Power steering conversion for 101 FC

[bill van snorkle]

Yesterday I spent a few hours assisting a young English lady load her converted ex British army LandRover fC 101 ambulance into a shipping container bound for South America, so that she and her boyfriend could continue their round the world journey, began in UK a couple of years ago.

Anyway, I spotted that the truck had a power steering conversion which differed to conversions we do to them over here, and asked her where they had it done. She told me that they took the truck to a well known LandRover conversion specialist, famous for Ford v6 conversions in Manchester I think, who kept it for some 2 months in order to fit a Leyland Sherpa Van power steering box assembly and pump to the V8 engine. The standard of fitment seemed ok and looked quite tidy, so I asked her how much it cost. Well she almost had to pick me up from the floor when she mentioned that the company charged them four thousand British pounds. They were very distressed at the price but feared that if they refused to pay it they would never get their truck, which they had spent hundreds of hours on preparing for the expedition, back again.

We worked it out that they could have put the 101 into a container in the UK, shipped it out to our firm in Australia. We would have fitted a Nissan power steering system to it and shipped the truck back to the UK and they would still be one thousand pounds in pocket.

My question to the UK members of this forum is. Is this kind of extortionate overcharging normal and acceptable these days? Is it that difficult over there to find firms that will take on conversion work, that when you do, they have you by the short and curleys and can rip you off for any amount they see fit?

I really feel sorry for those who have no choice but to place themselves at the mercy of these blood suckers.

Bill.

[minivin]

All down to contracts, if they had no written agreement of what was to be done and how much then it could be argued either way for either side. But it does sound like they could have fought the case as that's blantant fraud for that much

[Mo Murphy]

I think it's all down to if the dealer thinks you are stupid enough to pay that much !

Mo

[dirtydiesel]

My question to the UK members of this forum is. Is this kind of extortionate overcharging normal and acceptable these days? Is it that difficult over there to find firms that will take on conversion work, that when you do, they have you by the short and curleys and can rip you off for any amount they see fit?

I really feel sorry for those who have no choice but to place themselves at the mercy of these blood suckers.

Bill.

That kind of extortionate overcharging is unfortunately pretty normal,

Because very very few people over here "do" that kind of thing.

If it's not a "bolt on" conversion 99% of the so called specialists over here are f**ked.

We don't have 4x4 fab shops over here like you or the yanks do.

It would be a laugh to phone up some of the big names in the uk scene, and ask them for a quote to 4 link a set of D60's under a ninety. I'll bet none could help you.

Where as, i'm sure bill would be able to name half a dozen workshops that would see it as bread and butter work.

[dirtydiesel]

In response to the original question,

Somewhere in the region of £400-800, for the conversion.

[will_warne]

That kind of extortionate overcharging is unfortunately pretty normal,

Because very very few people over here "do" that kind of thing.

If it's not a "bolt on" conversion 99% of the so called specialists over here are f**ked.

We don't have 4x4 fab shops over here like you or the yanks do.

It would be a laugh to phone up some of the big names in the uk scene, and ask them for a quote to 4 link a set of D60's under a ninety. I'll bet none could help you.

Where as, i'm sure bill would be able to name half a dozen workshops that would see it as bread and butter work.

I'd agree. Having seen what some 'specialist' have done to vehicles its worrying. A few (2 maybe 3) will say yes to unsual jobs but not many.

I'd say no more than £1200 for the PAS conversion. That's assuming the fitter started from first princpals doing a one off.

[Michele]

Ok,but was a pretty young lady?

Yesterday I spent a few hours assisting a young English lady

[Hillbilly Raider]

Kate Moss?

[Happyoldgit]

An object lesson in the need to research your subject and get firm quotes in writing prior to entrusting a vehicle to a conversion company.

Better still DIY!

[pugwash]

Bill,

i dont suppose this young ladies surname was keech was it?

just interested.

[02GF74]

FFS!!! for that much you could have hired Arnold Scwrzenegger to chauffeur you around.

[B reg 90]

Andy T (plasma) had his 101 converted to power steering - he would be able tell you what it cost as a comparison. Alternatively try George Mclay at Gemm 4x4 as he did the convversion for Andy. Can't have been that bad ££ wise as George later fitted the portals to Andy's RRC.

Adrian

[bill van snorkle]

Bill,

i dont suppose this young ladies surname was keech was it?

just interested.

Didn't catch her surname. Her name is Alexis and she is travelling with her boyfriend Greg.I think they hail from Cambridge. Their fire engine red 101 Landy is named the Beast. They have a Website documenting their travels which I cant find this morning. something like beastly adventures .com. but there is something missing because all I get is porn sites.

My only involvement was to drill some old 5 stud landy wheels to 6 stud and fit them to the truck minus tyres so that we could drive it inside a 20 foot shipping container. the truck on its 9.00x16's was exactly 8 inches too high.

