Jake's Story

Dog Leg Panel Investigation

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 01:41:20 -0600

Jake's Story --

We have got around to taking a better look to the RH Dog log panel. When we checked the car over as we bought it, we did a see a couple of rust bubbles, and new what to expect. The rust we've found when stripping the car has been pretty insignificant, especially considering some of the things we've seen posted here. I've dug into the rust bubbles on the RH dogleg, then used little tin snips to open the hole up. The dirt & dust that came out once opened up was impressive. If that crud sat in there wet, the panels don't stand a prayer. Once uncovered, the outer edge of the rocker is rusted but not rotten. We may be able to get away with treating it. I'll see what the panel beater says On the LH side there was no rusty holes/bubbles, but there were strange thread like lines under the paint. I've attacked the area with some paint stripper, the got the paint out of the way. Take a look at the photo, little bown rusty lines on the surface of the panel. really odd. I've cleaned the area up, and most of the rusty marks have cleaned off. BUT, i'm probably going to gut into the LH side just to satisfy ourselves that the rust isn't waiting to burst out. If nothing else will give us a chance to clean out the dirt & crud that is probably jammed up in there I flicked a question up on the forum last night looking for opinions/what other people have done in the same situation. Thanks to those that replied, your opinions are much appreciated

<RH Dog log opened up>

<LH Dog leg>

<IMG 2257>

Posted 2016-01-27 01:41:20 by Jim Williamson

RH Dog Leg Investigation.

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 03:54:40 -0600

Jake's Story --

So things got started tonight. I've seen a couple of little perforations in the RH Dogleg, so have had a dig, poke & chop. the gap between the dogleg & sill was jammed with dry caked dust/rust/debris. I've opened up a small hole around the rusted spots. The inner sill doesn't look tooo bad? Hopefully can be cleaned up, treated & a dogleg repair panel used to make good. Not sure how far to open the thing up yet Really Not sure what do do on the other side. 1 tiny rust spot that could just be from a stonechip. How to check there's nothing grim hiding? How to clean any debris sitting between the dogleg & sill ???

<rusty dog leg>	<Dog leg opened up>	<LH Dogleg>
<IMG 2243>

Posted 2016-01-14 03:54:40 by Jim Williamson

Undersealed Out

Mon, 11 Jan 2016 03:00:12 -0600

Jake's Story --

We've been on a mission to strip off the old (factory) underseal, mainly to reassure ourselves there are no hidden dramas about to jump out & suprise us. I've tried a few different methods, but probably 70% chipped of with a selection of old dull wood chisels. We did some with a heat gun & scraper, but found the sticky residue even harder to deal with. After weeks & weeks of chipping (!!) away, i would guess 90% of the underseal is off. Next is to figure how best to tackle the rusty spots we've found. A little rust on top of the drivers side sill (rocker). Not rusted through, but needs tidying A spot on the floor adjacent, through the floor but not through the sill Some rust where the front guards fasten below the windscreen 1 small hole on the top seam of the RH rear guard First signs of rust through the sill at the bottom of the RH dog leg Compared with some other examples we're delighted with how good things look so far. We'll be digging in to the dog leg a bit further soon

<IMG 2228-001>	<IMG 2229-001>	<IMG 2231-001>
<IMG 2237-001>

Posted 2016-01-11 03:00:12 by Jim Williamson

Rubber Bumper Rear Bump Stop Mounts

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 02:48:49 -0500

Jake's Story --

If anyone is keen to lift the ride height of a chrome bumper B up to Rubber bumper height? Amongst other things, you would be needing to move the position of the rear bump stops by adding the chassis spacers. As luck would have it, i can offer you these spacers, as removed from our project. Warning, some minor assembly may be required, and contains small parts! Sorry, couldn't help having a giggle. So glad i've eventually got these little blighters out of the way, just some tidying up of the old spot welds to go

