1965 Land-Rover Series 2a LWB 200tdi Pop Top Camper

[steifbear]

Moving this thread from the showcase so I can add a few more details to ongoing works. 

Id like to introduce CliVE, my 1965 built Land-Rover Series 2a 
CliVE was my 21st birthday present, purchased sight unseen from Evilbay in 2009


This is how things looked after a galvanised chassis, bulkhead and front panel rebuild in 2011/2012 with lots of help from friends far and wide!



Fast forward a few years and we are now running a 200tdi with a 5 speed gearbox and a P4x4 giving a reliable 35mpg at motorway speeds




During the dreaded C19 lock down it became clear that my wife and I wanted to share our love of travel and adventure and
rather than selling CliVE we decided to convert him into a 2 and a half person camper due to the arrival of our little boy. 


Plans were drawn up, metal was aqquired and a lifting roof was fabricated and fitted on my drive at home. Best decision ever! 





Sorry for the length of the thread but I hope atleast someone found it interesting.

My wife and I are constantly trying to improve things and power steering is the next big improvement I’m gathering the bits to complete.

Pete-with-a-V

[steifbear]

Bringing us bang up to date with the joys of a daily driving a 200tdi Series 2a.
This time last week I returned from work with cloud of steam from under the bonnet.

A cursory look showed it to be coming from the front of the engine below the thermostat housing.



Disassembly of the front end was commenced this week and it was quickly apparent the cause wasn’t any of the plumbing or gaskets rather the front core plug!
Changing the front core plug on a disco 200tdi involves removing the timing case, timing belt and associated gears, pulleys and an awful lot of bolts that have never been undone since the motor first went together in the 80s.



One of the thermostat to head bolts decided to play silly muppets with me but I managed to drill it out (lottery tickets were purchased subsequently)



Removing the bottom pulley has killed my favourite breaker bar ☹️






Taking the cover off revealed a contaminated timing belt. The crank timing gear has chewed the timing case crank seal.









Two snapped bolts and a fair bit of swearing later I have the new core plug fitted!
I think i’m going to replace the timing case and cover while I am here as it is damaged in a couple of places not least in the first photo where the water pump bolt through the cover.

I’m now waiting on a timing belt kit, a bottom crank gear and a few replacement bolts. I’ve put 75k on this timing belt that was fitted when I put the Tdi in 6 years ago so it’s due a change anyway. The lower timing gear has chewed the lip seal on the timing case which has allowed a little oil in and onto the belt which I’m kind of glad i’ve caught early.

Pete Davenhill-Stevens-with-a-V

[Ratchet]

had to do this to my project 110 a year or two back, such a great design

I also found the belt was eating itself .. because the tensioner stud was pulling itself out of the cover, causing the belt to run out of true :I

swapped over the cover and changed all the core plugs at same time


coincidently, still got the old cover if you are in need of one.. albeit it will need a time-sert or helicoil fitted into it for the aformentioned damage.. was going to fix it myself but 1001 other things on the go meant its just been kicking around the workshop.

[discostew]

Looks great! Would some windows in the back be beneficial when camping?

[grumpybadger]

That poptop canvas looks right at home.

[glenanderson]

Hello and welcome.

You’ll find the reception for modified stuff a little more relaxed here than on the S2C forum; as a result I’m a bit less grumpy here than I am on there. 🤣

[dieselmax]

Nice Landy! Looks like you were lucky with that timing belt. Make sure you get the bottom gear with the lip on both ends to stop the cambelt wandering off.

[steifbear]

So to continue where we left off.

After a little wait a new timing belt, idler, tensioner, lower gear, gasket and seal set, half moon key and a couple of replacement bolts arrived courtesy of Paddocks.
The new belt is a Dayco but the idler and tensioner are britpart efforts.

To begin with I still had the remains of a singular bolt to remove from the front of the block. This was achieved with some heat and a mini pair of stilsons courtesy of my great aunt.
A lottery ticket was purchased straight after but I didn’t get lucky twice unfortunately


The front of the block was the cleaned off ready for the timing chest to be refitted. The keen eyed among you will notice I have fitted two studs to the water passage on the right hand of the engine. This was corrected during final assembly!


The timing chest was then degreased with the power washer and gunk and new gaskets and seals fitted. The gaskets are coated both sides in moli grease as my dad taught me.


