SWB re-chassis

[Rubins4]

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good door top reglazing How To? I've got handfuls of glass, aluminium strips, plastics channels, felt channels...you name it, but no idea how it all goes together. The Haynes Resto manual has a very difficult to follow black and white photo guide but you cant see F all.

I'll have a go at test fitting it tomorrow evening and I'm sure it will start to make sense, but for the moment ARGH.

 

[Rubins4]

Yes, brush painted @Webley1991 I dont think its a bad finish but there is the odd run, if I'm honest. You'd need a keen pair of eyes to see 'em from there

 

[rob1miles]

Park next to another series? It easier than looking at a lot of pictures.

 

[Rubins4]

Good thinking @rob1miles but happy to report that issue 48 of Classic Land Rover has a How To on overhauling series door tops. Issue 47 has the same but for alloy door tops on early One Ten's and coil spring military vehicles.

It's not the greatest How To, as the complicated bit is how / where the metal strips go is the problem and the pictures for this ain't great. If you set it all out in front of you, have a few pints and have this in front of you it does all start to make sense eventually.

I've taken so much help off the net I think I might to do my own How To for future bumbling idiots to use.

 

[Tall Ratbag]

I did mine over the Summer.

I used some cheese wire to remove the forward, fixed glass from the old frames.

Before drilling holes or using any goo, I did a dry run with some plastic packing pieces to simulate the thickness of the glue line on the fixed screen.

I found that I needed to make up some plastic packing strips to fit under the lower runners as the fit between the glass and the frame was rather too loose. I needed to trim some of the aluminium parts I got in the kit to fit properly, also, I needed to notch the plastic locking tab.

I found it easier to mark up and drill the securing strip for the front edge of the fixed window on the bench - these screws are very visible from inside, and I knew if these screws were not neat, it would only upset me!

If I were doing the job again, I would spend longer sealing the inside cavity of the frames - I think they're rusting already! Has anyone trid galvanizing them?

 

[Rubins4]

I did mine over the Summer.

I used some cheese wire to remove the forward, fixed glass from the old frames.

Before drilling holes or using any goo, I did a dry run with some plastic packing pieces to simulate the thickness of the glue line on the fixed screen.

I found that I needed to make up some plastic packing strips to fit under the lower runners as the fit between the glass and the frame was rather too loose. I needed to trim some of the aluminium parts I got in the kit to fit properly, also, I needed to notch the plastic locking tab.

I found it easier to mark up and drill the securing strip for the front edge of the fixed window on the bench - these screws are very visible from inside, and I knew if these screws were not neat, it would only upset me!

If I were doing the job again, I would spend longer sealing the inside cavity of the frames - I think they're rusting already! Has anyone trid galvanizing them?

Great advice, thanks. I've nearly got everything I need to fit, just some packers. Did you use building type jobs? I agree, the glass sits a bit low in the frame and needs hacking up a bit.

Did you manage to work out what the flat aluminium strips are for? I've got 2 for each side.

 

[Tall Ratbag]

Roughly, I used about 1/16" of packing - I cut the edge off a plastic strip for bathroom tiling solely because I had some lying around when I did the job - I'm sure there are better solutions. I also used the flat aluminium strips one under the front, fixed screen, and one under the rear moving glass.

 

[rob1miles]

I did this a couple of years ago, most of the strips only fit one way so once you've done a trial assembley it makes sense, that's the good news. The bad news is the new felt/steel channels last about 2 years if you park outside. When I got mine i thought "how could you let these get in such a mess?". Its turns out they do that one their own in a coupe of years. I may copy those who have made their own out of shower door channel next time.

 

[Rubins4]

Progress progress progress...

Door Tops
So, I was going to do a door top 'How To' as I couldn't find one online anywhere. I took loads of pictures as I went along, none of which showed very clearly what I was trying to do and I also stumbled on a Youtube How To which is better than anything I could put together. heres the link for that, and some pictures of my door top overhaul for prosperity.


File that

Line that up in there

Poke that through the hole

Stick some packers in there

Screw that on there

Push some paint around on that

Squirt some jipper in here

Job done

No picture of finished products

One issue I have had is the location of the fixed pane. We talked about it needing to be higher than in the bottom of the trough earlier in the tread, but it also doesn't want to be too far forward either. My passenger side has a gap between the fixed and sliding panes because the fixed pane is too far forward against the leading edge of the frame.

