"Snowy" January 1993 Defender 110 Tray Back Ute

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Meet "Snowy" my Defender 110, made in January 1993. I am Snowy's second owner. Snowy was bought new from a dealer in Biloela and then worked on a farm near Moura. I met the original owner and got to have a yarn while we packed Snowy up onto the car trailer, to be brought its new home. Powered by a 200 TDI diesel motor.

This is first Land Rover I have bought that drove, changed gears, stopped properly, and had all its seats! My previous Series Land Rover purchases were not so inclusive.

Known issues that were mentioned during Snowy's advertisement were: Leaking diesel injector pump and leaking power steering pump. Various lights not working. A cracked front windscreen. Oh, and door latches that did not work.

Apart from that, Snowy is a bit rough around the edges and seems to be a straight-up, salt-of-the-earth type. Yes, the seats are all there. The seats covering ... well, there is some room for improvement!

I just finished replacing head lights, front and rear indicators, brake/tail light and reverse lights. From this I soon learnt that I have to replace the brake and reverse lamp switches. I suppose they have been used a fair few times since 1993.

I took the leaking Bosch VE diesel injector pump off and sent it to the United Kingdom for an exchange unit. The unit arrived within three weeks. While the injector pump is off and the power steering pump needs replacing, I will take the opportunity to also replace the timing belt and associated parts. I will also remove the radiator and get it checked out at a radiator workshop. I have new door latches too. I am still waiting for the new water pump to arrive.

There will be no fancy paintwork applied to Snowy. The patina on the tray back sides will stay the same. Snowy's role will be as a work ute. I am still undecided about whether to replace Snowy's tray floor with hardwood boards - like original, or replace it with steel or alloy sheet.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

One of the jobs on the "To Do List" will be to make front and rear ladder racks. The mounting points are still in place from the previous owner. The racks must have be fitted to the farmer's new replacement vehicle.

I had to buy a new windscreen washer bottle and related parts. Snowy just came with an empty space where the bottle goes.

I will also be having a crack at making some aluminium-sheet headlight surrounds to replace the cracked and decaying black plastic ones. If the new ones work out okay, I will either paint them black or get them anodised.

Once I have done the timing belt and reinstalled the diesel injector pump, and power steering pump ... , I will take Snowy to a mechanic to see what else needs to be done for a Road Worthy or Safety Certificate.

Kind regards
Lionel

[LR V8]

Very nice. I've got a Snowy as well.... a great name [smilebigeye]

Pete

[Lionelgee]

Very nice. I've got a Snowy as well.... a great name [smilebigeye]

Pete

Hello Pete,

Thanks for the post. It's a bit funny how I have had a number of white cars over the years. None of them have been called Snowy. However, it just seems to fit the Defender.

Kind regards
Lionel

[windsock]

Nice old truck Lionel.

I like that you can leave the patina. Retains the honest character of years of work and allows you to continue the work with it. Looking forward to the work stories.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

After having to do a "One Hour Work Task" in the morning and waiting for a 3/4 hour job interview in afternoon today, I thought, "Bugger this. I have to go and do something practical so I can at least say I achieved something hands-on today". So I armed myself with copious amounts of degreaser; a scraper and a wire brush and ventured towards Snowy.

Today; I found out a couple of things. Firstly due to my period of COVID-19 and otherwise influenced period of unemployment my previous proficiency at interpreting spreadsheet data and composing into a written brief has been somewhat dampened.

I also found out that there is meant to be a hollow space on the internal face of where it has "TDI" logo on the bottom of the mudguard. I am Snowy's second owner. Snowy was previously a farm vehicle bought new and taken to the farm as a workhorse. There is also meant to be space between the cross member and the side of the body panel. These meant to be voids were full of decades of bull-dust; and things of similar ilk.

There is also meant to be a space between the top of the chassis and the bottom of the tray's floor.

I also found a front "pumpkin" that previously disappeared at the end of a drive shaft.

I also learnt that alternator fans turn much easier without the build up of crud generated by the power steering pump leaking fluid and spraying it all over the alternator. Copious amounts of bull-dust, add power steering fluid - wonderful.

So if I can work out whether I can keep the bull-bar and side rails/step on I will take the mudguards off and gain proper access to the places that are meant to be voids - you know "empty spaces".

One mudguard has to come off anyway so I can gain rear access to a large stoved-in dent.

It will give me even more room for when I replace the timing belt and associated goodies like the diesel fuel injector pump, water pump... take the alternator off for a thorough clean... replace the leaking power steering pump....

At least with those hands-on lessons learnt about Snowy today, I can put my head on my pillow tonight, and be able to remember achieving something practical today.

Kind regards
Lionel


.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

To celebrate the last calendar day of Summer here in Bundaberg, I did more work on Snowy. After finding the area where the rear of the mudguard is bolted to the firewall totally blocked with compacted bull-dust, I set about removing the driver's side inner and out mudguard. To achieve this, I had to remove some of the previous owner's conveyor belt mudflat that was fitted with an assortment of non-standard nuts and bolts. All of these nuts and bolts were in hard to reach places.

Earlier on this morning I had a voice in my ear that said to me, "you should put those black top vent screws into a zip-lock bag and label them". I figured that because they were in a plastic bulk bin they were contained well enough. The bulk bin was sitting on top of the mudguard I was taking off. Some minutes later - sure enough I bumped the bulk container with my elbow and the container went flying off the mudguard. The screws and washers were cast to the wind and landed amongst the grass. It took quite some time to find the screws and the washers. Should listen to those voices - hey! Could have saved myself a lot of time combing through the grass to find all the screws.

Since that event I bagged and tagged everything related to taking the mudguard off. When the mudguard was off I was able to scrape away all the bull-dust. I was very pleased to find that under the bull-dust the original white factory paint was glowing out at me. There was not a trace of rust in that section of the firewall at all! I suppose that is the benefit of having a vehicle that lived in-land most of its life.

I will brush off the area of the firewall and get some rust proofing paint and spray on a couple of coats tomorrow. This should boost the amount of protection for that area in the future. I was lucky once so I will do what I can to continue its rust-free status into the future.

Sometimes you can have a win! I will see what lurks under the passenger side mudguard and firewall later in the week.

Now it is time to clean and pack the tools up. It was well over thirty degrees Celsius here today; plus, with a lot of humidity. I reckon I have given it a good enough bash for the day. I am looking forward to April - by then the summer heat should be over here.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I had a couple of reasons to remove Snowy's driver's side mudguard - the original reason was to gain access to a creased dent. Apparently, Snowy got in the way of a broad-acre seeder's boom. The second reason was so I could clean out the bull-dust from between the mudguard, cross member and firewall.

I undid all the bolts that hold the side of the mudguard to the front headlight panel so I could lay the side panel flat on my metal work bench.

I then used an LPG blowtorch to anneal the aluminium all round the dent and its surrounds. This meant sacrificing the paint - it could not be helped.

A large ball pein hammer to rough the dent out. After that I used a number of dollies and panel hammers to fine things out a bit more. I have to get a slapper to be able finish the body lines out and smooth the remaining hammer marks out.

