min200

Well here it is folks the paperback version of "The Project Has Landed..." Who would have thought an ape like me would publish a book!? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Has-Lan ... has+landed

Rusty Bolts and Spray Cans The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Tue, April 21, 2015 20:57:31 We all now know I am a Sunday driver and the mickey taking has commenced in earnest but hey I can live with it I like my Sunday driving style it doesn't mess up my scones with cream and jam. Having said that I am not going to be averse to having a play every now and then so I have been collecting parts here and there to help beef Brian up a bit so I stop worrying about breaking stuff! His latest addition is a nice steering guard to save those bars from being bent to buggery along with a nice sump guard. Both were second hand that's where the bargains are folks so I bought them sanded them back and got out the old faithful poundland special black spray and the results are pretty good... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150411_154609_zps5pmewsvx.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150411_155219_zpsesu0gpdg.jpg That done I just had to "pop" them on which would of course be easy with only three bolts to undo and one extra to add for the steering guard. The sump guard went straight on no worries with just a little persuasion from a large rubber mallet and then it was time to tackle the existing three bolts for the steering guard I decided to start with the largest bolt that ran through the steering arm thingy bit and I am bloody glad I started with that one because it had been sat untouched since its first time being put there when the Disco was being built. Not to be disheartened by the fact it would not budge at all I went and got the persuading bar which shattered the socket I was using as if was a cheap piece of tat rather that a decent expensive one and I knew then this was going to be trouble. After losing skin blood and flesh to Mator on his rebuild I have learn't a lesson and I walked away from Brian at this point knowing I had to give this some thought. My thoughts led me to a friend who has a very good impact gun and with some bribery on my part he let me use it and thank God he did because even with this very expensive powerful tool that I was a little scared of using it took over two hours to get that bolt out of its comfy housing! Thankfully with that done the rest of the bolts sundered easily and my newly refurbished Steering guard was put into place... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150414_164850_zpsrmlspgcd.jpg Yep it is a bit mucky in the picture but I could not be bothered to go back around to the shed and get a rag before taking the picture but you get the idea It now has some protection going on so hopefully I wont be such a girl when playing off road! www.nickysmith.me

Summer days and Slipping Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Tue, April 21, 2015 20:30:31 If I am honest I have not done a great deal with Mator of late. I put him up for sale of course but after several rather insulting offers by folk over the net and then the usual folk not turning up I have ended up not being that bothered about him going in fact I have been enjoying him a lot more than I had before with little trips out at least once a week. Well today Wifey decided it was a pleasant Spring evening and quite rightly we should head out for a walk to enjoy the sunset so I took this opportunity to grab the keys to Mator and take him to the riverside. The drive would be about ten miles each way no problem for the old boy of late and soon enough we were heading out and breaking his 100 mile barrier of miles done since the rebuild. After we had settled in shouting a sort of conversation across the cab noise you know the usual for a Series when I noticed the revs seemed a little higher than normal so I took my foot off of the clutch pedal which is a bad habit I have got the revs stayed the same. You know that stomach churning feeling you get when you realise that something is wrong? Yep I had that bugger in droves at that moment because in a split second the little issues that I had seen ploughed through my mind...the little oil drip coming out of the wading hole, the clutch adjustment on the master cylinder a few weeks before and the action of putting my wallet down on my bedside cabinet when I got in from work with no recollection of picking it up again three guesses where the RAC card was I would need for recovery home should it get that far! No need to panic though I just went back in time twenty years or so in my head to when I was young care free and didnt give a monkeys if a motor was dying I would just try to nurse it back home with the only problem being the sodding great hill that lay between us and there! Wifey did point out at this point we could just go the flatter countryside way back instead which we ended up doing keeping the revs low along with the speed because the mud tyres that are on it are bloody awful on tarmac anyway and the old boy just plodded on noisily the ten miles home through very pleasant sun soaked Nottinghamshire countryside which was really very relaxing considering he could have decided he had had enough at any moment. To my surprise he even backed up the driveway with no fuss at all! A kind friend has already volunteered to help out with the replacement because I have never done one before on a landy and do you know what I think Mator might just be a bit happier then just pottering around once every week or so.

