Thread: Early front half shaft.

Why is it that every job I do on a series Landrover turns into a major project? I seem to always be fixing up the results of previous stuff ups or lack of maintenance. Oh well at least when I am finished them all they should run for years with just the maintenance bit .

The simple job of fixing leaking swivel seals has so far taken -

1. Buy two new swivel balls as the existing ones are too stuffed to bother putting new seals on.
2. Buy a kit to convert to Railko bushes rather than the cones and springs. Find out that it won't fit the Series one, so have to change that next week. The kit included all the gaskets, new felt seal, and new lock tabs for everything.
3. Buy new spring bushes (Superpro Polybushes, I dislike the standard bushes) for the front springs since bits of one was coming out and the front one had completely separated the rubber from the outside shell. Haven't pulled out the other side yet, just bought the bushes since I am sure it will be stuffed too .
4. New swivel seals and axle seals, I already had a couple of hub seals sitting here waiting for a leak.
5. New half shaft bearings and bearing retaining cones, they might have been ok but any sign of rust on bearings and I would rather replace. The cones have to be replaced since they get removed to get the half shaft out of the swivel ball.
6. I had some new bolts for the shackle bushes left over from a job on the series 3 so I though I would use those to replace the badly rusted ones. Of course this becomes a project, different thread, slightly larger, so drill out the shackle, cut a new thread and they now fit .
7. Put new bushes in the right hand spring today, just tightened the bolt that holds the spring pack together a tiny bit as it seemed loose. Then put the spring back in, hit the side of the pack with a hammer to help position it under the axle and the damned bolt broke and the bottom two leaves fell off. So now have to visit Hardware tomorrow and see if I can find something suitable, or the bolt shop on Monday.

So going nowhere at the moment waiting for bearings and replacement Railko kit. Will pull the other side apart tomorrow I hope and get it all cleaned up ready for the parts when they arrive. Will put new bushes in that spring and maybe replace the bolt at the same time just so I can be sure it won't snap on me like the other one.

Oh the joys of series, particularly 58 year old ones . Despite all this I do love em.

TimJ.

Well it is finally back on it's wheels . Took a while for parts to arrive from the UK but they got here Monday so I could finish things off. Just need to adjust the steering stops in the morning then a test drive. It should be totally different to drive now.

In the last month or so the following jobs have been done on this vehicle -

1. Change front and rear driveshaft seals on the transfer case, adjust preload on the rear bearing. New gasket on the transfer case sump to stop that leaking too.
2. New shoes and skim the drum on the handbrake. Rebuild the handbrake expander and adjuster from the best parts of three I had around. The early Series handbrake mechanism is different from the later Series 2 and 3 so parts are not so easy to find.
3. Replace universal joint on front tailshaft.
4. Replace bushes in front springs with Superpro bushes. Put new bolts in to hold the spring packs together. Put new shackle bolts in (including changing thread in the shackles to suit).
5. Replace the swivel balls with new ones.
6. Replace brass bush swivel pins with Railko bush ones.
7. Replace half shaft bearings and axle seals.
8. Replace swivel seals.
9. Replace hub seals.
10. Replace front diff pinion seal.
11. Replace all four shocks, three were pretty stuffed. Found some Gabriel ones at Supercheap for less than $40 each so even if they give up in a year or two they will probably be worth it.

I still have to replace the rear diff pinion seal but though I had two ready to go I stuffed one up trying to put it in the front. I have learned from changing seals in the gearbox and diff that it is easier to take the whole seal housing (bearing retaining housing) off and put the new seal in on the bench than to try and do it under the car. Shouldn't take long to do once I get a new seal. Probably need to look at the bushes in the rear springs as well since the front ones were so bad but that can wait a little while.

I have also learned that I have no idea how I used to do things before I bought a press. Bearing shells and halfshafts are so much easier now. I did a friends trailer hubs and bearings as well and that took half the time and I didn't bang my knuckles with a hammer trying to get the bearing shells out.

Really looking forward to a drive now .

TimJ.