The crease ended in a tear and a hole which needs to be filled in. I have ordered some aluminum brazing rods and will use some large globs of it to fixthe area and then file brazing fill down smooth.

After that will be the etcher and primer and other tasks paint related. I will get a rattle can mixed up at one of the local auto parts places who can colour match.

Well that is all for the day. Tomorrow's task is to straighten out the bottom of the headlight panel.

Kind regards
Lionel

[travelrover]

Great job Lionel!

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I worked on the bent bottom section of the headlight face of the mudguard today. This was warped when a broad-acre seeder's boom made a glancing blow along the side of the mudguard. The deepest section of the resulting crease ended close to the face of the headlight panel - leaving a small hole.

I should be finished the job by now; however, I made a slight mistake. It is now pseudo-summer here. I have the metal workbench in the full sun. I had a steel dolly laying on top of the work bench and what ToolPRO call their "Light Dinging Spoon" which is black finished drop forged carbon steel. I picked them both up and ... ouchies! They were rather hot! So the two tools are now in the shade and they and I are cooling off for a while.

I used the LPG blow torch to anneal the headlight face before I took the major part of the dent out with a plastic faced mallet. The mallet has a nice rounded head so it did not leave any rounded ding marks while I persuaded the headlight face back into shape.

I will post up a couple of photos of the finished work when things have cooled down a bit more. The only blemishes left on the face are four dimples which are actually spot-welds. I found that burning the paint while annealing the aluminium provides a handy way to pick high and low spots when it is sanded down. Places where adjustments need to be made with the hammer and dolly are quite clearly highlighted. After a couple of more bumps the burnt paint gets sanded out and the area is finished.

I was going to separate the top face of the mudguard from the front - headlight face; then I noticed that it had a line of spot welds. Not having a TIG welder to be able to plug these spot welds, I erred with caution. The panels stayed together even thought it was pretty awkward to handle.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

At the panel beating stage on the front or headlight panel - here are some before an after photos. Plus, a testimony that it is indeed hot. Where was the dog while I was panel beating? The dog was inside laying on the floor and positioned under a ceiling fan. I thought it was only mad dogs and English men who went out in the midday sun!

Next step is to clean the surfaces off and to get some aluminium friendly etch primer to paint on the panels. Let them dry, sand down, some more primer, let dry , sand down. Get some topcoat mixed up... apply... let dry.

P.S: Hang on - I just looked at one of the "after" photos. There are two low spots I missed. Plus the top edge could be dressed up a bit to make it sharper. Off I go again...

Some time later ... then one reaches the point where you have to know when to say "stop" with the tapping of hammers and dollies.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Do you think that I have the details for Snowy's paint colour correct?

I have been to quite a number of different Land Rover and automotive paint supplier's webpages. The most thorough source seems to be from the mob below. Most sources routinely show a full range of Land Rover Defender paint colours for 1993. Then when it comes to "white" section, they only show one, known as "Alpine White". See below...

I will be taking the front grille frame in with me when I attempt to get a colour match; as Snowy has been out in the elements now for 28 years. I wonder if "baked-on bull-dust" is a tint that can be added to "Alpine White" to better reflect changes in paint hues from when Snowy first left the dealer's yard for the farm back in 1993?

Kind regards
Lionel





Year




Make/Model




Paint Colour Name




Code




Ditzler PPG




Dupont




RM BASF




Glasurit






1993




Land Rover



Defender 110




Alpine White




456, NUC C




90991




G9588




23339, SA129.50 ARG-456,




ROV-NUC





Accessed Wednesday, 3 March 2021 from, Color Codes - Dupont G9588 Cross-Reference (https://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi'dupont=G9588&con=5&page=1&rows=50&size=large)

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Today I got around to working on removing Snowy's passenger side mudguard and the rest of the front grille. I ran into some access issues with the top three mudguard to bulkhead bolts. A duct to the heater air box prevented getting a socket on an extension bar in contact with the bolt head.

I watched a couple of YouTube how to take Defender "wings" off tutorials. None seemed to mention the fact that the side duct that is under the side grid vent does not move, even after all its screws are undone. I had to undo the four non-captive nuts and bolts to loosen the heater air box off and shift it sideways. Once the box was moved across I could shift the duct and gain access to the last of the mudguard bolts. I suppose I am just lucky with having to undo the box!

One thing about having the mudguards off - there is now plenty of space to gain access with a degreaser spray to the bull-dust and power-steering covered engine.

I also removed the faulty power steering pump. I have a replacement power steering pump stored somewhere in a safe place.... I just need to reconnect to the brain-cell that holds the memory of where that "safe place" just might be

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

While working on Snowy I have been leaning over and around the bull-bar and the side bars. I was just going to preserve with the restrictions of being able reach past the respective bars. Then today, while I was cleaning up around the chassis under the passenger side mudguard my thoughts changed. I noticed how chocked up with bull-dust the space between the bull-bar mounting bracket and the dumbirons was. I used a scribe to scrape a lot of bull-dust out and hosed it as well. A lot of debris still remained behind. By this stage I had also got a bit tired of not being able to reach across to access things.

So, this morning I proceeded to remove the side bars and the bull-bar. I am really glad that I did because the dumbirons were chock-a-block with mud and the metal was starting to rust.

The other interesting thing was how, don't you just love it when people drill a big round hole so a coach bolt can fit into a bracket. No not a square hole that will lock the head of a coach bolt in place, a round hole so the bolt spins when you try to undo a tight nut. Luckily, I had enough access to be able to clamp on a set of vice grips to hold the rear side-bar bolts as the crossed over the chassis rail. I suppose the coach bolts were the longest they had available to them.

With more ready access to the engine bay I will now be able to reach around with copious amounts of degreaser, a scraper and some wire brushes; to find where the motor should be under the pile of baked on crap that has accumulated all over it.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well I had my first attempt at using aluminium brazing type rod to fill in the torn-out hole in Snowy's mudguard. My first attempt to fill the hole and level off the surrounding area was very successful. I then turned the mudguard over and noticed a plug of filler which did not make contact with the outside of the hole's full circumference. So I heated the area up....

... and I blew a hole in the whole repair ... which then promptly expanded. One panel now on the spares heap.

Speaking of which ... a Series 3 side panel on the mudguard is actually deeper than a Defender mudguard. I have some spare Series 3 side mudguard panels. The only adjustment is cutting in a new inside arch depth, bending in a new flange and drilling holes for the skirt. A job for tomorrow.

I have to learn to know when to stop a repair. Can I write "bugger" here in this message. Oh well!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Using a somewhat unorthodox approach I set about cutting down the Series 3 driver's side mudguard and converting it to a Defender sized version. The unorthodoxy involved clamping a dolly - of the panel beating variety - down to my steel table and sandwiching the mudguard in-between.

I initially used an LPG blowtorch to anneal a 20 centimetre ban along the new edge of the mudguard. Once I clamped the dolly down on the section to be hammered over I heated both sides of the mudguard to just before the old paint started to smoke. Then I hammered the area up a couple of degrees all along the circumference of the new mudguard edge.

