|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 2, 2023 22:44:19 GMT 1
Not much done today, but one of the packages I was awaiting had turned-up yesterday on the post : Fortunately this was the little stainless brackets and fixings to carry the front brake mudshields;
The job of getting these in was not too bad, as I was able to rehearse the procedure on the (dry) offside, then work very quickly on the nearside (full of runny grease) in the same way. Unfortunately, in my haste, I managed to get the bottom brackets around the wrong way, so they had to come back off again - more mess - to get the alignment correct to carry the new, galvanized mudshields;
The fixings are all stainless now, including the ring of 6 around the seal-plate at the back of the swivel housing, as these always corrode to the point that you cannot drive them out (8mm AF flange-heads, usually end-up less than 7mm AF after a few years), and indeed, this is what held me up this evening, as the nearside seal-plate needed 3 of the 6 removing in "old-fashioned, brutal" ways.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 4, 2023 20:51:09 GMT 1
Grinding progress this last couple of days (IT problems in the shop, etc.) however I have been able to move forward on the front axle a little, due to the other parcel turning-up last night. The F/O/S stub axle is now fitted to the swivel housing;
Meaning that the new filler/level plugs could also be wrapped in tape and go into the respective swivel housings, after pumping new grease sachets into both housings (just a top-up on the nearside, to account for the losses during swivel-pin rework). Having confirmed that all was still dry under the axle this morning (newspaper on floor under each swivel), each housing was degreased externally, and the paintwork brought right out to the contact radius of the inner hub-bearing seal;
This is quite important, as it limits the corrosion behind the hub, stops it all from rubbing, and keeps the job as maintenance-free as possible for the future, especially important if Timken bearings are going-in on the offside.
I have done the check this evening for the bearing-clearances on the inner/outer units to the new stub-axle, to gauge how much lubrication to use to assemble the overhauled hub/disc tomorrow. It is fairly tight, so it will have to be WD40/DuckOil for the offside!
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 4, 2023 20:56:54 GMT 1
Sadly, two steps forward, and one backwards....into a cowpat.
The steering box required cleaning, descaling, and checking-over prior to painting. All-too-commonly, but hidden until this stage, the pressure steel line that runs externally (and close to the chassis in service) had corroded on an external bend;
This means I'm now going to have to make-up or source a new line. It can be done whilst the 'box is on the chassis (thankfully), but it's a PITA all the same. I need to get the 'box fitted, because the panhard reaction bracketry is bolted around the steering box, so before I can put any lateral forces on the front axle, this all has to be fitted. As the paint has cured fairly well now, the thought was to get all this fitted in the next couple of days, and concentrate on the rear axle a little bit.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 6, 2023 23:20:54 GMT 1
Slow but steady progress, as usual.... 
Finally got all the steering-box & panhard reaction brackets fitted this morning. It isn't completely finished yet, as the steering box needs its main coat of paint, but that is easier done in-situ after the inaccessible parts have had a light coat prior to bolting-up. Needless to say, some preparation of the panhard rod was required; the two eyelets have been re-bushed in proper Polybush material - they were Floflex - which gives them stainless sleeves up through the middle, and I have used stainless bolts/nuts from YRM to hold these onto the axle/steering-box. This is fairly crucial for longevity on the West Coast, as the panhard rod is a weak-link for the bushing under the Defender, with corrosion often causing free-play and subsequent MoT failure betwixt bolt/s and bush-sleeves.
To make my life simpler, I prepared the panhard locations with a mini "jack" to size them properly; they often close-down, and getting a relatively-heavy panhard rod to go where you want it is nigh-on impossible if the eyelets have closed-down;
I also found that the heavy-duty steering track-rod cannot have the axle-guard fitted (it sticks) and that this must have been a problem in the 9months I had the item fitted before my Defender came off the road. The H/D T/C arm is too large diameter, so it's not easy to see how you could leave the guard on, not least that the castor-angle will cause the rod to move laterally across the aperture through the guard when steering. The best option here was to unbolt it, and put it on the shelf for another vehicle; at least it is painted.....
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 7, 2023 23:29:46 GMT 1
Well, I almost got all the front axle work finished by this evening.....except that the observant amongst you will spot the missing component/s in this shot;
I spent many an hour today, trying to find the wretched things - I suspect they have gone onto someone else's Defender - and this is becoming a regular frustration right now, as the stock-system definitely indicates a front set of pads for Defender 110 as having a single set in-stock.
