Snagger

I agree, and I also do the same - standard bushes in the chassis and poly in the springs - that way, failure of the bush does not result in chassis damage, but the spring bushes which need more rotation are free to do so.

Ah, sorry for the confusion - the Z sections will be bonded to the the sides, but the floor will be bolted dry to the Z sections with neoprenes tape for sealing but not bonding! Thanks for the tips - it's all useful.

The front prop looks like it has a double Cardan joint at the gear box end, and these are hard to service. If the ball and socket between the two UJ sections of the joint wear, it causes bad vibration as the two UJs conflict with each other rather than support eachother. You need to drain all the oil from every part of the vehicle, run for 100 miles with new, and flush it again to get rid of that water contamination - it won;y only be in the rear diff, and a single swap of oil won't get it all out. Sorry: $$$.

The rear brakes should be at a lesser pressure than the front on a swb, and especially if you have larger rear brakes than normally matched to the front system. If you were using a Defender/Discovery master, then I'd say you need the reducing valve for sure, but if you have the older 110 master which is set up for drums on the back, then that will be producing less pressure on that circuit and I wouldn't want to reduce it further with the valve. So, incorporation of the valve depends on the master in use...

That's what I suspected. What about mating a Borg Warner to an LT77 or R380 - do they fit a box previously attached to a ZF, or are they special/need adapters?

I was going to use PU adhesive to bond in the new Z-sections as it'll act as a sealant, rust preventer and bonding all in one, much better than spot welds or mechanical fixings. The floor is pressed downwards by loads, not up, so it'll be more than strong enough, and the rear belts are connected to the chassis through the floor, so the floor takes minimal loads in a crash. The floor sheet will be bolted in with a strip of neoprene as a gasket so that the whole floor can be removed whenever needed - it makes access to fuel tanks and the chassis much easier.

Anyone know if the ZF has a short version, comparable in length to a short LT77 or stumpy R380, or are they all long for the Discovery and RRC? I assume they fit a Discovery 200Tdi without difficulty, given that most 200 powered RRC had them... Are they different from the V8 coupled ZF (torque converters, bell housings, flywheel housings, etc)?

Be very thorough in checking the brake lines and steering system before driving even under tow.

Fair enough, but given the title of the thread it's diesel that I thought we were talking about!

On the RR 40th Anniversary heritage run to Gaydon (we took part as the 1995 RRC representative), I saw a beautifully restored Westminster grey Classic. He had problems trying to locate a replacement floor, so in the end he used a sheet of aluminium alloy, similar to the 3mm hardened marine grade alloy I used for my 109's floor. It'll be bolted around its edge to the Z-sections, using rivnuts in the flanges. I was planning to do that using YRM's Z-sections and their rear cross member, if needed (the sections I can see at the moment look good, except for the spot welded flange along the front, which has blown with rust). The rear faces of the rear arches, where they meed the boot sides, need patching. Overall, it's not a bad starting point.

In a partially seized piston, you'd be right, but a full seizure means the piston is stuck fast. The pad (and disc) will wear quite quickly to a point where they aren't causing much friction, but the pad can't be pressed in further for braking. I've had both.

The regular diesel is, but the premium diesel is modified. I've never seen it at supermarkets, though, and if I have a Tesco discount voucher, then I'll use it. I use Tesco fairly often anyway, as we have a clubcard and get a lot of points on it, which has paid for a few Channel crossings, a fair few Legoland and Alton Towers tickets, and iPod and god knows what else, which can be included in the "economy" calculations.

I haven't got any figures, but I did try it out a few years ago, recording odometer milages for each top up. I seem to recall geting around 5-6% better mpg, while the fuel is typically 3-4% dearer per litre. It isn't a major saving on fuel costs, but coupled to better engine conditions and also reduce transmission vibration from the smoother running, I think it probably helps on reducing maintenance costs, and it is much more pleasant to drive.

It's simpler than that - the lower grade fuel burns less well, so you have to throw more in to get the same energy. Acceleration is reduced, so you spend more time in lower gears, and more unburnt fuel goes out the exhaust when cruising, which is why lower grade fuels create more smoke.

Free moving UJs aren't necessarily good. If they're loose enough to flop about under their own weight, they're worn out, and a UJ might have corrugations of wear on the spider that bind under load but are free unloaded.

Like several others reported here, I have found the premium diesel gives far better performance and economy, and smoother and cleaner driving. I suspect they also help keep the engine innards cleaner and the pump better lubricated. I find they cost more per litre but less per mile than standard diesels.