The hardest part was to get the front edge of the mudguard the correct width. The front edge of the mudguard joins to the front headlight panel . The Series 3 mudguard is much wider at this section. It took at least three attempts to get the width right.

Well this is the status at the close of today. Tomorrow I have to measure the width of the Defender flange and transfer this measurement to the new Series 3 now Defender driver's side mudguard and trim the flange down to the correct measurement. The flange "grew" with being stretched while I hammered the new flange. Definitely a job for tomorrow - I will have a clearer head and be fresher tomorrow.

If I were to do this task again - I hope I do not have to - I would make a cardboard or ply template and traced it on the inside face of the mudguard. The way things are, I could only trace the top-face of the Defender mudguard on to the top-face Series 3 mudguard. However to bend up the flange for the Series 3 I had to have the traced face down and could only estimate where to put the dolly to fold the aluminium over it. A template would make it easy to know where the dolly should be positioned and I might have got the job done after only one attempt.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well back in February this year I started to disassemble Snowy's front clip for panel beating. While I was at it I decided to replace the timing belt on the 200tdi. I had contacted the previous owner and they could not remember the last time the timing belt had been changed.

The power steering pump also leaked copious amounts of oil all over the engine, steering pump and alternator. Since Snowy was a farm vehicle from new it had years of collected bull dust and mud to stick to the oil. The whole side of the engine was covered in a thick layer of crud that blocked out details of parts.

Numerous household building tasks, some study, and other stuff happening meant I am restarting work on Snowy in November. One of the tasks included sorting out a parts, tools and materials storage problem that really reached a tipping point just after work commenced on Snowy. I had to draw a line and stop all progress on working on Snowy and other vehicles until the storage situation was worked out.

With proper pallet racking and modular steel shelving most of the chaos has now been sorted.

One drawback of this big sort is that some of Snowy's parts have been moved multiple times. Somewhere there is a box with the radiator expansion tank, a top right-hand radiator mounting bracket and the air cleaner unit. Also, the fuel injector pump's front access cover. You know - I put it in either a "safe" place; or somewhere that seemed entirely logical at the time. The brain cells that that hold a record of where this place exactly is located have gone on holiday. I will have to track them down tomorrow - fingers crossed. They must be the only parts that did not make it to the special shelf marked "Defender" I have been going to that shelf for the past couple of days and it has progressed to a now mostly empty space. Today, I started to realise that one box must of not made it to that shelf. :wallbash:

Snowy is getting back together again though. Today I fitted the radiator frame; radiator plus all the related hoses. Well until I pulled one black steel pipe that goes from near the turbo to the intercooler. Most of the black paint on this pipe had flaked off and looked daggy. Especially with the new silicone joining pipes. So off the pipe came and I sanded it down and sprayed it with etch primer. I will paint it with some rust resistant paint tomorrow.

I had taken the radiator to a repair shop for testing a couple of months ago. It must have been the original 1993 radiator and subsequently it had multiple leaks. When they tried to repair the leaks the holes blew out. One new radiator later it looks really nice and shiny sitting in Snowy.

I will take some photos and post them up tomorrow to document some progress.

It is good to have things moving forward again.

Kind regards
Lionel

[DeeJay]

This is becoming a real project Lionel. Good work...

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Since my disassembly of Snowy back in December 2020 and January 2021 it has sat idle. The whole front clip was taken off so I could panel beat the mudguards and remove all the bull-dust from in between the panels and the firewall. I also replaced the timing belt and seals for the crank and cam shafts. Plus the water pump, thermostat, and all the hoses and belts.

Thanks to Paul (Pop058) providing some missing parts - yes mine are still somewhere lurking in a safe place - Snowy has a radiator expansion tank again. As the inner and outer mudguards are still off I rigged up some temporary supports for the expansion tank and the power steering fluid reservoir.

The newly refurbished Bosch injector pump is self-priming and fuel made it all the way up to the loose fuel injector nuts when I cranked the engine over. Once everything was tightened up Snowy roared back into life.

I took Snowy for a drive around the paddock and let him idle for a while. The only fault I found was one of the thin pipes that loop together under the fuel injectors had perished and was leaking in a succession of drops. I will get new pipe tomorrow and replace the set.

Oh despite my supplying the year of manufacture and the Serial number and describing Snowy as having a 200tdi, I was sent the wrong power steering pump. Snowy's is the cylinder type and I was sent a square block type - probably for the 300 tdi. Gee it is certainly "armstrong" steering without a pump. I connected the old pump back up and just left the v-belt off so oil is not leaking everywhere. When I bought Snowy he was very-very incontinent in the fuel injector and power steering pump aspects.

Before start-up I did have strong concerns that the flywheel timing mark locking pin did not align with any of the flywheel slots which need to be aligned with the crankshaft. The flywheel slot aligns with the crankshaft woodruff key and a marker on the back half of the timing cover. I could only get the fuel pump lock pin, camshaft pulley and crankshaft woodruff key lining up with their respective markers. Contrary to what the Workshop Manual; Trailer Fitter's Land Rover Toolbox and Britannica Restoration's YouTube video clips suggest I had to totally ignore the positioning of the flywheel and not use the timing pin. With some advice from Blknight (Dave) I just concentrated on the front of the engine. Dave suggests that the incorrect flywheel might have been fitted to Snowy when he was back on the previous owner's farm.

There was a surprise. I did find the air cleaner unit. It was being incognito on a shelf trying to blend in with a Series III air cleaner and a Donaldson air cleaner. You know - my now super organised shelving system. The one I set about achieving just after I pulled parts of Snowy. I did a Maxwell Smart - I missed storing Snowy's parts safely by that much. In fact Snowy was a tipping point. I realised I had to get myself organised so I could find things when I needed them. Also, be able to access parts and tools without risking life or limb, or having to play Rubik's Cubes to get to stored items. Anyway, the air cleaner filter was one of the worst I have handled - it was chockers with bull-dust.

I will now concentrate on sanding off the mudguards and respraying them. Having Snowy running again is a strong motivator to get the cosmetic parts sorted out. I did not want to have a nice looking lawn ornament. I want to have a vehicle that is fully operational that I can get registered for the road.

A final note for this post. Having the passenger door flying open in the paddock and stuff falling off the passenger seat reminded me that I must fit the new passenger and driver's side door latches! Yes, I know exactly where they are stored!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Today's work involved buying new flexible fuel line to replace the lengths of pipe that make up the fuel return line or split rail between the fuel injectors. I also traced a couple of other leaks that were caused by my being too cautious while tightening things down. For example, the top nut on Number 4 fuel injector.

While the mudguards are off I sanded down the area where brake fluid had removed all the paint from the firewall below the master cylinders. The area was covered with surface rust. Having sanded it back to bare metal I then cleaned the area off and once dry, a coat of red oxide was sprayed
on.

I have to admit to being more motivated to do cosmetic work on Snowy now that he is running and driving again. Well that is it for today.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I had a look back through some photographs I took with my mobile phone. Back in June 2020 Snowy looked like this...