The timing case was then fitted to the front of the engine and the bolts up through sump pan fitted aswell as the FIP nuts. The 200tdi doesn’t have the troublesome P gasket that the later 300tdi suffers from however the gasket between the water passage in the block and the water passage on the timing chest was treated to a little high heat silicon as a belts and braces approach.


The new crank timing gear was then fitted along with the timing belt, gears, idler and tensioner. The engine was then timed using the factory markings.


After this the Haynes manual approach of fitting being opposite of removal takes precedence and the front end of the engine was put back together in an hour or so.


It was at this point after refitting the intercooler I went to where I had stashed the copper end tanked 200tdi radiator (reads made out of poor quality wobbly children's play pony poop secondhand) to find it, along with a number tools had been stolen from the shed! :ranting

So the job has stopped again while I’m waiting for a replacement to be delivered from evilbay.
I have however taken the opportunity to upgrade to a triple row aluminium one


Anyways I hope you found this mildly interesting.

Pete With-a-V

[steifbear]

I finally have CliVE back on the road following the discovery of a leaking core plug behind the timing chest on my 200tdi!

Toby helped put it back together!


I was able to take the opportunity to tidy a few things up under the bonnet including putting a new Ali rad in as my copper end tanked rad was stolen from the shed while CliVE was in bits. The Ali rad is from ebay and arrived in 2 days and was £10 more than a britpart plastic tanked one!




A quick run out to check over everything completed and now planning a much needed repaint!

Pete-with-a-V

[steifbear]

Last weekend saw us taking our much delayed first trip away of the year in CliVE.
A quick blast down the M1 to Loughborough saw us stopping near Quorn and Woodhouse station on the GCR for the weekend to celebrate my Dads 70th birthday and his Retirement.


The 9x9 Wolf tent got its first airing since last summer, it’s very easy to forget just how heavy they are!


The GCR is one of our favourite preserved lines so a chance to watch the trains go by was not turned down.


While having breakfast at the fantastic cafe at the station I spied a lovely looking Aveling and Porter roller in the yard.


It so happened that our good friends Kat and Jason know the owner well and let us know that they would be roading it back to the owners house on the Monday
When someone asks “would we like to join them” it would be rude to say no right!?


There is something very special about watching road steam chuffing along making a cacophony of noise and holding up traffic through the centre of Loughborough


My Dad also joined us in his recently recommissioned 1966 Mark 1 Cortina

All in all a great trip away in the sunshine. That is until the final bit of the A1 north of Sheffield when we hit the torrential rain! 🌧️

Pete-with-a-V

[steifbear]

And on to the next repair and upgrades!

On returning from a weekend away at the Ossett Beer Cart Festival, It became apparent we had gained an extra clunk (Not that unusual, it’s a 59yo Land Rover!)

On closer inspection it was a little bit more involved of an affair than a worn bush or loose fitting!

This is the lower mount for the rear shock absorbers on the LWB Series Land Rover, that would explain the clunking!


Luckily I’m pretty well set up with bits to repair and maintain things at home so out came the electric metal glue gun (curtesy of Lidl)!

And before long it was back together and as Haynes would say “fitting is the reverse of removal”


While I was busy putting things back where they belong the set of new to me 255/85/16 tyres arrived on eBay rare ANR1534 deep-dish rims.
I swapped them with a good friend who recent purchased a 2.286 petrol Series 2 that was struggling to pull the bigger tyres.

They are 33 inches tall compared to my set of road biased 235/85/16s at 31 inches I swapped for them.


After a couple of days of running them I’m over the moon they have corrected the Speedo that was over-reading since fitting the higher ration transfer box.
On the way home from my weekly bit of giving back to my community as a Cub Leader the late evening sunshine was stunning so a brief stop for some photos was in order.



Back motoring again and looking forward to a weekend away camping in Edale this coming weekend.

Pete-with-a-V

[Rusted Pistons]

What a great motor! Pop top looks right at home - as do the fatter tyres

[steifbear]

So the on-going saga of daily driving a 59 year old vehicle.

Following on from the previous post, with a repaired lower shock mount and a promise of a weekend away in the Peak District with beers and sunshine.
The Journey to Edale wasn’t without issue however, the clutch was getting progressively worse after pulling off the M1 and by the time we got to the Campsite it was hit and miss if it would disengage drive. A quick bleed of the clutch in a pub carpark on the way and it felt a little better so we limped into the campsite and set about having a nice weekend in the sunshine.


