min200

I have had a long day at work some 14 hours in total so after a nice curry cooked by Wifey I sat looking at my laptop for all of 30 seconds before thinking "bugger this" and put the virtual prison down and headed outside into the garden determined to do something physical that didn't involve a computer or paperwork. I stood perusing my kingdom when Smithys scooter caught my eye. I had tried to charge up the battery in it over the last couple of days but it is way past it's best holding a maximum of 6 volts at any given time so trying to start it was out of the question until I realised that there was a nicely charged car battery in the shed that if I connected some jump leads too... I was sure I had some fresh petrol too so I dug that out of the mower shed put it into the scooter and turned the little engine over. I was quite surprised it turned over if I am honest but once it dragged some fresh fuel through the carb it coughed and spluttered into hesitant life. I got too eager too quickly and gave it some revs and it died a death quickly. Pressing the starter button again I wondered if I would be lucky enough to get life from the old girl again then sure enough it fired up again so this time I let it tick over for a while before getting over eager with the throttle once more. At this point my daughter practically jumped out of her bedroom window with excitement then bombed it down the stairs pulling on boots as she went to come outside and jump on it running. The grin on that kids face was as big as mine and she started working over which electrically bits worked and which needed looking at. Turns out we are all good but for the indicators electrically which again was a turn up for the books! She then set too pumping up the flat tyres and I took her for her first driving lesson along the 20 feet of concrete we had available in the back garden showing how to use the brakes "That's just like a normal bike Dad" and then how not to rev the throttle too much or you go flying away out of control. The funniest highlight of the night was when she hit the horn and the sound it makes is the "Beep Beep" you get from the cartoon character Road Runner which has now become the scooters name. She seems to be a natural (like her Dad of course) and I don't think it will be too long before she has this ready to learn to ride on. We were laughing at that beep beep so hard whilst driving forward and backwards across the back yard that Wifey turned up asking what all the noise was about then looked at us and started snapping pictures really quickly... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/11889588_10152982785641174_509572174793722106_n_zpsda3tcmaj.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/11889443_10152982785611174_1030706690679737817_n_zpsnc9nwzwy.jpg As for what needs doing next well that will be final electrics along with all body panels removed for repair and painting. The tyres will want replacing so the hunt will begin for those on a budget if possible (they wont be rubbish though they need to be good!) and it looks like it will not be long before this little project starts taking shape.

Yep thats the idea Hopefully I can keep her interested eh!

It will be a straight up rebuild giving the young un an insight into how bikes work etc. She wants to change the colour but apart from that it will stay standard for insurance etc. Looking forward to it though it should be fun for us both!

Starting Them Young. Smithys Bike Build Posted by Nicky Smith Fri, August 21, 2015 21:44:23 I like my toys and I always will but you can get too many kicking around so the Wife starts to moan about the costs of insurance and tax on things you don't use a great deal but to me these costs are acceptable because even if I don't drive them I get to look at them each day. Now the key word in the paragraph was "Wife" from this you can take as fact on presumption that I am married and happily so (she reads this so I better tread carefully here) so it doesn't really matter how many toys I would like to have it's really about how many I am allowed and I hit saturation point marriage wise a toy or two ago therefore pushing my luck with any more would be tantamount to suicide...a new direction had to be thought of a way in which I could carry on with new projects and different toys that would not get me into trouble with my dear better half and I have to admit with me being a little slow on the uptake sometimes I had to give it some thought. The idea when it came was brilliant though it was indeed a cracker. We are going to move to Derbyshire next summer so our youngest daughter was going to need transport to get to college and back this transport had already been agreed before hand as a 50cc moped. I am bike mad so it would follow that at least some of my kids would be as well and the youngest is certainly that. So why buy a bike that already works nearer the time and for my daughters 16th birthday? Why not get a project now that I can do with my baby girl that will teach her how her bike works, how to fix it but best of all give us some quality time together over the next few months stripping an old bike back to it's bare bones and rebuilding it then spraying it into the colour she wants! I came up with this idea a few weeks ago now but there was no rush to get going because 50cc mopeds really don't come up expensive so I was just having a look every now and then but last night I came across a newly advertised kymco yup 50 2002 plate for the princely sum of £50. A few emails and somehow magically shoe horning a moped into the back of a Land Rover Discovery later it was home in the back garden with my youngest grinning from ear to ear and asking if would could start on taking it apart in the dark. This is a bad idea of course so the start date will be later in the weekend when we are a bit more organised. So another project brought into the homestead in a great way giving me time with my daughter and another project fuelled nut in the making. http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/11892179_10153518027066054_2160441991445919302_n_zpszbg5z9dg.jpg