Can you notice something? Yes Snowy did have a white radiator overflow tank before I dismantled the front clip.

So it has been over a year since the disassembly first occurred. Trouble is I have run out of hiding places where the overflow tank could be.

One of the reasons why the front clip was taken off....

Oh well ... onwards and upwards....

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

What was lost has been found. The photo of Snowy from back in 2020 triggered a memory of which box the expansion tank was stored in. Also, where the box was last seen as a memory. I just had to trace where the box's new location was. On my third hunting site I looked at a high point well above eye level. There was this innocuous box whose contents could not be seen. I lifted the box down and "bingo" It was a box that was placed for later sorting as it contained different models of Land Rover parts.

As far as the last remaining missing part. A top radiator bracket I have a sneaking suspicion that it was left on the radiator when I took it to be checked at the radiator place. As in put smaller parts back on the main item that they were fixed to - keep stuff together. When I got the radiator back a month or so had elapsed and I did not realise that anything might have been missing. I have a vague memory that the rubber bush had stuck to the passenger-side radiator pin. I would have just undone the two bolts that secure it to the frame. The driver's side bracket was returned to the support frame because it's rubber bush had not stuck to the radiator pin.

Apparently, with the "yet to be sorted" box going AWOL while holding the expansion tank and some other goodies, there is still some work to be done sorting stuff out!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Just a couple of little steps forward to describe today. The part of the firewall that had previously been affected by brake fluid now has its first layer of top coat sitting on top of the red oxide primer. The top coat was colour matched by one of the local automotive parts places. Repainting in an area that will be covered by the mudguard allowed me to test the colour in a place that would not be readily seen.

This afternoon I went to lightly sand the primer that I sprayed on a month or so ago on the previously badly dented driver's mudguard. Back then I thought it was pretty much ready for a light sand before the first layer of colour would be sprayed on. Today, I saw flap disk marks that I must not have noticed the last time I worked on the mudguard. The marks were right on the top join between the headlight fascia and the top of the mudguard. Yes, in a highly visible place one the mudguards were back on the vehicle. So today out came a bigger board-type of hand sander. This also revealed numerous low spots. Out came the dolly and the slapper. An hour or so later after more sanding - some more slapping - a couple washes and a drying period; I sprayed etch primer onto the now bare alloy. The primer went on so much smoother than my attempt made some months ago.

By the Monday I should be putting the front clip back on Snowy. Along with some nice and shiny coats of paint on what were pretty bashed-up and sad looking farm-fresh mudguards.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well the gift of being disorganised while I was disassembling Snowy is something that just keeps on giving. I found the missing passenger side upper radiator bracket. As you well versed 110 Defender owners are no doubt aware, the horn and upper radiator bracket are fixed to the radiator support frame. So, with my being unfamiliar with this arrangement I did not look that closely at the funny bracket hanging off the horn that I had previously stored in the battery box. I had the battery out sitting on a workbench in the shed while it gets trickle charged. In the middle of last night's sleep an image appeared in my head. The image left a thought behind. "When you wake up check out that funny looking horn bracket". I went to Snowy this morning and sure enough. The missing upper radiator bracket has been found. It and the horn has since been reinstalled.

During Snowy's disassembly and the intervening period waiting for parts, I had realised that I had to organise my collection of vehicle's parts and my tools. After playing Rubik's Cube to reach the spot where some tools should have been; and risking life and limb in the process, I had a "I'm as mad as hell and I am not taking this any more" moment. The continued lessons learnt from Snowy and my being disorganised during the disassembly process has resulted in dedicated shelves which are labelled with Dymo tape. It will be so much easier when I start working on my next project.

One thing that I am proud of is how I followed many restorer's advice and bagged and tagged small parts that came off Snowy. These bags were stored in Snowy's cab in parts bins. I am slowly working through bags with labels such as "inside passenger mudguard fixings"

For the next project the bags and tags will be going on their dedicated shelf/s. Along with all the other parts from the vehicle.That way at a glance I can see all the parts that are located in one place.

I had made the prediction earlier that Snowy's front clip should be back on by Monday. That will not be happening. Because I repainted a section of brake fluid affected firewall and bonnet I ran out of paint spraying for the driver's side mudguard. By the time I had run out of paint yesterday - Saturday, the store that mixed up the paint had closed for the weekend.

Oh well, off to put on some sunscreen and put the passenger side mudguard and air cleaner back on Snowy.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Today, I checked out Snowy's front clip panels. I noticed that one of the lower right-angle brackets that hold the grille surrounds was missing. This part no doubt went astray somewhere on the farm that Snowy came from. So, I grabbed some galvanised sheet that was the same thickness as the remaining bracket. I took some measurements off the part and cut and folded my own bracket. Next was to make one of the drill holes square with a file so it could fit the plastic clip that a Phillips-head screw fits into. I scrounged one of these clips off a scrapped Series 3 firewall. The new bracket has been fitted.

I went to buy some plastic rivets that fit the flares onto the mudguard. I was not impressed with the locally available price. I also checked out the price of foam for the seat bases from a local store. Hmmm, apart from the cost of freight from England Exmoor trims are not looking that bad in comparative pricing. Did I mention about the freight price?

I also picked up another can of paint and some more wet and dry sand paper. That was just about it for Snowy for the day.

Kind regards
Lionel

[dromader driver]

Hello All,

Today, I checked out Snowy's front clip panels. I noticed that one of the lower right-angle brackets that hold the grille surrounds was missing. This part no doubt went astray somewhere on the farm that Snowy came from. So, I grabbed some galvanised sheet that was the same thickness as the remaining bracket. I took some measurements off the part and cut and folded my own bracket. Next was to make one of the drill holes square with a file so it could fit the plastic clip that a Phillips-head screw fits into. I scrounged one of these clips off a scrapped Series 3 firewall. The new bracket has been fitted.

I went to buy some plastic rivets that fit the flares onto the mudguard. I was not impressed with the locally available price. I also checked out the price of foam for the seat bases from a local store. Hmmm, apart from the cost of freight from England Exmoor trims are not looking that bad in comparative pricing. Did I mention about the freight price?

I also picked up another can of paint and some more wet and dry sand paper. That was just about it for Snowy for the day.

Kind regards
Lionel

Last time i tried to get stuff from Exmoor they refused to ship to Oz. Basically forced to buy from someone with the stock already in Oz. Wasn't planning to ship the glue before anyone asks. Now looking at some alternate Stratos type seats.

[Lionelgee]

Last time i tried to get stuff from Exmoor they refused to ship to Oz. Basically forced to buy from someone with the stock already in Oz. Wasn't planning to ship the glue before anyone asks. Now looking at some alternate Stratos type seats.

G'day Dromader,

Thank you for your reply.

Perhaps you could use a postal forwarding mob like this one in the UK... UK to Australia Parcel Forwarding (https://www.forward2me.com/uk-to-australia-parcel-forwarding). The company describes how....

