1965 Series 2a Station Wagon in Holland

Jam1 said:

It's surprising what you can find in new stuff sometimes, I stripped a brand new grease gun once to find it full of machining swarf from it's manufacture

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Yep indeed I've seen some shockers for new tools - especially with new air compressors and hydraulic jacks.

For car parts I've had trouble with swarf left in refurbished heads (valves just slammed into a head that has just been machined) and other things like no grease in ball joints! It is amazing but it seems that when things get made to a budget (shall we say?), simple but important steps get missed...

Here's an up side to all of the delays, distractions and cock ups - it is taking so long for this vehicle to be "ready for the summer" that occasionally the hard to find parts get found =>



1X rear step!



Difficult to tell if it is 100% Land Rover original or not. I think so but it is quite a new "original". (As mentioned previously) The one remaining original (side) step I have has got two strengthening ribs under the step which makes it less bendy when you stand on it. The master plan is to "fake" the originals by welding in two strengthening ribs so it'll look as original as it can...

...as always (sigh) to be continued...

...{yes yes yes I'll stop whinging about the lack of progress and get a spurt on again - probably when these sodding days start to last a bit longer}

Also got a flyer with the step from a Dutch Land Rover club => www.lrch.nl - so I'm going to check that out

The winter is a real bugger isn't it! Lack of daylight means that i'm averaging 3 hours a week on mine. Now that the chassis is back on it's wheels there's no space in the garage and because it does nothing but drizzle here I can't work outside! Ok, rant over. I'm going to calm down and think happy thoughts.

You're not alone. My workshop is a shipping container which is nothing more than a large 'fridge. I could tolerate working in it, but my next real job is putting axles under the chassis and playing with engine/gearbox mounts. Outside.

boguing said:

You're not alone. My workshop is a shipping container which is nothing more than a large 'fridge. I could tolerate working in it, but my next real job is putting axles under the chassis and playing with engine/gearbox mounts. Outside.

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That's not going to be nice. Is there any way to bodge together a temporary tarpaulin shelter? Wickes do 2.4m stud wall timbers for about £2 each when you buy 5. With one of their cheap tarpaulins you might be able to keep the worst of the weather off.

LincolnSteve said:

That's not going to be nice. Is there any way to bodge together a temporary tarpaulin shelter? Wickes do 2.4m stud wall timbers for about £2 each when you buy 5. With one of their cheap tarpaulins you might be able to keep the worst of the weather off.

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Not really - I'm negotiating for some covered space at the moment, but it's a few miles away and I'm torn between the two options.

^^^^^

Too true. Winter is not my favourite.

In the less windy months I've used a 3 meter by 6 meter party tent to keep the rain off of things but in high winds such an option is arguably more stressful than divorce! Still it could be worse: Only a few years ago there were reports of people outside of Detroit living in "tent city" - having seen the pictures of it I thought - well if it was actually tents it wouldn't be so bad. It was all tarpaulins and sticks of wood. It looked really grim, way worse than the tent like constructions I've had over cars...

...so in the bigger scheme of things I count my self lucky.

As for my rented space: Well it is the way to go but as it isn't heated I sometimes need to build up a good head of enthusiasm to get on down there. The other day I found that the neighbours (who are trying to start a business) had knocked a hole in the reinforced wired glass roof and installed a wood burning stove. They were busy burning used motor oil to try and keep warm. As soon as I walked into the warehouse my eyes started watering - hideous. I introduced the neighbours to the concept of thermal overalls. I think they might be using something like that now because if you can't see through the tears...

Off metal bashing - well getting ready to do so...

...bending metal - in particular bending thicker metal is a bit of a problem for DIY chaps. The under seat battery tray is about 16 gauge which in metric sizes is pretty close to 1.5mm thick. Even using softer and easier to bend Zincor galvanised plated steel, bending steel accurately and nicely isn't all that easy.

DIY bench bending brakes like this one are not up to the job - their limit is about 1 mm for steel =>



...an extra half a mm might not seem like much but think of it as a 50% increase in thickness - sure you can bend it a bit with this kind of thing but you'll end up killing it (before you've had some fun with some aluminium)

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I expected to have problems with the thicker battery tray steel so I took a gamble and bought a twenty quid vice mounted adapter from frosts.

Bargain for what it is. (And I think it is on sale at the moment for about 12 quid if I remember rightly)



Little magnets help hold the attachment onto the vice



It doesn't do a 4000 quid machine bend (as you might expect), but for twenty quid I'm really happy with it. If I need to get a tighter / sharper bend I reckon I can clamp the bend after using this adapter and hammer it flatter.





It does leave a bit of a mark on the outer surfaces - but Zincor marks easily so don't get too stressed!

Paradoxically "you shouldn't always believe what you see on the internet"!

I've read several references to the colour of the timing cover on the front of a 2.25 litre diesle engine and it seems to be pretty much common knowledge that they are "just cast iron coloured".

