Meet "Len"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ellard

Hi there Chris
The pictures you have posted above - its not all that clear but does your vehicle have a steel skid plate under the fuel tank also protecting the master cylinder (from the front drivers side wheel well under the fuel tank).

Could this vehicle originally originated from SA - as this sort of protection was a common conversion on Land Rovers used on the Woomera Rocket Range........(do you have any more close up pictures). .

---

Wayne,
Yes Len does have engine sump and fuel tank guards. It also has the remnants of a six digit SA numberplate on the front that I can just make out the SA prefix and most numbers.

I would be chuffed if it did spend some time at Woomera, its name is course is a reference to the one and only Len B who spent so much of his life in Land Rovers out in that part of the country.

I have scratched around the edges of the hole in the block with an engineer's scribe to try to find remnants of a thread, but no trace could be found. It would essentually require reaming out to a larger diameter and recut a new thread, or pursue the welsh plug option. My concern with a welsh plug is setting the plug with no shoulder in the hole to tap it against. I don't really want to have to think about trying to retrieve a welsh plug from inside the water gallery!

Also for the experts, are the bolt heads etc on Len going to be AF etc or Whitworth sizings?

Chris,

Good on you mate ;) That is a nice looking Series 1 :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cjc_td5

Wayne,
..........
Also for the experts, are the bolt heads etc on Len going to be AF etc or Whitworth sizings?

---

It is long enough since I worked on one of those engines that I am not absolutely sure.

But I would be very surprised if there were any Unified (AF) bolts or nuts on the Series 1 as it came from the factory, including the engine (although the diesel engine was probably Unified from scratch as it was a new design). I am pretty certain that when I owned a Series 1 (and that included doing rings and bearings) I did not own any AF spanners!

Of course, over its life many of the bolts may have been replaced with Unified thread ones, but this would not have included engine studs such as head bolts.

John

My two pennies worth... or tuppence worth

The two holes either end of the exhaust manifold were originally threaded with a odd British thread. The 107" 2 litre I had years ago was weeping at both ends .. I did a fix similar to William ... I bought a 3/4" BSP tap and re-tapped the holes .. BSP plugs are available at any hardware store from Cloncurry to Huonville. You have to grind down the new plug head to a bit clear the manifold ... A bit of teflon tape on the thread and bobs your uncle.

I've heard of others using a normal cup type welsh plug with good results as well...but you would need a effective sealant i think ..maybe .

BTW there is a third plug in the block .. in the centre of the head surface ...what is does.. its function - is a mystery.

Mike

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cjc_td5

My concern with a welsh plug is setting the plug with no shoulder in the hole to tap it against. I don't really want to have to think about trying to retrieve a welsh plug from inside the water gallery!

---

This is how normal welsh plugs work. There is no shoulder for the cup style. To remove them, you do indeed press one side into the water jacket. The other side then comes out, so you can get a grip on it and pull it out.

Aaron.

The fasteners should all have Whitworth/BS head. Most of the threads I have measured have been BSF.

Cheers Charlie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aaron IIA

The hole is for a welsch plug, not a heater. It is not threaded. Replace it with a welsch plug....

---

It is not a Welsh plug.

There are 4 cup plug holes on the 2 litre block where you can choose to use Welsh plugs if you like, 3 under the inlet manifold and a fourth at the rear of the block (and the reason why so many S1s have a hole cut in the firewall.

The hole in question is for a solid core plug, yes they have a steep angled thread, are supplied in various diameter sizes and are screwed in tight to the block and then often machined off depending on location. There are several more of them in the head, on the deck of the block and on the block under exhaust manifold. If you inspect a head or block, they look like little circles of different coloured metal.

There are a number of ways to repair them, probably the correct one is the bore out the hole to the next larger size and replace it with a new solid core plug.

Be a little careful to check the block if they have come out. Put your finger inside and feel around, there can sometimes be erosion behind/around the hole which may require more significant repair to replace the erroded metal. Including welding in a cast iron plug.

Diana

Hi all
the thread is known as British Standard Pipe or British Standard Water
or something very much like that
The screw in plugs come in banks of 6
you screw the plug in and cut the rest off with a hack saw
and plenty of No 3 non drying sealant
cheers
Ian

p.s. if any need some I can supply a pair or 2

Things have been moving along slowly on Len's resurrection when time permits.

Got the hole in the block sorted. Turns out it only needed the thread recut and a new 3/4" BSP gal plug. All fixed.

Have been working at getting the bodywork off so that I can rebuilt up from the chassis etc. I have been suprised at how easily most bolts have come off. No where near as much cursing as I expected (so far). That said, I have developed a knack of shearing off quite a few of the rusted bolts that secure the bodywork as the best method of removal. I was going to replace them anyway.

I am now down to the chassis and have spent some time with the degreaser and a toothbrush removing layers of grease and grime. Things look much more presentable now though! The chassis still has quite a bit of colour on it, of a strange yellow/orange. I would like to repaint it the same colour, as it appears that it is the same colour it left the factory with and is a bit different to the normal green. I only have to work out what colour code it is???

Re the rear "drawbar" tow hitch. Can someone show me a photo of how it should look like? It appears that it should attach with four bolts to a flange on the inside of the rear crossmember? This flange has been severly ripped out and it appears that a "thorough" welding job has been done to afix it again. I am going to grind it off and do a neater job. Anyone supply a photo of what it should look like?

Cheers,
Chris

Might be agood idea to get the chassis colour matched at the paint shop Chris; I doubt anyone has a paint code that makes sense nowadays,

Cheers Charlie