sixpot

I thought LR had always had at least one eye on that market. The Range Rover Vogue came out sometime around 1980 didn't it??? Not to mention giving Churchill a Series one or building that rather nice 2.6 109 for the Queen Mum in 1960-something-or-other... Seems an image far more in keeping with traditional Landies than rappers in RR Sport blingmobiles, even if the current object of attention is somewhat easier on the eye than Prince Charles... Cheers Luke

Some further info. Had confirmation from someone on another website that this Facet pump is indeed a direct replacement. The Facet part number is 476087. Cheers Luke

Hi John My ever-helpful local NAPA store was the first place I tried but they didn't have anything listed for a '73 SIII (naturally) so I went away to do some more digging. In fact their online website does have a modern Facet pump listed for a '67 SIIa 2.6 so they're getting that one in for me. In case anyone needs it the NAPA part number is BK 6101074. It's listed on the site as $112 but my chum in the store said it was $87. It'll therefore be interesting to see what actually turns up - the photo on the site is of the correct cylindrical pump but the part number is listed twice, for the cylindrical pump and for the cube shaped pump also. We'll see... Cheers Luke

Spooky... Just found this thread via a Google search as I'm looking for exactly the same thing - a modern alternative to the OE pump on my six-potter 109. As dsstephens seems to have found, Rovers North want $414 for one. Er... No.... I'm still digging so if I find anything definitive I'll post it here. Can anyone confirm for me whether the fittings on the modern Facet pumps are all the same? Cheers Luke

Just to endorse Optronic, I've had it on mine for the last three years and it's been brilliant. Piece of P to install too. Cheers Luke

Hi John Sorry, I don't know about brushable etch primer - I was painting over a previous respray and didn't need it. I didn't thin the paint but I understand you can get an even better finish if you do. Cheers Luke

Nice Land Rovers, Landrover598. Yep, you can get a great finish. This was painted with a roller and a brush after a quick wash down - literally. It took under an hour.... Unfortunately the brushable paint doesn't last all that long. Well, mine didn't anyway - I used Tractol. This photo was taken last year and the Connecticut climate has since nuked the finish - dull and peeling in places. Needs re-painting again. Still, very easy to touch up and you can work one-panel at a time. Cheers Luke

A small foam roller, ie a radiator roller, works great. Here's the bible.... Painting Pointers Cheers

Amen Thanks Guys.

Hey RPR, that's very, very impressive! You look about ready for a Jon Fund outing and some kicking of Jeep Butt I think I might relegate the 109 to being a support vehicle rather than try and keep up if you're going to be leaping over obstacles in that thing. Whereabouts in Western MA were you BTW? Cheers Luke

No, you'll be wanting the Land Rover Chronicles forum...

I think it comes down to how many miles you are doing and what sort of driving. You need to be honest with yourself if you're doing a lot of road miles, or stop worrying about it if you only drive a few miles a day. I had XCLs on my 109 which were absolutely superb off-road and acceptable on road for short journeys and the occasional long haul on motorways. I then changed jobs and location and needed to drive about 70 miles a day on twisty roads through all sorts of weather. The XCLs proved to be a serious liability, even at series speeds. I switched to a good AT (still quite aggresive considering the boots being worn by most 4x4s these days...) and the on-road handling was transformed - much safer on corners and braking. Off-road performance has proved more than adequate. They're all a compromise - circumstances dictate which one suits you. Cheers Luke

AHA!!!! Now that's more like it - thanks Richard. Funnily enough I was trying to find something exactly like that at home last year and I gave up. I really want to put a unit under the middle row of seats as the front generally gets warm thanks to the six-pot exhaust next to the bulkhead, while the rear remains completely cold. Also, no matter what you do to the motor, matrix, etc, the air holes in the dash are still a bit too small. I'm thinking ones of those flex-a-lite things and a Kenlowe pre-heater would be very good investment... Cheers Luke

I hear you. Thanks John.

