Dave W

There's a step by step write up of my conversion here... http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/forum/...topic.php?t=194 cheers Dave

The crank signal isn't odd if you look at it with a scope rather than trying to figure it out by looking at the wheel. It's an evenly spaced 24 tooth wheel on the trailing edge and the OEM sensors provide a clean logic level square wave that needs no additional hardware filtering. The leading edge of each tooth provides a binary code that can be used to determine which cylinders are coming up to TDC. If you're interesting in the development of the MS/LS1 this is where it started for me... http://www.msextra.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16695 http://www.msextra.com/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=23881 There's some info on the configuration in my "it runs" post... http://www.msruns.com/viewtopic.php?t=20094 You can't say "Don't use MS as you have a to redrill the crank nose to take a trigger wheel" and not expect to be challenged on it because it's simply not true. MS is as good an option as any other, no "glitches" here on any of the LS1s that I've "squirted". Both V2.2 and V3 ECUs are, in effect, the same for LS1 use as we don't use any of the filtering/shaping circuits for the inputs. I use a V2.2 ECU as my "hot spare" for when I'm experimenting with my V3 ECU. With a new squirt LS1 project I'd probably go straight for MSII now as it saves having to use an external interface for the IAC. Whether it's a good choice for the OP is another matter of course

You are incorrect... First, you can't mount a trigger wheel reliably on an LS1 crank pulley simply because the crank pulley on an LS1 isn't keyed (at least on the ones I've worked on) so not only can it rotate over time but it will also be difficulty to get lined up correctly in the first place as there are no timing marks on it for the reasons given above. I suppose it may be possible to key the crank and pulley but there's no point. Second, MS will run quite happily off the OEM crank and cam sensors so you don't have to add any hardware to the engine. With it's use of 5v logic level outputs on crank and cam sensors, it's use of 5v triggers on the ignition coils and it's use of GM sensors means the LS1 could have been made for MegaSquirt. Nothing wrong with using the stock ECU or a Delphi or similar but MegaSquirt is a good, cheap alternative. I've been using mine for over a year now on road and in competition and it's not missed a beat. For the 4L80E gearbox I use a Compushift ECU. On the original question, it's not easy to do the conversion primarily because of the electronics involved in the original, you would probably need to keep the existing engine and possibly gearbox ECU and fool them into thinking they were still doing something useful. The simplest and cheapest way to do it would be to use the existing gearbox and try to resist the urge to abuse it

Not sure there's a lot more to add. It's a 2 and a bit day challenge event where competitors take on a series of navigation tasks, challenge stages and special tasks (think bridge building and so on) over the course of the event. All competitors will be, as much as possible, self sufficient for the duration of the event and this includes carrying camping equipment, food and spares for the vehicle and that includes carrying them on the vehicle throughout the event. (We normally allow food, sleeping bags and clothing to be removed prior to stages involving deep water). Camp sites for the two nights will be fields with no facilities although we'll provide a portaloo of some kind and a central fire. They'll be allowed to visit a fuel station once a day. Competitors are not allowed to receive any outside assistance for the duration of the event although they can receive assistance from other competitors. Using outside assistance or having to access the spares dump will attract a stiff time and points penalty so the aim of the exercise is simple - be as competitive as you can whilst preserving your vehicle as any breakage, that you don't have the spares or tools to fix with you, will be very costly.

You can take a camper van or caravan on the MT, as long as you take them through the stages

We've been holding off announcing a date until we'd got the final stamp of approval from all the land owners, didn't want to jinx it... The MT 2009 is on ! In line with the events from recent years, there will be mandatory camping for all competitors on Friday and Saturday night. Competitors will need to carry all their spares and camping equipment on the vehicles. There will be a trailer park and spares dump but you will be a good distance away from them for the majority of the event and there will be a penalty for accessing them.. As with previous years, this will be a team event for teams of two vehicles. Scrutineering will take place on Friday with a night stage on Friday night. All profits from the event will go to this year's nominated charity, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Updates will be posted here and on the MT web site: http://www.muddytruckers.co.uk/

I use SAE30 engine oil as that's what I use in my engine so I always have some available I've also used ATF in the past. Too thick an oil won't move around enough as it relies on splash lubrication for the upper gears and bearings, the SAE30 gets everywhere. You only need enough to fill the winch to the bottom of the drum. Any more than that and it will probably leak out anyway.

