Things Left to Do

The list of things to do is getting shorter. The hood/bonnet is now on 'permanently' (although the driver's side wing is not). This list will probably turn out to be incomplete, but, as of today, this is what I think remains to be done:

1. Brake and clutch bleed (followed by 'permanent' attachment of left-side wing, once access to the m/c's isn't so important);

2. Seatbelts;

3. Wheel alignment

4. Hood "rub strip" on the 'breakfast'.

5. Oil into the differentials and swivel hubs, including new plug washers;

6. Wing mirrors;

7. Replace flasher module in dash, as it has decided not to work;

and last but not least:

8. Roof.

In the sub-category of  'Roof' , a somewhat large job:

1. Sand and re-paint;

2. Replace window seals if necessary;

3. Repair catflap hinge and handle;

4. Repair headliner and 'eyebrow' headliners;

5. Install seatbelt brackets.

6. Rearview mirror restored and installed.

Barring anything going wrong or something new showing up, I think that's it. We'll see.

Engine Sound Video

Not the best video you'll ever see or hear, but due to popular request, here's the Land Rover in action.

Engine Test

No photos from testing this evening, as I was more focussed on the engine. Steve adjusted the accelerator linkages, tightened a few things, and we started her up. Started almost instantly. A shut down followed for a few more adjustments to the linkages so that the engine could idle correctly, and we let her run again. Soon, Steve noticed some coolant gathering at the front of the head, where it meets the block, and thought the head gasket may need replacing. A closer inspection revealed it was just the water temperature sensor bolt that was not sufficiently tightened, allowing coolant to pass.

The engine was allowed to warm up fully, and all temps and pressures were normal. A bit of exhaust blowing near the manifold was quickly solved with the tightening of the bolts around the base of the carburator that hold the intake and exhaust manifolds together. After that, the engine just ran and ran without any further problems. Even got some nice heat out of the Kodiak heater.

Steve's summation is that the engine and ancilliaries "run like new", and was truly and pleasantly surprised at how good a condition everything appears to be in. It runs like the proverbial sowing machine (touch wood), and is an absolute pleasure to listen to.

Next step will be the to bleed the brake and clutch.

Below, just some photos after tonight's work. Another major part of the project complete. Note the exhaust manifold just beginning to discolour! Green tape of the side of the radiator panel is just to protect the paint until the wing is attached 'permanently'.

And how it appeared when it arrived here, on the old chassis and with the side-exit exhaust. The side-exit would be correct for this year and model of Land Rover. The present exaust is the later 'straight down' type for simplicity and reliability's sake and because of the unavailability of the correct exhaust pieces. I've kept the original 'swan-necked' exhaust manifold in case it's ever decided to put the original exhaust configuration back on.

Odds and Ends

While waiting for Steve's next visit tomorrow, have installed the new oil filter seal, which arrived today. Ran the engine for a short while a couple of times to see if all's well, and the result is no more leak.And with that solved for now, have busied myself with some other tasks which need to be done.

Below, the left-hand ABS outer wing has been attached properly to the inner wing (although not firmly attached to the bulkhead yet). A nice fit, and a very good quality part. Dent resistant, too! Had to stretch the top holes just a little to get the best fit, but given what has to be done so often with other parts, this is just par for the course. I would still recommend the plastic outer wings to anyone, if originals aren't available. The wing itself will come back off when Steve is back tomorrow, as it makes working on the engine much easier. Also attached are the wing mirror brackets, mainly just to stop me putting stuff on the wings that may cause scratches, and to give something to hold on to when manouvering the wings in the tight spaces of the garage. The hub caps are also on. Took a while to find some that looked like those on the original Land Rovers when new.

Not original, but more of a 'common sense' thing to add: tow rings. Apron has also been properly attached.

Waiting for Steve's return, so the timing and carb tuning can be done. All major parts and assemblies are original. Orange box on the radiator panel is the battery charger/maintainer. You can just make out the top of the radiator fan shroud, which I haven't seen installed on too many Land Rovers. Fits very nicely, and also goes a little ways to stabilising the radiator assembly when a wing is off, as there is a bracing bracket that attaches to the battery support stand.

Slightly better view to better show the bracing bracket:

Winter is back, as the view out the rear window this morning shows. It was much nicer when the garage was warm! Have bought a large kerosene heater, and so with luck the garage will be easier to work in this winter.

