Escape

As above, Ctek is not cheap but can pay itself back if you can revive a few batteries. And they're quite durable, I ran over my old one with a Range Rover once, it just kept working (no longer waterproof though). I have seen batteries suffer when left connected to (cheap) trickle chargers. All my batteries, in or out of cars, are stored with an occasional (i.e. when I remember) session on the Ctek and charged when needed. Seems to work OK.

Paid for or not, Mark Evans did get one thing right: "JLR no longer makes the sort of vehicles we (I) want to own". Mind you, I feel the same about the Grenadier as I don't want an autobox.

My P38, a 4.6 but with a manual, is consistently around 21mpg, on mixed use, including regular heavy traffic to and from work and occasional towing. I can live with that. Like @Chicken Drumstick the newer models are not my taste, I've driven an L322 TD6 for a while but hated it and though the Sport looks a lot better (IMHO) I don't particularly like driving that either. The TD6 averaged around 24mpg, so not worth it. I doubt the M57 would do much better in a P38. A TDV8 would be a different story, that could be fun and might be worth just to prove you can do it. Certainly wont be easy!

Just to be clear, I'm not building a camper, I don't even care much about creature comforts in my home (which is no more than a converted office space, probably smaller than some campers!), so certainly wouldn't spend money on a luxurious camper. But stuff like lockers, a hydraulic winch and a fancy motor that is something I'm willing to work for. Though that also takes away from the challenges you can encounter with a standard vehicle on a greenlane.

End of this month I'll be joining 2 mates on a little camping and greenlaning trip. I've decided I don't need a camper, I'll just throw my bed chair in the back of the P38, with some stuff underneath and maybe an extra cooler with a dedicated feed. I wouldn't mind a bigger/ more aggressive set of tyres but I'm sure I'll be fine. Which does beg the question why I'm putting all that money and effort in the build of my other P38... But it will be glorious if that ever gets finished. 🙂 So I guess I've just made a case for both the bare essentials approach ('cause I really want to go camping NOW) and an all-out no-expenses-spared project for the fun of it and to see if I/we can do it.

The V8 PAS pumps in the P38 and D2 look similar but have different part numbers. Could be different internal valving for different output pressures. Same for the TD5, which surprised me. I feel it more likely the D2 would match the TD5 as in the Defender than the higher pressure used in the P38. On the other hand, there are plenty of engine swaps out there using P38 V8s in a Defender or RRC, some with the P38 PAS pump. And they seem to cope without problems, so the other way round should be possible as well. Maybe the steering would be a bit heavier, but that shouldn't be a real problem.

Not sure what to think of it. Looks similar to some of the Indian vans. I like the boxy looks, that's easy to fabricate or repair and will maximize internal volume. But no tech details.

I've been reusing 1 and 5 liter bottles and jugs for oil and coolant for years, both in the Workshop and as spares when traveling. If they leak, it's usually at the pouring spout, after years of use in the Workshop (I buy 30 liter drums and decant into 5 liter jugs for ease of use). I've had one pinhole leak halfway while traveling, that was annoying. But an old, well used jug. If you select bottles that are in good shape, you should have no trouble. As @FridgeFreezer says, you don't need to carry a lot, just for emergencies to get you to the next service or such.

As above, go easy or leave the diffs unlocked. I'd still prefer to be in control rather than trust the electronics to make the right call.

That would be the best of both worlds, like the ATB center available for the LT230. I have to disagree, as good as they are electronics can never beat a 100% locked diff. And they only react when traction is lost, where a manual locker can be engaged in advance. I saw this some years ago while laning my Defender with a Range Rover Sport. Both on roadtires (because I just had an MOT and didn't find time to swap tires again), the Range Rover had me beat for ground clearance as my Defender was on the standard 205R16s but on a slope with wet grass it struggled to find traction, spinning and digging in before TR could react. I could engage both lockers and drive off without any fuss. Like @Snagger I want full control (which is why I dislike pretty much all modern cars), but that also implies it all comes down to the driver. The modern stuff will get you pretty much anywhere you want to go, be it on or off road, without having to think twice. But that doesn't make it better, just easier.