Yes Michele, Alexis is nice, but more importantly very charming, as one would need to be when dealing with bureaucratic officials at international borders that must be encountered on an overland world wide trip.

Bill.

[western]

This world journey is being followed in LRM -- Alexis Keech & Greg McCann & a big red 101 ambi

[LR90]

It's a sobering story Bill and one of the reasons we wanted to keep this forum totally independent. If only she'd asked on here first then maybe the 101 could have been shipped out to Auz and the PAS fitted there ready for collection

As DirtyDiesel says there are very few shops in the UK that handle specials and when I'm lookng for anything I can't do myself (which is more than I wish) I find that those that are the most capable are often right here amongst us.

[RPR]

I refuse to believe that they paid 4,000 squid for a ps conversion. Maybe they had other things done at the same outfit, and maybe they got ripped off, but if it was 4,000 for the ps conversion alone, you can't put all the blame on the barsteward who did it.

Effing heck, if I paid 150 quid for a Toyota ps conversion in Malaysia - mind you, it broke in the woods two weeks ago leaving me stranded and would have killed me if it had happened on the road, but that's beside the point.....

Bill - how much for a V8 conversion from the East Coast of the US???

[Steve H]

website here http://www.beastlyadventure.com/ I just googled for "beast adventure Land Rover 101", descibes it as "Beastly Adventure, three idiots & their drive around the world". If they paid that much for said conversions, maybe the title is apt. Sounds like a rip off to me. Bill, do you mind me asking what Nissan PS set up you use, I've heard of guys in NZ using Patrol gear ?

Steve

[pugwash]

ok that is just ****ing weird

i have just come back from a holiday to madagascar with the rest of her family!

how strange is that!

[Bush65]

website here http://www.beastlyadventure.com/ I just googled for "beast adventure Land Rover 101", descibes it as "Beastly Adventure, three idiots & their drive around the world. If they paid that much for said conversions, maybe the title is apt. Sounds like a rip off to me. Bill, do you mind me asking what Nissan PS set up you use, I've heard of guys in NZ using Patrol gear ?

Steve

Here is a pic of a patrol steering box on a rangie.

[bill van snorkle]

That kind of extortionate overcharging is unfortunately pretty normal,

Because very very few people over here "do" that kind of thing.

If it's not a "bolt on" conversion 99% of the so called specialists over here are f**ked.

We don't have 4x4 fab shops over here like you or the yanks do.

It would be a laugh to phone up some of the big names in the uk scene, and ask them for a quote to 4 link a set of D60's under a ninety. I'll bet none could help you.

Where as, i'm sure bill would be able to name half a dozen workshops that would see it as bread and butter work.

Yes, I could name 3 or 4 in our local suburb (district) alone

I am surprised that a country that has most of the worlds best racing car designers and constructors can only field a handfull of specialist 4 wd conversion companies.

It's a sobering story Bill and one of the reasons we wanted to keep this forum totally independent. If only she'd asked on here first then maybe the 101 could have been shipped out to Auz and the PAS fitted there ready for collection

Without going to those lengths I am certain that the UK members of this forum would have steered them in the right direction (pun intended)

I refuse to believe that they paid 4,000 squid for a ps conversion. Maybe they had other things done at the same outfit, and maybe they got ripped off, but if it was 4,000 for the ps conversion alone, you can't put all the blame on the barsteward who did it.

-----------------------

I believe they did have additional work done and the total bill came to in excess of seven thousand pounds

But the itemised cost of the powersteering conversion was still four thousand pounds. And how can extortion not be blamed on the perpetrators?

Bill - how much for a V8 conversion from the East Coast of the US???

I don't really understand the question. I live in Australia.You now live in the land of the Hot Rod, with conversion specialists on every street corner. Ask one of them. But you don't need me to tell you not to go putting any V8 in front of a series gearbox.

website here http://www.beastlyadventure.com/ I just googled for "beast adventure Land Rover 101", descibes it as "Beastly Adventure, three idiots & their drive around the world. If they paid that much for said conversions, maybe the title is apt. Sounds like a rip off to me. Bill, do you mind me asking what Nissan PS set up you use, I've heard of guys in NZ using Patrol gear ?

Steve

They are definately not idiots. Greg freely admits he knows absolutely nothing about things mechanical, and appreciates the assistance they have received from many 4wd enthusiasts throughout their travels.

Steve, if you are talking about 101's the steering box used is Nissan Navara in addition to a 90 degree direction change gearbox. For normal control series Rovers I use a 60 or 62 series Toyota Landcruiser box bolted with countersunk unbrako's to a half inch thick steel plate cut to the same profile as the front chassis dumb iron but 2 inches deeper. this plate is clamped onto the outside of the right hand chassis rail with 4 half inch diameter x 4 inch long bolts,through crush tubes above and below the top and bottom plates of the chassis rail, requiring no drilling or welding to the chassis. If you require more information PM me.

ok that is just ****ing weird

i have just come back from a holiday to madagascar with the rest of her family!

how strange is that!