Reverse Switch

near the beginning of this thread I ask what a knob on the centre console was for, the answer was it wasn't standard so could be anything. Turns out its the reverse light switch. I didn't like the fact that it wasn't automatic so I bought a new brake light switch and fitted it to the gear stick mount so its activated by the lever when reverse is selected. There is a hole already in the mount which I thought would be the correct size and threaded but it wasn't. so I hat to un-mount the gear stick from the box, drill out the hole and find another nut to fit. No dramas in that but was unexpected.

Originally, the circuit was only live with the ignition on. I wanted to be able to use the reverse lights as short term work lights with the ignition off so I wired it up to a perm live on the fuse board (pah, 'fuse board') rather than ign live.

Front End

Got most of the front end back together. All lights now work including the headlights through the Boomslang relay loom. Both wings on with inner wings installed. I was worried that after years of storage the wings would be floppy but they've bolted up nicely with a SS fitting kit on each side.

I've tidied this up a bit since the photo but its still a bit of a mess that I'm not happy about. I had to butcher the old headlight loom and use some of the old wiring (white plug and wires). I might ask someone who knows what they are doing to tidy this in the long run.

With the relays, new headlights and H4 bulbs the head lights are very white compared to the softer yellow side lights. I hope that doesn't upset me too much.

Interior

Got the floor plates in. Given the whole vehicle has come apart, a new chassis put under it and new footwells put in, the fact I only needed to elongate 2 holes in the passenger floor plan to get it to fit was remarkable. The trans tunnel is also it. This was a bit rustier than I remember so in the long run I will be looking out for a replacement (just the front piece up to the bulkhead, really.

Under seat panels gone back in

Upper dash, windscreen and binnacle back in. I think the binnacle going back in was a bit premature as I forgot to fit the extension tube for the screen vents

Brake & Clutch

Over the weekend, and despite the weather @dieseldog69 (Nigel) made his way up a fair few miles to come and help me bleed the brake & clutch and a few other odds and sods. What a legend.

We started with the clutch which at first appeared to be a failure as the pedal had no resistance and made no difference to the clutch plates. After a bit of adjustment (setting the pedal right to the end of the Master Cylinder rod), we got the bite point in the middle of the pedal and all appears to be well.

We then had a look at the brakes. The rear snail cams where being a pain and not letting us adjust them up to lock. The snail cam posts (both sides) kept 'tiliting' on their spring.Nigel did his best to get a bit of brake balance across the back axle but the advise is to get the garage to have a look when it goes for MOT. Fortunately I have a old skool 4x4 place nearby who is gong to do that when the time comes.

The fronts were also slightly tricky; when fitting the lines I over-tightened one of the solid line to flexi unions and stripped the thread. At the time I thought I'd see if I had got away with it but then completely forgot about it until just tipping everything up before the fluid went in. We did what we could with PTFE and what ever unions Nig had with him but it was no good- it seems that the flexi I had was imperial and the brass union metric so the fit was always poor. I've ordered new flexi's and will get to the local nut and bolt place for a new metric union and try again.

Sills & Seats

I got new ali sill panels in a job lot of bits so I might as well paint them up and fit them as the originals are a bit bashed. No pictures yet but soon enough.

Seats - the existing seats are cheap & nasty aftermarket MDF/vinyl things that have been eaten by mice. I'm thinking I might get a coupe of shoddy defender seats to go with the second had cubby box I already have and retrim it all in something nice. I quite like the standard grey material covers but might see if I can get them in a bit greener or darker. This will probably be post MOT so not a priority at the moment. God vids here on how to do it, all foam and covers available t do the job.


Lastly, does anyone have a spare cap for the washer bottle? I refuse to pay 10 quid pus postage for a new one

 

[suburban]

looking good, dig the whiteness of the new lights c.f. the manky yellow mine are

 

[rob1miles]

My symapathy re the metric / imeprial brake union, the threads are dangerously close in apprearance but don't fit. Under a wheel arch it can be really hard to tell. I think I've got rid of all my metric fittings but I'm still very carefull and spend time cleaning the threads and making sure the pipe/union screw up buy hand. The dia's and pitches are different so even if it feels ok at the start it wll get stiff after a few turns if its wrong.