I can chuck my hat in the ring and say "well mine was painted in that 'Duck egg blue'"



As you can see a lot of the paint has fallen off to give that (rusty) cast iron finish but where's there's paint there's paint...

Stretch said:

Off metal bashing - well getting ready to do so...

...bending metal - in particular bending thicker metal is a bit of a problem for DIY chaps. The under seat battery tray is about 16 gauge which in metric sizes is pretty close to 1.5mm thick. Even using softer and easier to bend Zincor galvanised plated steel, bending steel accurately and nicely isn't all that easy.

DIY bench bending brakes like this one are not up to the job - their limit is about 1 mm for steel =>

View attachment 115492

...an extra half a mm might not seem like much but think of it as a 50% increase in thickness - sure you can bend it a bit with this kind of thing but you'll end up killing it (before you've had some fun with some aluminium)

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I expected to have problems with the thicker battery tray steel so I took a gamble and bought a twenty quid vice mounted adapter from frosts.

Bargain for what it is. (And I think it is on sale at the moment for about 12 quid if I remember rightly)

View attachment 115493

Little magnets help hold the attachment onto the vice

View attachment 115494

It doesn't do a 4000 quid machine bend (as you might expect), but for twenty quid I'm really happy with it. If I need to get a tighter / sharper bend I reckon I can clamp the bend after using this adapter and hammer it flatter.

View attachment 115495

View attachment 115496

It does leave a bit of a mark on the outer surfaces - but Zincor marks easily so don't get too stressed!

View attachment 115497

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Looks like a handy tool don't suppose you've got a link?
Edit, found it
http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-s...set-for-bending-sheet-metal-125mm-5-inch.html

Jam1 said:

Looks like a handy tool don't suppose you've got a link?
Edit, found it
http://www.frost.co.uk/automotive-s...set-for-bending-sheet-metal-125mm-5-inch.html

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That's the one - I got the sale price wrong - currently 15 quid. Still worth it at 20 quid in my opinion!

The important part of this tool, however, is a big vice. If the jaws of your vice don't open wide enough it will be 15 or 20 quid poorly spent. If I remember to do so I'll measure how far the jaws need to open as Frosts only say how wide the ideal vice should be (5 inches). This might be enough information - might not.

If you were to use something like this more frequently or perhaps intensively for a big job a vice would be tedious - wind it in wind it out - especially for bends that are wider than the jaws (where you need to take it slowly and bend along the length gradually - moving one way and then back again and then back along the other way again... etc)...

...I was thinking I might try and attach the jaws to one of these hand presses =>

Oooooo blinkin' 'eck - cold cold cold: Minus eight last night - too cold for glue =>

I wanted to get that pesky rear crankshaft seal fitted. The book says it needs to be glued in position with some solvent free Hylomar but I reckon it'll be too cold to use it just at the moment. I'll have to wait.

However, the pesky spring retainer went on surprisingly easily despite my pig's tits for fingers (the cold - did I mention that?) and the fiddly position of the crank when fitted.



Tiny little hook and eye (that must not be stretched!)



Other small amount of engine progress =>

End float of crankshaft was checked (all good)



And this time I used the correct tool to remove the new crankshaft sprocket (the old one was just yanked off with a three legged puller because I knew it was deed)...



...UNC threads in the new sproket - luckily I ordered that assortment of bolts from Namrick - 'cos the bolts in the harmonic balancer puller kit were metric...

EDIT - might not be clear: Sprocket needed to come off after the check to put in the locking tabs (p/n 2995) on the retaining screws for the end plate / thrust plate.

{Swoon - shock - horror}

Something happened!

I got sent this monster =>



Ye gads it is the biggest heaviest starter motor I've ever seen in my life (well ones for "cars"). I'll weigh it later on this week - sodding thing is nearly 35 cm long. If I drop it on my toe it'll make my eyes water, that's for sure...

Monster monster



{That's possibly the very last Fast Show reference in this thread - but you never know it might happen again}

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Oh yeah just to make it clear this is meant to be an original one from the 1960s - I already have a new one (much smaller) but in the anal quest for original looking stuff I've been hunting for bits like this.

I've also got some of the older style injectors which I'll be rebuilding in the future.

Hmmm

(That chassis ain't 'alf bad - the rear springs put up a fight and had to be cut out - I'll post up some horror shots once I've got the thing stripped down to the holes and the rust)

Horror


Are you ready for it?


Here goes 18+ only =>


The following pictures are of the left hand chassis leg close to the mounting point for the rear shock absorber and the front hanger for the rear spring.

The shots show the underside of the chassis - as it stands it has been upended on its side (side ended?) for storage reasons.



The chassis has just had a light dusting over with the angle grinder and a wire brush attachment. There's still a lot of work to be done.



It has had the typical tectonic plate treatment - or is it perhaps more like sedimentary rock? - Layers have been added over the years on top of the bits that have rusted.

