Thread: Stirlsilver's Disco Ute Project

Originally Posted by Phat-Customs

Do the intercooler thermo fans need to run continuously, or is there scope in the future to have them switch on and off in conjunction with B00st?

The fans don't need to run continuously, they are mostly there to keep the cores cool when there is low/no air flow available through the scoop to prevent heat soak. My plan is to have them turn on/off with respect to speed (i've run the cables now to pick up a shaft speed sensor). Below a certain speed they are on, and above off. But that is for the future as I'm just trying to get this thing on the road!

So for the latest update:
After finally getting hold of some new radius arm bushes, the front axle was ready to go in, but before I get onto that. Does anybody recognize what the plate spacers shown in the 3 photos below are all about? They were on the front axle from the wreck. The car had caster correction bushes, but I can't work out what the parts are supposed to be for??






Anyway, with the bushes in hand, the front axle went in.




I bought and fitted a Terrafirma toughened steering rod and track rod kit because the ones I had were bent.





The final preparations were done to at least get the car able to drive on the front axle. The workshop had a pretty serious layer of dirt on the ground by now and I wanted to get in and clean it. Here is Ana giving me a hand fitting a wheel.



A video was shot of the FIRST time the car moved under its own power in over 6 years. Pretty rough trying to do it with the handbrake only and the fact I couldn't shut the passenger door with the LPG line running into the cabin! Oh, and yes all the squeaks and noises are:
1. Shot water pump bearing
2. The power steering system isn't properly bled.

Here is the video.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmPt0FcgRLs[/ame]

A couple of shots with the car outside.






And the workshop clean up began. Before shots. P.S. I did help with the cleaning despite what this photo looks like!!




And after.




I realized that I no longer need the test stand I built very early on in the build. If anyone wants it, let me know.




With the clean up done, the car was put in nose first so that we could get to work on the back.


The rear diff I got with the locker was a 3 bolt flange and I needed a 4 bolt flange diff. So after a lot of mucking about trying to get the alignment spigot off the 3 bolt flange, we resorted to cutting it off. Anyway, I had planned on simply swapping the flanges between diffs, but then I realized that the 3 bolt flange is longer than the 4 bolt flange internally so that scrapped that idea. I'll need to get the kit and then resume putting in the rear diff.

Below is the shot of the diff with the locker and the cut off input flange.


That's it for this update! Stay tuned for more.

Dr Frankenstein and his shambling monster!! Keep it up Stirling!

Originally Posted by Wicks89

Dr Frankenstein and his shambling monster!! Keep it up Stirling!

haha just what I was thinking.

The 'spacer' on the differential centre is the bracket for the harmonic damper.

The others on the underside of the swivel are also harmonic/vibration dampers.


Somehow, I don't think you'll notice them missing .

Hello again everyone, looks like the thread is half way to a quarter of a million! An eighth of a million doesn't quite have the same ring to it!

Anyway, on with the progress.

Many years ago I had cut and rotated the LPG tank brackets and only primer painted them. So finally it was time to sort that out and paint the brackets.


Also, the 3 bolt flange on the rear diff was finally swapped over after getting the correct flange and seal to do the job!!


The rear axle was mounted with a set of front springs and an old set of shock absorbers. I decided to swap the springs from the rear to the front and vice versa, this is because the front is much heavier than the rear.


The rear sway bar brackets were welded in place - the sway bars will be necessary to have if the engineers decide it is necessary to road test the car. I'll have to work out if I put quick disconnects on or not later.


The final rear axle arrangement.


The car sitting on the rear springs and the diff locked rear axle. Still higher at the front of the car. But anyway, I'll have that sorted out when I get the proper springs and shocks for it.


I took the car for another quick test drive. All seems to be going well so far! I just need some brakes now! And a bunch of other things...

I should point out that Ana was in the workshop again with me today being a massive help. Anyway, she snapped this photo saying it looked like I was being eaten by the car - playing on the Frankenstein theme!

Your pretty lucky that ur other half will come into the shed, not to mention actually helping with stuff! Keep up the good work, it's looking awesome.

Originally Posted by stirlsilver

I can't work out what the parts are supposed to be for??


Anyway, with the bushes in hand, the front axle went in.

The fitting on the bottom of the diff centre is for your steering damper and it looks like this car had been modified to take two steering dampers

A common mod is to take the steering damper OFF the track rod (rear rod) and diff and instead make brackets at attach to the drag link (front rod) and chassis like on Defenders. This way your steering damper is up out of harms way

It looks like you might have a mount on the left chassis for the steering damper - hard to tell from the pic

Example attached