Bowie69

Cut it down by 10mm If you run with a worn shaft and new flange, you run the risk of ruining the new flange... the shafts you have look very good, so £20 well spent, a cutting disc will only be another £1....

Which solenoid were you using? The 'HD' DC88-276P is only rated to: Thermal Current Rating 100% 100A Intermittent Current Rating 30% Duty 180A 40% Duty 160A 50% Duty 150A 60% Duty 130A 70% Duty 120A Which is almost certainly beyond the hard use you will give it on long pulls, even powering only one motor. Personally I would run one solenoid per motor, and have an indicator light on the switched side to let you know it is working, that way you can run with just the one motor, you're half speed, but you won't kill it so quickly. If you do use the above solenoid, there is a heavier version, the DC88-540PL, I can't see specs for it, but it should last longer than the above.

OBDII for diesels was compulsory from 2003, IIRC.

Actually, going by the points sytem, you have IIA repaired chassis, 5 points, suspension, 2 points, steering 2 points, total = 9 points = absolutely fine. Steering is a bit of a grey area in this case as it is not specified, however, I see little difficulty bolting a IIA column in place to comply. Arguably you could say the axles are the same, as to all intent and purposes they are, it's just the brakes that are different on the end. It's not a BITSA, it's a perfectly legitimate vehicle, and from what can be seen, aside from the blue boxes, it could be a very nice truck when finished. If I was looking for a Series project I would definitely consider it.

I was very much under the impression that wide flanges will NOT fit, not just because of the PCD, but the fitment into the hub, they are also as hard a heat treated unobtanium... Simplest solution, keep what you have, and chop the shaft down a bit. Given the gap you have, take 10 mm off and see how you get on, ideally you want it so that the flange sits home fully, and there's not too much of a gap between circlip and flange that needs shimming -my axles have no shims on the rear at all. If you want to know how much spare spline you have to chop off at the diff end, then put some paint on a spline and push it home, should give a good indication

Don't muck about with fancy machining... if the splines on the diff end are long enough (you should be able to see how far they went in from a wear marking), lop ~15mm off with an angle grinder, smooth it off nicely and fettle the splines with a file if needed Honestly, they are big lumps of metal, not precision engineering, I wouldn't get too pretty about making sure they are lathed off neatly. Bodger? Me? Nah

Where'd you get the shafts from in the end? They look like they could be Defender wide flange items... They do look in good nick though As for turning the shafts down, I'd never thought of it TBH, but I really can't see why not, assuming there is enough length in the diff end splines. I'd take a touch more than 5mm off though, the circlips are designed to stop the shaft contacting moving parts inside the diff IIRC, so ramming the shafts home and saying "I'll take 5mm off" is probably not the best idea. I'd suspect the amount you want off is the same as the difference in drive flange thickness, 17mm -though you will probably want to measure this first

This thread makes me sad There has been some useful/helpful posts by a few, and pretty unhelpful ones by a couple, not really what anyone wants to see on here. Rob: Sorry for the above unhelpful/argumentative/disencouraging posts, please notice that there are only 2/3 posts that have upset you whereas I think 7 gave you good/helpful information or content. Good luck with the rest of your project, they are a nice vehicle to drive, I agree, even if I have a Classic myself

Is what stuff any good...........?

Don't know whay you would want something that is 10mm/6mm plate galved, it's not gonna rust!

I had an RR with no side steps which was very very rotten in the sills, and one with side steps which is pretty much mint compared to any other I have seen with it's sill trims off, they do make a big difference IMHO.

Equally, why should they need to know? As usual it ends up inconveniencing the law abiding rather than the criminals.

Doh, found it, sorry Clive, I'd played with them at some point and drawn my own conclusions about their operation:

Sounds like something stuck and rubbing against the wheel, or maybe against the venting in the brake disc? Really can't think of a mechanical failure that would produce that sort of noise.... possibly a CV I suppose, but still a strange one.

Hmm, maybe you are Occasionally right.....sorry, I hadn't read Clive's reply.... I will check RAVE in the morning (not at my PC at the moment....)

Where are you measuring from? You haven't just smacked the wing so hard to have bent it down 2" have you?

Try Les Henson on here, he's Swindon based and sure to give you a good deal

Plus of course what you could sell as you no longer need them

It would, yes. I'd still stick with original chassis and stick parabolics under it, you may be pleasantly surprised, and not ruin a perfectly good truck in the mean time 4 springs and new shocks = <£500, chassis engine and the rest of it = £???? not to mention hundreds of hours of work. I would keep what you have standard, at least in chassis and body.

UGH, OK, having a dyslexic moment.... Sorry As for fitting Defender axles, I don't think they will cope with the GVW, that is why they have Salisbury axles in the first place. Even the 110 had a Salisbury rear to cope with the additional payload.

Here's a very good write up of fitting the International 2.8 TGV engine into a FC....posted on LRO a few days ago, wasted an hour or so readin that lot http://www.arewethereyet.eu/Beast/index.html What I don't fully understand is the want to put it on a Defender chassis? They are the wrong wheelbase by 7 or 9 inches and completely the wrong profile (FC chassis is straight box section, Defender curves quite a lot over the axles). An RRC would be a better match at 100", but still have outriggers and cross members in the wrong place, and curves where you don't want them If you wanted ride comfort then I'd go for parabolics... and keep the chassis as is, if it is rotten, then I think you are onto a hiding with it.... It is however a nice looking truck.... second time this week I have wanted one now

They unbolt, 13mm IIRC, with a banjo and a copper washer either side. Both the banjo bolt and the banjo itself block up really easily, only way I could clear mine was to detatch it, clean with a solvent and then blow compressed air back down from the engine bay (well snorkel, where I have extended them to). Hope you have better luck

You say 'switch the fans on', radiator or heater? If radiator, you will need to have them switch on and off thermostatically, not like a diesel where you can basically run without one! White smoke on starting is just condensation in the exhaust, nothing to worry about, especially in this weather. If the water system isn't over pressurising you don't have slipped liner/head gasket gone causing the overheating. Timing makes a huge difference to power on the V8s, get it set to 6-9 BTDC and see how it runs. Timing won't make it overheat when idling, more likely at cruise speeds where damage can occur. If when you are driving it around and the coolant is only at 70C you may find that your fuel consumption is bad because it is not warming up properly, it needs to be at least 82C when running really. Other thing to check is the ECU coolant temperature sender, if this fails it will just keep on chucking fuel in because it thinks it is -40C outside I would start by checking the radiator fan(s) whether viscous or electric, water pump, air locks in the cooling system, thermostat -does it have a jiggle pin and is it fitted at the top?

Good news

Yes, they will survive anything except severe heat, which you won't get there.