1959 Land-Rover Series 2. Seating, and distractions…

[glenanderson]

Apr 17, 2020 0:08:37 GMT @quickrack1 said:

Very substantial progress made there!
Can I ask do you use a straightening tool on the longer runs of brake pipe?

Thanks. 

I keep thinking about getting a straightening tool, but I just do it by hand/eye. I have a proper Sykes-Pickavant flaring tool, a bender for tight runs and a pair of pipe holding/bending pliers for really tight ones. 

Apr 17, 2020 6:24:55 GMT jamesd1972 said:

Sounds happy ! Nice job. I managed to sneak to the scrappy and scored the throttle pedal and air filter needed as well as a high amp fuse box ready for later additions. Finding it difficult as mine (ours) is a shared project with a friend who is the careful patient one and when messing with modifying things two heads are better than one. 12 yr old boy has a good eye though.
Thanks for sharing.
James

Good haul there. Well done. There’s no longer any scrappies near me, so stuff like that is s thing of the past. 

Apr 17, 2020 6:29:09 GMT varelse said:

Your shiny dash panels gave you away, you weren't wearing adequate ppe for operating heavy machinery in that video!

🤣

[greencarfritz]

Apr 17, 2020 0:08:37 GMT @quickrack1 said:

Very substantial progress made there!
Can I ask do you use a straightening tool on the longer runs of brake pipe?

www.carbuilder.com/uk/brake-pipe-straightener-tool - I've got one of these and it really is quite amazing the first time you use it!  Die straight if you run it through a few times backwards and forwards, really nice straight runs.

www.carbuilder.com/uk/professional-small-diameter-pipe-bender - one of these is nice for larger radius bends as well.

[greencarfritz]

Apr 17, 2020 7:19:17 GMT glenanderson said:

Apr 17, 2020 0:08:37 GMT @quickrack1 said:

Very substantial progress made there!
Can I ask do you use a straightening tool on the longer runs of brake pipe?

Thanks. 

I keep thinking about getting a straightening tool, but I just do it by hand/eye. I have a proper Sykes-Pickavant flaring tool, a bender for tight runs and a pair of pipe holding/bending pliers for really tight ones. 

Have you got a picture of the pipe holiding/bending pilers for really tight curves and the result you get?  Pretty interested in that!  Thanks Glen!

[greencarfritz]

Superb work the last 48 hours as well! Great to see no immediate explosion of engine. Excellent.

[blackpopracing]

If you want a cheap & easy pipe straightener, just get a 4" bit of wood (or several thinner bits clamped/glued together and drill the correct size hole through it.
Pull the pipe through a few times and its straight.

[mrbounce]

I am not sure how I have missed this glenanderson - therefore you have been bookmarked for further reading. Love it!

[glenanderson]

Apr 17, 2020 13:13:58 GMT mrbounce said:

I am not sure how I have missed this glenanderson - therefore you have been bookmarked for further reading. Love it!

Hello and welcome Mr. B. I hope I can keep you entertained. I’d been expecting a comment from darrenh so I’d better tag him in case he’s missed it too.

So. Bit of a slow start today. Our dog has been a bit poorly, so calls to the vet, telephone consultations, and a trip to collect some meds took up most of the morning. Then lunch, then a couple of chores. Still, I did get a bit done.

First job was to transfer the reversing light switch from the old gearbox to the new, and wire it in. This is actually a Rover P4 part, as they’re way more robust than the Land-Rover one.



Then I reconnected and adjusted the handbrake.



With that done, I filled up the gearbox, transfer box and overdrive with some EP80w90, and fired it up again. I found a small diesel weep from one injector line, soon sorted, and a minor oil drip from the filter, again easily addressed. I let the engine warm up to temperature, and topped up the cooling system as the trapped air worked its way out.

Satisfied that all was well, I started to refit the exhaust, which is where today’s challenge began. It’s a really tight route, following that of the factory setup, but in significantly larger pipework than standard, so it’s even more awkward to get in. My issue today was that I simply couldn’t get it past the turbo oil drain pipe. This was a brand new item, that I’d had quite a bit of difficulty fitting in the first place. Pattern part. Say no more. In the end I took it off and swapped it for a good used one from my stores. This required crafting a special spanner in order to undo and retighten the top fitting. A rumble through my dad’s old toolbox turned up a ring spanner the right size that had already had the other end quite significantly modified for some long forgotten task, so that was duly introduced to the angry grinder.



It’s job was to get this off.



With the offending hose swapped, the header pipe went straight on. It drops down from here.