<Bump Stop spacer kit>

<RH Bump stop spacer gone>

Posted 2015-10-06 02:48:49 by Jim Williamson

Underseal & Rear Bump Stop Mounts

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 02:19:29 -0500

Jake's Story --

Slow progress, but definite progress. The LH rear bump stop mount extension has been consigned to the scrap bin, ready to weld the bump stop mount back in it original position. I'm sure there must be an easier way, but this turned into a marathon of drilling out spot welds, chiseling/grinding/prying/sawing bit by tiny bty until I got back to the original chassis. As a break from the frustrating job of dealing with the spot welds on the vertical chassis flange, i kept chipping away at the underseal. Probably 80% of the underseal on the LH floor is dealt with. No horror stories uncovered so far. Still not sure what method is the most effective, but an old wood chisel seems like the favorite. Chipping away at cold, brittle underseal takes a bit of effort, but leaves a clean surface. warming the panel with a hot air gun softens the sealant, is easier scraping, but leaves a sticky fil on the panel. easy to wipe down with petrol/kero, but REALLY messy all the same

<bump stop bracket gone>	<underseal>	<floor>
<floor>

Posted 2015-09-21 02:19:29 by Jim Williamson

Rotisserie

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 04:48:34 -0500

Jake's Story --

After months of 'thinking', and a little fabrication, then more pondering, i managed to come up with a plan to get the shell up on its rotisserie. The hack engine & box came out, then some tinkering with jacks, stands & hoists got the virtually bare shell up to the right height. With a little trepidation, eventually all the weight was on the 2 stands. Initially a bit confused, the shell seemed heavy on the right side. Couldn't understand, maybe my brackets weren't on the centre line? Then remembered the RH door is still mounted! So far so good, the shell seems fairly well balanced (Given the odd number of doors) and is easy to flip on its side with one hand. Hopefully next couple of days can give me a fresh perspective on the understand. One of the jobs to start with is to get rid of the rubber bumper rear axle bump stop 'extensions' - something I'd started earlier, but got a little weary of grinding/cutting lying on my back. Got to be easier with the car on its side!

<Hasn't fallen over yet!>

Posted 2015-08-31 04:48:34 by Jim Williamson

Progress To July 2015

Mon, 06 Jul 2015 05:21:23 -0500

Jake's Story --

July 2015-07-06 The car currently sits up on axle stands, stripped almost bare. The hack engine is still in, along with the LT77 box. My gearbox crossmemeber looks like it’s going to work. The rover gearbox remote sits further back than I’d wanted, so will probably shorten the remote to fetch the stick forward. Holes are cut for the RV8 type manifolds, but need tidying up & reinforcing once the engine is out of the way. The front crossmember & suspension with it’s coil over conversion is on a bench ready to go. I have a set of princess 4 pot callipers to overhaul, planning to use ½” thick V8 rotors. The rear axle came out, to take a look at the clunky backlash. One of the phenolic thrust washers was paper thin, the other missing. I’ve fitted new thrust washers on the planetry gears and side gears, backlash is no under control. I’d like to change the final drive ratio, but not sure if I need to go as high as the V8 3.08 ratio, and heard horrible things about some of the aftermarket gearsets. Planning to run the car at 3.9 ratio initially. The axle is back together, but have a couple of wheel cylinder kits to put in yet. The body is in remarkably good condition. I’ve chipped out the majority of the sound deadening material without finding too much to stress over. The biggest rust repair is going to be on the top of the drivers side sill. I’m guessing the carpet on the sill has been wet & initiated the rust. The sill appear to be solid & rust free. I’m in the process of making up a rotisseries stand so I can flip the body on it’s side & do any ‘underneath’ jobs in comfort. I’ll post a couple of pics once the bodies up. With to coilover set-up up front, the rear suspension needs some love. To locate the axle under V8 power, some sort of torque rods are going to be needed. I’m hoping to ditch the lever arms shocks & leaf springs, and fit one of classic conversion 4 link kits. Looks like a nice solution to me?

