Author Topic: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?  (Read 108866 times)

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #225 on: December 12, 2020, 05:38:29 PM »
Yep, no good a squeakin’...
I could feel that it was going to get me down and get me all annoyed etc but I quickly decided that I couldn’t be bothered with all that and decided to just rock on, replacing my frustration with a laugh.
The tilt tray mob were efficient and the driver was a rev head, so we had a decent chat on the way back to the yard where I drove it off the truck and parked it up where it’s been parked for the last several months.
The wife has put her foot down and told me to get it sorted or sell it. Ho hum.
I’ll reflect on how to fix it next week.


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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #226 on: February 01, 2021, 10:11:53 AM »
Not much to report on the 109 as the health has been up and down like a yo-yo.

I thought I’d give you a sneak peek of my brothers 39 coupe ute which appears to be in its final stages of development, which is simply amazing and has taken about 30 odd years so far to create.

Being a 39 it was an army vehicle and from what I believe, will be about the only one on the road once finished.

He reckons it’s regarded as yard art, but I think he’s aced it as a hotrod.

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #227 on: February 01, 2021, 10:13:41 AM »
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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #228 on: February 01, 2021, 10:15:22 AM »
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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #229 on: February 01, 2021, 10:25:17 AM »
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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #230 on: March 04, 2021, 10:51:04 PM »
Hi everyone,

Activity...

The 109 got 4 hours work done to it today, mainly in the area of addressing the faded paint.

It’s going to take several more hours to get it back up to scratch but now that it’s been started, it will be continuing until it’s completed.

Purchased a new electric water pump and thermo fan controller today which is set to arrive early next week.
Upon arrival, I’ll get it wired in as quick as possible as that’s the only thing stopping it from being driven.

I’m a bit annoyed at the way some of the zinc bolts have deteriorated, so might be going crazy and replacing them with stainless.

Looking at repainting a few odds and ends in the coming weeks.

Someone a few years back asked me on this site about the cold gal paint I used on all the silver body fixtures, well, the truth is, I sorely regret using it now as it’s not held up at all.
I think the oxidation has basically overcome the cold gal and it’s simply disappeared.
This means I now have to repaint all the silver bits again.

Thank goodness for this cooler weather...


Offline STDDIVER

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #231 on: March 05, 2021, 11:40:06 AM »
Hey Navo - (Sorry about the abbreviation)  ;)  Great to hear about your progress - always a good read and thread -  Stainless is good unless you need magnetism to help in installation, but no matter what fastener you use, protect it, clear coat, gal primer and paint or there treatment because mother nature is just doing her job and doesn't like dissimilar metals!    Cheers  Frank


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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #232 on: March 05, 2021, 06:12:01 PM »
Hi Frank,

Don’t be sorry about the abbreviation, I’ve been called far worse, let me assure you.

Not sure if anyone here knows why I adopted the navigation moniker all those years ago but it stems from me being a former Marine Seismic Navigator. Basically operating a seismic survey vessel by remote control using super computers etc.

I was into computers from their infancy and so I ended up with myriad usernames and passwords over the years, such that it was hard to keep track of them all, thus I was using the navigation name across dozens of sites etc.

Anyhow, thank you for the encouragement and advice, I sincerely appreciate it.

It gets a bit quiet on this thread and website, unsure why. Once upon a time it was a challenge keeping up with all the traffic. Unsure why that’s changed.

Yes, you’re right about the bolts. I’ll be dealing with those as things progress.

I’m super impressed with the trader I acquired the electric water pump and thermo fan controller from, stunned actually.

Turns out it’s the current model and was $100 cheaper than what the manufacturer has them listed for. Can’t complain about that. Got it delivered today, so from purchase on Ebay to landed at my door in less than 24 hours.
This has put me in a good mood so I’m having a beer and listening to Pink Floyd on the tv.

Yup, pretty happy!

Best regards to you Frank.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2021, 06:15:29 PM by navigation »

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #233 on: March 07, 2021, 11:59:57 AM »
The work schedule for the 109 has been put off for this weekend due to the VX SS requiring attention to the left rear brakes.

