New TD5 - work required and my other plans

[clintooo]

I recently bought this TD5, which needs a few things done to it and I have some build plans. I thought I would put this together, as I like to read other peoples builds and projects. Plus there were a few of these threads that I found very helpful in my pre-purchase research. So here goes...

The car

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2004 with 185,000kms
Black leather interior, 5 seater

It was a 2 owner country car. The guy I bought it from, bought it off one of his mates and had known the car since new. He seemed pretty genuine.

Inclusions/mods/work done prior to purchase
full service history (although not with LR)
nanocom (bonus as I would have bought one anyway)
de-cat
silicon intake lines
EGR blanked
milford cargo barrier (not installed and I think missing some hardware)
near new Mickey Thompson STZ in stock size
2 inch lift bilstein front shocks and pedders rear pedders springs


The car needs a few things attended to, plus I have a few mods I would like to make. My intention for the car is occasional use for driving to work (I try to ride my bicycle as much as possible) touring/camping on shorter trips. I have young kids 7 &1 so mainly it will just be shorter trips with my daughter and occasional trips with my mates. Plus a bit of 4wding day trips from Perth.

Jobs required
(no particular order as yet)

1. injector wiring loom (oil at the plug from the rocker cover). This was the first job I did. fortunately no oil at the ECU. the rocker cover had been off before and the gasket at the rear was not seated properly so there was a bit of oil leaking. down the back. So I have cleaned that up.

2.change all the fluids over the next month or so. It is good to get them changed so I know the history.

3. remove the straight pipe and put the box back on. I bought a pipe from gum tree that hadn't been fitted. I have done about 500kms on it since putting it on and I find it drones abit at 100-110kph. or really around the 2000-2500rpm range. I cant say there was much of a noticeable performance gain to make me put up with it. So it is going to come off and go back up on gumtree (unless anyone in Perth wants it first)

4 Option B. PO had said he had a fe instances of the 3 amigos but had reset the fault. I got about 1500kms before I did about 40kms of gravel. I then hit the brakes as I turned off on to the black top and the 3 lights came on. They have been on and off for the last few days. Nanocom lists it as shuttle valve something fault.. intermittent. From what I have read Option B should fix it. So I will attempt that one night this week.

5. address a leak at the power steering pump. I degreased the engine to try and locate it. So need to investigate whether it is a new pump or I can just put a seal kit on it.

6. new PS hose. The protective foam bit has gone and it is starting to rub. I have sleeved it with a bit of hose and tied it up out of the way for now.

7. coolant is leaking at the elbow on the top hose and at the breather screw. Plus some red staining around the water pump hose. I plan to go through and replace most if not all of the hoses and probably the thermostat while I am at it. I think I will also do the water pump at the same time, as I dont believe it has been replaced. One heater hose was rubbing on the engine lifting point, so I will replace that too. I have removed the lifting bracket anyway.

8. I thought I had a leak at the fuel regulator as there was black fluid on the starter and running down that way. It didn't smell like diesel, but it looked like that was were it was coming from. I degreased the engine, and then checked the intake bolts. the front and rear cylinder intakes were both a bit loose. I got almost a full turn on the nut on each end, and 1/2 to 1/4 on the bolts. It seems to have stopped it and the fuel regulator is clean. I think this has fixed what I thought was a leak at the vacuum pump. But I will monitor that too.

9. cargo barrier to be fitted. I think I am missing some bolts, plus the paint is flaking a bit. So I need to work out if I have all the fititngs. Does anyone know of instructions for fitting the milford barrier to a d2. I cant seem to find them anywhere.

10. build a set of drawers for the rear.

11. install 2nd batter in LHS rear tub.

12. EGT and Boost gauge and water temp. I am thinking of getting the PLX one gauge as I dont want a heap of gauges on the dash.

13. USB points for front cig lighter and probably try and get one at the rear of the console for the kids.

14. make a set of leather gaiters. I mess around with sewing bags and cycling gear, so I will buy some leather hide and make my own.

15. new stereo, as it is running original LR Cd.

16. UHF install

17. drivers seat base. the outside foam is a bit soft. the seats are in great condition as they had sheepskins their whole live. I was thinking I might just swap the seat bases between the drivers and passenger seats. As it isnt too bad and I dont have a front seat passenger all that often. Does anyone know if it is a straight swap?

18. address the trailer wiring. Has a round plug and a flat plug that is wired off it. Whenever I use the indicators I get the green trailer light flashing.

19. get a tune sorted and flash the ECU with it.

