Stage 1 V8s

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Originally Posted by wagoo

J<snip>
Once the seats are lowered I will replace the RangeRover 15'' steering wheel with the standard 17'' item for a little more leverage.
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Originally Posted by wagoo

Came very close to having a serious accident in my new aquisition last Thursday. Pulled into a petrol station after a 100km run on a windy mountain road. When turning right from the petrol pump after filling up, the steering wheel spun freely in my hands without turning the front wheels.To my horror, upon investigation it turned out that the steering wheel that I guessed may have been a RangeRover item, was in fact a modified Ford wheel that had no splines and was merely relying on friction drive from the tapered portion of the steering column shaft.:mad:
The spirit of my dear departed wife must have been looking after me that day.:angel:
Bill.

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Bloody Hell Bill! :eek:

That conversion back to a 17" wheel will be happening sooner now?

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Originally Posted by drifter

Bloody Hell Bill! :eek:

That conversion back to a 17" wheel will be happening sooner now?

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Yes indeed John. I think I've got a series 3 wheel in my parts stash somewhere. Anyone know if a 110 wheel will fit the stage one column shaft?

Thankyou Serg. Ever so gradually getting back to a different type of normal.
Bill.

there is no clock on these sorts of things Bill. And no such thing as normal mate....;)

Better check and recheck all steering, braking and any other important safety systems as this sounds concerning.

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Originally Posted by wagoo

All mechanical conversion work is neat, tidy and probably professionally done.
Bill.

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I would go over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb after reading how professional the steering wheel conversion was completed. With the amount of modifications you have listed on the vehicle it may even be wise to have an engineer look at it.

Regards Warrick.

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Originally Posted by wpalmo

I would go over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb after reading how professional the steering wheel conversion was completed. With the amount of modifications you have listed on the vehicle it may even be wise to have an engineer look at it.

Regards Warrick.

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Yes Warrick and Ade, I have checked out everything else and it appears that the steering wheel was the only area of concern.
This is the first Stage One I have ever owned, although I've worked on quite a few over the years. I've owned quite a few series 2's and a couple of 3's.
That substantial bow shaped chassis crossmember under the bellhousing on the earlier vehicles IMO made the chassis significantly more rigid than the Stage Ones. The irritating squeaking of the rubber door seals over unsealed roads on every Stage One I have driven suggests that the puny bolt on crossmember allows the chassis to flex a little more, so I might investigate the fitting of a 110 type crossmember.
Bill.

Bill
That's and interesting observation on the Chassis I always found the Santana Chassis better than the Series.
They don't break like the Series between the front spring hangers.
You may well be right its a long way from the front cross member to the first fixed one.

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Originally Posted by djam1

Bill
That's and interesting observation on the Chassis I always found the Santana Chassis better than the Series.
They don't break like the Series between the front spring hangers.
You may well be right its a long way from the front cross member to the first fixed one.

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I Learn something new every day Duane . I didn't know about Santana Chassis being different. Is that what Stage one chassis are? I knew that regular series 3 lwb chassis didn't stand up to rough conditions as well as the old 4 plate construction of the series 2 a chassis.Particularly in the front spring hanger region you mention.
What I think is happening with Stage Ones is that the weight of the firewall,pushing down via the chassis outriggers is trying to twist the main rails outwards at the top. The old series 2/3 arched crossmember braced the main rails over their full depth in that area and prevented the twisting. The Stage Ones more slender crossmember is only bolted across the bottom of the rail and offers no resistance to twisting flex. The movement between the front doors and the B pillar is only small, but the door seal squeaking on unsealed roads is quite annoying unless I regularly spray the seals with silicon lube.
I'd wager that if series 2/2a door latches were fitted to Stage Ones, the doors would forever be flying open on rough roads, such is the difference in chassis rigidity between the different series.
Bill.

Bill that's my understanding, I read it somewhere cant remember where.
What do you mean a Stage 1 s doors would open if it had Series 2 door locks
They always did on Series 2 s lol

Personally, I am not a big fan of the stage 1. Okay, they are better on road, but horses for courses, probably better to buy a RR if that is what you want. Main problem I have found is that their off road performance is very ordinary and the simplicity of the series LR is largely lost.