A few problems show up

[JDNSW]

Today I started servicing the 2a in preparation for driving to Sydney next weekend.

I observed when I jacked it up that the swivel seal on the RH wheel started to leak. Now, in Series Landrovers, this symptom is a sure sign that the swivel is loose, as when jacked up, the swivel housing drops slightly, and since the bearing at the bottom is tapered, the seal moves away from the ball under the weight of the wheel and hub.

So I removed the wheel, then detached the tie rod from the steering arm, and sure enough, the swivel housing flopped to the back. So I removed the top swivel pin (putting a jack under the bottom to avoid losing all the oil!) and removed a total of about 0.020" of shims before the preload was 14 pounds (which I have found is a reasonable figure to use with the seals in place). Although the left hand was not leaking, I repeated this procedure on the left, removing about 0.010 shims on this side. While removing the drag link from the arm, I found that tie rod end was done.

So I spent most of the rest of the afternoon getting it off the drag link. Had to remove it, and put it in a pipe vice and use 36" pipe wrench plus WD40 and gentle heat. I am pretty certain this is one that was on it when I bought the car in 1992. Then had to rat round and find a replacement. Got one that had been removed some time ago because of a damaged seal, but had no rust or damage to the joint itself. Cleaned it out, repacked it and fitted a new seal, then installed it on the drag link and stopped then to allow the paint to dry, and anyway it was getting dark.

John

[drifter]

There's always something, eh?

[Landy Smurf]

looking forward to seeing it there

[JDNSW]

All done, but probably won't be a pretty as it would have if I had not had to spend that amount of time on it!

John

[JDNSW]

Today I went into town, and seeing that when I checked the headlight aim, I found the beam on the LH light was very distorted , due to the filament having sagged, I planned on getting a new headlight bulb. (BPF, also known as Lucas)

Easier said than done. Tried a couple of the regular auto supply places - they did not know what I was talking about, nor could find they them in their catalogues. So I tried an auto electrician. No luck, at the first one, but the second one, when I described it, said "follow me", and led me into a back room and pointed to a dusty bulb display board - with two BPF bulbs in it (among others). I bought both for $10. And as I left, he was on the phone ordering two for stock!

John

[Lotz-A-Landies]

John

Contact Anthony Pearson at Classic and Vintage Bulbs Headlight Bulbs (http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page3.html) in Adelaide, he manufactures 65/55W BPF halogen bulbs to retrofit the Lucas700 lamp units.

That way when you're scooting along those mountain roads on the way home you'll be able to see the road in front of you.

Diana

[Bigbjorn]

Problem with that, Diana, is that Lucas semi-sealed light units were never manufactured to a standard that would survive the use of Quartz-halogen bulbs. What happens is that the aluminium reflective coating on the reflectors bubbles and lifts. If you took one back to Lucas and complained, you were told that QH bulbs were not approved. Yes, I know that Lucas sold these bulbs under their own brand name.

Another thing that happened with QH bulbs was when used in Lucas SFT576 fog lights, the relatively thick lens would heat unevenly and crack. This did not happen with the SLR576 long range driving lights which had much thinner glass.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Brian

Interesting theory, however AFAIK a 65W element in an incandescent bulb will give off the same heat as a 65W element in a halogen bulb, the heat differential being in the physical size of the glass bulb and an amount of infra red heat energy reflected back to increase the light output (the metal cap on halogen bulbs).

Personally, irrespective of any theoretical shortened life of a long past warranty headlamp unit and at night, I would rather have headlamps that produce illumination of the hazards on the road ahead instead of lamps where the light dribbles out the front of the headlamps and illuminates a puddle directly below the front bumper.

Diana

[Bigbjorn]

Well, if you have a restored classic with the correct and no longer available light units such as Le Mans 24, PL, P700, etc. you may not want to risk them. I went through this with Lucas around 1970 with the first QH bulbs. Kev. Baker, the Lucas man, will confirm this. The later designs are made to cope.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Brian

I had a quote from Anthony today about re-silvering some FV headlamp units and he informs me he can fit new BPF reflectors to any original 7" glass lenses. I would be sure that the new reflectors will be to standard for the halogen bulbs.

