Davo

That's interesting, thanks very much. I removed the canister and converted the PCV system to having the airflow come from a hose connected to the bottom of the air filter housing, then to the back of the block, and left the rocker cover breathers as is. Everything is new, so there shouldn't be any dirt or blockages. It hasn't changed the odd AFR readings and there is quite the vacuum from the oil filler. I actually found an Oz-spec canister online so I ordered it and will see if that helps.

So my V8, (with carbies and distributor), has been running strangely, (even for something with carbies and distributor), and during the usual swearing methodical investigations I've discovered that the engine will just about stall if I cover the pipe at the bottom of the charcoal canister in the engine bay. The strange running problem has been apparently something to do with too much air getting in, giving me a lean mixture, according to my AFR gauge, when on town roads and when slowing down, so I've been going through the whole air intake system. Oddly enough if I clamp the hose going from this canister to the back of the engine block, nothing happens. It's only a recent problem, so I wonder if the charcoal has disintegrated, allowing air through and into the engine. Pretty much the entire engine is standard, so it's been a battle to work out what original type part has been causing this. I seem to have a dim memory of this canister being disconnected when I got the car, so I guess the next stop is to convert back to the crankcase venting these had originally.

I'm as picky as some of you guys but have had to really rein myself in over the years. Things just got out of hand and took forever. It depends on what you're doing - a full restoration for the enjoyment of it, or something which needs to be on the road and used. A few rules for rebuilds are that everything takes much longer than you'd ever guess; the thing you've rebuilt will never look as good again as the moment it's finished; and before you know it, ten years or so have passed and the thing is old again.

I learned the hard way about this and used to buy things one at a time. Now I know that having a set means I'll be ready for the next time - and if you do your own work, there will be a next time!

I'd bet almost anything that within our lifetimes this will become normal again . . . okay, maybe with a 3D printer, but still . . .

Well, I've never heard of anyone better than Turner Engineering for engines, and I think they have a workshop, (which is someone else's business), they recommend for installing their engines. I think you're right about getting it done now, as in a year who knows what Customs queues you'll wind up with.

Not being familiar with powerful vehicles, I must ask if it is normal for the body of the car to wobble around so much?

I hate to think of how many perfectly good tools are lying around, (or thrown out!), just because the batteries are no good. I've got three cordless drills that are either unused or are being nursed along with eBay batteries.

Maybe you need a new business to work on your car, too? It sounds like they struggled with the details on this one . . . Would rivnuts be the best way to mount a filter guard?

Have a look for a chroming business and see what they say. I know they can be re-chromed.

You are dead right with those last three lines. Nowadays, I've noticed that there are two kinds of people from the way they respond to the mess in my carport: those who get it, and those who appear to be slightly panicked because they've suddenly landed on another planet and can't figure out what they're looking at. Which is very entertaining. Though up here, being in the bush, Fred's sort of skills are still very much in use outside of the towns.

There's a reason these things were built with a lot of slotted holes and shim spacers!

Good point!

I had to admit how sloppy my driving was when I started working as a car driving instructor. I was never taught very well in the first place and it just went downhill from there. However, once I had to learn properly and then actually teach properly it made a very welcome improvement. I haven't taught for a few years now but I still nag myself! So if that's been the case for me, it supports recurrent training for everybody. But can you imagine trying to sell that to the public . . .

I'm planning on doing the same thing with my RRC, and I also know damned well that it would be a good opportunity to fix whatever rusty horror I find underneath the body panels as well.

Camper trailers always look handy but crikey they cost a bit! Which is why I'm in the middle of building a trayback trailer - just to carry all the stuff a family needs . . .

There should be lots of swags available online these days. There are the traditional ones which are just like a big canvas sleeping bag, up to more complicated ones that are like little tents. They're all meant to be rolled up complete with their mattress, sheets, blankets and pillow. They're handy things but I refuse to sleep in anything a snake might get into! So I've always used mine inside a tent.

Er . . . which one???

You can't beat copy like this, (funny bits in bold): "About us Welcome To Prindiville, a world of design, innovation and above all quality Although I established Prindiville Design in 2000, my passion for the highest quality automotive engineering and craftsmanship stretches back to my childhood. I vividly remember helping my father tinker with his classic Jaguar E-type, in awe at his obsession with the fine details that help turn a good car into a great one. I like to think that I have inherited my father’s attention to detail: it is certainly the bedrock of everything we do here at Prindiville. Without doubt I believe he passed on to me an innate fascination with engines -their sound, the way they feel to the touch, their performance potential and their mechanical sophistication. But while we’re passionate about enhancing the dynamic capabilities of your car – through tuning the engine, exhaust, suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres – we also live and breathe superb design. Prindiville visual tuning packages will individualise the looks of your car. We’ll help you do as little or as much as you want. New-look front and rear bumper units? We have many styles available in a choice of high quality materials. A complete redesign of your luxury car or supercar to ensure it really stands out from the crowd? Prindiville Design’s bespoke coachbuilding service can work either to your own design or supply you with stylish, creative proposals; either way, we will consult with you on every step of the journey. What’s important to me is that all my clients get real pleasure from the finished results. That’s why I actively encourage honest, open feedback throughout the design process; I want every client to feel part of the team, part of the Prindiville family. My thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to helping you create the car of your dreams some time soon. Alex Prindiville, Founder & Chief Designer of Prindiville." Yeah, so we'll just paint a car matt black and bolt on some wheel arches . . . bloody hell, what an age we live in . . . it's as if centuries of good design and aesthetics have just evaporated . . .

Wow, a real, live JLR man. Did he know what a Defender was?

Yes, that bolt you found corroded is notorious for, er . . . corroding. I think it's one of those things the smart people take out and grease regularly as part of servicing. It's just a "quaint" design fault which lets water in but not really out again.

That's the first type of air dam or spoiler and I thought it was just there to cover up the oily bits. Now I'm sure it was there to create a low pressure area under the radiator to help with airflow. Too bad I didn't think of that when I took mine off years ago!

It looks like these spoilers all had a tray attached to them that went under the engine, part numbers BTR3510, MWC6937 or MXC5469, which in some factory book or other I saw described as a "cooling tray" or similar. I can't figure out what the idea was - to send air from the spoiler under the engine? I wonder if it worked?

I read about some online survey or something a while ago. Apparently older people are selling off their car collections and the question was what will happen to them: do young people want these cars, what would they do with them, etc. I remember the youngsters showed a scary amount of support for "restomods", which really just means using the shell of a classic and putting in a new drivetrain and suspension and so on. Which misses the point of a classic car, and also strangely assumes that they are difficult to drive. Which, come to think of it, would explain why in the last few years I've noticed millenials seem slightly frightened by my clunky old Rangie.

Shackleton old boy, there is some good information on bodywork on this page of a very interesting thread: https://forums.lr4x4.com/topic/101036-om606-range-rover-classic-restoration-and-build/?page=7&tab=comments#comment-902178 Just from reading that thread I would say Retropower sure knows his stuff!