Snagger

I use a genuine SIII sender, and with the 88oC stat get a steady temperature smack i the middle of the normal arc (the lower edge of the needle touches the top left corner of the "N"). If you don't want to pay for a genuine sender, try Bearmach - they're the only pattern supplier I trust. But people should really start to learn that cheap deals on the net, especially ebay, and particularly for unbranded parts, often cost more in the long run. Pattern might be fine for non-essential items like trim, but for mechanical or essential electrics, OEM is always the safest bet.

The front diff is in a removable carrier, so is as simple a swap as you thought, but the Salisbury rear diff case is integral to the axle - you need to swap the innards over. Like I said, it sounds scary but is in fact incredibly simple. The worst problem is having to remove the speedo for recalibration.

Might just ahve been the early TD5s, then, but they always seemed to have terrible rot around the rear tub cappings and on the panels between the rear doors and wheel arches on 110 SWs, much like the 300Tdis. That doesn't seem to afflict Pumas.

Was the sender one of the Steve Parker specials? I have read others on here having trouble with those. Just use a genuine sender for the year your vehicle was made as there were a few different types over the years.

Mine gets used daily, with a Tdi, and has done so ever since I owned it. It used to do 12k a year, but still does typically 7k or more and is driven at modern speeds. The gear box failed once since I rebuilt it, and I had suspicions that Bill seconded that it was a combination of the Tdi and too tall a ratio of overdrive and 3.54 diffs that broke a gear. It had run fine for years with everything except the raised diffs. I'm still running the 3.54s, but only use the OD as a fifth gear, never in anything other than 4th, to make sure that none of the gear sets are exposed tot hat torque resistance. I can't afford a later transmission retrofit at the moment, since I have the RR to rebuild, but an LT77S or short R380 would be a nice option.

That is indeed the leak off pipe. Any air leaks in the system will allow the fuel to drain back down when shut off. Replacing that pipe may fix the problem, but if not, look for more leaks. The trouble is that a leak can be small enough to prevent fuel getting out but permit air in, so if replacing all the leak off hoses (they are notoriously prone to perishing on Tdis), then inspect the rest of the pipes systematically until you find the fault(s). Olives on the plastic pipes into the lift pump are another common source of leaks. The system will self purge as long as you have a return line to the tank (standard, but some people loop the return into the lift pump feed as a bodge for a leaking return line or when fitting a vegoil fuel system with heat exchanger, which is fine as long as the system is 100% leak free as self purging no longer occurs and air will build up until the engine cuts out).

Also check for corrosion of the windscreen frame to bulkhead clamps, mirror arms and lower rad grille. As for the chassis, we had our 27,000 mile, 3yr old road use only Puma treated by Rustmaster, and though it looked really good before I took it in, I was horrified once the steam cleaning of the chassis, suspension and axles was completed. The rear tub reinforcement for the folding seats needs close attention early on if you want to prevent anything more than surface rust, too. Then look at the wing and head light trim alignment - all Defenders since 1997 look sad, with drooping wings and even droopier trims - I spent a day fixing those and the grille corrosion. Still, they're better than the 300Tdi and TD5 for resistance to corrosion...

That's an excellent find - I have wanted a pair of those for the back end of my 109 for some time but I had only seen single sized, over priced kits by LR specialists, and I need them to be roughly square to fit behind Defender side windows at the front of the side panels (so roughly square).

