Lightweight Restoration

[Jondavball]

My SIII LWT was purchased (unseen) a couple of years ago whilst serving overseas. Returning to Canberra mid last year, I finally drove to Adelaide and collected 'Horatio' in September.

What started as a plan to do a few cosmetic repairs has turned into a full restoration and although it has been going on for about 6 months now I thought it about time I started recording my progress and start a thread.

Horatio started life as an FFR but was converted to 12v at some point in the past. He served in Hong Kong and I have no idea when he came to Australia.

I know nothing about cars but am learning. I have never driven him as the brakes and clutch weren't working but I have had the engine running (for about five minutes) and have been reliably informed that the engine sounds quite good. As for the rest of it we will have to wait for me to finish to see what else needs doing.

I've added photos of the progress so far and plan to keep it updated as I progress.

[Jondavball]

First thing I noticed was the chassis and entire underside was coated in thick tar. This has been removed over many painful months using a blow torch and paint scraper followed by wire brush and petrol.

The rear x-member was rotten so had to be removed and a new one shipped out from the UK. Also completely rotten was the vent panel under the windscreen which had to be replaced with a second hand one sourced from Cyprus. The exhaust also needs replacing.

A number of the body panels had been bent or torn so they will also need replacing. Not being standard however they don't come cheaply so am waiting until I need them for those to be purchased.

[Jondavball]

My approach to this restoration has been to take something off, clean it, repair it and then put it away ready for putting it back on.

Following seats, tub exhaust etc came the engine and gear box. The gearbox scrubbed up ok (and I am praying that it works ok) but I am very happy with the engine.

The electrics have all been stripped and I have a new wiring loom to put in at some point. The thought of the electrics however disturbs me so I am not looking forward to it.

Both axles and the suspension were removed, stripped, cleaned and reassembled. They were painted in POR-15 (as was the chassis).

One of the fuel tanks was ok but one was very rusted with a number of holes in it. The ok tank was painted with POR-15 while the rusted tank was completely stripped down and then repaired with a POR-15 fuel tank repair kit. This included patching the outside before over painting and lining the inside with a tank sealant. Both fuel sender units were replaced.

[Jondavball]

The axles and suspension were returned to the chassis but I have replaced the original suspension bushes with polyurethane. This was mainly because I couldn't get the new, genuine ones back in. In retrospect I should have gone the expensive ones straight up and saved myself hours of frustration.

A number of parts in the front axle needed to be replaced including the shrouds.

The chassis was de-tarred, de-rusted, and primed before being painted. During the process a couple of rusted holes were found but not big enough for me to do anything with them other than kill the rust then over paint.

The last work I did on the car was paint the chassis and the next job is to strip the firewall and take the wheels to be sand blasted.

[Cliffy]

Nice work!
I have a gearbox for a lightweight sitting in my shed (came with mine as the previous owner had fitted a rebuit unit).
Dunno if it's of use to you as I'm in Perth.

[Jondavball]

Thanks Cliffy. I will let you know when I get mine back to a semi drivable state and work out if my gears work or not.

[DieselDan]

Nice work indeed!
Reminds me of similar jobs I had to do on mine.
Looking forward to seeing pics of it finished.

Dan

[Lotz-A-Landies]

I like the look of the lightweights. Are you going to restore it to 24V or keep it as 12V?

Did this one come from Sydney? If it did, I'm the reason that it has a back at all, if I remember correctly the P.O. got it with a civilian rear tub and I convinved him that the tub off another lightweight although damaged should be fitted onto it rather than leaving the poorly fitting civvy one. In fact I'm also the one who swapped it over, although it was never completed.

Diana

[Jondavball]

Diana,
It did come from Sydney and the PO did mention something about swapping tubs or something so I assume this is the one.

