Is it just me, or has time actually sped up ? Mileage 169,517.

I cant fathom that its been 3 months since I last posted an update, but it really is ! Dizzy has run virtually trouble free for a few months, including a trip to Rugby for my mates dad's funeral. That same week - just a few day later in fact - and it went bang on my way to work. Losing drive just as you pull off a busy motorway is not a good idea. Thankfully a fellow road user; seeing my plight, stopped and towed me to safety. The RAC (bless em) got me home later in the day.
As I've been saying for a long time, I'm no mechanic. But, sitting in the car with engine running, in first gear, with diff lock on, together with the handbrake on, and not moving - even I knew it was drastic.
A couple of days later it was all diagnosed by Cliff, my good friend who lives nearby. The output shaft from the gearbox had sheared away the teeth on the end that link to the intermediate gear cog in the transfer box...... eBay here I come !

Managed to strike a good deal with a fellow enthusiast in Essex, for a secondhand Gearbox, Brand new clutch kit, and Brand New HD cluth fork, all for £60. This was followed by purchase of new Intermediate Gear and Timken OEM bearing from Island 4x4 in Maidstone. These parts were ordered at 3.30pm and arrived the next morning. Top work Sam .Next on the shopping list was new fluids - ATF & EP90, which I purchased from Aghabridge , speak to Ollie .
Having assembled all the parts, I just had to coerce Cliff into fitting everything.  The recent chain of events sadly preventing me from even lifting a spanner. I'm once again eternally grateful to all involved in helping me keep Dizzy on the road.
With all this going on, I still found time to meet Jerry & Sue. Jerry is competing in the Mac challenge this week. I wish him luck. It's gonna be a tuff few days.
Thats all for now, I'm looking forward to driving Dizzy again real soon.
Take care all.
TTFN

Wow, what a busy month ! Mileage 166500

Sorry I've not blogged for a while, I've been a tad busy!

I recently got in touch with an ace welder, who kindly offered to re attach my drivers side A Post toi the sill. Not an easy task I can assure you, especially when the base of the a post, together with the sill and floor in the immediate area are also completely rotten.

In order to make a good job, we collectively decided to strip back the sodden carpets and soundproofing in the footwell, and go searching for some solid steel. We did find some , but it wasn't easy ! Before welding commenced, the affected areas were sprayed with some magic potion to make welding easier! It turned the remaining surface rust a much darker shade, and easier to weld to.

Dan; a farrier by trade, did an excellent job of reforming the bottom of the A Post, and fabricating a new sill section. Then a plethora of small patches were welded in to cover all the remaining little "vents". This was followed by a liberal coating of Zinc based primer. The soundproofing was removed and carpets re fitted.

Job done. If you need someone in Kent, Dans' the man !

Next up was shopping time! I have been acquiring bolt ons for the disco, and it was time to start attaching them ! I nipped to see my mate Andy, picked up my snorkel and steering guard that he had saved for me from the now retired "Wallet".

First job of the day was fitting the snorkel. Its a genuine Safari item, but being second-hand came without a template. We soon mashed one up and got busy with the tools. Didn't takre long to wreck the wing !

The end result looked a whole lot better. Tiger seal made up the gap between air filter housing and snorkel, and is now good to go. 

As the light faded, I managed to get the light bar fixed into place, CB aerial mounted, and lights bolted into position. I think its starting to look real good. Just need to get the wiring done now!

Work is coming along nicely on my new hand fabricated front bumper, but due to technical difficulties I can't upload any pics.

I had another minor problem last Friday evening with a loss of power steering efficiency. This manifested in a leak on one of the pipes from steering box to Power steering pump. Thanks then to Des at Pegasus Garage in Rainham, Kent for supply a used part which got me out of a hole. I fitted this in the rain on Tuesday morning before work. Oh the joys of ownership.....