20. tyres, I would like to put some bigger tyers on it. Although the STz are pretty much new. Plus they seem a very good tyre on the road, well mannered and very quiet.


no doubt there will be more jobs to come. I will post up as I work my way through these, and Include some more and better pictures.

Cost to date

$140 for injector loom and gasket
$156 for straight pipe and gasket

[clintooo]

provent to be installed. I bought the provent and am yet to make a bracket. I think I will mount it on the fire wall by the horn. I was going to use the horn mounts and I presume the tip over sensor mounted to the side of it for my mounting points. Then I just need to sort out hoses. I think I will just fix a tube and a tap to allow me to drain it.

Costs to date


carried forward costs of $196
Provent cost $165

[gavinwibrow]

Welcome - whereabouts in Perth? Was just about to suggest Provent and realised you have already posted. There are a couple of articles on here about various Provent locations and brackets. I have collated some info and happy to PM if you supply an email address

[clintooo]

Not too far from you. I'm in Bicton.

Thanks for that, I'll send you a PM with my email.

[AK83]

....

12. EGT and Boost gauge and water temp. I am thinking of getting the PLX one gauge as I dont want a heap of gauges on the dash.

13. USB points for front cig lighter and probably try and get one at the rear of the console for the kids.

....

My gauge setup philosophy was the same .. I didnt' want to clutter the dash with a ton of gauges, but wanted more info(or as much as I could squeeze) in a compact unit.

I settled on the 1Gauge (http://1gauge.com.au/store.php).
Unit works well, of course there's a heap of sensors to install, but it's all pretty straight forward.
System has a fair amount of configurability and features.
Does logging too(important to me, as my grey matter is failing quickly).
Only thing I'd have liked to see with the logging is a proper date stamp, so multiple logs are easier collate.

As for USB port, again I wanted a nondescript setup and wanted a fair amount of power through both ports.
Got one of THESE. (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201595493399?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
The volt meter is handy, but 1Guage displays this anyhow, but the 2.1A ports charge the tablet(for GPS) a bit better.
But what I did was that I hacked the body of the device to get it to fit into one of the slots in the bank of dummy switches on the console.
Used one of my blank switch blocks as the body for the new hybrid body and cut it up to suit the slot.
Stanley knife, some epoxy to hold the bits together, and it fits nice and flush.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/14.jpg

looking forward to your progress.

[Rok_Dr]

Welcome. That looks a pretty neat car.

Wrt to the flashing trailer light on the dash it is probably due to the additional indicators in the bulbar putting sufficient load on the circuit that the car thinks the trailer lights are attached.

Cheers

Steve

[Nomad9]

Hi Clintooo,
Welcome aboard, recently bought a D2 the same colour as yours, personally love the colour. Mine has a few more issues than yours plus a truck load more kilometres.

With the droning might be an idea just to check your engine mounts from underneath, might be the cause or at least be contributing to the droning. Might be job 21.....

Cheers Marty

[clintooo]

My gauge setup philosophy was the same .. I didnt' want to clutter the dash with a ton of gauges, but wanted more info(or as much as I could squeeze) in a compact unit.

I settled on the 1Gauge (http://1gauge.com.au/store.php).
Unit works well, of course there's a heap of sensors to install, but it's all pretty straight forward.
System has a fair amount of configurability and features.
Does logging too(important to me, as my grey matter is failing quickly).
Only thing I'd have liked to see with the logging is a proper date stamp, so multiple logs are easier collate.

As for USB port, again I wanted a nondescript setup and wanted a fair amount of power through both ports.
Got one of THESE. (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201595493399?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
The volt meter is handy, but 1Guage displays this anyhow, but the 2.1A ports charge the tablet(for GPS) a bit better.
But what I did was that I hacked the body of the device to get it to fit into one of the slots in the bank of dummy switches on the console.
Used one of my blank switch blocks as the body for the new hybrid body and cut it up to suit the slot.
Stanley knife, some epoxy to hold the bits together, and it fits nice and flush.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/14.jpg

looking forward to your progress.

thanks. yeh I had been looking at the 1 gauge. I just wasn't sure where to mount it. I also like the idea of a analogue style gauge rather than just the numbers the 1 gauge gave me. With the Plex I was thinking I could just mount it on the dash to the right of the binacle.

That USB port is great idea. I have just ordered one. Thanks.. I have a slightly different dash configuration, but I should be able to make that work better than the round Narva one I was looking at.

[clintooo]

Welcome. That looks a pretty neat car.