The Final Chapter The Project Has Landed... Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 20, 2015 09:10:46 Over the last year or so I have got great enjoyment from rebuilding Mator my Series 3 FFR Land Rover. There have been tears there has been frustration he has taken his fair share of skin and demanded a regular blood sacrifice. I have fought with the DVLA to get him registered and the regular tinkering to keep him running were all part of the fun. But I had to have a bit of a rethink when the road tax bill arrived a week or so ago telling me it was time to tax him yet again because as I glanced down to the odometer and realised I had only covered 205 miles in the six months since the rebuild. All of my hard work was just sitting on the driveway slowly coming undone as I didn't use him in fact I regularly use Brian my Discovery instead because he's a nicer drive and far cheaper to run. It seemed crazy to go on like this. I have had a yo yo relationship with Mator concerning driving him in fact it has been a love hate one. At times I love driving him and then I hated the way he drove. I thought do I need this many cars in my life? and the answer after a few sleepless nights was no, no I didn't. I wanted someone else to use him and take advantage of the hard work I had put in I mean why restore him just to let him slip slowly backwards again? I placed a few adverts out there and had the usual tools asking me questions that showed they had never driven a Series 3 Land Rover and they had unrealistic expectations of what it would be like but then one chap called who seemed to know his stuff. He knew it would be an ongoing process to maintain an old Landy that it could break down at any time even on his way home from buying it and he was keen to come and see Mator in the flesh. A time was arranged and he was over the moon at the condition of Mator as he would become his daily drive for both his large family and to work and back. The deal was struck after much discussion on what had been done on the rebuild the paperwork was signed and it was with a tear in my eye along with a heavy heart as I watched Mator drive away with someone else behind the steering wheel. I did think as I watched him drive into the horizon "Have I made the right decision here?" but I have had a couple of days to digest it and yes I have. My enjoyment was in the actual rebuilding of him and I have brought an old Military Land Rover back to life when most people who would have looked at him at the start would not have thought possible. He has made me friends and turned me into and published author which I would not have ever thought possible! Lets not forget why I started on him in the first place it was to stop smoking and show what I could do with the money. He kept my hands busy when I needed to and was the physical embodiment of what I would have smoked into thin air. He has been an experience indeed and I do not doubt that there will soon be another project on the drive because that is what I love doing! Let's hope Mator and his new owner will have half as much fun as we did... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150618_202837_zpsxqmfqdot.jpg www.nickysmith.me

Steering & Lights The Discovery Project... Posted by Nicky Smith Sun, June 14, 2015 19:18:58 The weather has been crap. Not just a bit pants on a weekend day but pouring down get sodden within minutes when you go out in it sort of fun. So Saturday was a complete wash out from the moment I got up to the minute I went to bed much to my frustration! I did nip over to see some new friends who were then going off laning but I cried off with every intention of fitting the wheel spacers I had just acquired of of them when I got back but it rained and rained and quite frankly I thought "Bugger that". Imagine my surprise this morning when I got up and the sun was out! My first thought was to jump on with Brian's new mods but the more sensible part of my brain told me to get my backside out walking in Derbyshire with Wifey which we promptly did. A steady walk of only four or so miles in the stunning green countryside around the Matlock/Cromford area set us up for a nice lunch at the canal side and just as we were done the heavens opened once again! By the time we got home it had eased away so I jumped onto Brian with the help of my youngest daughter who was really happy to have her picture taken without brushing her hair and all that other stuff young women do because they think they need to... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150614_145648_zpslmblkied.jpg First wheel off and the spacer in place because the new tyres rub badly on full lock and the adjusters have a) no thread left to wind out much b) the nearside bolt is seized solid... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150614_152454_zps9u7ol23l.jpg It didn't take too long to get all four fitted but I must have twisted a bit oddly at some point because as I write this my back is aching enough to warn me of both my stupidity and warning me that I have done enough for one day!... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150614_174218_zps9uymx9k3.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150614_154811_zps8wpafiu1.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150614_154740_zpsw3u7xlh7.jpg The wheels sit a nice 30mm further out than they did before and now I can use full lock without skinning the inside of my tyres off! I then jumped onto wiring in the light bar with the idiot proof instructions another friend had given me. Amazingly I managed to do it without burning out any wiring systems on the motor but only two of the lights on the bar will work at the moment. At this point the heavens opened again so I jumped into Brian and called the friend who gave the idiot instructions who suspects there may be a wiring fault or bad earth in the light bar itself. I will check that theory out during the week when it is a bit dryer so for now I have tidied up the tools, locked up Brian's doors and come indoors for a nice roast dinner and maybe a cheeky beer to go with it. www.nickysmith.me

LMAO this has just made my morning because it's not just happened to me

Bars & Blinkers The Discovery Project... Posted by Nicky Smith Fri, June 12, 2015 21:25:53 I have just had to read back through my own blog to see what the last post was about because it has been that sort of crazy busy week with work and life which has left me a tad more confused than normal. So with that bit of revision done I now know where to carry on with our Brian's modifications and there have been a couple this week in between the chaos of working stupid long hours but the long lighter nights have given me time which is nice! I picked up a light bar at the weekend and at eight thirty one evening this week I decided out of the blue that there was more than enough light to work by and that seeing as we live on the main ring road four holes being drilled wouldn't be too much noise so I set to work getting it on... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/11257844_10153344015841054_598017220363291103_n_zps91ig9mcb.jpg Looks good enough to me So I then pestered a friend who's an auto electrician at the Landy club meet to instruct me on how to wire it up. Bless him he was so patient as I stood looking confused then went to get a pen and paper drawing out a dumbass's description of what to do with a relay when I piped up "I have one of those that came with the Disco" and promptly ran out and got it to proudly show him I understood what he was saying. He grinned at me and confirmed that was the one so all I need to do this weekend is pick up an inline fuse and see if I can fry my cars electrics. On top of this I ordered myself some new clear indicator lenses which arrived today and I decided to fit after my dinner. Of course it then started to rain while I was eating my dinner but no dear reader I am no fair weather fixer so I donned my dog walking fleece, much to the dogs excitement then disappointment when it became clear I hadn't picked up a lead and no walk was in the offering, and braved the warm rain to fit my shiny new lenses... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/10435911_10153353136941054_6387751470816852540_n_zps9c6iyiy9.jpg Now I am sorry if my excitement seems a bit much over a pair of lights seems a bit much but I love the way they look! It changes the whole front end of Brian's face and even Wifey and my daughters pretended they thought they were great so I cannot be wrong or alone here in my thinking! The weekends job is to see if I can adjust the front wheels to stop the new wheels rubbing on full lock but for now it's back to my pint of Hobgoblin... www.nickysmith.me