 

[Rubins4]

Bit more done today (pictures to follow).

1. Replaced the 2x imperial brake flexi's along the front axle with metric equivalents; much better fit. I'm going to order another for the back end then I know the job is done properly.
2. Got the windscreen vent pipe refitted behind the dash. Bit fiddly and it's easier to take the steering column covers off but not too tricky.
3. Got the rear wiring covers in the corners of the rear tub fitted. Sounds simple but I had to get the rubber grommets fitted to the looms first, which required disconnecting all rear end wiring, pull the loom back through the tub, fit the grommet, feed the loom back through, rewire up the lamps etc and test (repeat for the other side).
4. Tighten up the rear cross member tub fittings. This included installing the little E shaped plates which have been lurking in my bowl of "bits", the job was a bit fiddly due to access.
5. Start painting the new sills. They've had 2 coats of spray on etch primer and 1 coat of brush painted top coat. I can immediately see the benefit it spray painting over brush painting. If I was ever going to repaint any vehicle, I would go the distance and do whatever was necessary to spray it.

So, nothing too dramatic in terms of progress but got a few fiddly jobs done which satisfy me I'm doing it as best I can.

 

[Rubins4]

No pictures from the last update (there's nothing to see anyway), but got a bot more done. Its not that far away from an MOT

Seats in. These are fairly poor quality aftermarket replacements that have then been eaten by mice. After all this effort we can do a bit better than that. I've bought some old defender seats which I've stripped down, I'll have the frames shot blasted and I'm going to re-foam/cover in the grey cloth (I think its officially called Neptune by LR). Exmoor trim have recently removed the grey option from their website some I'm hoping I haven't missed them

Sills on. I got some new sills in a job lot of bits so painted them in some Marine Blue. Here they are painted then fitted. frustratingly the corner of the tub on the drivers side protrudes and its difficult to get the sill to line up with it at all. I tried pushing it back in line to match the sill but its completely solid.Might just have to stay like that

Front bumper is back on. This was a fiddle as the near side had taken a knock in the past, which meant that one of the mounting holes on that side didnt line up. I tried putting the end in a concrete hole in the ground and levering it back but I dont have enough weight shift it. In the old fashioned Land Rover way, I resorted to hitting with a hammer. Its still slightly bent but at least the hole now line up (just). You can see a slight twist in the far end.

Fitted this bit of dash trim thats been lurking on my bench for weeks... Shame I didnt repaint the top of the wiper motor housing; a job for another day)

Now, the original steering wheel is massive and I have very long legs and they barely fit underneath it. So, I got hold of a second hand, smaller replacement with boss. Its rusty and missing its covering, but its smaller and it fits.

So, I've set about restoring it. I've wire brushed off the old paint and rust, then cone through a few different grades of paper to bring back some sort of finish. I havent gone mad for a polished finish, what it has is an quasi-industrial brushed metal finish which I quite like. I'll get a local trimmers to cut some nice leather for it and get a friend to re-stitch it (hopefully, as the trimmer want £300 to do it! )

I've also got the lid back on and tightened up (i didnt get a chance to give it a wash before it went back on), and resealed the rear floor.

Thats it for now, more soon hopefully

 

[Brads]

Given that I`ve bought a S3 to fully restore, I find threads like this pretty inspiring.

What a cracking job you`ve done mate.
What paints are you using that you get a decent finish with a brush ?

 

[Rubins4]

@Brads Glad to be of service. Just found your thread in the Intro section, looks awesome! I've got some second hand sides with widows like yours to go in mine one day. I've been using paint from a local supplier http://www.autopaintsbrighton.com/l...-car-paint-cellulose-codes--colours-636-p.asp There Marine Blue (LRC6) and Limestone (LRC7) have been spot on. The paint itself is cellulose (what I would call, possibly incorrectly) coach enamel.

