Restoration has begun - slowly!

Hi all,

I finally made a start on the S3 during my day off this week. A couple of weeks ago I spent the best part of 4 hours with the father-in-law getting the engine to fire. I still have the blister from the pull handle to prove it! The engine has only done 38k miles and ticked over lovely. It's a 2.25 petrol. Apart from the starter motor being shot and a little TLC required on the choke and clutch, all should be ok engine wise.

On Wednesday I starter on the front brakes as one of them is jammed on. I'm hoping the pictures below will explain my thoughts and findings better than my waffle!

General shot of the drivers side.


Can you see the score down the centre of the pad. I noticed the spring that held the shoes tight was loose. Inside the drum was a little nipple that had broken off.


Luckily I found the nipple and welded it back in place but unfortunately it has done a serious number on the drum and pad.


One of the seals was been leaking too.


The passenger side brake was fine and a lot easier to take apart.

Below are a few pictures from the front end to show the rust to the chassis. Can anyone see anything alarming that I should be aware of and need to address asap?











Exhaust needs replacing!

Using the rain to my advantage for washing off the 20+ years worth of muck and grime.


Link to album.

yea another restoration , nice
good luck with it an keep the pics coming

Like the idear of washing the LR in the rain to save water. ound:. Good luck with the restoration project ill be tuned in

That was the idea! Hose pipe ban where I am sadly so the rain came in handy. I haven't done anymore to the Landy yet due to putting my back out but the brakes are nearly rebuilt ready for its drive up the road to the steam cleaner for a thorough inside and out clean before more work is done.

Anyone any idea what the rusted away box thing was in the 6th picture? Was it a bump stop for something?

willbowles said:

That was the idea! Hose pipe ban where I am sadly so the rain came in handy. I haven't done anymore to the Landy yet due to putting my back out but the brakes are nearly rebuilt ready for its drive up the road to the steam cleaner for a thorough inside and out clean before more work is done.

Anyone any idea what the rusted away box thing was in the 6th picture? Was it a bump stop for something?

Click to expand...

Mines got the same thing as in your 6th picture, i plan on cutting it off soon seen as it doesnt appear to do anything

Good luck with your resto' project. Hope your back gets better soon. How far are you going to restore it? You will probably end up finding more and more bits to weld on the chassis, like I have on my S3 SWB resto.

Oh, and a full length photo of your landy would be nice. I take it its a LWB by the 6th picture?

willbowles said:

That was the idea! Hose pipe ban where I am sadly so the rain came in handy. I haven't done anymore to the Landy yet due to putting my back out but the brakes are nearly rebuilt ready for its drive up the road to the steam cleaner for a thorough inside and out clean before more work is done.

Anyone any idea what the rusted away box thing was in the 6th picture? Was it a bump stop for something?

Click to expand...

im pretty sure it is, or should i say "was", the steering damper mount

Thanks for the clarification. Unless I replace the chassis then I think it'll just be chopped off and sanded flush!

I've been out there this morning working on the brakes some more. The fronts are now rebuilt and seem to be working fine for the time being. I will be replacing the parts for new ones once I've taken it to the steam cleaners, so this is only temporary.

The drivers side rear brake is jammed on though. I've spent an hour fighting the drum open only to find everything looks normal... With the drum on and the brakes applied, it locks up as it should but when you release the brakes it stays locked up. A few good whacks with a hide hammer and it frees up again. Any ideas?

Is it only the leading shoe arm that is under the most tension? The rear seems like it should have a return spring attached but doesn't. This is the same on both fronts too.

Hi all,

Another update on the restoration. I started yesterday with the goal of getting the roof off and actually succeeded after a fair bit of cutting off stubborn/worn nuts and bolts. I also stripped away the rotten mats from the front to show the extent of the rusted bulkhead. One thing I'm not sure how easy it will be to repair is the rust in the first picture below?

Next is to remove the tub and have a good look over the chassis. Remove the rest of the cabin too. Will I need to remove the engine and gearbox to properly treat the chassis?















This can't be good!


Cheers

Will

Link to full album - http://s1191.photobucket.com/albums/z464/thewillbowles/Series 3/

If you remove the doors and the dash ends you will have better access to the bulkhead ends.

Nice one. I've always found if there is lots of fixing to do, it's quicker to completely take it to bits, otherwise there are always parts you can't quite get too.
It makes the welding a lot easier too, as you can position everything to get a good weld etc.
Best of luck with it

Thanks I think I'll need some help with removing an engine. I've never done that before, only helped secure an engine into an Arial Atom! The wiring loom scares me some what!

There's nothing stopping you from leaving the engine in, if it's a problem removing it. At least with the wings and bulkhead off you can see and get to just about every part of the chassis.
Obviously if the engine is out, it's even better..
The wiring loom isn't as daunting as you think, unless it's been added too over the years.

I'll get the front wings off during the week after work and see how it looks. So far, touch wood, I haven't found any holes in the chassis.

Oooh, nice, big bonus that is....

Hi all,

I'm having some serious troubles getting the tub off my Landy. The bolts are all stuck fast and there isn't enough room to get an angle grinder in there to chop them off. Has anyone got any tips?

How many bolts are there to remove the tub?

If anyone fancies lending a hand one afternoon/day then I'd be most grateful! I can supply beer!

Cheers

Will

willbowles said:

Hi all,

I'm having some serious troubles getting the tub off my Landy. The bolts are all stuck fast and there isn't enough room to get an angle grinder in there to chop them off. Has anyone got any tips?

How many bolts are there to remove the tub?

If anyone fancies lending a hand one afternoon/day then I'd be most grateful! I can supply beer!

Cheers

Will

Click to expand...

You could try using a nut splitter

A nut splitter?!