture below shows the top cover with the standard sized head screws fitted, as you can see they are larger than the original and protrude out side the diameter of the cover. This is not a problem on the top but a pain on the bottom cover and need replacing.
And with a good helping of waxoil in the housing and sealant around the top to stop water and mud ingress this is sealed for many years.
The front hubs, bearings, and breaks are now done and looking nice.
More to follow
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honolulujoe
Well-Known Member
hi, can I make sure I have understood what you said?
are you saying you jacked the car off the ground using this bar of smaller diameter so that when you did the tapping with the copper mallet the weight of the car acting downwards helped the relay to be eased out?
pretty clever way of doing it imho
are you saying you jacked the car off the ground using this bar of smaller diameter so that when you did the tapping with the copper mallet the weight of the car acting downwards helped the relay to be eased out?
pretty clever way of doing it imho
Yep, that's exactly what I done. Once the first 1/4" or so is proud of the top of the chassis the relay is only held in by dirt. It's the first 1/4" that's a press fit.
Tapping left to right while the weight of the vehicle is on it was enough to get it moving. Only tools required were a socket set to remove the steering link arms, bottom retaining ring, and the two top horizontal bolts, A suitable jack, a length of bar of smaller diameter than the relay, and a copper hyde mallet.
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owl
Well-Known Member
I used to do quite a few of these and used a 20ton bottle jack on a thick steel plate chaned under the chassis. They can be very tight, I have even jacked the tube out of the chassis along with the relay and had to weld a new tube in, but then you get some that are loose to start with.
I like the stage 1 front plus you are making a nice job , it will look smart when done.
Some more to the story.
The leaky heater that was actually a steam generator during winter and done the opposite of demist the windows has been replaced, with a spare I had sitting in the shed. As you can see from the looks of the old one it was well past it.
I then bought yet another tractor, and had to drag it the 100 or so miles home, this one is just about on the max weight limit of the trailer and as usual for towing with a swb landy it's some distance towards the front of the trailer as it needs loads of nose weight to be stable.
This long heavy haul however took it's toll on an already unwell 3.5V8 and the whole thing became a steam and oil generator, here was the plugs after. One dead engine.
So with this little set-back I had to source another engine, 3.5's are getting hard to find but there is plenty of 3.9's so we now have a 1997 Discovery 3.9 V8 installed, plus the upgraded Mondeo cooling system
The 3.9 being a serpentine engine presented it's own problems as I did not need or want the Air-con or power steering pumps in the way. My answer was to reuse the belt tensioner, but put it where the power steering pump was. To do this I used a short length of the 50mm stainless steel pipe left over from the exhaust build, this I got the correct length and both ends square using my lathe. Then with the milling machine I produced a mounting plate with cut-outs that were 60° apart and a nut welded in the middle. With this set-up I can mount and rotate the belt tensioner to the exact position that would work with a new much shorter belt.
Once welded together it looks as per below, note belt tensioner where power steering pump should be. You will also see I have rotated the inlet plenum cover 180° to give me more space in a series engine bay. Also on this plenum I have attached a BLOS carb and completely done away with the injector wiring loom, the injectors are still there but only to fill the holes.
And another view, the wiring now needs a good tidy.
The chassis has now also been fully waxoiled inside I managed to get about two gallons of the stuff in there using my shutz de-greasing gun. The oil I heated to a little over 60°C (two ho to hold the shuts canister) mixed with this was a little paraffin. The result was a very successful thick mist of waxoil that was blowing out of all the holes in the chassis right down through. I'll do the same again in a couple years.
The leaky heater that was actually a steam generator during winter and done the opposite of demist the windows has been replaced, with a spare I had sitting in the shed. As you can see from the looks of the old one it was well past it.
I then bought yet another tractor, and had to drag it the 100 or so miles home, this one is just about on the max weight limit of the trailer and as usual for towing with a swb landy it's some distance towards the front of the trailer as it needs loads of nose weight to be stable.
This long heavy haul however took it's toll on an already unwell 3.5V8 and the whole thing became a steam and oil generator, here was the plugs after. One dead engine.
