FFR Refurb

Bonnet painted yesterday.

The screws that hold the latch on the front corners of the bonnet had rusted out (see picture).
The rusted section is inside one of the bonnet ribs.
Couldn't find slotted UNF screws, ended up with M6 slotted 304 stainless screws. That'll stop them rusting away....probably the aluminium will corrode instead !

I've had master cylinder problems for some time.
Early on I'd fitted a new reservoir but it hadn't engaged properly in the rubber seals in the top of the master cylinder.
Fixed that and kept getting leaks from the outlet for the front brakes.
Had a look again today and it looked like the flare at the end of the pipe might be the problem so I decided to make a new pipe as the old one was rusty in a couple of places. A bit fiddly getting the bends & angles correct, test fitted before fitting the master cylinder fitting & flaring, removed and adjusted length before fitting the tube nut & flaring.
Installed and seemed OK, topped up, went to bleed the brakes and leaks from the same fitting again !!!

The master cylinder fitted was from India, a direct purchase via a mate who brings in products.
If you follow my IIa GS thread you'll have read that I'd found a st/st sleeved master cylinder for a Series III in amongst the spares that came with it. I'd re-sealed & painted it then put it into 'stock'.
Checked the threads and compared to the Indian one and low & behold the thread in the Indian one was deeper....the tube nut was bottoming out on it's threads and not sealing against the flare !

Removed the Indian one and transferred the reservoir. Fitted the st/st sleeved one, filled with Dot 3 & brakes bled without further issue.

Bonnet re-fitted then I'd had enough for the day.


Colin

Camo pattern 'refreshed' at the weekend and started making a list of minor things to fix.
Replace wiper arms & blades, check windscreen washer works, adjust handbrake .......

Then....two major limbs off trees in the wind over the last couple of days.
One glanced the tree house and covered a garden shed. Minor damage to the zincalume roof panels but a lot of clearing up to do.
Plus one of the boys had a ride on mower parked outside which is now buried but hopefully not too badly damaged.
The limb is about 500mm diameter at the big end.

Today I got a message from SWMBO, another limb down. Covered a shed and the chook shed but luckily no damage or potential leaks. The chooks were a bit ticked off apparently.
Limb is partly attached so I have to figure out how to drop it without doing any more damage.
One of my boys works at a Clip & Climb Centre so I may be sending him up with some ropes.

Looks like I'll be busy this weekend.....but not working on the FFR !


Colin

Most of the weekend spend chopping up branches.

I had to use a Hi-Lift jack and some Telstra rope to take the weight of one branch off the young bloke's mower.
Still a bit more to do, then I have to move all the branches down to the other end of the property ready for mulching.

Windy all day today, while I was tidying there was a crash as another branch fell on the shed !
So far very lucky as minimal damage to sheds.

Back to working on the FFR during the week.


Colin

Managed a few more jobs on the FFR in the heat today.

Stripped & repaired the the screenwash system. Hose was split where it pushes over the connector on the pump and had to make a new Earth lead.
I hate those electrical crimp connectors with plastic insulation in red/blue/yellow. I pull the insulation off, crimp & solder the wire in place and fit some black heat shrink, looks original and doesn't stand out like the dogs whatsits.

Brakes are really good, still have to get round to adjusting the handbrake.

Vacuumed the rear and scrubbed the seats, still have to make bases for the two rear seats. I have the foam, the vinyl is cut......just need to get round to it !

Bonnet doesn't close properly, the stay is catching on something so I need to investigate. The aircleaner is at the front right where the stay wants to park itself.

There is a 'curtain' behind the front seats, it seems it was used to block out any light when the vehicle was parked and the radios were in use. There are three straps & buckles on the bottom but nowhere on the bulkhead to strap to ? I'll have to have a look at other FFR's at Corowa.


Colin

Left the FFR out last night, heavy dirty rain shower so it needs cleaning again. On the plus side the inside was dry !

Another branch down this morning so out with the chainsaw. Once that was dealt with I had a look at the bonnet closing problem.
The stay was catching on the air filter, I'd removed the filter & frame but I'm positive it went back in the same position. Nothing had changed.
Found another bonnet stay and noticed the dog-leg at the top was in a slightly different position, fitted this stay and problem resolved ! At some point the stay was changed slightly or Land Rover used a different supplier but still not sure why it closed originally but all these years later it needed fixing.