Height & Heat The Discovery Project... Posted by Nicky Smith Sun, June 07, 2015 19:04:18 Well the day has finally arrived to put Brian a big step toward being a grown up off roader, it was time to fit the 2" lift kit and bigger wheels to him. I popped into Sainsburys on the way to pick up a snacky lunch and a few cans of pop for those good folk that had volunteered their tome today to help me out then set off down the road to start pulling Brian apart. A quick hello from Wayne who was helping me today and he passed me straight off to another fella called Matt because he was just shooting off to drop off another motor he had helped someone out with but not before giving Matt and I our instructions on getting Brian's ass off of the floor on axle stands, removing his wheels and old springs and shocks. Shouldn't be a problem that but for one issue we had from the out which was we could not find the axle stands. We were told they were in the shed but even after we emptied it we could not find the buggers and it was not until Wayne got back and asked if we had looked up at the shelf high in the air , we hadn't, at the two bright red axle stands that were just waiting to be used. So with that problem solved we set to stripping off the rear wheels shocks springs and anti-roll bars. I had soaked the nuts and bolts last night and this morning with WD40 so they came off ok with the minimal of grunting on my part and with some guidance soon had the new ones in place. We fitted the new wheels and Brian was soon taking shape... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_115935_zpsnb47hcoi.jpg We freed off the front shocks jacked it high and then put in the new shocks and springs... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_135544_zpsf3jcfvag.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_140548_zps9zcutyeq.jpg Right then I need to point out something about the springs here and it will save you some time and grief... The thicker longer lift springs go on the REAR AXLE and the lower slightly thinner springs go on the FRONT AXLE. Now there was a chap helping out today that struggled for many hours not so long ago to fit hos new shocks and springs only to find when he was done the Disco pointed down to the ground because the springs were on the wrong axles, he then had to start all over again. Now I would not be so mean as to name Matt on this blog that is read by many people because that would be cruel! As well as helping me out these good folk soon cracked open a BBQ to cook burgers and sausages so none of us were going to be going hungry in the hot sunshine today! Why does it seem whenever I am off out doing some work to a Landy with other folk that the suns shines high and hot in the sky? I am not complaining about the good weather there's nothing worse than working in the rain but the sunburn on my neck is a little raw as I write this I have to admit here that Wayne really took over on the front springs and shocks because "it would be quicker" and I just became his bitch running tools and gear for him but I am not going to complain about that because he still showed me every step of the way on changing them over. It soon looked like this... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_152001_zpsf6tjnowj.jpg Talk about the Mutts nuts!!!!!! Brian is starting to look like a grown up now and I am pleased as punch with him. I was worried about what the rims would look like and considered painting them black before they were fitted but I am glad I didn't as I think the green looks good. Now you would think these chaps had given up enough of their time by now but oh no Wayne jumped in under the bonnet and ripped the EGR valve out and fitted the blanket kit that has been sat in my boot for a few weeks! Yet another job ticked off of the never ending list! http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_150201_zpsggdqxjwn.jpg I drove home as happy as a kid in a sweet shop with Brian handling better than he ever has since I have owned him so the old shocks must have been pretty worn out. I pulled up on the drive next to my Series 3 Mator and could not believe how much higher Brian now sits... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150607_165520_zpsywy3grcy.jpg He is slightly higher than Mator so should now be much more fun off road! I would just like to say a massive thank you again to both Wayne and Matt for all of their help today. It never ceases to amaze me how Land Rover folk all chip in together helping out and passing on knowledge to each other and I am now proud to say I am part of that group, I only hope I can pass on as much as everyone else seems to do! www.nickysmith.me

Cheers chap I am very pleased with myself lol Have a look at the thread "So it begins" in General chat that one is about the old Discovery I bought for off roading in

Caravans & Sunshine The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, June 06, 2015 18:57:36 Today we took a step further towards achieving our Old Git status...we bought a caravan. Now it's a nice little two berth thing from 1983 that suits us down to the ground size wise and will be used primarily when we are out with the Landy Club off roading. That was the plan but Wifey is already making noises about taking off for weekends away which I don't suppose would be a bad thing providing it's to somewhere we can have a bit of fun. (By fun I mean walking through the hills, looking at old buildings, drinking and eating in nice places...I should probably already qualify for that Old Git Badge) So Wifey was all smiles when we collected it and smiling even more when we got it to it's new parking up place and she could get in and have an explore around on how it all worked... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150606_130821_zpsmzx0n1xk.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150606_130833_zpsrxzd1dga.jpg But after a couple of hours of pottering we decided we really did have to eat so popped into a pub a few miles down the road for some lunch. That sorted we took Brian on a magical mystery tour one last time through country lanes on his road tyres. We ended up back at the riverside so I took a couple of last shots of him on these wheels... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150606_145915_zps5hkzotp0.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150606_144259_zpsi2gmepfh.jpg We wondered what this selfie thing was all about so had a stab at that as well after a few minutes of fumbling with the phone we nailed it... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150606_145935_zpsayxo4ans.jpg I am excited for tomorrows plan of fitting the two inch lift kit and new wheels to Brian and who knows it might make me a bit more adventurous off road! The sun was out all day, I love this time of year, but the wind was blowing well just taking the edge off of it's warmth. That didn't stop us driving down the road a few miles and getting an ice cream though www.nickysmith.me

