tweetyduck

Got genuine on order via a mule from a different country. Thanks.

I also found bushes and bolts ! Allmakes bushes so OK and new 8.8 bolts. Some places still carry spares although it's getting harder each year.

Tips and more tips. After 4 engineering places I found one. 16mm with 12mm shank. 3 shops only had 13mm. I had a cone cutter so it might have worked as you say but I got it done. Just driven away from the workshop. Had to remove the steering bar and steering protection to get to it but not too bad. They even gave me a sheet of cardboard to lay on. I paid him £3 and he wanted nothing. Only used the drill bit as I have a battery drill. We've used the place before as they have a press in fact we've had other overlanders go there for all sort. So I now know all about panhard rods. 🤔

The tubular one is certainly 30mm.....the cast one I think is 25mm.

So the plot grows thicker with every second passing. When the guys in Angola did my conversion from right hand drive to left hand drive they obviously needed to change the cast brackets underneath the LHD power steering box. The casting is the newer type from a TD5/Puma so has a 16mm hole in the casting. It also follows the panhard rod they swapped is also the newer type (of the tubular variety) which means it has the newer bushes at each end with a 16mm hole in the bush. Yet not surprisingly the guys in Angola decided to use the 14mm bolts, probably because the axle mounting hole is 14mm but the bush is 16mm. The 16mm bolts wouldn't have gone through so they used the 14mm bolts (on both ends 🙄). So I have a panhard rod with a 16mm bushes, an axle with a 14mm holes in it and casting with 16mm holes in it and 14mm bolts in both ends. So I need to buy new rated 16mm x 80 bolts (in Africa!) and some new bushes because the bushes don't look good. Drill the axle hole up to 16mm. Now I do have a drill with me but as we all know a normal electric drill can't cope with a 16mm drill bit so I don't really know how I'm gonna do that unless I can find a reduced shank one that's meant for a domestic drill. All in Africa....

Am I correct that the "forged" one is 30mm and the tubular one is 35mm ? I vaguely remember reading that on here.

Ok so they made the tube one straight obviously different bushes and bolt also I think. Did the solid one come in straight? I think it did. Although I cannot seem to get a straight answer. 🤣🤣

Can someone confirm I'm not crazy. Hard task I know. Thanks. Was a RHD panhard rod straight and the LHD one has the diff bend. The LHD fits either but the RHD one being straight does not. It was straight, right....? Secondary but less important question.... Then later they went to 35mm tube not sold 30mm and only made the 35mm tube one in the bent version. (Edit seems also in straight) this question answered. 👍

It's been years in the making. Finally switched over. Fan impeller is opposite and motor spins other way. Video on subject. Demo Spinning Both Ways.

Am I correct in saying Dura Automotive was Adwest at the end pretty much? I'm converting my Pulse to Left Hand Drive (in Angola of all places) and the box they had removed from another defender is a Dura. I will attach a pic of the plate on the box. It doesn't seem to be leaking unlike mine which took 4 litres of engine oil and ep80/90 to get me here. The three Teflon seals on the input pinion seemingly gone and nobody had them, so rather than buy a box I decided to kick start my LHD conversion a little early. The truck it came off SALLDHAF81A612481 Im also wondering if the later plastic heater matrix units are ok as the donor is also giving me that item. The dash is coming from at least 3 other vehicles where Ive selected the best bits off 300Tdi and I've not opted for the later square vent cover version as it's not what the truck came with.

They do seem to be slightly longer that stock so that is the issue. You might get away with it on most Landies but they are theoretically bottoming before it hits the stops on mine. A slightly taller turret would do the trick. The stock are 327mm closed. Add on two bushes and your at 350 and the distance is 390 min on hitting the stops. So that's all good. the konis are a tad longer so It may be they were hitting. I will measure the length when they are off again tomorrow.

Oh ..and my two front shocks are fooked......Koni HT Raids .... 70,000km and toast so I need some Africa specials on Monday. No way to rebuild em here. I recon they are too long for my truck and the adjustable mechanism is smashed to pieces. Other that that they do actually look perfect. Very light damping so anything will be better. Rears are fine though.

Yeah it's a new dayco belt. The idler I will pull out in a few days as it's buried in my parts locker. I think it's a blue box.🙄 No chance here I think of anything else I went yesterday and asked in only parts place in namibia. I have two tensioners as when we got chance I bought the thing I thought was not INA on my list and got the wrong one....so two INA tensioners now and I still have the potentially ****ty idler .. I did swear when I realised. Note to myself to put manufacturers on my parts list on important stuff!

300tdi timing belt. I have all the bits but not quite. Is the tensioner and idler specifically required to be changed at every one? I have two INA tensioners so that's fine. The Idler I have a pattern unknown one 🙄 The one on now is a INA. So should I leave it be and not change the idler. What you think? Change both...stop being paranoid? It was last done 70,000 kilometres. I'm doing it at that which is 43,000 miles. I Always turn miles into kilometre intervals it's 38% sooner. So a 70,000 mile interval becomes 70,000km for me. Do everything same way.

The oil is specified generally as used for ZF 16K or ZF 01L or 02L very loosely. The Honda's specs have been superseded to Honda MTF II generally speaking. The problem is the lower temp viscosity with most of the 75w80 oils. Many are way too thick at cooler temps.