Series 3 Rebuild.

[TJWA]

Hi all, I've been reading this forum for a while and have made a few posts, but I feel it's now time to reveal my master plan and get some advice from others who've tried similar.

I own 2 Series III SWB Landys and a 1993 Discovery 200tdi.

Here's the details:

I'm using an existing chassis and replating the bottom of the rear crossmember. It will then be endrusted and repainted as I feel the rust it has makes it not worth while to galvanise it. I've been quoted 95 cents per kg for Galvanising. I've found a nice Chassis in the Eastern states, but it will cost me a grand just to get it to WA!

I have ordered Parabolic springs and shockies to suit all round. Hangers and shackles will remain standard.

Diffs will remain standard with bearings, wheel bearings and all unis replaced.

The Disco 200tdi, turbo, radiator and intercooler will be going in the engine bay. I'm modding the S3 radiator support to fit the radiator and intercooler in the same configuration as the Disco. They will sit slighty higher to clear the steering arm.

Dual batteries will be moved to the very back of the chassis as I will be fabricating holders to fit underneath the rear of each wheel guard. With a protective fold up plate or a flap in the tub to access them.

The S3 gearbox is being rebuilt and the transfer case is having a high range conversion which should give me 3000rpm in 4th at 100kph.

I would like to get rid of the standard fuel tank and put in a station wagon tank at the rear of the chassis. I'm trying to find out if this is possible or if I have to make up something custom. I'm trying to get the space back under the drivers seat, get a larger tank and improve ground clearance as I've been stuck sitting on top of the 16 gallon tank before!

I already have brand new door bottoms and tops.

I have obtained a firewall/bulkhead with minimal rust which is being sandblasted then galvanised. I'm investigating fabricating a steel dash similar to the S2 and getting rid of the S3 plastic crap. I will retain the S3 instrument cluster face and mount it in the same position.

The new paint colour will be Dulux Bronze Olive 32348. Which is easy to get hold of and will be around for a long time as it's used on Colourbond fences.

I am having untill the end of the financial year off and have the funds ready to go so this will happen a bit faster than the average chassis build up. This is all happening for my wife of course as she grew up on a remote Station with them and would rather have a noisy, uncomfortable slow old S3 SWB rather than the LTD Jeep Cherokee I bought her! After pulling the S3 apart I have really come to apreciate them, a socket set, screw driver set and 3 days at 8 hours a day and your down to a rolling chassis!

Any comments are appreciated. :p

[pop058]

Well done,i think you are going to have one neat vehicle:)Parabolics and the correct shocks are the way to go with these, i had them on my swb s3 and what a difference.:cool:I'm also in agreement with you on the series2 dash,for me it has to be a metal dash.:BigThumb:Keep the pics coming,please.:twobeers:

having been absolutely amazed by the pics on your "100 inch" thread, I think that is the understatement of the year so far

Paul

[JDNSW]

Sounds like a good project, but a couple of comments.

1. The station wagon tank cannot be fitted to a swb - not enough room. If you make one to fit you will have to do something else with the exhaust - since you are putting batteries behind the wheels, you might find you are running out of room!

2. Before scrapping the S3 dash for a metal one, check the legalities of it - I also prefer the metal dash, hence why I have a 2a not an S3! (plus I prefer the gearbox and a few other bits as well).

John

[TJWA]

Thanks, some good points, I had not thought about the legalities of changing the dash. I'll give the WA RTA a call.

As for the exhaust, if it is legal in WA, I might exit it in front of the rear wheel, such as in these photos.

Geeesus Cooper! The wife and I just checked out your 100'' dash thread. She is drooling. I don't think our finished product is going to be that flash though.

[banjo]

the series are so much fun to play with..i just got mine regod on friday & now get to find all the bugs.such as loosing all power at a busy set of lights.my batterys are in the back & i forgot to tighten one of them up it moved & shorted on some metal ,blew the fuse under the dash..sorted that real quick before people started tooting at me,,then got down the road to do what was needed then on way home about three blocks from home i ran out of fuel, fuel gauge is out. this all happened today,,then after the wife had got some fuel for it she followed me home to tell me my brake lights a staying on..when the car is upto normal running temp they stay on its not the switch as its new i'll have a look tomorrow..But you could do what i did with my tanks i cut mine down so they are the same shape as the out riggers & no lower than them..i have some pics on here i will try find them for you..
But i have to say my power steering is so AWESOME one handed steering in car parks is great easy to park in crowded shopping centres now...

[banjo]

you can just see the drivers side tank in this pic..

15160

[TJWA]

you can just see the drivers side tank in this pic..

15160

Not a bad idea. Do you have to modify the fuel level sender or does it not go down that far in the tank?

Ive drawn up a tank design to go between the rear axle and rear cross member and worked out I will be able to get at least 79L in there without compromising clearance. I'll have to route the exhaust out in front of the passenger wheel.

[wozapinin]

I've put a series 2 dash on a series three bulkhead as the series 2 one was rusted out. It's a bit fiddly but it's just a matter of cutting away the bulkhead around the s2 dash. You can drill out the spot welds ready to put on the s3 bulkhead. I'll take post some photo's if you like as I haven't welded them together yet. As for legality you've got to retain the demisters.

[banjo]

Not a bad idea. Do you have to modify the fuel level sender or does it not go down that far in the tank?

Ive drawn up a tank design to go between the rear axle and rear cross member and worked out I will be able to get at least 79L in there without compromising clearance. I'll have to route the exhaust out in front of the passenger wheel.

i just put a straight edge across the bottom after cutting & bent the send rod & float.seems to work.

[LandyBen]

Sounds like an awesome project mate, and your right, the series vehicles are really easy to work on, and fairly straight forward to nut out. Best wishes with it. :)

[TJWA]

Hey wozapinin that sounds great, would love to see those photos.:)

I'm going to pull the sender I have out of the original 16 gallon tank today and see how far the main body goes down. I think you're right banjo, I should be able to bend or maybe shorten the float rod to make it work in a tank that does not go as deep. If all else fails I'll find a different sender that will work from the wrecker.

Thanks LandyBen, I'm having a good time doing it so far. I've actually said out loud a few times to myself, "well that's easy" and similar comments, as most other cars I've worked on in the past you need to pull out ten major components just to get to one little problem! This must be the first vehicle I've ever worked on this much without throwing something in anger and frustration.

[Jimmy]

"The Disco 200tdi, turbo, radiator and intercooler will be going in the engine bay. I'm modding the S3 radiator support to fit the radiator and intercooler in the same configuration as the Disco. They will sit slighty higher to clear the steering arm.

The S3 gearbox is being rebuilt and the transfer case is having a high range conversion which should give me 3000rpm in 4th at 100kph."



Did you start with a 4cyl or 6cyl in the series 3? and who is doing the gearbox rebuild? yourself?

Cheers
Jim

[wozapinin]

here's the dash pics,the 1st ones the front of the s2 dash,2nd back of s2dash, 3rd the dashless s3, 4th and 5th s2 dash in position ready to be welded.:D At the time it was a good idea as i had the bits but I've since scored a good s2 bulkhead and will use that instead:angel:

[TJWA]

"The Disco 200tdi, turbo, radiator and intercooler will be going in the engine bay. I'm modding the S3 radiator support to fit the radiator and intercooler in the same configuration as the Disco. They will sit slighty higher to clear the steering arm.

The S3 gearbox is being rebuilt and the transfer case is having a high range conversion which should give me 3000rpm in 4th at 100kph."



Did you start with a 4cyl or 6cyl in the series 3? and who is doing the gearbox rebuild? yourself?

Cheers
Jim
Hi Jim,

I'm starting out with a 4cl 2.25 Diesel and doing the gearbox rebuild myself. The gearbox is crunching unless you have the revs right into 3rd and popping out of second. The second gearbox I have is crunching in 3rd and 4th. I figure I may as well rebuild the worst one and keep the second as a spare.

[Jimmy]

Hi Jim,

I'm starting out with a 4cl 2.25 Diesel and doing the gearbox rebuild myself. The gearbox is crunching unless you have the revs right into 3rd and popping out of second. The second gearbox I have is crunching in 3rd and 4th. I figure I may as well rebuild the worst one and keep the second as a spare.


So does the 300Tdi pretty much bolt up to the 4cyl diesel box? besides engines mounts will you need to modify anything else?

cheers
Jim

[TJWA]

The 300TDI will not bolt up to the 4cl box, the Discovery 200TDI which I'm using will.

You have to pull out two dowells from the flywheel housing and enlarge 4 other holes to fit allen bolts in. Then the engine and gearbox will bolt up.

The original 4cl Diesel clutch bolts onto the 200TDI flywheel with no problems.

You can use the standard 4cl Diesel mounts which bolt straight onto the engine.

The radiator support has to be modified to fit the intercooler and oil cooler.