Goes under the flywheel crossmember, and back up.



Over the gearbox crossmember, and back down a bit, then joins with the bit I have to repair that goes through the next crossmember, up and over the rear axle, through the gap between the spring and the chassis, and out the back.



This is why I’m reluctant to get another the same. It’s a generic LWB fitment, and not only does it have a convoluted route, it also misses a couple of the hanger mounts, as these changed a few times through production. Early vehicles like mine would have had a more exposed/vulnerable system that just ran straight under the chassis. As I don’t do loads of off-road work (I don’t really do any) then I’d prefer something like that.

Anyway. Exhausted from that, I moved back round to the front. Everything in the engine bay is now reconnected, so it’s time to refit the wing. There’s an issue though, because the new master cylinder sits where previously there was just thin air. On later Land-Rovers, that had this setup as an option post ‘69 ish, the factory made some revisions to the shape of the inner wing and the bolt on mudshield. As my Landy predates those changes by a decade, I need to do some adjusting. I could fit a hybrid wing, with a later inner panel and top, and early front and outer, but at the moment that would mean a load of additional work, and cutting up two good panels from my stores to make one, so I decided to trim the existing one as needed. Here’s a picture of my current wing next to a later one so you can see what I mean.



There’s no need to cut that much away though, so I offered the panel up and had a rough mark out with a pen.



Several trips back and forth, offering it up, trimming and trying again saw enough removed to fit comfortably around the new cylinder, with hopefully the space to wiggle it out if it needs replacing without having to take the wing off. However, by that time the light was fading and you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for a picture. By close of play the wing was refitted loosely, and I’ll be tightening all the bolts in the morning.

Cheers all.

[glenanderson]

Apr 17, 2020 11:45:40 GMT greencarfritz said:

Have you got a picture of the pipe holiding/bending pilers for really tight curves and the result you get?  Pretty interested in that!  Thanks Glen!

Yes mate, here you go:







They’re Sykes Pickavant 021600 “Pipe Aid Pliers”. Clicky here

I wouldn’t be without them. I don’t have a good picture of the tight bends, but I’ll take one for you tomorrow and post it up.

[Deleted]

Posted by Glen on Apr8, 2020:

"Another tip for you. If you’re ever fitting a Landy pedalbox alone, you need arms like an orangutan, or you need to take the door off. The gaskets’ holes are too small for the bolts to pass through easily, and it’s a real struggle getting them started. So poke the bolts through the gasket first, which hold them in place and also give you something to rest/locate the assembly on and stop it sliding down the footwell. Then put all the bolts for both boxes in loosely, to make sure everything is aligned, before final tightening up."

Hello Glen,
I am a retired industrial machine repairman and thought I might clue you in to a tip I have found to be of tremendous help. When I fastened two pieces together that had the pass through screws, I would take a long screw of the same thread and cut the head off leaving a threaded 'stud'; saw a slot in the top and insert several of these into the base machine (in your case, engine) then put the gasket onto the support studs, the hang the second fixture on the studs and press home, remove the studs one at a time replacing with the standard fasteners.

Hope I was clear in my explanation! By the way, was surprised to see your shadow in a few picts that show you are actually wearing that CD/AirRaid Warden helmet!!!

Great show!
John, USA

[glenanderson]

Apr 18, 2020 1:05:11 GMT @jagwinn said:

Hello Glen,
I am a retired industrial machine repairman and thought I might clue you in to a tip I have found to be of tremendous help. When I fastened two pieces together that had the pass through screws, I would take a long screw of the same thread and cut the head off leaving a threaded 'stud'; saw a slot in the top and insert several of these into the base machine (in your case, engine) then put the gasket onto the support studs, the hang the second fixture on the studs and press home, remove the studs one at a time replacing with the standard fasteners.

Hope I was clear in my explanation! By the way, was surprised to see your shadow in a few picts that show you are actually wearing that CD/AirRaid Warden helmet!!!

Great show!
John, USA

Hello John. Thanks for the kind words, and the tip. Yes, makes perfect sense.

The steel helmet is a bit of an in-joke. It all started on another forum years ago, and it adds a bit of fun to the proceedings. If I ever make it to a Gathering I’ll have to wear the damn thing so people know who I am. 🤣🤣

[scimjim]

Apr 17, 2020 23:05:06 GMT glenanderson said:

Anyway. Exhausted from that...

🤣

[greencarfritz]

Apr 17, 2020 23:14:53 GMT glenanderson said:

Apr 17, 2020 11:45:40 GMT greencarfritz said:

Have you got a picture of the pipe holiding/bending pilers for really tight curves and the result you get?  Pretty interested in that!  Thanks Glen!