Ridden From Nottingham to Cromer and back this weekend and the folk in Norfolk all seemed to pull over to the left to let me past...loved it and thanked each and everyone with a raise of the hand as I passed

Derbyshire green lane. Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Sun, April 12, 2015 18:30:17 "Shall we go green laning on Sunday?" I said online well it seemed like such a good idea at the time sat in my armchair with a cup of steaming tea by my side. So a breezy chilly Sunday Derbyshire 10am arrived and we sat waiting for the others to turn up which to my relief a few actually did and we were soon heading off into the picturesque countryside. Now in my head I was going to be driving down gentle lanes taking in the views at a gentle pace just like I do when we are out walking...I was wrong. I couldn't see the views because I was too busy trying to keep Bodget Brian in a straight line at a slow pace whilst bouncing up and down through deep ruts because he chose this moment to inform me that his power steering pump was at the end of life and not only refusing to play but actively sticking the wheels in the wrong direction making a tough job even harder! I had to laugh though I thought it could only happen to me but as the day went on and after we had left two more motors had big issues with engines cutting out and drastic loss of power in that order! But we had already thrown in the towel after a couple of hours and missed these bits. There was one downhill section that really ended it for us it was a bit tight plenty rough enough and I just couldn't keep it in any direction let alone the one I wanted...this was not what I had set in my mind while I sat in my living room asking who wanted to come out and play!... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_11127821_441349736033455_7367304676835863700_n_zpsadktzhbt.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_11046410_441349779366784_5773012174379489932_n_zps696il5a2.jpg All moaning aside it wasn't just our Brian who made it not as pleasant as I was expecting that dear reader was me. I have visions in my head of how I expect things to be and lets say they are not always realistic. I thought I would be taking in the views whilst doing my best Sunday driver impression but when I recognised this thought somewhere along a lane with yet another bank approaching fast even though it wasn't supposed to be I realised that what I was imagining WAS a Sunday drive out and all I was missing was a flask of tea then the penny dropped that was in a bag in the boot that realisation was soil destroying to start with my heart sank I decided I was old then considered what retirement options I had. Then I accepted and a bit quickly as well because even though I want to go off roading I will with the NLRC and even though I want to green lane I will along nice flat easy ones so I don't shake up my flask of tea too much. Wifey and I even stopped for lunch on the way home then started to giggle at each other over our dinner table in the restaurant as we looked at the fare we were about to start to eat, turns out we are sandwich tea and cake people aka old farts and we are quite happy with that

If you search for "The Project Has Landed" on amazon somehow it says it's the number on best seller in "Automotive"...don't know how because it hasn't sold many lol but hey it looks good

Right then you may well wonder what I am doing and you would be right to! "My CV" is going to be published as a series of books BUT it cannot be anywhere else I am told (condition of contract) so I have had to edit it all out here and about six other places I have it but I will let you all know when the first instalment is out! I have left the first post in as a "taster" (allowed to do that much) and I will hopefully have more news soon All the best folks Nick

Umm I kind of published a book about the Land Rover rebuild and all the responses I got taking the mickey warts and all so if you would like to buy it please just click on the link http://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Has-Lan ... has+landed

Right then you may well wonder what I am doing and you would be right to! "My CV" is going to be published as a series of books BUT it cannot be anywhere else I am told (condition of contract) so I have had to edit it all out here and about six other places I have it but I will let you all know when the first instalment is out! I have left the first post in as a "taster" (allowed to do that much) and I will hopefully have more news soon All the best folks Nick