Do you know what RPM the engine drops to when it changes ? The usual problem with autos is that with a change up at 5000 rpm is won't be satisfied with a single change and as soon as you let off the throttle slightly it will go from 1st to 4th and bog down. It's easily fixed by leaving the box in second rather than 1st, that way it has the option of changing up a gear but can't go mad. As long as the RPM doesn't drop below 2500 an RV8 should be able to keep the wheels moving, below that most will bog down.

Sounds like fuel starvation, could be any number of causes, fuel pickup blocked, fuel lines blocked, fuel pump worn, fuel filter blocked, float levels wrong etc... This is assuming that it used to run OK and isn't a result of the carb conversion.

It can be done withe a screwdriver but it's not easy... there is a tool designed for the job that is a triangular loop just big enough for the small strip to go though, this tool makes the whole job a LOT easier. Something like this... http://www.rejel.com/product/9522.aspx You'll have to put the sealing strip in last, as you've already found.

Use an Atlas Transfer box and leave the diff where it is ? Just a thought

I blew a front inner shaft during a competition, I then found that the spare I'd been carrying in the vehicles for 3 years was the wrong one.. of course I only found that out AFTER I'd stripped the front axle in the middle of a field ! Not only was the spare completely useless but carrying it and storing it in the vehicle for all that time just added insult to injury.

You can buy a replacement ignition key/steering lock assembly, they normally come with 2 keys. Buy two new sheer bolts at the same time. The whole assembly can be unbolted from the steering column, strip the shrouds, switches and so on off the column to get to the ignition/lock assembly. Once you have access to it you will then need a stud extractor to remove the two sheer bolts that hold the assembly to the column or you can drill them out. It's a long job but not difficult. For the door locks, you can buy a couple of replacement barrels (again, supplied with keys) and replace the barrels in your locks - without a key you'll have to drill the old barrels out though as you normally have to put the key into the barrel to withdraw it.

No, don't use copper grease....

One easy way to tell if movement in the wheel is down to bearings or swivel is to get someone to press the brakes while you try and move the wheel - if the movement goes away then it's wheel bearings, if it continues then it's the swivel. Applying the brakes effectively clamps the wheel/hub to the swivel housing locking any wheel bearing movement. I'll 3rd the steering column UJ - try spraying some penetrating oil on them as an interim fix.. and worn CV as a source of clicking when turning is the usual culprit, again, as already posted. The water normally gets in through the breather pipes if they're not above the water level - a warm axle hitting cold water sucks "air" in as the air inside it contracts and will quite happily suck water in if the breather is below water level. Water also gets in through the swivel housing seal and can also get in through the drive flange cap, especially in deep water where the water pressure will force it's way through the seal.

Sorry, forgot about the imperial ones - I think they are 5/16 UNF if memory serves, I have a metric puller and an imperial puller, both knocked up from scrap when I suddenly found I needed to take a steering wheel off. I'm guessing the metric one was made for Pam's 90 as that has the later "soft" steering wheel on it.

Here's a couple of mine, i went as short as I dared whilst keeping the rear cross member - much shorter and the tyres will bind when articulating. I went for a "king cab" moving the rear body bulkhead back to open up the area behind the seats, this makes the tub mods a LOT more difficult and time consuming but it's nice to have somewhere in the cab to store a tent, sleeping bags, clothes etc... The backbody area from the rear tailgate to the bulkhead is the same length as a 90 so I can fit an Ifor Williams or a crewcab tilt on the back if I need more covered storage.