If you’re looking to purchase goods from UK brands, such as Amazon UK or Marks & Spencer, you may be disappointed at how many don’t ship directly to Australia. If this is the case, don’t worry, because our UK to Australia parcel forwarding service ensures that you can have your products sent to a real UK address, before we forward your parcel direct to you in Australia


I use a similar company in the USA . I have no association with the UK company. They may be one of many - I just did a quick internet search to see if there was an equivalent company that offers the same service that you US mob do. The company I quoted were the first one I found.

I just had a quick look at their "Large Items" because some foam for seat bases and backs would fit such a description. Apparently, this mob can even freight car engines to Australia!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Fattima]

Rimmer Brothers sell Exmoor and are having a sale at the moment. Bearmach sell Exmoor gear too, both will ship to Australia.

[Don 130]

I got an Exmoor Defender drivers seat rebuild kit through Amazon a couple of years ago, but the link now says no stock.
Don.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

An update on work on Snowy. Response... for the past five days - absolutely zip.

I have been focused on following my thesis proof-readers suggested corrections since Friday. The thesis is 10 chapters long. I put to bed Chapter 5's corrections about 20 minutes ago. Chapter 6 corrections are locked and loaded for tomorrow. The half-way point has been reached. Hooray. Tonight I will NOT be crawling into bed just before 2:00 am like I did during the last period of dark light conditions.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Wicks89]

Awesome work bringing it all back together. Will look really good with a refresh under the bonnet!

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Snowy is back tootling around the paddock today after I sorted out some issues with the hydraulic circuit of the clutch.

To celebrate Snowy being able to move around under its own power again, I decided to do something that has not been done for a long long time. Snowy had a tub. I took everything out from inside Snowy's cabin and scrubbed and washed away years of farm detritus. I also gave Snowy an external wash too.

I suppose keeping the interior of a ute that was just used on the farm where I bought Snowy from was not on their list of priorities. I found some spent bullet cartridges under the driver's seat. One or two small creatures that may have gone into Snowy for sanctuary years ago must have never been able to find their way out again.

I am very happy I gave Snowy a thorough clean today because another thing I found was that both the brake and the clutch must have been leaking fluid into the cabin over lots of years. This had started corrosion of the floor and firewall seam and the rust had been active for a while. Luckily all I need to do is to hit the areas with a wire wheel to clean it back to sound metal and remove the flaking paint. It is more blistered paint that has been lifted up by the some rust starting rather than pockmarks of rust that have eaten into the metal. After the wire wheeling I will give it a couple of coats of red oxide paint. This will be followed with some semi-gloss Alpine White paint which has rust inhibitor. The rusted area was covered by the interior mats, so I did not know it was there. I did find some rust starting in the passenger footwell too. However, it was not as much as the amount of rust on the driver's side though. So, I rate that as a good catch.

The best thing about Snowy being mobile again is that I can drive him into the shed and have concrete to place some jack stands on while I bleed the brakes. I can also use the mechanic's slide while I am moving around doing the work. A safe and stable surface to work on and ease of movement. Just living the dream.

Sorry, I could not take any photographs and post them up here because Snowy is so clean it dazzles the camera.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Can someone please let me know what the battery tray and what technique and components should be used to secure the battery in the passenger-side battery compartment located under the seat of Snowy my 110 Defender?

As per the photograph below - apart from the battery just sitting in the recess this is all that was in Snowy's battery compartment when I bought it.

I have gone online and to places like Find Land Rover parts at LR Workshop (http://www.lrworkshop.com) and there seems to be at least three different styles of battery tray and different ways to secure the battery to the tray.

I could just make my own battery tray out of angle iron and some sheet metal for the base. Grab a generic J-bolt type of top of the battery bracket arrangement off the shelf at at Autopro or elsewhere and fix the J-bolts to the vertical sides of the angle iron. I checked online at Repco and their range of 'universal' battery tray components depending on the different styles range from $12 to $414 ... Cripes !!! Please see ... Repco Australia | Auto Parts Store - Aftermarket Car Parts
(https://www.repco.com.au/globes-batteries-electrical/battery-chargers-power-accessories/battery-trays-mounts/c/10000008553)

The trouble with each of the options on Find Land Rover parts at LR Workshop (http://www.lrworkshop.com) and other online sources is that they do not show the battery trays fixed into the car. The parts diagrams just have the battery trays floating in space, with no reference point linking it inside of the car. The workshop manuals I have are not any help either.

It would be good to have something original to Snowy though. I would greatly appreciate if someone could enlighten me more about how the original battery storage was set-up. For example, is the original battery tray welded to the bottom of the recess? If it is not welded in place then I might even be able to explore the second-hand parts option too.

The things you never think of checking when someone has a roadworthy vehicle like the one you are restoring so that you know how things should look. To check to see how the battery is held down and what components are used - never crossed my mind. How about ... 'never sparked my interest'

... Battery ... spark ... you know!

Okay it is a bit late here now...

Kind regards
Lionel

[DazzaTD5]

some pics of my 200tdi battery tray.

There are slots on each side of the battery floor, the right side you can see them, the other side are prolly blocked with mud/rust/combo of both.
Underside of the slots are the little boxes so the battery holding rods don't drop out when fitting them (is my guess)

[DazzaTD5]

And when i save your pic and enlarge it I reckon I can see the slots on the right side, the left side BTW only has one slot

[Lionelgee]

some pics of my 200tdi battery tray.

There are slots on each side of the battery floor, the right side you can see them, the other side are prolly blocked with mud/rust/combo of both.
Underside of the slots are the little boxes so the battery holding rods don't drop out when fitting them (is my guess)

Hello Dazza,

You are correct - there is a lot of crud built up in the bottom of the battery box. I did notice a bit of a hole that did not look manufactured - more of some type of corrosion creating a weak spot.

My next activity was going to run a wire brush on an angle grinder over the area.

So it is only the slots - two J bolts + and an angle iron bracket that is used to secure the battery. I was thinking of a proper tray like the Series vehicles had including a plastic insert that had a drain hole. I suppose with sealed batteries there is no longer a need for a drain hole in the battery compartment.

Thank you for posting the photographs Dazza. I can now go through the Repco parts site pick up some suitable J bolts. I have some angle iron here already. Off I go to rediscover some slots in the floor.

I probably thought too much about it... :0)

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

G'day Dazza & other interested parties,

Gee it is amazing what you can find. Especially when you know what you are looking for! Thank you Dazza for taking the time to snap the photos and post them up.

It turns out that each of those rectangular pockets underneath the floor were chock-a-block full of bulldust. It was so full it had actually formed a seam over the slots.

After using an engineer's scribe, an air compressor gun, a vacuum and a die grinder I was able to uncover that what was lost. I would not have found them with out your clues about what to look out for. I did see the closest to the rear slot. However, I thought it was where something like a bracket had rusted and someone had removed it with a hammer. Subsequently, leaving a rusty-weld like slot or crack behind.

The area looks a bit better in the last photograph - with a nice coat of zinc oxide primer.

Thank you again, Dazza!

