My 1955 86" rebuild.

**Dinty** · 28th December 2015, 12:28 PM

I have been a little slack/pre-occupied with other things just lately, I had painted the jack handle and mounted it behind the seats

and yes it does fit through the front bar and engages the starter dog, damned if I could crank start it though LOL.
The rest of the time I have revisited my 5" gauge live steam locomotive, it has sat forlornly in the shed for more than 20 years without any care/maintenance, it looked so sad, the reason I made a move on it, the loco ended up in the background of an image I had posted elsewhere, and the request for more images/info etc led me just for old times sake, to push it along the track, shock horror the wheels were locked solid, panic set in, so out with the BA spanner sets, removing the front cylinder covers expecting the worst, but both sides were clean n dry, no sign of why it would be nipped up, I had to find out why n needed room to work.

My wife allowed me to use her doggie grooming table, set up in the back room with the loco on it as there is very little room to move in the shed n the lighting is not good either,

so I moved the 1/2Ton platform trailer then took the boiler off the frame, and carried the loco & smoke box up into the house

I have removed the connecting rods on both sides, and was able to tap both rh/lh pistons back into the cylinders, so I assumed that the problem was elsewhere, the wheels were now free to rotate, (as I had thought it may have slipped an eccentric) my attention turned to the crossheads

and I was correct, the rhs crosshead was binding when the piston was fully forward, anyway to cut a long story short, I found that the slide bar was tight when the Xhead was fully forward, after taking some measurements I packed the slide bar with .006 thickness brass shim that fixed it

I was pleased that I found the problem also adding to it was the fact that it hadn't moved in such a long time it had gummed up, but that has been resolved now as the next image shows, working on about 50psi of air pressure (air pressure has no expansion qualities like super heated steam)

here are 2 clips, the first is running in reverse gear
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LvUXLw6k1Y[/ame]
now running in full forward gear, you can just hear the exhaust beats, but as the air pressure drops off the motion gear slows & stops abruptly
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FKw8tWYqyI[/ame]
anyway that's been my time over the past few days, and it has been raining so not good weather to be playing with Land Rovers, cheers Dennis

**Lionelgee** · 6th January 2016, 01:16 PM

Hello Dinty,

I have been watching the news and parts of Dungog has been reported as experiencing or at threat of flooding. I hope you come through the experience unscathed.

Also that no members are effected by the Raymond Terrace floods. Stay well and safe.

Kind Regards
Lionel

**1950landy** · 6th January 2016, 10:38 PM

Hi Dennis,
I hope you & your Rovers are not getting foot rot with all that water down there.
Wayne

**Dinty** · 7th January 2016, 06:52 PM

It has been very wet down here, the Series 1 had it's front right wheel in about 4" of water for a few days, not as much rainfall as last April (140mm's) but enough for me to be down the shed late at night taking items out of low cupboards/shelves etc, the depression seems to have moved out to sea, it has been sunny/windy here today, which helps dry the ground out a little.
The only items that I need to do to the S1 are find a suitable horn and fit some split pins to the tie-rod ends, and get it on club rego, and as you can see I have been fiddling with my 5" gauge loco again, anyway cheers Dennis

**1950landy** · 7th January 2016, 10:27 PM

I will have a look & see if I have any S1 horns in the parts I got from Kev. If I have it will have your name on it if you need one. won't be until next week before I can check .

**Dinty** · 31st January 2016, 12:45 PM

It has been 3 weeks since I have done anything to the Series 1, today (a big job lol) ratting through my supply of assorted screws etc., I selected 10 to be grit blasted, but before starting that job I thought I should drain the tank on the compressor, so with very little air pressure in the tank I undid the bung, and nothing came out, so I started the compressor and shock horror the amount of filthy water etc., I flashed around grabbing all manner of cloth to soak up the filth, what a shocker.
Anyway after that small diversion I grit blasted the 10 screws

etch primed/painted gloss black

they are now insitu doing what they were manufactured for

and down on the bulkhead

the data plates came from the Series 1 club, a chap over there got them for me, we did a swap with a few small items I will be getting the chassis ID plate after the vehicle is registered, anyway hopefully that will happen very soon, cheers Dennis

**1950landy** · 1st February 2016, 01:49 PM

Dennis , Horn is on it's way.
Wayne

**Dinty** · 25th February 2016, 01:59 PM

Yesterday was crunch time, registration check, thankfully everything was as it should be and the club inspectors passed the Land Rover.
Today I took myself down to the local RMS and $94.00 later I had a set of plates, now to find some short lengths of flat bar to mount the plates on, I might even get it out and have a drive over the weekend sometime, if so I will take a few snaps, cheers Dennis

**Dinty** · 27th February 2016, 09:31 AM

After applying 'Op Rubics Cube' I managed to get the vehicle out of it's confinement and down the driveway without incident, out onto the street a short trip to the roundabout then back past home and around the block without incident (although I did see a Black cat LOL) away I have found the steering heavy, so I will have to look into that being a SWB it rides like a dray it has new gas shock absorbers or maybe it is just my 43 years of nursing (multiple back problems), it will need a tune up although it seemed to run OK, anyway here is a short clip while it was out n running free before I put it back into confinement
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os77E8acazw[/ame]
cheers Dennis

**Landy Smurf** · 28th February 2016, 09:26 AM

Congratulations on another fine Land Rover project

Thread: My 1955 86" rebuild.

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First run Saturday 27/2/16

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