The turbo on the Disco 200TDI just clears the 88'' chassis, but needs modification or a Defender manifold to fit in a 109''.

If you remove the power steering pulley the alternator has to be moved forward as the belt is out of alignment. This can be done by using spacers.

Here is one of many websites covering the conversion:
Converting a Series Land Rover to 200 Tdi diesel (http://www.expeditionlandrover.info/200tdiconversion.htm)

[TJWA]

Today I purchased a CIG Transmig 135 MIG Welder that welds with or without gas. I started work on the chassis dumbirons using it in gasless mode which has given me good results, much easier than using an arc welder. The drivers side dumbiron was cracked where it met the front crossmember, this repaired and cleaned up very well. As I started to weld a large 3mm crack on the passenger side dumbiron, the metal crumbled away revealing that it is heavily rusted around the inside of the crack. I've started to cut out this small section and will weld in a new piece of plate tomorrow.

[JDNSW]

......... I've actually said out loud a few times to myself, "well that's easy" and similar comments, as most other cars I've worked on in the past you need to pull out ten major components just to get to one little problem! This must be the first vehicle I've ever worked on this much without throwing something in anger and frustration.

The interesting thing about this comment is that in the 1960s the Landrover was considered by many to be hard to work on compared to the run of the mill Australian car! Shows how much things have changed!

John

[international58]

G'day,
You say you found a chasis in the eastern states. I am in the eastern states, namely QLD. I am looking for a chasis for my SIII SWB, and having no luck at finding a good one. Any ideas??
Thanks, and I will follow your resto with interest.

[Newbs-IIA]

The interesting thing about this comment is that in the 1960s the Landrover was considered by many to be hard to work on compared to the run of the mill Australian car! Shows how much things have changed!

John

Not for me aarrrgghhhh!!!! I swear that my IIA LWB hated me and did not want to be re registered... gave me alot of grief, there are alot of nuts and botls and really annoying palces made even worse by 30+ years of rust :mad: not to mention the sheer amount of grease and grime on the whole underside of my vehicle.

I suppose i am spoilt by also owning a Kingswood which is SOOO EASY to work on, you could swing a cat in the engine bay of my HZ.

[TJWA]

G'day,
You say you found a chasis in the eastern states. I am in the eastern states, namely QLD. I am looking for a chasis for my SIII SWB, and having no luck at finding a good one. Any ideas??
Thanks, and I will follow your resto with interest.

It was www.roverparts.com.au (http://www.roverparts.com.au) 1300 760 125 that had the one I was looking at.

[TJWA]

Today I got back to it with my new best friend the TransMig 135. I've manufactured the first of the battery holders. I tested it with the tub on and all fits well with a 300 x 170 x 200 size battery, more than big enough!

I have made it so that even with the axle down to the bump stop the holder will still be clear of the 7.5 tyre.

A thick piece of rubber that I already have in the arch to reduce noise protects the battery from mud and dirt and there is 3mm plate on the holder base to stop rocks.

The cable will be routed behind the battery and then into the chassis through the same hole as the rear lights.

There is only one disadvantage... there is no way you can change the battery without removing the tyre first. For the benefits I'll gain I'm prepared to put up with it. I shouldn't need to change them often.

[TJWA]

Completed the second battery holder and found some hidden rust under the rear cross member "square patch" support.

[TJWA]

I've cut a hole through the side of the chassis and re-enforced it with some pipe to allow the fuel filler line to reach the new tank. This is the first time I have ever used a MIG welder...I'm not doing a pretty job, but they are sufficient. After turning the chassis over I've found the front dumb irons are worse than I thought. I've ordered two new ones. With the amount of work I'm doing on this chassis I may get it galvanised after all.

The transfer case "high speed conversion" has been a huge time waster. A parts supplier has ran me around the mill for the last 6 weeks. I'm convinced they find me annoying and do not want my business and they are a major supplier mentioned on here! I'd asked them for a quote on $3000+ of parts and in 4 weeks they did not even get back to me. I've cancelled my order with them.:(
I've now decided to instead change the diff centres to 3.54's. I'm hoping my Discovery has 10 spline diffs as I can use those. Despite the fact the low range is also changed, the new 200Tdi will be able to handle it. The 3.54's will also give a higher overall speed to rpm's compared to the transfer case conversion.

[TJWA]

I wasn't feeling confident about welding the new bottom onto the rear cross member so I asked my brother who is a proffessional metal fabricator and welder to "give me a lesson" and he "demonstrated" the correct way to do it. :cool:

I've also made an excel spreadsheet that will work out the internal volume of a fuel tank taking into account the sheetmetal thickness. I've attached it incase anyone in the future is doing the same and doesn't want to waste 2 hours of their life working it out. If you wish to unlock the formula cells, unprotect the sheet with the password "ok".

I might ask my brother to show me how to weld it togethor...

[Shonky]

Top work mate! :D

Keep the updates coming! ;)

[TJWA]

:p OK! Here's another:

After weeks of debating to myself, continually measuring, re-measuring and calculating, I have come up with my final fuel tank design. It will hold 95.4L, be made of 2mm mild steel, fill from the standard fill point, starts from the rear of the middle crossmember, extends over the differential and to the rear of the chassis. With the rear axle hitting the bump stops and the springs flattened the tank will still be clear and it will not reduce any ground clearance. The attached sketch shows it from the drivers side. The diff sits under the "700" section.

Just took it to a metal shop for them to bend up so I'll only have minimal welds to do.

Time to start that gearbox rebuild :eek:

[TJWA]

My wife bought two front dumb irons from a guy on ebay:

"Bought a month or so ago from Melbourne based specialist, but not needed in the end"

Well they arrived today and I figured out why he didn't use them. They're different! As in made by different manufacturers and look as though they hold the springs at different positions.

There's another week wasted.:mad:

[Shonky]

This has happened before... the melbourne mob have a habit of sending out mismatched parts. :mad:

Unfortunately for you, as you bought them from eBay you can't take it back to them. :(

Pick which one you want, buy another of that type and flog the other on eBay again. ;)

[Psimpson7]

TJWA,

sorry to say but I was the one selling them on ebay. I put them in seperate listings hoping that they would go to 2 different people and the problem would go away.

I even put a post on the forum with pictures.

I moaned at the supplier a lot and they got all shirty with me and said that their mechanic said they would be fine.

Sorry about that. You could do what I was going to and cut them up to get the patches you need. In the end I just cut them out of plate.

Drop me a PM if you like.

Rgds
Pete

[TJWA]

TJWA,

sorry to say but I was the one selling them on ebay. I put them in seperate listings hoping that they would go to 2 different people and the problem would go away.

I even put a post on the forum with pictures.

I moaned at the supplier a lot and they got all shirty with me and said that their mechanic said they would be fine.

Sorry about that. You could do what I was going to and cut them up to get the patches you need. In the end I just cut them out of plate.

Drop me a PM if you like.

Rgds
Pete

It's OK, I've dealt with it.

I sent photos to allfourx4 in Newcastle and they are sending me a matching left hand one to the Bearmach Right hand one.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the parts supplier in Melbourne you've mentioned is the same one I had hassles with earlier in this thread, I'll pm you.

Back to the gearbox rebuild...

[TJWA]

My brother in law (Landy obsessed) and I have the gearbox and transfer case apart. It looks as though I'll just need to replace the bearings, gaskets and synchro's.

I picked up the sheetmetal for the fuel tank, tacked it together and checked it in position for clearances. All as planned so far, although I should have put the hole for the filler a little lower and will have to put a bend in it, not a big deal.

[TJWA]

Wear leather gloves while using a grinder. 1mm cutting blades are very efficient at cutting through flesh and bone. :(

[Landy Smurf]

hey i have a 78litre fuel tank on my swb series 3

[TJWA]

hey i have a 78litre fuel tank on my swb series 3

Interesting, the 72 litre tank I had was mounted under the drivers seat, where is yours mounted? I wonder if there was another 78 litre tank commercially available for the 88''?

[isuzurover]

As for the exhaust, if it is legal in WA, I might exit it in front of the rear wheel, such as in these photos.

Just make sure the tip points down if you do that. When I moved to WA, I shipped my 110 county over from Brisbane, and needed to take it over the pits.

The (factory) exhaust exits diagonally at the left rear corner. Although my county still had the factory exhaust (as fitted to wa-delivered countys as well), the inspector made me cut the tip off and fit a tip that faced down, as he deemed it a side exiting exhaust, and according to him, the rules are in WA that all side exiting exhausts must face down ...

EDIT - btw - great project! If I were you I would sandblast and gal the chassis (and firewall) once the welding is finished. I would be interested to know where the 95c/kg quote was from!

[TJWA]

Thanks for the tip on the exhaust Isuzurover, I'll definately be facing it down now.