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Mud Mud Mud & Water The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, April 04, 2015 20:54:40 Well the big day had arrived I awoke with a great big grin on my face today was the first day I would be going off road not only in my own motor Bodget Brian but I would be driving this time with the Nottingham Land Rover Club where as before I had only been a passenger with them. To my surprise Wifey and the youngest daughter were also up on time so I loaded up some old wet weather gear much to a strange look from my wife wondering what that would be for along with a picnic for the three of us including the most important hot water flask for tea! Bodget fired straight up after standing for a week proving all of my usual worrying was a waste of time thinking I would find a flat battery then we headed off for some fuel only a mile away up the road so not much charge would be going in... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_075720_zpsqr6falvr.jpg But how much fuel to put in? What if he breaks down? I need to stop this crap beating myself up over nonsense that "might" happen says the more positive side of my brain and in goes £30 and Bodget fires straight up again no problems. We are meeting a few of the folk from Nottingham Land Rover Club (NLRC) on the way who will be showing us the way to Frickley so if anything was to happen to Brian we would be surrounded by Landy mechanics anyway that would by hook or by crook get us rolling again. There was something nice about being in convoy with a couple of other Land Rovers it made you feel like you belonged to something fun with like minded nut cases that just want to play outside in their motors. We were soon at Frickley meeting up with other members who had been camping overnight and I parked up on some solidish ground to start with Bodgets next upgrade. The people who form the NLRC are a special breed of folk that you would be led to believe don't exist anymore they are caring fun to be around and always happy to help out. A member who I wont embarrass across the internet by naming them but you know who you are had kindly brought along a set of mud wheels that would fit Brian ready for playing off road today. Not only that but as soon as they were out next to Bodget other folk jumped in to help change them over quickly so we could go and play... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_094345_zpszzz83hsk.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_102850_zpsdbqrwijg.jpg We were soon wheeled up and ready to play but seeing as this was my first time out driving one of the NLRC jumped in shotgun to help me out with some instruction on how to get around how best to drive and basically not kill my car or anyone else on the site. I am glad he had come along because we drove around and into a muddy lane that looked like a mixture of slop and sandbanks. I best say here that this is a pay & play site not a load of green lanes that had been ruined! I took one look at what lay ahead and thought "I am never going to make it through that" but I did as I was told revving the nuts off as we started to get grounded aiming for sloppy lines that took a while to notice bouncing up and down side to side and every time I thought I had a grip on what was going on Bodget would prove me wrong by pitching and yawing completely in the opposite direction! I was loving it! Wifey and daughter were laughing like mad while bouncing around we were having a blast! I grounded out like a beached whale soon enough and I could not get the motor moving again but I walked out into the slop and grabbed the tow strap that was wrapped around my spare wheel attached it to the accommodating fellow that was driving behind us and got dragged unceremoniously backwards and clear of our mud bank. With a run up and high revs we were over and out it was then we came to the water...I don't like water Brian is not set up for it and I was not going to be going through it. I wasn't the only one to stop either... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_105137_zpsk2slqnhk.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_111351_zpsa6gcc70g.jpg It was not long though before someone had a stab at it and soon enough he got stuck... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_111926_zpsofozozcb.jpg Luckily someone else had better luck getting over and pulled him out backwards back to dry land. After a few others with snorkels fitted drove over and back we took a new track that was even muddier if that was possible than the first one then we came across the first water crossing. I have mentioned that today I don't like water I am not set up for it yet but the problem was I was second in line there was no where to turn around and there were 4 or 5 motors behind me. I don't mind saying I was a little scared in that good way when you are doing something you don't want to but also worried about wrecking my new toy. After soem assurance from my co pilot that Bodget would be fine we started wading across and made it safely to the other side with me grinning like the cat that got the cream. I felt that way for another couple of minutes until we hit the next load of water that after watching the chap in front go through it was apparent that this was a lot deeper than the first. Under instruction again I waded on using the left bank to keep my air filter intake up a bit higher but the water was deep the wave was small the revs were high and we were clear. The relief was palpable on my part but that was then the revs dropped out. They came back again but when put under any big load they dropped out again...Hmm hey ho nothing I could do about it there and then so we ploughed on a bit and I even helped drag another Disco out of the mire which made me feel like a proper landy grown up and we headed back to camp for some food. I have said before these folks are superb but I mean it they really are as soon as I got back I popped the bonnet up to check the engine over and half a dozen heads were straight under it looking for the problem... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_131433_zpsrdelczog.jpg One fella is a diesel mechanic by trade who shrugged his shoulders and said "you just got a bit of water in it nothing to worry about!" then another chap noticed a pipe was off of the egr valve as well and the assumption was some small amount of water must have gone in there but it had passed through ok. http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_122124_zps7w5u9bu4.jpg The engine was ticking over nicely again but I wasn't I was knackered. It has been a hectic few weeks in my new job and I had been battling this god awful bug that is doing the rounds all week as well so I decided to cry off the afternoons session. This brought taunts of "scared you will break your car" "didn't last long chap" along with some more colourful friendly jibes and laughter but I was beat. The adrenaline had worn off and I felt like a bag of reheated crap so we washed the worst of the mud off so I could see out of the windows and headed towards home... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150404_122124_zps7w5u9bu4.jpg He drove home just fine with no more hiccups at all and I was surprised at how well he had done on fuel considering he had spent half of the day having his nuts revved off! So all in all I have thoroughly enjoyed my first day off roading I have a sound motor that does it's job well and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much abuse these old Land Rovers can take I have been scared I have laughed I have made new friends and I have made it home with my motor all in one piece what more could you ask for? www.nickysmith.me