The best way is to make your own puller. A piece of flat bar or angle iron, drill 2 6mm+ holes in it at the same spacing as the holes in the steering wheel. Wind 2 lengths of 6mm stud into the threaded holes in the wheel, as far through the wheel as you can get them. Place the bar/angle over the studs and wind on a couple of M6 nuts until they nip the bar square against the end of the steering column. Tighten each nut in turn about half a turn at a time - you'll be amazed how little pressure it will take for the wheel to start moving. Hope this makes sense !

Land Rover "tolerance" is generally around 1/2 an inch so at 5mm off yours is well within spec If the rear body is still on, check to see where that is as the main thing is to try and get everything lined up relative to everything else. However you do it you can almost guarantee that you'll get it more accurate than Land Rover did just be careful not to overlook the fact that the bulkhead needs to be lined up on 3 different planes or your door gaps will be all over the place and you'll have problems lining the lock up with the rear body. Once you've got it lined up relative to the chassis you also need to get it's height above the chassis correct and then make sure it's vertical. It's worth tacking the outriggers on then bolting up the bulkhead, putting the doors back on and so on prior to final welding.

I'll second/third/fourth the office dependent thing... In the days when I was doing Hill Rally navigation we raced a highly modified Lightweight - coil sprung, lowered roof line, full space frame with fabricated body panels hung off it etc... and NFU were happy to insure it fully comp for years. When my driver changed to a 110 he transferred the insurance to the new vehicle. The 110 was a much more standard vehicle than the lightweight at the time, in fact it was pretty much completely standard apart from the roll cage. About 3 months into the new insurance policy he got a letter from the NFU advising him that they would be cancelling his policy within 2 weeks due to the roll cage being fitted. Letters and phone calls were exchanged during which time the NFU head office explained, in writing, that they do not insure vehicles with roll cages and that their local office had been incorrect to issue a policy on the vehicle. Needless to say, neither of us have insured vehicles through NFU since. I have no idea if the policy has been changed at the head office these days as this happened about 6 years ago but be aware that just because a local office issues a policy doesn't mean that NFU head office will accept it.

They can snap if you put too much strain on them but I've never seen one pull through. You shouldn't need to tighten wheel nuts excessively, if you tighten them to the correct torque and they come loose then this is normally a sign that the wheels have a faulty design, perhaps the flange isn't raised away from the hub (assuming steel wheels) ? The reason they can pull through on some spacer designs is there simply isn't enough material to hold them. On the spacers that have offset studs the only thing holding your wheel on is the spacer material and there is no direct connection between the hub and the wheel. It's all very well worrying about how strong the rims are when you are trusting a piece of aluminium of unknown origin or material type to keep the wheel connected to the vehicle. For UK competition run under MSA permits most wheel spacer designs can't be used because they fail to meet either of the 2 criteria (maximum thickness 25mm and no extended wheel studs). In 2010 this will be clarified further as no wheel spacers will be allowed unless you can prove they are TUV approved. The best way to gain clearance is to use a wheel with the right backspace, spending money on wheel spacers as a way of compensating for fitting the wrong wheels is just a way of introducing a weakness because you can't be bothered to do the job properly.

Is this an off road event or an on road event ?

Having looked at it again, you can probably gain access to the download page by setting up a login on the MSA site using the public signup option. When you are logged in the "Competitors and Officials Yearbook" appears under the Member Publications menu and you can download it from there. http://www.msauk.org/

A PDF version of the blue book is available for download from the MSA web site if you have a login. I'll see if I can find any restrictions on it's distribution, all it says on the download page is... If you want to look at a specific section maybe PM me with the section and I'll see if I can help.

Sorry, the pic was taken before I sold it, about 3 years ago, so can't go out and measure it. From memory... There is a nut welded to the bar as a captive nut which is a standard seat belt size (7/16 UNF ?) the bar stuck out by around 4 or 5 inches and would have been around 1 1/2 inches wide. Might be worth asking on the EMLRA forum, the hoop in the pic came off a 1990 Ex Military 110 soft top.