I was told 95c per Kg over the phone by:

Western Galvanisers | Perth, Australia (http://www.westgalv.net.au/index.php)

I think it may be a little more than that though looking at the costing guide from Pollards in Queensland:

http://www.pollards.com.au/pdf/RD015_How_to_calculate_the_cost_of_Galvanizing.pdf

It's still not anywhere near what I'd guessed it would be. I'm getting the firewall blasted now, as soon as the new dumb irons are on I'll be sending the chassis off to get done too, then it's off to West's for a dip along with everything else I can find on the vehicle that could do with it.

[bcr2734]

was quoted $2 per kg a couple of years ago in Newcastle.

[isuzurover]

Thanks for the tip on the exhaust Isuzurover, I'll definately be facing it down now.

I was told 95c per Kg over the phone by:

Western Galvanisers | Perth, Australia (http://www.westgalv.net.au/index.php)

I think it may be a little more than that though looking at the costing guide from Pollards in Queensland:

http://www.pollards.com.au/pdf/RD015_How_to_calculate_the_cost_of_Galvanizing.pdf

It's still not anywhere near what I'd guessed it would be. I'm getting the firewall blasted now, as soon as the new dumb irons are on I'll be sending the chassis off to get done too, then it's off to West's for a dip along with everything else I can find on the vehicle that could do with it.

Thanks for that. Zinc prices must have come down. They were the best price when I got some stuff done a year or so ago, but the price was about 1.20/kg. They also tried to add about 30kg to the weight.

[TJWA]

I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks!

The new Bearmach Left dumbiron arrived, I cut off the old dumb irons, the original metal underneath was too rusted to weld over so I had to butt weld the new ones. I laid the chassis upright on a level cement floor and welded the dumbirons in position measuring their spring hangers from the floor.

I ended up going with another galvanising place in Perth that could sandblast the chassis and firewall onsite (Westgalv need it to be be done prior). This is costing $2 per kg instead, however the sandblasting is cheaper and I'm saving in transport costs.
When I got there on the day the boss at the office came out and looked at the chassis with a smile, he said it would dip fine and if there was any warpage it would be slight as it would pull itself back into line.
However the guy in the workshop was clearly not happy to see me with a chassis. He whinged and complained that it would definatley warp and be ruined beyond repair. I asked him how much it would warp, he stated that "they all warp, some are f'ing shocking while others are still bad". He would not take the chassis unless I wrote a statement on a piece of paper saying it may warp. I signed and drove off. I wasn't going to hire a trailer then drive 400kms to drive back again. I haven't heard back yet, that was last Friday.

Under my brother in law's direction we pulled apart my "bad" gearbox. The synchro hub is badly worn and the mainshaft has play. This, I have been told is the reason for 3rd crunching and 2nd jumping out. There is absolutely no gearbox number or suffix to be found anywhere on the cases. The layshaft is labelled "D".
I decided to pull my "good" gearbox apart which has a noisy reverse and crunching 3rd gear. This gearbox has a number and suffix "D". It also has the date 10/08/82 and "D" welded on the bottom of the bellhousing. The layshaft is labelled "C"! The 3 sychro clips on the sychro hub are missing, there was a heap of shavings in the bottom, the reverse gear is heavily damaged with the layshaft counterpart also showing extra wear.
I found that the "bad" box layshaft labelled "D" has more teeth on 1st gear.
I came to the conclusion the "bad" box with no markings and the layshaft labelled "D" is infact a Suffix "D" box.
The "good" box marked as suffix "D", with the layshaft labelled "C" and higher 1st is actually a Suffix "C" box. If anyone can correct me on this I would be most appreciative!
I decided to dismantle the "good" main shaft (which took me an extra hour due to an annoying little circlip I just couldn't get off), and swap the reverse gear, 1st gear and layshaft with the ones from the "bad" box.

[TJWA]

Layshaft C 1st has 14 teeth, the mainshaft 31.
Layshaft D 1st has 16 teeth, the mainshaft 35.

Layshaft C & D Reverse has 13 teeth, the mainshaft 30 and reverse gear 20.

[TJWA]

The first attempt at bolting the gearbox back together was futile as the mainshaft ended up being 5mm too long. I pulled the whole thing apart again to find a synchro ring had fallen as I was putting in the mainshaft and jammed on an angle. I replaced he synchro ring as it was now buckled. As I had to hit a bearing on the outer race during disassembly I forked out $60 for another imperial bearing. Lesson learnt.

On the second attempt I put too much force on the layshaft bearing support bracket on final assembly, crossthreaded two of the bolts and had to pull the whole box apart again to replace it.

The gearbox is now back together and filled with oil. Let's hope it works...it's my first attempt at ever building a gearbox :twisted:

Still waiting for the chassis and firewall to come back from hot dipping.:(

I've added a breather, sender, suction and return to my custom fuel tank.:cool:

I've checked the axles in my Discovery and found them to be ten spline which means the diff centres will fit into my S3 assemblies.:D

I've started pulling the rear diff apart ready to replace bearings etc.:eek:

Also currently looking at solutions for correcting the speedo after the diff ratios are changed.:eek:

As you can see, I'm a mechanical imbecile on an emotional roller coaster, but I'm getting there! Good thing this is a Land Rover and not a Porsche.

[TJWA]

Picked up the chassis and firewall from the hot dip galvaniser today. The chassis has minimal warping. My measurements from front to back off the floor have shown that it has warped vertically less than 5mm, which does not worry me at all. The only place it has warped has been on the two wings that support the front of the tub. It looks to me as though they have pulled it out and rested it upside down on those two tabs while hot which has caused them to bend in. Nothing I won't be able to fix in 15 minutes with a rubber mallet and a piece of solid steel.

As I predicted, the firewall is much, much worse. The drivers side outer support has bent like a banana! I'm confident that if I support it the right way and apply some even hydraulic pressure, I'll be able to get it straight again.

I know I've told you one of my brothers is an industrial welder and heavy duty truck body builder... well the other is an automotive panel beater and he'll be around tomorrow to lend a hand.

Overall I'm very happy I went down the hot gal route. By the end of tomorrow everything should be straight again and I won't have to worry about rust or holes in the footwells for a long, long time.:D

By the way, the cost of sandblasting and hot dipping both items came to just under $500.

[chazza]

Nice work TJ!

It looks to me like some Bozo on the forklift has dropped your chassis on the ground, which is what they did to my S1, necessitating a cut with the angle grinder and weld to fix the fuel tank outrigger :mad:

I don't think a rubber mallet will be much use to straighten it - try using a bottle jack sitting on the floor with a block and chain underneath it and stretched over the top of the chassis. Protect the chassis with timber blocks and push on the underneath of the attachment points with a suitable piece of steel cut to shape. When the load comes on, relieve the stress by giving the top of the bent bit a tap with a heavy hammer. Your brother will know how to do it in any case.

I suspect the drop not the heat caused your chassis to warp - mine didn't warp at all.

Bad luck about the bulkhead :( I have heard from others that they can warp, so I didn't get mine done. In your case a brace made from tube between the lower mounting points and one across the gearbox tunnel, might have helped to stop it moving.

Finally, whilst you are cleaning up threads etc. of excess zinc you might like to hear of this tip sent to me by a friend. When cleaning the zinc out of the suspension bush mounting holes, he uses an LPG torch to soften the zinc and a small rotary wire brush in a drill, to wipe it off.

I had already painted the chassis when he told me about this, so I used the small emery flap-wheels that can be used in a drill to do mine. It worked surprisingly quickly, however, the hot method has the advantage of leaving a smear of zinc to protect the surface - I used Loctite Anti-seize to protect mine,

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

Thanks for some good tips Chazza. The idea of the little wire brush on the end of the drill with some heat is great. I have heat available and will buy one of those brushes today. I have an imperial tap and die set too, so I'll see how I go.

For anyone galvanizing a firewall in the future, yes, a piece of square tube bolted between the chassis supports would have prevented most of the warping I have, so take note!

[LandyAndy]

Nice Work TJ:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Have you considered using the Disco gearbox/TC???
Im sure its possible,would be nice having 5 gears in a Series.
Im always keeping an eye out for a shorty.My first was a Ser2 88 inch.
Got all the bits to build a Stage1 Shorty,running either the rover V8 constant 4x4 or Ford V8 and auto:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[TJWA]

Nice Work TJ:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Have you considered using the Disco gearbox/TC???
Im sure its possible,would be nice having 5 gears in a Series.
Im always keeping an eye out for a shorty.My first was a Ser2 88 inch.
Got all the bits to build a Stage1 Shorty,running either the rover V8 constant 4x4 or Ford V8 and auto:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

Thanks LandyAndy. Yeah I had considered using the gearbox, but I'd need to update my front axle as well to update to full time 4wd and I think you end up with the gearstick too far back. While I have everything out I'm going to check it all out for myself though and see what fits.