To lighten the mood, given that I can almost get the front end back down on the ground to roll the chassis around, but not quite, I have included the following shot - this was taken during the dismantling of the front brake calipers last week;
Can anyone spot the difference? Yes, the "mystery" of where my 1/2" drive Draper bi-hex 13mm socket had gone-to.......back in 2011.....followed by recriminations, curses, blames, and ultimately the reluctant purchase of a new Elora 13mm socket (because I was sick of getting my 1/2" (12.7mm) AF socket jammed on every 13mm bi-hex bolt-head I needed to undo, which is almost every Landrover through the workshop) in 2022.
I don't think I will bother to clean the Draper socket up - I don't think the chrome is up to much now.....  |
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 9, 2023 22:04:50 GMT 1
Well, I'm glad I chose to do it on a "quiet Sunday" when I wasn't in a hurry;
The new PAS-box transfer pipe turned-up yesterday on the post, but although it is OEM, according to the bag, and sourced in the UK, the hydraulic union-nuts to the box, especially the lower one in the photo, are a bit "cheesey". Although I was ready for a bit of trouble, I hadn't bargained on that lower union starting to shred-out the leading edge of its thread peak on the first attempt, and that was with me being very prepared, very careful, and very professional (for a change) on this one.
I had to abandon the fit for a few minutes whilst I chased the thread and modified the leading edge slightly. As I said to nobody in-general, "You only have to fit it correctly the once". After another couple of attempts, and putting this union home into the box on its own (i.e leave the "good" end free initially) I got a reliable fit.
That's more-or-less the job done on the front axle now. The lock-stops are set for the present wheels/tyres, but they are due to change for similar units by the end of the build, and the same difference on the settings on each side before the work on the swivels is still there now. It's difficult to see why.... The steering damper is fitted, and that is quite a good-looking item, despite the OEM "Girling" being quite a different prospect to what it used to be. Maybe these are new-old-stock.... Finally, the Pitman arm balljoint has been re-gaitered and re-greased, to obviate too many early-life problems with this PITA component;
|
|
|
|
Post by OldGit on Jul 10, 2023 20:38:27 GMT 1
I've noticed that after a vehicle ceases to be manufactured, the quality of OEM or manufacturer branded parts declines, presumably as there is no production QA/QC involved only the manufacturers - and why bother replacing tooling on schedule as the number of parts will only diminish, may as well stretch the interval a bit seeing as no-one is looking....
|
|
|
|
Post by rhyds on Jul 10, 2023 20:42:17 GMT 1
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 10, 2023 23:26:42 GMT 1
I've noticed that after a vehicle ceases to be manufactured, the quality of OEM or manufacturer branded parts declines, presumably as there is no production QA/QC involved only the manufacturers - and why bother replacing tooling on schedule as the number of parts will only diminish, may as well stretch the interval a bit seeing as no-one is looking.... Another factor, which I know definitely happens at Landrover, is that the OEM on the production line is not the same as OEM in the spares department. This is due to "politics" between the Purchasing departments and the suppliers; if a so-called preferred-supplier does not get the contract for a model's lifetime run of components, then the Purchasing department will give them the aftersales business instead. One example of this is the gaskets on the 300Tdi engine; the true OEM is Klinger_Elring, but the aftermarket went to Coopers Payen. No prizes for guessing which gaskets I try to source - you can find the production-line items amongst the "pattern stock" if you look hard enough, usually at a knock-down price because Forum Phil likes to honk-on about using "only the genuine stuff", not appreciating that the real genuine stuff is "pattern".....
|
|
|
|
Post by OldGit on Jul 11, 2023 7:08:49 GMT 1
Interesting, I'd noticed some discrepancies - I never realised it got that political! PSA are known for having second & third line suppliers, presumably to get over the traditional Gallic disruptions to production, hence the fun & games with the Turkish pistons in the DV6 |
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 16, 2023 19:08:33 GMT 1
Well, it's been a strange week. Certainly it has been hard work to keep a focus on this project, given the amount of interruptions I have had; none-stop "visitors" with electrical issues, etc. etc.
Anyway, the main job was to get the fuel tank fitted, which includes making all the necessary modifications to the (new) fixings for "serviceability" reasons. If you want to be able to remove and refit the tank on a pre-1999 110 Defender, you turn the rear captive-bolts upside down, so they effectively make studs that are attached to the chassis/crossmember, not fixed to the fuel tank. This means you can reach upwards with a 1/4" socket/extension to undo the nuts/washers, rather than having to grapple through the grime within the silly aperture on the enclosed face of the crossmember to reach the nuts with a flexi-spanner.
To get the tank in, first you need to fit the rear electrical harness, and in my case, that means unwrapping, cleaning, modifying, and re-binding the harness first. This is because the harness is a close fit around the rear corner of the steel tank on older Defenders.
