Update:
Alright guys, big update. Kinda been off LZ for a while, been kept busy by school and other money pits (mainly trials bikes and my RC) so progress has been really slow. I have fitted a few trips in with the Disco since the last update and.... what a beast
![Big Grin :D :D](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
It drove everything I pointed it at and in general it was great. Unfortunately, when I went to start it to head down the river after a 4WD comp. got cancelled and we had to go to plan B, it didn't start. I wasn't too suprised, because the battery is dying so put it on the jumper leads and turned the key.... click. That's all I got. So we didn't go off roading
![Frown :( :(](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
. Dad's had this problem on his Rangie, the starter solenoid giving up after too much water. Then a few days before we were going to pull out the starter to swap the solenoid Dad injured his back, which held up the job a bit more. Last Friday we finally got it out (and what a pig of a job!) and found the part number for the new solenoid. Sure enough it was fun of water, rust and mud so a new part was ordered. Well, nearly ordered. After this job having been done on one of Dad's Disco's for around $60, I figured we'd just buy one and bolt it in. After ringing the Auto Electricians Shop, we got a price for the solenoid of $255! Why? Because the the starter in my truck is a Bosch one, with a GRU in it, so makes it far more expensive. So I plan to buy a whole unit second hand for $70, which won't blow the bank so much!
Anyway, back when I built the bumper, I mentioned putting rubber over the gap by the indicator. After having a look round, Dad decided he'd use some ally and get it cut at work. Here's how it came out.
And sitting over the gap
We then chamfered the edges and painted it (yes, it's a horrible paint job!)
We then masked out a line to run RTV along, and then ran it under the plates too. It should be plenty strong
Finished product
While I worked on this, Dad worked on our other project (and vice versa). When I bought the truck Dad put on a 2 inch receiver for a while but then needed it for his 300TDI so I've had only 1 tow point at the front but Dad said he'd get me a second one, and we'd put a second one on Dad's Disco.
The plate
For the hook I decided to use Toyota pick up hooks (from the 70 Series I think?) which are as rare as hen's teeth. The reason they're rare is because they are so good. They are plenty strong and have a sprung wire keeper on them. We rung about 13 places before finding one!
We then had to drill the holes for the hook in the same spot as the other side. We made a template using card and a hammer
Painted
All bolted up
We then put the number plate back on. The front with the two hooks repainted, the side plates and the number plate now looks very good, much better than what it did before (to be honest, it didn't look that great).
The last thing we did was made up a new keeper out of some springier steel, which is a bit more better than the mild steel keeper that came with the rear hook.
Cheers guys,
Trillo