New Project

[flyboy]

Hi all,
I recently (after a few beers) was on Gumtree, and saw a 1959 Series II trayback in fairly desperate shape. After a comment from my wife that “it looked cute” and my 8 and 9 year old sons egging me on, I went and purchased it!
So I now have it in the driveway!
It’s a very well used farm truck, unmodified and had been sitting in a paddock for decades. The motor turns over by hand, but hasn’t run for a very long time. It has the original 2.25l, lots of surface rust (after poking around with a screwdriver, so far I’m impressed with the condition of the chassis). The bulkhead has seen better days and every panel is dented 😩.
The plan is to completely dismantle and rebuild in original condition, without being too precious (I’d like it to be useable) although I am a perfectionist 🙄.
I spent years restoring a 1945 Willys Jeep (which I still have and drive) with very fond memories with my dad when I was a kid and thought it’s about time I did the same with my kids.
I’m not new to land rovers, but very new to series land rovers. I currently have a 2014 SWB Defender which ive had since new.
The car is mostly complete, however the carby and air cleaner were taken off it. It has the 90 degree adaptor on the intake manifold still...so I’m guessing it was changed to a Zenith carby at some point. I’d like to replace the original oil bath air cleaner which I gather could take a while to find one? And also the metal elbow that sits on top of the carby.
Thanks for reading...I’m sure I’ll be asking a lot of questions!
here it is...

157755157756157757157758

[JDNSW]

The Zenith carburettor is easier to find, and easier to find parts for than the Solex, but the Solex may be slightly more trouble free. Apart from these points, there is little to choose between them.

The early Series 2 had a number of differences from later Series 2/2a, with most of the parts interchangeable - but the early parts are generally hard to find, if you want to be a stickler for originality! And most of the changes were improvements!

To note a couple of these - the drop arm on the bottom of the steering relay was beefed up - for good reason; I had one break on my 1958 Series 2! The early ones had screw controllers on the vent flaps = a much more elegant setup than the later lever type; But you try getting them closed in a hurry when you are on a dusty road and a car appears from the other direction or is overtaking you!

The aircleaners are readily available second hand, and could be bought from several of the suppliers here. There is not much that goes wrong with them that a clean, repaint, and possibly a new joint washer won't fix.

[flyboy]

Thanks John.
Breaking steering arm sounds exciting 😬.
I’ve started pulling apart the front, and so far been pleasantly surprised by less rust than I first thought. Localised patches in the foot wells, inner wings and some hard to fix looking rust patches under the bonnet gutter. I’m assuming will require removing the welded on gutter? And some in the bottom edge of the air flap surround.
Door pillars are good, except I have a captive nut in there free spinning (one that holds on the left wing) that’s going to require somehow getting into the pillar to grab hold of 🙄.

[flyboy]

Rust under bonnet gutter...

[JDNSW]

Thanks John.
Breaking steering arm sounds exciting 😬.
I’ve started pulling apart the front, and so far been pleasantly surprised by less rust than I first thought. Localised patches in the foot wells, inner wings and some hard to fix looking rust patches under the bonnet gutter. I’m assuming will require removing the welded on gutter? And some in the bottom edge of the air flap surround.
Door pillars are good, except I have a captive nut in there free spinning (one that holds on the left wing) that’s going to require somehow getting into the pillar to grab hold of 🙄.

If you can, cut the head off so you can get the mudguard off - then see about removing the nut.

[Phil B]

Looks like a great project and considering it's age and history I think you have a good one !!
I will be following with interest
Thanks for sharing.

[flyboy]

Ok...I’ve slowly been progressing...somewhat all over the place doing bits here and there. I still haven’t cleared out enough room in the shed, so I’m very weather dependent.
Ive managed to get the steering relay out (unfortunately had to cut the chassis to do so).
ive just taken the relay apart...which had no oil in it 😩.
the shaft has some grooves in it where the seal runs...and I’m after some advice on whether it’s useable or too far gone? Everything else seems fine...I’m just not sure how much wear is acceptable on something like this...so any advice very much appreciated!158651158652

[JDNSW]

In my view, it needs to be sleeved. Or replaced.

[flyboy]

I figured that might be the case!
thanks John,
Marcus

[1950landy]

I would go to a bearing companey & buy a speedy sleve for it. Mite as well do both ends of the shaft so you don't get any oil leaks .

[flyboy]

Had no idea what a speedy sleeve is until now! And sounds like a good solution.
On closer inspection, my shaft has removable collars there. Would that be right?
and if it is, can I get new collars?

[Xtreme]

Just a thought but would it be feasible to have the seal surface on the shaft machined and then fit an appropriate non standard sized seal?

