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Oil and Radio's


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Sun, February 15, 2015 17:50:51


Off we went to the first 4x4 show of our season this morning at Donington and it was nice to be out and about staring at other folks motors and all of the bits and bobs that you can bolt on to your pride and joy but it is not a big show hence its held indoors which was nice on a foggy cold morning it doesn't take long to wander around it.


Now as you know I ahve been thinking of what to do with my now more or less rebuilt Land Rover as times will be changing in a year or so and today was a good opportunity to have a look at what can be done with Discoveries from the subtle to the outrageous! Well Wifey does like a Discovery it turns out and I have been told in no uncertain terms by her that I am NOT to sell Mator on but keep him and maybe return him back to military standard not in a full FFR set up way but just not to mess him about. Then what we will do is buy a Discovery make it off road ready and we will both play with it and it will be there for winter driving if I need it instead of the bike!


Anyone else think my Wife is a keeper!


So I will be looking soon enough for a Disco project to add to the collection which is superb and I am looking forward to the challenge of playing with a new project getting just how I want it. After a quick drive into Derbyshire for some lunch we got home and I set back to sorting the gearbox oil out on Mator. When I ran him out a couple of weeks back he was pretty noisy and upon further investigation he needed quite a bit of oil in the gearbox after I checked with a couple of groups I was taking the right plug out and not heading toward an oil shower. As I was underneath I checked the transfer box oil level and it turned out there was next to nothing in there so I am glad I looked before driving any sort of distance. How I overlooked doing this on the rebuild baffles me but at least it is done now!


I did manage to pick up some of the correct electrical connectors at the Donington show to wire in the CB. This only took a couple of minutes and it was nice to see my Christmas present crackle to life for the first time but it appeared there was no one local who wanted to play Smokey and the Bandit with me which spoilt my fun just a bit.


Right then I am off to trawl the tinterweb looking for a cheap Disco see you on the other side!


www.justturned40.co.uk

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Quiet...shhh


Musings

Posted by min200 Thu, February 19, 2015 21:48:32


OK then folks firstly I must say sorry I know I know I have been quiet of late but there is more upcoming for "MY CV" and there will be Landy updates over the weekend.


Life has been getting in the way with interviews lined up, more on that to follow very soon, as well as the normal dull everyday stuff involving kids Wives cars and holidays that will be here soon enough :) So stay tuned don't disappear on me normal service will be resumed shortly :)

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Fuel lines & Fine tuning.


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Fri, February 20, 2015 15:42:52


Today has been a good day it started well enough with Wifey bringing me a brew in bed so I sat there enjoying a relaxing start to the day planning ahead the things I had to do. It started with taking the cheap inline fuel filter out of the Landy...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150220_082150_zps8dcvef7q.jpg


Now this filter has been the cause of some concern seeing as it never seemed to fill up with fuel and as the new carb I fitted seemed to struggle with a bit of fuel starvation from time to time I decided for the few minutes it would take to remove the filter and fit a pipe in its place it was worth doing to see what effect it would have...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/20150220_082939_zpswfcmzmkw.jpg


With that done I had to hop onto the motorbike because it has been running pretty roughly this past week or so and as it is my daily runner I couldn't ignore its ever increasing complaints about running badly. Turned out the previous owner had put over a litre too much oil in it as well as the spark plugs being as old as the hills and cheap crap to boot. So an oil change new plugs fitted then a good all round clean up of connections along with liberal amounts of WD40 around the place I expected a nice purr to the engine.


It wouldn't even turn over! I sat there scratching my head wondering what I had done wrong?? After a bit of bad language and wiggling of connections it fired up sounding better than it ever has done. A ride around the block confirmed the fact that it now ran like it should along with more power than before so that job was struck off of the list.


I looked at the Landy with a sinking feeling in my stomach because I had to take it for a drive to warm it through properly to make sure the carb was set up right but after our last drive with it running like a bag of spanners I wasn't looking forward to finding out I had done it wrong or not enjoying driving it again. So with apprehension I got into the drivers seat fired the old boy up then pulled out onto the dual carriage way.



