Thanks for the advice Chops👍. I actually know, like so many others, the proper safety precautions i'm supposed to take, but like so many others, i didn't. I think its one of those "it'll never happen to me", things.
After i had a sook😢, and was feeling depressed😔, i thought a lot about how stupid i was😡, and also silly, not to take precautions, like i know i should, i got into doing some actual work on Betsy.
I cleaned up the swivel housing and stub axle and all the bits for it and started assembly of the left side. As i was fitting the swivel hub seal i broke a bolt that holds the seal plate on. I drilled the bolt out, and for once, i actually got the hole straight. I got the broken bit out and proceded to find a tap to clean the thread up. The thread was contaminated with some swarf from manufacturing.
Guess what i discovered?
The bolts are 1/4 BSF. Different thread than 1/4 UNF.
Looks the same but its not.
So i went to a local bolt joint, ( they were the ones who told me about the bolt thread), and they had, in stock, a 1/4 BSF plug tap. $8.40 later and i was heading home with the saviour in my hand. I know i've got some spare 1/4 BSF bolts somewhere, from another pair of swivel hubs i've pulled apart, some time or another. Just gotta find it. I used one from the r/h side for now. So i got it together and splashed a bit of paint around and took a couple pics. Still gotta pack the wheel bearings and clean and fit the caliper and brake pipe. Thats tomorrows job, as will be finding the spare bolts.
Couple pics⤵
Ok, yesterday i removed the disc and hub assy and packed the wheel bearings and fitted the seal, then fitted the hub and adjusted the preload on the bearings.
Yes, preload!
I then found out the flange mount threads were full of swarf from the machineing so i had to find something to protect the fresh grease and bearings, so i got a redarc stubby holder, i found that it fitted perfectly, so i used it to protect the work already done, fired up the compressor, cleaned out the holes, then ran a 3/8 BSF bottoming tap through the threads, (glad i did this as the threads were very dirty), then i checked the bearing grease, free from contaminants. All good.
Thanks for the free stubby holder, (given to me when our club, LRRegSA, visited the factory in Lonsdale a while ago) redarc, (everything else they sell is way over priced).
Then i located and cleaned up and regreased the old warn free wheeling hub for the left side.
Those FWH are very well made and i can see why they are called the strongest FWH for series vehicles.
They don't make 'em like that any more.
Just thinking they would look really good all polished up, the alloy and the brass centre bit. Hmmm...
Painted the caliper with satin caliper paint and hung it to dry.
This morning i trial fitted the caliper and brake pipe, then i re-fitted it after i was satisfied with the pipe location and security.
I loctited the caliper bolts, as they were originally on the defender, as they wont be coming off again. The only hard part about this whole conversion is fitting the front caliper bolts. Very fiddley.
If, in the future, i have to repair the wheel bearings or replace the disc, i will be seperating the caliper halves. Way easier.
I can even overhaul the calipers if i have to without having to remove the actual rear part of the caliper.
I re-fitted the brake pipes and flexible hose.
The pipe that connects from the caliper to the flexible hose is the original defender item so easily replaced.
The caliper is original defender as is the disc and of course the brake pads, so all parts are commercially available almost anywhere.
Thats what i like about this conversion.
Thats the left front done now. Just the right front to go now, then fit the front diff, then the hub assys, run new brake pipes to the s3 proportioning valve. I'll have a complete split braking system fitted.
Safety first.
Hmmm gotta fit a "brake fail" light to the dash when i re-do all the wiring. The switch is already in the prop. valve.
Few pics⤵
Cheers Rod
Continued⤵
Sent from my GT-I9507 using AULRO mobile app
Couple more pics below.
Note the supervisor sneaking around checking up on me...cheeky little bugger...hehe
Then i had breakfast....yum yum. (I got a feeling thats why the supervisor was hanging around).
Today i put a plastic bag over the left hand drive assy and stored it away.
Then i put the right hand swivel ball and hub into the vice and got all the bolts ready for final assy.
I had to replace the bolt that i borrowed, to replace the broken bolt, on the other hub.
Well, as luck would have it, i found all the bolts from the other s3 hubs, that i pulled apart as spares, in a plastic marg tub. Great.
So i sorted out what bits i wanted and cleaned them all up in petrol.
Stored the other bolts nuts and washers away again for spares. Never know when i'll need em. Tomorrow, depending on how im feeling, i'll start putting the drivers side swivel hub and brakes together.
Well, i got bored watching the gold coast 300?2 days, so i went out and started to rebuild the r/h swivel hub.
This time i tapped all the threads out and cleaned them before i assembled it.
Re checked the swivel hub preload and adjusted it to 13 lbs pull.
I fitted the axle shaft and fitted the stub axle.
I loctited the bolts and sealed it with silastic coz i didn't have a gasket. Same as the left side.
I tapped out the flange bolt threads which were full of swarf like on the other one.
I cleaned up the hub and disc. Repacked the wheel bearings, fitted the new seal and fitted the hub and adjusted the preload on the bearings.
Fitted a new lock tab and lock nut.
Cleaned up and painted the lot. Ran out of light so will clean up the caliper and FWH tomorrow and fit them too.
Today i finished off the r/h swivel hub assy. It's now ready to bolt to the diff housing as is the l/h one.
I cleaned up the r/h brake caliper and painted it.
I cleaned up and re greased the FWH and fitted it to the hub. Tested the FWH operation and its working as it should.
I learned to position the split pin differently this time.
Then i trial fitted the caliper. Fits good. Caliper bolts are close to the disc on the inside but a "mm" is as good as a "cm".
So i removed the caliper and loctited the bolts and refitted it. I have ground down a 13mm sidchrome (old sidchrome ) ring open ender specificly to tighten these bolts. They are the original defender multi hex bolts. I fitted the brake pads and clips and fitted a new braided brake flex line (+50mm), same as the other side. I then fitted the ball seal and touched up the paint here and there.
Im pleased with the outcome of this.
I said before i like this conversion.
Well worth the $$ i paid i think. But i'll only find out when Betsy's all back together.
I got one year left.
She HAS to be finished b4 17/11/17. 10 yr anniversary of my fathers passing.
As usual a couple pics⤵
Cheers Rod
Ps. I think im gonna have to change snoopy's job to "Chief of covert land rover operations"😅😅. See last pic.
Yesterday i had a clean up of the work bench as all the disc brake stuff, wheel bearings and swivel housings and bits were on it, now it's all gone from there, so a tidy up was in order. Did that. Amazing amount of crap surrounding all those bits. Had a couple of "ahhh is that where that was" moments. Then i unearthed the front diff housing and diff. Cleaned it up a bit and sprayed inox on the 9 nuts holding the diff in. Yes 9! One bolt broken off. A long one at the top. And its UNF not BSF as the book says. Seems i have been looking at an old book. I do have a newer book but it WAS clean. Hmmm. Anyway now i need to source a replacement long UNF "special bolt" and "special locking nut". The bolt is splined at the head end to lock into the diff housing. I also found stuck in the diff the remnants of a spring from the back of a seal. I pulled it out. I suppose i'll have to replace the pinion seal now. It's not leaking but you can guarantee it will if i dont replace it. I will also need to replace the axle seals at the ends of the housing as one was damaged and had allowed grease to escape into the diff from the swivel housing. I had filled them with some oil, some moly grease and a full shot of swivel grease so it was over full. Probably why the axles and uni's are in great shape. Well i've made a parts list for PCB Land Rovers so i better call Pete. A couple of pics below⤵
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