Rustyrangie

You have my sympathy Geoff, I got the same thing (chest infection, that is) on Boxing day. Took almost 3 weeks and a course of amoxycillin to clear up. Some good came out of it though...being unable to do anything strenuous I did some surfing and I found this forum! Get well soon, Bob

Another Doh! moment here. I just realised I have a large coil of 3/8" rigid plastic tube used for waveguide pressurisation on microwave radio systems (my old job). It's marked "All fuel, gas, air, SWP 5 bar" so I had some pipe all along and didn't know! Hangs head in shame! Bob

Hmmm, Interesting comment about type approval / insurance etc. if using box section for sills. By this thinking the new rear cross member which arrived today from Paddocks will also be a problem as it's made from much heavier gauge steel than the original. Similarly, replacing the rust-prone steel fuel pipe with plastic or whatever will cause concern too. The LR mags and forums contain hundreds of road licensed vehicles with home-brewed mods. Are these all likely to be in trouble with type approvel, insurers etc.? Bob

Thanks guys, knew I'd come to the right place for sensible advice. So rubber/plastic pipe it is then. Thanks again to all who replied, you're a great bunch! Bob

Hi, I've just done this job. I used 100mm X 60mm X 5mm box section for the sill and made up floor plates from 18g sheet. Box section cost £30 for 2 X 1.5M, 18g sheet was approx £8 for a 3' x2' sheet, could be cheaper if you buy a bigger sheet. One obvious precaution, remove the ECU, put it in a poly bag and put it somewhere safe before you do anything in the seat/floor/sill area. Also wrap and tape the ECU plug in a poly bag to keep all that rust/grinding dust out of it. If the sill's that bad expect rear wheel arches/inner wings/seat belt mounts to be the same, also the rear floor and probably the rear crossmember. Mine all started as a quick prod with a screwdriver, pre-MoT, due Nov 1 06, which has escalated into a major restoration. If I hadn't got so far into the job I'd have scrapped it by now. Waiting for rear crossmember to arrive via ANC as I type. Good luck, Bob

Give your missus an IKEA catalogue! You'll get all the impetus you need trying to avoid the trip there! Bob

Hi Steve, Did a Google as you suggested. Found lots of sites where copper pipe was used on all sorts of engines and fuel systems Rover V8 efi included but nothing really specific. As for work hardening I'd only be using copper where it is rigidly mounted to the chassis. End connections would be flexible, rubber or plastic, of course. Thanks to all who replied, off to have a think. Bob

Hi, I've got the rear floor out of my RRC so thought it might be a good idea to replace the dodgy looking fuel lines while it's out. Is it OK, safety & MoT wise, to use 8mm copper microbore central heating pipe for this? £15.99 buys 10 meters of the stuff in Wickes, cheaper than steel or rubber. It's the same size as the rust-prone steel original, won't rust again and will hopefully be easier to fit. Any advice will be gratefully received. Off out now to attack the "lace curtain" rear crossmember. Cheers, Bob. 3.9efi V8...currently in bits

Hi Luke, nice set up. Those 'scopes, I used to repair them for the MoD in the 70s but I'm slowly going mad trying to remember the make. Are they Tektronix or what? just can't quite read the label. Please put me out of my misery. Bob

Hi all, being a cheapskate I've always used a standard 3/8" bit to remove spot welds. Not any more. Got a spot weld drill from screwfix for £6.99 as I needed to add a few quid to my order to get free P&P. What a brilliant little tool! made removing my Rangie rear floor a doddle. If anyone else is like me and thought these were a gimmick then think again and get one, you won't regret it. Bob. 3.9eFi RRC on LPG (and in bits)

Hi again all, I hope there are some experienced welders who can advise me. I can mig weld reasonably well in a horizontal and vertical position but I'm having trouble welding underneath my Rangie. What settings need to be changed to stop the weld forming blobs and dropping on to my chest..ouch! e.g turn power down/up, turn wire speed down/ up compared to welding from above. My Mig only has 4 power settings and I normally use 2 for welding 18g sheet, wire speed is about 1/2 way round the dial. I'm using BOC argoshield. Thanks in advance, Bob

Thanks guys, I'll just give them a quick rub over with wet or dry then prime and paint. Leaves me time to find even more rust elsewhere! Cheers, Bob

Hi again all, What's the concensus of opinion on new panels? When they arrive they have a coat of paint (primer?) on them. I've heard it said that this is for protection in storage only and should be removed before fitting to a vehicle. Others say that it's ok to paint over the makers primer. Obviously it's much quicker to paint over the primer but will it lead to early rust problems? Obviously I'm talking about steel panels, not aluminium. RR rear wheel arch to be precise. Any views would be most welcome. Thanks, Bob

Hi all, this is probably an old one, but I found out it works a treat and is cheap! I needed to cut various bits of 18g steel sheet while restoring my RRC. Cuts over 300mm long were a real pain. 18" Gilbows hurt my wrist, Monodex nibbler ditto, and slow. Jigsaw with metal blade so so. Angle grinder and cutting disc very spectacular, noisy, imprecise and expensive. But old (non pendulum) B&D jigsaw, bought for £1 at a boot sale, with small bit of flexible hacksaw blade worked like a dream. I used a flexible HSS type blade cut into 60mm (ish) lengths. You'll need to cut down the width for about 15mm to fit the jigsaw then away you go. The width of the blade meant it was held against the jigsaw sole plate so couldn't move backwards. I bit of blade cut about 3 metres before it started to lose teeth but you get 4 or 5 blades from a hacksaw blade so who cares. It also leaves the sheet perfectly flat, not like shears. As with all powered cutting operations remember your gloves and goggles! Oh, and I've just picked up a couple of Gunson's colourtunes at another boot sale, (£2 for both) anyone used them on 3.9 V8 efi or LPG? Cheers, Bob

Thanks Dan, That's just the sort of info I was after. Now I've got over the dreaded flu ( great Xmas present - thanks a bunch Santa!) I'm ready to make a start. As a get well present to myself, Mr Grinder has been joined by Mrs Grinder and Au Pair Grinder to save me forever swapping grinding / cutting discs. wire cup brushes etc. Having been forced to do nothing but watch daytime TV for a fortnight I now have a workshop wish list as long as my arm thanks to "American Chopper" Cheers, Bob

Hi All, I've seen a few mentions of replacing Rangie sills with box section but no specific thread on the subject. I am about to start replacing my rusty RRC sills with 100 X 60 X 3mm box section, (along with footwells, rear arches etc. etc.) Does anyone have any pointers, or better still photos, of this procedure, please? Many thanks in advance, Bob