It's a 2 1/2 litre Diesel 300tdi and they are bullet proof chap! The early TD5's had some issues electrically but they were sorted out over the first year of production. Read the next post I have abused the hell out of it this weekend and it has just shrugged and carried on I will be towing a caravan soon enough with it myself!

There's a few things in the pipeline... Musings Posted by min200 Fri, April 03, 2015 20:52:30 There are a few things in the pipeline I can't say too much yet but watch this space! I am also working on more for "My CV" behind the scenes here getting the order of things right before sending it out for you good folks to read about Tomorrow morning see's "Bodget Brian" out for his first day off roading and there will be a big update about that over the weekend! Mator is still up for sale and there has been interest and even a couple of insulting offers but quite frankly I would rather keep him than give him away...there are always other ways to raise the house deposit money even if it takes a year or two longer than planned. So in short there will be more drivel from me over this Easter weekend so stay tuned folks

The Grinder came out again... The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Mon, March 30, 2015 15:02:54 The weather has sucked in a big way all weekend with high winds and heavy rain just the ticket for when you have four days off and new toys to play with! Wifey and I did do the Easter Egg bike ride yesterday though not caring about the pouring rain and joining about 500 like minded souls on bikes to ride form Nottingham to Mansfield fire station dropping off easter eggs for kids who would otherwise be left out at this time of year. I am not saying this for praise because I am lucky to have a regular job a full belly and a roof over my head no I am telling you all about it because it is fantastic to see how people even those who are tarnished ruffians by a few will turn out regardless of weather to have some fun and pass on a bit of goodness it truly restores your faith in humanity Anyway before I get too sloppy I awoke this morning to the sun in the sky and a whole day to myself so I jumped out of bed my back reminded me I am no longer 21 and set to getting the dog in the back of Bodget Brian (his new nickname) and set off for the woods to enjoy a few miles of walking with no women and no kids in tow. Bodget Brian is now the official dog walking vehicle... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_084043_zpskpimdxda.jpg After an hour or so and my dog looking like it was going to have a heart attack we headed back home and I stood thinking what I had to sort before Brian's first off road day that's coming up this Saturday. I have been warned that it is a bit rough and deep ruts here and there especially in the entranceway that the front bumper in it's standard form would probably be an issue so I crawled underneath to see what I could do to solve this problem as I do not have a winch bumper to fit yet. Looked like the bottom trim would come off easy enough with just half a dozen bolts holding it on... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_130310_zpslmbfe2wp.jpg They came off in a jiffy so I set to with the grinder to cut down the bumper end trims to size... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_131109_zpscud2zxch.jpg And off it all came! At least I created a good 12" more clearance on the front end so hopefully that will be enough for now! As I looked at the finished result... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_131119_zpsrlukbrbm.jpg I thought the bumper metal looked a bit scruffy so a quick spray of good old poundland black paint sorted that... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_135945_zpsoqcl1lml.jpg Maybe a bit daft seeing as I will be replacing it shortly but hey it made me feel a bit better smartening him up a bit! While I was underneath Bodget Brian I noticed a hole that seemed to be missing a bolt so I will have to ask folk in the know about that... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150330_125948_zps4kywgfse.jpg The picture is taken from below and that's the sump at the sump at the top of the picture I will update next time on what it is hopefully saving someone asking the same daft question So that's Bodget for now I won't get the chance to do much if anything else before the weekend but I will throw up some pictures on how I got him stuck when we get back. www.nickysmith.me

