On completing the rebuild of the chassis and bringing it back to bare metal i did consider getting the chassis galvanised. That would have been the best approach to ensure longevity but finding a reputable company with a big enough bath to dip the chassis into, in one go, without warping the chassis seemed to be not only difficult but too risky. Hence decided the best next approach was to paint it with either POR15 or Rust Bullet with chassis gloss black as the final coat to keep it looking original. Rust Bullet was chosen!
To finish off the chassis with the external looking damn fine, the next job was to put preventative measures in place for the internal chassis rails while we had the chassis uncluttered. This allowed me to flip the chassis over to access the drain holes and to also angle the chassis to ensure good coverage was gained. Several applications of Lanolin was squirted into the rails to ensure good coverage. When i cut off the backend i was pleasantly surprised with the good condition inside the rails after more than 57 years! One of the preventative measures that i took was when i welded the new rear member into place i looked at the old one to identify the vulnerable areas where the rust started. Then proceeded to drill drain holes in the corners where water and mud collects prior to painting.
With the chassis in a completed state i ordered a new wiring harness for the Series 2 with a slight tweak. The classic harness was ordered from Autosparks in the UK keeping to the original spec's i.e. braided cloth with 2 additions, wiring for an alternator thus changing the polarity and a tow bar harness. I left the original in place so that i could use it to feed the new one through the chassis rail.
The great thing about rebuilding Series from the ground up are all the pressies that one gets through the post........ Well the next parcel arrived which contained the leaf spring shackle assembly components. Some of the wrappings looked like it dated back to the 60's and 70's! As i mentioned in my original post, although i wanted to keep Rhodi standard i was willing to make tweaks to improve some aspects hence the original leaf springs are gone and parabolic ones will go in.
The axles will be the biggest change that i will make to the vehicle, away from the OEM build. I want to beef up the drive train which means changing the internals which is great because from the outside it still looks stock standard!
So my intention is to change out the diff centre, with something a bit more robust like an Ashcroft airlocker, which means changing the half shafts to a 24 spline from the stock 10.
Diff centres have always intrigued me and although i have rebuilt a number of gearboxes for series and discos i have never tried to rebuild a diff. Hence thought i would give it ago after getting a number of quotes which averaged out at $600 just for labour. As you can see in the pic the thrust washer has had it so time to pull it apart. Before stripping anything off i measured the backlash and ensured all identifying marks for reassembly on the bearing caps were in place.
Stripping is always entertaining as you just don't know what challenges are going to be thrown your way. Everything seemed to come away relatively easily but in removing the pinion bearing outer races i have pulverised the shims which i will not be able to reuse.
Hey TeamFA, yip originally from there, went back in 2007. Originally left in 2000 after our farm was taken. From Umvukwes in the old language or Mvurwi in the new.
Moving along i prepped the diff housing with the same product, rust bullet, and then proceeded to drill and tap the hole for the air feed for the locker.
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Well the next parcel arrived which contained the leaf spring shackle assembly components. Some of the wrappings looked like it dated back to the 60's and 70's! As i mentioned in my original post, although i wanted to keep Rhodi standard i was willing to make tweaks to improve some aspects hence the original leaf springs are gone and parabolic ones will go in.
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