Gazzar

Ah, Marc, you are right, but I don't live in the UK. My point is that you guys in the UK have some very flexible rules at the moment - and unless you continue to lobby for those rules to be preserved they will be taken away. As I understand it the UK Govt are actively considering implementing an EU directive that will take these rules away. It will get to the stage where the major manufacurers have the whole thing wrapped up. Amongst the current proposals is a requirement that all new vehicles will have to have ABS certified by the mannufacturer. So - no more road legal one offs, for starters. No more kit cars. Next: no new chassis modifications unless certified by manufaturer. Also: no tyres that were not originally specified by the manufacturer. Whats next? All vehicles over 30 years to be restricted to 500 km per annum? Or scrapped unless of special historical interest? Variations of these rules are alreay in place in some parts of the world. <theatrical voice> BE Warned /<>end voice. G.

Ah, yes, I remember that from my Kit car days - before the SVA. Where I am living at the moment rules are different. The chassis determines the vehicle. Change the chassis and you change the age and plate. So if you rechassis your 1959 swb with a new chassis it becomes a 2008 (or whatever), that is, if you tell them. They couldn't give a damn what else you do - except if you change the engine size to a bigger engine you pay more road tax. If you tell them. Of course you have to do a safety test every now and then, and also your insurance company must know of all changes, but other than that you can do what you like. Even the safety test is no longer required after 30 years (I actually find this frightening) but most insurance companies would insist on an engineer/garage report before gining cover. Actually there are moves afot to "Harmonise" the UK rules - so that no non-manufaturer mods are allowed. <>Soap box time<> Lobby your MP and MEP about this - make it a big issue, otherwise you'll lose the right to build your own vehicle the way you like it. Quick email should do it, or perhaps a petition online? <>/ Soap box over <>/ G.

ltwt1981 Do you mind if I ask you which discs you used? I'd appreciate it if you would tell me. Cheers. G.

Those wilwood calipers look fantastic. Almost too nice for a landrover, still, if they do the job.... Which Toyota were those discs fitted to? I might get a pair and see how the setup would look. Cheers G.

I quite agree. My landrover, my responsibility, good and bad. Doesn't stop me asking for advice, or details, I would have thought. Or giving advice to others, either.

I agree with your comments on safety, and am fairly comfortable with building/ reconditioning brake systems, having built a few kit cars, rebuilt a Silver Shadow citroen brake system (uses a Moris Minor master cylinder to give the pedal "feel"!). I had hoped, admittedly not with much expectation, that a solution that was witin the grasp of a competent home mechanic was possible, however I accept that it isn't likely. Regarding the rest of the braking system I was expecting to keep the rear drums, and fit a dual circuit servo assisted brake pedal from either a late series, or a defender, whichever I can obtain in the right condition. The appropriate valve would also be fitted. I'd probably use a later defender master cylinder as it would have the correct diamater front chamber for the smaller amount of fluid a brake calliper displaces compared to a wheel cylinder. I may not, as the larger series master cylinder front chamber would require less brake effort, making the vehicle spouse friendlier. I do have access to sophisticated brake testing equipment in that the Landrover would be put through a recognised safety test prior to being used in anger. Thus I wasn't asking too many questions on these matters. but The difficulty I have is I don't have access to a good engineering shop locally, and thus to entrust components to an unfamiliar workshop would mean that I have to get the specification right and tight beforehand. In addition I've not got the luxury of lots of LR Brake components kicking about to swap and change in order to optimise the arrangement. I'd have to go out and buy them on the offchance they'd fit. And there aren't that many LR bits around here. Toyota and Nissan are two a penny, but not LR. Thus asking about which particular components someone else used sucessfully would save me a lot of time and money. The calliper mounting bracket is potentially the most complex engineering job, if it has to made so that the calipermounts are offset from its mount. If it doesn't have to be then it is a much simpler engineering job. Truing the hub and the disk are simpler jobs, as is tapping the holes. Finally, if I don't ask questions, then how else can I get answers? G.