Kind regards

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

As you might be able to make out in the photographs. A before and after shot of the passenger side footwell. I had scrubbed the area with a wire brush fitted to an angle grinder. I had gone over hard to reach places with a hand operated wire brush. Then a die grinder to get into the narrow edges. I had blasted the area off with an air compressor gun and then vacuumed it. To finish the preparation stage off I had sponged the area down and left it to dry.

Within seconds of applying the zinc oxide spray paint three hoards of ants descended from the seam. Somehow the little sods have changed colour and now have very sticky feet.

Not Happy ... Jan

The last photograph is of the driver's side footwell as it was revealed yesterday. I reckon I just caught the surface rust in time.

Looks like I will also be getting some ant bait for Snowy too. Little sods!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Are the power steering hoses an item that needs to be routinely replaced? Or do they just hang around for decades until one day they just give up the ghost? I bought a replacement power steering pump for Snowy. Prior to my buying Snowy the original power steering pump was leaking oil all over the alternator. Currently, the power steering hoses seem to be in good condition. They were probably preserved by all the power steering fluid and bulldust. I saw the replacement part cost for generic brand replacement hoses and they were simply extortionately expensive.

I am wondering whether I should risk seeing how long the currently fitted hose will last. Am I tempting fate too much? How many times in your ownership of a 110 have you need to replace the power steering hoses?

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All

I was walking past Snowy the other night and I noticed a damp patch staining the inside of the passenger side front tyre. Just after I replaced Snowy's clutch master cylinder I had to top up Snowy's brake master cylinder as well. Looks like I have worked out where that need to top up the brake master cylinder came from.

Snowy has developed a front brake continence issue. A new seal and piston kit is on its way. Fix one thing and turn your back on it and something else develops an 'issue'. I suppose it is just another way that a Land Rover marks its territory!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I took a variety of grinders and sanders to Snowy's driver's side footwell this afternoon. There was a fair bit of surface rust along the seams. Also some pock type rust on the plate just above the joint between the horizontal floor and the first section of where the sheetmetal angles back to form the footwell that extends behind the control pedals.

The only rust hole that went all the way through the metal's thickness was on the driver's side of the cover that sit behinds the bell housing. At least that will be easy to unbolt and repair on a workbench. So I reckon I am pretty lucky with the rust in Snowy. I must have caught things just in time.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Well, after running down a last minute opportunity for a chassis that is good condition, the seller suddenly stopped responding to my Marketplace Messages.

So, after that waste of time, I decided to bite the bullet and I booked Snowy into the Coolum-based specialist chassis repairers. Snowy is booked in for their first available slot. This turns out to be late March 2024. The deposit has been paid. The finished job will come with a Queensland Department of Transport and Main Road compliance plate for the modifications to the chassis. The damaged area will be plated after the cracks have been been repaired. The outcome will be a roadworthy repair. A repair that has been described as being stronger than original chassis was when it left the factory in Solihull. Or wherever Land Rover Defender 110s were made back in 1993.

A brief check-list ...

The chassis repairs and modifications are locked in for next year.
I am working on finding a solution for getting Snowy's seats up to roadworthy condition now.
I just have to remove Snowy's tray and pressure clean the whole chassis prior to delivering Snowy to the chassis people. It will be a good time to replace the tray's floor.
I also have March to work on Snowy's brakes. Replace the front brake callipers and pads. Then unbolt the rear drum brakes and install the KLR Perentie Disc Brake Conversion kit, so I will have disc brakes on each corner of Snowy.
Plus, fit the replacement door latches that have been sitting on a shelf in my shed since 2020.
Make sure all the lights and switches work... Extend the wiring in the head and indicator lights so I do not need the hands of a midwife to reach various plugs and junctions while attempting to severe limbs on metal flanges. Basically my adjusting the wiring so it is convenient to reach and work on in the future. Find out why the rear left indicator comes on after it has rained even with the ignition turned off and the key removed?
Get the heater core pressure tested for possible leaks. Then refit
buy and fit a battery tray.


After all of the above is done and dusted, I will get a new front windscreen installed and then get Snowy inspected by a mobile roadworthy mechanic to see what else needs to be done to get Snowy back on the roads again - legally. It will be a preliminary roadworthy without being issued an breaches. It will provide me with a 'to do' list that I can work from.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

It is funny the things you miss until you need to work on something. Yesterday, I realised that Snowy should have a lever and a case to allow the driver's seat to back to pivot forward and back again into the upright position. The passenger side has one of these tilting components. So lucky me!

According to the diagram kindly provided by LR Workshop in the UK - accessed 6th December from Front - With Head Restraint - From AA277964 To DA314040 - Find Land Rover parts at LR Workshop (https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams/land-rover-defender-seats/seating/front-with-headrestraint-from-%28v%29-aa277964-to-da314040_53658). Snowy is missing the following parts...

MUC8754 - Handle - Seat Tipping Mechanism
MWC7636 RH, Plate-front seat recline mechanism cover

These are the only parts that I can see shown on the diagram. However, when I looked up each part they are only:
MUC8754 the rubber tip to the tilt lever itself.
MWC7636 is the Right Front Seat Recliner Mechanism's Cover only.

I cannot find a parts number for the metal tilting lever itself or anything else the lever connects to so the seat back releases and tilts. There must be either be a different diagram for these parts or the supplied diagram does not show the lever.

Does anyone have any ideas. Just having a rubber lever tip and a nice empty plastic case will not cut the mustard.

Yes - V8Ian, I will post a photograph of what Snowy's driver seat level assembly - or lack thereof, looks like - tomorrow after the sun has returned to the sky.

Kind regards
Lionel

[DazzaTD5]

*There is no individual part for the handle itself, the mechanism is part of the vertical seat frame.
*MUC8754 is a plastic cap that goes over the metal handle and commonly falls off on Defenders.

*I suspect the metal handle has broken off at some point in its life.

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Thank you Dazza for the reply about Snowy's seats.

Here is an opportunity to play ...'spot the difference'.

Kind regards
Lionel

[DazzaTD5]

Hello All,

Thank you Dazza for the reply about Snowy's seats.

Here is an opportunity to play ...'spot the difference'.

Kind regards
Lionel

From where I am sitting there is no difference, they are both ****ed [tonguewink]

Have you contacted British Offroad (north of Brissy) surely they have some decent pre-2007 Defender seats.
You seem hell bent on spending way too much time on them fairly worn out seats.

[V8Ian]

Or Gold City in Gympie, they're closer to you, Lionel.

[Lionelgee]

Or Gold City in Gympie, they're closer to you, Lionel.

Hello Ian & Dazza,

I am collaborating with a possibly even more local source. [bigsmile1]

Hello Dazza, those seats sure are a gift that keeps on giving.

Kind regards
Lionel

[DazzaTD5]

Hello Dazza, those seats sure are a gift that keeps on giving.

Kind regards
Lionel

Yeah they are, it's driving me nuts!

[Lionelgee]

Yeah they are, it's driving me nuts!

Hello Dazza,

Well just to make things more interesting - the front of the driver's seat base where the top sheet metal meets the pipe frame of the seat base - the welds are all cracked.

I have not checked the passenger seat yet for whether it is cracked to. I try to ration such good news in small proportions.