Sounds like you've thought it through and made your decision. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your air operated lockers. 👍

I'm way past mild depression! 2 other projects to finish (Phoenix and Emma) and then I'll try and sort the Elan... And talking about using a Lotus off road, I clearly remember a few of you preventing me from driving that JPS Elan across a muddy parking lot when we needed to empty the trailer for @elbekko's P38.

I certainly don't mind talk about TVR and Lotus. 🙂

My experience is the same as above, both with ARB and Ashcroft. Locking or unlocking without noticeable delay, certainly not comparable to the diff lock in an LT230. It's good practice to unlock the front in sharp turns (unless you really need the traction), a locked rear axle is no problem at all off road. Driving with the diffs locked on tarmac can be interesting, especially when they're not supposed to be on and you take a roundabout to find out they are on... Filip

The Esprit should handle the gravel tracks just fine. I've probably done more off road with her than the average driver of a modern crossover or SUV. I remember a muddy parking lot where the Q3 in front of me turned back (I assume for fear of getting stuck) while I pushed on and found a great spot. Light is right, so you're not sinking into the stuff. 😎 And there's a short on board video from a RB a couple of years ago, we took a wrong turn and had to continue for some distance before I could turn around. But unfortunately the Esprit will take longer to get running again then the Range Rover... Filip

As @elbekko said, that side has the same belt routing as used on the previous Range Rover and that never gave any trouble. It's pretty much identical to the standard setup as well. The AC compressor has been replaced with a hydraulic pump but the pulley size is the same. You're going to interpret my wishful thinking and unwarranted optimism for a firm commitment right? I'll certainly try to make it, and there is a backup plan: putting Tommy the Lightweight on a trailer. 😉

It's been 5 months since my last update already, this project really is going slowly... 😞 Over the past couple of months, after fitting the engine to the chassis, I tried to spend an hour here and there getting things fitted to the engine. Major milestone was the drive belt. Should have been easy enough, but you all know me by now. So I decided on using the alternator and mounting from a Thor, because I had that laying around and at 150A it's a certain improvement over the GEMS 120A. Not that I'll probably ever need that. The other bracket, for the power steering pump, is from a GEMS though, because that has more room for the hydraulic pump. The pump I bought comes with an electromagnetic clutch and fits to the mounting plate I salvaged from Piper. All seems to line up just nicely with just about enough room for the hydraulic hoses (if I ever get my Milemarker rebuilt). Sometimes my plans actually come together and I can even use the standard length drive belt. I thought I took some more pictures of the engine coming together, but can't find any at the moment. Incidentally, the power steering pump came off again. The one in my daily Range started leaking, so I swapped this one over and ordered a new one for Phoenix. That has since been fitted, along with the rocker covers and banana plenum. And the cooler assembly. That proved to be another setback: after some deliberation I decided on a new radiator, and it had to be a Thor type because of the angle of the main hose from the plenum. I had put aside some oil coolers to use, both for the engine and gearbox. Unfortunately on both the threads stripped when we tried to take of the old hoses. So new ones on order and then it turns out one of the pipes from the gearbox to the cooler is no longer available. Not that many manual V8s were made, so not that surprising. I'll cobble together something but made a mistake when ordering parts, I forgot the threads are different on both sides of the cooler... Brake pipes were also fitted. I made those myself to allow for the custom routing near the rear axle. The standard (early) routing gets strained when the rear axle drops to much, I found that out the hard way on this very car many years ago. Back then it was 'solved', now we have a nice custom install. The spacers needed for the EAS sensors double as a mounting for the brake pipes. Again, I should have pictures, I'll search my other laptop another time. Yesterday we finally took a big step. I was getting fed up with Phoenix taking up permanent residence on the 2-poster, as I have some suspension work to do (on a 1973 Elan +2S, lovely car that is being recommissioned after 20 years of storage, she's called Eline). Over the past weeks I had been fitting and tidying the engine wiring loom as that's a lot easier without bodywork in the way. I'm using a GEMS loom mated to the MS plug, which has been tested on another P38. But of course using a Thor top end means a lot of sensors need different plugs, like TPS, coolant temp and even oil pressure. So cut off the plugs from a spare loom, carefully study the wiring diagrams and out with the soldering iron. Seems to have come together nicely, fingers crossed everything will work as it should. Just need to work out the idle air control. A new SS exhaust has also been fitted. Though that will probably need to be modified (thanks for reminding me @elbekko!) to allow clearance for the Baja Claws. With not that much left to do on the engine and chassis, I ran out of excuses to mate up the body again and start work on that side. Fitting the steering shaft was a bit fiddly, everything else lined up near perfectly. I reconnected most of the sensor wires and brake pipes, before work got in the way again. The 2-poster now has the Elan sitting on it and Phoenix has been moved to another corner, where it's easier to open the doors and work from the inside. Remember the switch panel and associated abundance of wiring? While that should theoretically work, it proved almost impossible to mount in a somewhat tidy way so I'm going to redo it all. I'll fit a few multi pin connectors for the signal wires and only reconnect the power wires directly to the switches. Should make the install a lot cleaner, but will be a lot of work to get right. At least progress has been made! It might not be impossible to drive her to Seven Sisters in September. 😉

