Wheely

Great thanks Steve for the recommendation - I'll go with Acid #8 then for the alu and the epoxy anticorrosive for the steel parts. the workshop says that there will be challenges in reassembling it as the raptor lines is quite thick - wouldn't be as simple as masking the parts that need to be assembled together to avoid the raptor liner from painting these parts? shall we anyway paint these parts with a normal base-coat to give them a layer of protection?

Hey guys, paint stripped and next week I am going to paint it up. Since it's now back to bare steel and alu - do you recommend me to use Acid #8 Etch primer or UPOL anticorrosive epoxy primer ? is it better to paint whilst disassembled (front wings, windscreen frame, etc...) or best to reassemble the whole lot prior to painting ?

Hey guys, I have started stripping down Wheely (which had been parked for 5 years under the rain of the tropical rains of the Ghana eastern side) - and to my surprise the two areas that I've seen normally deteriorate in Defenders actually look like 'new' - the bulk-head on the engine bay side and the internal part of the doors - I'd like to keep it that way for some other years to come - what do you recommend me to do? 1- I have read in some threads that people when restoring doors they put some seam sealing between the alu part and the steel part - how do you do that? do you think makes sense even if I am not rebuilding it but keeping as is? 2- I was planning to take off the original paint of the bulkhead with a paint-stripper, sand-it, surface clean it, epoxy prime it (this one from UPOL) and then raptor it - what do you think? since I am not dismantling the engine I won't be able to do the whole bulk-head but mainly the foot-wells your thoughts and ideas are welcome

I am assessing whether to use sikaflex 521 (Silane Terminated Polymer) or 291 (1-component polyurethane) - what do you suggest?

Hey, I think the seal is supposed to be the MTC4994 (ROOF TO WINDSCREEN INNER SEAL) - @Big.Mike how did you manage to sort this out at the end?

yeah that's a smart move however the place that has rivets is 2 hours from where I live so I'd rather buy the right piece from the onset rather than having to go back and forth based on guesswork so would love to confirm what's the correct size of this seal rivet...

lrseries doens't stock this part hence there is no info about it - didn't know about britcar which had the measures of it (2cm x 4cm x 7cm) - however don't seem to match the picture and the name of the part (RIVET ALUMINIUM 10MM FLAT HEAD) ! As always @western saves the situation!

got it! found one shop that has rivets finally so don't need to ship them over Also since I am changing the seal of the rear doors I need the river for the sill seal (Rt612283) what is the measure of it?

wow - @steve b thanks for clarifying - now the size of the rivets make more sense. so it's either 4mm or 5mm thick and 9mm or 10mm long right? I understand better to buy the sealed type Does it make any difference the shape of the rivet head? Best to go for the aluminum ones so that they don't clash with the body panels? shall i change the rivets before or after applying the new coat of paint? shall i apply some primer on the rivet when applying it or is not important? thanks a lot!!!

great stuff @Scotts90 for this, will be very useful also for me soon! What's the benefit of painting the interior of the engine bay? Is it for rust prevention ? I am about to respray my Landy (no accident, just cosmetic) and I am wondering whether I should also do the bay whilst the car it' at the workshop - any input is appreciated!

I am resorting to going to shops here and trying to see if they have it rather than having it shipped half way across the world Normally I see rivets being classified based on mm rather than the classification that lrseries has on their website

Hi guys, Since I am respraying my Wheely I will replace some rivets which came off in the past. I think the rivets in the bodywork are the 5/32 X 3/8 LONG - is it correct? Besides the link posted by @western which are great but lrseries shipping expenses are too much so looking for an alternative on ebay but seem like the size is captured in a different way.. how else can this be portrayed? what material should i buy them? stainless steal? aluminium? copper? Also since I am changing the seal of the rear doors I need the river for the sill seal (Rt612283) what is the measure of it? thanks so much

Great thanks @mad_petefor your suggestions - much appreciate 2 Questions: 1- As I started working through it I identified 2 bits that have rusted on the bulk-head. One is right at the edge of bulk-head and windscreen - how do you suggest to fix it? Second is in the foot-well, seems superficial mainly on the paint - any thoughts how this could happen? 2- I live by the sea - what would be the idea way of clean the car before painting it to ensure all the salt is removed and we don't overcoat it? cheers

Probably too many questions don't feel like you gotta answer all of them, even just answering on of these will be of great help

Hello guys, back in November I didn't change this and just libricated the part. After my last trip i noticed that there is quite some play in the driving member and the piece it connects to, the shaft - the spines got very sharp now and my local mechanic says that also the shaft now has to be changed... In case i also need to change the shaft, leaving aside the price, shall I go for the HD ones? cheers, Simone