First things first I am only selling "Mator" my series 3 landy because we are buying a house and need the money for a deposit quite frankly after all the blood sweat tears and the hospital visit he caused me I don't want to see him go but they have been well worth it. This is a unique opportunity in the fact that you can see the whole rebuild from when it was dragged out of a farm yard to the last day I drove it every bit of work done has been documented laughed at and shared across a few of the main Land Rover forums so you can see what I did wrong then put right what has been replaced and rebuilt so you know exactly where you stand with him if you want to buy him. SO where to start?? He has the military chassis a recon military engine running 24 volts across the board each and every dent is as it was from when it was demobbed then parked up for the seventeen years before I got him. I did not want to change them or fix them they are part of it's history. I have the MOD list of who it served with. In a very short list the following has been done but this is the abbreviated version...alternator rebuild, brake system rebuild, master/slave clutch rebuild, new shocks, new gearbox mounts exhaust fuel system from tank to carb, undersealed, doors replaced painted and fitted, all fluids replaced and engine serviced. This is no where near everything that has been done please have a look at the blog rebuild at www.nickysmith.me under the "Land Rover rebuild" section for the whole shebang or search for "the project has landed" on the landyzone forum. I have done about 74 miles only since the rebuild but this will climb a little as I enjoy driving him before he goes. It is an old landy and I don't doubt it will present a problem or two as time goes on after being stood around for so long but as he is at this moment is in great condition fully driveable with his 2 1/4 petrol engine and you are welcome to come and view. You are also welcome to a test drive as long as you bring me proof of insurance to be able to drive fully comp or I have the cash from you in my hands...you break him you have bought him! The only things not to original military spec are the front seats wheels and headlights so if you want to put him back to military standard. £3995 ono Nottingham area

He knows what I am thinking... Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Sat, March 28, 2015 19:08:50 My vehicle collection is getting bigger and all of this without the added extra motors that will turn up when the kids start driving heaven knows what we will do then! There is now a new game called musical motors I have to play depending on which one I would like to use and seeing as I had to move Mator anyway I decided to use him to run an errand of dropping a parcel off at a collection point a few miles away. I think he knows I want to sell him to go towards the house deposit because he normally has some sort of issue just for the hell of it you know like a new strange noise or running a bit rough but this morning he was a pleasure from the first turn of the key until I parked him up. Having set the carb last week he ran like a dream drove even better with smooth steering nice gear changes great acceleration and I swear he was even being as quiet as he possibly could be. In my minds eye he was acting like a dog that has been a bit bad and is now looking at you from the side of his eyes with a bowed head being as good as possible so you will love him again. He was faultless... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150328_090624_zpsaauabdb6.jpg There was even a chap who walked up to me out of the blue at the parcel drop off point asking if I owned Mator complimenting me on what good condition he was in can Land Rovers pay people to say nice things about them? www.nickysmith.me

