Snagger

A Tdi is a great engine to have, but it's fairly noisy, even compared to the Series diesels. 200Tdis come in two forms - the common RRC/Discovery version, which will fit an 88" without too much trouble, and the rarer and dearer Defender version which fits the 109 better (the manifolds and turbo don't foul the deeper chassis), but the different timing case would require alteration of the right side chassis mount. 300Tdis are all essentially the same (though you want one of the earlier non-EDC models with the simple fuel solenoid and no cruise control). I don't know much about mating their flywheel housing to the bell housing, but they would require custom mounts on both sides of the chassis and some inventive intake and exhaust work. The earlier engine is tougher but less refined. The 300 has weaker heads, but at least they're still available new, unlike the 200s'. To do the conversion, the best start would be to remove the Transit engine and return the engineless vehicle as much to standard as possible before following one of the many documented conversions done by others.

Running the return to a T in the lift pump feed can work, but if you get any air at all in the system, it won't bleed out - that's the point of the return running all the way to the tank. For running on vegoil, there is the benefit of the fuel being warmed before entering the filter. For diesel, this is only useful in the coldest of winters. I tried doing this on my 109 and it causes a lot of running problems if you have even the slightest air leak as it accumulates and causes running problems, making the engine statrt difficult and causing the engine to cut out at low rpm. I would advise against it - a return to the tank is much more reliable and ultimately safer - the engine ying on junstions ca get pretty dicey.

Sorry Mikey, I only just noticed your post count. Welcome! (Very rude of me not to say that before).

Well done! I wouldn't worry about any temperature that low - have you ever tried touching the transfer box after a similar run? Given time to warm up on a high speed trun, a transfer box will get hot enough to properly burn and scar your skin... It's not the bearing friction doing that but the gear meshing and energy loss in that meshing; all energy has to go somewhere.

I used the genuine return line valves, but they are now rare, horrifically expensive and the linkages between them and the main tap spindle are unavailable. The threads are also an awkward size to get pipe fittings for. Your easiest option would be to use a second tap identical to the feed tap which you would operate separately. This may be a little more effort in normal operation, but would be more flexible (as well as cheaper and simpler) in allowing you to feed from a holed tank and return to the other intact tank if you suffered damage off road.

Have a look at the system on my 109 on my blog - the taps have an extra return line valve to automaticlally connect the feeding tank to the return system. You could just run a return to one tank directly, but you'd have to make sure you always use that tank before the other if both were ever filled at the same time, even partially, and keep an eye on the level in the tank with the reurn as Tdis send an awful lot of fuel back to the tank and you could end up with an overflow.

If I remember correctly (and those saddles were made up nearly three years ago!), it was 8mm. It gives just enough space for the track rod but also for the diff housing, now inclines, to clear the top of the spring - the diff is much further to the right and the flare of the axle case is over the right spring, so the inboard face of the right saddle was a very peculiar shape. I should still have the cutting drawings I took to the fabricators, and the pices needed fairly little trimming after getting them back prior to welding up. I have heard of peple notching the axle tube to allow the spring to sit into it at that point, but I wouldn't want to weaken the casing like that and you'd run into track rod trouble again. However, that 8mm may be good for TIC parabolics, but standard springs may need more if the springs' camber is less than on mine. The easiest thing to do is mock up a single saddle for the left side (so the sides are symmetrical and you just have a simple semi-circular axle interface), set the axle inverted on stands so that the steering swivel pin axis is correct (3 degrees, just like Series axles), sloping forward towards the true bottom of the axle (remeber the axle is inverted, so the axis has to appear to slope forward to the top, ie with the swivel pins vertical, lift the diff nose just a little more). Then, tape your saddle mock up on to the axle so that its spring face is horizontal and test fit a spring for track rod clearance. Allow another few mm for sag if it's tight - you don't want the rod to be pressed against the spring when the axle is hanging on the spings bending them downwards, but that sag is usually only small. For working out the shape of the right saddle, I made a cardboard mock-up of the left saddle, marked the position of the saddle on the axle (with it still inverted on the stands with the swivel alignment maintained) and used one of those DIY profile cutting gauges - the black plastic box with sliding yellow or red strips that slide in or out around the shape you want to mimic, a bit like a 2D version of those executive toy steel pin toys that you create 3D impressions of your hand or face. The shape was transferred to the carboard mock up, which was then fettled to fit the axle properly before cutting the corners to use it as a template. Incidentally, I got those 8mm back by installing a third leaf in my parabolics (it'll also help with resisting axle wrap/tramp and helps the springs which were a little over-laden with my 109's weight). With normal springs and chassis, you could regain the height lost by using 1-ton shackles to drop the rear of the spring down away from the axle, rather than lifting the axle up in relation to the vehicle. Just remember that the saddles will have to sit at a new angle on the axle to compensate, and that different angle relative to the swivel castor axis would have to be measured but measuring the angle the centre of the spring sits with the existing shackles and then with the 1-ton shackles (measured on the spring directly or just on the axle bump stop plates), rotating the saddles by the same difference frther forward on the underside of the new axle (ie, with the axle inverted on the stands, drop the diff nose towards the floor by that number of degrees so that the saddles will still be fitted horizontal to the floor). As a guess, I'd estimate the angular change to be about 5 degrees.