I was told about 4 years ago when having a set of new tyres fitted that I might need brakes in about another 10,000km but soldiered on doubting the assessment. Here we are 40,000km later and it finally went metal to metal on the back left side.

Oddly enough, the other 3 corners still had plenty of life left in them and it appears the issue was somehow related to a sticky left rear caliper.

Rather than muck around I just fitted a full set of brand new rotors and pads as well as a new set of handbrake shoes, though the old ones appeared as new.

Got a feeling the brakes have never been done since new as the previous owner seemed like a sensible chap and as it had only covered 91,000km from new the day I bought it, it seems reasonable for them to have been original fitment way back then.
Roll forward 6-7 years and 70,000km later, and given the meat still on the other 3 corners, I think it’s had a pretty good run at wanting a full new set at 163,000km.

Blown away by the professionalism of the Ebay trader I sourced the new set through, astounding service and a whopping discount still has me smiling.

I got the lot for $305.00.

I didn’t upgrade to drilled and slotted rotors or anything flash, just stuck with standard spec rotors and the recommended ceramic pads. The way I see it, if it has in fact covered 160 ish thousand km on the originals then the new ones should take it up to 300 odd thou km and if the prices remain similarly low, who could complain about that?

Even if it had a set of pads or rotors and pads prior to my acquiring it, and only goes another 5 years or so on these ones, it’s still darn good value.

I think the low brake wear is due to it being a 6 speed manual, and the way I drive sees it slowed down via the gears normally.

Anyway, the VX SS is my primary means of transport so that’s where the priority lies this weekend.

I have visitors attending for lunch today so that does that. After a nice feed and a couple of beers I won’t be wanting to do anything.

Still trying to remember how I went about wiring everything up under the bonnet of the 109 as heaps of years have passed since that was done.

I believe there’s a probable issue with the fuse box I installed on the inside of the right wing as I remember trying to find out how stable the plastic used in its construction and had no luck, but I noticed it’s becoming brittle so that answers that question all these years later.

Interestingly, a work colleague just fitted an identical fuse box inside his camper canopy so they must be still available even today.

I purchased 2 of them so still have a spare and haven’t decided if I’ll use the spare or go to something better. I’ll determine that once I pull the other one apart.

Also looking to replace the rear diff center to get away from the Detroit Locker as I’m older now and don’t fancy skidding the tyres on every turn anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still like burning around in it but think I prefer the problematic wheelspin issues in 1st and 2nd gear over the fully locked diff.

I recognise that I’m being lazy in addressing the 109 but it’ll get there. It’s just that once I get stuck into something I go like mad on it and it never stops at one thing and always leads to heaps of other things being done and while that’s not a bad thing, it’s about conservative use of energy for me at this stage of my life.

I’m also constrained by having to run the missus back and forth to the bus terminal where she commutes to the city each day but that’s now working in my favour as I knock off work whenever I want basically and rather than sneak home, which is just around the corner from the depot, and have myself a nanna nap, I’m now looking at the 109 and hooking in when the weather is agreeable and doing a bit here and a bit there before I have to go pick her up.

If the weather remains agreeable, then lots will get done but if it’s scorching hot then forget it. I’m simply too old for that sort of nonsense.


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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #234 on: March 07, 2021, 12:32:02 PM »
Further to the earlier post, I recall some people were asking me about my having used the perforated vinyl on the windows of the 109 in lieu of proper tint film and I can say that so far it’s held up surprisingly well.

I have to replace the vinyl on one window as it was removed many years ago for a reason that escapes me now but I think I still have some left over vinyl stashed here somewhere and will most certainly be using that as it’s been great as a tint alternative.

I was expecting it to have perished with all the UV it’s been subjected to but it’s still going strong after all these years so there you go...

The same can’t be said for the brake fluid reservoir, which has been replaced twice in the last decade or so due to UV exposure. The last time it was replaced I added a strip of pinch weld door seal to the underside of the bonnet so that eliminates the gap between the military bonnet and the wing.

