simonr

X-Eng These look very similar to the ones we're flogging - but a fair bit cheaper! I can't buy them for that money! I'm pretty convinced by mine - I've tried beating one with a club hammer and it just bounced! I had a few laser cut from mirrored plastic - but when you put them in to the standard mirror head, the image does distort some (a bit like the funny mirrors at fairgrounds ). If you want to try some of the plastic ones, send me an SA(padded)E and I'll send you a couple to try for free. I only have a few mind! Si

The main problem with both hydraulic & PTO is getting a line speed at which you can assist with a bit of drive to the wheels. You may say that they are just so powerful that there is no need - but I beg to differ - you'll probably just snap the line. Imagine climbing a step - the winch pulls you in to the step, not over it. Apply a bit of drive and the wheels will climb the step. This consideration rules out PTO for me - and although you might think it rules out Hydraulic as well, there is one bit of technology nobody (that I've heard of) is currently using which IMHO gives you the best of both worlds without going electric. That is Variable Displacement Pumps (and Motors). These are generally a swash-plate design where you can change the angle of the swash plate which in turn varies the volume/pressure of fluid per revolution. You would need a cable operated 'throttle' for the pump - but you could adjust the line speed to accuratly match the wheel speed. Some will change the direction of flow when the swash plate angle crosses zero which would give you the ability to 'jog' the line in & out with millimeter accuracy if perhaps you were trying to line up with a punch for example but at the same time could wizz the line in or out at max displacement if needbe. Why has nobody done this? F@@@@@d if I know! If I had a hydraulic winch - that is how I'd do it! For that reason alone, in my book, Hydraulic wins. Si

OK, the shaft is 30 spline - so, my guess is either that yo are running a Toyota diff, front shafts and CV's into custom drive flanges, or you've had new front inner shafts made to use with toyota CV's with standard diffs and custom flanges? Close? Either way - good idea! Si

250mm is as small as I can make it. It's still smaller than the drum though. Si

1/8 BSP Si

The caliper stands about 20mm proud of the rear face of the original drum. If memory serves me, there is abour 150mm between the drum and the cross member - so there should still be 10mm clearance. This version uses the original handbrake lever, but gets rid of the bell crank on the chassis and replaces the vertical tie-rod from the lever to the bell crank with one of adjustable length. If you are moving the transfer box back - you may have to at the very least lengthen the tie rod 7cm or so. The adjustment in it's length at the moment is just a 100mm M8 bolt. Replacing it with a length of high tensile studding would do the trick. Not sure how much the kit, development or otherwise will be. There is more cutting, folding and machining than the defender version, although the caliper is £50 cheaper. If I can find a low cost source of the imperial bolts which hold the brake drum on, 10mm longer than standard, it removes the need for machining which will take £7 off the cost minus the cost of the bolts. I could go metric bolts (probably M8) which would be cheap I suppose. At this stage, I'm still experimenting with different design elements and don't want to pre-empt any pricing decisions before I have quotes for any of the manufacture. One way or another, it will be cheaper than the defender version! Si

I also have conveyor rubber - very good and does a good job of noise reduction. Mine came from Toogood Industrial in Surrey 01342 844188. They sell off cuts and used belts as well. Si

The disk is 10mm - and the idea is precisely that it will bend up and touch the disk. It translates a longitudinal force, in the direction the disk is weakest into a radial force - in the direction the disk is strongest. That is a lot better than the disk bending backwards. The skid is only 2mm away from the disk and elastic enough to spring back. Even if it does bend, far easier to bend it back using a stick than to make a warped disk flat again! Si

That is the goal. Although it seems a long way off - it's looming fast and development of things like this take more time than I would have ever realised! Si

Thanks to Mark Catchpole for the loan of his vehicle, this version has steamed ahead in the last week. This version works - although the back plate needs a 2mm tweak with a grinder & welder and I need to cut a 20mm bigger diameter disk. As you can see, the caliper is about 10mm proud of the outside of the disk. It had to be moved out in order to clear the ring of bolts which hold the disk on. The Series Drum is only 1/4" thick, whereas the disk is 10mm. I'm undecided whether to supply 6 longer bolts or have the disks machined to reduce the thickness of the middle to allow the use of original bolts. The former will be cheaper, but the latter will be quicker & easier to fit? I will make 10 prototypes which will be sold at cost to individuals to try out and feed back any changes necessary. It needs at least a month of in-use trials before production will start. It is my hope to launch them before Billing this year. Si

Fantastic - Thank very much! Si

I like Billing! I've been every year since 1992 and although it's changed over that time, I don't think it has got particularly better or worse. I agree the toilets could be better - but they are no worse than at any other event with similar numbers of people (with similar inability to point vaguely at the urinal). Go to Glastonbury or any of the other festivals and Billing will seem pretty good! I thought HFH's comment about being ripped off from when you enter to when you leave was a bit strong. The tickets are expensive I agree - but I have still bought my biggest bargains at Billing. Surprisingly more so than Sodbury. Si

Do you know what the thread sizes of the different bolts used to hold, principally 90 rear and 110 front calipers on to the axle are? I'm making fiddle brakes at the moment and I need to tap the bracket which bolts on to the axle with an appropriate thread. The brackets will take RR Rear or 110 front calipers and although I have both calipers,I dont have any of the bolts to guess the thread from. Any ideas would be appreciated. Si

