Thread: Series 2a - My First Restoration

Tyres up to 7.50 are not bad, only an issue if you are short or driving over steep crests. I would not go over that size though.

Weight is reasonable, but easier to lift if you don't have a bullbar or winch.

John

As Mick and John said, the bonnets not too bad to lift with the wheel on Jim, it's a lot easier to get off than crawling into the back and rolling it out. Great looking truck you have there, There is one similar to yours at Cleveland near a mate's place in Brisvegas with a 3.5ltr V8 in it with no roof, sounds gorgeous when he takes off. Will watch this one with a lot of interest.
Cheers Ian

Thanks Mick, John and Ian.
I love the look of the wheel on the bonnet, so I will go down that path. Shouldn't be too much of an issue. I've go the mount, just need to get some fixings for the wheel. I imagine the mount is BSF threaded?

Having a nice V8 in it would make it move! Very jealous. I'll be sticking to the original 2.6L probably due to both capability and price...Maybe for my next one!

Jim

The thread is BSF, 1/2" from memory, with a head to match the wheel nuts (two different sizes). The clamps come in two different types, one for 6.00 tyres and one for 7.50s.

While some have fitted V8s to this gearbox, the box will not stand it unless a light foot is used.

Next step was to remove the wiring loom.. not the neatest behind the gauges. Such an interesting task. I went through and labelled all the ends and documented it well, so hopefully when it comes to putting it back in its rather straight forward (is there a better way to do this?). My original intention was to reuse it, but with a few lights not working and with the end goal of putting it back on the road, I thought a new wiring harness would be a better option. Gathering from previous advice on the forum these two are the places to check out?

Autosparks - Home of the world leading supplier of classic car wiring looms and Vintage Wiring Harness - High Quality Replacement Automotive Wiring Harnesses both seem to come around that $500.00 mark. Not cheap, but probably worth it.

I removed the seat box, rear tub and petrol tank. Transmission case looks alright.. but the fuel pump looks a bit crusty. Still seemed to work well though.

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This was on the front right outrigger where the petrol tank was mounted.. It seems that a non structural bit of RHS has been used to help mount the petrol tank.. has anyone seen this before? It's on both front outriggers, seems unnecessary.

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There should not usually be a need to replace a wiring harness with a new one, if the original had PVC insulation.

All the correct wire colours can be bought from Autosparks and the original bullet-connectors, can be unsoldered from old wires and re-used if repairs are needed. Wires near hot engine components can often have hardened insulation and should be replaced.

If you want bright headlights, increase the cable-gauge and use two relays; Autosparks have a useful gauge descriptor on their site,

Cheers Charlie

Thanks Chazza,

I can't say that i'm very familiar with auto electrics so thats why I thought buying a 'plug and play' harness would be the way to go.
I was hoping to get brighter head lights. Looks like I'll have to look into it further. I didn't take notes of what was and what wasn't working either... I'll probably have to wait until I'm installing the wiring again to figure out exactly what I need. Hopefully that wont be too much an issue.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Tyres up to 7.50 are not bad, only an issue if you are short or driving over steep crests. I would not go over that size though.

Weight is reasonable, but easier to lift if you don't have a bullbar or winch.

John

I've developed a bonnet-lifting technique where I jump up onto the bullbar, grab the bonnet and tyre and go "Heeeeeeeuuuuuup!!!!". Keep the back straight and it works a treat.