[Sprint]

one thing i have found with a friends 1971 IIA is that the gearbox number wasnt stamped anywhere where it shouldve been.... it was actually stamped on the top cover for the gearbox where the shifter sits

[chazza]

Nice Work TJ:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Have you considered using the Disco gearbox/TC???
Im sure its possible,would be nice having 5 gears in a Series.
Im always keeping an eye out for a shorty.My first was a Ser2 88 inch.
Got all the bits to build a Stage1 Shorty,running either the rover V8 constant 4x4 or Ford V8 and auto:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

A Fraud engine! :eek: :D

I think I have read that an auto box in a SWB makes the rear prop shaft too short Andrew but I am probably wrong :)

I have considered all of this as I want to make one of my S3 wagons into a ute and I have decided the easiest way is to fit an overdrive. As soon as I can get my hands on a 200tdi Disco at a reasonable price I will give it a go,

Cheers Charlie

PS drop around and have a look at the S1 progress next time you are in Narrogin on a weekend :D

[TJWA]

My panel beater brother agreed the chassis has been dropped, but he said the warping was nothing and preceeded to straighten everything out with a few lumps of jarrah, a bottle jack, a rubber mallet and a steel hammer. It's all fitting together and measuring correctly. The chassis had no horizontal warpage, the diagonals measure the same.
Jacking between the firewall bottom attachments pulled everything there back into line as the different angles of steel all "pull up" when you reach the point where everything is supposed to be.

The fuel tank has fitted nicely too.:)

As soon as the cold weather here in Collie turns around my wife is going to paint the firewall with body deadener, then green. She's going to paint the chassis, tank and axles black. She is the official painter on this job.:cool:

My next challenge will be getting the spring bushes out of the chassis to fit in the new ones. I left the outer sleeves in the chassis so the glav wouldn't go there as the clearances are tight. I tried unsuccessfully yesterday to knock them out. I couldn't move any of them even a tenth of a mm. I'm going to see if there's some kind of puller I can get. If not, I'll make my own!

Hey Chazza, once you do get that Disco and we both have our 200tdi's fitted, we'll have to start a "WA Series 200tdi" club. There will be two of us by the looks of it...

[chazza]

Oh wonderful news TJ! :D

I am glad it has worked out so well for you. The chassis and bulkhead look fantastic. I didn't realise you were in Collie - you should drop around for a natter some time.

The stuck bushes will come free if you very carefully hacksaw a cut into one side. When you guesstimate that the cut is nearly through the wall of the old bush, give it a whack with a round cold chisel and a heavy hammer. If you don't have a cold chisel, you can make one by grinding the end of a parallel punch (it needs to be about 6mm or greater in diameter) about 10 degrees out of square; or if you don't have a punch, an old anti-sway bar from a wreck at the tip will do the job, cut at an angle with a cutting disc. Wear safety specs when hitting it :)

Don't use any other shape of cold chisel as it will damage the bore in the chassis. :(

Love the look of your workshop - I wish mine was so tidy :D

Cheers Charlie

[LandyAndy]

Hi Charlie
Called around a month or so ago on a sat morn,nobody seemed to be around.Will call in next time.
My C4 auto conversion is pretty much the same size as as Landy 4 speed;););).It has a shortened output housing that bolts direct to the Landy transfer:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[TJWA]

My custom puller managed to get the rear two sleeves out, but I could not get the front two to budge. I gave up yesterday afternoon and then checked here to find the advice from Chazza. Thanks for that, the first one came out ok by hacksawing it almost through first and then applying my puller this morning.

Since then things have gone downhill in a big way. On hammering the new one in I have not only bent the sidewall of the Chassis, I have cracked it around the bore and around the edge of the bottom of the chassis. To make matters worse trying to hammer the last 5mm of bush in has splayed the end so it won't go in far enough. ....AND finally, to top it all off and the reason for my "time out" in front of the computer back at the house now... a large block of wood I was using to protect the sleeve flew out and hit my Porsche. :(

[TJWA]

Well, after I'd calmed down I went back to the shed to assess the damage to the 911. There was a hole straight through the car cover and I was expecting cracked paint and a ding, but there was not even a scratch! I couldn't believe it. I'd seen an episode of Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson dropped a piano one one, drove it into a brick wall, shot at it with a shotgun, poured acid over it and finally dropped it from a crane into an exploding caravan to show how tough they are. I see what he means now! If that piece of wood had hit one of my previous Commodores it would have dinged it for sure.

Back to the Landy, I felt my luck had turned after seeing there was no damage to the 911. I hacksawed and knocked out the "new" bush then hacksawed the last bush to remove. The puller could not budge it so I made a drift out of a broken axle from the back of my other S3 88''.
I ground the edges on an angle just enough to stop it from digging into the side of the bore, but so it wouldn't go into the center of the bush and push it out. Overall it took me 9 hours to remove the two front bushes.

[chazza]

Well thank heavens for some good news! :D

You shouldn't have to hammer the bush in TJ, use your extracting puller to pull the new bush in. Clean off any rust first and grease the bore and bush on the outside. I use Loctite anti-seize but any GP grease is better than nothing.

I am surprised that the welds let go, which indicates that they were not very good in the first place! Grind the crack to get rid of the zinc and running a nice hot mig weld over the top, should see it in good order again. Use some Chemtech etch-primer to cover the welds afterward,

Cheers Charlie

[LandyAndy]

I had a hell of a job getting mine out.I ended up tack welding a piece of steel in side quelching it with water then belting it thru.Worked a treat.
Happy to hear the pride and joy didnt get damaged:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[TJWA]

Thanks for the input guys. My puller's shaft is too big to fit through the centre of a new sleeve, so I was hitting it with a 4LB hammer.

I had considered putting anti-sieze on the new bush, but wasn't sure and thought that may defeat the purpose of the tight fit. I'll use anti-sieze next time.

While I'm waiting for the new one tomorrow I'll weld up the cracks. You're right Chazza, the other side didn't crack at all, which proves the welds were not good enough. At least it happened now and not later down the beaten track.

I have heard of the welding and quelching idea LandyAndy, I wouldn't have minded giving that a go too, but it didn't occur to me at the time.

Once I get this beast finished us three should have a get together somewhere around Williams, Narrogin and Collie, to compare Landy's!

My wife and I are working on this thing full time at the moment so it shouldn't take too much longer. :eek: She already has the first coats on the safari roof, bonnet, tub and the two rear cab sides.

[TJWA]

We had visitors for 3 days so progress came to a stop until today.

I've re-welded both front chassis sleeves or whatever they're called. The one I had trouble getting the bush out of had a bur in it halfway in going quater of the way around the circumference. This explained why I had so much trouble getting the old out and my first attempt at putting the new in failed. I used a die grinder to level it out, lined it with anti-seize and hammered it lightly in, easy! On advice from my brother in law I put the other bush in the freezer, lined it's sleeve with anti-seize and it slid in with only a few taps with a rubber mallet, even easier!
Louisa has painted the chassis with body deadener. Tomorrow I'll begin fitting the parabolics, shockies and axles. What a relief, I'm finally getting to put something together and things are about to start getting interesting.

[chazza]

Beautiful work TJ!

Set backs come along but getting on top of the problem and fixing it, is part of the fun and you have done it in style.

If you think your problem was nasty, I managed to punch a hole through the back of the gearbox casing on my S1 when trying to get a bearing race out :eek: The galling thing was, that I was following the manual's instructions instead of my instincts :D

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

Beautiful work TJ!

Set backs come along but getting on top of the problem and fixing it, is part of the fun and you have done it in style.

If you think your problem was nasty, I managed to punch a hole through the back of the gearbox casing on my S1 when trying to get a bearing race out :eek: The galling thing was, that I was following the manual's instructions instead of my instincts :D

Cheers Charlie

As a friend said to me this week, rebuilding a Landy is "character building",
but when I look at it so far that was the hardest bit I've had to do yet, I'm no mechanic (I'm an electrical instrumentation tech) and I still have found it much simpler than other cars I've worked on.

Did you get your S1 Gearbox fixed ok? I have a spare S3 casing, but I guess that's not going to help you much.

[TJWA's Better Half]

Just want to say honey, that you are doing an amazing job and you'll be getting more than just a good ride at the end of it! :D

[chazza]

Just want to say honey, that you are doing an amazing job and you'll be getting more than just a good ride at the end of it! :D

:Rolling:

Yes I did get it fixed thanks TJ - well I hope it is; several decades from now when the car is running, I might find an oil leak but I hope not :)

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

My Discovery got stolen last night :(.

However, we got it back this morning. They took $1000 worth of camping and recovery gear and an Alpine stereo. They were too stupid to figure out how to hot wire it, pulled a heap of wires out from behind the dash and had pushed it down the road. At least we still have the 200tdi. They left behind our turfer winch and a full 20L water jerry can behind, must have been too heavy for them to carry.

[chazza]

Proper bastards! :mad:

Might I suggest that you visit the pawn shops in Bunbury as soon as possible where you will quite possibly find some of your gear?

