1993 Defender 90 Rebuild

[Tirran]

I found that they were ok people but I’m still waiting on a shipping cost for a Marsland Chassis! No rush as I’ll wait until this COVID 19 outbreak settles before spending £3k

Actually got something done, cleaned up the fuel tank in prep for Buzzweld Rust Encapsulator and Chassis in One top coat.
Replacement inner wings to be finished prep and they will have Rust Encapsulator and top coated with Galv In One also from Buzzweld. I already have the Gwyn Lewis front mudflaps and outrigger protection, I just couldn’t resist buying something other than grinding discs and sandpaper.

 

[Resurgam]

Actually got something done, cleaned up the fuel tank in prep for Buzzweld Rust Encapsulator and Chassis in One top coat.
Replacement inner wings to be finished prep and they will have Rust Encapsulator and top coated with Galv In One also from Buzzweld. I already have the Gwyn Lewis front mudflaps and outrigger protection, I just couldn’t resist buying something other than grinding discs and sandpaper.

Good stuff. How are you planning to apply the paint? I'll be interested to see how you get on with the RE. To spray it with the Schultz gun I had to warm it and add thinners. For what it's worth, you can apply the GIO directly to the galvanised metal. Otherwise you might as well just use CIO on top of the RE as the magic bit of the Galv in One is that it's supposed to stick straight to galv. I got cold feet after buying it so decided to T-Wash the chassis first just to be sure it'd stick.

 

[Tirran]

Good stuff. How are you planning to apply the paint? I'll be interested to see how you get on with the RE. To spray it with the Schultz gun I had to warm it and add thinners. For what it's worth, you can apply the GIO directly to the galvanised metal. Otherwise you might as well just use CIO on top of the RE as the magic bit of the Galv in One is that it's supposed to stick straight to galv. I got cold feet after buying it so decided to T-Wash the chassis first just to be sure it'd stick.

On the fuel tank it’s back to bare metal, except between the bottom protective plate and the tank bottom. I’ll use RE on this then 2/3 coats of CIO.
On the wheel arches I have degreased them and removed the Localised rust with a flap disc, I’ll then use RE and then GIO which will be in contact with the original galvanised metal. I’ve bought the Shultz tins for RE, GIO and CIO which will be a first for me as I used aerosols for the CIO on the axles etc. This is my test for the chassis application as I want to put three costs on that plus the internals, (bloody thing will outlast me) I take your point on thinning and/ or heating but I also read somewhere that the pressure needs to be 65-70 psi for Shultz tins, what pressure did you use?

 

[Resurgam]

On the fuel tank it’s back to bare metal, except between the bottom protective plate and the tank bottom. I’ll use RE on this then 2/3 coats of CIO.
On the wheel arches I have degreased them and removed the Localised rust with a flap disc, I’ll then use RE and then GIO which will be in contact with the original galvanised metal. I’ve bought the Shultz tins for RE, GIO and CIO which will be a first for me as I used aerosols for the CIO on the axles etc. This is my test for the chassis application as I want to put three costs on that plus the internals, (bloody thing will outlast me) I take your point on thinning and/ or heating but I also read somewhere that the pressure needs to be 65-70 psi for Shultz tins, what pressure did you use?

To be honest I didn't find the pressure made much difference. I think it was probably about 80psi but I found only the initial burst of air from the gun was enough to spray the paint. Holding the trigger down meant the paint stopped. Consequently I had to do the whole coat of RE in short bursts! The CIO comes out better, but the Aldi compressor I'm using might be partly to blame.

 

[Resurgam]

Just a quick update. I forgot my phone on one of the more productive days so there aren't as many photos as I'd have liked, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

I've discovered the problem with the compressor - a leaking pressure switch, which probably accounts for some of the difficulties I've had getting enough pressure for painting. A bit of old inner tube later and we're back on track!

I've decided to go with painting the sandblasted wheels for now and see how we go. They look happier with a coat of Rust Encapsulator and a couple of Chassis in One. I had to paint them inside as the weather's been terrible, so it's been a pig to make sure the paint has all covered properly as the lighting is a bit dim. Having cleaned and painted the old towbar bits (one of which you can see in the photo) I've discovered that the TD5 rear crossmember I specified on my 200Tdi chassis uses different fixings, which is unfortunate. Something else to buy that I hadn't counted on.