The ride was smooth the engine pulled smoothly with no spluttering hiccuping coughing or stalling. The gear changes were smoother than before probably due to having the right amount of oil in the box now and I found myself relaxing into the ride. Gearbox along with engine noise was well down on my last outing then I came to a steep hill realising this was going to be the next test. Foot pushing down on the accelerator the two and a quarter engine responded well as it should pulling me steadily up the hill still gaining speed. Next was the down hill stretch testing for backfires spluttering popping and of course the brakes again all was well with no overrun just a nice smooth deceleration.


By now I was really starting to relax into it and despite my earlier worries and apprehensions I was enjoying myself. Mator was driving like a different motor almost like a newer motor certainly the best I had ever felt him go so far and my confidence in him build up quite nicely. So after a few miles I ended up home then with a quick tweak on the tickover of the carb he was parked up on the driveway and I have the confidence in starting to use him regularly to see what new ways he can breakdown.


www.nickysmith.me

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  • 2 weeks later...

Steering Wheels & Carbs


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Sat, February 28, 2015 17:32:52


I have been a bit quiet of late I know but I do have a good excuse and a letter from my Mum so if you have the time I will tell you why.


You know how you get bored with work think the grass is greener on the other side and wish you could be there. That feeling that life is passing you by and how the hell did you end up doing what you are doing for a living even though the money is good well thats where I have been for a few months now but I have enough about me to know which side my bread is buttered so I started to look around seriously for another job when out of the blue an advert went up at work looking for another Driver trainer to be added to their team so I jumped at it and applied. Whether or not I would make an arse of myself I didn't know but I was invited much to my surprise to interview that would include a ten minute presentation by me about anything I wanted as long as it was within the transport industry remit.


Well this had opened a can of worms hadn't it I mean the last time I had looked at Powerpoint was donkeys years back and now I had to make one up from scratch with "updated" software that I had no idea what most of it did but I got stuck in and after two long weekend days had a presentation put together which left me to practice it making sure I sounded like I knew what I was on about without tripping over my tongue letting my lisp and stutter return like a steam train crashing through the end of the tracks.


"Sod it" I thought I will test it out on the family so the poor buggers had to endure me babbling spitting lisping and stuttering my way through my creation...twice...then twice more until I had it down pat. A couple of showers later for them to rinse away the spittle and I thought "I might be ok at this" I put it to bed until the interview the next day.


The interview went well there were only a couple of folk grilling me and it was soon time to get my presentation going and it was at this point the main interviewer went off and got the head honcho of the contract to sit in and watch. I mean talk about sending your nerves up through all of the notches no pressure eh!! Somehow I got through it sounding bloody stupid on the inside of my head but portraying a calm confident figure to all present who all gave me good feedback. I made it through the first hurdle to the second a few days later much to my surprise which was an extended driving assessment which included a talking drive from me saying all I could see and was doing...me doing that whilst nervous trying to control my Artic trying not to lisp stutter or give the assessor a shower in my spit...well it went ok despite my nerves and I even managed to answer the questions he threw at me when I didn't need to be talking correctly! Turns out we were down to three candidates and they will be seeing the final one next week so we will all be informed by Friday who has got the job.


The reason I really wanted it was because it's a good sideways move with extensive training paid for by the company that you get to keep of course it's a direction I had been considering but put on the back burner due to the costs involved so an opportunity like this doesn't come up very often. Hell I have given it my best shot so what will be will be eh ;)


Anyways folks you don't want to hear anymore on that you want to know what I have done to the Landy and I have managed to have a couple of nice days on different bits and bobs which has been relaxing and bloody enjoyable to boot I do like to have a tinker!


Wednesday night was meeting at the pub night with Notts Landy Club also the first time I had the chance to show Mator off to them so I rushed home from work dumped the bike jumped in the Landy and shot straight up there. Folk liked him with oohhs and ahhs but they would wouldn't they after all they are all Land Rover nuts but I did notice the steering was a bit tight not just heavy then with a bit of a realisation I realised I had not checked any of the steering fluid in both the boxes so that was the first job to do on Friday afternoon as well as trying to figure out why the dashboard lights didn't work as well.


