S3 109 Safari project......

I thought I would put the front springs on to allow me to build up the front axle on the chassis. I think it will be more secure and much easier to tighten everything up. Thankfully, they fitted perfectly, which, considering all the welding I did to the chassis legs etc, then that’s a relief . I didn’t completely tighten up the bolts as I will need to get some weight on them first. It will be fine for now....

To build the front axle, I wanted to clean the completely disassembled axle casing, so I got the big angle grinder out with the wire cup on it. I think it did quite a good job, as you can see. Maybe not as good as blasting, but quicker and cheaper! I managed to find some damage on the bump stop, but this should be easily rectified. I also found a dent, which thankfully does not look like it has punctured it. It has also had a new level plug boss fitted at some point. Not too happy with the welding on that so I guess I have to decide the following.........Repair the original pan or replace with a new replacement pattern part

The pans are really thin and if your diffs out there is no better time to cut off and weld in a new one, if you feel inclined.
That's a relief the springs fit, I started chopping the front chassis legs today , quite interesting to see inside.

Wagon Loon said:

The pans are really thin and if your diffs out there is no better time to cut off and weld in a new one, if you feel inclined.
That's a relief the springs fit, I started chopping the front chassis legs today , quite interesting to see inside.

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Yes, the diff pans are not that expensive to buy and I would hate to put it altogether and find it leaked. Conversely, I would need to make sure my welding is up to scratch! Have you purchased a chassis leg or are you fabricating your own?

I am fabricating the leg halves and purchase the crossmember

Ok, so I took the plunge and bought a new diff pan and got to work!

I flatted off as much as I could of the old metal and cleaned back the original weld to get as good a weld as possible. I cleaned off the flange to remove any shards of metal and cleaned down with thinners to remove any trace of oil or grease. I took the paint off the mating faces of the new pan ready for welding....

I put a couple of alignment marks with pen on the housing to ensure the pan was lined up. I then tacked the four corners to hold it in place. I tried the diff back in to ensure that there was no fouling, which thankfully was okay!

I cleaned the edges again to make sure that I could get a strong continuous weld...

That looks very satisfying,
Job well done sir

I thought, while I had the welder out I should repair the bump stop too I thought that the crud under the metal plate was ridiculous! I cleaned it all out anyway....

A coat of hammerite primer later and it’s starting to look a bit better than it was! Next time, I’m hoping to get some topcoat on it ready to mount onto the springs.

Wagon Loon said:

That looks very satisfying,
Job well done sir

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Many thanks - quite a satisfying job really. It was a bit easier than I thought too

looking good ..

auld duffer said:

looking good ..

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Cheers! - managed to get a coat of black Smootherite on it today, so it’s looking smarter now

I cleaned out the axle housing today with some degreaser to get all the remnants of oil and swarf out ready for building back up. I fitted the axle onto the springs, then found I had bought one wrong u bolt. It should be one flat top with 3 round.... Still, I managed to fit it solidly enough so I could work on it. I popped out the driveshaft seals and fitted some new.

Moving onto the new swivel housings, I pressed in the new shaft bearing. Then I temporarily fitted the housing upside down to fit the lower bearing shell. After this, I fitted the railco bushing....

I will strip the housing off again and sit the swivel seal and retainer in position, so I don’t build it up and forget to fit it later

Put some effort into cleaning the front diff, n/s swivel housing and pitman arm. It was total caked in oily crud and flaky rust. The diff was cleaned and flushed after cleaning the outside with a wire cup on a grinder. Once blown out and dried I painted on the same primer as I used on the axle.

Swivel hub before and after.....