Thread: Plugger and The Camel

Gee, I dumped a swb series roof about a month ago.... i've still got the sides though. didnt' realise anyone wanted them.

Rod, John and GG - I will have another crack at the chassis number. Not saying its not there, but it sure is elusive!!

Debruiser -

Update - Disassembly day 4
Today was cleaning and dismantling day. The way we stacked the camel in the shed allowed us to work on assemblies one at a time - as space was at a premium in the shop! Most of the bulky items went into the loft - guards, seat box etc, while the heaviest parts remained at floor level - chassis, front and rear axle assemblies etc.

On top of the chassis and closest to the door was the front axle assembly. It was time to take that apart and see what was what. I set the axle up on a set of stands and let Plugger go for it. Here is the lad in action (you will notice the Haynes manual open in the lower left of picture for him to refer back to):


After 55 years of abuse, you expect some of the nuts to be frozen and bolts to be seized - we were not disappointed. The spring hanger U-bolts were knackered and only half came off (angle grinder to the rescue!!). I even had to get the rattle gun out to get some of the wheel nuts off. However, at the end of the day, we had it stripped down to its basics components. Thanks to the innovative Holden suspension oiling system, most of the front assembly was covered in well oiled grease and grime - while it took some elbow grease to get off, at least they were well protected from corrosion!! After 4 hours of work:


Things to note: The free-wheeling hubs at the front are different, but the same. They are identical in terms of look and function but are just a different brand. Not sure if I will do anything about this but if anyone out there in Land Rover land has one of these that are the same as the ones I have let me know if you want to part with it - either one is fine!!



Also, the front springs are not the same - one is a 9-leaf and one is an 11-leaf. On the hunt now for another spring to match up to the ones we have. I take it the 9-leaf is the correct spring for the front of the SWB S2A???


And finally - no oil in the diff - at all!!! Opened the drain to let things out and nothing. Cracked the front housing and nothing!! Water ingress and rust was evident but nothing severe. There is a little bit of play in the front diff, but not much - being the front assembly which will be rarely used, I thinks its acceptable. I will have a more detailed inspection next week when we have a poke around inside!!

Cheers and thanks,
Tricky

That 11-leaf spring has the shortest and second shortest leaves duplicated. (I wonder why?)

No spring would have ever been made that way. If you remove these extra leaves you will have similar springs (note that the RH one should have more camber than the left one (same at the back). I think the extra leaves must have been added in the field for some reason.

In any case, you need to disassemble all the springs, clean the leaves and paint and lubricate them.

John

Wow.... just wow.... Your project is awesome. I don't have the skill, patience, or stick-to-it-iveness that a project like this requires but I sure wish I did.

I'm grateful to you for sharing so freely your journey and wish you and your amazing son the very best of British luck!

John - I am on the hunt now for a new spring. I will take note of your comments but hey - someone made that one!!

Walrus - wow right back!! Thanks for the very, very kind words and yes, my son is pretty amazing I reckon!!

Cheers,
Tricky

Originally Posted by Archangel007

John - I am on the hunt now for a new spring. I will take note of your comments but hey - someone made that one!!

Walrus - wow right back!! Thanks for the very, very kind words and yes, my son is pretty amazing I reckon!!

Cheers,
Tricky

Looks to me that someone has added the extra leaves to accommodate a sagging Spring maybe. I would strip them both and reset them with equal number of leaves. Sandblast, paint and new centre bolt and rebush them. Not that hard to do. Just need a big hammer and a fit young kid. Good job for Plugger. The hammering bit I mean.

You must have been waiting with baited breath all these years to see what Plugger chose,,
lucky for us it wasnt wind surfing--

It will look brilliant in those colours

Hi Stealth - yes, I might do just that. There is a guy local who does all that stuff - I might just cruise around to his shop and find out how much. Like I said, I really don't want to do this twice. All new bushes (chassis and spring), hanger bolts, hangers and U-bolts have all been ordered.

Pedro - He has always been his own man Plugger. At first he wanted a Citroen DS, until we persuaded him against the idea, so an old Landy was it. He doesnt like new cars - says they have no character and they all look the same. He is somewhat eclectic, and very individual! I think this project will do a lot of character building!! Yes, I think the colours will look quite smart - as long as Dad can geta good finish off the gun!!!

It is really nice to know he has some friends on the forum, Plugger and I both thank you all!!

Cheers,
Tricky