[Jondavball]

Ok since the last thread I have had more sand blasting done (including the wheels), sent some stuff off to get galvanised, purchased the paint and primer, replaced the clutch (complete incl cylinder) and refitted the engine and gear box to the chassis. I have also stripped the firewall down and although it isn't ready for painting it is fairly close. I am keen to start painting but as it advises at least 20 degrees for it to dry I will have to wait at least a few months to ensure the temperature reaches the high.

Putting the engine and gear box back in took some manipulating but it makes me feel I have turned the corner and a completed vehicle isn't that far away. I told the wife by end of 2016 so i am feeling confident I won't be in breach of that agreement.

The bloke in the photo is my father-in-law who comes to help when the heavy lifting is required.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Diana,
It did come from Sydney and the PO did mention something about swapping tubs or something so I assume this is the one.I thought it looked familiar, it was poorly only partly fitted with the regular civilian tub and the PO was selling another damaged vehicle to someone who only wanted a chassis.

I suggested it was a shame to send the body with chassis, even if damaged to someone who has a good body. It was going to be to much work untill I showed him how little time it actually took to remove the tub.

Diana

[Jondavball]

And I am very grateful that you did. That said, if I hadn't bought this one I might have actually bought one from the UK and brought it over. Although a hassle it would have ended up saving me a fortune as the costs for this one just keep on growing.

[UncleHo]

G'day Jondavball

Don't worry it will all come together OK in the long run,I have a 1980 S3 FFR 24volt Lightweight up here in Qld. I am very lucky that it is a complete registered and running vehicle but needing a bit of TLC,it has had several known owners none of them with any mechanical knowledge so it was worked on by various mechanics/garages,most of whom appeared to treat as "just an old Landrover " so I am slowly repairing and undoing the "Bodges" of the past,I was lucky that when I bought it, it came with a large box of bits/spares in the back which were most of the original attachments and extra spares,including the radio tuning boxes for the front guards which I have just refitted,I intend to track down it's British Military rego number so that I can hopefully find out it's history,as all I know is that it is an ex-Brunei vehicle that was one of a few that came into Australia in 1999,and were impounded in Darwin,eventually ending in Sydney and being sold off individually,main thing for me to do at the moment is to get it up to scratch first and then repair the Sankey that came with it.

[Jondavball]

A couple of long weekends have helped move things along. I have now fitted a new exhaust, put the brake lines back on and refitted the shocks (new in the rear, original at front). Tried to put the tie rods back on but one of the them had a stuffed thread so that is off being rethreaded. Most significant development however is the fact I have started painting panels. Set up a improvised painting booth which worked well when there is no wind however half way through the final coat the wind picked up to about 40mph and blew forrest litter everywhere.

I have painted everything from the firewall forward so hope to put the front end back together next weekend. I have opted for desert colour and just to be different have gone for the US desert colour however the colour matching hasn't quite worked out so I have a very odd coloured rover. The colouring isn't ideal however it will do. Once the front end is back together I will post a few more photos.

[Jondavball]

Front wings, bonnet and radiator housing went on today. Left panel fit very nicely but the right not quite so. Will probably try and fit the pedals tomorrow and do a bit more work under the bonnet. Was rather chuffed with it all when they went on, and more importantly so was the wife.

[Jondavball]

Headlights, pedals and fuel tanks this weekend. The headlights were a pain to get on and probably won't come off again. Pedals went on easily but have discovered the clutch pipe from the master cylinder is knackered so will need replacing. One of the tanks went on easily however the passenger side tank took a little work. They now appear to be at different heights but hopefully they will both still fit under the seat box when I put it on.

Also purchased right hand door top to add to the new left and right door bottoms and left hand door top.

[drifter]

Love your work! You are doing an awesome job. There is a club in ACT that has a few Series tragics who get together from time to time. You are always welcome to come along and see us, chat, whatever. Quite a few have spanner and diagnostic experience, too, so that's always a plus.

I was a passenger in this one earlier in the year as it took off up a goat track in central NSW:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/10/106.jpg

Much used (as you can see) and well used to being a working farm vehicle.