No, your shafts will fit 3.54 diffs. All Salisbury diffs have 24 splines. You just need to make sure the front diff is 10 spline - that was standard on RRCs, Discoverys and Defenders up to about 1994 (around the introduction of the 300Tdi). I believe that any axle with the thick five-bolt drive flanges and plastic cones or domed all-in-one flange/shaft set are 10 spline, and that the thing star flange with small plastic cone or flat all-in-one flange/shaft are 24 spline, but that may be inaccurate. The rear diff will need to come from any Salisbury equipped 110. Reading manuals on Salisbury diff installation is worrisome, but it's actually pretty easy - I did it on my 109. Remove the prop shaft and the pinion flange, half shafts and rear cover. Use the spreader tool, undo the bearing caps and lift the (very heavy) diff carrier assembly out of the housing, followed by the pinion and its inner bearing. With the spreader still in place, install the new diff carrier with its bearings, then slacken the spreader to check for free rotation of the carrier in its bearings without any play. If that's OK, and it usually is, spread the axle again, pull the carrier back out and install the new pinion with its inner bearing. As long as there is no damage or significant wear to the races, don't bother disturbing the outer races already fitted to the casing - it's not ideal to "mix and match" bearings and races, but if they're in good order, then it'll do no harm as the production tolerances are very tight. Fit the new pinion and then the carrier and check for backlash - the pinion height will be correct already as they are also made very accurately; the pinion bearing shims are for casing inaccuracy, and this has already been set with the original shims for the old diff. If there is excess backlash between the carrier and pinion, you'll need to transfer shims from under one carrier bearing to the other side, but this is also unlikely and I have not heard of anyone having to do it - the diffs always seem to be a direct swap with no shim adjustment. On reassembly, do the pinion flange nut up to 150'lbs and it'll be fine.

Re the heating, I replaced my SIII heater with a newish Defender TD5 unit, which was a big improvement but still struggles to heat a 109. An Eberspacher like Fridge suggested would be much more effective, its down side being a lack of demisting ability. Steering is often woolly on old vehicles. Check for wear in the rod ends and swivel pins, make sure the steering column and relay housing are firmly fixed tot heir supporting structures, the steering arms are tight on the relay and steering box, and the swivel arms are not moving in relation to the swivel housings (the studs can wear thin). When adjusting the steering box, slacken the lock nut and then the centre square section adjuster (consider removing it to drain the old oil out for replacement), and then tighten it finger tight only - any tighter and you will cause rapid wear to the rocker shaft fork and the main nut taper.

I modified a 110 drum braked Salisbury to take discs and alloys. It's a fair bit of work. Spacers are the easy way out, but they have their downsides (increase bearing and stub axle wear, increased steering loads and steering component wear, increased paint work damage and mud thrown up the sides). However, spacers for alloys have flanges to locate the wheel core near the hub in lieu of the hub centring the wheel itself. Sacers used for steel wheels are plain and don't support the wheel centre. I am not sure the alloy wheels are rated to be unsupported at their centres and located only by the nuts, and I don't think the lug equipped alloy spacers will fit the older hubs.

It won't be the glow plugs. It's the fuel side - the pipe work will be allowing air in when the engine is shut down, allowing fuel to drain back down to the tank and requiring the injection pump and injectors to be re-purged on each start. Check every union is undamaged (the olives can wear out from vibration or over-tightening) and are suitably tight. Inspect the injector pipes for small cracks and replace the leak-off pipe copper washers and look for pin holes in the plastic piping. Check the seals on the fuel filter, too.

Good to know I was right about the slaves and drums - I never actually measured them and was working on "appearance". The pedal box and servo were identical to my 109's, but the master cylinder was not - the 109 cylinder had a more rectangular reservoir, rather than round-ended, and the pipe connection threads were different (and also had slightly different positions relative to the servo), needing new pipes to be fabricated for the temporary repair.

My recommendation for SII 88 brakes would be to fit late SIII (1980+) 88 brakes. My wife's 1980 Lightweight had 11" SLS front brakes and I think it had 10" rear, with the dual line circuits and servo assistance. It worked beautifully. Make sure you match the master cylinder to the slaves - I later had to fit my 109's old master cylinder as a temporary repair when the LW's master blew a seal, and the pedal became much harder and braking effectiveness was markedly reduced. By doing that, you will be fitting a standard 88" brake system as designed and certified by LR, so should not face any problems from your insurers or the authorities (should you have an accident). I'd still run it by your insurers before you start and get a brake test and engineers report afterwards, just to cover your back side legally and as a double check or your work. I now have the complete disc brake system from a Discovery on my 109, and while maintenance is simple, braking is no better than with the original system.

You have two issues to look at regarding fitting the radius arms to Series axles: 1) Steering lock - if you fit the arms in the standard RRC/Defender positions, then the steering lock of the shorter Series axle will be vastly reduced (sounds like you have already worked that one out), and; 2) Articulation - if you sit the radius arm under the chassis rails to avoid the above, like LR did the leaf springs, then you will need to ensure the minimum interference between the chassis and radius arm. Having the sticks inverted means that the front end will hit the bump stops pretty quickly, limiting axle articulation. I have a suspicion that the front chassis legs of the Series vehicles are lower to the chassis than on the coilers, so " above will really be an issue. As for my previous post, I was thinking of the read stud and main arm alignment being kinked, but I was probably remembering images of cranked arms for suspension lifts.