Wrt to the flashing trailer light on the dash it is probably due to the additional indicators in the bulbar putting sufficient load on the circuit that the car thinks the trailer lights are attached.

Cheers

Steve

yeh i was thinking it was that. I guessed the car saw the voltage drop of the additional trailer lights. the plug maybe causes this effect too. It doesnt seem to effect the operation of the indicators though. So it might slip down my list a little.

[clintooo]

Hi Clintooo,
Welcome aboard, recently bought a D2 the same colour as yours, personally love the colour. Mine has a few more issues than yours plus a truck load more kilometres.

With the droning might be an idea just to check your engine mounts from underneath, might be the cause or at least be contributing to the droning. Might be job 21.....

Cheers Marty

the colour is growing on me. I wasn't so keen at the start and was largely indifferent to colour.
'yeh I think the engine mounts are going to be added to my list. I only have a couple of mm gap between the bottom of the mount and the rubber.

no the drone was the straight through exhaust. I noticed it straight away when I installed it. I removed it tonight and put the box back on. Luckily I didn't bin it or the nuts. :)

the droning has now gone.

car is a lot quieter now.

I'll chuck the pipe up on gumtree. But I'm not selling it very well am I :) Really I had to remove it as I couldn't handle all the power the mid pipe was making for me.

[AK83]

.....

.... Thanks.. I have a slightly different dash configuration, but I should be able to make that work better than the round Narva one I was looking at.

Silly me, didn't see that you had the updated D2.
The only other mod I may do one day(no rush tho) is to fit a switch to allow the option to turn it off for when the constantly on volt meter gets too much.

ps. I put the LCD for the 1Gauge up in the blank face(rear of the interior light) on the roof console.
Perfect fit. Mine was already chopped out from a previous owner fitting a compass there, so no harm in trying that.
But one day I'll move it more forward to the forward most blank plate to make it easier to see read(less 'eyes off the road' time).

[clintooo]

ah yes I recall reading your thread on the 1guage install. that was a neat location.

I had been lurking here for a while as I was looking at the various cars. SO I have had a bit of time to read up.

[Tins]

Welcome. That looks a pretty neat car.

Wrt to the flashing trailer light on the dash it is probably due to the additional indicators in the bulbar putting sufficient load on the circuit that the car thinks the trailer lights are attached.

Cheers

Steve

Indeed. I put leds in my bull bar and the trailer light stopped flashing.

[Wil2k]

Just chucked the D2 Milford cargo barrier instructions in my drop box.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fgqjuj5lnneoy41/Milford%20Cargo%20Barrier%20706925.pdf'dl=0

[Bohica]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/08/14.jpg
looking forward to your progress.

Your dash looks so different to mine. I don't have a grab bar for the passenger and I don't have the rotary HVAC selectors. Are there other differences? it seems odd to have these differences on the D2a's or is there a a trim difference? HS or HSE?

Thanks

Bo

[ozscott]

That's because it's a D1.

Cheers

[Roverlord off road spares]

That's because it's a D1.

Cheers
correctto mundo

I get a few customers that have D1s and think they are D2s, because the early D1's had different dashes, lights etc and people think that the update D1 is the D2, remember when D2s came out and people were calling them D3s.

[ozscott]

Earlier D1 at that... No passenger air bag.

Cheers

[Bohica]

Aahhhh I've confused the dash pic with the D2a pic. :p
I'll blame the lack of sleep and the drive from Canberra for the brain fade.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Aahhhh I've confused the dash pic with the D2a pic. :p
I'll blame the lack of sleep and the drive from Canberra for the brain fade.
There are no excuses,;)

[clintooo]

Just chucked the D2 Milford cargo barrier instructions in my drop box.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fgqjuj5lnneoy41/Milford%20Cargo%20Barrier%20706925.pdf'dl=0

brilliant... Thanks mate. appreciate it.

[Rok_Dr]

Earlier D1 at that... No passenger air bag.

Cheers

Actually passenger airbags were only standard on the top of the range d1, even at the end in early 99. The pecking order was no airbags for the standard model, driver side for mid range and driver and passenger for the top level spec.

Cheers

Steve

[ozscott]

Interesting because I have a 95 with driver and passenger air bags and it was a base or mid level.... Fabric seats and 4 speaker stereo for example.

Cheers

[AK83]

Earlier D1 at that... No passenger air bag.