[Jondavball]

Thanks John, I dropped into the ACT Land Rover Club about a year ago but then work got in the way. I might try and get to the next meeting. Is it next week?

[drifter]

yup - Monday 4th at 8pm - at Eastlakes - hope to see you there.

[Jondavball]

Its been far too long since my last update but thats because not a lot has happened. Am in the process of rewiring having removed every inch of the last loom. I did purchase a new loom (for a lightweight) from autosparks in the UK a couple of years ago but now I have started to put it all together I have discovered the loom is wrong in a lot of areas, with wrong connections and missing wires.

I have wired enought that I can start the engine, which is running well, but I can't get the gauges, lights or wipers to work. I may have to ask for help or get an auto electrician in.

[Red90]

Wiring schematics: Land Rover Lightweight (http://www.land-rover-lightweight.co.uk/LRL%20M.html)

[Jondavball]

Due to winter, haven't done much on the lightweight however since it has warmed up a little in Canberra, coinciding with a long weekend I have worked on the tub (and refitted it) and painted the wheels. Hopefully next weekend will see it nearly ready.

[Jondavball]

I also looked under the house to see what regalvanised parts I could reattach without too much trouble. Front bumper and tray strips were the chosen options.

[Homestar]

Looks great! :)

[Carzee]

Due to winter, haven't done much on the lightweight however since it has warmed up a little in Canberra, coinciding with a long weekend I have worked on the tub (and refitted it) and painted the wheels. Hopefully next weekend will see it nearly ready.

Snap. Me too, finally some warm days and work getting done.
Last weekend I took a couple of photos of a very nice Lightweight in Sydney. Best I've ever seen outside of books.

pic album
AAVA Camden Park House Weekend 2014 (http://camerajuice.com/AAVA-CPH-2014/)

[Jondavball]

Thanks Carzee for the photos. Not having other lightweights near by to compare with, has sometimes made the rebuild difficult. I am glad I took as many photos as i did when i pulled him apart.

[Jondavball]

The lightweight has been in its present state for a few months now and will hopefully get registered next week. As highlighted in other posts it went over the pits for registration in October but failed due to the shoulder mounting point for the seat belts requiring an engineering certificate. That was obtained in December but despite the brakes having already passed I wasn't happy with them so put the car into the brake shop for a check which ended up costing me a fortune. In effect everything was replaced including drums, and shoes. The shoes were new already but it turns out the quality was very substandard and as such were never going to work properly. The drums had been reworked so many times they also needed replacing.

All said and done however pits again on Tuesday which will hopefully indicate the end of the rebuild.

[Carzee]

Looks wonderful, thanks for the pix and good luck at rego. Well detailed. I would love to come see it this weekend or sometime.
(I will bring scot towel -I drool badly around restorations). :D

[drifter]

Jeez, Carzee, you drool around anything :)

Jon, we will have to get you out on one of the club trips when Jim is around - he has a well used lightweight.

[Jondavball]

John,I am looking forward to some classic trips with the club once registered (hopefully Tuesday)

Carzee not around much this weekend however if it get registered i'll even bring it to your door for a look. As you can see I am looking for excuses to drive it!

[mjbsx]

The resto looks great congrats.

I'm new to aulro, and have just discovered lightweights, and am immediately attracted!
Ive been looking for a weekender (focused on a SWB series 2), not a project as such, more as a sunny day cruiser/grocery-getter,...but don't mind tinkering.

Can anyone direct me to a short pros/cons summary of the lightweights and a value bandwidth (unrestored but neat = $x-y)?
cheers

[debruiser]

Only just found your thread! Wow, nice work. :D I wish my 88" was ready for rego.... :(

[Carzee]

John,I am looking forward to some classic trips with the club once registered (hopefully Tuesday)

Carzee not around much this weekend however if it get registered i'll even bring it to your door for a look. As you can see I am looking for excuses to drive it!
Come over to Woden anytime. There's a good diversion on the way -if you're looking for an gentle test of incline ability in slippery conditions for your Lightweight a good a place as any to give a go that little grassy hill the dealers use on test drives for Freelanders, SRVs, Forresters etc. Extra points for a night drive when its all dewy too. Take care and keep in mind the Tread Gently ethos of course.

