Eddie the 2a "It's a nuts and bolts thing"

[sisyphus]

G'day All,

Have been slowly rebuilding my series 2a for a while now and have been taking pictures as I go and been following the rebuilds with interest of you mere mortals as you persevere with your particular jobs.My aim is to have a full mechanical resto and maintain the aged exterior . I hate to single out fellas but I really like the Grey Ghosts work , using a sensible budget and tackling it yourself and achieving great results :) I know there are quite a few of you following this same track and this is the way I'm attempting to go :eek: SO, if can I will post pics as i go along from now on and some older pics as well .

Where I'm at is down to to a bare chassis which I'm working on replacing fuel tank outrigger , repairing bulkhead outriggers , both stays and derusting , cleaning and painting.
I've also completely rebuilt the front axle hub to hub.
And working in numerous other jobs as things permit.
I spend all week driving a semi so it's great to to get back to a time when things were simpler :) thanks all and keep spannering !!!

[debruiser]

nice work!

[marting]

Hi there
The front axle looks good. What did you paint it with? I see the can of penetrol in the background, did you coat it with this first?
Cheers, Martin

[Cobber]

Love what you are doing ... we aren't all millionaires so we have to do what we can! :cool:

I look forward to the progress photos :BigThumb:

[sisyphus]

Hi there
The front axle looks good. What did you paint it with? I see the can of penetrol in the background, did you coat it with this first?
Cheers, Martin


G'Day Marting,

Thanks ,I'm happy with the way the axle turned out, my cheap little camera doesn't give you the whole result.As far as painting was concerned I used spray cans available from my local Bearing supplies shop. the brand is Hi-Chem and used primer , etch primer (as needed ) and top coat Hi-Chem Epoxy gloss black. The Penetrol I did use on all the nuts , bolts ,washers etc after I cleaned them on a wire wheel on the bench grinder then by spraying all liberally and allowing them to dry and they come up as new . The liquid penetrol I'm mixing as I go at 25 % with any paint I use with a brush, at the moment its on undercoat on chassis repairs.I also spray any new exposed new bare metal parts, and chassis sections that have been taken back to bare metal also and allowing the Penetrol to dry and harden before painting.:)

[sisyphus]

The last piece to come off the chassis was the steering relay I expected a struggle but it came out fairly readily . I wasn't going to do much to the relay but clean it up and paint But...the bottom seal was out and a grease nipple was in the place of the filler plug and the relay was grease packed.This made it stiff to turn so I decided to pull it down, I'm glad I did two of the split bushes had started to break apart and a check over found the main spring was under it's servicable free length ( L.R. bible states 184mm this one is 167 mm ) . You can buy pattern replacement steering relays for as low as $88 but I will rebuild this one using quality parts , that way keeping as much of the original Land Rover as possible.:)

[gromit]

The last piece to come off the chassis was the steering relay I expected a struggle but it came out fairly readily . I wasn't going to do much to the relay but clean it up and paint But...the bottom seal was out and a grease nipple was in the place of the filler plug and the relay was grease packed.This made it stiff to turn so I decided to pull it down, I'm glad I did two of the split bushes had started to break apart and a check over found the main spring was under it's servicable free length ( L.R. bible states 184mm this one is 167 mm ) . You can buy pattern replacement steering relays for as low as $88 but I will rebuild this one using quality parts , that way keeping as much of the original Land Rover as possible.:)

You'll need a tool to re-assemble the relay safely.
Details in the thread below, Post#185 onwards (finishes in Post #191 but there is then a discssion regarding pattern relays etc.)

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/other-powered-series-land-rovers/151959-isuzu-c240-powered-series-3-a-19.html


Colin

[sisyphus]

You'll need a tool to re-assemble the relay safely.
Details in the thread below, Post#185 onwards (finishes in Post #191 but there is then a discssion regarding pattern relays etc.)

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/other-powered-series-land-rovers/151959-isuzu-c240-powered-series-3-a-19.html


Colin

A great thread Colin , thank you very much I read it with interest , the cheaper option (cheaper pattern parts ) is not the cheaper option at all :(
The spring compressing tool I'll have a go at making one , although it won't look anywhere near as good as yours .

Regard Alan

[sisyphus]

G'day all , Has anyone else come across this problem ? The lower shock mount on the spring plate are showing a lot of wear . The mount is 3/4 '' (19 mm) and some parts of the mounting shaft have lost almost 2mm! making the bush a very poor (loose) fit.I,m thinking of cutting out the old shaft and replacing it but using a bolt (head cut off) as new shaft and using the threaded section and nut to secure bottom shocky mount. Any thoughts ? and is it spring steel ? Thanks

[JDNSW]

Can't see a problem with it. I am pretty certain it is mild steel. If you use a nut instead of a splitpin, you need to consider how you will arrange for it to lock with the right amount of compression on the bush, and bear in mind that a thread here is very vulnerable to stone damage - this is probably why they used a split pin.