Cheers

It's actually an 04/99! :D
It just has no airbags, ABS, cruise control, remote locking(centrally controlled from the drivers door tho) .. no alarm, no sensors to kill the fun whilst enjoying it all, no nothing!
That's why I got it.

Just ordering parts is harder than it should be .. have to remember to tell them, it's a '98. If I say '99, they automagically go for D2 parts or pieces.

[clintooo]

I've been a bit caught up with work and then I got the man flu, which hit me hard... So I hadn't had a chance to update things or get to the car. But I have done a few jobs recently.

Cleaned MAF and MAP
Cleaned the Maff. With the nanocom, I was getting flow rates of over 60 before I cleaned it. It seems to have dropped it down to 57 or so on idle now. Can't say I noticed any difference pre or post clean though. Fairly simple to do, there were a few write-ups I found around about it.
I also cleaned my MAP at the same time. It was fairly black. Again simple enough to do.

Costs
can of Maf cleaner $25

Cost to date
$321

[clintooo]

Remove straight pipe/muffler delete

I was a bit sick of the noise and my wife complaining, so I removed it. It was fairly straight forward removal and swap back. Luckily the bin was full when I removed the muffler so I still had it :)

Costs
(150) I sold it

Cost to date
$171

[clintooo]

Trans flush and filter change

I had been getting this weird shudder from the auto. Basically it only did it when it was cold. Given the current overnight temperatures, that was happening most mornings when I parked the car outside. If it was in the garage it didn't seem to do it as bad. Once the trans is up to temperature it would stop.

When the car is cold, basically the car would shudder at idle in P. It sort of felt like the idle was too slow. You pop it into neutral and you got a smooth idle. It was only noticeable when it was cold and generally in the mornings. When I test drove the car it was the arvo and I never really noticed it.

So the maint book has been stamped every 20,000km. but not by LR. Some services had details of what was done, others didn't. So I could see that trans was changed at 85,000. Car has done 185 now. So I thought I would start with a trans fluid change. I also went with Dr Tranny instant shudder fix additive. I had read here about someone using it with some success. Plus it had been recommended quite highly on a Volvo forum I read, as they do have a bit of a reputation for underspecing their trans at least on their turbo petrol models.

I planned to do a drain, refill drive around for a day or so, drain, refill and repeat. I ended up doing 4 drain and fills. The initial fluid seem ok. No burnt smell. A little browning of the fluid, but it seemed ok. I guess as it was a country car and he hadn't towed, it probably didn't see much in the way of higher temps. But had probably been changed before. The owner had changed the coolant, diffs and TC about 40,000kms ago per the book. So maybe the trans was done at the same time and just not written in.

I did 4 drains and fills over the course of a week and then installed the 2 tubes of Dr Trannys (google that and see what you get, a little difficult to find it in Aust). It has reduced the shudder quite a lot, but hasn't totally eliminated it. I'm not sure on that one, I will need to monitor it and see what else I can research. I will check out the flex plate and see if there is anything there. But it seems strange that it doesn't do it all the time and is temperature dependent.

I also replaced the filter and gasket. I got caught out, as I bought the filter and gasket kit. I opened the kit after I had removed the sump and filter from the trans. Then I noticed the kit didn't include the two o rings for the filter. So I ended up reusing them. Should have checked it all before I removed the parts from the car.

I used the Penrite, green fluid (full synth)
Cost
Fluid $160
Filter kit $40
Dr tranny $44
Total $244

total to date
$405

[clintooo]

I did option B on the weekend as the 3 lights were getting a bit more frequent.

I didn't disconnect the pump, I just managed to prop it up and get the sls out from underneath. it was a bitch to say the least. Mainly due to the thread lock on the bolts. I kept questioning myself as to whether I was turning the bolts the correct way.

Access was tough, but I have some short and small allen keys I use on my bike. They were about all I could fit in there to get the 3 bolts out.

The write up on this site was great and made the job super easy.

I have been driving to work all week, and no lights. So given the frequency with which they were coming on, I think it has fixed them.


Cost
Free I had the connectors and wire.

Cost to date
$405

[clintooo]

Pro vent install.

gavinwibrow A member here who lives close by, kindly offered to let me come over and view his pro vent install, plus the other mods he had done to his car. He also gave me a heap of disco related information he had accumulated and downloaded off the net. Which has been great and muchly appreciated. Which was great. Gotta love forums like these. My wife just doesnt understand.

Gavin's provent install, gave me some good ideas and it made for a simpler bracket than what I had initially planned. I was lucky, in that all I need to buy was the provent itself, some 25mm hose and two 25-19mm reducers. I had the rest of it.