200 plus The Project Has Landed... Posted by min200 Thu, June 04, 2015 19:54:28 I finished work at a reasonable hour this afternoon and seeing as Wifey and the kids were off out this evening to her sisters I decided to load up Mator with my mountain bike then head out to Gunthorpe where the river Trent runs through for a ride out in the sunshine that had been looking at me through the office window all day. Ready for the off much to my surprise Mator started right up and off we trotted heading towards the open fields of Nottinghamshire. The last time I tried to do this run the clutch stared to gave out so it wasn't until after I had passed that point on the drive I started to settle down and enjoy the run. He still brings a big grin to my face and all six of the other Land Rovers I passed were happily waving away...must have been a drive out afternoon all round. Soon I arrived at my destination and I promise I did not look for a nice parking spot to take a couple of photo's... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_172600_zps6svbirnn.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_172609_zps37ddf40r.jpg I then set to going for a nice ride along the riverside. With my change in roles at work I am not getting the exercise I did before and I do miss it in fact the lack of it can make me feel quite rough so I put in six miles of off road biking trying not to get mugged by the many many cows I passed with their calves in tow, the views were outstanding... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_175722_zpsopgzk5jr.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_180509_zpsy2e2vfri.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_181200_zps3wguoeks.jpg But time flies when you are having fun and I was soon back to the old Landy and I enjoyed the view of my two toys... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_183122_zpsrgqxlxhr.jpg As I was heading home I happened to glance down just as the trip clicked over two hundred miles since the rebuild, that was back in January, when I paid my insurance with estimated yearly mileage of four thousand.... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150604_190230_zpsbznz7j9s.jpg I think I may have over estimated my usage a touch! Still not to worry I will know better next year. The mileage should increase steadily now though as I seem to be using the old boy a bit more often but hell he drinks some petrol when I do! www.nickysmith.me

Really not playing... The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Mon, June 01, 2015 15:53:52 Brian is quite frankly getting right on my tits. Whatever I set out to do to him he fights it every last step of the way. There is no doubt I enjoy driving him and I am enjoying getting him off road ready but where as Mator my Series 3 was happy being restored Brian is like a grumpy toddler that is not interested in giving you any help at all in what needs doing. For example today was a nice day off for me and I thought I would just potter along with the few bits that needed doing to him so I chose adjusting the handbrake as a starting point. Not a hard job I hear you say and indeed dear reader you are quite correct it is not a hard job but being the first of the cross overs between the 200tdi and the 300tdi Brian does have a few quirks and after stripping out the electric window buttons I noticed that he had the later version of the handbrake that is adjusted from underneath. So off I toddled to get my baby grow on and crawl underneath him for this fun chore. The bottom of the motor is still caked in dried mud that somehow never seems to drop off of him until you climb underneath when it happily rains down upon me in ever increasing amounts it seems. After removing the gator I immediately saw that whoever had changed the lever cable over last time had omitted to fit the retaining nut to hold the tension in place. Hey ho that explains why the handbrake is pants then so I did what I could and headed under the bonnet to fit the EGR blanking plate and new pipe. The engine was warm so I didn't think the bolts would put up too much of a fight but as I went to put the ratchet in place it fouled up against the actual egr valve and because of this it wouldn't slot into place...you could not make this up. I then had a hunt around my toolbox but nothing smaller came up so my only other option was the steering pump replacement but I have danced that dance before and I was feeling a mite fed up at this point so I walked away from it all. I am about to buy a 2" lift kit for Brian but who knows what can of worms that's going to open up! He will probably fall apart never to run again knowing my luck... www.nickysmith.me

Autokana & The Force The Project Has Landed... Posted by min200 Sun, May 31, 2015 18:12:59 Well Mator got a good run put today to display at the Autokana show in Wollaton Hall Nottingham with the NLRC. Typically when ever you have to spend the whole day standing around outside it was raining heavily. Still this was not going to stop me and I packed up the stove kettle and some food to cook jumped in the old boy and set off for the six mile drive to Wollaton hall with the fast steamed up windows that you traditionally find in your Series motor. I have learnt quickly that you have to have a rag on the dash on standby at all times for an old Land Rover so I found myself quickly wiping the inside of my windows as often as the wipers were doing the outside but I didn't care as I was soon at the show and found another member already there standing in the rain with a cup of coffee at the ready!... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_090623_zps3crznarh.jpg The other folk soon arrived in dribs and drabs and we were soon sniggering at the great old cars that were arriving and skidding/slipping around on the hill side along with the look of sheer horror on their owners faces as the went in any direction but the right one in their pride and joy! Sounds like I am being mean but that is not my intention it was just comical to see all you needed to do was add the music from Benny Hill. It was cold and wet most of the time but good company and a wander around helps out no end and the stand looked pretty good... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_111545_zpsmx1ad4n3.jpg but my photo's don't do it justice edit just knicked this one off of someone else... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/11350468_10153401970159772_7883236309257608998_n_zpszfbvqyij.jpg All seemed well but then the Empire turned up in force hankering on about something we had done but none of us were going to argue with them... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_123853_zpseluqlkbk.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_123749_zpsbgjkluto.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_123928_zpsetw0k7ew.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_123954_zps5xv0v6lg.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_124124_zpsrjt8doon.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150531_123603_zpszzycmvgv.jpg It was indeed a good day, bloody cold but a good day! If you live in or near Nottingham you should look up the Nottingham Land Rover Club because they are a great bunch of folk and there is always laughter going on somewhere with them! We are off again in a few weeks for our first caravan trip with them so that should be some fun www.nickysmith.me

