Sympathetic series upgrades

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Lexx

Lexx

Member
Posts
30
Location
Co. Down
Everyone has different goals and aspirations for their series, I want mine to be as standard looking as possible, no frills, may even leave the battered bits alone, but a few things have grabbed my attention recently and would be interested to hear peoples views, before my chassis goes for blasting and welding :

1975 109 Truck cab 6pot

Military style removable gearbox support strut - Having taken the gearbox and clutch out today, stuff taking it thru the cab
Oil filter adapter - Haven't checked if there's a 6pot version, makes sense if I don't flip front it
Brighter Lights - Halogen or led (that look classic), that drive up thru Wales in the dark to make the ferry was white knuckle
Fuse box Upgrade - main loom is toast, I have a very talented spark in the family
Flip front - This does appeal to me and and getting a bit of welding done on the front, but having an internal battle with myself
Disk brakes - think I'll leave alone for now, worked on the drums adequately on the way home
Suspension - I think my springs are ok, may be carrying heavy loads, don't want to go parabolic.. suggestions?

Things are moving, engine out today, thanks all for the support :)

155199321_789554091769906_2807179761742298064_n.jpg 155270356_789554135103235_4074083345002326760_n.jpg 155519686_789554061769909_6717751578631049352_n.jpg
 
Flip up front is where the bonnet and wings are joined together and the whole lot swing up on the bonnet hinges, extra latches needed to keep every thing in place when down, done for better access but I have never seen a decent set up on a road vehicle,. OK on a cut away wings trials truck.
 
tottot said:
Flip up front is where the bonnet and wings are joined together and the whole lot swing up on the bonnet hinges, extra latches needed to keep every thing in place when down, done for better access but I have never seen a decent set up on a road vehicle,. OK on a cut away wings trials truck.
Click to expand...
Yeah while the Idea appeals to me, its got to effect the stability of the front with the wings not bolted to the chassis even if its clipped on, and shes rattly enough as she is lol
 
tottot said:
Flip up front is where the bonnet and wings are joined together and the whole lot swing up on the bonnet hinges, extra latches needed to keep every thing in place when down, done for better access but I have never seen a decent set up on a road vehicle,. OK on a cut away wings trials truck.
Click to expand...
That sounds interesting. I had a Triumph Herald with a similar design and me and a mate put a maxi engine in an old mini years ago and we had to fit a fibre glass bonnet and wings unit that all flipped up. Never seen it done on a series but it would make life easier. I've disconnected the bonnet stay on mine and I just rest the bonnet against the windscreen and secure with a bungy strap. I got sick of banging my head on the bonnet securing pin.

Col
 
I drove a series 2a petrol for many years both as working road truck and RTV trials. Best all round suspension I had for ride, handling, was standard front springs with lwb front shocks. On the back Land rover lightweight rear springs and shocks from a mk1 Transit, they had extra length [ plenty of choices there today ] This gave extra axle movement for the trials. [ more than an early 90 when we compared ] I stayed with the standard brakes, kept in good order they are fine. A servo could be nice though.
I also had a set of little booster coils that could be quickly fitted to the back axle with one U bolt when carrying heavy loads.
 
Some one else said LPG conversion, but N.I isnt blessed with an abundance of gas stations, hadn't really thought about it.
 
I don't like the flip front, you loose rigidity in the body and the wing/bulkhead gaps never sit right. Ask any Triumph Herald owner. Its a fad, like flip up doors. It will be a lot of work and never be right, in the end all you will have is a Series with an odd DIY front end.
Spend time getting the drum brakes really good, bigger servo - the 90 fits, modern high friction linings, they stop like discs once they are sorted but it takes time.
Full re-wire with earth returns on everything. Relays on lights and heater. Use fused relays to keep it simple.
Bigger alternator - A127 - 75A fits and its only £50
Wolf wheels (and longer studs) - 6.5J and decent 235/85 LT all terrain tyres. That will set you back £600 and its money well spent.
Noise reduction, every strip of flashband, and every hole grommeted makes driving nicer.
Safety - rear fog, hazards, reversing light (i have a camera too) day running lights, high level brake light (no one seems to see a series brake light!) stick it on the rear door.
 
Something I did to my series was to replace wing screws with stainless and at the rear where the wing fits to bulkhead I had a long plate with 2 captive bolts on it through the bulkhead into the cab where the bolts could be easily accessed and only needed to be loosened for the wing to then pull free. [ bottom bolt position was also slotted like others in the wing end ] So if more than usual service needed like exhaust or starter work needed it took little time to remove wing. Like the one in above pic mud shield was made of something stiff and was not attached to the wing.
 
rob1miles said:
I don't like the flip front, you loose rigidity in the body and the wing/bulkhead gaps never sit right. Ask any Triumph Herald owner. Its a fad, like flip up doors. It will be a lot of work and never be right, in the end all you will have is a Series with an odd DIY front end.
Spend time getting the drum brakes really good, bigger servo - the 90 fits, modern high friction linings, they stop like discs once they are sorted but it takes time.
Full re-wire with earth returns on everything. Relays on lights and heater. Use fused relays to keep it simple.
Bigger alternator - A127 - 75A fits and its only £50
Wolf wheels (and longer studs) - 6.5J and decent 235/85 LT all terrain tyres. That will set you back £600 and its money well spent.
Noise reduction, every strip of flashband, and every hole grommeted makes driving nicer.
Safety - rear fog, hazards, reversing light (i have a camera too) day running lights, high level brake light (no one seems to see a series brake light!) stick it on the rear door.
Click to expand...