Started

... And it started quickly, with almost no smoke. Nice! We let it run for a minute, and then noticed that the seal on the oil filter canister (an old seal) had failed and there was oil leaking all over the ground, and so things will have to wait now until a new seal is here. And so, the run was a bit short, which is why there are no photos or video for now.

Sum total of problems found before starting:

     1. Sediment jar wasn't on the fuel pump firmly enough, and allowed a little air to be sucked in. Not much, but enough to effect fuel flow. Connections were also tightened to ensure as much of vacuum as possible.

     2. Contact on the starter motor was dirty, and had to be cleaned before it would work.

All found and fixed by Steve of Classic Automotive Repair.

Sum total of problems found after starting:

     1. Oil filter canister seal needs replacing. It had looked ok visually, but not in practise! I also hadn't quite realised how much force the oil pressure exerts.

     2. Exhaust downpipe bolts need to be tightened.

With luck these shouldn't take too long to get sorted, and then Steve will be back (hopefully next week) to complete the tuning of the carb and show me how it's done, and check the timing. Also get the brake system bled and checked.

Other good news is that the fuel gauge works well.

Voila. Too bad it couldn't have run longer, but all in all pretty good. Could have had far worse problems. Looking forward to the next session.

Mudguards and Kodiak Duct

Finished up the mudguards and Kodia intake duct, except for a couple of minor things which need to wait. The mudguards were a little more challenging than I thought, as I had assumed they were a part of the wing, whereas they must be removed before a wing can be taken off, as they block access to the bulkhead/wing spire nuts. The original mudguards had rusted completely away, and the manuals don't offer any help, so I came up with what I think is a logical system. Once the mudguards were done, the supports for the Kodia intake duct could be done.


Below, an overall view of the Kodiak duct in place. The original duct brackets were rusted to oblivion. The new brackets use the original mounting points. For the rear support, a portion of rear axle safety strap was used, as it it's both extremely strong and flexible and therefore shouldn't crack, shouldn't chafe the duct too much, and is designed to live in a wheel well in any case, and so should easily put up with rocks, water, etc., thrown up by the tire. For the forward bracket, a metal strap was used, as I felt the duct should be more rigidly in place so as to not put undue strain on the wing intake flange and it's relatively soft aluminum wing skin. If this metal strap ends up cracking, then another axle strap can be used. The tire shouldn't hit the duct except in perhaps the most extreme situations, as the distance to the duct is greater than the distance from the axle top to the bump stop on the chassis.

The mudguard, with the rebuilt wing mudguard support bracket peeking over the top. The original brackets up there had corroded significantly, and looked as if they may not be strong enough for too much stress over the long term, and so I sandwiched them between two supporting aluminum plates (aluminum to reduce risk of further dissimilar metal corrosion on the original brackets) which are rivetted on. Holes were drilled in these to take spire nuts, so that the mudguards can be easily removed.

Rear of the mudguard new support brackets.

Driver's side mudguard, with removeable steering box cover. A spire nut was used at the top of the steering box cover, and the bottom attaches via a bolt (not visible here) just like the mudguard. I'm not sure yet what to do about attaching the mudguard and steering box guard to the inner wing, and so have not drilled any holes. I'll wait until the outer wing panel is on, in any case, as there's always a fair amount of flex in all these parts and it's naturally important that the holes continuet to line up! The large hole in the wing is where the original exhaust pipe came through. This may just get taped up, as I don't want to do anything permanent in case the desire to put the original-type exhaust system comes up. I've kept the original swan-necked exhaust manifold, just in case.

Getting Ready

Tomorrow, Steve Hayes, a specialist in British automobiles (website here), will be over in late afternoon to see if we can start up the Land Rover. And so, today's Land Rover time was just making sure everything is in order as much as possible. The antifreeze is in, new spark plugs ready, battery fully charged, etc.. Also put the oil in the gearbox and transfer box for the first time. Tomorrow I'll put the fuel in the tank, and if time permits, oil in the differentials and swivel pin housings. If startup goes well, and Steve has the time, with luck the brakes can be bled tomorrow as well. We'll have to see how it goes.


Always fun working in the dark, seeing if the lights work. : )

Rear stop light, looking yellow due to the camera, and the licence plate light.

Front side and turn signal lights. They've weathered their 51 years quite well. The rubber even came back to pretty good shape after gently sanding off the dried/cracked surface layer.

Good thing my daughter's not grown up, or I think that once the Land Rover is running, Dad would be looking at it driving off into the distance. My daughter took the portable light and did a tour underneith, and asked a million questions about what things were what and what does this do. Second time she's done that....