It rained hard on the way home though and in about fifteen seconds in true landy fashion I could not see bugger all out of the windows for steam so that coupled with the spare wheel cover I had fitted to the wheel on the bonnet opening like a parachute I drove home using the power of the force more than any of my own senses.


Friday afternoon arrived I checked the steering fluid which was all good the stiffness wasn't that bad and has loosened up since so it was probably more in my mind than anything else after a long day driving a truck but the dash lights were next...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150227_160941_zpssicpqtkj.jpg


Front off again and time to trace spaghetti which I promptly lost somewhere behind the dashboard but found the other end behind the convoy light switch where it was supposed to be but it has at some point been cut off and taped up. I put the dash back together thought "sod it" and left it be for now. I will put it on the list for a summer dry day job I am not pulling the whole dash out looking for some squaddies bodge in the cold and wet!


This morning I got to take the longest drive in the old boy yet and I have to admit after hating it before the old boy is now growing on me partly to the fact he runs right now has not over heated spat his dummy out in a big way or caught fire. We went to collect a set of series wheels because after getting rid of the ones that came with it I decided that was a mistake and I want a set for back up in case I buy the Discovery I have been threatening to do which I would use Mators wheels on and fit some 7.50 16s back onto him like he should have.


The wheels were not bad...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_134619_zps1cbr6xxg.jpg


But a quick coat of NATO green put them back where they needed to be...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_155757_zpsjbcpmlaj.jpg


No rush to find the tyres they will come along when they are ready at the right money.

Now what to do it was only lunchtime so I decided to see if I could mess up the Zenith carb rebuild I had planned to create me a spare.


I grabbed the carb the rebuild kit thought "how hard can it be?" and set to. I surprised myself if you havn't rebuilt a carb because yo thought it might be too hard I strongly suggest you give it a bash because in under two hours I had mine stripped cleaned out and rebuilt. It's nice to have a spare as back up incase my cheapy copy gives up the ghost!


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_141644_zps4f7tw8w3.jpg


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_142647_zpsnqa41cie.jpg


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_1432060_zps3smkfjxh.jpg


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_144856_zpsusml7hvo.jpg


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_151907_zpsj7xmnu2g.jpg


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150228_153704_zps6m4bmn8i.jpg


That's it folks we are up to date next job will be sorting out the rear interior after I have been off road next Saturday for the first time in him next week. That should be a good update!


www.justturned40.co.uk

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Cycling & BBQ


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Sat, March 07, 2015 17:26:26


You all know I don't sleep a great deal but my limits have been pushed even for me. Complain I cant really because the cause of my lack of sleep has been a trip to New York that I wont bore you Landy nuts about on this post but there's a bit about it on my site www.justturned40.co.uk but part of the return trip was the "Red Eye" overnight back so I ended up staying awake for the best part of two days.


This had a bit of a strange knock on effect in the fact that I finally got to bed last night then slept for ten hours straight which is unusual to say the least but buggered me up meeting up with Nottingham Land Rover Club for the day off roading because I got up so late. I jumped out of bed text a friend in the club saying I would be a couple of hours then ten minutes later I felt like I had been hit by a train. Exhausted rough tired groggy and generally feeling like a sack of shit I soon realised I was not going to be spending the day playing off road.


So another text later saying I wouldn't be going then a couple back calling me a poof (quite rightly but hell it's been a busy week) the day was open to new suggestions. I forced some breakfast down my throat rehydrated as best I could when my youngest daughter suggested a drive out in Mator to the woods where we could do some gentle cycling to get the blood pumping again...make or break time for a body reset.


The bikes were thrown into the Landy along with lots of water for me and Mator took off on his longest drive to date and he performed flawlessly all the way there...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150307_105813_zpsarumhpri.jpg


There was a strange clicking noise to start as we got up to speed but this soon passed away and I havn't heard it again since I guess like all good old motors it is freeing up some parts that have not moved at speed in quite some time.


We had a nice six mile cycle around the woods at a very steady pace...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_20150307_120719_zpsvuwwz25h.jpg


and I found my grogginess dissipating as my heart rate increased so much so I built up an appetite so maybe it was time for a cheeky lunch out treat with my daughter.