I decided to use the mount on the firewall where the tip over sensor is located, to attach my bracket to the car. This mount has two square holes punched in it, that has two little plastic bits to hold the screws that attach the sensor. They are fine for the sensor, but probably insufficient to hang the bracket an provent off. I found the 25mm hose weighed more than the provent, so there was a bit of weight on it. they are easy to pry out with a screw driver.

I made the bracket out of some flat bar I had laying around. I stuck it in the vice and put a blow torch to it, so I could bend up the twist you see. I then just welded up the mounting bar to the top and painted it. It is hard to get measurements due to its shape. But if you measure centre to centre between the mounting holes, it is about 170mm high.
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I used the tip over sensor to mark out the holes in the flat bar and drilled a ?? hole. As I had a heap of ?? stainless bolts. I need to enlarge the sensors holes slightly for this. These fit reasonably well in the square holes in the bracket. I had to cut down the bolts as they were too long. The bracket on the firewall only allows for about 25mm behind it before you hit the fire wall.


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[clintooo]

The rest of the install was pretty straight forward. I have just used some clear hose and a tap, as I plan to empty it rather than drain it back into the sump.

Hose I used came from enzed as I had some difficulty finding 25mm hose elsewhere. In go fast red.

I will make up another bracket to support the hose on the weekend
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Part list and total cost.
Provent $165
Hose $20
Reducers $28 (I might have paid a bit much for these, they are brass barbed ones I got from enzed, so you can probably get them cheaper else where) But they are pretty good quality.
Flat bar free
4 bolts, nuts and washers (free)
6 hose clamps (free)
Total cost $213

Cost to date $636

[clintooo]

Seat upgrade and arguably a corresponding downgrade

The foam on my driver's seat had sagged. The rest of the seat and the leather cover was in good condition. I had been doing a bit of research and was looking at buying a replacement foam pad. I think they are about $140 plus shipping from the UK. I hadn't been able to find any in Aust.

Then I started thinking that I had done a similar thing with an old BMW convertible I had. I bought a LHD parts car that had the leather seats I wanted. The drivers was a bit worn on the bolsters and base cushion, but the passenger side was in great condition. As it was LHD car, I ended up with the good condition passenger seat on the driver's side. There was a bit of mucking around with the folding mechanism, but I got it to work without having to recover the seats.

So back to the Disco. The foam on the outside was collapsing on the driver's side. But on the passenger side the seat was like new. From what I gathered from the previous owner, I don't think the passenger seat had had much use at all. So I initially thought about just swapping the seats over. But the floor mountings won't allow it as the seats mount to the tunnel on the inside. The sliding rails are riveted to the mounts, so there was no real way of doing that easily. Then I found this thread here.

This thread http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2/148579-swapping-front-seat-cushions-d2a.html lists out the steps to swap out a base cushion from another car. It sounded easy enough with the poster saying it took him an hour to swap them over. The other night, I thought I have an hour to spare, so thought I would have a go. Well 2 hours later...

I think perhaps it was easier, as he had a seat out of the car to remove the first cushion so you get a better idea of how the cushions are attached (or maybe it's just me). I spent an hour getting the passenger side cushion out while it was in the car, and ended up destroying some of the plastic strips that it mounts to the base with. It really was a PIA. So I managed to get the seat cushion out and then went to bed. After a bit more thought, I decided to remove the seats entirely and do it all off the car. Doing so was quite a bit easier and only takes about 10 mins to get a seat out (when you know what you are doing). Although getting the cushion off without destroying the plastic strips is still a challenge.

So, I will do the writeup with the seats removed, which is how I did most of it.

1 Remove the seat cowling/covers. There is a top cover held on by 2 screws. Bottom cover that comes off in one piece. It covers the side and front of the seat base. Held on by 2 screws on the side, one screw in the front on the tunnel, and on the back side there is a press in plastic clip.

2. Unbolt seatbelt and other electrical attachments. Pry off the plastic cover to reveal 17mm bolt.

Remove plugs from the base of the seat. I think they are just sensors to tell when the seat is occupied?? Although I drove around with one seat out and it unplugged and I got the red SRS light. You need to remove a couple of plastic bits that hold on the cable. Pointing nose pliers from behind will allow those to be pushed down. Unplug the yellow plug. Electric seats will probably be different.

