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And here's the right side. The LT 230 is the lowest point and with the vehicle as a rolling chassis with engine it's still got 380mm clearance! 365 @ the base of the handbrake drum. I've managed to salvage and cut off all the previous owners 'additions' to the original gearbox x member.. This will be going back in slightly further forward sitting with the front prop/output flange just above it.
Fantastic read. Love the photos. Should be a great bit of gear, best of all worlds when done.
And the gearbox x member is back in, with revamped ends to give the front prop clearance! I now smell of angle grinders!! Started to manufacture the exhaust as its much easier to do with no body. Anyone know how loud a Tdi is without muffler... Too loud I'm guessin!! :). Now to get my head round the front x member and PAS box.... The x member has been butchered so is coming out but what to put back that looks neat and will carry the rad and intercooler....
Still getting my head around PAS box... Buggers up the rad and intercooler positioning... as we are retaining the Ser 2 front panel. Soooo, I got on with making the front prop.. Half the Disco rear prop with the bent bit cut off and half of the donor Ser 2's rear prop as the splines were in A1 condition. New uni joint at the diff end and the rubber gator off the donor front prop and bingo! Well, it'll work! :)
And back to the exhaust! Easy to do it now while I can get to it all! First to go was the cast Disco down pipe. I've made a replacement flange out of 10mm plate and started to fabricate the front half using 2 1/4" pipe. Yeah I'd like bigger, but there just ain't the room!!! I have 10 mm chassis clearance, 10mm bellhousing clearance, and 30mm clearance from the starter. Yes, the heat shield is going back on. Running it just under the PAX floor as its clear of the underside then. Could have gone bigger if I'd come out to the left of the vehicle and gone under outriggers etc but it would have looked tatty, and this way I know Hills can sit the vehicle on its belly without damage!
I've also found a nice 2 1/2" muffler that has minimal silencing, so am sighting this at the rear and modelling it on the original system. That way I use std mounts and the ones on the donor vehicle are actually good! Have left the outlet at 2 1/2" and will roll a bit of steel bar into a ring to give the outlet that nice Td5 look. Big thanks to Richard @ 'Exhaust Wizard' on Paxton St in Gawler. He's done a few jobs for me and has the kit to bend pipe as req! 3m of 2 1/4" pipe, turbo gasket, one silencer and several mandrel bend 'u's' along with 6+ bends all for under $200.
Exhaust all welded up and sprayed in heat resistant paint. Clear of the chassis by 10 mm and the bell-housing by 15mm! Room for movement, and a clear underside!
2.5" outlet complete with Td5 style rolled end as requested by the boss! Can't wait to run it now to see what note I've got!!!:)
Well, we have the front x member out, having tacked a temporary bar in place first, and we have the 4 bolt Adwest box roughly sited on the chassis. Planned to used a cranked drop arm but spotted a straight arm in Brendan's pile of 'sundry bits'! (British 4x4 in Adelaide). this lets me use the original track rod and damper assy from the shorty.... No reason why it shouldn't work....?
Final position of steering box decided, so chassis drilled, and anti crush tubes inserted and welded into position. Xmember mfr this weekend!