Plastic bags & Pipework The Project Has Landed... Posted by min200 Sun, May 24, 2015 08:24:40 Mator has been true to Land Rover form he has run faultlessly for two drives out and now is demanding more of my attention for repairs but we will come to that shortly. My young nephew arrived around lunchtime and his first stop after getting out of the car was my Series 3. He was straight in it looking around saying how much it had changed since his last visit with a massive grin on his face that some how got even wider, which seemed an impossibility seeing as his face had by now run out of room, when I told him we would go for a run out in him later in the day. Lunch eaten we decided now was the time for a drive to the woods for a walk so my brother nephew and I jumped into Mator and had a blast of a drive for the eight mile trip and all jumped out of him happy as kids in a sweet shop. It was at this point my sister in law who had been following us in her modern day reliable boring car asked "Is that water supposed to be coming out from under the engine?" Now as much as my pride wanted to say "Yes yes it is woman it's a Land Rover they all leak a bit" due to the amount of coolant pouring forth I didn't think I would get away with it without cooking and destroying the engine on the way home so I pooped the bonnet and assumed the standard landy position of standing on the bumper bent at the waist with my head in the engine bay. It was only a top hose that lead to the useless standard landy heater that had a hole in so I closed the bonnet and carried on with our woodland stroll while contemplating what I actually had in the back of Mator to fix him because I had typically removed the tool kit earlier in the day while pottering on the Disco and forgot to put it back in. Upon my return I hunted around and found a plastic back and a single cable tie....challenge accepted! I shut down the heater valve by turning the temperature lever to cold restricting the flow and then tore the plastic bag into wide strips wrapping it around the hole in the pipework and tying it off on itself. I didn't even use the cable tie at this point I saved that in reserve in case my initial bodge didn't hold... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/11146621_10153290687711054_6741543372186108409_n_zpsabgnnfin.jpg We then set off for the drive home and I now had my niece and nephew riding along with me with the plastic bag bodge holding the cooling system together and much to my surprise it did hold all the way back into the city. We had only one more set of lights to go and a three hundred yard run home when I noticed the main ring road had been closed off due to an accident!! Talk about pushing my luck! I looked down at the temp gauge without trying to look concerned for my young passengers it was still running just fine but there was now a bit of a queue and a back road maze we had to travel to get back without killing the old boy...I didn't think my luck would hold that long but with no other choice onward we travelled! We sat waiting a while then squeezed between parked cars getting back to the ring road just behind the road block much to the surprise of the police officer who was there. I explained what we were up to just trying to get home before killing my motor and he grinned saying "The accident is past your house you will make it" and with a wink he moved the secondary cones that he had in place and we we away! So we got home and Mator was still running at a normal temperature and much to my surprise he had most of his coolant still in place my plastic bag bodge had held for over 40 minutes! SO it goes to show that these landies do always want you to be tinkering with them but by god they are easy to fix and keep going no wonder our forces love the bloody things! www.nickysmith.me

Cheers chap will do

Sucks & Snorkels The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, May 23, 2015 12:46:54 Just been pottering around on Brian the Discovery wanting to change his steering pump but he doesn't want to give up his old one so advice is being sought about that. But I realised as I was staring at him imagining what he will look like with his lift kit that I had not tested the snorkel out yet to see if it works properly... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_151052%20-%20Copy_zpsbb7ksnaq.jpg So I grabbed a thick plastic bag, I had mental images of a supermarket one being sucked into the air box leaving me to break any seals I already put in place, hooked it up and over the top of the snorkel and within a few seconds the engine stalled. With a smile on my face I removed the bag and Brian fired up again straight away so I now do not have to panic whenever we come across any deep water off roading. Don't get me wrong I haven't changed in myself I am still a Sunday Driver and proud of it but the worry is now gone if I am forced to wade even though I wouldn't want to! www.nickysmith.me

Tyres & Rims The Project Has Landed... Posted by min200 Fri, May 22, 2015 21:11:09 After getting the old wheels off of Mator during his rebuild I was happy to fit the big chunky mud wheels to him but I have had a change of heart of late because now I am keeping the old boy I quite fancy putting him back towards his military roots because I like the look! There was and is no rush for this bit of a backward transformation so I have been just keeping an eye out for the right tyres to come up seeing as I already had a set of Series rims in shed 3 (yes I have that many sheds now that I number them) I was in no hurry but as is always the way a set of part worn G10 security tyres came up for the princely sum of £60 so I snatched them up quickly. Yes they are part worn's rather than new but the mileage I do in Mator is minimal so they are more than good enough for my needs but I now had to get them fitted and being the lazy bugger I am I could not face that back breaking chore of taking off old tyres then fitting the new ones with levers and hammers and bangs to hands wrists and god knows what else so I had a quite chat with the tyre fitters at work who agreed for £30 they would deal with the issue for me and dispose of the scrap tyres on the Series rims...sounded good to me! So this morning before I started work I dropped them off with the chaps then swung back around at lunchtime to pick them back up again on rims and half of the rubber returned home with me this evening. I was in an odd mood when I got in and I cannot say why if I am honest I was just feeling a bit grumpy under the weather and after catching myself growling at my family for the smallest of reasons I took myself out of the equation back outside to get some proper physical exercise in the form of changing the wheels over and putting the ones removed into shed number 2 (told you there are a few). I sweated the wheels off and on again the bloody things do really weigh more than you realise then stood back to gaze upon the backwards transformation... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150522_202103_zpsb0x79eyd.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150522_202118_zps2brgx8xw.jpg Not bad at all really but I have not taken him for a spin yet as the light was getting low I am tired and it will give me something to do first thing in the morning because my young Landy mad nephew is returning to see me, well to see Mator really, and is looking forward to going for a spin I cannot let the kid down! The wheels that came off of Mator will be going onto Brian the Discovery once I get the lift kit bought and fitted but I am going to have to save up for that because we have now officially become shed dragger's...we have bought a caravan so when we go out with the Notts Landy Club we can join in properly and socialise in the evenings...but shed dragger's none the less. The wheels will look good on Brian though... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150522_201405_zpszyly6nev.jpg www.nickysmith.me