Cheers Charlie

PS Good news about the engine :D

[LandyAndy]

Sorry to hear that.
There are many low lifes in Collie,at least you still have it and it wasnt your pride and joy sporty car.Pity one cant legaly punish the culprits if caught:mad::mad::mad::mad:
Rebuilding Landys "Character Building":eek::eek::eek::eek:
Mate with a offer ya missus posted you need to build SEVERAL of them for her;););););)
ENJOY
Andrew

[TJWA]

I've sandblasted, rebuilt and painted the back axle, fitted it and the parabolic springs to the chassis. I'm currently rebuilding the front axle. Louisa's painting was progressing well before the rain set in.
I also sourced a VDO electronic speedometer that will fit straight in the SIII dash. Whenever I change tyres or diff ratio's all I'll have to do is drive a kilometre to recalibrate it.;)

[Wolfman_TWP]

I've sandblasted, rebuilt and painted the back axle. I'm currently rebuilding the front axle. Louisa's painting was progressing well before the rain set in.
I also sourced a VDO electronic speedometer that will fit straight in the SIII dash. Whenever I change tyres or diff ratio's all I'll have to do is drive a kilometre to recalibrate it.;)
Where did your source the electronic Speedo from??

[TJWA]

I got the speedo from ebay. Siemens VDO Part No 437 055 011 G 0-120km/h 12-24V Swiss made KW10/08

[Wolfman_TWP]

Cool, thanks will check it out.. That came with all the mechanics which you need to connect to the conversion box didn't it??

Wolf

[TJWA]

Cool, thanks will check it out.. That came with all the mechanics which you need to connect to the conversion box didn't it??

Wolf

No, it comes with instructions on how to wire it up to a hall effect or induction sensor. I'm planning to make a bracket to hold an inductive sensor near the handbrake drum while welding a tab to the drum. I confirmed it fits perfectly in the instrument cluster today.

[Wolfman_TWP]

It fits and looks really good.. (100mm in size according to the specs).

Wolf

[LandyAndy]

My Bro has the same setup on his 2A.Works via magnets on the tailshaft and a pick up sensor.
As TJ states to calibrate you hit set it to calibrate,drive1000m and finish the calibration.You then have a Series with a very accurate speedo/odo without a waving needle:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool: AND you can run ANY tyre size/diff ratio all thats needed is a simple re-calibrate.
Andrew

[Wolfman_TWP]

My Bro has the same setup on his 2A.Works via magnets on the tailshaft and a pick up sensor.
As TJ states to calibrate you hit set it to calibrate,drive1000m and finish the calibration.You then have a Series with a very accurate speedo/odo without a waving needle:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool: AND you can run ANY tyre size/diff ratio all thats needed is a simple re-calibrate.
Andrew

I found that you can actually get a sensor which screws into the original speedo cable connector on the transfer box. So there's no need for gluing magnets on the tail shaft. I'm definitely going to look into getting one (Or Two) of these..

Wolf

[TJWA]

Hey Wolfman, was that a VDO sensor? Tell us more.

[Wolfman_TWP]

Hey Wolfman, was that a VDO sensor? Tell us more.

Yes, from VDO. I downloaded the VDO catalogue and it had a series of sensors for their speedo range. It's just the matter of finding out which one we need for the Land Rover. (And that model of Speedo). I believe there is two , clip on (Series 3) and screw on (2/2A). And need to get the sizing etc.. Not sure whether we can get it here, but I'm sure that it can be ordered if needed.. I'm going to see one of the guys at Autobarn tomorrow, and see if he can get me some pricing, and maybe even order me one..

This is the Catalogue:

http://www.adelaideinstruments.com.au/uploads/vdo_automotive.pdf

Wolf

[JDNSW]

...... I believe there is two , clip on (Series 3) and screw on (2/2A). And need to get the sizing etc.. .......
Wolf


That describes the speedo end of the cable, not the transfer box end. Transfer box fitting is the same on all Series Landrovers (except Stage 1 and possibly early 80") and has a circular plate with three screws that holds the fitting on the end of the outer cable, driving by a square hole that fits the inner cable.

John

[LandyAndy]

I would go for the magnet pickup.Chances are using the Landrover speedo drive you will still get an in-accurate speedo.Part of,if not all that "Series Needle Dance" is caused by the transfercase speedo drive.
From memory my brother first mounted the magnets on the park brake drum but lost them off-road.He then went for the more protected tailshaft.
Andrew

[JDNSW]

I would go for the magnet pickup.Chances are using the Landrover speedo drive you will still get an in-accurate speedo.Part of,if not all that "Series Needle Dance" is caused by the transfercase speedo drive.
......
Andrew

The wavering needle on many Series Landrovers is caused by the speedo drive worm gear slipping on the output shaft - but this is easily fixed! The gear is only fixed to the shaft by being clamped between the output flange and the rear bearing. Simply tightening the nut holding the flange on will fix the problem (and prevent wear on the splines of the shaft and flange)

john

[Wolfman_TWP]

And the other thing that stops the speedo bounce. Is that, this speedo that TJ acquired is electronic, so if there is any play in the gearing that will cause the bounce (So to speak) the speedo will compensate for it. So the speedo will sample the signal, much like the electronic fuel gauges do. To stop the needle from bouncing around and giving inaccurate fuel level readings, speedo will do the same thing..

Wolf

[Wolfman_TWP]

I've sent a request to Continental AG (Who now owns VDO) in Germany, and they emailed me a name of a Company here in Sydney. I've contacted them, and we are now looking into getting the proper sensor for this speedo. (That attaches to the proper spot on the transfer box).

I'll keep you posted, of the results. I also found that the model of Speedo that TJ got hold of is readily available here in Australia RRP $295.90 inc GST.

Wolf

Update: I got back a reply from the Sydney supplier. There are no sensors suitable for the LR. However, he asked about sending him a speedo cable. (Which I will do as I have an old spare). And we'll see what he can come up with. The idea of gluing magnets to the tailshaft wasn't one thing he highly recommended. (Due to them falling or being knocked off)...

[TJWA]

I've set up aftermarket cruise control before. It came with two magnets mounted on clips that you wrap around the tailshaft with wire. Worked very well for five years until I sold it, the magnets never moved, so it could be an alternative.

[JDNSW]

I've set up aftermarket cruise control before. It came with two magnets mounted on clips that you wrap around the tailshaft with wire. Worked very well for five years until I sold it, the magnets never moved, so it could be an alternative.

Had that on the County for twelve years so far - magnets have not moved, only problem has been the time the wire to the pickup had too much slack and wrapped round the prop shaft, caught on the grease nipple. Note that I have it on the front shaft where it is protected by the cross member.

John

[Wolfman_TWP]

I've set up aftermarket cruise control before. It came with two magnets mounted on clips that you wrap around the tailshaft with wire. Worked very well for five years until I sold it, the magnets never moved, so it could be an alternative.

So what sensor is supplied with the Speedo?? OR what do they suggest in the documentation, as to how to set it up??

Just curious..

Wolf

[Wolfman_TWP]

Well, I've got my solution for the speedo sensor for my LR. I had the original speedo cable modified to suit the new sensor (Hall effect). Here is a photo of it..

For those that are interested, I got this from the company below.. (They are in Sydney, but I'm sure companies, that carry VDO products in other states should be able to do the same if one requires/requests it)

Airco Auto Instruments Pty. Ltd
(02) 9560-2755
Paul Reynolds is the chap I spoke to and met..
Email: vdosales@airco.com.au
WWW: www.airco.com.au

The mod only took him one day.. (Brought it in, in the morning, done by the afternoon..)

Wolf

[TJWA]

Oooooooh very nice. :o How much was it to mod the speedo cable?

[Wolfman_TWP]

Oooooooh very nice. :o How much was it to mod the speedo cable?

It cost $105.00, which was for parts (The sensor, and cable mod) and labour. He also replaced the internal bit. (The flexible bit inside the cable to one that has a square end on it.). I did a test install of the sensor, and it works fine..

Wolf

[TJWA]

It cost $105.00, which was for parts (The sensor, and cable mod) and labour. He also replaced the internal bit. (The flexible bit inside the cable to one that has a square end on it.). I did a test install of the sensor, and it works fine..

Wolf

Thanks Wolf, awesome stuff, that's a pretty good price too. The time of mucking around with another sensor setup building brackets, mounting magnets and the rest would cost you more in your lost time than that conversion. I'm going to send my spare speedo cable off to get done!

On the rebuild status, on Tuesday I bought a running 6cyl LWB. I pulled the pick, axe and crank handle holders off the wings, follwed by the bonnet wheel mount and the then the vacuum assited brake assembly. The brake servo swap was easier than I expected, 6 bolts, one brake line and two wires is all I needed to remove to pull the whole lot out. Gees, the more I work on Landy's the more I love them, I am now officially addicted or diseased you might say.