I believe that the main issue in talking to the proprietry land rover data pins in baud rate. Perfectly possible to doon a PC - but you need to talk directly to the serial chips to persuade them that the data is not corrupted. Rovercom might not like you sticking a logic analyser on their kit - but it's what they must have done on the LR test book so I'm not sure they will have much of a leg to stand on. One day, when I get a landy with this kind of technology, I'll have a go at building / writing something. SteveG & I talked about reverse engineering the EAS control protocol and writing a simple control app for a PDA to let you override the EAS calibration (in order to raise / lower or lean the vehicle on demand). Sadly, never got beyond the talking stage. Si

As you know - I'm pretty in-to techy add-ons and unnecessary computerisation of things. I have to admit though, with this, I'm unsure how much of the huge amount of info it displays is actually going to be useful. If you just want it for the digital dash - surely you'd be better buying a speedo and some blue LED's and at least be secure in the knowledge it's not going to crash or become virus infected! There are a few people selling little LCD gauges which show a number of selectable different readings (and look quite bling) . I'd be more confident about their reliability (particularly in the wet). Unfortunatly, your engine is not fitted with the sensors to provide useful in depth diagnostics, save perhaps for the lambda sensor. Fortunatly, you only really need them if you are running a scratch built prototype engine or entering F1. Stick to nice mechanical dials! Si

Thanks Jim Si

My parts books only go back to 1987 - so it's not covered. What is the part number of the speedo housing fitted to early 110's with LT95 gearboxes? Is it either of: FRC7477 or FTC4187? Is there a way of identifying which is which by eye? Cheers, Si

Thats a good solution to bending the bar - and clearly does a nice job. Im impressed! Si

My reccomendation would be to fit an isolator for the engine & vehicle, but not the winch(es) The switch will loose you about 100A of max current delivery (as it has a small resistance). You already have perfectly good solenoid switches on the winch. Just move them somewhere more secure and isolate the socket into which you plug your winch controller with either a small switch or a relay energised when your ignition is live for example. That way, your isolator switch only has to handle the starter motor current - and general vehicle electrics and allows the max current delivery to your winch. This in turn means that one of the red key isolators is just about up to the job. Switch off the isolator and everything, inc the winch is off. Si

I would have thought glass filled nylon would have been a better option for a hawse? What's wrong with Al or SS? Si

Torque converter does. Viscose coupling is less good off road - they tend to vulcanise (become solid and lock) if you use them off road. They won't make much difference to wear or knocks. The torque converter takes a lot of the shock loading out compared to dumping the clutch. You can still break stuff - but it tends to be down to torque rather than shock. Si

eBay is probably the cheapest. I've bought stuff like that from Airtechncs in Kent. £60 is about right for a 5 port spool valve in 12v. 3 port (2 + exhaust like the ARB) are a bit cheaper. Talk to Trefor there - he's pretty good at finding good value stuff. Most pneumatic kit is 24v - and that is available cheaper. I have loads of old 3 and 5 port 24v valves, if you went down the route of a 12 to 24v DC/DC converter (Available from RS). You could have one of my valves for a few quid. Another option is if you can find 24vAC solenoids which tend to operate happily from 12vDC. I've also used 12v Hydraulic valves which crop up occasionally in scrap yards from trucks & diggers - mostly seem to work OK on air. Most however are designed to bolt on to a manifold, sealed with O rings. You would need to make your own manifold - but that's not too difficult armed with a drill and a lump of Aluminium plus a tap to cut the threads for your air fittings. Si

I've used this 'tool' a fair bit where space is too tight from my grown up tool. I would respectfully suggest that if the rivnut rotates, the hole you've drilled is too big. A bit of super-glue usually sorts it though. Si

I'm a fan! dead easy to drive on or off road. Brilliant in traffic jams. The ZF 4 speed boxes are pretty bomb proof so long as looked after. You will loose a bit of MPG around town, but they are about the same above 50mph as the torque converter locks and you bypass the bit that causes the loss in mpg. If you are buying one, the way to test the auto box is: Foot on brake, put in drive and floor it. The engine should rev to and stay at a steady 1800 rpm. If it's higher or lower, the gearbox has problems - avoid. Off road they are just brilliant! No worries about picking the wrong gear on hill climbs, no slipping the clutch to get it in to the power band and the torque converter gives you more torque at low speed so you can chug around most of the time wit the engine idling. Down sides are: On the Tdi they can feel a bit gutless, particularly pulling away. You can stick it in 1 or 2 to give you a bit more poke at difficult junctions though. much less engine braking so you often need to ride the brakes decending hills (more brake pad wear and risk of heat fade) You cannot bump start the vehicle if your starter motor fails (last weekend I came home from wales with the AA cos my starter let the smoke out). Given a choice - i'd have one every time! Si

Another option! Use a plastic coke bottle or two. They need ovr 300psi to explode - and even when it does, save for the LOUD bang, it's pretty unexciting on the shrapnel death front. Free, easy to replace, free. Don't bother about having to match the thread on the bottle the thread, just use a screw in type tyre valve (used on some types of tubeless rims) in the original top. 10mm OD 8mm bore nylon pneumatic hose screws on to tyre valve very securely. If you want to be even more clever, glue a microswitch to the inside of a big jubilee clip. Tape the clip to the bottle such that when the bottle expands sufficiently, it pushes the microswitch which shuts off the compressor. Adjust pressure by adjusting jubilee clip - it actually works pretty well. I've seen a manifold made from a block of wood with three bottle tops attached to one face. screw in bottles and you are away. Glass ones are much more exciting on the death front - and take a surprising pressure (off the end of the scale on my 250psi gauge). Make a nice sound when they blow - but there are still bits of glass embedded in the wall next to where it blew (in a very scientific experiment kind of way). I imagine they might sting a little in the face! Si