John

[sisyphus]

Thanks John , your probably right , but with the way it is at the moment there will be no tension at all on the bushes even the split pin hole has elongated !
Alan

[JDNSW]

I would replace it with a cut-off bolt, but only using the unthreaded part, and drill a hole for the split pin. Remembering that the diameter and the distance from the inner washer to the hole is the critical dimension, plus of course the diameter of the pin.

John

[sisyphus]

Cheers John, I've since read that Land rover did use a thread on the end of the shaft to locate the lower shock mounting point but due to it's lower position the nut was subject to rusting onto the thread and making the spring plate u/s because the nut would strip the thread when attempted to be removed . I'll take it as you say and keep it as built.:) Thanks again
Alan

[debruiser]

Cheers John, I've since read that Land rover did use a thread on the end of the shaft to locate the lower shock mounting point but due to it's lower position the nut was subject to rusting onto the thread and making the spring plate u/s because the nut would strip the thread when attempted to be removed . I'll take it as you say and keep it as built.:) Thanks again
Alan

That's interesting considering that when I got my last series registered the road worthy guy asked me if the split pin was standard and that he's never seen another car done that way. Maybe land rover is more leading edge than we thought. :D

[sisyphus]

Ha hahaha very true:)

[sisyphus]

Damn, after spending two days cleaning up and painting the springs ready to fit it has dawned on me that these are 8 leaf packs ( which are 109's I think ) I'm doing up my 88" and these are what come off it :( Whats wrong with putting them back on ? harsher ride ? ride height ? As I don't have a standard set I can't measure for length either. Thanks Guys and advise appreciated.

[JDNSW]

Number of leaves - All 88s have 11 rear, diesel 11 front, petrol 9 front.

All 109s have 10 rear, 11 front, petrol and diesel front springs different camber.

But note that in all cases left and right springs are different, with more camber on the RH spring.

John

[sisyphus]

It would appear that these are a Heavy Duty set and as it come off a farm he probably had it loaded up all the time:( The front springs match up in the sense that they have 8 leaves as well but not as thick leaves. The rears are 7.5 mm thick for a pack thickness of 61.5mm , front 5.2 mm and 41.5. I don't know how this compares with standard springs. Cheers.

[chazza]

They look like after-market springs as you suggest.

The best thing to do is to lubricate them and try them on the road; if they are too stiff remove a leaf to see if they improve,

Cheers Charlie

[debruiser]

nice work. :D

[sisyphus]

A little more progress ! Started on the front spring packs :)

[sisyphus]

I brought front shackles ages ago today I got them out as I wanted to paint them before fitting them up couldn't believe the quality difference between the originals and new replacement parts :mad: The right one is the original LR part and left it's replacement ! ;)

[debruiser]

Did you say you purchased that? or made it yourself?

[450Dan]

Damn, to be honest i'd be keeping the originals the new ones look like I welded them together!

[debruiser]

Cosmetically I agree with Dan. But really that weld has very little need for structural integrity. Once you install it, it wont break. Probably what is more important is the wear on the holes in the old one.

As a side note - my swb has extended shackles, they don't have the spacer welded on; instead the PO has just chucked in a big ol' nut to hold the shackle from crushing in on the spring. Rough, yes, does it work? yes. Will anyone but me and whoever reads this know? Most likely not.

[450Dan]

Will anyone but me and whoever reads this know? Most likely not.

Maybe I will tell them all :twisted:

[debruiser]

Maybe I will tell them all :twisted:

Go for it :p

[Johnno1969]

A little more progress ! Started on the front spring packs :)

I dips me lid to you, sir. That's the best finish I can remember seeing on an undercarriage on this forum (with apologies to all those who're thinking "Mine's better" whose cars I haven't seen).

John

[debruiser]

I dips me lid to you, sir. That's the best finish I can remember seeing on an undercarriage on this forum (with apologies to all those who're thinking "Mine's better" whose cars I haven't seen).

John


Agreed, I was thinking the same... but didn't want to upset the rivet counters :D definitely better job than I did; my car just got LOTS of paint slapped at it till it was all covered up and sealed - in other words a functional job. If you continue on this path, you will have some one of the nicest turned out rigs.... so jealous!