<LH Floor>

Posted 2015-07-06 05:21:23 by Jim Williamson

3.9 Discovery

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 01:56:10 -0500

Jake's Story --

After checking out my ‘Bargain’ 3.5 motor, things weren’t looking too hot. A pre 76 10.5 CR engine, so no rear crank seal, and small valve heads. Eventually figured the front is from a Ranger Rover, with a high water pump. (same as RV8). Was still hoping to run with this engine, at least to start with. However, when I took the rocker covers off when installing the headers, found to rocker assemblies. Bugger! May still be able to salvage the motor, but started looking for something more useable. Eventually came across a ’95 LR discovery with rotten body. Bought the old girl, ran it around for a week or 2. The 3.9 injected motor seems sweet enough, the only snag is the intermediate serpentine front end. I had thought the serpentine front was introduced with the renaming to 4 litre. Poor research on my part. Love the idea of the new oil pump set up but not sure how we’ll do for room around the oil filter/steering rack. Would prefer to keep the new timing cover/oil pump set up if possible rather than converting back to the old cover & oil pump Took the engine out of the disco, then managed to sell the remnants on to a local 4x4 enthusiast Since taking the engine out, I've scraped/cleaned the crusty coating of leaked engine oil & crud from the motor, mostly from a leaking valley gasket I think. I’ve taken the inlet/plenum off, pulled out the trumpets, & had the plenum & base machine to reduce the height, as per the book

Posted 2015-07-05 01:56:10 by Jim Williamson

Sorry, Out Of Order

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 01:49:12 -0500

Jake's Story --

Trying to get the Journal Up top date, thought I'd postednthis, so a little out of sequence For the gearbox cross member, The engine is sitting on its mounts, the gearbox is on a trolley jack. I’ve spent a fair chunk of time trying to find out what the installed angle of the drive train is, but Christmas 2014 saw us on a trip back to the UK for some family celebrations. A little bit of homework before hand saw us visiting • Clive Wheatley, in Bridgenorth, for some engine mounts • Moss, in Manchester for • A coil over kit • RV8 type manifolds • Sebring rear valance • Front valance with a little lip spoiler (like the LE50?) With the engine mounts in our case, and the Moss gear being shipped home, back to NZ After looking around for a suitable BW T5 box, (the preferred option) I managed to find an LT77 box, still with the right bellhousing. It’s one of the unloved, older types, but better than nowt. After chasing a couple of flywheels, eventually ended up finding a flywheel at Triumph rover spares in Adelaide. So the engine goes on the box, and drops into the car. So far so good! 2 big jobs to tackle, • making room for the RV8 headers, • making up a gearbox cross member After some trawling the net looking for what to do with the headers, eventually is time to grasp the bull by the horns, and start cutting. A couple of small holes, a metal blade on the jigsaw, and some tin snips saw the holes from Tennis ball size, dozens of trial fits ending up with a hole that the headers just squeeze through. The holes have ended up bigger than I expected, but no way of getting them any smaller * still be able to get the header in & out. (Ended up taking the carbs & rocker covers off to give me room to manipulate the manifolds) only to find no rockers on either bank. I’m guessing my Hack engine isn’t as good as I thought…..

Posted 2015-07-05 01:49:12 by Jim Williamson

Gearbox Crossmember

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 01:38:07 -0500

Jake's Story --

Spent a fair amount of time looking/thinking/pondering the gearbox crossmember. Decided to crop the old mounts of the crossmember, and make up new brackets as per the book. Really wanted to find a spec for the engine/driveline installed angle, but no luck so far. Eventually, I’ve taken a punt at the correct height, cut off the original mounts from the old cross member, and made up some news mounting plates. The crossmember’s going to be moved back, so will need a couple of new captive nuts in the chassis. In between engine, exhaust & gearbox mounts, bits keep coming off! Seats, carpets, dash, wiring all out More backlash in the diff /axleshafts than seemed nice, so the axle is out as well

<gearbox xmember>

Posted 2015-07-05 01:38:07 by Jim Williamson

Moss Coil Over Kit

Sun, 05 Jul 2015 01:34:27 -0500

Jake's Story --

Our parcel of goodies from Moss arrived from the UK, so the front cross member got stripped & stream cleaned. The moss coil over conversion is really simple, the hardest job is having to cut holes for the coilover to pass through. Not hard with the right size holesaw & a slow, grunty drill. A little bit of juggling with the alloy pillow blocks until I got them in the right positions. Stripped & cleaned the old cross member with a wire cup wheel on an angle grinder. Primed & painted with POR15, results where awesome. 1 comment about the coil over kit, reported back to Moss, was the poxy satin black paint the bits were finished in. Truly crappy. Most fell off whilst putting the kit together, so stripped the remnants off & repainted them. The trunnions were stripped, checked, cleaned, greased & put back together. The steering rack felt horrible when turning over by hand. After taking a look at the rack, plenty of oil/grease, the rubber boots looked good. Pulled the bearing from the bottom of the pinion to find a dry/collapsing bearing. A new bearing from the local bearing supplier, check the preload, and the rack is as good as new.