Quite warm so I waited until it was a bit overcast and headed out on a test drive with one of my boys. Within minutes it was very heavy rain.
The wipers work very well, the only rain getting inside was from the side windows that I'd rolled up.
Power delivery is very different to my shorty (2.4 Isuzu diesel) and it could do with an extra gear.
The front mounted exhaust was removed to get a roady by the previous owner and a full length system made. It hits the chassis in a couple of spots so I need to look at the mounts to see if I can rectify the problem.
I have the front mounted exhaust still so that may get re-fitted at some point in the future.

Back in the shed to dry off.
Needs a new battery and better get some insurance......

Colin

I put a ‘fume guard’ in my Perentie FFR. It stops most of the fumes getting into the front of the cabin. I bought it out of the UK for a Series [emoji639] - and just used cable ties on the Perentie RPS.. Works a treat.

I did a few last minute jobs today.

The hose between blower & heater was missing when I got the FFR, one turned up in some parts I purchased recently (thanks Gavin).
I thought it would be a simple fit.......
Ended up removing the splash guard under the wing and the blower to get it installed !

Adjusted the handbrake, when I removed the panel under the drivers seat I found there was a nut on the linkage not tightened so there was some lost motion.

Then I decided to organise insurance......
My other vehicles are with RACV Classic, when I phoned them I found that they will not insure ex Military vehicles !
Ended up with Shannons but it was more expensive than my other vehicles.

Next, time to check the trailer over, I'm towing it to a friends place a lot closer to Corowa next week.
One tyre needs replacing as it's worn badly on one edge, the tyre the other end of the axle is OK ? Bent axle maybe ?
To be fair it's taken a long time (a lot of Km's) to wear but I'll have to keep an eye on the replacement when fitted.

One of my boys has used the trailer a lot more than me and loaded cars a lot lower & wider than a Land Rover so lots of paint removed. Better get the paintbrush out.


Colin

Up early today painting the trailer, it looks a bit more presentable and will stand up to the weather for a few more years.

I noticed the buffers that fit in the bulkhead for the bonnet to butt against are missing on the FFR. I vaguely remember buying some so I hunted through a few boxes in the shed and found two. Managed to fit them although it was a struggle with the spare on the bonnet as I had limited access.

Next I decided to waterproof the lower part of the canopy.
The roof section has been replaced, sides & rear are original. I'd noticed when I was out in the rain the other week that the canvas on the sides quickly got wet.
Someone on AULRO (apologies I've forgotten who) gave me some proofing compound a few years ago so I thought I'd see how it went.
It's a white liquid, a bit like PVA glue, I applied with a wide brush and used a plastic sheet to protect the paintwork. It soaks in and the white colour disappears as it drys.
I was surprised how far a small amount goes.

Just need to make the rear seat cushions and it's ready for Corowa.

Colin

Cleaned all the junk off the sewing bench and fired up the old Singer.

I don't sew that often so I mark everything up, measure twice cut once.
Ran out of thread on the lower bobbin so had to think how to release it, 1930's Singers are a bit different to modern machines.
This one can't reverse so you have to turn the job around which can be problematic.

Made a presentable job, just need some cord to tie the bases to the seat frames so they don't blow away when the top is rolled up.


Colin

Towed the FFR up to a mates place about 28K away from Corowa along with another mate towing a 101.

Some degree of nervousness after hand scraping the wear ridges in the bores and fitting new rings years ago. Despite only having a few Kms testing it performed quite well, 70KPH there & back, needs an overdrive or high ratio transfer box.
Ride is a bit harsh but that's down to old tyres & Army leaf springs.

Topped up the expansion tank to about halfway before leaving. Pulled up in Rutherglen for a coffee and it was dribbling coolant, temp gauge was below half all the way so assumed it was down to me overfilling.

Rolled the sides up for the parade & trip to the showgrounds.

Several nice comments about the paintwork & upholstery !

The FFR appears at 12.00 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBolEjLWSdY


Colin