Yep, you're right Phil. Haven't had that for a long time, so memory let me down. I seem to recall mine being cranked by a few degrees in the middle so that it would clear the door's frame as the door was closing, but it may have just been bent by accident.

My wife's 2009 Defender does it too, and it is manual. The clutch drags just enough that when you select gear, the slack in the transmission gets taken up. Your toque converter will do the same. Nothing to worry about if it's a small knock, but you can check the suspension bushes and A-frame ball joint, and it's worth checking the splines on the gear box main shaft and the transfer box input gear as they can wear.

A seized piston in any calliper will produce a pull in the opposite direction under braking because the seized piston cannot apply pressure to the pad. That applies to rear brakes too, though it will be less pronounced than front brakes. Bent mountings for e the anti-roll bar could also be an issue as it will be causing the axle to articulate under normal conditions, and as the axle sits low at one side, it will affect axle alignment and also affect weight distribution on each of the wheels.

These 300Tdi+ flanges always wear their splines quickly. The internal seal in the stub axle prevents oil reaching the splines and the wheel bearings. I think the idea was to reduce the oil contamination of the brakes following hub seal failure, but I think its a design flaw. Some mechanics advocate destroying the seal's lip so that oil can get onto the hub from the axle, and I'm inclined to agree. The only issue then is that the little plastic hub cone isn't as secure as on the older hubs and can leak oil, so put it on clean with a smear of RTV sealant.

Sorry, badly presented answer. I know the rear axle has an integrated shaft/flange arrangement, which is fairly flat on the 300, but the 300 front was a separate shaft and flange, like on Defenders and my 300 RRC. The 200 has integrates shafts/flanges on both axles, and the flange is a domed affair and has 10 spline diffs. The same is true for RRCs, and Defenders with the thigh drive flanges and longer plastic cones also have 10 spline Rover diffs (110s will have Salisbury rear).

The diagonal split was common a while ago, but I think most modern cars have symmetrical systems to make sure the car pulls up straight under braking. I can see the logic behind the split master cylinder, but I found on my SIIIs that in practice it didn't seem to work - the travel required to pressurise the serviceable side was just too long (and the brake systems were well cared for, not worn, leaking and mal-adjusted). It might work better on disc brake systems, though, as they have less fluid transfer.

I see it another way. While replacing the chassis and all the associated other parts and labour involved will not make the car worth on resale what you spend on it, it will give you a car which will last you a very long time indeed. £10k would provide for a pretty thorough rebuild, including the new chassis, a full overhaul of engine and transmission, a sound tidy up of the body and interior and of all the vehicle subsystems. What would you get for £10k if you were shopping around? Nothing that will last you another 30 years, and nothing that doesn't already have problems... In my books, that makes expensive rebuilds very worthwhile and good value. The important thing is to get an agreed value insurance, just in case it gets stolen or wrecked.

This project has been getting pushed back, as is so oft the case, because life keeps getting in the way. The latest thing was the 109's gear box breaking, and then it being problematic after its first rebuild. It's 3.54 diffs are probably responsible, so they need changing to 4.71s (I've done the rear Salisbury and just need to do the front Rover diff) and I need to sort out the engine mount to clear the low 200Tdi Defender mounting from the higher Defender diff position with the axle swap as they are contacting each other under heavy braking... But, the RRC project has just been given a huge boost for kick-off by my wife's anniversary present to me - she has paid up front for a Turner Engineering rebuild of the 300Tdi and for its head to be gas flowed! I'll be getting the original engine done, despite the double transportation, as I want to keep the car as original as possible. So, I need to get that damned engine crane back from HSS again to put the lump out. I think I'll ask Turners if the work can be done in a single booked day, and if so, if I could watch and take photos for my blog; it can't hurt to ask and is all good publicity anyway. In which case, I' take the engine to them and bring it back too. It was a great surprise - my wife gave me a voucher she'd printed up with the Turner logo and an exploded diagram of a Tdi with the details on it, looking like a genuine voucher, and put it inside the anniversary card. She said she'd taken pity on me looking like a kicked puppy, being so cheesed off with the 109's gear box issues and having to remove and rebuild it three times last month! This from the woman who sold her beloved Saab so we could keep the 109, then bought me the galv chassis and the bulkhead removal bar as Christmas presents (Still, she did get a Lightweight and later a 2009 Defender herself)!

I'd hazard a guess that the basic stuff is pretty similar everywhere, with small variations from forecourt tank water contamination. The big difference is that supermarkets don't stock premium diesels, which is why I now use BP where I can. Oddly, the Shell stations on my usual routes don't seem to have premium diesel either - anyone seen premium at a big Shell forecourt?