Yea I was struggling with it, but I think you're right, nice idea, not very practical, am liking what @tottot did tho, i'm mid 50's anything to make life easier, sounds like an practical solution.
Will definitely look at the bigger servo & more efficient linings, I intend to carry lots of lumber, so would be nice to get stopped fully laden
relays and earth returns added to my wiring wish list, I have a rear bed light, need hazards and rear fog/reversing, thanks
The wheels im not changing, quite like them, but made a note of that anyway just incase :)
im hoping to deaden the cab a bit, theres nothing on the underside of the very battered roof at the min, grommets, forgot about them, added to my list

Thanks for the input appreciated
 
tottot said:
Something I did to my series was to replace wing screws with stainless and at the rear where the wing fits to bulkhead I had a long plate with 2 captive bolts on it through the bulkhead into the cab where the bolts could be easily accessed and only needed to be loosened for the wing to then pull free. [ bottom bolt position was also slotted like others in the wing end ] So if more than usual service needed like exhaust or starter work needed it took little time to remove wing. Like the one in above pic mud shield was made of something stiff and was not attached to the wing.
Click to expand...

Liking that Idea much more than the flip front, nice idea :) heres a picture of Gurty just before I picked her up in case it inspires any more input, thanks everyone.

gurty1.jpg
 
Nice looking truck, already got the much better 90/110 mirrors. :) A side hinged tail gate may be to your liking, gets it out of the way when loading stuff in the back as they tend to stick out at your shins when resting on the ball hitch. Also easy to damage when dropped on the ball. Heavy rubber mats are good for some sound deadening, cut you own from horse stable mats.
 
In terms of bang for buck:
Flashband inside the doors, footwells and anywhere else. On the doors lap it over the steel frame so water runs over the frame not behind it. Reduces noise a huge amount.
Assorted blind rubber grommets and gutter mastic. Seal every hole in the bulkhead and floor, again stops loads of noise.
Take the bolts off the hold the mud shields to the flootwells, put a nut on as a spacer and put then back so there's a 3/16 gap for the water to run down. Will save loads of work later.
Put a 2 fused relays in the headlight circuit. Mount them near the lights and take the power off the battery. Cheap and makes a big difference. Even better if you put halogens in.
If its a diesel put the A27 75amp alternator on with the smallest pully, it will charge at idle, very handy in winter.
Get the Borg & Beck brake shoes, £30 /axle and about 2x the friction of the others. The 90 servo is a cheap up grade but a bit more work as you have to make some parts.
Things like hazards, intermittent wipers and rear fogs cost under £5 each, make life a lot nicer but are quite a lot of faffing about getting the wiring right. The intermittent wiper relay is £2.50 but 2 hours later you will still be working the wiring out!
 
Intermittent wiper drawing works with VW relay and defender version.
VW 99 relay allows you to adjust time by switching on then off and back on time varies from 3 sec to around 30 from memory defender is pre set 7 secs.
VW 99 relays are getting rare.
 

Attachments

  • wipers.pdf
    234.9 KB · Views: 115
Heated screen
Halogen lamps with boomslang loom

Cheapest upgrade is earplugs!
 
I used the Ford Fiesta wiper relay - under £2.50 on e-bay but its a faff as it switches power for intermittent and earth for wash so it takes a while to get both the intermittent and wash/wipe working right.
 
rob1miles said:
In terms of bang for buck:
Flashband inside the doors, footwells and anywhere else. On the doors lap it over the steel frame so water runs over the frame not behind it. Reduces noise a huge amount.
Assorted blind rubber grommets and gutter mastic. Seal every hole in the bulkhead and floor, again stops loads of noise.
Take the bolts off the hold the mud shields to the flootwells, put a nut on as a spacer and put then back so there's a 3/16 gap for the water to run down. Will save loads of work later.
Put a 2 fused relays in the headlight circuit. Mount them near the lights and take the power off the battery. Cheap and makes a big difference. Even better if you put halogens in.
If its a diesel put the A27 75amp alternator on with the smallest pully, it will charge at idle, very handy in winter.
Get the Borg & Beck brake shoes, £30 /axle and about 2x the friction of the others. The 90 servo is a cheap up grade but a bit more work as you have to make some parts.
Things like hazards, intermittent wipers and rear fogs cost under £5 each, make life a lot nicer but are quite a lot of faffing about getting the wiring right. The intermittent wiper relay is £2.50 but 2 hours later you will still be working the wiring out!
Click to expand...

Brilliant, you need to do a wee sticky post with this stuff, its a 6 pot petrol, does that make a difference alternator wise, charging light was on whole way home?

lynall said:
Heated screen
Halogen lamps with boomslang loom

Cheapest upgrade is earplugs!
Click to expand...

The boomslang looms are taking a bit of heat reliability wise, will be trying to talk nicely to my Bro in law, although he's usually flat to the mat.
earplugs ... aii,I dont intend to have a visible stereo in her, but maybe a hidden mp3 or bluetooth connection, will make sure it can be cranked to 11

Blackburn said:
Intermittent wiper drawing works with VW relay and defender version.
VW 99 relay allows you to adjust time by switching on then off and back on time varies from 3 sec to around 30 from memory defender is pre set 7 secs.
VW 99 relays are getting rare.
Click to expand...

Im sure not the lack of intermittent bothers me, but made a note for my m8 who was asking about it thanks, will need replacement bits for my wipers the pipe the drive screw rotates in is rotten, got to check the motor yet :(

Another wee thing, i'm a wood turner, I hope to pickup loads of logs etc, thinking of either a winch pulling up a ramp, or a braced arm to lift/swing, I did see someone with a winch setup that could be used front and rear, thnk it ran under the cab, but need to make my mind up about this and loads of other things V soon.

Thanks again everyone,
 
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