3. remove the seat bolts.
For some unknown reason these are etorx or star nuts. Conspiracy to make us buy more tools, or to make you think do I really want to remove the seats?? Yes I did? I don't understand it. It is not like they are some special security nut, that requires you to go to the dealer to get your seat out. Or is it to stop you accidentally unbolting your seats?? But I digress?

I used a Fragram socket that is multipoint and covers all etorx and other normal nuts, a big middle finger to those special bolt designers. It was an 11mm. So I'm not exactly sure what the correct etorx size is.

There are 4 of them, 1 on each corner. 3 of them just screw straight into the body. Note that the rear outside bolt goes through the floor. You will need a 17mm socket on that from below. It was easier to undo it from below. Put this bolt aside, as it is slightly longer (otherwise you will put it in the tunnel side, and then have to remove it again when you cant get the nut to go on the shorter bolts)

4 Then fold the seat forward and pull it out. The rear inside leg will catch on the carpet, but just wiggle that out.

5 the seat legs are different lengths, so it makes it difficult to sit it on the bench. But you will manage. A towel or something else is a good idea as you will need to flip the seat around a bit and will have the base and back on the bench or floor at times. Wind the seat back as near flat as you can (this relaxes the seat back cover). The way I did it was to remove the rear of the cushion first. The bottom cushion cover, has the seat back covering it at the rear. So you need to remove that first.

[clintooo]

some pics of the underside of the seat.

The 2 little black tabs, will push off. They are a bit tricky as they have gripper teeth on the underside. Once they are off, push down on the long plastic strip. This will reveal another plastic strip which is the base cushion cover.

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[clintooo]

6 First you need to remove the other 2 metal tabs. Note the pairs of tabs are slightly different. Thicker ones go on last. This plastic bit is a PIA to get off. Mine was brittle. You can see from the profile that it also hooks on from the underside too. Plus it has 3 little gripper teeth in the seat rail for that added degree of difficulty. I struggled with this. But the way I found to be the easiest. When looking from the front and above the seat, push the material down and then sort of roll the plastic strip under the seat at the same time. This seemed to release it.

7 push the seat fabric and the cushion parts forward and through the gap between the seat back and the cushion. It's a bit tight, but it will fit through.

I cant seem to get my photos to upload full sized sorry about that. I'll need to read the faq

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[clintooo]

these are the additional gripper teeth that want to hold the plastic strip on.

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8 the side rails are the difficult part. They are made from a brittle plastic that has been sewn onto the fabric. As they have used a straight stitch it has just perforated the plastic so it will basically tear along that line very easily. Plus the profile of this strip makes it incredibly difficult to get it off. I destroyed them on mine. However, I noticed that it was already broken on the outside of my drivers side, and it didn't seem to make the seat move around. (I have a fix for this below)

side profile of the side plastic strips.
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[clintooo]

some more pics of the plastic side pieces.


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Once you either manage to get them off, or simply break them like I did...this will now release the seat cushion so it is only the plastic strip at the front holding it on. I removed it the same way as the rear. Sort of rolled it forward and under to release the strip. Now your cushion will come away. Sorry no pic of that, but it looks the same as the rear.

[clintooo]

some pics of how the seat foam had collapsed. I was luck as my wasn't too bad and the actual leather was in good shape.

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[clintooo]

10. I fixed the broken plastic side sections, by sewing on some 25mm webbing to each side. I then used a plastic side release buckle on one side. But then thought I could use a plastic tensioning strap for the other which I had from an old backpack. Basically I just used one of those adjuster straps you have on a backpack strap (from an old backpack I had cut up).

I have a walking foot industrial machine as I muck around making camping and other stuff for my bike. But, the sides of the seat are only vinyl, it is fairly soft and I don't think you would have too much trouble sewing it with a domestic sewing machine. So ask your wife/mum or have a crack yourself. Also you could get one of these speedy stitchers Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl (http://www.speedystitcher.com/#the-basics) (get the smaller needles though) and just sew it by hand. Or really you could just use a upholstery needle and some pliers to do it. But I like the speedy stitcher. It will be covered by the cover plates so no one will see your dodgy sewing.