We'll be doing our Christmas shopping in New York this year. Hey, it might even be snowing... Reads90, I saw your post about how odd it feels once you've sold everything and you're waiting to go. I understand entirely - we sold our house and car (the boring one) and gave away a ton of stuff before moving to the US in May. Quite the weirdest feeling ever when you suddenly realise it's just you, a few suitcases and having to stay in a hotel as you don't have a UK address any more... Still! It was amazing to pick up my Series III from New Jersey Port and drive it over the George Washington Bridge with the Manhattan skyline in the background. And the kids are making friends with the local raccoons. And Mrs D hasn't yet scraped the LHD car - you'll have a great time. Good luck!! Cheers Luke

Hi LR90 I'll post some pics when I've had time to do the job properly - and a bit of daylight too! Cheers Luke

Thanks John, that confirms my thoughts on the housing - that it would need extending and that it would be a fair amount of work. I'll go for the quick win first - a more powerful electric motor. I only replaced the matrix last year so it's already blowing reasonably hot and might well cope with the increased flow. Cheers! Luke

Good morning all - thanks guys! Nice website Todd The bit I'm most intrigued about was the addition of a new matrix. Connecting up would be easy enough but there's not a lot of room in the box so I'm wondering if anyone's managed to shoehorn another matrix into it without making the box bigger? Cheers Luke

Hi Dave I seem to remember you describing a heater mod you'd done once, involving a better fan motor and an additional matrix. Was that you? If so, would you mind very much going over it again briefly as I'm interested in doing the same thing... Cheers Luke

Great! Good to see the entertainment starting up again. There's only one way to settle this.... Who's got the biggest Dad??

Ah, you see this is CT not NY so we're OK. The kids have already started their banjo lessons at school and we've recently noticed additional finger-like growths on their hands. Thankfully though we fitted right in from the start as we arrived with a mattress, two rockers and a piano strapped onto the roof. Mind you, it was a bit hot carrying all those boxes with the raccoon hat on so I took it off and hung it on my rifle. Funnily enough I've been gazing lovingly and covetously at the Dodge Ram next door... I'm not sure why you need a heater? Surely with all that clearance under the Tonka, you can now light a campfire underneath and sleep to one side of the oil puddle? You do still have an oil puddle, don't you....??? Cheers Luke

Thanks Guys. Maine sounds like a great idea. - never too cold... er... February? Maine??? Seriously, that sounds like a date for the calendar. I've been plugged into the Bay State ROA email list for quite a while now and have met some good new friends as a result. RPR has also pointed me in the direction of the JonFund which looks like a superb club. You contribute to the pot of money and they buy land specifically for off-roading. As soon as we get our lives straightened out house/job/vehicle-wise I'm looking to join him for a trip somewhere. Series trucks in convoy. To be honest you tend to meet a lot of new folks anyway if you're driving a '73 109 around. The lack of off-roading has been more than offset by more practical use as a logging truck, trailer tug, flood-wader, builders van and occasional camper so I don't feel as though I'm cosseting it too much. The next door neighbours are all particularly horrified by the fact that you can hose it out... Cheers Luke

Thanks Guys - LOL. It's not actually quite so mint in real life, the camera flattered it a fair bit!! However I have to admit it does look a hell of a lot better than it did when I bought it... Given the paint technique I'm not worried about scratches - I just roller over them It's breaking diff pans, track rods, springs, etc, etc on my only means of transport that I need to be concerned about at the moment. At home it got played with a fair bit - I've got some good pics of it up to it's axles in mud in the forests of North Yorkshire - but over here rock seems to be the order of the day and I need some alternative wheels available before I go banging this around too much. The other thing that's really surprised me here is how little opportunity there is to go off road in Connecticut. I've found some easy unmaintained "roads" to play on but almost anything more exciting seems to be barred or private property. Ironically it seemed easier to find decent greenlanes at home!! Cheers Luke

OK - I've made progress now! Hastened by the fact that biblical rains, large chunks falling off trees and Tractol paint don't seem to mix very well... I finally found a company that will custom mix any colour you want in acrylic enamel. I think it's the same stuff they do in aerosol cans. This stuff stinks, but they could supply me quart tins and what's more they found Marine Blue and Limestone on their database. As I don't have any spray kit, I've done two doors with a roller and brush and to be honest it looks fabulous. Really shiny and an excellent smooth finish. It also dries in minutes. Ironically, I was never particularly happy with the Tractol "marine blue" colour. Looked too dark to me (see the picture in Dave's "blow the dust" thread). The new paint looks just right! It means I now need to paint the whole vehicle but at least it'll be the correct colour now If anyone's interested I can get the make of the paint - can't remember off the top of my head. Cheers! Luke