Not getting anywhere fast... The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sat, March 28, 2015 17:49:46 I tried today I really did but everything seemed to be against me including at the forefront my complete lack of knowledge about the Land Rover Discovery. It will be a steep learning curve to say the least with my Haynes manual in one hand and the advice of my forum and club friends on the laptop in the other. You see I thought I would just bolt on the wheels I have making the Disco look chunky and off I would go playing but in reality that is not going to be happening but I am getting ahead of myself here so I will back track to this morning where I awoke most of the neighbours up at 07:45 dragging my big jack from the shed at the back of the house to the Landies at the front mimicking the decibel levels of a 747 coming in to land but the old huge jack is just too heavy to carry! So up went Mator the Series 3 and off came a wheel and up went the Discovery then off came his wheel and I went to swap them over but it was here the problems began... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_20150328_082811_zpsjdcuzk29.jpg It was not going to fit! Fancy having non interchangeable tyres eh! Well they could fit if I stick a 2" lift kit on then trimmed the arches back and changed the bumper sooo I am left with these options as well as just buying a set that would bolt straight on but where would the fun in that be? The standard wheels went back on and both Land Rovers kept their own boots for now. I did dismantle the cb from Mator had a look at where to fit it in Brian and it soon became apparent that the Discovery is a bit more technical than the Series and all of it is behind moulded plastic. I am going to end up breaking stuff I can just see it! For now the CB resides in the glove box while I get advice from better folk than me on what to do with it! I was left wondering "what to do now then?" so I had a stab at a couple of the little niggly things that need doing. I fixed the remote central locking with two new batteries as well as securing all of the gubbings properly inside the fob but the heater switches will need replacing as they don't work the only source of heating is one of those tiny plug in fan things not ideal for demisting! With nothing more to do I went for a spin putting some fuel in and dropping off some sawdust to an acquaintance for his chickens. Overall it seems ok the ride does seem a little hard but shocks are cheap enough the synchro is worn between first and second gear but its old and done 155,000 miles as long as you put the gear stick in the right place it doesn't crunch...just quirky. The speedo has a life of its own so that needs to be looked at and the clutch is pretty fierce I look forward to the pleasure of Wifey using that as she has no concept of a gentle gear change! Overall not too shabby for a £700 motor it wants some work but you have to expect that with any old car thankfully most of these bits will be sorted as I do the work for the off road upgrades so nothing to panic about. I will keep up with the costings on this one as well to show how cheaply a tight arse like me can do this conversion for and if I manage to keep it as cheap as the series 3 I will be a very happy man! Discovery Project Cost's Discovery £700 Remote Batteries £8 Total £708 www.justturned40.co.uk

Well after fires more blown light fuses than I care to remember strip downs rebuilds and skinned knuckles the old GSXF has another year's MOT on it with no advisories!! SO hopefully it will give me a some trouble free motoring for a bit seeing as its practically been rebuilt now

It's almost like you have missed my inane drivel Lot's more to come!

You really can't polish a turd! The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Fri, March 27, 2015 20:14:42 The big day has arrived so after a hectic morning of getting the motorbike an MOT running chores for Wifey one of which was to collect yoghurt's on the bike from a superstore seven miles from my house then trying to get them back without breaking them in a top box that wobbles at the same rpm as the bike which much to my surprise I did then posting some nonsense and getting fuel it was time to go and collect Brian the Discovery. Thankfully the chap I have bought it off of offered to come and get me so after a quick brew we were all set for the off. A quick trip to the petrol station for fuel and we were soon there. Now this Disco has been sat all week by it's lonesome but it fired up straight away no problem at all and I set off to get it home so I could start it's deep clean because it was used mainly it would seem as transport for the fellas rather large dog on walking trips which I knew about before buying but it was going to take some cleaning before Wifey or the girls would get in it...thinking about it I missed out on an opportunity there to get some peaceful me driving time bugger. What do you expect from a 1993 Discovery? well I bought this with my eyes wide open to use for off roading and a bit of a commute to work in the winter so I knew it was a little dented a bit more faded and plenty scratched up in other words exactly what I would expect from a twenty odd year old work horse but I got stuck in hoovering up hair dust mud and other wonderful things you find long forgotten under car seats. I washed and scrubbed the outside of it then dug out the old faithful bottle of T-Cut to see if I could bring the paintwork up from it's dull scratched state to something a bit shiny...I could not. I put it on wiped it off and the old boy did not look so dull but it soon became obvious that it was never going to be shiny again but really why I thought it would be is beyond me. So after several hours of cleaning it feels better it certainly smells better and it even looks a little better in fact in the following photo it even looks shiny somehow but it really is a trick of the light... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_11050807_10153153529496054_6749517852157180444_n_zpsagwzozu8.jpg Next step is fitting the mud wheels off of Mator as I am going to get him a set of 7.50's if I find them at the right price put onto his series rims. Then it will be the CB and arial along with kitting out the boot with the off roading bits I need to take with me for my first time actually driving off road! www.nickysmith.me