The most satisfying thing was that until all this effort with the master cylinder and pedal box, everything fit onto the vehicle first-time, with not a single adjustment, fettling or even use of a mallet. The final clearance of the trackrod was always a worry and took a lot measuring when I made up the axles a couple of years ago, but it couldn't have come out better. I'm really pleased so far.

Everything except the master cylinder and servo is done on mine now. I tried the TD5 pedal box and servo, but the servo is to wide and fouls the steering box (I measured up before cutting the wing top, so the wing hasn't been lopped yet). The Discovery servo mated to the SIII pedal box (with an adapter plate and minor holing of the pedal box to accomodate the studs and nuts) also hit the steering box, or more specifically, the clamp securing the box to the base of the steering column. I was looking at all sorts of ways of stepping the pedal box up to move the servo away from the column, but then found I could just rotate the clamp through 180 degrees (witht he dowel removed from the column) and refit it with the pinch bolt underneath. It's not handy for removing the column as the brake pedal box would have to come out to get at the pinch bolt, but how often do you remove the column anyway? So, the Discovery parts now fit without any alteration of the pedal box or wing, other than bending the wing top's return edge out a bit so that it's at 45 degrees rather than vertical alongside the the servo. I just spoke with a local chap who has a much modified Lightweight. It's on coils with Wolf axles, and he's got very good brakes using the SIII master cylinder and servo. It seems like the general view that you have to uprate the master cylinder may be illfounded - none of the disc brake conversion kit manufacturers recommend upgrading the master cylinder either. So, all my efforts may have been unnecessary...

Hi Farlong, and welcome. Did you fit gas dampers as well? Standard SII dampers aren't enough with parabolics. What modifications to suggest depends a lot on your budget, ability and tastes. I think fitting Defender front seats, inertia reel seat belts and halogen head lights are all very good, basic mods to get you started. I have a heavily modified 109, and everything has been recorded on my blog. Click the signature below if you want to have a look around.

I wouldn't expect the brakes to be great on the first test drive - the pads and discs need to be bedded in by several hard applications to remove the protective coatings. The hiss from the MC could just be a small leak in the cap from the Ezibleed.

I get the same issue with my RRC, both with old Mintex and currently with EBC pads. It's a minor irritation, so I just ignore it.

The engine power/rpm is controlled by adjusting the mixture - it'll have some effects on temperature, but you don't get the issues that petrol engines do. As Vulcan says, big performance and temperature issues come from timing faults, with high temperatures and black smoke being associated with advanced injection and lower temperatures and white smoke from retarded injection. Retard it too much and you'll burn the exhaust valve and seat, and maybe damage the turbo too.

