MattMatt

Think Ive worked this out - sort of. A 13mm (0.5”) cold rolled steel shaft has Tmax of 265ft/lb (apparently) which is probably more than my 6ft 16st frame will exert on a standard steering wheel, so my thought is a 17mm shaft should be more than enough?

Isn’t the funny D2 triangle joint on the lower right the slip joint like a D2?

I know this is an old thread but I’ve come to the end of my engineering know how so need an engineer to comment. I’ve made a new steering shaft to link my defender column to the D2 PS box. To cut the 47 splines for the defender UJ end I’ve had to mill down the new shaft to 17mm dia so it will fit into the dividing head. Bearing in mind I use my LR for ‘enthusiastic’ RTV with 235/85 Insa Turbos, is this a bit thin? The original D2 shaft isn’t much bigger

Early RRCs are 5/8 UNC, (just done mine) but I understand the change over to metric wasn’t terribly organised Sorry meant UNF not UNC

Like it - good guide.

Really easy actually - standard Schutz gun hooked up to a little compressor. The containers they supply thread straight on but if you want the grey you have to buy the tintable version and add some base colour. Once you've roughened up the body and masked off follow the mixing instructions and just spray it on. I did two coats but on reflection I should have done another. You live and learn

I did look at some strengthening for the rear of the cab but came to the same conclusion as dav88sw. I also new I would have some kind of bar behind the cab to protect it a little - although this isn't finished. Clinton's stuff isn't cheap thing GRP - there is some good thickness to it unlike some of the kit cars I've built over the years. My LPG tank is in a box behind the cab which left me with a good usable space behind the seat to dump stuff etc. In future I would bring that box forward to give more pickup space. My wheel boxes are too long as well which also reduces some space. I do like the cab only version especially with the alternative lower roof option. On mine I took some time to line the inner cab with marine ply backed with foam to insulate and cut down some noise. Allowed me to hide the wiring loom and put some decent speakers in

Off and on about 6 mths but in hours I would say you could do it in 7 days. If I did a 2nd one it wouldn't take long as I won't be making the same mistakes............

Oh - and it does go off-road - Salisbury Plain with a few mates

So to paint. I was in the USA and saw a truck that had been sprayed with Upol Raptor which is a bed liner. The owner told me it was really easy to apply (just an underseal gun) so I duly watched the videos. read the instructions and took the plunge. It was fairly easy to mix and apply producing a great finish on a surface that was not perfect to start with. The effect is fairly military but that fits right in the off road look I wanted. Not quite finished but I have had other concerns for the last 12 months but here are some more pics

As I had round lights at the rear, the square D2 headlights looked a bit strange. I found a complete new front end via Boltonbits and though eye wateringly expensive I ordered it anyway. Not too impressed with the fit either as the light pods didn't match up to the headlight fixings and the whole thing has to be messed with (cut about) before it would sit right. I'm still not happy with it but I like the look

So to the final sprint - getting all the panels on. The wings are bolted to the front using the rear door fixings but the rest involves the use of a a great deal of Sikaflex. To be honest I wasn't too sure about this but I have been really impressed so far. Nothing has come apart and it has stayed waterproof. I must have used 15 tubes though

The tail gate is from an RRC and and rear light pods are made to match the contours etc. Getting all this to line up is a work of are in my opinon and my attempt is not perfect however it isn't bad either. The light pods are filled with round LED units, top and bottom are indicators while the two middle ones are stop/tail. The fog and reverse go into the rear bumper

Once I was happy with all that everything was filled with Corroless and the roof secton together with the rear of the cab could all be fastened down before I set about extending the wiring loom back for the lights, fueld tank etc.. The next bit involved cutting panels out of aluminium tread plate sheets to form the floor and sides. Really tedious work and very heavy on slitting/cutting discs. However the result if ok

The whole of the rear bed is supported by a box section frame which I drew up in Draftsight to get some idea of how it would all fit. First came the floor section which was tacked to the top of the floor of the rear footwell. After that the cab support bars and the side bars were built up from the base and new chassis rails welded in to support it all. It sounds easy - it wasn't. Getting the whole thing square and level with the cab was a nightmare and involved lots to cutting, tacking and rethinks.

Once the body was removed I discovered terminal rot in the rear of the chassis so in a fit of madness I took the disc cutter to it. After some lots of trial fits of the new panels and messing around with Photoshop I eventually decided on a medium length for the bed which gave the length of the chassis etc.

Next - fun with the disc cutter. Basically I tried to follow the pics on the LongRanger website only to find out that the RRC they are converting is very different to a D2. To cut a long story short I was trying to leave the inner wings in place but ended up cutting the whole of the rear body off. The roof is cut behind the b pillars and the floor just in front of the rear seats

Shortly after that I collected the panels from Clinton at LongRanger. Roof, Cab rear, Wings, Light Pods and some other small bits of trim. At the same time I tried to remember everything Clinton told me about how to fit it up - and failed.

Ok so here we go - ( due to time issues this going to come in lots of posts I've always liked the LongRanger but I couldn't find a decent D2 V8 that had a crunched rear until my friend Rob rolled his at an RTV event. The deal was done and I drove this back home A little battered especially around the roof but some good ATs, steering guard and diff guards were already fitted together with a CDL conversion. And of course it;s a V8 with LPG

Lol - I haven't yet. Not sure where it should go but if it's ok here I leave it and post some more info up

Sorry - posted this in completely the wrong section - ADMIN please delete

If you've been on the D2boys forum you will have seen this. Lets say it is "different" Fellow club member's old Disco (which he rolled) cut about and the rear replaced with a box section frame covered by LongRanger GRP panels

V8 88. Another convert Series front end does look better IMHO. I used a D1 rad with electric fans after removing the original and cutting off the boss to stop it punching a hole. Never gets really hot. You will need a remote oil filter Are you keeping the battle scar in the front wing? Nice looking GSD as well

I have a rack for the Series 88 just like the one in Snagger's link (e192) )but I don't use it now. The sides mean it great for sheets and stuff - Didn't realize they were so costly The do come up for sale on various sites

You need all the documentation you can get. Somehow you have to convince them of the build date and that it hasn't been modified in any way. I have several friends that have had protracted conversations with DVLA on a very similar subject over the last 6 months and both have proven successful - so it can be done.