Glad I made you smile Oh it has been a journey indeed paid for in blood more often than I care to remember! I need to sell him really to fund my Vodka problem lol

Times are a changing. Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Wed, March 25, 2015 18:05:52 Things seem to be changing at the moment and quite drastically to boot! I have started my new job which will hopefully send me off in a new career direction with new challenges then there are the plans to move to a new home in Derbyshire next summer and it is this that has us really thinking. We rent at the moment and the plan was to continue renting up in Derbyshire because we did not think we would A) get a mortgage or B) want one anyway as our plans were to buy a little old wreck in Northern Spain to retire to. The problem now is we have found out we can get a mortgage so perhaps we should buy a house next summer in Derbyshire instead of renting then if we want to move out and retire to Spain in our later years we sell up and do so or maybe we will be happy in our little home in the countryside... So after much thought we have decided to buy a house and act like we are proper grown ups...pfft who wants to be a grown up anyway?? Joking aside it makes sense as we would get a mortgage that would be about the cost of rent then we get to sell up at the end of it and spend any inheritance the kids think they will be getting and post it all online just to rub their noses in it a it lol. Can you see where I am heading with this yet? No? then I will enlighten you The only problem initially with buying a house is that you need a deposit and we will save hard for this over the next year but there will be a chunk left missing and if I am honest there is only one thing we have of value and I thought I was going to put him away for a few more years while he raises in value but needs must. I am going to have to sell Mator. Now I could drive him for a year then stick a Fresh MOT on him and sell him then but I have bought the Discovery to play in and Mator will not be getting much use anyway so after I have swapped his wheels over this weekend he will be going up for sale on the market as teh fresh new rebuild he is. It is with a heavy heart I do this but I know it is the right thing to do because I don't want to leave him sitting around wasting away again after all of the hard work and effort I have put into restoring him and any potential buyer is in a unique position of seeing exactly what I have done to him over the course of the rebuild online someone should really get the some pleasure out of him. Yes I am sad as he helped me keep off of the cigarettes kept me writing and made me a few friends along the way but the future calls I am getting older and the idea of eventually paying no rent appeals to me for my winter years. So keep an eye out tell your friends that something good is coming up and once the pictures have been taken and the adverts written I will let you all know but whoever buys him don't look back when you drive him away I don't want you to see me crying... www.nickysmith.me

You will be working until you are 67 so plenty of time for a change. I have just changed direction at 41 so you are never too old

And So It Begins... The Discovery Project... Posted by min200 Sun, March 22, 2015 08:34:46 For those that have followed me before you know I have spent the best part of a year rebuilding an old Series 3 Military FFR Land Rover using what was my cigarette money and trying to show you could still put an old Landy back on the road at a reasonable price. I smugly proved this surprising myself both in the achievement and the fact I can use a set of spanners without causing myself too much damage as well as following the excellent advice given to me from several different online forums fixing things I never thought I would be able to. The problem now that project is finished is that I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the finished product I loved building it but I hate the idea of now breaking it by using it off road and if I am honest I don't enjoy driving it very far local journeys are fine but bone shaking noisy long journeys fill me full of dread along with the cost of taking the very inefficient two and a quarter petrol engine further than a twenty mile radius requiring a small mortgage to do so just doesn't appeal. On the other hand I couldn't sell it so what am I to do about playing off road with the Nottingham Land Rover club that I have been looking forward to doing for the last year? I have found the solution which I could justify to my ever suffering Wife by solving two problems in one hit. The first is obviously playing off road which Wifey is looking forward to as well because secretly she is a bit of an petrol head for such things and the second is being the fact that I commute all year round to work on my motorbike but the winters are getting a bit much with sliding around along with our anticipated move to Derbyshire next year I will need something to drive to and from work in the winter months so I have gone out and bought "us" a bog standard Discovery... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/th_66959_10153139347601054_8774875939204667986_n_zpstegxmxtw.jpg This will be fun off road and ideal for commuting in the winter as well. It does mean the old Series 3 will only be used very occasionally but seeing as I would have smoked the money it cost to rebuild I am not too fussed about that I will even store it for a while if and when I find somewhere to do that. The Discovery named of course "Brian" will not be standard for too long. It needs to be modded enough for some good off road fun but not so much as it becomes a chore to commute in. Yes yes it does say Sea Rover on the front this is because it was used by the sea cadets in Lincolnshire for years but thankfully didn't spend a great deal of time anywhere near the sea! All major welding has already been done so no worries there and it is a good base for what I want to do. So folks the say Land Rovers are addictive and they are not wrong because in the space of twelve months I am up to two and my eldest daughter is making noises about wanting one when she passes her test because they are "cool" or whatever word they use for that meaning now she said. Watch this space changes are coming.... www.justturned40.co.uk