I've used 2 coats over primer whenever I've used it, using Hamilton perfection brushes. If you're keen for a quality finish, I wouldn't hesitate with spraying despite the extra work as the finish you see in my pictures is acceptable in my opinion but isnt 'top quality' if I'm being honest; there is the odd run.

If you do go down the brush route, watch this series of vids first.



I watched them all then didn'y apply the brush on/roll off technique hence the runs.

 

[Rubins4]

The dia's and pitches are different so even if it feels ok at the start it wll get stiff after a few turns if its wrong.

With the combination I had, the union wound onto the pipe but never tightened up properly. I don't know which is worse!

 

[suburban]

excellent work, getting nearer to the mot must spur you on

 

[Rubins4]

excellent work, getting nearer to the mot must spur you on

Yes, closer with every step but there are still a few hurdles to clear...

Seat belts. I dug the originals out to re-fit which where, in a word, minging. A tasty beige colour, covered in crap, rusty and not extending / retracting properly. I've ordered some Securon replacements- 2x 500/30 kits for the driver and passenger (3 point retracting belts), and a 2220 (2 point retracting lap belt) for the centre passenger. I was going to mount a new seat in the rear for my little'un but for the moment she will be in a forward facing chair seat which will clip in with a lap belt. I'll loose the cubby box but such is life.

Rebleed the brakes. A few weeks back @dieseldog69 kindly came and helped me with a few bits on the brakes which I wasn't confident with after a failed attempt at easi-bleeding the clutch. We 2-manned the clutch which went well, but we had a metric - imperial clash with some of the brake unions so we couldn't sort the brakes properly. I ordered the new bits required and got them fitted, leaving another go at the bleed necessary. I pulled the Gunson out again and had another go; this time it worked really well and the air coming out was obvious, followed by a stream of clear fluid (and no explosion of fluid out f the reservoir cap!). I was happy with this so decided to run the old girl up in gear on axle stands to try the brakes. All seemed to work, happy days!

Wheels on. With the brakes now up to scratch and bleed it was time to get the wheels on; this has been a bit of a mile stone in my mind which I have been looking forward to.Some may have read the thread in the General Land Rovering forum about the wheel which flew off a Disco and killed that poor little girl. At that time I happened to be thinking about the freshly painted wheels and wondering about the interaction with the wheel nuts and the fresh paint, after a comment by the bloke at the tyre place. The general consensus was to remove the paint in the wheel nut surface to ensure they remain tight as they should. So, I gave them all a whip round with the die grinder before fitting...

Its amazing how big the wheels looked off the vehicle and how small they look on it! The wheel arches are hooge!

Fitting the back right, I spotted some fluid coming out the drum drain hole, turns out the (old) brake cylinder is leaking massively- Delphi replacement on order, another go at bleeding on the cards. The shoes looked buggered too so I've got a set of Mintex replacements for the back axle coming too. Sorry, forgot to get any close ups... but I can assure you, its a mess.

Wipers. Turns out you need to route the wiper driver cable carefully to make sure the wipers operate correctly... see https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/crazy-wipers.328892/ this thread for the answer. Looks like I have to strip the dash down to route it properly. I currently have the passenger side that stops at the bottom (as it should) and the drivers which stops at the top, it looks completely daft and would be an MOT failure.

Re-fit doors. I've rebuilt the door tops as the old ones were passed it. That's all gone ok, subject to needing to refit the fixed pane on the passenger side as it's too far forward, but I can get on with mounting them to the body. Frustratingly, the stainless steel hinges kits from YRM are metric (M8), and the captive nuts I have are imperial (5/16th, from memory) so I ground to a holt with that too. New captve nuts on the way, YRM do Stainless ones to suit so order them too for future reference.

That's it for now. I don't know if I will get any time this weekend and I need to spend more time with the family, but I am keen t see this through.

Until next time.

 

[dieseldog69]

WOW!!!

Good work, getting there with her now, shame about that rear wheel cylinder though! But if you clamp off the rear flexy when you replace it you won't loose so much fluid.

If you pull the dash out for the wiper cable then you can also have a good look at getting your hazards working on her

 

[Rubins4]

Good thinking Boss. Only problem is I can't get my head round the hazard wiring! I'll keep on looking into it, but then would be a good time.