<coilover conv4>

Posted 2015-07-05 01:34:27 by Jim Williamson

Changes From Restore To Convert

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 04:04:07 -0500

Jake's Story --

So the plans start to form 1st job, a copy of the bible, the roger Williams book how to give your MG V8 power. I needed to be 100% that rust is NEVER going to a problem ( My memories of UK buckets of rust is hard to get away from) So to work Stripping to a bare shell seems like the only way to be sure the evil tinworm has been banished. Need to find a rover engine Choose a 5 speed box, then track one down. Off with the bumpers – Sebring valances Overhaul the front crossmember – but what about those antiquated lever arms? Killing a couple of birds with 1 stone? A moss coilover kit looks to able to • Give us the chance to set the ride height • Ditches the lever arms • Tidies up the geometry 1st job that couldn’t wait. Off with the bumpers! Well aware of the ‘flaws’ of the later rubber bumper cars, with the increased ride height an extra weight at either end hampering the dynamics of a sweet little sports car. No way could we cope with keeping the bumpers! Whipping off the rear bumper mounts, I was truly staggered at the weight. Truly Speechless. Round to the front, couldn’t wait to get the monster off. I’ve since asked numerous friends to pick one of these bumpers up, just to get their reaction! Keeping an eye on ‘Trade me’ the local equivalent to Ebay, I managed to come up with and old engine to use as a Hack, cheap as chips. As it turns out, an odd combination of a Pre 76 P6 10.5CR engine (no rear crank seal), but with a Range rover front cover.

<Rover Hack engine arrives>

Posted 2015-06-29 04:04:07 by Jim Williamson

What About A V8

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 03:40:10 -0500

Jake's Story --

There was a little seed of an idea growing in my head. A nagging voice getting louder. And then the bright light switched on in my head. MGBV8 I’ve always had a soft spot for the rover V8, thinking about • My grandfather had 2 P6B’s, then in my youth, • Tony pond would be making awesome noises with the TR7V8 rally cars, then the SD1 rally car. No one can forget his spectacular early exits from the RAC rally. • The Goup 1 / Group A touring cars • A former colleague from ERF trucks in middlewich with an amazing sounding TR7V8 The more I read, the more I was convinced this was the future Eventually my darling wife succumbed to the enthusiasm! Once the engine was out, thoughts turned to the remainder of the car. After a quick review, All the rubbers were shot on the front X-member. I had spied the worn lower wishbone rubbers on day 1, and had already bought a set of poly bushes. The interior was intact, but tired. The LH door has a severe case or tinworm, in the skin & the frame The RH door was tidy & straight. There was a little crack, I assumed caused by the mirror. Only once I started reading did I find the crack had a name. The Crack of doom. Who knew. I’m guessing that a crack that earns its’ own name is never a good sign !!!! The sills still looked good, and the front guards seem fine.

Posted 2015-06-26 03:40:10 by Jim Williamson

Assessing Our B Series

Fri, 26 Jun 2015 03:36:16 -0500

Jake's Story --

Once the engine was on its stand, off with the sump. Out with the pistons, and keep stripping. We found:- 3 Broken rings Worn bores Pitted cam followers Saggy cam chain Pitted cam lobes Worn out Mains & big ends Crankshaft in need of some TLC At least the head looked OK ! I took some of the bits & pieces to our local engine machine shop for an expert view. On opening the hatch of my car, from about 6feet away, Graham's first comment was ‘You know that heads cracked eh?’ Couldn’t believe it. He could see a crack down the front outside of the head, where ‘they all crack’. Amazing what a little trade experience adds to the mix. After making up a list of the casualties, and costing up the engine rebuild options, what to do? Of course, rebuilding the old B series would be the way to go. If it needs a rebore, then 1950cc would be the way to go? Replacing the cam, would have to be hotter? A new head – would have to have bigger valves. What about the alloy 5 port replicas, or even cross flow? That steel bellhousing adapter plate would have to go. 5 speed conversion, or overdrive?