3.54 diffs into a Series vehicle are simple, even the Salisbury is a fairly simple swap. I guess you don't need the hill climbing ability of lower gears! There are few stupid questions - it's wise to ask for advice, even if you think you already have the answer. There are plenty of stupid answers, though, so cross check everything!

The SIII box is a straight swap as long as you swap the bell housings and clutch mechanisms over so that the new SIII unit has the SII bell housing and clutch system. Alternatively, you can use the SIII clutch (you'll need a new pressure plate, friction plate, release bearing and fork, and the slave cylinder and piping). The SIII stuff is better in most respects if you go for the bigger HD clutch and buy quality components - it eliminates the torque rod and clevis pins which are prone to wear and other problems, and also gives a sealed bell housing that reduces mud/water ingress (eliminates it if the wading plug is fitted to the flywheel housing). The one weakness is in the pattern part clutch release bearings, but if you buy gen parts (Timken), or good quality alternatives (like NSK, SKF), you should have no trouble. It depends on budget. The SIII box is easier to use and has a much more robust lay shaft (the bearings are all identical to the SII), and the clutch plates are stronger and stay cleaner, but it'll cost more and comes at the expense of some of the vehicle's original character...

A lot of calssic car guys in the UK use Denso tape - it's been done since the 60s and apparently works well for road cars with leaf springs. It could be problematic for those which wade or go in deep mud, though, as it will holed water in and prevent cleaning and further lubrication.

Hi.

The dual line, servo assisted system from a SIII would be a relatively cheap and easy retro fit that would provide very good results. The twin leading shoe 11" front system from a 109 is very effective, but is a pain to bleed, as is the PDWA valve in the dual line system (which could be omitted and replaced by the level sensing cap from a Discovery or RRC. Disc brakes are better still because of their ease of bleeding (if the PDWA valve is removed, anyway), and their self cleaning and adjusting nature. They're no more powerful than well maintained drums, but they're much easier to live with because of the much reduced maintenance. It does get expensive to buy the kits, and fitting coiler LR parts is challenging.

I don't think you could invert the radius arms because of the angle between them and the stud at their back end, which goes through the chassis bushing, unless you attach the chassis bracket at an angle rather than vertical.

There are just a couple of photos of the car before I started taking it to pieces. Unfortunately, my blog was made to show my 109 rebuild, and the other Land Rovers we own were added to the blog peripherally. It's a very standard looking Classic in Epsom Green with grey trim, black bumpers and TWR alloys (as many of the last year had). The only ones I remember taking are here: http://www.nickslandrover.co.uk/range-rover-tidy/ The chassis seems nearly mint (though I'm not sure what'll be revealed when I remove the gear box cross member) - it had been waxed from early on, and it's where the body shell was missed that the problems are: behind the mudshield strips in the wheel arches, the bottoms of the head light mounts and under the battery trays, the void between the rear cross member and boot floor and the space between the rear sills and rear wheel arch front extensions (mud shields to prevent spray onto the sills, but a great mud and water trap). Had it been waxed more carefully at the start, then I'd only be looking at a respray and minor outer panel work.

I had picked out a company after an internet search, but forgot the details. It won't be done fore some time - the inner shell will be the priority as there is no point having a load of perfect panels if I don't have a shell to hang them on! One of the LR mags had an article about it, oddly enough doing those very panels. Then again, it only works on steel, and no-one in the UK has tanks big enough anymore to do a complete RR inner shell. As for the engine change, I'm working under similar circumstances. The trouble is that I'm running out of space in the double garage - panels take up a lot of room, and though the wings and trim are going up in the rafters, the bonnet, doors, tail gate and roof can't. I have no idea where I'll store the seats...

I only get occasional use of the main computer to upload photos, and I use that time to update the blog, so unfortunately I have to direct you there: http://www.nickslandrover.co.uk/category/range-rover-classic/

Bah, humbug! At least I can go past a fuel station without stopping!