[Wolfman_TWP]

I also got the 8-Pin plug kit, (to plug into the back of the speedo with the connection mod for the sensor), so I can wire it into the wiring harness. Makes it easier to remove if required (And makes it tidier, than having wires all over the place).. The part number is 340 824 for the kit..

[chazza]

to get done!

On the rebuild status, on Tuesday I bought a running 6cyl LWB. I pulled the pick, axe and crank handle holders off the wings,

Interesting TJ! Is it an ex-army machine? If so it may still have the army data plates on the inside of the bulkhead. If it is ex-army, Phoenix on the REMLR forum, would love to know the chassis number,

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

I don't think it's military, it's yellow inside, the chassis and body look standard. I'll check those plates tomorrow just in case. I wouldn't want to defile an EMLR! It was a 6cyl 2.6, but it has been converted to a Holden 6. The back diff is a salisbury. Took it for a drive today, oh what fun, the brakes don't work too well after removing the vacvuum servo. There is no 2nd gear and the clutch slips too. I'm going to use it as a "tip run" vehicle.

[JDNSW]

I don't think it's military, it's yellow inside, the chassis and body look standard. I'll check those plates tomorrow just in case. I wouldn't want to defile an EMLR! It was a 6cyl 2.6, but it has been converted to a Holden 6. The back diff is a salisbury. Took it for a drive today, oh what fun, the brakes don't work too well after removing the vacvuum servo. There is no 2nd gear and the clutch slips too. I'm going to use it as a "tip run" vehicle.

If it had tool holders on the mudguard it is probably ex military.

All lwb Series 3 had the salisbury diff.

John

[TJWA]

I've taken a photo of the plates, nothing that says Military or Army on it.

I've finished rebuilding the front axle and hubs, the firewall is mounted and Louisa has started transferring bits from the old to the new. Louisa has finished the Safari roof (she insisted I take a photo :eek:). She coated the underside of the top skin with thick underbody tar. We're hoping this will help shield heat and reduce any vibrations or rattles.

[JDNSW]

I've taken a photo of the plates, nothing that says Military or Army on it.

I've finished rebuilding the front axle and hubs, the firewall is mounted and Louisa has started transferring bits from the old to the new. Louisa has finished the Safari roof (she insisted I take a photo :eek:). She coated the underside of the top skin with thick underbody tar. We're hoping this will help shield heat and reduce any vibrations or rattles.

I like the tropical roof - I always thought they were a good idea - I don't know why they stopped using them.

John

[chazza]

Nice job Louisa!

Looks like a civvy then with the added bonus of some tool holders :D

Thanks for posting TJ,

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

Louisa did one day of preparation and one day of painting which resulted in this... We're going to use this one when the Disco engine is being transplanted. By the way, that puddle of oil underneath is from a visitors car...NOT the Landy!

[lane]

Looks great, TJ.

Tell Louisa we'll get our car ready for whenever she is ready to come to Perth. Does it have to be army green, or will she do other colours? ;)

[TJWA]

We have used that version of Wattyl "Bronze Olive" (Army Green) because it is self priming, exterior acrylic, low sheen so it hides dents and scratches, and it is widely available. It is a colourbond colour. We're building our Landy's so that we can take them through dense bush, through rivers, over rocks, basically anywhere they're capable of going and not having to worry about getting scratches on them. With this paint it will not be out of the question to get home, find some scratches after cleaning down and then blowing some new paint straight over them. Plus the Army Green vehicles seem to look alright to me when they've got dents and scratches, it looks like they've been used for what they were made for! When I see a Gold Landy with dents and scratches, it looks as though it's been mistreated! :D If you go for one of the gold colours it will require base metal preparation, a good etch primer, a good spray gun and an enclosed shed free of dust. Louisa has lightly sanded down panels until the existing paint no longer flakes off then painted straight over the top with a $30 spray gun and $20 of paint! :twisted:
On the good SWB she's been using an etch primer first as that will be our daily drive and fun on the weekends.

[lane]

Sounds sensible all 'round.

Ours will be gold because that's its original colour and I have changed colours on cars before and it is an enormous effort that I don't want to expend. :)

I have a shed full of dust, a cheap gun, and some S&S Paints acrylic which cost several hundred dollars. I hope we can get a good result by laying on five coats or so, sanding between each coat, and buffing the top one afterwards. I have two teenage sons who are on holidays at present. :)

[TJWA]

Sounds like a good project for your sons. Louisa has been applying 1 coat of etch primer then 6 coats of Bronze Olive to the good SWB with very light sands inbetween, we have that completely stripped and have had each part sodablasted to remove the old paint (expensive). The LWB she did the other day was just 2 coats of Bronze Olive straight over the old paint! We'll see how it goes. :lol2:

[lane]

I really shouldn't talk to you. This got me thinking this morning and I managed to convince myself to go Limestone instead of Bahama Gold, so now we have even more work to do...

I need to stay away from people like you who so flippantly discuss paint colours and work... :)

[TJWA]

If you all think that this thread going quiet means I'm not doing anything, you're WRONG! I've been working on the LWB that Louisa painted. I want it to be up to the task when we have the engine out of the Disco and it's our only 4wd on the road. The last two weeks I have:

Changed the door latches to anti-bursts (no more doors opening when you go round a corner).

Fitted a window washer.

Fitted a 2nd hand wiper motor.

Used a headlamp/heater switch and a relay to get the wiper auto park working again as the original wiper switch was broken and I wasn't going to fork out $75 for a new one when I can get a switch and relay for $30.

Fitted a 2nd hand flicker / headlamp stick.

Fitted a 2nd hand heater, fan blower and a switch.

Fitted an interior light.

Replaced the front vent seals (you guessed it, with 2nd hand ones)

Rescued a Nissan http://www.aulro.com/afvb/series-3/84111-huge-tyres-worth.html

Built brackets to hold the instrument panel on. (some 20mm long pieces of 25mm angle with 1/4" threaded holes.

Repaired wiring.

On the Landy that is the focus of this thread we have painted the remainder of the panels except the rear door which needs repair. Fitted the front shockies, obtained 1.5mm rubber for recovering the dash, rebuilt the front hubs / swivel housings and painted them.

[TJWA]

LandyAndy made a suggestion during his visit the other day that we should build a Jarrah dash.:twisted:

Although it would look nice we decided to go with our original idea of recovering the old dash with 1.5mm rubber! Stronger than vinyl, grippy for when you put things on it and with that nice "rubber" smell it should be just perfect. Louisa has removed all the old black and cracked plastic and filled the cracks and holes with grey silicone, at first I though she was doing a bodgey job, but you know what, it's worked out really well. The silicone has filled all the holes and now that it is dry it has the same squeezyness (is that a word?) of the dashboard foam.

Tomorrow we'll be attempting to apply the rubber with kwik grip and the clasps from the original plastic.

[chazza]

Top work Louisa!

The silicone idea is a ripper - I await with interest the result of the rubber covering,

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA's Better Half]

Thank you Chazza for that vote of confidence. Hopefully it won't be as "bodgey" as Trav believes my work to be. It's all in the end result.

[TJWA]

Although it did work it still had loose sections and was overtight at others. Any minor little bump from underneath was eaily visible, it looked shocking and I noticed that the smell of the rubber was not wearing off and would possible stink out the car for the next ten years.

I took it to an upholsterer. He said getting the surface perfectly smooth to apply vinyl would take several hours and cost around $300. He suggesting covering over with carpet would look better, last longer and things on the dash would be less likely to slip off. Cost $110, I'll post photos when I pick it up.

[lane]

Although it did work it still had loose sections and was overtight at others. Any minor little bump from underneath was eaily visible, it looked shocking and I noticed that the smell of the rubber was not wearing off and would possible stink out the car for the next ten years.

I hope you bought Louisa some flowers after you wrote that! :p

[TJWA]

Got my custom tank mounted with brackets today. I tested it by jumping on it, it's not moving anywhere! Just need to pull it back out, leak test it again and paint it now.

I've cut rusted sections out of the bottom dash board and pop riveted new metal in it's place. Its then off to the trimmer to be recovered.

[TJWA]

It's a while since an update so here's a fill in on what's been happening.

I have to get the green LWB S3 running and operating soundly before we take the Discovery off the road otherwise we'll only have the Porsche to drive around in.

I spent several days working on the brakes, pulling apart drums and rebuilding slave cylinders. I replaced the master cylinder and vacuum unit as well. No matter how much I bled the brakes I could not seem to get the air out of them. I talked to a local mechanic who said Series brakes were well known for this and said he could cure it with a vacuum bleed system he had. I booked it in for the next week.

Then... the unthinkable... well no actualy, it is a Series so anything is possible. The starter motor **** itself. I didn't want to muck around with anything second hand so I ordered a new one straight away for the holden 6. It arrived and I went to put it in. I noticed the two bolts holding the old one had become loose....I tightend then instead of changing it out and low and behold it started fine again! No problems!

