The time has finally come...new chassis time

[L19MUD]

Final test - 21st century windows in a 200tdi!

[Peaklander]

That's nice. Where have you mounted the switch(es)?

[L19MUD]

22 minutes ago, Peaklander said:

That's nice. Where have you mounted the switch(es)?

Thanks. Currently nowhere but they will be housed in my mud dash console using contura carling switches. I am currently running all the wires to that centre console to start the big wire up that is going to be needed

[Peaklander]

I used Carling switches in my Mud console. I have a bank of seven and I like them a lot. I also have a bank of three in the rear corner for two way control of the interior lights and a worklight override. The tell-tales are all wired in and the night time illumination is nice. I used the connector mounting plugs at the back rather than going directly to the switch pins with the spade connectors. 

[L19MUD]

I am going to have two banks of 7 this time with my cb radio hidden up. 

Not much to show for this weekend but the other door is now complete and I have fitted the new heated screen 

[L19MUD]

I have now finished running the wires for the following items to enable me to get the headlining and side trims pre fitted - Beacon, rear work light, LED lightbar, front speakers and tweeters, interior lights. It really pleases my OCD to get everything nice and tidy

 

 

Side panels and rear trims in next. The rear trims needed cutting down a little on the bottom to get a decent fit and holes for the rear door catch and wiring loom. I was not happy with just self tappers in the side the hinge is on (catch bolts down the other side) so I have fitted using a couple of M8 Rivnuts. The headlining did not require and modding and has fitted fairly well. It is just in temporary here as I needed everything in to measure up for the windows to be cut out so will fit a little better with all fixings in. The biggest issue was trying to stop dirty fingermarks on it.

 

My windows are not genuine ones but are fitted with a rubber seal. Therer is a gap between the trim and the rubber window seal so I plan to use car door rubber to cover the cut edge and take up this gap. This should mean any slight descrepancy in the cutting is lost.

Taking the plunge.....no going back from here. I used a fine toothed jigsaw blade for metal having tested in the middle to make sure it did not splinter. I cut from the back face so the jigsaw did not mark anything

Test fitting shows I seem to have done a decent job. I have left it 2-3mm proud of what I need (which I am sure will cause me annoyance later but decided better to need to trim a bit off than add a bit on!

 

I now have a list of random little jobs to get done so that I can get the trims back in and fitted  - Glass in (need new bit to be cut), tint glass, stick rubber mat down, replace rear washer, fit rear LED interior light

 

Whilst I wait on parts and glass I have moved onto other smaller jobs

 

Towbar test fitted - this went on easily before but was a right pain. The arms that link back to the chassis at the bottom did not line up. I got round it by elongating the holes quite a bit in those arms. Annoying when everything is galvanised. It has now been T-Washed and a couple of coats of black so can go back on and mean I can now move the truck around with a push pull pole

 

 

 

[ballcock]

Looking good, where are the trim panels from? They look very neat.

Edited May 13, 2020 by ballcock

[Snagger]

Shame about the rear door panel inaccuracy, but the result looks very smart.  I would prefer it if La Salle didn’t embosse their logo so large, though - a discrete logo in a corner would be so much more appropriate.

[L19MUD]

6 hours ago, ballcock said:

Looking good, where are the trim panels from? They look very neat.

Lasalle, expensive and not perfect but the overall result is very good

[L19MUD]

4 hours ago, Snagger said:

Shame about the rear door panel inaccuracy, but the result looks very smart.  I would prefer it if La Salle didn’t embosse their logo so large, though - a discrete logo in a corner would be so much more appropriate.

Agreed but I'm not too worried as I have 2 tip up seats for one side which will hide that logo and a box to make for the other side which will hide the other one

[landroversforever]

That is a rather neat looking job! How much were the trims if you don’t mind me asking? Any colour options?

[L19MUD]

8 hours ago, landroversforever said:

That is a rather neat looking job! How much were the trims if you don’t mind me asking? Any colour options?