Diana

[JDNSW]

I am aware of this availability of the QH bulbs, and have considered getting them. However, before doing so, I am assessing the standard lighting - which now has added a relay mounted next to the radiator just behind the RH light, and feeding from the battery post a few inches away. For local driving, this seems to have made a major improvement, but the aim of checking the headlight aim was to assess the lights on this trip before deciding whether to go the QH route.

John

[JDNSW]

More problems.

Went down to the village today to fuel up, and realised the blinker warning light was not working. Pulled the blinker switch to bits to replace the bulb, only to find (eventually) that the problem was the spade connector onto the blinker unit.

Then decided to get the RH speaker working. Broken wire. But took a while to find it, and longer to replace the wire.

Then another (unrelated to Series 2a) problem. I have a woodcutter working on the place at the moment. He left about 1600. An hour later he was back - on foot. It seems he took the wrong road out of where he was cutting the wood, and his truck (with a generous two tonnes of wood on board) now had the top of the RH wheels level with the ground. My tractor is somehow getting air into the fuel when left standing for some time, so it took a while to get it started. Then had to drive a couple of kilometres to where he was stuck, and pull him with a very long chain. Took a while to get him out, but did manage it after about four or five goes, shovelling a space in front of his wheels each go, and changing the chain length so the tractor was not on the same set of wheel holes each time. Took about an hour by the time I got back and parked the tractor.

John

[JDNSW]

Would you believe it! Woodcutter bogged again! This time twenty metres from my shed! Took a lot longer to get him out, had to unload all the wood first. Some of the country round here just turns liquid when you disturb it.

This does not help my preparations for Castle Hill!

John

[Bigbjorn]

Would you believe it! Woodcutter bogged again! This time twenty metres from my shed! Took a lot longer to get him out, had to unload all the wood first. Some of the country round here just turns liquid when you disturb it.

This does not help my preparations for Castle Hill!

John

An old mate raises sheep and cattle near Alpha on a greyish sandy loam. In drought he says you are flat out getting a ripper into the ground and in a good wet it is wise to move the dozer every couple of days before it sinks out of sight.

[JDNSW]

An old mate raises sheep and cattle near Alpha on a greyish sandy loam. In drought he says you are flat out getting a ripper into the ground and in a good wet it is wise to move the dozer every couple of days before it sinks out of sight.

When I was working in the Lake Buchanan area in 1962, I think it was, I was asked by the bloke on a neighbouring property (by radio) to come and help him with my Series 1, because it had a capstan winch. He had every vehicle on the property bogged. He had started with his Mainline ute, taken the truck out to pull it out, then taken the tractor out - each took a walk of several miles back to the homestead after he bogged it. I went out with him, and assessed the situation - tried to pull the ute out, but it was "not a hope". Managed to get the Landrover turned round by laying corduroy, and got out of there. This was reddish sandy loam. OK to drive on once in a light vehicle, but run over the same tracks again a couple of times, and it just turned liquid.

John

[Xtreme]

When I was working in the Lake Buchanan area in 1962, I think it was, I was asked by the bloke on a neighbouring property (by radio) to come and help him with my Series 1, because it had a capstan winch. He had every vehicle on the property bogged. He had started with his Mainline ute, taken the truck out to pull it out, then taken the tractor out - each took a walk of several miles back to the homestead after he bogged it. I went out with him, and assessed the situation - tried to pull the ute out, but it was "not a hope". Managed to get the Landrover turned round by laying corduroy, and got out of there. This was reddish sandy loam. OK to drive on once in a light vehicle, but run over the same tracks again a couple of times, and it just turned liquid.

John

Sounds like what we used to call 'custard mud'.
I had a number of Landys bogged in it on a driver training course on a property about 20kms NW of bathurst once.

[JDNSW]

Sounds like what we used to call 'custard mud'.
I had a number of Landys bogged in it on a driver training course on a property about 20kms NW of bathurst once.

Round here we refer to it as "melted icecream"! But I suspect it has many names, some of which do not bear repeating in a family forum.

John