Talking of the joys, I decided today to change the oil in my Transfer Box. Well, it wasn't raining when i started !!!! A job well worth doing never the less. When I had drained all the mucky gloop I topped up with nice fresh EP90. Purely by luck, I noticed while under the car that all the grease nipples on the props were not only in line, but accessible too. Thats a job for tomorrow when the rain has stopped ! 

So there you have it, loads done, and loads more to do.

Love my Landy, Honest !!!!

TTFN.

A few jobs done - 29th September 2013

Had quite a productive day, tidying up the shed, and fitting a few new bits !
The NSF Headlight was well overdue for replacement, and I had got this one from fleabay for a tenner. Was listed as VGC, I would say its Mint !
The Cubby box with hinged lid was picked up from a private seller at LRO Peterborough for £3. All I need now is the little coin tray to sit inside ! Have you got one ?
Finally, the CB that was a gift from Luke & Rachael has found a new home.

Seems there's always something to do.

Best get on !

TTFN

Clear Side Repeaters & Other Stuff

I have just put these clear side repeaters on the car. I got them from the "Bolt on Bits" ebay shop, cheaper than at LRO Peterborough! Only a 2 minute job, and look great.

In other news, Jen & I have signed up as Distributors for the Utilities Warehouse group, so if you want a great deal on Gas & Electric, Home Phone, Broadband and mobile phone then click HERE

We look forward to saving you lots of money .

TTFN

Milestones gone and L2B looming

Have flown past the 165000 miles mark, and now well on the way to the next "6000" mile service - fluids and filters.

Now I have to start getting my truck ready for L2B on Sunday 6th October. I will once again be joining the NORK's both in their convoy and on their club stand.

Obviously I missed it last year, but hope to see you there this time.

This years chosen charity is MERU.



TTFN

New Boots

 Just picked these bad boys up for £170 - part worn!

The 2 at the bottom are Kingpin Amazon 235 70 16, and having done just 50 miles are brand new.

The top 2 are Malatesta Kobra 235 70 16, and are about half worn.

Have also acquired some Weller steel wheels.

Plans for the truck are looking good !

 

As has become a new routine, we made the pilgrimage to LRO Peterborough, for the 3rd year in a row. We took the caravan again, and were lucky enough to be invited onto the Norfolk Off Road Klub (NORK's) stand once again. 

The weekend was very sunny, and after setting up on the Friday afternoon we set off for a look round. There were plenty of Clubs represented and it was nice to meet some old  and some new friends. I picked up some Wheels from Paul Papper on the Olli 4x4 Stand, and also met for the first time Luke & Rachael in the camping area. Luke generously donated some old CB's which  I shared around The club stand, and kept one for myself.

I spent far too much money, but thats what the shows all about! My haul included New Light Bar with 4 Spots, and a CB mount plate, a Yellow 3' "Twig", a new er cubby box with working hinges, Jate ring, Wheel chock, some steel wheel nuts, and a years subscription to LRO Magazine, which yielded a free OzTent branded camping chair for Jen.

The kids also loved spending my hard earnt on the funfair. All in all a great weekend.

We clocked up just over 380 miles on the trip with no issues.

Car mileage now knocking on the door of 165K, and so far going good.

TTFN

700 Miles in 9 Days

Just returned from a 9 Day break in sunny Norfolk, where we completed over 700 miles with no issues.

Gotta love this Disco - keeps on goin.

Off to LRO Peterborough next week !

TTFN

Got a wobble ? Not any more ! Mileage 163180 - 11th August

Finally got to the root of the Wobble issue, which at 60mph was pretty frightening. Careful diagnosis led to badly worn swivel bearings. The picture shows the N/S/F chalice all stripped down - a job like this would have frightened me, but with the help of a seasoned mechanic (thanks Cliff) I managed admirably - in my opinion!!
The O/S/F was a different story. The hub turned out to be (on closer inspection) an ABS type hub, and the bearings I had purchased were wrong for this hub. With no hope of getting the right ones on a Sunday afternoon, we simply removed all the shims from the locating pin and bolted her back up.

With both wheels done, and road test completed, its fair to say its cured. The only remaining conundrum is whether the front axle is original? Strange having 2 different hubs.


