Got both wings on now 28/29-03-08

Thought i may as well get the other wing on as well to get it out of the way. This one also needed trimming down a bit. It was also a bit tatty so i rivited a bit of the old panel on to stengthen it up, probably not needed but did it any way. For some reason there was no heater fan air intake so i had to fit that too. While i was at it i put some new mesh in the intake.

Fitting new wing 26-03-08

My new wings were taking up a bit too much space in the garage so i dicided to fit the drivers side wing.

I didn't have much trouble removing the old wing as I had loosened most off the fixings a few months ago.



wing off:


New wing didn't fit... im not sure why? but it was pretty easy to change, just measured up the old one and took a few cuts with the jig saw.

Before meating the jig saw:


After meating the jig saw:


finished:

Putting new tyres and rims on 25-03-08

At the Finmere clearout I was not able to get the 235 85 r16 tyres i was looking for. I did manage to get a set of 205 80 r16 tyres for a good price.

I had the tyres put on my new 8 spoke rims and then set to work fitting them to the landy.

The rims are going to be painted limestone white soon.

Some before and after pictures are bellow...

Before from back:

After from rear:

Before front wing:

After front wing:

Finmere clear-out 22-03-08

As Old Sodbury sortout has been relocated and changed to May a clearout was organised at Finmere market.

I wanted to get a set of tyres, replacement front wing and a rear door for my new hard top.

I managed to get the tyres at a good price, they have been used but still have about 8mm of tread on them. They are Goodyear Wranglers.

I only wanted the drivers side wing but I found a pair complete with lights, checker plating and light protectors. The bowl behind the light has also been replaced with a plastic version.

I was looking for a series rear door, there were a few but none were in great condition. There were loads of defender back doors but i only found out they can be fitted to series vehicles this evening. I should be able to get one soon though.

new steering wheel and advancing injector pump 19-03-08

Firstly I removed the steering wheel which was just a case of lots of oil and a good tug, It looks so much better with a new style wheel on there! see before and after pics.

Second task of the day was advacing the injector pump, it was pretty strait forward but didn't actualy reduce the idle smoke, I have been advised that this is probably because the timing belt is stretched and not tight, this means the top is trying to catch up with the bottom. I will replace the chain and tentioner when I have the engine out.

old steering wheel:

new steering wheel:

working on injector pump:

roof goes on! 18-03-08

Today when i got back from school and saw my new roof sitting in the garage i just had to start "re-roofing". I was originally going to just loosen all of the bolts on the truck cab and do the rest tomorow but before i knew it the cab was off and i began bolting the new side panels and roof on. Because the chassis is twisted it was a bit of a job lining everything up but i got there.

It may sound a bit silly fitting the new roof just a few months before the rebuild, but it was taking to much space up in the garage.

before:

After:

A van full of parts! 16-3-08

A few weeks ago I posted a wanted advertisement on http://www.landrovernet.com/ for a roof and any other parts for a series 3. A few people replyed but some one called Grahan gave me a good offer for a roof with sliding windows, bulkhead with dash windscreen etc, gearbox and a galvinised front panel. The stuff was in Manchester and I'm in Oxfordshire but it seemed i was getting a good deal so this morning we left early in a hire van and arived in Manchester at 10.00Am.The van was only just big enough as you can see. Graham was very reasonable and threw a set of 8 spoke rims in which I was keen on but would not have been able to afford.

This picture show Graham, his son and myself discusing Land Rovers, you can see his nicely kept series 2 petrol in the photo.

These are the rims:

Gearbox:

Pictures of the rest of the stuff to come.

Land Rover comes back home 9-3-08

We brought the land rover home today. It appears that after adjusting the valve clearances the engine is much more responsive when you put your foot down. The gear changing is also a fair bit tighter after tightening the grub screw that lines the stick up, but the gearbox is still not up to scratch.