Weeeee


Kind regards
Lionel

[V8Ian]

Lionel, I think it's time to send those seats on a boat ride.....to China. [biggrin]

[DazzaTD5]

Lionel, I think it's time to send those seats on a boat ride.....to China. [biggrin]

at last the voice of reason...

[Lionelgee]

at last the voice of reason...

Well Dazza,

My first instincts upon seeing the seats started something along the lines of, "well I am going to [mumble] those seats off, Lickety-split". This plan of attack can be evidenced by my starting an earlier thread which had the title of ... Alternative Seats for Defender - Not Exmoor Trim. Unfortunately Snowy needs to have a roadworthy inspection before it can be registered, this means the seats have to be compliant to the design codes. I have been looking for people selling second-hand Defender seats. Especially since it would be not hard to find some in better condition than Snowy's seats. Until something comes up I can get other work done on Snowy. Go back to the description of my first instincts to identify that the 'voice of reason' was present from day dot on seeing the seats. The roadworthy inspection does complicate things somewhat.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

This weekend I worked on preparing Snowy for the trip to the chassis repair place in mid June. I had to take off the steel side tray and pressure wash the chassis as part of the preparations. I have previously taken off a topographic module that was previously a 2A ex-Army Ambulance. I used a 'bay' of pallet racking to form a structure so I could lift the module off the trailer I transported it home on. Then I parked a 109 rolling chassis under it and lowered the module down. Either four or six pallet racking beams were used to keep every thing rigid.

Time has since marched on and all that pallet racking has been assigned to fill its intended design purposes. I bought some more beams a fortnight ago. However, there were no vertical frames on offer. The frames have remained elusive. So I bodged something up with spare beams as vertical legs and four long stroke 8 tonne hydraulic rams. Yes, 8 tonne is overkill - they were just the most popular and reasonably priced. It probably took me four times longer and a couple of occasions of heart in the mouth before my goal was achieved. Meanwhile, knowing as I was working along how much quicker and safer the pallet 'bay' method would be. Guess what I am going to use when I lower the tray on to a trailer so I can move the tray around and work on it. Yes, I am scoring Marketplace and various sources for second-hand frames. I did check out a local supplier for new frames. However, upon seeing the quote for supply I thought my eldest son probably would not appreciate being sold into servitude - so I walked away.

So, 'where are the photographs' you ask? Hmm following on from workplace health and safety guidelines it may be astute not to post such evidence. The method I used worked and I did not wake up in the middle of the night screaming last night. There is always tonight I suppose. Fingers crossed that one of the possums does not leap from the weeping bottle-brush in the middle of the night onto the ute tray. It could be one very surprised possum and it could provide an interrupted sleep for me too.

I was able to catch some corrosion in the form of scale layer with pitting under the scale. I removed the scale with a cold chisel and hammer, then cleaned the area up with a wire brush on an angle grinder. Prep-washed the area and then sprayed it with red oxide. The pitting did not cause holes so I must have just caught and treated the rust in time. I also gave Snowy a bath courtesy of a pressure washer and there is still some shine in the paint that was covered by a layer of grime and less pleasant things.

Well, getting the tray off Snowy was the biggest thing on the 'things to do to prepare Snowy checklist'

All in all, it was a highly productive weekend. A little scary at times - but productive, and no harm was caused.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

No photographs because it grew too dark. I however, tracked down some pallet racking frames at one of the local scrap yards and I managed to pick up a very good deal. Turns out it was genuine Dexion racking that had just been painted over! I picked the frames up at 2:00 pm and then spent some time installing the pallet racking frame and beams under Snowy's steel tray. I then gracefully lowered the ute tray down onto the beams. Then promptly removed all traces of Bodgey Brothers and their technique of raising the tray off Snowy's chassis. Nothing to see here - everything was done according to workplace health and safety rules.

[bigwhistle]

While I was at the scrap yard inspecting the two frames for Snowy, I asked one of the blokes at the scrap yard if there was any more pallet racking frames. They said 'no'. Then I asked if I could have a look around. After a short stroll I saw a good looking white steel ute tray. I then took another look and worked out what the ute tray had been stacked onto. The ute tray was on an island in the middle of a sea of scrap so I had to observe from a distance. After a while I went 'Yep, that is a pile of pallet racking frames'. Another four frames joined the two I had already bought for Snowy. So, that was a couple of wins for today. Extra pallet racking frames and Snowy's tray siting on a nice stable platform.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I scouted out the local scrap yards and at last I found some pallet racking frames. I have been playing MarketPlace Messenger tag with a bloke who had a set of pallet racking for sale here in town that started two months ago. Then suddenly - due to their ill health, the advertisement was taken down! Anyway, on Wednesday I bought a 4000 mm and 3500 mm long pair of Dexion frames - the vertical sides, for the princely sum of $15 each. The two different heights were the only ones they had and I was not going to complain. Especially, considering the great bargain price I got them for! This purchase allowed me to make the pallet racking bay to hold Snowy's tray the way I prefer to do. The pallet racking bay also makes it so much more safer and efficient to raise and lower the tray.

All I have to do is place another row of pallet beams below the beams directly under Snowy's tray and secure the hydraulic ram 8 tonne jacks to the beams with either the no hooks style of 'belly strap' type of ratchet straps; or I could lash out an buy some U bolts used to mount trailer axles. This will stop any chance of lateral movement of the jacks while they lift and lower. Having a jack get into a pendulum sweep while lifting something heavy up is not a desirable outcome. The longer the jack's stroke position the wider the sweep or sway of the load. Then at some point during the sway the load can experience a Humpty Dumpty event. Ratchet straps from the side of the load to a fixed point, like a concrete house stump can prevent the pendulum effect. However, it still rates as a pretty Bodgey Brothers' system of working. The one I had to resort to after secondhand pallet racking in Bundaberg became scare as hen's teeth when I first needed it. Using the Bodgey Brothers' technique while knowing and being experienced in a better way to do something was more than just a tad frustrating. Especially, with that little voice sounding off in my ear, "Lionel, you know a better and safer way to do this!". Sod off, inner critic! Go and do something useful, for a change!

Well, Snowy's tray is all safe and securely mounted and stored. Just have to wait until June when Snowy goes for a car trailer ride. Off to the place where his chassis repairs will be done professionally and a nice pretty, blue plate will be mounted somewhere in the engine bay. All on display for the nice Department of Main Roads and Transport's Vehicle Inspectors to observe and tick off.

Kind regards
Lionel

[V8Ian]

Lionel, necessity was the mother of invention. Nothing would ever have been achieved without a fair measure of bodginess. The smart operators, generally survive, by recognition of the hazard and mitigation of the risk.
Well done. :BigThumb:

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

The second major obstacle for Snowy's repair work arrived in the post all the way from Horsham, Victoria - yesterday. A driver's seat frame with a seat back tilting lever and a tilt adjustment angle quadrant that has its full set of teeth is now in my possession! Hen's teeth and rocking horse poo give you some idea of the apparent rarity of these items. The first and significantly most major obstacle for getting Snowy roadworthy is the chassis repairs. They are scheduled for mid June. It would be good to have at least the driver's seat in place when Snowy gets a ride on a car trailer to the repairer's.

