Phil's 82 Range Rover Classic

Hi David, no I didn’t use Castcraft or similar.
I did a spark test to compare the bottom bracket to rolled steel and it appeared to be the same, so I assumed the bottom bracket is cast steel and not cast iron.
In the past (for an experiment) I tried welding cast iron with normal MIG wire and it was virtually impossible to get a bond. However, the bottom bracket behaved the same as the steel spacer piece I was inserting, so I am confident my spark test was accurate.

Perhaps with the lift, you could do the opposite of what I have done and shorten the bottom bracket so that the hydromat will retain the suspension at the lifted height when loaded !

Phil

I've run out of spare brackets. [biggrin]

DL

When I purchased my RRC there was no key for the upper tailgate.
Fortunately it was unlocked [smilebigeye]
So I dismantled it and removed the barrel to find out the number stamped on it.
I had a spare Morris Mini door key and it fitted in the lock barrel but was of the wrong code but at least I then knew the key format.
I was then able to order a pair of keys from these folk on eBay for $28.50 including postage.
Attachment 181134

The pair of keys arrived a few days later and fitted perfectly.
I reassembled the lock to the upper tailgate and bingo.
Attachment 181135

Another (small) job completed [smilebigeye]

My RRC has an ignition key but it must have a replacement lock as the key does not fit the door locks [bighmmm]
So I removed the passenger side lock assembly and took the barrel to a local locksmith to have a key cut.
2 keys for $40 sounds pretty reasonable to me.
While I had it all apart I drilled a hole in the retaining clip so that the next time I need to remove the lock I can pull the clip down with a piece of wire with a bend in the end. I had a hell of a time getting it off originally. Does anyone have any special tricks to removing them as I still need to remove the drivers side lock.
Attachment 181302

Regards
Phil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phil 850

When I purchased my RRC there was no key for the upper tailgate.
Fortunately it was unlocked [smilebigeye]
So I dismantled it and removed the barrel to find out the number stamped on it.
I had a spare Morris Mini door key and it fitted in the lock barrel but was of the wrong code but at least I then knew the key format.
I was then able to order a pair of keys from these folk on eBay for $28.50 including postage.
Attachment 181134

The pair of keys arrived a few days later and fitted perfectly.
I reassembled the lock to the upper tailgate and bingo.
Attachment 181135

Another (small) job completed [smilebigeye]

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Thanks for this info Phil. I've now been able to get replacement keys for mine!

Trish at e-locksmith https://www.ebay.com.au/str/elocksmi...mis&media=COPY was very helpful and I would thoroughly recommend.

I bought a set of Hi-Tech exhaust headers that they make specifically for fitting a P76 V8 into a RRC.
As I had some issues with the header flanges not easily fitting onto the exhaust manifold studs (fixed with the gentle use of a die grinder on a couple of the flange holes) I thought I would check the alignment of the exhaust ports to the header flanges.
Cylinder head.
Attachment 181476

I then cut out a piece of fibreglass sheet to match the head ports.
Attachment 181477

I then laid this on the header flanges by lining up the bolt holes.
Most ports lined up quite well but one in particular overlapped the template by about 5 mm. Second port from the right.
Attachment 181479

I scribed around the template and then ground out the header flange to the scribed line.
Attachment 181480

The offending flanges with the template removed.
Attachment 181481

I might grind rind them all about 1 mm greater than the template just to ensure that they don’t interfere with exhaust flow once installed.

My LT230 transfer case lever uses the entire width and length of the housing to lock/unlock the diff and change from high to low range.
The main culprit (other than general wear) is the hole for the clevis pin in the high/low range arm is ~10 mm and the clevis pin is ~8 mm.
Attachment 181896

I bought some 10 mm OD x 8 mm ID tube and swaged it into the arm.
Attachment 181897

It made a significant differance [bigsmile1]
I then did the same for the diff lock lever pivot.
Attachment 181898

It it all feels much more positive now.
Taking the wear out of the rest of the system will be far more tedious, so this will do for now.

Ok, it’s not a significant update to the build, but it’s another piece of the puzzle done.
I had to remove the windscreen washer bottle bracket for access to other areas.
Lots of “patina” [bigsmile1]
Attachment 183376 Attachment 183377

I soaked it in Simple Green to remove dirt and grease then dipped it in CLR and gave it a rub over with a brass wire brush.
Attachment 183378 Attachment 183379

It came up up far better than I had anticipated [smilebigeye]

Phil

The plan is to get the car registered with its original 3.5 V8 as it runs reasonably well, doesn’t rattle but is a but fumey.
While cleaning it up a bit I thought I would pull the rocker covers off to make it a bit easier.
This is what the inside looks like [bigsad]
Attachment 184283
While it may have a lot of k’s on it I suspect it has rarely had an oil change.

My long term plan was to eventually install a P76 V8 which I already have that supposedly came out of a RRC. It has modified engine mounts and a RRC timing cover and water pump.
The inside of this engine looks a lot better.
Attachment 184284
I have had the sump off and it all looks pretty good. Still has the cross hatching from the honing in the bores.

I think I might change plans and go straight to the P76 instead.
Are there any significant registration issues that may be a problem ?

Regards
Phil

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phil 850

....................

I think I might change plans and go straight to the P76 instead.
Are there any significant registration issues that may be a problem ?

Regards
Phil

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It can't too hard, the white 2 door on 35's had one in it and all the numbers matched up on the expired rego certificate that came with it.

Of course the previous owner may have had access to a set of number punches.

DL