Been Published in a magazine! The Project Has Landed... Posted by min200 Sat, May 16, 2015 20:36:32 Isn't it amazing what a year can bring to you. I have quit smoking, built a Landy, published a book and the cherry on the cake is having an article I wrote about Mator's rebuild being published in Land Rover Owners International! So here's a big thank you to all of you that have followed my drivelling rambling also for your responses encouragement and general micky taking because without them I wouldn't have come this far. Mator's journey is not yet over by any stretch there is still plenty to do on him and the astute among you will see and advert for his sale at the back of LRO but he is not for sale any more. I cannot bring myself to part with him after all of this hard work and now he is actually running well I have got to kinda like driving him without the fear of catastrophic breakdown looming over me. Thanks again folks and keep your eye out for more updates... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150516_200002_zpses0ivmv0.jpg www.nickysmith.me

Sunshine & Snorkels The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Fri, May 15, 2015 22:57:47 It has been a long week. I have been covering 12 hour night shifts at work to grab the night drivers for training and I have to say I tip my hat to those of you that work nights on a permanent basis because every fibre of my being screamed against it. I wanted to sleep at work but no matter how tired I was during the night I could not sleep when I got home. No no I could not I have had literally had ten hours sleep over five days which has proven to me that I can function without killing anybody on very little sleep. The plus side to this shift pattern which is now thankfully over is that I now have a three day weekend! Today being Friday I had the house to myself with no chores so I set to getting on with Brian the Discovery as all of those little jobs are now adding up that need sorting. Today's challenge then was to fit the actual snorkel to the body work but it was a second hand snorkel that came with no template... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150513_141430_zpsyjpog0gb.jpg Added to this it's a snorkel off of a 200tdi and I have a 300tdi so there will end up being some changes under the bonnet to make it work. Still the air box issue is for later first I had to fit the actual snorkel so out came a large piece of cardboard that I used as a template drawing the holes I needed onto it then measuring up against Brian I taped it into place... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_132004_zpsot46wgh4.jpg Then I measured it all again felt a bit sick measured again and took the drill to the wing cutting out the holes needed... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_135052_zps1kyrnq0w.jpg I filed off the off the rough edges knocked out the inner wing as well in the premarked hole... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_133203_zpsngeuzpjc.jpg So with all that done as well as the holes drilled for the bolts to come through to hold the snorkel in place I offered it up to see if it would fit...I was very nervous at this point but hey I had already made the holes so it was all or bust. It fit into place nicely!!... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_151052%20-%20Copy_zpsbb7ksnaq.jpg I quick tip for those of you about to have a stab at this put a lot of electrical tape around your drill head to protect it from the sharp body work... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_135058_zpsiaxaltwg.jpg I have thought ahead about what to do with the air box issue and bought a 200tdi box along with the snorkel. So I took that apart cleaned it up and resealed it all together again to make it water tight... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/20150515_151401%20-%20Copy_zps62g9v9wd.jpg so that will be fitted into place at some point over this weekend because today was my youngest's birthday and my parents were on their way up to come out for a nice birthday meal which wasn't that nice, the meal that is not my parents, and what made it worse was when the waitress poured a scolding cup of hot chocolate down my back but hey better me than one of the kids I suppose. So the sun was out all day and I am glad to see Brian heading the right way ready for whatever off roading can throw his way but he still stinks of wet dog so a replacement interior is next on the list to buy! www.nickysmith.me

Car Boots and Sunshine Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Sun, May 10, 2015 12:21:14 Seeing as I have a long week ahead and probably should have had a relaxing lie in this morning I awoke bright and breezy at 6am of course. After fidgeting for half an hour managing to get some rather disturbing physically threatening grunting noises from Wifey who was trying to actually have a lie in next to me I got up and decided that I should actually put some oil back in the transfer box after changing the seal again a few days ago. If I didn't get around to it no doubt I would end up forgetting, driving off for a bit then quickly killing the box so it needed to be done right now. Seeing as it wasn't my first time filling the bloody thing up with oil I had the process down pat and less than half an hour after walking outside the deed was done. Wondering what to do with the sunny morning that was fast warming up I tentatively woke up Wifey with a brew, one must offer sacrifices when you wake the dragon, and suggested a pootle out in Mator to the local car boot so I could check all was well with him. There were no fiery deaths within seconds and she agreed this could be fun so soon enough I was behind the wheel firing up the engine. Mator roared away up teh road with easy gear changes now his gear stick had been replaced and we were soon running up to temperature nice and smooth...well as smooth as a Series 3 109" ever gets. I drove through the end of the city out into the countryside with no problems and the steering was better after taking a friends advice and having the tyre pressures pushed up to 40psi on the mud wheels that are fitted at the moment. I wasn't in a state of apprehension waiting for something to break in fact I was smiling away in my noise filled cab as we trundled along at a steady 48mph listening to the fuel in the tank being sucked away quickly by the 2.25 petrol engine. We headed into the car boot field and enjoyed the extra bouncing around off road and when I looked back as I was walking away from Mator I thought to myself "He does look bloody good". There was more countryside driving back to a supermarket to pick up a couple of bits and the trundle home. No problems, no stress, no leaks (for now) and fuel still in the tank...I can honestly say this has been the most I have enjoyed driving Mator since I rebuilt him