There are people selling the 25mm webbing on ebay by the meter or I think spotlight sell it all too (they are just expensive). You will only need 1m though and two buckles. The side release buckles can be bought there too. Or you could probably cut up one or two old back packs and get all the materials you need from there for free. You can sew on the buckle to the strap first but only sew it on the side that will be on the tunnel (you wont be able to feed the buckle through the seat rails from the door side of the seat). I have a big roll of the webbing, so happy to post you a meter of it for a few bucks. Or swing past if you are in Perth.

some pics of the straps and how I attached them.
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[clintooo]

11 with the new strap installed, it is time to reinstall. Largely the reverse.
Put on the front section first
Fold the cushion down and push through the material and foam under the seat back.
Reattach the rear plastic strip. Then push down on the cushion to make sure it is all sitting as it should be and the fabric is pulled through.
Reinstall the metal tabs.
Reinstall seat back plastic and metal tabs.
Tension the newly installed strap.
Put the seat back in the car (remembering which is the longer bolt)

some pics of the finished seat. It is like a new seat. I didn't realise how I was sitting off to one side. A lot more comfortable now. My wife hasn't noticed the difference on her side. It is actually not that bad on the passenger side, as you seem to sit closer to the console. Well that's how Im justifying it.

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Cost of mod:
($4.00) I found the coins when I removed the seat

Costs to date $632

[clintooo]

The other job I'm working on is installing the cargo barrier that came with the car. The previous owner had it given to him by one of his mates, when he sold his car. It came with everything except the fixings that are bolted up into the top of the car. Milford see to want an exorbitant amount of money for the fixing kit. So I'm looking at making my own.

This is what I got. It had been sitting in his shed for a few years and was rusted. all of the bolts were rusted in to the mounting plate.

I was only able to get two of the bolts to turn. The ones with the plastic heads were frozen and I didnt want to stick multigrips on them for fear of destroying the plastic.
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[clintooo]

so it was time for a bath while hooked up to a battery charger

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[clintooo]

after a wash off, the magic of electrolysis...

all the bolts unscrewed

couple of pics next to one of the bolts I didn't clean up.

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[clintooo]

So to complete the install, I just need to make up two backing plates and the corresponding cover plates. I have the 4 plastic bolt heads. I will just get some new fasteners too.

Looking at the backing plates used for the floor. Really they are nothing special. They are just some flat bar that has been tapped. when you compare them on top of each other , they are slightly different. It is clear that the flat bar has just been cut and then rounded off on a grinder as the radius' are slightly out. Unfortunately, I dont have any flat bar of those dimensions, so I will need to get some. A bit of a pain, when I only need a few 100mm for them. But there is a steel place near my work that will sell by the m. So I will try and get that done over the weekend.


Then I need to make up some tool or figure out a way to install the backing plate. I note that milford include some installation tool with the kit. I'm not exactly sure what that is though. Anyone happen to have a picture of one??

cheers

[clintooo]

I stopped past Di Lena steel in Osborne Park this morning to grab the steel I needed. Thinking I would need to buy a meter of each.

The owner cut me off two 400mm long bits of both and then refused to take any money.

So big thumbs up to those guys.

[Bohica]

Welcome. That looks a pretty neat car.

Wrt to the flashing trailer light on the dash it is probably due to the additional indicators in the bulbar putting sufficient load on the circuit that the car thinks the trailer lights are attached.

Cheers

Steve

X2, I had one bullbar indicator not working and the trailer light flashed only on the working side. Now both are working, the trailer lights up for both sides.

[clintooo]

Yeh I just noticed my trailer light was not lighting up on the left side when indicating. Turns out the rear bulb has blown.

[clintooo]

Replaced wiper blades

I bought one set from Supercheap auto and they didnt fit. I took them back and they let me try another brand and those didn't fit either. Mine have a narrower section where it mounts in the arm.

So I was buying some hoses at Rovacraft and picked up the blades there.

Took longer to pen the packet than to install them.

Has anyone else managed to get the supercheap auto blades to fit?

Cost $42

[gavinwibrow]

Silblades from US are the ducks nuts and last much longer than many others in our WA sun. Probably not as cost effective as when I bought mine and our $ was pretty much on a par/slightly higher than $US.

[jasonharrison]

@clintooo I bought the double blade refills and that seems to work great. I originally bought an entire wiper assembly listed by the book in-store but they didn't fit.

probably about time I got around to doing my rear wiper... but winter is almost over

[clintooo]

well the blades got a go this morning. much better, I didn't realize how bad the others were.

I bought a set of the flex blade, blades from supercheap for my mums honda. turns out they were wrong too. One of them anyway. I had to take it back and they gave me another one. Turns out the instore display was different to their computer. He told me that happens a lot. not sure why they don't then update their i nstore book.

[clintooo]

I installed the pipe mounts for the Provent.

I had a bit of ali angle in my scrap box,that I cut down and mounted. I just cut a section out of the middle to allow it to fit over the waste gate modulator shaft and then used the wastegate mounting bolts.

