Thread: Rowdy - 66 SIIa Build

Originally Posted by mick88

If they are not standard brakes for the 88 inch (swb) they will be 11 inch ones from a long wheel base vehicle.
Hard to tell looking at them but run a ruler over the drums to see if they are ten inch or 11 inch. Otherwise they should have the maximum size tolerance cast on the outside of the drum 10.060" or 11.060"
Looks like you have a few leaking hub seals, knuckle seals etc.
For what it is worth you may as well fit new seals to everything while you have it pulled down.

Good luck.
Cheers, Mick.

Thanks Mick

Do you know what seals are involved? would love to grab everything I need rather than get it half done and need to wait for more parts.

the drums are certainly larger than the rear ones. I will measure next time I get near the thing.


Cheers.

Thanks everyone for your help so far!

As I have had this thing sitting around for a year or so I have been putting together a few questions. I dont know much about Rowdy as I unfortunately didnt get it from the previous owner.

If anyone can help with the below questions please do, it will be greatly appreciated.


1. Tyre Size.
- The current tyres on the vehicle are 205R16C. From my research the size of these tyres are as below. Are these a smaller rolling dia than the standard size tyre? A larger rolling diameter would of course help with the low gearing and every little bit counts.




2. Steel Rims.
- The below stamp (ROK AUSTRALIA) is found on the steel rims currently on the vehicle. I couldnt find anything stamped for the rim width. Are these an aftermarket steel rim for this vehicle?



3. Freewheel Hubs
- Pro's and Cons? I would consider this to be a pretty low mileage vehicle once complete so I am considering the removal of them as they just seem to be extra parts that need maintainance and can leak. Is it as simple as removing them or will there be parts that require replacing that may have been removed when installed?





4. Firewall Brackets
- the below image shows a bracket above the masters which appears on both sides of the vehicle. what are these for? I am more than likely going to remove them if they do not serve a purpose, which they currently dont.



5. Steering
- The thing loves to wander. There are obvious leaks at the shaft joints/boxes and would love to pull down and repair. Whats involved? What seals will be required? what oils? etc?


6. Speed
- Not such a simple one though I would like to know how Rowdy compares to other vehicles. I took her home via the motorway the other day and it managed to get 55mph on a down hill run. top speed on any slight incline dropped back to around to 40-45mph zone. If it could cruze at around the 90kph mark it would be ideal as we would like to do a few 2hr+ runs up and down the coast every couple of months. The things I know....
- No overdrive.
- 202 engine.
- Tyre Size 205R16c.
- I have no idea on what the diff ratio is.
- No idea if speedo is accurate.

ROH rims were standard (Australian content).
Probably best to toss the free wheeling hubs.
A 202 should hold better than 40-45 mph so possibly needs a good service/tune up.
Standard Diff ratios should be 4.77 unless they have been changed, so 55mph would have been approx 3250-3300 rpm, maybe even 3500 with those tires.
As for steering wander, could be as complex as wear in every moving part of the system. If the relay box is dry it will exacerbate the problem. It could also be worn railco bushes.
Cheers, Mick.

I agree with mick. Although those tyres are fairly low profile next to a 750 16. My s3 gets up to 100 kmh b4 i put it in 5th gear then it gets to over 110 by a good amount say over 20 kmh above. But the motor is revving about 4300. Maybe check the engine tune.

Cheers Rod

Sent from my GT-I9507 using AULRO mobile app

Originally Posted by Esmac

......
1. Tyre Size.
- The current tyres on the vehicle are 205R16C.

If I remember rightly, this is a swb. Standard tyres were 6.00x16, optional 6.50x16, which is almost the same as the 205. But you do not have a standard engine, but one that is less than happy at the rpm the gearing implies. 7.50x16 was optional, and standard on lwb. These are probably the best tyre size for your use. Other, wider, tyres will require wider wheels.

3. Freewheel Hubs
These offer little real advantage, but on the other hand are generally pretty trouble free. The real catch is that if used for long periods disengaged, they will result in lack of lubrication to the top swivel bush. If you leave them on, they should be engaged for a few kilometres once a week or thereabouts.

If removed, you need standard drive flanges (check whether the drive axles are ten or twenty-four splines - original will have been ten, but late S3 and all S3 lwb were 24, and it could have been changed when the brakes were.


4. Firewall Brackets

The LH one should have a stay from it to the LH bracket that connects the footwell and inner mudguard to the chassis. This stiffens the top of the firewall, a function performed by the steering column on the RH side. The RH bracket is for LHD.


5. Steering
Wandering is almost always due to free play in steering box, tie rod ends, steering relay (or the arms top and bottom may be loose), swivels, wheel bearings, U-bolts, spring and shackle bushes. You need to examine all of these, following the steps outlined in the factory manual. A good start is to get someone to wobble the steering wheel while you look for where the movement is lost, although this will not usually find swivel, wheel bearing, or spring problems.

6. Speed
Holden engined Series Landrovers usually have problems with this, as the engine is not happy at the required rpm, but it should be able to maintain 90 at least. This suggests that the engine is well down on power, which may be something as simple as the throttle not fully opening or incorrect timing, but may be excessive wear (a compression check would show this).

Hope this helps.

John

John, Rod, Mick... you are all legends!
Thank you so much for this information.

Lots to think about and a few more items to add to my order.
Busy times ahead!


Cheers,
Stu

Since I have been back I also rewired the entire car to remove the spider web of wires and connectors that had been added over the years. feel much more at ease knowing that its not going to catch on fire while driving!

here are a few pic for you all...

Instrument Panel.
Before:

After:

I found a few round side marker lights that fitted a 20mm hole so installed those in the dash to replace the old ones which were looking very tired and rarely worked. There is a red, amber and white which indicate high beam, choke and alternator charge.



Fuse Box.
Before:

After:

I dont have a photo on me though this box is now mounted under the seat box and accessed through a cover panel on the side of the seat box when you open the door. I have also mounted the battery under the seat box which was done for a couple of reasons, its cleaner in the engine bay, its closer to the fuse box to save wiring runs, and by having both of these under the seat it makes it much harder to hot wire the vehicle. When I got the car it was almost as quick to hotwire as it was to start with the key.

Hadn't finished the headlight head shrink in this image but it is much cleaner as you can see.


While I was at it I also installed a new set of window mounted wiper motors and arms as the vehicle had an under dash solid shaft set up installed which didnt allow me to drop the front windscreen. super simple and they worked suprisingly well the other night in an unannounced storm that rolled in.



Here is an image of the seats I have fitted for now. When I got the vehicle it had a couple seats out of some (at a guess) late 80s vehicle and were quite high and a worn grey fabric. I am pretty tall so something a bit lower was ideal. These seats are super comfy and hug you really nice.



A pic out on the street from the other week. Was a good feeling seeing it there.


I have grabbed a set of personalied plates for the old boy so if you see me around give me a honk!




If anyone has any questions let me know!

Cheers,
Stu.

What sort of seat are those & where did you get them?

Things look to be progressing well