Rough & Rubber The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sun, May 03, 2015 19:28:49 I skimmed over on yesterdays blog the fact that I jumped into a mates Series Landy while he jumped into my Discovery to teach Wifey how to drive off road because let's face it I would not be much use there being the Sunday driver I am. So here I was sitting in this 88" Series with a 200tdi engine conversion wondering how hard the thing was going to hit me once I started going along on leaf springs with no power steering but I did not have too much time to ponder though because as I have said before Wifey is a secret petrol head and she was gone in a flash. So I selected third gear nearly stalled it cursed to myself found first in the typically soupy series gearbox thanking god in my mind that it wasn't just mine that was like it and shot off like a bullet out of a gun forgetting I was in low range with loads of tdi power to play with! I instantly by more luck than judgement found second and was away. I bounced around grappling with the steering wheel which seemed determined to either lose itself from my grip or break my hands whichever came first. As I hit ruts and hills I noticed the old boy was very happy just tanking along as if none of it was there whist I sat snugly in the bucket seat that was stopping me from either going through the windscreen or taking a quick exit out if the drivers door. I was bounced thrown around slammed around and I got out of it twenty minutes later smiling like an idiot from ear to ear proclaiming "I want one like this!" Now don't get me wrong I don't think I could stand a whole day in an 88" anymore than I could stand a whole day in Mator my 109" but I do think Mator will be coming along a time or two this year to the more gentle sites we visit for a bit of a play. Still today was a wet one as you all will know so chores all morning for me until the sun made an appearance this afternoon when I headed out to Brian the Discovery having to change his wheels. The mud tyres are great fun but noisy which I can live with but one of those now has no tread across over a third of it so the old wheels that came on Brian have been sprayed up and refitted until I source a replacement tyre... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150503_182505_zpsbjgczhg0.jpg The wheels don't look too bad but I will be happy to see the alloys back on and a nice second hand Insa Dakar has to be sourced cheaply because I still want to put a 2" lift kit on him so bigger wheels will be in the pipeline in a while anyway. We really enjoyed our off road day yesterday and a big part of that was because we are finally getting the right kit on board protecting Brian which as I have said before puts my mind at rest. Wifey couldn't give a monkeys she just like to drive fast or hard off road and if anything breaks she just looks at me shrugs and says "It needs fixing again" www.nickysmith.me

Diff Guards & Dust Bowls The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, May 02, 2015 18:11:30 It has been a hell of a week work wise. There have been loads of drivers coming through needing training so the hours were long during the day leaving me little time when I finally got home to do anything that needed looking at with Brian the Disco. You may recall Brian's power steering pump was playing up so I had ordered him a new one in the hope of fitting it sometime during the week before we headed off to Stainby off road course with the Notts Land Rover Club today. I never did get the time so I just threw it in the boot with a bottle of power steering fluid "just in case" so really I was just hoping that the pump would hold together for the day which much to my surprise it did! But before we headed out early this morning I had to set to last night fitting the rear diff guard the front was all sorted protection wise but the rear end was pretty lacking in any sort of cover. As I went to fit it it soon became apparent that it wouldn't fit up between the fuel tank and front of the diff so I was left with a real blonde moment trying to figure out how to get the damned thing on. Then the penny dropped and I jacked up the back end leaving enough space to fit another axle in so the guard was soon in place... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_11178300_10153243390931054_3462205034006877565_n_zpsyrkcbktl.jpg Hurrah!! All ready to play! I have to admit as most of you know I am a bit of a Sunday Driver so I was unsure of what to expect and a little apprehensive to boot but as we finally found the course after driving a couple of miles too far it turned out to be a great place! There was plenty of room and you were not committed to run come what may once you had started along it oh no you could bail out and take the easy route around each bit of it if you so chose too which suited me down to the ground! I could be an old fart to my hearts content but the strangest thing started to happen while we were driving around...I grew a pair of balls taking steeper hills than ever before as well as ruts that I realised were fine for our Brian who was egged on because this time around he had some sort of protection front and back. I felt the steering guard catching things I would have before mortified of hitting and for the most part the ground was solid but we did manage to find enough puddles to make a right muddy mess of the old boy... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150502_130533_zpsaumbkbzx.jpg There were plenty of challenges suited for all levels of folks abilities including a pleasant Sunday amble with nice views if you so wanted it. Wifey got a lesson in how to drive off road as well so is now itching to see what damage she can cause NO NO I mean she cannot wait to start enjoying some off roading of her own...I best start bringing a van full of spares because that woman knows no fear! Here's a couple of pics of the day itself... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150502_132951_zpsdh0gqq0a.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150502_132038_zpsthveizim.jpg So Brian has had some fun again and I am glad we bought him but the conversion will have to continue though. I have to fit his snorkel a 2 " lift kit and slightly bigger wheels to start with but I have to save up for these bits, apart from the snorkel which I have already bought, and I will be trying to source all parts as cheaply as I can again keeping the price down. My next day out with these good folks will be on the 31st May at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham at a classic car show so if you are free come down and say hello I will have "Mator" my Series 3 from "The Project Has Landed" with me as well. www.nickysmith.me