Oh well, time for a well earned rest. Looking forward to next weekend away, and hopefully no lying under the landy !

TTFN

6000 Mile service 3/8/13 162885 Miles

 When I SORN'd Dizzy at the end of January 2013, mileage was 162000 give or take, a couple of months past her service which was due at 160k. I let the service slip by as I knew she would soon be parked up.
When 1st July came and I put her back on the road, I simply topped up fluids and got going.
Now having driven her for a month, during which time she passed her MOT, I guessed the service was well and truly due ! This  morning I popped over to Island 4x4 in Maidstone to pick up new front brake pads. I bought some engine oil there - 4.5 Litres for £14.99. That price for the oil is not the cheapest I've had but seemed reasonable enough!
That was not strictly true. On way home stopped at Tesco for fuel. In the petrol station kiosk they were selling their own brand 15w40 Mineral Oil at £4 for 2 Litres. Not one to miss a bargain I bagged a couple of those.

Back at the ranch i got to work. N/S brake pad replacement was a doddle. While car jacked up on that side, drained the oil from the sump, and removed oil filter. Duly flushed and refilled oil. Then onto O/S brake pad change -what a nightmare ! One of the inboard pistons was seized solid. Managed to get it moving but the dust seal on the piston came off. Bit of a pain getting it back on, but wifey came to the rescue. Finally got it back together.

With the car finally back on the deck, changed Air and Diesel filters. At long last a trip round the block to check the brakes, then back home for a lovely cuppa. A successful day, and Service now complete.

Lesson learnt today : Don't buy cheap Pry Bars - they bend. "Silverline" you should be ashamed of yourselves !

TTFN

Bargain Bumper 1st August 2013.

For a good while now I've been looking for a replacement bumper for Dizzy, as hers was rotten to the core under the corner mouldings. Whilst there was no obvious sign of the tin worm, I still knew it had to be replaced. Trawling the small ads and ebay, I never really found anything for the right money. Then by chance saw someone selling an ES spec complete bumper on ebay. The guy had advertised his mobile number. I phoned and offered a tenner, but he said no. "I'll let the auction run, there's a few interested parties" ! . I won the auction at 99p !

I then set about removing all plastic trim, which is selling on fleabay as you read!

The bumper itself is not in bad condition. The pic shows my mad mate Lui cleaning up the surface rust with an angle grinder. A mate at work is then gonna get it shot blasted, and then lui is gonna weld some strengthening plates on the front and sides, to hid the aperture thats normally not seen under the corner moulding. Then a coat or two of paint and it should look the dogs b*llox !

Result !

TTFN

Got a wobble 31st July 13

Since fitting new Track Rod Balljoint, have been getting some bad vibes when accelerating / decelerating through the 60-70mph range.

Thinking it might have been a loose universal joint on the propshaft i set to after work, to have a look.

Although i found nothing loose, i did grease all the u/j nipples and propshaft nipples. Must admit i've not done them for about a year !

Still none the wiser and still got the bad vibrations !

Will keep looking.

TTF

Peterboro' LRO Show September 2013

We've applied for a place on the Discovery Owners Club Stand.

Watch this space.

TTFN

19th July 2013 - MOT

It PASSED!

Yippee

No advisories.

However, still a long list of jobs to complete !

More servicing completed

With a little help from Cliff, following got done Saturday afternoon:

New ball joint fitted on track rod - wheel end (LH)

New bushes fitted each end of steering damper (Britpart and Bearmach!)

Front section of exhaust re fitted

Air Con cooler removed. Electric fans left in place for possible later usage if viscous fan removed.

A good few jobs completed.

This week hope to change Air & Diesel filters, prior to MOT on 19th July. Wish us luck.

TTFN

Another Milestone - 162,000 Miles

Might seem strange  after nearly 7 months, but she's been off the road now as SORN'd for last 6 months.

Finally sold the Pug, and Dizzy was back on the road, taxed for a year, from July 1st 2013.