Posted 2015-06-26 03:36:16 by Jim Williamson

What To Do With The Tired Old Engine?

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 03:40:08 -0500

Jake's Story --

After making up a list of the casualties, and costing up the engine rebuild options, what to do? Of course, rebuilding the old B series would be the way to go. If it needs a rebore, then 1950cc would be the way to go? Replacing the cam, would have to be hotter? A new head – would have to have bigger valves. What about the alloy 5 port replicas, or even cross flow? That steel bellhousing adapter plate would have to go. 5 speed conversion, or overdrive? A Petrol heads mind is always full of ideas. There was a little seed of an idea growing in my head. A nagging voice getting louder. And then the bight light switched on in my head Only 1 option, lets start looking at the Rover V8!!!!! I’ve always had a soft spot for the rover V8, thinking about • My grandfather had 2 P6B’s, then in my youth, • Tony pond would be making awesome noises with the TR7V8 rally cars, then the SD1 rally car. No one can forget his spectacular early exits from the RAC rally. • The Goup 1 / Group A touring cars • A former colleague from ERF trucks in middlewich with an amazing sounding TR7V8 The more I read, the more I was convinced this was the future Eventually my darling wife succumbed to the enthusiasm!

Posted 2015-06-03 03:40:08 by Jim Williamson

Optimism Takes A Knock

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 03:29:17 -0500

Optimistic Still

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 03:01:00 -0500

Jake's Story --

Mar 2013 Still hoping to put the car on the road and clock up some miles. Expecting the job to develop, I spent a little time with a steam cleaner, to shift the majority of the build up of grime & oil around the engine bay and underneath. ( And a plausible excuse to drive the car to work a couple of times) If the oil smoke wasn't a blocked breather, a little more digging was required. Next job was lifting the head. Disappointingly nothing too scary to see. So was ‘what next’. After a couple of weeks of consideration, we (I) bit the bullet. Out with the engine. Once engine was out, and the ‘box was off, the first 2 things that struck me were • How HEAVY the engine is • Someone at BLMC had added a stuffing great steel plate between the engine & box. I bet there aren’t any lumps of steel like that in a lotus Elan!

Posted 2015-06-03 03:01:00 by Jim Williamson

New Toy At Home. Full Of Optimism

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 02:56:29 -0500

Jake's Story --

Jan 2013 Once we got Jake home, we took a look around. Washed off the dust and bird crap was the starting point! I quick nosey underneath confirmed no overdrive. Never mind. The car drove quite nicely, the WOF having only run out in December. The previous owner had spent a little money to put the car on the road for his son, but the cool young lad wasn’t going to be seen in this old car! There was some engine smoke, & we had been told the head had been overhauled in an effort to stop the smoke. I contacted the guys that had looked at the head, but the full story was that the head had come off, nothing was found, and the owner was left with the choice to ‘Go a little further’. He didn’t ! An advisory note on the preceeding WOF checksheet highlighted engine smoke as a problem. I’d hoped the smoke was from crankcase pressure/blocked crankcase breather dumping into the inlet. After a little digging, the tappet covers & breather all seemed OK. Bummer

Posted 2015-06-03 02:56:29 by Jim Williamson

The Start

Sun, 31 May 2015 15:32:25 -0500

Jake's Story --

Please excuse the posting dates, but will be posting retrospective journal entries of progress over the last 2 years. We went to visit a friend locally, with the intention of checking out a SWB series 1 Land Rover they wanted to sell. Turns out the Landie was a series 2 Truck Cab, not on my shopping list. Walking back to the house, we noticed a BGT in the back of the shed, covered in dust & birdcrap. We diverted across to take a look. Pete's first question, 'Want to here it start?'. Sure enough, find the keys, ignition on, fuel pump clatters, and fires into life! Next question from Pete 'Wan't to go & try it?' WHo could resist. A quick flick down the road showed that most was good, apart from a trail of Blue smoke, and a wheel wobble. Suddenly we're shopping for a car, not a Land Rover From my limited experience, the rust prone spots seemed good, and the engine smoke could well be a breather trouble The car came home with us a week later

<The very first drive>

Posted 2015-05-31 15:32:25 by Jim Williamson