Transfer box seals & Oil slicks Land Rover Rebuild Posted by min200 Sun, March 22, 2015 07:43:18 I have been quite lucky with Mator my old Series 3 Landy where oil leaks are concerned most people who own Land Rovers constantly joke about them "marking" their spots on driveways with oil leaks but mine has been great apart from just one leak from the front of the transfer box so I decided it was about time I tackled it because as leaks go it was quite a big one. Up at the crack of dawn as is my norm these days I grabbed a brew got the baby grow on grabbed my toolbox and slid underneath the Landy to start taking it apart again. First things to come off where the four prop shaft bolts the first three came off with no problems at all but the fourth in good Land Rover tradition rounded off as soon as I put some pressure on it so out came the grinder... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150321_100027_zpsyzwaxatt.jpg I should point out I had drained the oil out of the transfer box as well before I started taking bits off of it even I am not that daft! With the bolts off I moved the prop shaft to one side and was faced with a nut with a split pin through it... http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150321_101313_zps5pwnmepg.jpg The split pin came out easy enough but that bolt decided we were in a fight for our lives and it seriously thought it was going to win...it nearly did. You have to use a pry bar or something similar to stop the whole thing from turning whilst simultaneously trying to undo the bolt that has been in place for years and years and years. I swore at it scrapped my knuckles threw things across the driveway used limbs of my body in better ways than I have ever done in a game of Twister but it would not move. I walked away and made a brew muttering to myself what sort of idiot buys an old Land Rover anyway and came to the conclusion I must be some sort of masochist. Ten minutes on and my blood pressure approaching something back to normal I assumed the Twister position underneath the Landy and had another stab at it. It undid as if it was only finger tight...bloody Land Rovers but I shook my head smiled to myself and carried on dismantling it all when a river of oil came flooding out of the front of the box all down my arm soaking the baby grow and the clothes I had on underneath. The angle of the driveway must have caused it to sit in there well away from the drainage plug just waiting for me to do something stupid like remove the shaft and seal and give it a way out! At this point I just had to laugh out loud wipe myself down and keep digging until I got to the seal which looked like it was in good condition but I after getting all the way into it I changed it anyway. The rebuild went smoothly with it all going back together easily and I replaced the nuts and bolts on the drive shafts with new filled up the transfer box with oil started it up and rove it up and down the driveway a bit to then see it leaking from exactly the same place as before...I was not in the least bit surprised. I have come to terms that this will be my leak and it is quite a good one but this is to make up for the fact it doesn't leak much from anywhere else. The second job of the day was to take it for a spin and set up the carb properly as last time I was out it seemed to be underpowered. My mechanic friend who had turned up after the messy oil and seal incident good timing on his part eagerly jumped into the passenger seat for a ride out in "something old school" his words but he is right and off we went. After a few miles it had warmed up and was running way too lean so after a few stops here and there the mixture was tweaked up the tick over turned down and he difference is astounding. You may have noticed I have been having a bit of a love hate relationship with Mator of late. I have loved building him and I love working on him but I don't really relish the idea of driving him too far let alone off roading in him but having said that I wouldn't want to sell him either so I have solved the problem...I have just bought myself a Discovery to play off road in and use in the wintertime because I am getting fed up of sliding around on my motorbike on the way to work and back then. Because I have bought another toy I will change a couple of bits on Mator like the wheels and seats giving him more of the Military sense he had before tipping his hat at the service he provided in his last life. BUT this means I have a new project again so watch this space for the next build it isn't going to be long... www.nickysmith.me