I've also rebuilt the swivels - lots of fun with shims and a luggage scales

And finally, the rain holds off for long enough to paint the chassis. I used Buzzweld's Galv-in-One, and my god is it sticky stuff (which is probably a good thing). The sensible thing to do would have been to wear gloves and a full-face mask given the wind that always seems to appear when I'm doing outdoor painting, but then I'd have no evidence to show how hard I'd been working - two days later and it's only just starting to come off my skin. Anyway, at least some of it ended up on the chassis, which now looks like this...

Now I've just got to fit the hubs back onto the front axle, rebuild the drum brakes, get the tyres put back on the rims, and bolt everything back together for a rolling chassis. It all sounds so simple! Feels like a corner is being slowly turned anyway.

 

[Tirran]

All looking very good. How many coats of the Galv In One are you putting on? I was thinking about T-Washing the chassis first and using Chassis In One with three coats so, very interested in your experience of the GIO. I did read that placing the Schultz cans in warm water also helps with the flow.

The weather here is too humid and wet to risk painting, as like you i am doing it outside, with the fuel tank, inner wings etc to be done with Rust Encapsulator and CIO/ GIO respectively.

 

[Resurgam]

How many coats of the Galv In One are you putting on?

I did two coats. Started at one end and worked my way along. Much like painting the Forth Bridge, by the time I got to the far end the paint was dry and I was able to start again and give it a second coat, but it was fairly unscientific. Where it looked a bit thin I gave it a bit extra, and some bits probably got a good covering the first time so got missed! Buzzweld recommend three tins for a 90 chassis, and sure enough I'm almost at the end of the third tin, with a bit left over for touching up where the chassis was resting on the trestles, and hopefully enough to paint the galvanised suspension turrets.

 

[Resurgam]

I did thin down the GIO too as it wouldn't spray particularly well initially. I didn't warm the tin as there were thinners handy but that might have done too. The first time I used RE it was winter and it wouldn't spray at all without being immersed in boiling water.

My problem was that I found it quite difficult to get the pressure right on the compressor. Too low and you got nothing, then just a slightly higher pressure meant you got too much, so I had to be fairly gentle with the trigger otherwise it dumped about four coats' worth at once. The trickiest bits were where you had to paint the smaller sections requiring spraying from several different angles, such as spring seats, as you can end up with far too much paint. Good luck, is all I can say! It'll come out alright in the end.

 

[Resurgam]

The axles are almost back together, held up briefly as I tore the place apart looking for the four 5/16" BSF nuts I'd ordered six months ago, carefully filed away in a corner and forgotten about. Surely it wouldn't be beyond the realms of common sense to include them with the new wheel cylinders.

The rims are waiting for a trip to the tyre shop to have the rubber re-attached, and I've painted some more galvanised bits in a more pleasing black. The pile of rubbish at the back of the garage is growing and will need disposing of soon.

I finally gritted my teeth and finished rebuilding the calipers with stainless steel pistons - a job I've been putting off for ages because everything I'd read suggested it was easy to damage the seal retainers, and that to stand any chance of doing it I'd need to split the calipers. I can now confirm that although it's not the simplest job, neither is it at all difficult, even with the calipers in one piece.

For anyone who's interested, and who may have been similarly intimidated by the idea of fitting their own pistons, here's what I did: First of all make sure everything is spotlessly clean. Blow through all of the brake fluid channels with compressed air to make sure there's no grit or other crap sitting in there. Then for each of the piston housings (not sure if there's a technical term for the holey bit), fit the main thick seal with liberal amounts of rubber grease. These should pop satisfyingly into position without any problem. Then take a wiper seal and fit it to a seal retainer, again with a good helping of rubber grease. Getting the seal to sit nicely in the retainer is actually the trickiest bit as it likes to pop out of the opposite side from the one you're pushing on. Put the retainer with attached seal in place, make sure it's not overlapping the edge at all, then place a piece of flat metal that's big enough to cover the whole retainer (I used the large washer that's normally part of the radius arm fixing) over it and lightly tap it with a hammer from each side of the caliper until it's fully seated. Repeat for the three remaining housings, then add a bit more brake grease to the seals for good measure and slide the pistons into position.

And with new pads, pins and springs, it's all looking pretty tidy.

 

[Caseymi]

Rebuilding the brake calipers is a job I'm dreading!

 

[Resurgam]

Rebuilding the brake calipers is a job I'm dreading!