MOT due 29th July so trying to get her ready for a test on 19th July.

So far have removed A -Bar and spotlights, as well as side running boards.

Fitted new clutch slave cylinder - thanks Cliff, and bled through with new DOT4.

Cliff (again) tightened loose Panhard Rod Bush.

With help from Cliff managed to identify a dry U/J on steering column, which was having an adverse effect on steering. A can of WD sorted that out!

Next have to fit new steering damper bushes, as well as new ball joints on track rod. Gonna be busy!

Watch this space.

Another Milestone - 160,000 Miles

Saturday saw the milestone above , and on sunday gave her the day off !

I think she deserves a rest !

Not for long tho, as I'm celebrating getting a job, and i'll be doing 20 miles each way from now on!

TTFN

G.L.A.S.S. Are you doing your bit ?

Greetings all.
Just sitting reading the Land Rover Monthly mag and read an article about GLASS, and their work. Are you a supporter? I have tried to support the cause for a long time, and happily display their banner on my truck, but sadly cant afford the £30 membership each year. Buying this decal at Pterboro' this year was the best I can do atm.
Why not have a look yourself? Click on the GLASS link above.



Getting nearer to service time on the car, with mileage at 159,400. Just need to find the cash to pay for the bits !

TTFN

Yesterday was a good day !

Trundled over to Andy's gaff yesterday, and after some rather nice coffee got to work on the car.
On the list today:
1. Remove a rather awkwardly sited bracket, making access better to the
2. Steering box, being changed for one from breaker
3. Christen my new 52mm hub socket
4. refit exhaust down pipe

The annoying bracket nearly got the better of Andy. Nearly, but only because he owns an angle grinder !

The next job was disconnecting and draining fluid from the steering box, and we managed to catch most of it!  We quickly released the track rod from the arm on the output shaft (hammer against hammer method - works every time), then with me under the car and Andy working from above we managed to drop the box out of the car. Quite how people do this on their own is quite frankly beyond me!
The new one was then offered up into position and we tried to get the 4 bolts back in, but struggled big time. On further inspection found the thread holes full of dirt and rust, and had to recut them with the bolts. Second time around it went in quite easily, though we did have to slacken the 2 bolts securing the support bar. All bolted back up, fluid lines connected and topped up with fluid.  Bled system to get the air out, followed by quick rest drive to check steering wheel alignment, and adjust.

The nearside front wheel bearing had started to come loose , i could feel it through the steering at speed on motorways etc. Andy had shown me about 6 months ago how to replace the bearing, and now using my own tools i set about the adjustment, with Andy tutoring me over my shoulder. How else am i gonna learn.

Finally and with the thought of more coffee, we set to work on the exhaust downpipe. Obviously when i fitted it a few months ago I cant of tightened it enough. We managed to loosen the flange bolts then refit the pipe in a better position.

Job done, and what a lovely cup of coffee we had. Nice to see Andy laugh when i talked about removing the BCB's from Waste veg oil. I think he's hooked on the idea, and Percy will be running on something other than diesel very soon! Shame to see the slightly dismembered Wallet, but Andy says it was time to go. Looking forward to seeing Percy. Ive got my eye on wallets old snorkel! Guess where that's going!

As i said earlier - it was a good day.

TTFN

Diesel Leaking ! 158,498 Miles

Got home from shopping yesterday and thought there was a rather excessive smell of diesel.
Opened the bonnet to find the Diesel return line from the injectors was leaking.

Today i bought some small bore fuel hose and replaced what was there. The hose in question is 7.5mm OD / 3.5mm ID rubber, with a cloth sheath. This was a tad tricky at times ( had to remove breather pipe and breather) but none too bad.

Cost was 80p per Foot ! Glad to see these measurements still appearing in life !

Whilst at the local motor factors I bought some ATF at £6 per litre, and DOT4 Brake Fluid at £3 for a half litre. Much, much cheaper than Halford's !

Friday - weather permitting - Andy is gonna help me change steering box. Looking forward to the coffee !

TTFN