Better. (thumbs up emoji). Question is; am I going to spend (ahem, waste) more than £75 of my own time trying to salvage the old one? Unanimous answers on a postcard please...

Cheers, Rob. That price is better but I'm pretty sure it ain't new! "Surface rust all over it where marked. The plate has rusted through in area shown, will not affect the use as it still holds the tank fine" lol :)

Thanks, Ali. Suppose I won't know how much metal is left until it's off completely. And whether welding new plates on is possible. However, I did read through your thread 'Looks like I've done it again, Doh!!!' and it looks like you did the plates without removing the bars (?). Does that mean...

It got me thinking and remembered the PO did give me some info on its first keeper; a vet. So you're right, it's likely spent most of it's life on farms covered in cow muck. Blimey. That's... erm... a bad one. Things are not that bad, fortunately. I've been savage with the pointy hammer and...

Little victories... Aiming to have the rear subframe off before the end of the year... ... Still, everyone loves a bit of practice removing battered hardware without breakin' owt. I ain't got spares. Objective was to get this off and freed up so I can adjust the wonky toe...

lol. It was the best of the half dozen I looked at! P.M.W says I asked for it by looking at too many rusty Series Land Rovers :D You should see the fuel tank cradle. I daren't breathe near it. If the branded plates are to be believed original, then no, it's from the Rhondda Valley. I picked it...

Yes. Totally different setup. Was actually disappointed that it came out so easy. How insane is that? Given mine's a 52, was expecting a similar experience to the one you described. I'll take the smooth over the rough where I can, though :)

Learned a lesson from @rob_bell 's recent ABS sensor/reluctor ring renewal and decided to pull mine before it gets any more crusty. The head of the bolt was barely recognisable. Some prying and faffing later...

Painting and protecting the rusty bits... Just left with this hole to fit with a rivnut (when they arrive) and we'll get all this back together.

lol. Thought I was clueless at times. I can't see how they would auto adjust tighter. Surely that's why there's a manual mechanism? Slackened the lever end off at the weekend to fit me newly fabricated bracket. Perhaps I'll give more slack and tighten in the drum to see if I get more bite with...

One of the very first jobs I did was overhaul the rear brakes so can't pin it on PO. I assumed some adjustment would be necessary as the new shoes bedded in. Dismantled and rebuilt one side at a time so unlikely I've mixed anything up. Handbrake works well enough but I've never been able to get...

If I leave the rot for another winter, I'm not sure I'll have much left to recover. My concern here is the monocoque. I can replace/restore many of the parts but it's best I preserve the bits of the frame I can't replace. Cue the pointy hammer and photo montage...

Also, think I've found out why I'm adjusting the handbrake so often. Cut the whole lot out in the end leaving just the bracket attached to the subframe. Using a cutting disc right next to the fuel tank was fun :D

With the van MOT'd (spending me budget in the process) and back on commuter duty, the old hippo has been sat in the garage, drying out. It had been in the cold and wet for some weeks prior to this. Started on the button when the time came, mind. No smoke. No cough. It idled lovely. No movement...

Tidy! :)

Watched for future reference. PMF (Pontypool Motor Factors) if you're in South Wales. Quality bits and they won't touch Britpart ;) For those inclined towards eBay purchases, had good experiences with RT Group based in Leyland, Lancashire. They offer 5 year warranties and ship things fast...

Thanks for the confidence boost. Might just give it a try for tits and pickles.

What? Clutch was that expensive you can't eat this month? ;)

FL1 TD4 2002. Just hit 134,000 miles total. We've done 18,000 ourselves in the last year (logged 116,074 miles at last MOT!).

So, out of the frying pan and into the fire, then? But like you say, easier to work on. Plus the K Series is a true Rover unlike the TD4 mutant. "Tractor" is a bit harsh, though :D