Tonk, That confirms my understanding, thank you. So, to use a 10mm flat steel caliper mounting bracket the Toyota disks and the LR 110 "long pad" calipers are a viable route. Which Toyota disks? Makes it easier to order. And is the machining of the hub to take the disks a job for a lathe? I mean to ensure that the holes are drilled at the same diamater/offset relative to the axis (sorry I just can't think of the right terms today - the letters PCD wanders about my mind as I type for some reason). I enquire as I know from experience that to find the right engineering workshop for any one off job requires a knowledge of the work to be done. It looks like converting to disk brakes without paying several hundred euro on parts you alreeady have is achievable without too much headscratching, thanks to the pioneering work of the members of this forum. Well done - gets my vote for services to the series award. G.

I've been following this topic with great interest. I'm keen to fit disks to my rebuild, as flood resistant brakes are a necessity where I live. Have I got this right? If I was to start from scratch (1974 109 front axle) then the key heavy (for a DIY person) pieces of engineering are 1) Capilar attachment bracket and 2) Attaching the disk to the back of the hub. If I had the right disk in terms of offset then the caliper attachment bracket could be a flat piece of, say, 8mm steel. This doesn't have to be very high precision, as once it holds the calipers in the right place that's it. So I could do this myself. How do I attach the disk to the hub? Obviously the hub has to be drilled and tapped, but is this a precision engineering outfit only job? Disk balance at 60 mph being a serious consideration. Tonk, which disks did you use? Sorry for the detail of the post but I want to take advantage of the work that has already been done and not reinvent the wheel (sorry - bad pun). G.

That'd be my first guess, after checking all electrical gubbins for a build up of dust/loose connections/spiders webs etc. Isolate from mains first, obvious I know, but I forgot once! Also check the oil, as contaminated oil could increase the drag. Check drain plug, air filter and all the usual. If it is belt driven then take off the belt and try again - maybe a valve stuck in the pump etc. If it is an integrated pump motor then disconnect the air output and see if it goes ok. Did it restart fine? I mean, once the receiver had filled and been used a bit did the motor just cut back in? 3hp?? How was it wired? 110v or 220/240v? It wasn't through a 3 pin plug. was it? My thinking (I flatter myself) is that if it was on a 13 amp fuse + 240 ac mains and had been fine up until now, you were doing well, as a 3 hp motor can pull a lot of amps. Now, coming up to Christmas the power companies have trouble meeting demand and sometimes drop the voltage to 190 or so, which If I recall correctly, means for a given horsepower (watts) the amps would increase, pop goes the fuse. Of course I could be talking nonsense. Let us know how you get on - if unsuccessful then let us know more about the compressor - is it belt driven, seperate starter. These things are simple enough if you brake them down. If you are dismantling anything do take a picture of the wiring. I once had a compresser in I couldn't get to run well. Couldn't figure it - stripped everything rebuilt and the damb thing still wouldn't make 20 psi. Previous idiot working on it wired the motor the wrong way and it was running in reverse! Best of luck G.

Presuming you've followed the correct tightening procedure - you know, don't tighten the spring bolts until everything is back on the ground - then maybe the 3 spring rears are too hard for a soft top. Stick 4 bags of cement, or dozen blocks in the back and try again. Don't forget that the Irish local authorities have "different" standards when it comes to acceptable levels of road smoothness. Best of luck. G.

cosmetically, series 3. even hinges and heater are right. for sure only way to confirm is chassis number. on right hand front spring hanger. tap into cal vin [can't find link-sorry]or post here [exclude last three digits] G. ps 1971 seres 3 can have 2a hnges.

