Thread: bought a 2a 88

I was reunited briefly over the weekend with my car, now christened 'Ivan' and took immense pleasure in putting the first 90 kilometres on the clock post rebuild. Here's a picture of the new engine bay:





Looks great, but this colour will prove difficult to keep clean. A bit more paint around the engine bay and it will come up trumps!

Observations about the petrol engine sporting diesel pistons:

Still in the running-in phase, I didn't really give the motor a thrashing but got it warm and running up to about 50 mph. I felt a little more lethargic and less responsive compared to my brother's 78 2.25 SWB petrol. But, it feels like it has more torque to give and is more resistant to drop revs on inclines.

Gearbox ratios are different, so it's hard to say how much the engine is responsible for this. All in all, I am happy with how it goes and feels. It will be interesting to see how it goes after loosening up a bit more. Not sure yet about fuel consumption.

The car feels overall much more solid and heavier compared to the series 3. You wouldn't think they would be so different to drive.

Got all of the brakes adjusted and bled. The pads look almost new, but the pedal still needs a good pump or two before they respond well enough. Master and slave cylinders may both need attention I think...

This will push my blue-slip attempt back a bit further. I have been told by some that torn seats can cause a blue slip failure, is this true? Also, my indicator stalk must have snapped in half, should this be remedied before i try for the blue slip?

That engine is indecently clean!

The seats and indicator arm will need to be repaired. Seats do not have to be neat - blanket stitching the tears should work, but getting them reupholsered should cost arund $100/cushion at your nearest motor trimmer/upholsterer.

The brakes certainly should work better than that. Clamp off the three hoses - if there is any sponginess at all, it is then the master cylinder. Then release hoses one by one and bleed the relevant wheel(s). When bleeding, the adjusters should be backed right off - if there is any doubt that the shoes have not fully retracted, remove the drum and clamp them together. This minimises the remaining volume in the wheel cylinder, to enable effective bleeding. Also, remember that it is possible to bleed any hydraulic circuit at any join, simply by loosening the union - this is most likely to be useful at the master cylinder itself.

John

Thanks John,

We adjusted the brakes just off touching the drum before bleeding, so maybe that is where the spongeyness is coming from. Still a good idea to replace the master/slave cylinder rubbers i guess.

So, anybody have a indicator to suit a '71 2a around? PM me if you do.

Don't worry, despite my best efforts I doubt the engine will stay that good in the near future.

Originally Posted by series3

So, anybody have a indicator to suit a '71 2a around? PM me if you do.

I think the late 2As had the Tex-Magnalite type blinker switch? (JD will no doubt correct me if I am wrong)

Have you considered brazing the broken bit back on? Or even making a new stalk?

I am afraid the broken part is long gone, but may have to resort to brazing something to extend it a little... Or creating a new one altogether. Damn I wish I was more talented.

Tex Magna is right, here is a (sold) example for reference:

Tex Magna

Does anybody have any other common failure points for series land rovers when it comes to getting a roadworthy?

Brian had a stock of second-hand Magna-Lites out at Land Vehicle Spares. I got one off him a little while back, and coincidentally decided to clean it up yesterday. It looks gorgeous now

Peter

Can anyone give me a run down of the parts/rubber bits needed to rebuild brake and clutch master cylinders, and where I can get them?

Thankyou!

Looking great S3!

Can you just put some cheap seat covers over the ripped seats? - or perhaps borrow some un-torn ones for the blue-slip.

Might look a little dodgy, but you could grab some cheap vinyl and a staple gun and have a go at retrimming yourself.