[sisyphus]

Thanks all, but I think it was the Grey Ghost who said that it was all in the prep work the boring stuff , hours of cleaning and sanding ! :D

[sisyphus]

Well...:blush:...after saying I would go down the path of original set up for the lower shockie mount I have strayed into the abyss ( with the rivet counters ) and have replaced the worn out lower shockie mount with a threaded bolt and nut as the securing method :angel:. I have cut out the old one cleaned it up and welded in a new shaft which was a 6 x 3/4 bolt , head removed , threaded section cut down so no thread would be visible beyond the nut to protect the thread from damage. The result is good and the slack is completely removed and as the bushes loosen it's a simple matter to nip up the nut. I hope !B)

[sisyphus]

and fitted:) done both front spring plates.

[B.S.F.]

The shock absorber will be a lot easier to change if you reverse the top bolt and have the nut on the same side as the bottom one. Those long bolts have a habit of rusting solid over the years. .W.

[Johnno1969]

Geez your work is tidy!!!!

[sisyphus]

Thanks W. Good advise I'll do that !

[sisyphus]

You've all probably seen this but I wonder which camel is sitting on the spare :D

[harry]

you would have to hope the spare is on the bonnet,
heaven help anyone trying to get the camels back on board, looking at how happy they appear with ropes across them to hold them in....

[mick88]

Looks like a goat in the cab too!

[450Dan]

That moment when you wish you had not forgotten your jack...

[sisyphus]

G'Day all , a day here for all the young fillies and colts to be out strutting about but more important a day off !!! :D Have been busy with work etc and have done a little with Eddie. I've have both axles now in place with all new u bolts. I had to source shorter u bolts for front spring packs as it has the heavy duty spring packs fitted ( thicker leaves but less of them ) so with the standard u bolt I ran out of thread before tight enough :( A phone call to Jim at 4 wheel drives in Blackburn and the next day the correct ones arrived in the post excellent service indeed :) I put the wheels on so I can move it around, unsure whether to have them blasted and painted as yet as my original intention was not to paint any of the exterior but to leave it as is . I've also rebuilt the steering relay and fitted it back in the chassis . The grease nipple is fitted in the filler hole in the relay as this bolt was missing and have not been able to find a replacement yet .Al

[sisyphus]

G'Day all , Had a trial fit of the fuel tank because I had replaced the front fuel tank out rigger , my question is should there be anything between the tank mounts and the out riggers like a rubber strip or does it bolt directly metal to metal ? Thanks Al

[JDNSW]

Metal to metal.

John

[debruiser]

Metal to metal.

John

Really John? I'm not doubting your awesome knowledge at all but.... I just thought that a rubber 'thing' that allowed some movement like when the chassis flexes or whatever would be important; so that the tank doesn't rupture. Or am I over anallising it? Do you think it would matter for different tank materials, ie stainless steel? because it's more brittle than mild?

[JDNSW]

The actual movement of the chassis is negligible in terms of the tank size. Vibration is transferred to the tank by the rigid connection to the chassis, but I seriously doubt whether rubber packing would make any difference to this.

Stainless is more prone to work hardening and cracking, but while it is quite common to see tanks where the solder joint between the tank and the skid plate has cracked, I cannot remember ever seeing any leaks that were the result of cracking - always is rust.

[debruiser]

Thanks John. I guess the proof is in the pudding isn't it.

[sisyphus]

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

[JDNSW]

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

The drag link came in several varieties - initially it was just a plain tube, which according to the parts book was standard on all Series 2a (and 1 and 2).

Optionally the single piece one with the bracket was fitted to all 2a and early 3, either with the steering damper or without it. The drag link became two part only with Series 3 axle suffix D, and this became standard from November 1978.

The steering damper was never standard on the 2a, but appears to have become standard on late Series 3 in Australia at least.

You need to bear in mind that the steering damper is only to prevent violent feedback on the steering wheel when a front wheel hits an obstacle offroad. It does not damp vibration or shimmy, this is handled by the friction from preload on the swivels and the friction in the steering relay.

So with that in mind, for most ordinary driving, you will not find the damper makes any noticeable difference.

John

[B.S.F.]

Thanks fellas, metal to metal it is , and solder had cracked and broke away from the bash plate and I had that resoldered . One other thing is that I have to replace the drag link tube this one is the two piece with the piece that attatches to take one end of the steering damper. The drag link tube had the wrong tie rod end fitted ie it had a fully threaded instead of a shouldered type resulting in the thread in the tube to be flogged out from movement ! The question is , is it better to replace the two piece tube again or a single one and not have a damper fitted , some have and some don't , was it a factory option ? Thanks

I've got a 2-piece drag link with steering damper bracket. It's724mm long. However it's threaded to the end which suggests it needs tie rod ends without a shoulder. Send me a PM if you're interested. .W.