Clutch Plates & Seals Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Tue, April 28, 2015 19:01:57 It has taken me two days to get around to writing up the blog about changing the clutch in Mator solely because it was such a harrowing ordeal I needed the time to recuperate my mind to cope with the ordeal of reliving it! Now I know you are all thinking "Come on Nick it's not that hard" and in principle you are all right about that but Mator decided he was going to be a bit of a shit and play up as much as he could. Sunday morning started well enough as I got up early the sun was shining as I headed off to my friends who with another mate had volunteered their services to get Mator sorted clutch wise the old Landy even drove ok where as the last time I drove him he was slipping in good style. I arrived just before nine am had a coffee and we jumped on stripping out the flooring tunnel and gearstick to give easy access to the gearbox... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_093257_zps0oztjnpr.jpg There were even smiles and laughter at this point... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_093245_zpsnh8g4imv.jpg It wasn't long before the gearbox was out and it was obvious the oil seals on the crank shaft were fubared... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_115308_zpsnnxsdzce.jpg Now is it me or is that a LOT of oil! Soon had it cleaned up stripped out new seal fitted along with a new gasket though. Attention then turned to the clutch plates themselves and they were soon removed... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_130646_zps7ejs4z1l.jpg The picture doesn't really show how much oil was on the clutch plates but there was and they had got really hot before as well as the burns showed when you looked up close. With that lot gone it showed that the oil seal on the engine side had also given up the ghost sharing the love of nasty black oil... Cleaned that mess up and fitted the new seal. Out came the new clutch plates which were lined up using my friends fancy new tool... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_133314_zpsdpdmynh6.jpg Then we set to fitting the gearbox back in place with smug smiles on our faces because we had only been playing for about four hours so far and should all be done in time for an early tea and cold beer in the spring sunshiny day! ... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_102607_zpsqqglul2n.jpg But no dear reader that was not to be. We got the gearbox up splines lined up but would the bugger go in all the way???? No no it would not. We pushed we shoved we twisted we raised one side then the other, the front went up and down along with the back but no luck. We took the gearbox back out again to check the clutch plates and sure enough the clutch plate itself had dropped enough to stop the shaft going all the way in. Off it came again to be realigned up and then refitted. Up went the gearbox and after a few choice words some quite considerable time and lots of huffing and puffing it fitted into to place. We were chuffed we felt like we had achieved something as we set to refitting prop shafts gearbox mountains and handbrakes. Soon enough all but the slave cylinder was in place the slave cylinder though had pushed its calliper nearly all the way out and it took some effort to get it back into place and fitted... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150426_104237_zpspzy7p39v.jpg That done I fired Mator up the pressure plate span as did the shaft so I engaged a gear and....NOTHING. Nothing happened at all. There was no drive at all. All of our hearts sank we could see it on each others faces how much we really did not want to take him apart again. My friend then pipes up "I did put the clutch plate back on the right way around didn't I?" We then had three grown men looking in the inspection plate to try and determine that without lugging what was now being referred to as "That bloody gearbox" out again. We decided between us that it indeed was on the correct way so it must be something else. We pushed and pulled levers around to no avail and then we settled upon the slave cylinder again. We had to loosen up the bleed nipple to relieve some pressure to get that calliper back in place so some air must have got into the bloody thing. Out came a fancy air driven vacuum bleed kit and that folks is singularly the best bit of kit I have ever seen! It bled the clutch system in 30 seconds flat! Thank God my friend had it! That done all was sorted the drive engaged no problem at all much to three sweaty dirty grimy blokes relief. A quick look at this point at my watch revealed we had been just over ten hours on this the sun was setting and we had all had enough so we set to popping the floor and tunnel back into place with me insisting "just two bolts per panel so I can get it home" and to my surprise the lads wanted to carry on "getting it right" but no enough was enough these guys had given up their Sunday for me already we were all getting hungry because we had eaten the sugary treats hours before that I had brought with me so I made them throw in the towel. One trip around the block to make sure all was right and with the tools all put to bed we had been at it eleven hours!!!!!!!!! I still had to put fuel in as I was on fumes and drive one of the lads home and this was all without any major issues we had done a good job. Well I say no issues but after I dropped the lad off I noticed that when in fourth gear and letting off of the gas there was a knocking noise on the gearbox just a clunk nothing massive and I realised as I got home I had not tightened up one of the gearbox mounts I was supposed to do so hell after a day like we had just had I could live with that. So I have still to refit the floor properly along with the tunnel and tighten up that mounting bolt but that can wait until the weekend when I can motivate myself to get the tools out again. #### A quick afterword here just to say a massive thank you once again to the guys who helped me out on a Sunday in the blazing sunshine for the whole long day. You guys are the true spirit of friendship and restore my belief in humanity as a whole! Beers are on there way boys ###### www.nickysmith.me

No Blowers... The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, April 25, 2015 18:41:21 The first job on Brian should really be his steering pump but that's £80 I don't have this week so I thought I would have a stab at sorting out his blowers. There are no fans working at all which in all fairness doesn't matter a great deal at the moment but after plugging in the portable fan on the dashboard it soon becomes apparent it is about as much use as a fart in a thunderstorm and is taking up space for no reason at all. I had an old Transit van that had the same problem with the fans not working and that ended up being the switches so I thought I would start with those. My Ebay specials soon arrived and I set to dismantling the dash board in the Disco but I got to this point and the bloody thing would not come off... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150423_193302_zps0qnfgjav.jpg I looked and looked but could not find the problem so after a bit more confused scratching my head I popped the picture on the tinterweb and was soon told that there were two screws under the alarm flashy bar thing. Those removed it all came off so I set to testing the wiring for power and they were all fine. I then plugged in the new switches and guess what...you got it the fans still didn't work! Oh well one thing down eh and now I have a whole new blower unit lined up to replace the old one which I will get around to asap otherwise the Winter will be upon us before it comes to mind again. Right I am off to list some bits on Ebay to raise that money for a new steering pump... www.nickysmith.me