Another two days later and the starter motor had popped again :-(
I took a closer look. The two bolts that hold the starter motor in had popped out again. I proved this by tightening them again then starting it repeatedly until I saw the starter motor pop out! On inspection I found that the two threads had been heli coiled. Because of the limited space I could not repair the problem so I made the decision to pull out the gearbox.

After removing the gearbox I found the alloy adaptor plate (Mark's Adaptors) had crossthreaded at some stage so heli colis were fitted. Now the thread holding the heli coils in had threaded also! I went to my local bearing shop and found the biggest heli coil I could get which would accomodate a bolt with the smallest head. If you go too big with the head of the bolt you can't get a ring spanner on because of the gap between the bolt head and the 186 wall. I found a UNC bolt achieved this.
After fitting new heli coils to the adaptor plate I fitted the new starter motor. It now starts fine again.

Now this conjured up another dilemma. The Series gearbox was on it's last legs, there was no second gear and it sounded like every bearing was about to fail. I decided to fit in the gearbox I had already built for the SWB S3 which is meant to be the subjet of this thread. The start of another dilemma.

[TJWA]

You'd think that swapping a Series Gearbox from one Series to another would be a sinch, not in this case. I learnt that an original 6cyl box and a 4 cyl box have completely different clutch assemblies and bellhousings so I would have to change them over.

After pulling them apart everything looked as though it was interchangeable. I finished the good box with it's new 6cyl parts then went to reassemble the bad box with the 4cyl bits, then a problem hit. The 6cyl mainshaft extension that fits into the clutch and flywheel would not fit through the 4cyl clutch assembly because there was a spiralled groove along it's shaft. I realised this was becasue the 6cyl mainshaft and clutch assembly, instead of using a plastic type seal like the 4cyl, used a long metal sleeve around the spiral groove on the mainshaft. To make things seal on the good box I would have to use the 6cyl main shaft extension with the 6 cyl clutch assembly.

I pulled apart the good box again. To them find the two mainshafts had gears on them with one tooth difference. After much investigation I overcame this by swapping the layshaft gears around. I now have to wait for a new mainshaft bearing to arrive before proceeding further.

:angel: I also decided to order a high speed transfer case and fit it while it was all out.

[JDNSW]

I think you are confusing differences between gearboxes with the number of cylinders. Just to clarify a few points.

Difference between 4 and 6 cylinder gearboxes :- Bell housing only.

Difference between Series 3 and Series 2a:- Series 3 has an all synchromesh gearbox and a different clutch mechanism.

Other differences:- In both the Series 1/2/2a and Series 3 gearboxes, there were a number of changes to shaft and bearing sizes and gear ratios etc. These are particularly numerous for the earlier gearbox, which I think was actually introduced in 1932, but was essentially unchanged in the Series 1/2/2a until the Series 3 in 1972, but with numerous minor changes. These are identified by the suffix on the box number, but you can still be caught, as some parts are interchangeable in sets, and they may have already been changed from original.

John

[TJWA]

Aha, thanks for that JDNSW. It looks as though I'm trying to build one good S3 6cyl box out of a S2A 6cyl and S3 4cyl box.

[lane]

Then... the unthinkable... well no actualy, it is a Series so anything is possible. The starter motor **** itself. I didn't want to muck around with anything second hand so I ordered a new one straight away for the holden 6. It arrived and I went to put it in. I noticed the two bolts holding the old one had become loose....I tightend then instead of changing it out and low and behold it started fine again! No problems!

Had exactly the same experience with a Peugeot 504 many years ago. The starter motor engaged intermittently and it would start, but the rest of the time it spun without engaging, and it sounded just like when a solenoid doesn't kick hard enough. I only discovered the cause - loose bolts - when I went to fit a new starter.

The good part was I had purchased the car cheap because it wouldn't start. :)

[HBWC]

what about the hemi 6 combo you have?

[TJWA]

what about the hemi 6 combo you have?

I spoke to Agrojnr and he said the box is not perfect on that one either.

I got the high ratio transfer case yesterday, stripped the old transfer case and have almost switched it over. I'll finish reassembling the gearbox and TC on Friday and will hopefully have it all back in this weekend. Can't wait to see what it's like with the new high ratio and a rebuilt gearbox.

[HBWC]

and i knoe you dont go any where else but the series 3 section so i'll post a link hear for you

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/wa-aulroians-group/90804-7th-nov-bbq.html

and i hope it all goes well for you so you can get on with the 88

[LandyAndy]

Hi Travis
If you need shims for that transfercase and cant get any in Collie(that bearing shop is VERY good if its still open) I have some you can have left over from when I did mine up.
Yell out if you need them,I will dig them out.
Andrew

[TJWA]

Hi Travis
If you need shims for that transfercase and cant get any in Collie(that bearing shop is VERY good if its still open) I have some you can have left over from when I did mine up.
Yell out if you need them,I will dig them out.
Andrew

I'm guessing you're talking about the two brass tagged shims on either end of the intermediate gear? The High Range Transfer Case came with a new one stuck to the inside of the front of the box and I have a fairly good one for the rear that doesn't look as though it has lost any flesh. There is still a bit of play in the gear though and I'm wondering if this is acceptable. I'll check the manual.

It will be interesting to see how this box goes as it's made up of two S3 boxes and one S2A!

[LandyAndy]

They go on the intermediate shaft.
These are plain shims to stop sideways movement if there is any with the new brass shims fitted.
If you have a noisy TC in a series its usually the intermediate shaft that needs shims.
Andrew

[TJWA]

They go on the intermediate shaft.
These are plain shims to stop sideways movement if there is any with the new brass shims fitted.
If you have a noisy TC in a series its usually the intermediate shaft that needs shims.
Andrew

Thanks for that. I read the manual and it said I needed 0.1 - 0.2mm of play, I had 0.53mm. As much as I would love an excuse to drive the Porsche and come and see you I went down to the local bearing place (yep, the good one) and bought some shim stock as it's called which is just thin sheets of metal you can make into shims. I made a 0.15mm and a 0.25mm shim by cutting them out with scissors then getting two spare thrust washers, clamping them togethor in a vice and filing them to size. Worked a treat and I ended up with the right amount of play.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/406.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/407.jpg

I then had the dilemma of trying to get the rolling resistance of the output shaft between 0.9 - 1.8kgs as the manual states. Have you tried buying a spring balance lately!?!?
I came up with the below idea which worked well, I knew those weights would come in handy one day. ;-)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/408.jpg

And all back together ready to go in. Woohoo 110km/h here we come!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/10/409.jpg

[LandyAndy]

110ks should be easy.
Get some taller tyres and the revs will drop even more,the holden 6 will love it and treat you better at the bowser.
8.25x16 work pretty well and fit stock rims.Look for secondhand Dunlop Super Grippers in this size(ask at Beaurepairs in Collie I used to get them from Beaurepairs Narrogin),the railway maitenece companys use them on their small trucks.Normally this size is only available in a light truck highway tread.
ENJOY
Andrew

[agrojnr]

WOW I have never seen a series box that looked that clean:D

110k no prob now may old stage 1, maxed out at 130 and my holden series 3 at 140 (rangie diffs)

Of course this was on private roads as well:angel:

Adam

[LandyAndy]

As much as you think you do so Adam,YOU DONT OWN TONKIN HWY OR ROE HWY:twisted::twisted::twisted:
Andrew

[LandyAndy]

The shed is cleaner and tidyer.You should see the shorty AWSOME!!!
Andrew

[agrojnr]

As much as you think you do so Adam,YOU DONT OWN TONKIN HWY OR ROE HWY:twisted::twisted::twisted:
Andrew


I do so own Tonkin but you can have Roe:D

May have to drive south to see this shorty then:)

Adam

[TJWA]

The gearbox and transfer case are back in the LWB and working perfectly. No crunching, no popping out, no noises, sweet! Oh what a difference a high ratio transfer case makes.

However... the speedo is not working, at high speed I can feel and hear a noise in the rear end while decelerating and the new starter motor makes a hideous noise which sounds like it is grinding against the ring gear on the flywheel. Oh well, getting there.

[LandyAndy]

Travis
The speedo drive may need adjusting at the transfercase end.Easy to do,refer to the book of words.
Cant help with the starter mojo.
Andrew

[chazza]

Top work Trav!

I believe fishing shops and laboratory suppliers (the sort that supply schools) are good places to buy spring balances. I borrowed one when I did the diffs on the S1,

Cheers Charlie

[TJWA]

Travis
The speedo drive may need adjusting at the transfercase end.Easy to do,refer to the book of words.
Cant help with the starter mojo.
Andrew

I've tested the cable with a cordless drill and all is fine so the problem must be with the internal gear. Only problem is you can't take the shaft out with the high ratio transfer case. One of the screws you need to take out hits against the newly relocated intermediate shaft. Looks like I'll have to disconnect the tailshaft, remove the hand brake assembly and pull the whole speedo housing off. Fun fun fun!