Tony, Brief history of diesels fitted as standard to series land rovers: bit weak mechanically and a bit underpowered but not too thirsty. A bit more detail but not 100% on when actual change over took place Series 1 2 litre disel 3 bearing which is not really suitable for modern daily use Series 2a and Series 3 (early) 2286 3 bearing engine which was adequate in a lighter rover but would struggle to haul a heavy 109" at greater than 50 mph 2286 5 bearing engine as 3 bearing but a bit more reliable All identifiable by the fuel pump in the same position as the distributer as the petrol engine. 5 bearing engines identifiable by engine number ( can't find the manual ) either 301 or 901 or something That's it for series diesels (though land rover did experiment with direct injection turbos in the 60's) Now, when the 90/110 came out the 5 bearing diesel engine was warmed over with the pump moved to t he front side of the engine running of the new timing belt, capacity was upped to 2.5 litres. Still not powerful but was ok reliable and worth sticking with unless you need the extra power. This is the 12j engine (I think) Later they strapped a turbo on = bad idea - the block wasn't up to it and was an unrelaible engine for many years until the block was redone. This is the 19j I think. 19j being the begining of the serial number The later version of this engine was ok. Then..... the TDI.(200 and 300) Great engine; looked after good for 1/4 million miles. Threre were timing belt issues but these are sortable. after that came the TD5 and the Dcti, both of which I know nothing about other than they have electonics. Longer than I thought. Gottago. G

Les, Thainking about it the best reference point would be the the top of the rear tub underbody supports, as these would be 90 degrees to the bulkhead (within Landrover tolerances). It's too dark to go out and look at the various chassis in the shed but as I recall the bulkhead rigger is plumb/straight to the chassis at that point. I'm curious, why the question? G.

um, tricky. I wonder if the same principle has applied to the slave - sold as 1" but cast as 7/8" ??? Some out of box thinking here - could you use a Dual circuit master cylinder with both outputs plumbed into the slave input using a Tee piece? Other than that you are looking at getting the 1" bored and slieved to your spec (non standard - yeuch!). There are a few outfits that do this for the classic car market - isn't cheap though. I'd try the 1" and see how bad it was, I am also led to believe the td5 defender clutch pedal has extra assistance by way of a helper spring, perhaps you could mimic this? best of luck, and do post your eventual solution - share the pain. G.

Looking at dingocroft http://shop.dingocroft.co.uk/acatalog/Hydraulics.html I see a master cylinder with the following specification: Replacement Brake Master Cylinder S2A & S3 Ref: 90569128D Application: 109" non-servo vehicles 'CV' type cylinder. Description: Replacement single line brake master cylinder for use with remote reservoir. Approximate dimensions: Length excluding pushrod 143mm (5.63"), bore 28.6mm (1.125"), mounting hole centres 63.5mm (2.5"). Price: £16.00£18.80 (Including: VAT at 17.5%) Any good? Never used Dingocroft but never heard anything bad either.

For reference: Dunsfold have galv versions at 15 GBP plus VAT.

The thnig to remember is that land rover chassis flex under normal use - so any paint that sets rock hard (like hammerite) will not provide lasting protection. Even worse it will crack, allow water behind it, which causes sheets of rust to form behind the paint. NOT nice. I recommend that if you can't galvanise the chassis then paint it with a zinc rich primer - Galfroid is my favourate - then top coat with a quailty domestic oil based exterior gloss paint - Dulux or similar. Two coats of each. Follow up with a a waxoil layer painted on the outside, and sprayed heavily on the inside. If the chassis is rusty then add 1/3 new engine oil to the waxoil for the inside - allows the oil to soak into the rust, rather than the wax to sit on the rust. Horrid job, which I'm doing at the moment, but worth it. Good luck - what you are doing will prolong the life of the cahssis indefinately.

Yes, definatly bought one. FTC 4018, with gearbox was 825 + VAT. Will be collecting before Billing. G.

Guess what? Ashcrofts have the bell housings in stock again. Just bought me a brand new gearbox and bell housing. Happy man I am! G.

Gremlin, Tell me more! How long is the LT77 bellhousing? Does it mate up with the R380? Who did the work on the input shaft/would Ashcrofts be able to make it all for me? Did you have front propshaft clearance problems? Would you have any photos? All guidance appreciated as I'm figuring it all out before I cut the gearbox cross member! G.

I've noticed that Minivin has fabricated a short bell housing for the R380. As I'm not that hopeful of ever finding one of the official FTC 4018 I'm wondering what work is involved in making one. Lacking any ali welding experience, and with a dread of misaligning the various components I'm wondering if any fab shop could make one for me? What sort of demand would there be for ths part, would it be worth commissioning a batch? G.