Quality work.



The thicknesses vary.

It looks like the original chassis frame was mostly made of 16 gauge (about 1.5mm) but others have added on 2mm thick lumps



Not sure if this is original!
Strange arrow shape =>



I've cut out a few investigation holes / windows in the bits that have been plated as well as this bit which is original but has now got the worm



Now I can hear you all gasping in wonder at this "beautiful patina" - I'm just going to have to do a gas monkey garage clear coat over the lot to preserve it right?



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The welding work seems to have been done by grey squirrels. The grey squirrels are the lazy buggers who use MIG welders by the looks of it!

{Please note: I simply can not believe that the graceful native red squirrel would resort to such practices}



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Now this next picture might look like one of my holiday snaps when I'm off tirelessly searching for Nazi gold - you know yet another fortified / industrial location that has gone to ruin but it is in fact a shot of the inside of the chassis...



...who'd have thought it eh? Looks like it will sail through an MOT...

...More windows cut into the chassis leg to help me look back in time





Does any one know if "they" make shock mounts any more?



Got a feeling I might have to replace that one.

That's giving me flashbacks! The sight of all that rust has set off my PTCD (post traumatic chassis disorder). Scrap it and get a galvanised one. Ruin your bank balance, save your sanity.

galvo chassis, I would be concerned about thinning of the metal that hasn't rusted through/ been gnawed by naughty squirrels!

LordOWar said:

galvo chassis, I would be concerned about thinning of the metal that hasn't rusted through/ been gnawed by naughty squirrels!

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I've found no matter how good you are at welding you can't weld to rust. After I've gone through it all I'll be absolutely certain it will be structurally sound.

LincolnSteve said:

That's giving me flashbacks! The sight of all that rust has set off my PTCD (post traumatic chassis disorder). Scrap it and get a galvanised one. Ruin your bank balance, save your sanity.

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Oh but you made your welding repairs look so easy!

Seriously guys there is no effing way I'm going to be spending money on a replacement chassis (galvanised or not - really you lot would galvanise your Grans!) - firstly - where's the fun in that? I know Land Rovers are "just like Mechano" but the point of this exercise is fun and a bit of a challenge.

The way in which this chassis was originally made, kind of makes the repair method I plan to use "almost sensible". According to the James Taylor book strips of flat metal were used to make up the chassis box sections and the corners were welded. Now that's a challenge. If I can do what the factory did in a bit of a smaller way then I'll be well happy.

I'll only resort to a replacement chassis if I totally bugger it up. Need fun first!

Totally understand. When I discovered how bad my chassis was I felt that if I could get it through a couple more MOT's then I maybe hadn't bought quite such a wrong 'un. Now of course I know i've bought the worst one on the planet so that doesn't matter so much. I'm glad I made the repairs look easy because I have to say that they became a real pain in the arse. Lack of time and space had a lot to do with that. I should have had it blasted before I started. That would have given a much clearer idea of what I was up against. It would have also avoided getting a repair in place only to find another one needed a little further on. Also while you have some holes cut in it try to give it a good shake or a bash all over with a rubber mallet to knock out all of the crap from the inside. I'm still getting stuff coming out of drain holes now. I am also perpetually worried that if I have got something wrong with my repairs then something vital is not going to fit later on and then I will have to go and jump off something high which will just be hassle for everyone.

LincolnSteve said:

Totally understand. When I discovered how bad my chassis was I felt that if I could get it through a couple more MOT's then I maybe hadn't bought quite such a wrong 'un. Now of course I know i've bought the worst one on the planet so that doesn't matter so much. I'm glad I made the repairs look easy because I have to say that they became a real pain in the arse. Lack of time and space had a lot to do with that. I should have had it blasted before I started. That would have given a much clearer idea of what I was up against. It would have also avoided getting a repair in place only to find another one needed a little further on. Also while you have some holes cut in it try to give it a good shake or a bash all over with a rubber mallet to knock out all of the crap from the inside. I'm still getting stuff coming out of drain holes now. I am also perpetually worried that if I have got something wrong with my repairs then something vital is not going to fit later on and then I will have to go and jump off something high which will just be hassle for everyone.

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Don't be so defeatist I'm sure it'll all come good. Mine came to bits with loads of shims on it - if they made 'em like that then I'm sure they'll go back together with lumps of 2" X 4" if necessary!

Have you seen the chassis dimensions in the green book?

I'm going to be going by those as well as the additional information on the series 2 club forum.

I've got a load of adjustable axle stands (kind of things that get used by caravanners) so I can make one bit level and then make measurements at the strategic points.

I would go an get it sand blasted if I could stomach the cost but after paying 100 euros for four wheels I think I'll pass. I'll definitely be sweeping the stuff out as I go and I might even be spraying a cold galvanised coating (watch out Gran!) on the inside before I fill it up with Dinitrol.