I got the pipe clamps, they are called P clamps (I didn't know what they were called). From Burson auto. I needed 32mm and couldn't find them anywhere. Enzed had some, but they were massive and $8 each. Coventrys had them but you needed to buy 10 for $22. Burson sold them individually, at 2.95 each.

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[clintooo]

I replaced the low pressure power steering line on the weekend.

Tips for anyone doing it.

Suck out as much fluid from the reservoir as you can. Stick some cardboard or plastic underneath the front corner of the vehicle. I got most of it out with one of those air operated extraction pumps. I then popped the hose off the reservoir and stuck the suction hose as far down the line to suck up as much as I could. It still flicked everywhere when I eventually pulled the hose off the pump.

Also you should buy the oring that fits on the outlet fitting on the pump. You get just the hose and they wont sell you the o ring unless you ask. I didnt ask. But the hose clips are impossible to get off while the hose is attached to the pump. I ended up removing the two 10mm bolts holding on the fitting and then taking the clip off on the bench. A 400mm extension for your socket helps a lot with that.

Other thing to note, is look at how the pipe is routed before you remove it. took me a bit to work it out as I didn't pay that much attention to how it went before I removed it.

I then cable tied it up out of the way so I wouldn't get anymore rubbing.

Not sure of the wall thickness of the pipe, but it must have been close to blowing its load... I felt it on the car and realised it had rubbed, but didn't know how bad it was until I got it off the car.

You need a 1L bottle of fluid to replace what you lost.

Cost for the pipe $110
Cost for fluid $25

Costs to date $815

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[clintooo]

Installed a couple of USB ports in the car. One in the front for me, and another in the rear for the kids. The one in the front has a voltage display.

I put the front one on the passenger side of the tunnel up above the high low range selector.

Rear, I put into the back of the console. I had seen a few people on here use the rear ashtray as a mount. However, mine was broken, so I mounted it in the rear plastics.

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the rear plastic is on straight. for some reason in the picture it looks crooked.

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I'll provide a bit more detail of how I did it below.

[clintooo]

I wired them up as follows:

I installed a relay in the engine bay up above rubber cable gland on the driver side. There was an existing hole there, so I removed some of the deadening foam and just bolted it through.

It is a 4 post relay. I am using fuse F2 with one of those jumper fuse connectors (not sure of technical term ) to trigger the relay. F2 runs the maf and EGR regulaor. I don't see any issue with jumping it off, as the relay hardly draws any current on the trigger wire. But would be interested to hear if others think it may be a n issue.

I connected the main power, off the battery and earth at the earth points near the fuse box and ran the cables back in plastic snap wrap. The relay has an inbuilt fuse, so it is protected.

Then under the dash, I had a 4 point fuse box. I am running each usb point off its own fuse. The fuse box didn't allow for a common power. So I had a circuit breaker that I used to attach the 50amp main wire from the relay and then split that into 4 15amp wires running to the power side of the fuse box. Basically allowed me to run a single wire in to the car. The circuit breaker was encased in a plastic box. I'll wrap up the wires in a plastic sleeve later.

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[clintooo]

I used a common earth attached to the metal dash supports. Mine has a bit of surface rust as you can see.

There were some existing bolts welded onto the frame. So I decided to use those rather than drill holes. They take a M5 bolt. which you can screw in from behind to allow you to attach the wires from the front side. As mine were a bit rusty, I cleaned them up with sand paper and ran a tap through the thread to clean it up. I then used some dia electic grease to make sure it didnt rust.

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[clintooo]

feeding the wire from the rear port, was relatively easy.

I removed the lower piece of plastic from the rear console. 2 screws each side, and then sort of tilt it to get it out. I then removed the gaiter from the high/low range shifter.

If you use a heavy gauge wire, so it is stiffer you can push it through. I went from the rear of the console and fed it up on the drivers side along the rear heater vents. I was then able to grab the wire through the open shifter area.

I then fed it down the edge of the console around the heater vents and up into the area under the dash.

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The front usb was fairly easy too. I just cut the hole with my dremel and then fed the wire down into the gaiter area and along the same route as the other wire.

[Wil2k]

Replaced wiper blades



Has anyone else managed to get the supercheap auto blades to fit?



Cost $42


Yeah I fitted some SCA silicone wiper refills the other day. They come in wide and narrow back. I got the ones that fit both widths and they slid right in.

[clintooo]

ah, I didn't realise that. I'll remember that for future.