[Xtreme]

Double Post - sorry

[ezyrama]

Hi all,
I recently (after a few beers) was on Gumtree, and saw a 1959 Series II trayback in fairly desperate shape. After a comment from my wife that “it looked cute” and my 8 and 9 year old sons egging me on, I went and purchased it!
So I now have it in the driveway!
It’s a very well used farm truck, unmodified and had been sitting in a paddock for decades. The motor turns over by hand, but hasn’t run for a very long time. It has the original 2.25l, lots of surface rust (after poking around with a screwdriver, so far I’m impressed with the condition of the chassis). The bulkhead has seen better days and every panel is dented 😩.
The plan is to completely dismantle and rebuild in original condition, without being too precious (I’d like it to be useable) although I am a perfectionist 🙄.
I spent years restoring a 1945 Willys Jeep (which I still have and drive) with very fond memories with my dad when I was a kid and thought it’s about time I did the same with my kids.
I’m not new to land rovers, but very new to series land rovers. I currently have a 2014 SWB Defender which ive had since new.
The car is mostly complete, however the carby and air cleaner were taken off it. It has the 90 degree adaptor on the intake manifold still...so I’m guessing it was changed to a Zenith carby at some point. I’d like to replace the original oil bath air cleaner which I gather could take a while to find one? And also the metal elbow that sits on top of the carby.
Thanks for reading...I’m sure I’ll be asking a lot of questions!
here it is...

157755157756157757157758

Nice Truck. I think I bought it's twin brother.

[Epic_Dragon]

lovely truck and find :D

[JDNSW]

Interesting looking tyres on that one!

[flyboy]

Ok...relay shaft is now at the machinist. It looks like it does have removable collars and he reckons he can make a couple of new ones.
Meanwhile I’ve been “stood down” from work for the foreseeable future, so will probably get a lot done to the car...in amongst home schooling the kids 🤨.
I’ve been spending a lot of time on the chassis...159116159117159118
unfortunately I didn’t take any before photos 😩. But the crossmember under the gearbox was in bad shape as well as the side of the rear crossmember. Also had to repair the damage I made extracting the relay.

A couple of the spring hanger bolt holes are quite worn (eliptical). One had even had some copper (I think plumbing pipe 😬) as a resleeve. Has anyone replaced these or somehow sleeved them etc...?
159119159120

[JDNSW]

I have built up some with weld metal and carefully filed the hole out again. You need to realise that they also need to have good faces where they clamp the inner sleeve of the bush.

The best way to fix them would be to turn up replacements for the reinforcing pad that clamps the bushing and grind off the old and weld on the new. messy on a complete vehicle, but pretty easy on a bare chassis with it upside down, and a very simple turning job.

[flyboy]

I have built up some with weld metal and carefully filed the hole out again.

thanks John,
i was thinking of doing exactly that...
I don’t have a lathe and the machine shop I’ve been getting a few things done at seem to put my jobs at the bottom of the pile. I guess if I have some thick enough steel bar I could drill the right size hole and weld it on....I’ll have a closer look 🤔.

[flyboy]

Ok, time for an update and check in that I’m doing things correctly....so if anyone has a better way of doing things or suggestions, please chime in...

I got my steering relay shaft back from the machinist with new seal collars.
160893
I’m sure it would of been more efficient to just buy a new shaft, however I like the idea of it being serviceable and also the oil hole fill through the shaft. That also made it easier to decompress the spring...I was able to insert a thin punch in the cross hole in the shaft and just wind on the spring without needing to make any special tools...
160896

in the meantime I got my chassis back from the sandblasted and have painted it. I’m very happy with the way that turned out

160897

ive replaced the 4 chassis suspension bushes. Some serious swearing and broken bolts going on that day! All went well with inserting new ones, however one went in easier than I thought it should of. I then reinserted it with bearing retainer loctite and for good measure tack welded the outer to the chassis. I’m not sure if that was the right thing to do or a bit dodgy?

I also cleaned up the front and rear prop shafts and removed the uni joints. There was a choice of uni joint size and all mine are the smaller ones...I then measured the movement in the front prop shaft splines using a dial indicator. Mine has double the movement allowed, so I’m goin to order a new front prop shaft. They all seem to be the same for Series I, II and III...so can anyone tell me if the new one will also fit the smaller uni joints I have?

160898

Ive been pushing on with my transfer case and front output shaft. All back together now with new bearings and seals.

Ive pulled apart the gearbox...the first thing that dropped out was the end of the layshaft which has sheared off

160900

the other thing that came out is this...

160901

I think it’s part no. 239272. I can see it as a two piece ring on the parts diagram, but can’t exactly see where it’s meant to sit? Can anyone help out with that?

All the gears seem to look ok, however the 3rd/4th synchro teeth look a bit hammered...

160902

So I think I’ll replace that and the layshaft. I’ll be ordering from Australian suppliers, which doesn’t give me much choice with brands etc, so I hope they’re decent.
Apart from bearings, I assume I should also replace the brass bush?