[DieselDan]

The resto looks great congrats.

I'm new to aulro, and have just discovered lightweights, and am immediately attracted!
Ive been looking for a weekender (focused on a SWB series 2), not a project as such, more as a sunny day cruiser/grocery-getter,...but don't mind tinkering.

Can anyone direct me to a short pros/cons summary of the lightweights and a value bandwidth (unrestored but neat = $x-y)?
cheers

Dunno if such a pros/cons list exists, but there's plenty of info around to help you.
Briefly, the pros are that they're almost mechanically identical to a normal series landy of the same vintage (save for odd things like the number of bolts on the water pump) so spares/bits are easy to find.
Cons are that lots of the body panels are unique and can be hard to find and, depending on originality (and how handy you are with electrickery), the electrics can be an odd mix of 12/24V.

Absolutely no idea how much a lightweight would cost/is worth in Oz, maybe pm one of the guys who have bought one over here?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Hi Jonathan

I have to say that is an amazing bit of work you have done! :)

Never thought I'd ever see it look like that again. Very glad that I insisted on swapping the tub over from the civvy one.

Just a bit of coincidence the owner of the lightweight in Cazee's piccys (the head you can see) was driving the vehicle where your tub came from when the accident damage you repaired occurred.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/04/320.jpg

Its a happy case where two complete vehicles have been made out of 3 incomplete or damaged ones (although we don't have any images of the other two vehicles)

[goingbush]

Oh Dear,
look what magically appeared in my (sort of) driveway ( funny story)

As its unmolested I plan to keep it as original as possible, FFR but prev converted to 12v

Came from the UK Jungle Training Centre in Brunei, then was reg in QLD and somehow made its way to me

It looks like its had a few liveries , not sure which one to go with . The current paint scheme seems to suggest it was in Gulf War 1 ???

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/703.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/704.jpg

[goingbush]

Heads Up Lightweight owners, or other British MOD vehicles,

you can buy your Military history card from the Royal Corps of Transport,

run a search here Vehicle Records Search (http://www.rlcarchive.org/VehicleSrch)

[goingbush]

Got a 28 day permit for my Lightweight the other day, took it for its first drive.

Im pleasantly surprised, Ive done nothing mechanical on it save replaced all the brake and clutch hydraulics, new water pump, starter , and fuel pump. and well as repair the entire electrical system.

Its as tight as any Landy Ive driven , no backlash or noises . Now I know how good it is I'll go ahead, fix up the interior and prepare it for rego !!

Absolute pleasure to drive .

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/907.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2017/01/278.jpg


https://youtu.be/8k37OSIg6_I

[goingbush]

Phew, finally got the LWT registered, pictured here at the local RSL.

Touch & go because there was no proof it was legally imported, Dept of Infrastructure did not have the Chassis or Engine number on file, but thanks to a legal loophole on pre '89 imports I got it past a VASS engineer & plated compliance with 1973 ADR's

Only had to fit reversing light, mudflaps, new seatbelts (in original mount holes) & a new windscreen glass with correct watermark to comply with ADR's.

It definitely never came into the country with the shipment from Brunei as all those chassis & engine numbers are on file. If anyone knows how it arrived I'd be interested to hear, all I know is it spent some time in Cairns painted Candy Apple Red inside & out & was getting around with fraudulent rego plates.

Got full rego, so that it can easily be re-registred in future without any Red Tape, but will convert to Club Rego soon .

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/12/291.jpg

[stewie110]

Does anyone know how many lightweights are in Australia?

[goingbush]

I count about 25 on here , https://www.facebook.com/groups/1682256445429387/

you could realistically double that and say about 50 or so ???

REMLR dont seem too interested in keeping them on file, possibly because they were never used by Aust military.