Honestly, it's not all that tricky. Strip them down, give them a clean with a wire wheel, spend a bit of time clearing any crap out of the piston housings so the seals locate properly, mask off the housings with circles of cardboard then give them a spray with caliper or high temperature paint. Then it's just a question of fitting the pistons, which is easier than advertised.

 

[Resurgam]

Another month has flown by, held up by our decision to sell our house and the consequent panic of running around doing all the DIY jobs I've been putting off for the last five years.
Anyway, the painted chassis has migrated back inside.

I was temporarily held up with the front axle rebuild by Bearmach's inability to machine the inside of the swivels properly, meaning the CV joint wouldn't go back far enough. This is the inside of the old swivel - note the curved machining at the lower rear.

And this is the faulty new one, now consigned to the junk pile after a replacement finally arrived.

While I was waiting for my new swivel, the A-frame was reassembled...

...the springs were attached...

...the lower links attached...

...and with the help of a jack and some bits of wood, the rear axle swung into position.

The front axle is now attached, with radius arms, springs and shocks in position, but I'd forgotten to order the bolts for the panhard rod chassis mount so that's as far as I could go for now.

The wheels have returned from the tyre place fully re-shod, but with a concerning number of weights on them, both sides, which must be a result of uneven sandblasting or painting as they were fine before. They'll do for now anyway. At least they seem to be holding air.

It seemed a shame not to fit them, so here's almost complete front end (excuse the lack of dust cap on the drive flange - I'm waiting for some CV shims to arrive)...

...and with some tyres on the rear axle as well I think it's looking pretty encouraging! It's nice to have it off axle stands anyway.

I keep finding bits I'd forgotten to paint, including the gearbox mounts which I hadn't realised weren't supplied with the new chassis. A quick trip out to the field where the old one is rusting away to retrieve them and another disaster narrowly avoided. Just a few odds and sods to reattach once the various nuts and bolts arrive, and the next big job is dropping the engine back in, then it's time for a bit of a cleanup as the garage is looking pretty shocking. Having a Land Rover sized object in it again has made it that bit smaller.

 

[Tirran]

This is really taking shape. Annoying that the swivel housing was so obviously flawed and there is nothing worse than being held up waiting on a part.

 

[Retroanaconda]

Your panhard rod is on the wrong way around for a UK car. Is it a left hand drive model?

 

[Resurgam]

Your panhard rod is on the wrong way around for a UK car. Is it a left hand drive model?

Nope, I'm just a tit who's put it on the wrong way around . To be fair I haven't fixed it on yet so I would probably have realised at some point. Thanks for pointing it out!

 

[Resurgam]

OK, update time again. I've realised why I put the panhard rod on the wrong way around - firstly it's the bend in the rod that just looks like it wants to wrap around the diff (and presumably does on the LHD version), but secondly the diagram in the Haynes manual shows it on that way! I don't actually have that any photos clearly showing the panhard rod in place as presumably I thought it was obvious.

Anyway, let's move on. With the chassis now able to support some weight, I could finally put the engine back in and free up some space in the garage. I haven't been able to do anything on the engine with it dangling, and hopefully fixing it to the chassis will make it a bit easier to work on. The block's looking a bit on the rusty side, but I'm not sure it's worth painting it, is it?

Look, loads of room

I'll just pop in a few pictures of the engine in case anyone spots anything awry. I'm fairly sure I've put it in the right way around anyway!

Clutch end

Fan end. While we're looking at this, does anyone know why the fan blades aren't evenly spaced? Presumably there's a good reason for it, but I can't think what it is!

Turbo and exhaust side

I'd noticed a lot of oil around the bottom of the flywheel housing and assumed that the crankshaft oil seal was leaking, so I stripped down the rear of the engine.

Clutch out. I've got a new one to replace it although to my extremely untrained eye it looks like there's plenty of life left in it.

Flywheel off

The housing has got quite a bit of oil and grease in it but not as much as I was expecting. The seal looked fine - certainly there wasn't anything obvious wrong with it.

With the housing off you can see a lot more of the oil that was obvious from the outside. I'm not sure where this has come from. Maybe a leak down the back of the gasket?

I've taken the sump off as it's looking quite rusty underneath. Inside it's all looking fine though. Any idea how best to get the old sealant off?