160903

mine is the one piece and looks ok, but assume I should just replace anyway, and if so with the two piece one?

On the note of bearings and that bush, can anyone give me advice on if I should use loctite 609 as a matter of course on both the outer bearing and inner and also on the above bush to the shaft? I didn’t do it on the transfer case because they didn’t feel loose, however when rotating my primary shaft I noticed the inner bearing was rotating in the shaft...

thats about it for the time being. Ive also ordered some Speedi Sleeves for both output flanges as they had pretty good grooves on them

160905

Once the UK is out of lock down I’ll be able to order the overpriced rubber boots etc for the bellhousing and handbrake which seem unique to a series II and impossible to get in Oz...

[JDNSW]

Can't help with the gearbox queries. The rubber boots you are after are for Series 1 and Series 2,2a up to chassis suffix 'C' rather than Series 2a. Later 2a and 3 are the same as each other and readily available. I am not sure what the difference is between the bellhousing ones, but the handbrake one is the difference between the straight and bent handles.

[whitehillbilly64]

The split ring sits under the 3rd gear on the layshaft.
They may fall out on reassemble, (I know Because) so add some loctite to them and the gear, on assemble.
Allfour x 4 spares, have a supply of good S/H spares. Very helpful.
Overseas spares do come in quite a bit cheaper, and can be as quick as Australia post, before Covid.
I use 620 on my parts, and was used to fit the one piece bush, and bearings.

whitehillbilly

[flyboy]

Ok, thanks guys.
Will order a new split ring and see if it makes sense when I reassemble.
Is there an advantage in the one piece bush?

[flyboy]

One more question....
should I replace this?...I’m guessing yes?
its the selector fork for hi/low range...
161159161160

[flyboy]

Hi everyone,

im slowly making progress here....

Ive had my gearbox sitting in for a few months. The rubber mounts that I bought off an Australian supplier (cheap...$10 each) are already starting to collapse and the rubber is cracking. One of the studs started spinning in the rubber when I was installing it, so I probably should of given up at that point.

I’m going to replace them. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier? Or should I just bite the bullet and order genuine from the UK?

[flyboy]

Also, does anyone have shock absorber recommendations?
I’ve got parabolic springs, but am not intending to do any major off-road work, so standard length should be ok...

[Tins]

Hi everyone,

im slowly making progress here....

Ive had my gearbox sitting in for a few months. The rubber mounts that I bought off an Australian supplier (cheap...$10 each) are already starting to collapse and the rubber is cracking. One of the studs started spinning in the rubber when I was installing it, so I probably should of given up at that point.

I’m going to replace them. Does anyone have a good recommendation for a supplier? Or should I just bite the bullet and order genuine from the UK?

It's always tricky recommending suppliers. your experience may/will differ from mine, and bad blood can ensue. That said, i would have zero hesitation recommending Mario, but he doesn't do series stuff. I have used 4wdindustries | eBay Stores (http://www.ebaystores.com.au/4wdindustries) ( had their proper address but can't find it now ) successfully for gaskets and stuff, but never for mountings and stuff. There have been some pretty poor examples of those floating around for years. Maybe 4wdindustries | eBay Stores (http://www.ebaystores.com.au/4wdindustries) will have good ones, but it all comes down to suppliers and stock.

If I may, I'd suggest checking out Mike's channel on youtube. He's moved on from Series stuff, but he talks a lot about parts supply issues. And, he's fun.
Bloody thing won't let me post what I want, so i'll start with this:

Follow up to LRWorkshop on Land Rover parts. Who IS buying Britpart? - YouTube (https://youtu.be/_Igga2rgHas)

Thing is, Mike has been doing LRs forever, and if you email him he answers.

[flyboy]

Thanks Tins,

I’ve spent many hours watching Mike’s great videos!

I guess my question should be more phrased as “has anyone else bought engine/gearbox mounts that have been ok?”

I may have just received a bad batch....
I suspect all the Australian suppliers are selling the same ones, since they are all around $10 each....but I could be wrong on that...

[JDNSW]

For what it is worth, no problems with mounts from All Four x 4 - but that was a few years ago.

[flyboy]

Thanks John,

I’ve found some Mackay rubber ones that are made in Oz on the internet. I think I’ll give those a try next...

[flyboy]

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Getting there. End of a 3 year marathon. Blue slip check on Tuesday 🤞.

[Xtreme]

Well done, it looks very good, especially the timber tray.
You shouldn't have any trouble getting it registered if you've done as good a job on the running gear as you have on the externals.

[JDNSW]

Can we plan on seeing it at Cooma?

[flyboy]

Can we plan on seeing it at Cooma?

Not sure yet…I think I have to work over Easter [emoji30]

[JDNSW]

That is a pity, seeing you are fairly close.

[Johnno1969]

Beautiful vehicle. I can't stop looking at that tray....

[goingbush]

Awesome job one the resto, looks amazing.