Thanks. I think they were £360 and at that price you can chose grey or black, for another 80 odd quid they will do them in any ral colour using raptor pai t and I think for 100 more they can do them in some sort of velvet type material again any colour. You can also get them with blanks for the rear quarters if you dont have windows and if you have a hard top with no windows and that strengthening bar there is an option that fits round that. 

The fit is not perfect and there is some faffing about to do but it really changes the truck inside.

[Snagger]

I have one of their head linings in my 109.  Cutting the holes to add the Alpine Light surrounds was a real pain and templates of the hole shape would be useful, but otherwise it was a simple job with excellent results that won’t rot or sag.  Cleaning is easy, too.  
 

The edges around the gutter rail are neatly trimmed and the finish covers the edge of the GRP, but they end rather abruptly and look unfinished - they don’t tuck around the underside of the gutter, just end vertically in line with the joint between gutter and side panel flanges.  That aside, the final result is very smart.  I think they’re worth the money.

[Mo Murphy]

I too have had a LaSalle headlining for 10 years now. It's spot on and I'd definitely buy another if required.

Mo

[Dr Strangeglove]

Really interesting as I am new to Defenders and spanners! I am sure I will have to do the same in the near future and need to learn a lot first so will do bits first.

The rust removal has been very interesting.

I thought you said you were only changing the chassis 😁

[L19MUD]

On 5/17/2020 at 10:10 AM, Dr Strangeglove said:

 

I thought you said you were only changing the chassis 😁

It has been mission creep on an epic scale 🤣 really not helped by the fact that with the temporary Transit and my RR I can get round not having the 90 for 75% of the time and pinch my old man's 110 hicap the remaining time. It will get finished before the pubs reopen (I think!) 

[landroversforever]

9 hours ago, L19MUD said:

It has been mission creep on an epic scale 🤣 really not helped by the fact that with the temporary Transit and my RR I can get round not having the 90 for 75% of the time and pinch my old man's 110 hicap the remaining time. It will get finished before the pubs reopen (I think!) 

You think yours is epic scale mission creep?  Mine started as a wiring loom change!  

[CwazyWabbit]

11 hours ago, landroversforever said:

You think yours is epic scale mission creep?  Mine started as a wiring loom change!  

... and you still haven't started on the wiring loom have you?

[landroversforever]

4 minutes ago, CwazyWabbit said:

... and you still haven't started on the wiring loom have you?

Technically sort of.... I've done some planning work and got a box of bits... but not on the car!  

[L19MUD]

I have had a week off (should have been in Texas on a road trip!) and got some more jobs done

I fitted the glass without breaking any of it and then tidied up the side trim window apertures and fitted some rubber finishing trim. I am very pleased with the results. There was a gap between the windown rubber and the rubber trim so I stuck single side sticky foam all around on the window rubber to take up the gap to make it look nicer and stop rattles.

 

 

I think started the huge task of running wires, first through the dash to the centre console

and then got the remainder of the dash back together (speedo housing just placed on here)

I then moved onto wiring that would be coming from the behind seat bulkhead which was mainly the stereo equipment but also the front LED lightbar, rear power outlet and rear work light. It takes a huge amount of time to do a nice neat job of this...or maybe I am just really slow

 

I then made up and fitted the auxilary fuseboard to go in the battery box. I mounted it on some dense plastic board which is insulating and strong, again this took ages but I am pleased with the results

I have also decided upon the final configuration of the mud dash console which will look like this, slightly annoyed with that left hand window sticker which I realise now is wonky!

That is it with the pictures but I also got most of the original loom reconnected and working plus tidied up all the rear light wiring and wired in the new 13 pin tow socket including switched power to it. Next job is to wire in the switches and start test/snagging circuits

[Snagger]

Tidy work.  The window trims came out looking really tidy and look like the quality you’d expect from the factory.

I think you may have problems with the stereo fouling the terminal blocks for the upper switch bank - I have a similar bank in the top of my pod and the stereo in the middle (CB below that), and the bottom corners of the blocks just clear the stereo casing.  It’d be worth a test fit before you go to the trouble of fitting all the special terminals and the plastic blocks to the wiring for those switches, just in case you need to use female blade terminals directly onto the switches without the blocks, but the blocks are great if you have the space.