Another vote for rags over paper roll. I like old bathroom towels the best, the texture seems to help pick up dirt and they last a long time. I have a good supply through a friend, they arrive clean but worn and are used first at the wash basin and then work their way to ever dirtier corners of the Workshop. Paper is used to clean off large blobs of grease etc (like when replacing CV joints) or for a final wipe when degreasing parts. I also find my latest batch of paper roll seems to be of a thinner variety. I don't use a lot, maybe next time I'll try a more expensive brand that claims to be high strength.

If the above doesn't fix it and the idle is good, have a look at the throttle position sensor. They can develop flat spots with age, causing the engine to lose power or cut out.

You can remove the steering lock actuator on the column and unlock it manually. If you open up the actuator (I recall I needed to drill out some rivets) you can gut it so it never locks again, but still sends the required feedback signal.

That's what Colin Chapman used to get one of his early racecars through scrutineering. The cockpit was too narrow by a few mm, but a custom ruler solved the issue. 🙂

Aah yes, we have a few entry/exits like that as well. No fun when driving something heavy/slow and people around you don't seem to have a clue where they need to go...

True, but it doesn't matter that much on the older fans with a simple blade design. I ran 2 auxiliary fans from a P38 with reversed polarity on my previous Esprit, to replace the 3 original fans (from a Fiesta). They seemed to do a better job at keeping things cool.

I'm using this one: https://www.hbm-machines.com/nl/p/hbm-dieselpomp-timing-afstel-gereedschap-set It's cheap and the quality is good enough for the rare occasions I need it (I try to stay away from diesels...). Once the engine is running, the ECM has a better chance to correct the timing being slightly off. But when starting an older engine needs all the help it can get. Do check the leak off pipes again and replace if necessary, if air can get into the injector rail they will not fire properly. If not seen a damaged injector yet, usually it's just the pipes. You can replace them with 4mm fuel hose, easier to get a tight fit. Filip

My 2 cents: - an engine driven fan can (will) be more powerful, so if possible is my preferred choice. But sometimes you don't have the choice, like in your case or in a mid-engined car with the rad up front. Pulling fans have an advantage as it's easier to design a cowling that allows air to pass over the entire radiator and then through the fan, also when not engaged. You can even add flaps to the cowling that open to provide an easy pad to the airflow when moving. Pushing fans only really affect the area directly behind. - location of the control switch is often discussed. It is true you want the fan to come on to increase airflow when the radiator temperature rises. So logically the control switch should be at the outlet. But the ultimate goal is to control engine temperature, working together with the thermostat controlling the coolant flow. So it makes sense to have the control switch near the inlet of the radiator for a more direct reading of the engine temperature. If all is working as it should, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference. If something is going wrong with the cooling system, I'd be more at ease knowing the fan comes on in relation to engine temperature rather than radiator temperature. As an aside, wouldn't it make sense to have the control switch activate at lower temperature if located at the radiator outlet? I know some switches can be set for different temperatures, but most are fixed. - always add a manual switch. It's very easy and gives you a bit more control. For example when you have some traffic just before reaching your destination or a slow offroad section before a stop. Rather than have the fan come on automatically just when you arrive, you can switch it on a bit earlier and get the temperature down before you turn off the engine. Or just as a backup should the control switch fail. Filip