And this is the grand total of stuff found in the sump. Barely any sludge either. I initially thought the black bit was a chunk of metal but it's some sort of rubber. The washer is made of plastic, so hopefully it's not caused any damage on its way through. Any idea where it came from?

Once the sump's been cleaned up a bit, I discovered the imprint of the oil strainer in the bottom. Should I be looking at adjusting something here to stop it rubbing?

And this is the outside of the sump. It needs a good clean-up and a lick of paint but luckily the rust's not gone too deep.

Just one final question - this post seems to have a lot of them. Should I drop the ladder frame as well and re-seal it? This corner here is where most of the oil was obvious. Is it common for oil leaks to occur between the block and the frame?

So that's where I'm up to now. I'm hoping to get a full day in soon to get a load of bits cleaned and painted as they're cluttering up the workbench.

 

[marjon]

When you look at your sump pics. Is the big rusty spot close to the imprint on the inside? Has it taken a wack? Wack it back

Cant help with other Qs

J

 

[Resurgam]

When you look at your sump pics. Is the big rusty spot close to the imprint on the inside? Has it taken a wack? Wack it back

Cant help with other Qs

J

Could be. It's not dented though. Maybe it's already popped back.

 

[jamesmartin]

OK, update time again. I've realised why I put the panhard rod on the wrong way around - firstly it's the bend in the rod that just looks like it wants to wrap around the diff (and presumably does on the LHD version), but secondly the diagram in the Haynes manual shows it on that way! I don't actually have that any photos clearly showing the panhard rod in place as presumably I thought it was obvious.

Anyway, let's move on. With the chassis now able to support some weight, I could finally put the engine back in and free up some space in the garage. I haven't been able to do anything on the engine with it dangling, and hopefully fixing it to the chassis will make it a bit easier to work on. The block's looking a bit on the rusty side, but I'm not sure it's worth painting it, is it?
View attachment 219306

Look, loads of room
View attachment 219307

I'll just pop in a few pictures of the engine in case anyone spots anything awry. I'm fairly sure I've put it in the right way around anyway!
View attachment 219308

Clutch end
View attachment 219309

Fan end. While we're looking at this, does anyone know why the fan blades aren't evenly spaced? Presumably there's a good reason for it, but I can't think what it is!
View attachment 219310

Turbo and exhaust side
View attachment 219311

I'd noticed a lot of oil around the bottom of the flywheel housing and assumed that the crankshaft oil seal was leaking, so I stripped down the rear of the engine.

Clutch out. I've got a new one to replace it although to my extremely untrained eye it looks like there's plenty of life left in it.
View attachment 219312

Flywheel off
View attachment 219313

The housing has got quite a bit of oil and grease in it but not as much as I was expecting. The seal looked fine - certainly there wasn't anything obvious wrong with it.
View attachment 219314

With the housing off you can see a lot more of the oil that was obvious from the outside. I'm not sure where this has come from. Maybe a leak down the back of the gasket?
View attachment 219315

I've taken the sump off as it's looking quite rusty underneath. Inside it's all looking fine though. Any idea how best to get the old sealant off?
View attachment 219316

And this is the grand total of stuff found in the sump. Barely any sludge either. I initially thought the black bit was a chunk of metal but it's some sort of rubber. The washer is made of plastic, so hopefully it's not caused any damage on its way through. Any idea where it came from?
View attachment 219317

Once the sump's been cleaned up a bit, I discovered the imprint of the oil strainer in the bottom. Should I be looking at adjusting something here to stop it rubbing?
View attachment 219318

And this is the outside of the sump. It needs a good clean-up and a lick of paint but luckily the rust's not gone too deep.
View attachment 219319

Just one final question - this post seems to have a lot of them. Should I drop the ladder frame as well and re-seal it? This corner here is where most of the oil was obvious. Is it common for oil leaks to occur between the block and the frame?
View attachment 219320

So that's where I'm up to now. I'm hoping to get a full day in soon to get a load of bits cleaned and painted as they're cluttering up the workbench.

if your just talking about the rear face the new gasket should come with impregnated sealer than covers all the joints ie ladder frame and main bearing cap,if it doesnt add some silicone sealant along the joins first

 

[Resurgam]

if your just talking about the rear face the new gasket should come with impregnated sealer than covers all the joints ie ladder frame and main bearing cap,if it doesnt add some silicone sealant along the joins first

Yes, I've got one of those already. I'm talking about the seal between the ladder frame and the bottom of the block.