The first few places I tried had full car parks and seeing as the Landy has a turning circle the size of a boat and the fact I am not that used to him yet we carried on racking up some rather enjoyable miles through the Nottinghamshire countryside. The typical soup bowl gearbox is challenging to say the least but I seem to be developing a knack for actually getting the gears I want and the ride is either settling down by loosening up it springs after years of resting or I am just loosing the feeling in my body from the constant bouncing around in it either way its becoming a more pleasant experience.


50 mph seems to be the high speed it wants to sit at once out of the city where the steering still works without too much drift keeping me in a relatively straight line. Not too shabby for a four geared 2.25 petrol that sat around outside doing nothing for more than a decade. The temp gauges both oil and water sit just above the N on the gauges at speed and don't jump up when you come to a stop and there are not any major leaks to be seen.


We found a nice pub for some lunch the BBQ burgers were "to die for" I have been reliably informed by my daughter and just about every bloke that walked past the Landy stopped for a quick look at it and I know this because we sat in a window seat to keep an eye on it...ok I am lying I just wanted to look at it parked up somewhere else other than my driveway!


All in all not a bad day in the end considering I felt so rough at the start of it and after looking forward to going off roading for weeks then not making it. Mator will now be used a bit more often to keep his wheels turning and finally I am using him for the reasons I built him spending time with my family doing outdoorsy activities..oh and bloody off roading I will get him out for some off roading!

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Gearbox Bangs


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Mon, March 09, 2015 13:02:18


Seeing as its the last day of my annual leave and there were chores to be run I decided what better way to do it than in the Landy. Driving it has been growing on me as of late after a bumpy start so using it often seems to be the best idea to keep it running right well at least it does in my head.


After various dull chores were completed I had to drive to the local timber reclaim yard about five miles away I got there no problem loaded up a couple of huge sacks of sawdust for the chickens coop knowing a bit bit of mess in Mator doesn't come with the same backlash as getting Wifeys car dusty I jumped back in pulled off in first to find my way blocked by a forklift truck taking a pallet off of a truck. "No worries" I thought as I watched the job being done with first gear still selected and the clutch pedal pushed in...


Now I best point out here the gearbox has not been the best since I got Mator on the road with difficult gear changes most of the time but I had just put this down to being the typical soup bowl gearbox effect of a series land rover and got used to it.


A couple of minutes later the forklift driver was done so I started to pull forward then went to change gear...nope that was not going to happen the gear stick was stuck fast in first and did not want to play or move so I quickly dipped the clutch braked to a stop and tried again thinking this feels like a master or slave cylinder issue when there was an almighty bang as I was putting gentle pressure on the gear stick and it popped out of first.


"Well that's buggered it" I figured wondering if I had the RAC card in my wallet but to my amazement I could select gears no problem at all. In fact I could now select gears easier and better than before as in ever before they all seemed to be in the right position on the end of the gear stick the Landy drove lovely all the way home.


Now I wonder whether I have actually broken something big inside the gearbox or whether it has freed something off properly that has not been right for the last fifty miles or so since it has been running again? Who knows but any suggestions are welcome but I suppose I will just have to "let it develop" again and not keep it in gear when waiting to move.


Land Rovers eh! Gotta love em!


www.nickysmith.me

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It does go off road...


Land Rover Rebuild

Posted by min200 Sun, March 15, 2015 12:15:56


I sat staring at Mator this morning and thought bugger it I am off to the local car boot just so I can have a drive in him. He does seem to take an age to warm up engine wise I have noticed and runs a little on the rough side until he does but he is an old man.


Here's a picture to prove he is slowly starting to venture off of the beaten track...


http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f15/min200/Landy%20Project/th_Offroadl_zps5tsglem7.jpg


www.nickysmith.me

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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

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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

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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...


http://www.nickysmith.me

but how many times did it nearly turn you to drink instead but i have chuckled my way through most of your posts and always end up with a smile on my face

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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

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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

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  • 2 weeks later...

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 :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

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.

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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

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  • 2 weeks later...

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 :)

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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

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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

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