Thread: Meet Max

We will work something out in relation to a drive.... Maybe a milk crate!

Hi All,

Homestar came over to help (read: he basically did all of the electrical while I was busy doing other things) yesterday.

First job was to install a distributor, set the timing, purge the old fuel out of the tank, do some initial wiring checks, and use start-ya-barstard to get the old boy running...

The old boy lives - he started first turn and purred like a kitten.. Here is Homestar (sitting on a Series seat base) giving it a test run:

https://i.imgur.com/hdYN6bf.mp4

Next - Homestar decided to have a look at the wiring, as we always thought that it had been butchered somewhat... Here is the wiring under the dash:



Just look at it... And shake your head in dismay.

The next few hours was spent removing all of the redundant wiring, which included - wiring for the sill tanks, wiring for a power point in the boot, wiring for a cruise control system, wiring for a electric brake controller, wiring for driving lights, wiring for a CB (long gone), relays upon relays upon relays, wiring for electric front windows.. Well - just lots of wiring...

Here is what we kept calling "the pile of shame":



While all of that was going on - I worked on removing the door tops (so that I can refurbish them) & removing the electric windows. Both doors are now stripped:



Removed the windscreen:



Removed the rear vision mirror and front head lining:



We also removed a home made second battery box under the bonnet, the fuel filler neck (so that it can be refurbished), the scuttle vents (so that they can be refurbished), and I'm sure that we did other things - I just can't remember all of them!

A big thanks to Homestar for yesterday - there are still a few more jobs to do before I sent the body away for paint, BUT - a lot of jobs got done yesterday... Getting him running was a huge milestone, and makes things so much easier..

Noice work boys!

Was a good day - plenty of progress. Max runs and drives sweet as a nut. Also, the PO needs a kick in a balls for the wiring and other stuff in this vehicle. I've worked on plenty of things with some dodgy wiring, but this one takes the cake. There is almost no circuit that has gone untouched - and unfortunately every single thing that had been modified or added in was terrible - some of the worst wiring I've ever come across truth to be told.

I didn't get it all cleared out, but around 90% I think - certainly it is now in a state where it is repairable. Until it goes back together somewhat I won't know what does and doesn't work. Certainly the lights will need new relays installing - these had relays added, but couldn't be saved. Fuel pump and cranking wiring was butchered and I couldn't get this working easily yesterday so there's a couple of jumpers to make these run, but now the crap wiring is out the way, I can sort this out next time.

Too many other things to list but we'll work through them one by one and get it so it works as it should with any improvements being done correctly and in a logical way.

GG now has a huge pile of parts to recondition, so that should keep him out of trouble for a while.

GG, You have my sympathy.

That's what the underside of my RRC's dash looked like in 2014. It took me two weeks to correct it PROPERLY, isolating and returning all the factory circuits to their intended function. There was not a single circuit that had not been molested.
I was satisfied to a point - but knew it could never be made 'right' without removing the harness in it's entirety and refabricating it.
At the time, it seemed like a plausible option, just rather excessive and the expense was too immediate post-purchase. In hindsight it probably was a missed opportunity.

When adding the aux LED lighting, 52mm gauges, bcdc, sbi winch isolation, aux power and stereo etc, things gradually became more cramped again. Then there was the engine harness which is still largely original, but repaired and the modifications like the bee-utey remote dizzy module, the failure of the visco fan leading to twin 16" thermofans and pwm control modules etc. over time all these little modifications and additions can make a super-neat install look just a little less tidy. So it is possible to see and understand over time how a less-than-careful previous owner can make a mockery of wiring.

It's still possible to properly route and make wiring look tidy if you just keep it segregated and loomed together appropriately. Noone needs to have a work of art under the dash or in the engine bay, just easy to follow/trace labelled circuits, which allow you to trace faults without 'getting your wires crossed' - literally.

That's what happened to me in december 2014 when I had issues with an aftermarket cruise control installation which was malfunctioning. when I opened up that panel, the horror story before my eyes was a truly sinking moment. I was new to LR's then, not a stranger to electrics. Even now that moment is still etched in my retinas and not easily forgettable.

Clean wiring installs aren't a really difficult task to perform, but there is an associated cost overhead involved with making things 'neat' under the dash. One is time, the other is the added expense of conduit and heatshrink/labelling / proper automotive connectors etc. Stuff that generally speaking the local auto parts suppliers do not stock.

If you're a "bullet connector" kinda guy, or your auto sparky is, then generally the suggestion would be to focus efforts on another brand of vehicle more suited to that practice - i.e. toyota.

Landrover products in their original guise need absolutely no assistance whatsoever in the pathetic wiring philosophy department. Just look at this lovely example! and there are plenty more out there just like this, and mine...

The more I see fellow rrc owners suffering at the hands of previous idiots, the more I believe it's mandatory for any pre-purchase inspection to remove the drivers side under-dash panel and just take stock of what sits there.

I really feel for you GG. If I had my time again, I would also have bitten the bullet and pre-provisioned some "extras" in my original rewiring, to save me time and effort down the track - but the catch is, you never really know 'what's down the track", do you....

best of luck and hope you don't find any other really nasty surprises.

In all the excitement - I forgot the "after" pic for the under dash wiring!



Cheers,
GG.

And just to let everyone know, that’s not finished by any stretch, just de cluttered of crap. Most of the joints made by the PO still need to be done properly, etc.

Originally Posted by Homestar

And just to let everyone know, that’s not finished by any stretch, just de cluttered of crap. Most of the joints made by the PO still need to be done properly, etc.

Sounds like a disclaimer Gav. Hehe.
It all looks more 'original', than when ya started. So all good. WinWin.