The main issues are the brackets on the miffle outriggers which attch to the front of the tub or the B-pillar cross member (further forward on SWs) and the floor support hoops for the rear floors, and a strudy bracket for the SW's rear seats and belt anchors. The rest is the same. You'll be able to adapt the SW chassis pretty easily (more so than the other way around).

In that case, it's worth a new chassis. If you can't stretch to a galvanised one, then Paddocks used to sell standard ones for about £800. They were built in batches by Marsland, and it was the batching and bulk buying that brought the prices down so far. I don't know if Paddocks still sell them, but it's worth a call... As long as you thoroughly wax the inside of the chassis (Dinitrol are the best products) and give several generous coatings to the outside with Schutz or similar, then it should last very well. If you can stretch to a galvanised, though, then it should last indefinitely if also waxed and schutzed.

If you're replacing the pistons, then I'd recommend Zeus' stainless pistons as they will save you from doing it again so soon. They weren't badly priced and were extremely well finished - I have fitted two complete sets and have been very impressed.

Do 110s have a bias valve for the rear callipers? I know that 90s, RRCs and Discovery Is have one, but I don't know if the longer wheel base eliminates the need for one.

Same part, or at least they're interchangeable, but I don't have the numbers handy.

They are a little chipped, but it looks to me like they still have plenty of life in them. The chipping occurs during gear changes, and ironically, slightly worn teeth like that make changes smoother and easier as the baulk ring has more time to synchronise rpm before the teeth intermesh. I suspect that some of that damage has occured due to poor changes (rushed or the clutch not fully disengaged) and poor oil servicing (level and frequency of replacement, leading to contaminated oil carrying swarf through the teeth. I'd re-use the gears, but I'd take a close, hard look at the baulk rings, as they would cause this damage if they're worn.

You have to consider more than just the final vehicle value when weighing up the financial viability of a bew chassis. It's fair comment that a new chassis might not add its full price to the vehicle's resale value, but it's also clear that it's cheaper in the long run than patching the chassis every year (and considerably safter), and it's cheaper than buying a vehicle new enough to have many years before it need chassis welding (you'd be looking at a fairly new Defender for that). At the same time, though, you need to remember that other issues will rear their heads as the strip down occurs - body panels with rotten mountings, rotten bulkheads, mechanical faults like bad suspension springs and dampers, wiring issues and so on. The cost of a rebuild can be meagre or massive, depending on how you chose to do it; I spent a small fortune because I made a raft of modifications and wanted excellent bodywork too, but if you can stick to just a chassis swap and have little else to worry about, then the cost is certainly worthwhile.

That's true, but in this case, it's a pre-tapped hole which should have a thin shell of the old bolt left in it. With luck, the bolt wil quickly break up and come out. DOn't force the tap hard, though - use plenty of reversals and cutting fluid.

Brake cleaner soaked cotton tips, like you use for cleaning your ears, contrary to medical advice (the tips, not the brake cleaner - don't use that in your ears!)...

You might have an electrical problem of some sort. Does the pump run at all now? If it was allowed to run continuously for a long time, it might be damaged. I think you need to replace all the fuses and relays associated with the system, just in case one of them is faulty. Unplug, clean and refit the connections to the pump and the pressure sensor (that means the two plugs - the black rectangular pressure sensor one and the white cylindrical pump power plug). Use contact cleaner and make sure the contacts are clean and bright, not dulled or corroded. Also remove the braided hose from the pump to the ABS block to make sure it isn't blocked - the pump may be operating correctly but be unable to pressurise the system. A similar issue would occur if the accumulator has failed - remove and drain it and check that its pipes are also clear.

For the broken bolt, I'd cut it as close to the block as possible and then drill down its centre in gradually increasing sizes until the threads can be tapped out at their standard size, only using helicoils if the threads got damaged. Don't use Ezi-outs as they will snap off in the bolt, leaving a hardened steel core that you won't be able to drill. As for the plug, I'd give the plug and its hole a good clean and then use red Locktite.

Sounds like you either have a blocked inlet pipe between the intake and intercooler or a seized turbo.