So with this little set-back I had to source another engine, 3.5's are getting hard to find but there is plenty of 3.9's so we now have a 1997 Discovery 3.9 V8 installed, plus the upgraded Mondeo cooling system
The 3.9 being a serpentine engine presented it's own problems as I did not need or want the Air-con or power steering pumps in the way. My answer was to reuse the belt tensioner, but put it where the power steering pump was. To do this I used a short length of the 50mm stainless steel pipe left over from the exhaust build, this I got the correct length and both ends square using my lathe. Then with the milling machine I produced a mounting plate with cut-outs that were 60° apart and a nut welded in the middle. With this set-up I can mount and rotate the belt tensioner to the exact position that would work with a new much shorter belt.
Once welded together it looks as per below, note belt tensioner where power steering pump should be. You will also see I have rotated the inlet plenum cover 180° to give me more space in a series engine bay. Also on this plenum I have attached a BLOS carb and completely done away with the injector wiring loom, the injectors are still there but only to fill the holes.
And another view, the wiring now needs a good tidy.
The chassis has now also been fully waxoiled inside I managed to get about two gallons of the stuff in there using my shutz de-greasing gun. The oil I heated to a little over 60°C (two ho to hold the shuts canister) mixed with this was a little paraffin. The result was a very successful thick mist of waxoil that was blowing out of all the holes in the chassis right down through. I'll do the same again in a couple years.
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honolulujoe
Well-Known Member
pity about the old engine but the new one looks like a top class installation I'm guessing a lot more powerful with the extra 400 cc
Standard brakes are fine if kept in good condition and currently mine are all new and adjusted, also the trailer is braked so stopping was not an issue.
Issues with towing only occur with trailers longer than the Landy so in the case of the long car transporter put the tractor forward of centre of the trailer. I usually put the back wheels of the tractor over the rear wheels of the trailer or as close as I can get it. It may sit the Landy on it's rear axle but it's much more stable like this .
I'm amazed at the power difference between an ill 1970's 3.5V8 and a healthy 1990's 3.9V8, this seriously shifts now. I towed my old Crossley engine (just over a ton)to Great Dorset Steam Fair and you would hardly notice it was on the back.
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Well I had plenty of fun in the mud at the Great Dorset Steam Fair, 600 acres of mud. I was just about able to keep moving with the trailer on the back.
Muddy feet
And once back home it started to self clean before I attacked it with the jet washer, still saved me some work.
Since then I've had to replace the complete clutch system, so new clutch plate, pressure plate, thrust bearing, and slave cylinder. Something was wrong with it as it kept sticking either on or off, this ate the remainder of the clutch plate so I decided to replace everything. All is well again now, and I managed it in record time, start to finish was 6 hours, I've done this a few times in the past but never so quick.
The water pump was next on the list it had lots of free play and was starting to leak, also the top hose needed replacement.
Pump gone
This gives a better view of the new belt tensioner location.
And finally the new stainless steel top hose, this also incorporates a bleed screw at the highest point making refilling with coolant much eaiser. I like this stainless steel approach so much I'm going to convert all the old rubber pipes around the engine to this. It was quick to make as well.
More to come as further hoses get fabricated.
Muddy feet
And once back home it started to self clean before I attacked it with the jet washer, still saved me some work.
Since then I've had to replace the complete clutch system, so new clutch plate, pressure plate, thrust bearing, and slave cylinder. Something was wrong with it as it kept sticking either on or off, this ate the remainder of the clutch plate so I decided to replace everything. All is well again now, and I managed it in record time, start to finish was 6 hours, I've done this a few times in the past but never so quick.
The water pump was next on the list it had lots of free play and was starting to leak, also the top hose needed replacement.
Pump gone
This gives a better view of the new belt tensioner location.
And finally the new stainless steel top hose, this also incorporates a bleed screw at the highest point making refilling with coolant much eaiser. I like this stainless steel approach so much I'm going to convert all the old rubber pipes around the engine to this. It was quick to make as well.
More to come as further hoses get fabricated.
