Gazzar

Totally and utterly true. What is really frustrating is that the engineers were developing serious engines in the sixties and seventies, but the projects were cancelled so that the focus was on jet engines for rover saloons. They even had a direct injection turbo diesel under development.

I think it ate it's own timing belt?

Define best. Then decide. The best engine is the TDI200. Powerful, reliable, maintainable, economical The best engine is the 2286 petrol 5 bearing. Smooth, torquey, simple. The best engine is the tdci. Clean. Powerful. Efficient. The best engine is the V8. Sounds awesome. But, in all honesty, the best engine was the 1.6 l petrol in the series one. Without that engine, this discussion wouldn't be happening.

Agreed. Does it have to be entirely metal? Could you do the edge with fibreglass, or ply reinforced fibreglass?

Are you required to use metal? Could you use fibreglass, or marine ply? Or a combination? Plastic with reinforced areas is also an option.

Oh, forgot! Wolf style rims were okay, the tyre guy said, "not bad". And they were okay to balance.

Series front mudflaps are okay. Fuel filter cap seal swelled up to twice its size on contact with diesel. Some lock tabs are okay, series exhaust hangers were okay. Spare wheel cover appeared well built, but no idea how long it will last in the harsh environment of English weather. But generally I avoid if the option exists.

Most, if not all, ministers are elected. Very few are co opted. At present all ministers are MPs. How many commissioners are MEPs?

Yes, no, yes, spray on rust and rusty steel stuck on with Tiger seal.

It's not from the air conditioner, is it?

Well, after posting on this, I went to eBay. And found an outfit that make new floors! I can't see a LWB version, but they do 90 and SWB. Not mad money either, about £200. Things that make you go "ummmm". G.

Pink is good. But "rusty death trap" is better.

The floor on my 109 is truly rubbish. I think the local authority used it to spread salt, or something. All the ribs are rotten and repaired, like yours. The galv rubbing strips rotted out, and the rivet holes disappeared, too. When I do the major restoration, maybe in 6 years or so, I'll look into totally replacing the floor, but I don't think it will be an easy job, is a complex assembly for a DIY build. What I was thinking of doing was cheating, and just skinning it with 1mm ally sheet, stuck on with Tiger seal. Or finding a good floor somewhere else.

Take the wheels off. And anything detachable. Makes it too much hassle for the HIAB equipped thieving community. Spray on rust is also a good idea. If it looks like work, they won't be interested.

Interesting stuff this. I'm glad I raised the topic so far in advance of the engine fitting. I'm thinking I might need to really think about the fueling on this. At present the plan is to have an in tank pump and separate return, and I'd rather not have a third take-off from the tanks. Oh, and it's petrol, so that's another consideration. Thanks for the offer of the unit to play with, is it a diesel unit? Or does it matter? Thanks.

No, sometimes it's good to talk thing over with like minded people.

But the modern stuff is much cleaner. I'd quite like to fit a Volvo D5 engine to my series, but I suspect it would be impossible.

This is good! There are a lot of second hand units on eBay, petrol pre heaters. Are they coded or keyed to the car ECU, or is there a universal ECU?

Is that gearbox painted, or do they have some magic way of cleaning old aluminium? It looks great!

Turn the wheel the other way around? Might fit.

Tyre damage, I've seen bulging tyres that would cause that. Farmers vehicle, had steel wires sticking out!

I am amazed by this run of ill luck. I can't think of a reason why they'd break. Are the engine mounts in any way odd? Something must be torquing the blocks? Does the TDI 300 have the ladder frame between the block and the sump? It must just be bad luck. Amazing. Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

The UK has fought for the freedoms it has, but I believe that some states in the US have even greater leeway to change things. I've seen US vehicles without mud guards etc, which wouldn't be legal in the UK. The rest of the EU is much more restricted. I blame two reasons: The EU commissioners, unelected politicians who set the direction of EU policy, are very influenced by the German auto industry, who are very against modification of vehicles, or even fitting parts that they don't sell or manufacture. About five years ago they nearly brought in EU wide legislation to ban modifications, but a campaign to stop this, led by the UK enthusiasts, was successful in killing the idea for a while. Plus: The rest of Europe is a lot more compliant with dictats from central authorities, as they are from a culture of Canon, or Napoleonic code law, which can be summed up as follows: Unless it's allowed, it's illegal. The UK and the US follow Common law, which is basically: Unless it's banned, it's okay. Which is why the Portugese authorities don't allow the freedom to mess with your own stuff. Sorry, you'll have to dig deep to get your truck into Portugal legally. I imagine you can, but you'll have to get some special route to get it allowed, look into niche stuff, where modifications are allowed, like farm vehicles, fire trucks, mountain rescue, etc.

It's simple for a half decent Bush auto sparks. Standard auto cable will do, no heavy load with led lights. If you get the wiring diagrams from the workshop pdf files you'll get the colour coding, which is best to follow for subsequent fault finding. They are on line. You should download them and print the relevent pages. But it depends on what's locally available. The key thing is to ensure the earths are good. And the connectors are high quality, not chocolate block or scotch block type. Wrap in good tape, non sticky, or conduit. Pictures please?

Yes, I've heard about aftermarket steering shafts. Not happening.