They’re Sykes Pickavant 021600 “Pipe Aid Pliers”. Clicky here

I wouldn’t be without them. I don’t have a good picture of the tight bends, but I’ll take one for you tomorrow and post it up.

Grand, thank you very much Glen... add to cart!

[jjeffries]

I like that tip from John/Jagwinn. And I like that drilled/slit bolt you made for the Bowden cable. Cunning over youth, etc.

John

[glenanderson]

Here you go, greencarfritz this is the kind of bend those pliers can do. To be honest, although I’ve a “proper” bender, I do pretty much everything with these, or by hand.



So, here’s a recap of where we were at last night; the wing trimmed around the new servo and master cylinder.



The Series 3 wing is cut back to where the chequerplate is on my early wing, so quite a bit more than I’ve gone. Here’s a picture with the bonnet back on and closed.



It was raining all morning today, so I spent a chunk of time tidying up a bit in the garage, then with a bit of space free on the bench I set to replacing the universal joints in the front propshaft. On my Land-Rover the four wheel drive isn’t permanent like it is on newer ones. The drive to the front axle is selectable, and 99% of the time it’s not in use. The front prop, however, is spun by the axle and can be a source of vibration if the U/Js or sliding joint fail. I’d noticed a bit of vibration creeping in at speed, and wasn’t surprised to find one of the U/Js had some perceptible play, and the other was very stiff. New joints are very cheap. Even top spec ones aren’t too dear, but as the front prop sees very little use on mine, I decided to take a punt on some inexpensive ones. Not the cheapest, but certainly cheaper than the ones I’d put in the back.



Britpart. Enough to strike fear into the hearts of Land-Rover owners everywhere. We’ll see how long they last.

This prop was new in 2007, so it’s not done too badly. I use a centre punch to mark the yokes nearest the grease nipple, so they go back together in the same orientation they started in.



If you’ve a sizeable vice, you can do these that way, but it’s much easier with a press. Circlips out, a couple of sockets as drifts, and they pop out easily enough. An hour or so; both ends done (one at a time so you don’t mix the yokes up), some fresh grease, and we’re here:



With the rain finally stopped I bolted up the front wing. There’s a sheet steel plate, a “mudshield”, that sits up under the wing and stops the bulk of the muck getting thrown up inside the engine bay. I’d got a replacement that I’d had galvanised at the same time as the toolboxes, but I needed to make some adjustments to make it fit around the end of the master cylinder. Nothing too drastic, just dress a dimple into it and then give it a coat of etch prime and stonechip. I’ll take a picture before I fit it tomorrow, but I forgot to today. Sorry.

I then refitted the horn, reconnected the sidelight and indicator, and checked they all worked.

Next up was to refit the radiator overflow bottle, and see about fitting the screen wash tank in the engine bay. I’d hoped that the space gained from swapping air filters would be enough, but no matter how I tried I couldn’t get things arranged to my satisfaction. I could maybe get a smaller one in there, but I’m reluctant to spend out on another tank that still won’t fit, so I’m considering other options.



On the other side of the engine bay there’s a big chunk of vacant space above the passenger footwell that looks promising; it’s an awkward shape though. I can make my existing tank fit across the opening, but it will be a challenge to mount it securely. Anyone know of a suitable tank out of a modern that’s the right kind of shape to go in the hole?





Anyway, by the end of the day things looked like this, which is encouraging.



Tomorrow I can fit the mudshield, which sees the wing fully on. Then the grille and the front prop can go back and everything is then done in the engine bay side (bar the screenwash).

After that I’ll have to grit my teeth and repair that intermediate exhaust pipe.

[Deleted]

She looks all innocent there.
Belies the furious heart within....

[Deleted]

That’s been a very productive couple of weeks you put in there. Thanks for sharing 😊

[eternaloptimist]

Thanks for that - missed it. A great read first thing on a Sunday.

[jonsey]

Regarding the washer bottle, could you not trim a bit of the wing lip away (like you did for the master cylinder) and slide part of it under the wing? On my mk1 Escort I mounted the bottle under the wheel arch and hole sawed through the inner wing for the spout to poke through to fill it.

[Deleted]

Jolly good show there, Glen.

[glenanderson]

I could trim the wing, but I’d prefer not to if possible. Someone has suggested one of those screenwash bags, which might be a good answer in the short term while I make my mind up. I can always re-fit the temporary one for another decade or two. 🤣