The world of LandRovers is sometimes a surprisingly small one.

Bill.

[Les Henson]

Rip-off merchants are thick as thieves unfortunately. I quit working for one not so long ago because I thought he was a bluddy crook.

I've also been working for free for some old guy that got charged £500 (cash, no reciept) for a knackered 2.25d that I fitted, then removed again after it threw oil into the bellhousing from the crank rear seal.

The supplier of the engine suggested that he fix the engine himself as it wouldn't cost much. They wouldn't pick it back up again unless he cleaned the engine, put it on a pallet, and wrapped it in clingfilm as they didn't want their truck to get dirty.

As LR90 says, get advice (on here or other L/R sites). It's free and normally saves you money, or makes you aware of what's involved.

Les.

[RPR]

Yes, I could name 3 or 4 in our local suburb (district) alone

I am surprised that a country that has most of the worlds best racing car designers and constructors can only field a handfull of specialist 4 wd conversion companies.

I don't really understand the question. I live in Australia.You now live in the land of the Hot Rod, with conversion specialists on every street corner. Ask one of them. But you don't need me to tell you not to go putting any V8 in front of a series gearbox.

They are definately not idiots. Greg freely admits he knows absolutely nothing about things mechanical, and appreciates the assistance they have received from many 4wd enthusiasts throughout their travels.

Steve, if you are talking about 101's the steering box used is Nissan Navara in addition to a 90 degree direction change gearbox. For normal control series Rovers I use a 60 or 62 series Toyota Landcruiser box bolted with countersunk unbrako's to a half inch thick steel plate cut to the same profile as the front chassis dumb iron but 2 inches deeper. this plate is clamped onto the outside of the right hand chassis rail with 4 half inch diameter x 4 inch long bolts,through crush tubes above and below the top and bottom plates of the chassis rail, requiring no drilling or welding to the chassis. If you require more information PM me.

The world of LandRovers is sometimes a surprisingly small one.

Bill.

Bill,

There's a saying that goes "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". GBP 4,000 for a power steering conversion is a criminal rip off, but that shame is not entirely on the perpetrator. That they did nothing about the extortion means that they must share in the blame to some extent.

The V8 conversion query was a joke, and highlighted as such by the wink smilie that followed the question.

No, you don't have to tell me not to put the V8 in front of a Series Box. Plenty of others have already.

I wonder if the 60/62 Series Toy PS box is the same one that I have? Do you know whether they were ever used on saloon cars like the Cresida or its equivalent - the 80's predecessor to the Camry (also called the Corona perhaps?)

[bill van snorkle]

Bill,

There's a saying that goes "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". GBP 4,000 for a power steering conversion is a criminal rip off, but that shame is not entirely on the perpetrator. That they did nothing about the extortion means that they must share in the blame to some extent.

The V8 conversion query was a joke, and highlighted as such by the wink smilie that followed the question.

No, you don't have to tell me not to put the V8 in front of a Series Box. Plenty of others have already.

I wonder if the 60/62 Series Toy PS box is the same one that I have? Do you know whether they were ever used on saloon cars like the Cresida or its equivalent - the 80's predecessor to the Camry (also called the Corona perhaps?)

I don't think the Cressida box is the same as the cruiser box. From memory on Pirate I think you mentioned your box bolts onto the inside vertical wall of the chassis ,in the corner where the crossmember meets the siderail,wheras the 60/62 series bolts to outside wall in exactly the same way as Johns (bush 65) picture of a Nissan box shows, so doesn't require the crossmember to be moved or altered like say fitting a RangeRover box would. Nissan or Toyota ? toss a coin.

Bill.

[Steve H]

They are definately not idiots. Greg freely admits he knows absolutely nothing about things mechanical, and appreciates the assistance they have received from many 4wd enthusiasts throughout their travels.

Sorry if this was seen as a comment about the individuals involved, certainly wasn't 'sposed to be. I know from advising others how easy it is for unscrupulous tradepeople to rip off the unwary. It was a gutsy move to undertake a trip like that without greater degree of knowledge. I bet he wouldn't get caught like that again.

Steve, if you are talking about 101's the steering box used is Nissan Navara in addition to a 90 degree direction change gearbox. For normal control series Rovers I use a 60 or 62 series Toyota Landcruiser box bolted with countersunk unbrako's to a half inch thick steel plate cut to the same profile as the front chassis dumb iron but 2 inches deeper. this plate is clamped onto the outside of the right hand chassis rail with 4 half inch diameter x 4 inch long bolts,through crush tubes above and below the top and bottom plates of the chassis rail, requiring no drilling or welding to the chassis. If you require more information PM me.

Bill.

PM on its way.

John, thanks for the Rangie pic, yes that was what I had imagined.

Cheers & thanks, Steve.