Unfortunately it became apparent when time came to leave on the Sunday that the clutch hadn’t magically repaired itself!

A Big Orange Taxi was ordered and turned up in just under 4hrs.

CliVE was delivered home just over an hour after we got home as the recovery waggon had to come home via Manchester due to various weight restrictions on the road towards Sheffield.


This last weekend has been spent stripping things down to try and find the cause of my “sometimes” clutch!


In the process of removing the LT230 transfer box from the main box it was discovered that the splines had all but gone on the output shaft. New “to me” gearbox found and due for collection next week!


After removing the LT77 the failure became apparent. The pins on the clutch fork have come loose and worn through the metal slippers into the plastic of the clutch release bearing.


This has also wrecked the pressure plate as it was pushing on its fingers asymmetrically


And this is where we are up to at the end of play yesterday.


The new gearbox is being collected next Friday and will be fitted with a new clutch with upgraded clutch hydraulics (to make the clutch lighter) and new gearbox mounts.

Hope this was more interesting than it was painful dropping the transfer box on my foot!

Pete-with-a-V

[glenanderson]

Are you putting a 90/110 style "long stick" box back in instead of the Disco one?

[steifbear]

I’m replacing the defender box long stick box that was in it for another one.
The remote is missing from the top of the box in the above photos as it needed to come off to take it out with the seatbox still fitted.

Pete-with-a-V

[steifbear]

So to continue after a mild hiatus (summer holidays with my young family)



A new to me 51a LT77 long stick box (with a reported mileage of 30k kilometres)was sourced from a nice guy in Cheshire and with the help of a good friend we put it in over a weekend. Fitting is the reverse of removal as Mr Haines would say.


The weekend after putting it all back together we headed away for the weekend to a festival near Kidderminster a little over 160 miles from home.

We couldnt not call into the Severn Valley Railway while down there however.


The following weekend we headed to a steam rally being held at Willowfields just outside Doncaster for a relaxing weekend in the sunshine


Unfortunately over the weekend it became apparent that the 180ah battery that serves as both the house and the starter battery had given up the ghost and did infact die completely on the way home when we stopped for some tea. A phone call to the RAC later and we had a replacement on order as my wife had rather handily renewed the RAC cover and had ticked the box for battery cover £4 extra well spent.



The following weekend we headed away again this time to a small car show in Stainforth and we won the judges choice award! CliVE’s very first award!


As is becoming apparent I’m sure the reason I haven’t updated this thread is we have been away just about every weekend since the beginning of July and the following weekend from the car show in Stainforth we headed away to the Dales for our friends 40th birthday weekend. we found a few green lanes on the way there and back and had a cracking weekend



Not long after that trip we headed to Whitby for a family holiday to the Whitby Folk Festival and my birthday. The Moors in summer are second only to The Moors in winter for their beauty imho.



The weekend after we headed down to Leafers at T’Pit at Apedale and met up with a number of friends we hadn’t seen in a while and cooked tea in the sunshine. Unfortunately this finished on the Sunday and we had the bank holiday Monday free to Lane our way back across the Peak District home




A week at home with Covid later we headed away again for the final time this summer. Each year My wife and I have taken the week that includes our wedding anniversary and my wife’s birthday off to travel and this year was no different.


We started on Anglesey at South Stack just outside Holyhead to have a catch-up with a very good landrover friend Sam. We of course had to call in at Red Wharf Bay


A wonderful week away was finished at Bromyard Folk Festival with a weekend of music sessions, brilliant artists and far too much beer!


All in all a week of just under 1000 miles and when worked out we’ve done a little over 34mpg since changing the gearbox.


All in all we’ve had a great summer tinged with a lot of sadness at the loss of our beautiful Dalmatian Noble Sir Geoff Nobbles at the grand age of 14yo.

Rest in peace Noble, I’ve missed you every day since you left.

Pete-with-a-V

[steifbear]

So for those that don’t know, CliVE is my daily driver. I work for the NHS in School Nursing and my role takes me all over the local area to visit schools and family homes.
So far this year I’ve put just over 10k miles on the clock.
This afternoon on the way to a house visit the light was beautiful as I was driving some of the back roads.









Pete with-a-V

[alleyesonme]

That's a really nice conversion mate, love how the pop top looks natural on there. Not sure I'd be brave enough to attempt that kind of mod myself.