I did the rear wiper on one of those switches and had to make up a wiring bundle with diodes to get it to work without the park switch making the on light flash off as it went through the larked position.  It’s nothing major, but I found it irritating.  I have it on a three position switch, using the mid position run through an intermittent relay, the second position is direct for continuous sweep.  The continuous position is pointless as a driving mode, so I’ll be adding the washer jet to that position to free up it’s separate switch for another function. How did you set yours up?  I’m always after better ideas...

[L19MUD]

2 hours ago, Snagger said:

Tidy work.  The window trims came out looking really tidy and look like the quality you’d expect from the factory.

I think you may have problems with the stereo fouling the terminal blocks for the upper switch bank - I have a similar bank in the top of my pod and the stereo in the middle (CB below that), and the bottom corners of the blocks just clear the stereo casing.  It’d be worth a test fit before you go to the trouble of fitting all the special terminals and the plastic blocks to the wiring for those switches, just in case you need to use female blade terminals directly onto the switches without the blocks, but the blocks are great if you have the space.

I did the rear wiper on one of those switches and had to make up a wiring bundle with diodes to get it to work without the park switch making the on light flash off as it went through the larked position.  It’s nothing major, but I found it irritating.  I have it on a three position switch, using the mid position run through an intermittent relay, the second position is direct for continuous sweep.  The continuous position is pointless as a driving mode, so I’ll be adding the washer jet to that position to free up it’s separate switch for another function. How did you set yours up?  I’m always after better ideas...

Thanks. I am really pleased with the trims, it was certainly worth taking the time to get the windows out and made the tinting process easier too.

You are right about those top switches - the top row was present in my old setup, I got round it by gently bending the top two terminals down slightly so they did not hit. This was using female spade terminals and not the blocks as there is not space. To get round all the individual connections being a hassle to unplug if needed I am going to make up looms for the switch blanks that go to multiplugs to aid quick and easy removal. was planning to use different size plugs so that it can only be connected up in one way to avoid error.

Well those are all new ideas for me as currently I just have wires unplugged from the previous standard rotary switch. I was just going to wire it up to work the same way as the standard switch did. To be honest the rear wash wipe has not worked for 10 years so it will just be a bonus to flick it on when required - in my Range Rover I never leave it on the intermittent setting I just flick it on and off once in a while so suspect I will do the same here

[Snagger]

That’s a really good idea with the multi plug.  
 

Getting the rear wiper to work with the Carling switch took a lot of head scratching because the original switch works in a very different way and feeds power back from the park switch system.  It’s a bit like how the light switches for your upstairs hallway work in a house.  Looking at the wiring diagrams helped me figure out how to make it work.  I can’t really remember now, but I think the park circuit wire to the switch needed connecting to the switch output with a diode, as the old switch is on in both positions - in the on position, the trigger circuit is closed and the park circuit open,  it when you turn the switch off, the trigger circuit opens and the park circuit is closed (until then park switch on the motor is opened by the cam).  That’s why the switch condition light flicked off every cycle, which was cured with more diodes.

[L19MUD]

2 minutes ago, Snagger said:

That’s a really good idea with the multi plug.  
 

Getting the rear wiper to work with the Carling switch took a lot of head scratching because the original switch works in a very different way and feeds power back from the park switch system.  It’s a bit like how the light switches for your upstairs hallway work in a house.  Looking at the wiring diagrams helped me figure out how to make it work.  I can’t really remember now, but I think the park circuit wire to the switch needed connecting to the switch output with a diode, as the old switch is on in both positions - in the on position, the trigger circuit is closed and the park circuit open,  it when you turn the switch off, the trigger circuit opens and the park circuit is closed (until then park switch on the motor is opened by the cam).  That’s why the switch condition light flicked off every cycle, which was cured with more diodes.

That is very annoying as the Mud website led me to believe it was a simple plug and play! Never mind just another barrier to overcome

[Snagger]

If they have a special switch made for the job, it might be that simple, but if you’re using a simple two or three position switch like I did, then no.  But you’ll get there; it just takes a thick coat of looking at and a couple of teas to work it out.