[JDNSW]

I've tested the cable with a cordless drill and all is fine so the problem must be with the internal gear. Only problem is you can't take the shaft out with the high ratio transfer case. One of the screws you need to take out hits against the newly relocated intermediate shaft. Looks like I'll have to disconnect the tailshaft, remove the hand brake assembly and pull the whole speedo housing off. Fun fun fun!

Before you pull it all to bits, make sure the nut on the output shaft is dead tight. The most common cause of speedo not working is the drive worm slipping on the output shaft, as it relies on being clamped by that nut. Just take off the front of the prop shaft and check the nut - if at all loose, tighten it, put the shaft back and then try it.

John

[TJWA]

Thanks for the tip JDNSW, I checked the nut on the output shaft and I had done it up to 85ftlb as the good book specifies so I investigated further and found the culprit. The one on the left is a spare good one I have.

Pity I couldn't pull out this little varmit without hitting the relcoated intermediate shaft of the HRTC. A good thing to check when you change out a gearbox or transfer case. :wallbash: Still, not a big job really, it was quite easy. :D

[TJWA]

110ks should be easy.
Get some taller tyres and the revs will drop even more,the holden 6 will love it and treat you better at the bowser.
8.25x16 work pretty well and fit stock rims.Look for secondhand Dunlop Super Grippers in this size(ask at Beaurepairs in Collie I used to get them from Beaurepairs Narrogin),the railway maitenece companys use them on their small trucks.Normally this size is only available in a light truck highway tread.
ENJOY
Andrew

With the speedo now working I gave her a trial on a nice flat road. 135kms/h before I decided not to push the 186 any further. It certainly does not labour now at 110kms/h. It's running 7.5's. I'm pretty happy with it now and will leave them on there.

While I had the tailshaft out I changed the unis, however there's still a growl at high speed coming from the rear diff when deccelerating. Getting there!

[LandyAndy]

Almost ready to race the Porsche.









ON A WET MUDDY TRACK:cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[TJWA]

The LWB S3, it's high speed transfer case and gearbox, have since been dismantled and used to restore an Ex Military LWB S3 back to reliable running condition.

Back to the original subject of this thread. Louisa's SWB S3.

(You'll notice that the SWB S3 is now referred to as "Louisa's", as I've spent the last 6 months on "my" Ex-Military :p)

I have recently fitted a disk brake set to the front hubs. http://www.aulro.com/afvb/series-3/85644-disc-brake-conversion.html#post1217141

I've also gotten a 5 speed LT77 for free (thanks Defmec) and purchased an Ashcroft LT77 to Series Transfer Case adaptor.

[matbor]

Well, I've got my solution for the speedo sensor for my LR. I had the original speedo cable modified to suit the new sensor (Hall effect). Here is a photo of it..

For those that are interested, I got this from the company below.. (They are in Sydney, but I'm sure companies, that carry VDO products in other states should be able to do the same if one requires/requests it)

Airco Auto Instruments Pty. Ltd
(02) 9560-2755
Paul Reynolds is the chap I spoke to and met..
Email: vdosales@airco.com.au
WWW: www.airco.com.au (http://www.airco.com.au)

The mod only took him one day.. (Brought it in, in the morning, done by the afternoon..)

Wolf

Wolf, just wondering how the cable and hall effect sensor is going ? does the speedo jump around or is it spot on?

Matt.

[LandyAndy]

Matt,my Bro Matt has the same speedo.They "average out" the speed reading so they read constantly not jumping up and down.Its done over milliseconds so is still accurate.
They are a very good speedo conversion for a Series landy.
Andrew

[Wolfman_TWP]

Wolf, just wondering how the cable and hall effect sensor is going ? does the speedo jump around or is it spot on?

Matt.

I haven't had a chance to try it yet. But I can't see that there will be any problems with this setup. I still have a lot of things to do before it's on the road, and ready for the speedo test..

Wolf

[TJWA]

Finished fitting the Series transfer case to the LT77 Defender 5 speed gearbox.

[Landy Smurf]

good work looks great

[lkkipping@bigpond.com]

My speedo stopped working on my ser3 a while back, and what is was, the small brass collet at the speedo on the cable had came loose,allowing the cable to move into the T/Case just enough to disconnect itself from the speedo, I solved this by cutting a match stick to size at the T/Case pushing the cable back into the speedo,
regards Lozza

[subasurf]

So, any news on the shortie?

[TJWA]

So, any news on the shortie?

No, besides the disc brakes I'm plodding away on, I've been concentrating all my Landy time on my Ex-Military.

[TJWA]

I've made a deal with Louisa, no more work on my LWB until her SWB is back on the road, we have just done 10,000km's around Australia in the LWB anyway so I guess it has proven itself and I'll leave it alone for now.

After months of sitting around waiting for me to pick them up and then actually do something with them, I finally got around to fitting the new seat boxes today.

They came as laser cut aluminium flat packs with tiny cuts now and then along the lines they need to bend on. I bent them up by hand with a block of wood and a rubber mallet, sounds dodgy, but they bend perfectly everytime with the laser cuts in them. It was then simply a case of pop rivetting them in place. Easy, and well worth the effort!:D

[Eddie S]

Finished fitting the Series transfer case to the LT77 Defender 5 speed gearbox.
Wow, that's an awesome conversion. Do you think the gearleavers on Gearbox and T/F case will come out at the same floor holes as the original setup? I may have asked this question before. It seems like on my SIII 186 to original G/B & T/F case leaver positions appear unchanged. I really like the 5sp set up. Ta Eddie:)

[TJWA]

Wow, that's an awesome conversion. Do you think the gearleavers on Gearbox and T/F case will come out at the same floor holes as the original setup?

I've measured the distance, the gear lever will come out at the same floor hole as the original, but it looks as though the hole may have to be made wider.

[Eddie S]

I've measured the distance, the gear lever will come out at the same floor hole as the original, but it looks as though the hole may have to be made wider.
Thanks mate, I forgot to mention to mention I have a Holden 6 not sure if I have to move the engine forward. If I do it will be a very tight squeeze. The car looks like an original six landy radiator has not been moved. I'm seriously thinking about the 5sp conversion, really depends on amount of trouble to put it in. The Ashcrove site mentions 100mm lentgh extra on box and engine moved forward so all gear leavers come out an the same place. It's verty technical.:angel:

[TJWA]

Yep, that's correct, it moves the engine forward 102mm. As I'm putting in a 200TDI, I'm yet to see what effect that will have. I'm hoping I will be able to still get away without moving the radiator panel support forward.

[Eddie S]

Yep, that's correct, it moves the engine forward 102mm. As I'm putting in a 200TDI, I'm yet to see what effect that will have. I'm hoping I will be able to still get away without moving the radiator panel support forward.
Thanks mate, much apprieciated - just wandering how strong are the original gearboxes, I hear all sorts of stories they are weak, dont take much behind a Holden red. The reason I'm asking looks like I need to pull the g/b out of mine not sure if I'm wasting my time rebuilding it or go for the 5sp conversion - (not sure if engine will fit if I have to move it forward). I'm not a rough driver but not sure if box takes long fast highway work or how much it will take off road. Friends of mine have original 2.25L in there's and tow heavy loads with no real issues except normal wear and tear. Any ideas on this would be of great help since I'm new to Landrover and still learning.:)

[reubsrover]

Yep, that's correct, it moves the engine forward 102mm. As I'm putting in a 200TDI, I'm yet to see what effect that will have. I'm hoping I will be able to still get away without moving the radiator panel support forward.


Thanks for the thread. I'm also hoping (a little further down the track) to put a 200TDi in mine and was browsing the other day when I came across this. A very nice looking vehicle and it looks like you shouldn't have to move the radiator support panel.

http://carandclassic.com/car/C192943/#

[TJWA]

After abandoning the idea of using the home made disc brake conversion I had (see disc brake conversion thread for reasons why), I have purchased a Roam Offroad conversion which has custom hubs and swivel pin housings to allow fitment of the latest Defender discs and callipers.
The kit arrived yesterday, now to get hold of some callipers and discs.

53067

[Wolfman_TWP]

After abandoning the idea of using the home made disc brake conversion I had (see disc brake conversion thread for reasons why), I have purchased a Roam Offroad conversion which has custom hubs and swivel pin housings to allow fitment of the latest Defender discs and callipers.
The kit arrived yesterday, now to get hold of some callipers and discs.

53067

I see you got the 4 wheel kit. :thumbsup: So did I. But I can't put them on until I get my Landy registered again. Else I will need an engineers certificate. I already have all the discs and callipers, pads and bits. All ready to go..

Wolf