S3 109 Safari project......

i done the same thing when i was ran all wire to the back i used 13 core cable for all the lights

twizzle said:

i done the same thing when i was ran all wire to the back i used 13 core cable for all the lights

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Yes, I didn’t want the expense of buying a rear loom either as they are so simple anyway. Trailer wiring works just as good

Thought I would try and finish prepping the rear tub today, but then realised I still had the lower door hinge on the right and the striker and wedge holes to drill. This was very much measure 10 times and drill once! I measured the old panel holes in the hope that I could replicate accurately enough so that the door would fit properly
Strangely, the hinge on the original panel did not appear to be drilled parallel with the shut line, but it must be correct, so I replicated it. It appears that the hinge pin sits vertically even though the hinge does not. Perhaps this is to align the hinge so the rear door shuts itself? Answers on a postcard please!

Been a while since I’ve posted progress, so I thought I would share a couple of updates. Did some more prep on the rear tub ready for paint, and if that’s not enough, I started repairing the two front doors. The passengers one was needing a small weld repair, then I treated with rust preventer then etch primed the frame.

After opening up the rivet holes to full size in the top half of the new door skin to locate the skin, I gave it a dry fit. It actually fitted quite well with only a small tweak to achieve a perfect fit. After the dry fit, I dismantled then put some body sealer on the frame to create a barrier between the dissimilar metals. After pinning the skin on I carefully hammered over the edges, drilled the remaining rivet holes and installed the rivets. Last job was to drill the door hinge holes and it’s ready for paint.

While it’s nice, I thought I would get the paint stripper back out and take the crocodile skin paint off the bonnet. The starchem stuff is brilliant and it only took an hour to strip the full bonnet. I neutralised it with water and let the sun dry it out.
Next job is to strip the rubber buffers and hinges off and give it a good sand down to remove the rest of the paint ready for paint.

Had a look at the the seat box, and to be honest it’s in an awful state! It needs so many repair panels. I’ve decided to install a new battery box, centre tool tray and drivers tool box along with new end caps. Going to be a bit of a job, but with the parts from YRM it looks achievable.

Got the parts through from YRM to rebuild the seat box and as usual I’m impressed by the quality. Just need to fit them now!

Thought I would fit the windscreen pivot points and after looking at the parts list, it appears that they are sealed to the frame using copper washers. New one on me but I ordered them anyway. I cleaned them up prepared with Ku rust, primered twice and painted the pivots. They were so rusty before I’m not sure what colour they are meant to be, but I thought black would be okay.

I also stripped the other front door, drilling out the rivets, removed the door handle and peeled off the door skin. This frame, similar to the other side, is very sound and seems to have been painted internally in the past. Will strip any corrosion away, apply Ku rust and primer as per the other side. Once this one is done then that’s all 4 lower doors done. Just the door tops to do after that. Am considering new ones to be honest.

GSF 109 said:

Got the parts through from YRM to rebuild the seat box and as usual I’m impressed by the quality. Just need to fit them now!View attachment 269232

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I found an air riveter, pre painting the parts after test fitting with cleco fasteners, and assembly with caravan mastic tape made slippery on one side by painting with paint thinner to make temporarily slippy; useful for this job.
Oh, and closed rivets
The tool box was a challenge to get in with the mastic sealant, and making it slippy helped as you only get one shot.
Perfect weather for doing this hope out goes well

Wagon Loon said:

I found an air riveter, pre painting the parts after test fitting with cleco fasteners, and assembly with caravan mastic tape made slippery on one side by painting with paint thinner to make temporarily slippy; useful for this job.View attachment 269248
Oh, and closed rivetsView attachment 269249 View attachment 269251
The tool box was a challenge to get in with the mastic sealant, and making it slippy helped as you only get one shot.
Perfect weather for doing this hope out goes well

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I’ve got the majority of the bits and bobs to do the build but I’ve never tried the caravan mastic before. I will have a look into it. Was it an eBay purchase?

Yep, it wasn't expensive and seems to last forever. As in it doesn't go hard.

I have an almost vintage 29 year old, last of the proper Sprites, which I've rebuilt. She's called Velma as she used to get towed by Scooby called Scooby-Doo.

Wagon Loon said:

Yep, it wasn't expensive and seems to last forever. As in it doesn't go hard.
View attachment 269282
I have an almost vintage 29 year old, last of the proper Sprites, which I've rebuilt. She's called Velma as she used to get towed by Scooby called Scooby-Doo.
View attachment 269283

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Thanks. Looks quite similar to the dum dum sealant I used on the windscreen. I’ll have a look and see what’s available

I stripped the second door frame down and thankfully it is very sound and doesn’t need any welding. After buffing the paint down, I applied Kurust, then a couple of coats zinc rich primer.
Will fit the new door skin next time.

Thought it was time that I got back onto the rear tub to get it prepped for paint. Spent a few hours with a DA and I think it is getting pretty close now. Found a couple of bits that needed a thin skim of filler, so next time should see that flatted and the tub can go for paint…….at last!

Finished prepping the rear tub ready for paint. I don’t think it will ever be perfect, but I can’t wait to see it painted!

I also finished off the other front door, fitting the skin, sealing and riveting it. After a quick wipe down to clean off the excess sealant, it was ready to join the other door and be shipped off for paint.

After inspecting the door tops again, I thought it better to replace them, so I bought galvanised versions from SP panels, and on first inspection, they do look pretty decent. I was going to leave them as a galvanised finish, but I think they would look much better painted. I’ll pick up some T Wash next week and get onto that, so that when the doors come back, I can drop off the door tops and get them painted too. I bought the glazing kit from SP too, so the plan is to build up the front and rear doors up soon.

GSF 109 said:

Finished prepping the rear tub ready for paint. I don’t think it will ever be perfect, but I can’t wait to see it painted!
View attachment 269982View attachment 269983

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Is it not the imperfections that make a Landy perfect <(￣︶￣)>