Once the tank is in, you can then fit the rear towing equipment, as the stays for this protrude under the tank. This also includes making a robust-job of wiring and fitting a new towing socket.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 16, 2023 19:20:41 GMT 1
Once the tank and towing equipment is installed, there is a clear run to fit the rear anti-roll bar and brackets. This was a little more involved than usual, but quite satisfying, as everything other than the bar itself is new. Except the special bolts that secure the (new) droplinks to the axle, and those took a fair bit of time to sort-out.....very "tired" and rusted threads that required cutting by M16 x 2.0 die. I haven't seen these bolts listed for a while, so definitely a "restoration" job.
Before the fuel lines can be fitted, the main hydraulic line for the rear brakes needs to be fabricated and clipped to the chassis;
I have opted to fit a lengthened stainless-steel reinforced hydraulic hose to the rear axle (+4") as I find that even on a standard suspension Defender, the normal length is well too short for comfort. The front hoses do not have this trouble, so they are "standard" from another kit from Goodridge. Getting this hose fitted with the brass T-piece splitter to the bracket on the back axle (new, stainless) took me an hour & half this morning.....! In fairness, there was another agenda here, which was to shift the whole rolling chassis onto the rear ramps, and free the front of the barn for a few short jobs of customers' cars.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2023 21:43:13 GMT 1
Well, not much has happened quickly (a few other jobs had to be slipped-in away from the workshop) but the rear axle is now finally overhauled and ready to have the rear wheels put back on again;
The precursor to the axle work was to get the fuel-lines fitted, and that involved a bit of rearrangement to improve the slightly sloppy design-run of the original chassis. I will curse this a bit, because it makes dropping the tank more difficult in the future, but all the same I have routed the (inaccessible) spill-return line over the top of the crossmember in front of the tank. It just looks better when installed, and my adage "If it looks right, it probably is right" has had to hold-sway over my better judgement about serviceability.
The axle now has a new O/S stub axle, new bearings (Timken) on the O/S, new discs, pads, backplates, calipers, and pad-fittings. I reckon that should be enough to get the rear brakes sorted, but to make sure, it has all been fitted with "oodles" of grease throughout, as these are not all top-drawer parts, and therefore need a bit more care when fitting - if they are to last longer than 5mins on the road.
The brake solid lines took a bit of fettling, and that is always a problem with these Salisbury back axles, as the line-run from the N/S is not easy around the A-frame mount on these. I'm as happy as I can summon my senses at the the outcome - there's always a "bit better" that can be achieved, it's just the time it takes...... The main thing is that it is all clipped-back solidly to the axle-tubes, and "belt-and-braced" by nylon sleeving/tie-wraps to prevent any vibration whatsoever. This is important on this sort of working-vehicle around here, as it's all unsprung mass over potholed tracks for miles at time.
The value of cleaning everything back to "factory-fresh" was revealed when I gave the fuel filler hose a good degrease (de-underseal) and scrub, at which stage it was obvious that it (also, like everything else on this vehicle) needs renewing - again not likely to be OEM, so again not likely to last a long time if the fitting is not done sympathetically, i.e. a good coating of rubber grease to the outside face. This is a problem around this neck of the woods on the West Coast - very bad for rubbers and plastics with high UV loading even in the Winter months, and lots of ozone.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Jul 30, 2023 21:55:06 GMT 1
Forgot to mention above that I also changed the pinion input seal on the axle. It was my own fault; when I was needle-gunning the axles clean on the 4-post ramps, I got careless around the back of the drive-flange. These seals are quite delicate, and this one more-so as it was a pattern part I fitted in 2007 to address new bearings/crush-washer/seal overhaul for a recurrent oil-leak that had always been there since I bought the vehicle in 2004. I could see, back then, that it had been to a LR dealer to be fixed a couple of times (receipts in the folder) and therefore needed "proper attention" to the way the pinion input shaft was supported.
The seal is now the proper leather one, so I'm hoping it will stand the wait until it gets some oil splashed around it. I have rubbed petroleum jelly into the leather to keep it a s supple as possible, but there's always a risk it will leak badly when the axle gets used for the first time.
|
|
|
|
Post by valhalla on Aug 1, 2023 20:38:53 GMT 1
I wanted to get the engine & gearbox dropped into the chassis today, but that means messing-around on the spread in front of the workshop (to align mounts and get it all square).....but....it's utter "midge hell" outside right now. It's been bad all day, so I'm waiting for the wind to pick up a bit overnight.
It doesn't happen much in a year (for me - I work indoors most of the time), but every so often, you realise why everything takes so long around the West Coast !
|
|