I had originally been converting a BMW leather seat upholstery that I bought for the princely sum of $70 for a full front and back seat set. I figured my time is my own, so any time spent modifying the seat foam and hand stitching was not going to cost me anything - okay apart from the odd needle stick and related blood loss.

The only drawback has been the interval of time it has taken me to complete the quest for the seat frame. I was just about to finish the sewing on the seat base when I had a look at Snowy's driver's seat tilting mechanism and noticed the condition of the teeth. With the tilt lever completely broken off the farmer - previous and original owner, had used gorilla-mode to tilt the driver's seat forward and backward over the years. The end result was about 4 teeth at the start of the quadrant and 4 teeth at the end of the quadrant - and no teeth in between. I figured what is the point of continuing sewing unless I can find a replacement seat frame?

woo wooo woooh insert theme music from the Time Zone blur and smoke the screen a bit. Time passes, I reckon it must be close to six months later. In the interim I have been down lots of dead ends and followed numerous false trails to find a replacement seat frame . Then yesterday a big parcel arrives in the mail. Sadly, by which time bits and pieces - like my awl - that were left in a handy place - at the time of first starting to sew. Since then the known location of that handy place has become less firm in my mind. It will no doubt involve a search tomorrow to find the awl.

In the meantime, after some confirmatory viewing of YouTube I restarted my sewing efforts tonight. I had completed about 15 cms of sewing when I noticed that I had one of the seams folded over the wrong way. Sigh ... unpick the stitches and start from scratch on that section of sewing. Now, after about half an hour - time flies when you are having fun - I swapped the 'fancy' stitch to a bog standard taught to our class in primary school stitch. Then used a couple of tricks in straining the tension of that section of stitching and I can finish up shop tonight with some visible progress being made. It would have been faster progress if I had my awl in hand. Oh, well - a quest for tomorrow. Find the awl. Plus put a third coat of paint on the seat frame. The pillow is calling me. Have a good night oops make that 12:35 am - I was so intent sewing that it is now a new day!

Kind regards
Lionel

[V8Ian]

:ttiwwp:

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

If you ever want to see a master at work doing car upholstery then check this bloke out - Rudolph's Upholstery. Rudolph is also a character too. Rudolph has been an upholster for 40 years. Accessed 1st June 2024 from,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaklK85uXUE. Apparently, this involved a customer buying a set of re-trim kits for a 1971 MGB from a very well known trim supplier in the UK. It must have been a very bad day at their factory.

There is also a clip about 1968 Ford truck bench seat - accessed 1st June 2024 from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0w_UjG54O0&t=765s

Plus, plenty of other clips. I have been able to make progress in trimming down the BMW seats, so they match the Defender's seat frame and also g known what to buy from a local upholster, from watching Rudolph work. Enjoy!

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Since Ian put such a nice suggestion to post some photographs of something that is about as interesting to do as watching grass grow - hand stitching ... here are some really exciting photos. The seam in the second photograph looks a bit loose - this is because at the time I had not tightened the thread.

I had to redo the seam because the BMW leather and stitching had failed just between the seam and the seat's side bolster. Being the driver's seat it would have been collecting sweat for years and things just gave way. I unstitched the area - about 300 mm and used contact adhesive to run a length of leather to the back of the original trim. So, for most of the length I was pushing a needle through four layers of leather. That is why you can see a set of needle nose pliers in one of the photographs. I also used a leather off cut as a thimble to initially needle through the hole I had previously made with the awl. When I was just threading through the sound leather I was only going through 2 layers and I could push the needle through the awl hole without needing the scrap of leather or the needle nose pliers. I followed each stitch hole that was made at the factory. Pretty laborious - however, I got there in the end! Yes, Ian once the trim is finished and back on the Defender seat base I will post some more photographs.

I will take some more photographs and post them up when I cut the passenger side seat foam down and add two to three new layers of padding. I did not take any photographs of this stage with the driver's side seat mostly because it was a big experiment and I was not sure if it was going to work. It did though. I only have to modify how the BMW back rest fits onto the Defender frame. Nothing needs to be done with the leather trim or the foam. The centre seat will be all my work from cutting the foam to making a pattern for the seat base and back. By the time I get to start working on the centre seat I hope to have all the cabinetry that is currently blocking my access to my sewing machine removed from the shed and installed in the kitchen. Then I will have some space and time to teach myself how to machine sew. I really do not want to hand stitch the full seams that go along the outside edge of the two seat parts.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I have been mentioning that I bought the interior of a BMW without identifying the exact model. The donor vehicle was a BMW E34 which was the third generation of the BMW 5 Series. The 5 series was produced from November 2, 1987, until 1996. Snowy was made in January 1993 so even though I bought the interior because it was available only a couple of blocks away from where I live - the age of the BMW matched Snowy's age. This was lucky for me because the E34 did not have any inbuilt air bags or electronics within the seats.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Just done bibs and bobs today. With the tray off Snowy I have been assessing the condition of the steel frame that the tray is made from. The main component is 50 x 25 rectangular hollow section. Snowy came with a patchwork of warped and rotted tongue and groove timber decking and odd bits of checker plate that was wedged between the RHS and the rotted timber deck to form a patch. Well multiple patches.

Since it is now dark outside, I took some happy snaps with my phone's flash. Not the best of quality. Some sections of the head board where it joins with the front cross brace have gone rusty. Two cross braces that must have been where the steel mudguards were fitted have holes rusted through them as well. Lucky for me I have had the same dimension of steel sitting in storage for years. The farmer had replaced the steel rear mudguards with some old conveyor belt front and back sides. There was not top to the mudguard, so it left the area open and the tyres would throw stuff up under the tray. This mud and cattle dung was trapped against the steel forming a nice moist corrosive environment. Fortunately the steel sides of the flat bed tray are in very good condition.

I will be reinforcing the rear of the tray with a couple of rows of full width thicker walled square hollow section to provide reinforcement to where I am going mount a ute crane to the tray.

There have been small steps forward. Only a couple of weeks to go until Snowy gets towed to chassis repair place. I will need to do some more work on the driver's seat so there is something to sit on when the car is moved around on and off the trailer and driven into the workshop.

It looks like I will becoming very familiar with a wire brush mounted to an angle grinder. Then red oxide and a yet to be determined colour for the top coats of paint. I might stay with the white look.

Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Yesterday afternoon I unpicked a back head rest so I could use it to extend the side of Snowy's driver seat cover a bit more. Turns out that sun damaged leather is not worth a cracker. It just disintegrates when it is stretched. So, this afternoon I unstitched some of the rear seat back for some donor leather. Everything I am doing to Snowy's driver's seat I have to replicate for the passenger seat. Plus I have the middle seat's base and back to do. Finger's crossed, I have enough leather just in the rear seat back to finish Snowy's seats. I would like to be able to save the BMW rear seat base for another project.

Kind regards
Lionel