Hey guys, Next month I will be stripping down my 6x4 1995 land rover defender and repaint it the bodywork outside, the underseal and the interior of the bodywork in UPOL Raptor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezVsBjayjYA&t=24s Since I am using the car in the ‘bush’ here in Ghana and I will be overlanding in the near future, this bedliner paint will give me good strength over tree branches and stonechips whilst also providing some insulation and noise reduction. I am aware of the downsides of using it but still want to go ahead with it. I am about to start with the strip-down and as always I’d like to refer to you guys as your tips and suggestions increase the likelihood of doing a good job J I will video the whole job and will be posting it here for other people to refer to in the future 1. The main aim of the paint job I have in mind is to extend the lifetime of the Landy – hence I would like to understand from your perspective which parts I should ensure to do even if in difficult to access points e.g. the engine bay (wings, front of bulkhead) and inside of the bonnet– is it worth painting it as well ? 2. The Raptor bedliner paint is a very sticky paint so pieces painted together will be very hard to detach in the future. Hence I would like to strip off the body the parts that make most sense to remove. Outside I think these are the wings, the hinges and door handles, the roof, the bulkhead and windscreen part (these two parts are split by a sponge seal), the wheel arches, the triangle on the lower-back side of the rear door. Any other part that you would suggest me to strip out or parts that you’d suggest not to mess around with? 3. I would like to also paint the chassis – I was thinking of unbolting it from the bodywork and lifting the bodywork with a workshop elevator. I wouldn’t remove thought the engine from the chassis as that seems super complicated. Rather than spraying it I was thinking of having the workshop use a brush and stripe-coat – thoughts? Or is it quite difficult and I am better off to just spray the chassis and underseal together with everything still attached at the bodywork? 4. Since this was a fire service truck, there are some wires that go to the roof – what’s the best way to seal the holes on the roof now that I don’t need all that wiring? 5. Since I am going to do some holes in the body work for LED stands and other things, best to do these before or after the paint job? 6. Is it best to paint over the existing rivets or to remove the old rivers, paint and apply new ones? 7. Best to mask where there are bolts or to remove them before paiting? 8. To paint the rims, do you suggest to remove the tire first or just to mask it off? Thanks a lot everyone for your input! Cheers from Ghana, Simone

Great, thanks a lot for your recommendation guys! much appreciated!

Hey all, I bought my Landy (110 Defender converted to 6x4 by Carmichael) on auction and I have only one key - I would like to duplicate it to avoid regrettable incidents What do you recommend? does it have to be special key or can I just give it to a shop that duplicates keys and let them use whatever key fits the cut? anything else I should take into account? Cheers, Simone

Hey all, I am going to park Wheely for a couple of months as I travel back to Europe. It will be in the company parking lot, so safe but no one will move it around, so I was thinking of placing it on axle stands, hence 3 questions: 1-I'll need to buy a jack to lift it - what weight capacity is needed? People have been telling me either 10ton or 16 tons..what do you say? Wheely is a 6x4 Defender so would weight more than a normal 110/130 2-The axle stand has to be the same capacity of the jack? i.e. if the jack is 10 ton then i need to buy a pair of axle stands where each stand is capable of lifting 5tons? 3-Shall I buy just 2 pairs of axle stands ? should I keep lifter the front and middle (2nd axle) or front and back (3rd axle) ? or better to go for 3 axle stands? Cheers, Simone

For now I just need a starting battery as I wouldn't be using the leisure one. I will be here in Africa so not sure the CCA would be that important - which is the key info i need to look out for in the battery to identify the one most suited besides putting the biggest one that fits the battery box? Also, when buying the battery is important to identify the year of production of the battery? I was trying to look for it on the batteries I checked out but couldn't find it clearly labelled.

Hi all, I am in Ghana and my current 17 plates battery finally left me! So I am in the lookout for another battery and want to ensure to get one that will be fine for Wheely (Defender with a Discovery 200 TDI fitted) that I am prepping for my overland across Africa - i won't fit a winch but some LED lights both inside (camperised) and outside (headlights). What are the key info that I need to be in the lookout for to select the best one available ? Plate? Capacity AH20HR AH5HR, charing cycles? Please note that I'd love the battery to keep charge for 2-3 months when not in use. I found a YUASA distributor here, these are the model offered: http://www.yuasabattery.com.my/option/mod_product_listing/mid/3419/cid/1561| How are these? Cheers, Simone

ok makes sense - if I was to grease the splines (by removing the drive flange) before every long trip would the same result be achieved or still better to perform this mod?

ok easy enough, so i can just get a welder hereto cut and weld I guess the hole forms because of the acid of the battery? any material that should be put in the battery box to avoid the acid from messing around?

Hi Guys, My battery box is having a hole in the battery-box - nothing major - is it possible to fix it in a simple way in your opinion or need to change it with one of the YRM pieces? Thanks! Simone

thanks for the feedback - so basically the sharper they get the more likely that they will fail? I will fit them back and assess if have some play - how much play is allowed before these have to be replaced? I am going on a 2000km trip in central Ghana soon so it'd be good to be set on this Thanks Simone