History shows that I should have used a longer length of pinch weld, one per side, to eliminate that gap and had I done so all those years ago, I might not have had the fuse box issue develop.

Still, I’m not stressed about it that much as it’s all a learning curve and anyone owning one of these old army chariots will appreciate that they require a massage here and a feel up there to keep them going, much like me really!

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #235 on: March 23, 2021, 04:03:55 PM »
Rain and more rain.
The yard/depot is largely under water and has been that way for the last couple of weeks.
That has reduced the temperatures from crazy hot to quite cool, and would be great working weather if only there was a large undercover work area to toil in, but there’s not, so I can’t.
To top that off, I slammed my finger in the door of a Kenworth we’re fixing up and darn near cut it off.
The door closed to the first click and anyone familiar with a Kenworth door frame will cringe at the thought of a finger being crushed in there.
It didn’t hurt that much and didn’t bleed as much as I was expecting, such that the doctor thought it might be goodnight Irene for the hapless digit.
Xrays showed it was unbroken, amazingly.
The doctor had difficulty stitching it all up and had to cut away little chunks of skin and tissue and then whack a couple of stitches in, along with several sticky tape things to hold it all together.
Can’t say it ever really hurt that much but it bites every once in a while.
Being on workers comp is so boring...
Between the rain and the finger there’s not much I can do but search for movies on Netflix.
Had the stitches removed yesterday and I’m waiting for the wounds to heal up before I return to work.
Got a mountain of work awaiting me once this is over.
The grass at the yard has exploded into growth over the last few weeks and is certainly going to be a mission to get back under control.
Haven’t been able to cut it as I keep getting the mowers bogged.

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #236 on: April 10, 2021, 02:53:05 PM »
The water soaked  ground is finally beginning to dry up.

I found this video of what I reckon is the best Land Rover camper conversion ever created.

Pretty astonishing design.

https://www.wild-fennec.com/

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #237 on: May 09, 2021, 01:19:16 PM »
I finally got around to installing the new digital electric water pump and thermo fan controller today.
It seems to be working ok.
Pretty simple to operate.
Just seems to be a jazzier version of the old one I think.
Picked the wrong day to do it though as I somehow drank a full bottle of Bundy Rum yesterday and it’s left me a bit scattered.
Won’t be doing that again anytime soon.
Gave the 109 a quick wash and will get back into the paint polishing over the next couple of weeks.
That’s enough for today.

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #238 on: May 10, 2021, 06:15:36 PM »
I have a question about the tail light protectors which some ex military series vehicles are equipped with.
Are they aluminium?
How hard are they to get as I’ve never seen any for sale.
I realise they obscure some of the side on view of the lights but I reckon that shouldn’t be a big deal.
Does anyone know where I could get a decent pair?

I left the 109 on the concrete pad overnight and had to move it this morning.
A work colleague was blown away when it fired up instantly.
He reckoned it must have grabbed instantly.
It was always very easy to start and yes, grabs instantly.
That’s how my brother crashed it into a cyclone fence where he worked.
Left it in gear upon arrival at work, jumped out and away he went.
Upon his return he leaned in and blipped the key and away it went, overpowering the handbrake and began climbing the fence.
That’s how the bumper got warped.

I’d like to find a new bumper bar too.

A bloke once came to visit me and he had a 109 that sat significantly higher in the front and he reckons he fitted rear springs to the front to lift it.
Does anyone know if that’s a viable option?
I’m thinking of doing something like that to level the stance as it’s decidedly nose down after I shifted the engine forward and the fitment of parabolics to the front only gave me about 50mm lift over the original military springs.
Would a pair of rear military springs fitted to the front hike the front up by much?
Anyone know?

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Re: Is there a place here for modified ex army Land Rovers?
« Reply #239 on: May 11, 2021, 04:03:26 PM »
G'day Nav - Q1 the rear light protectors are steel and do corrode.  Q2 Springs are trickey and in my experience I would not swap front to rear or vice versa but I have gone to a local spring works and in a day they have re tempered spring sets and when  I wanted a higher load carrying capacity with manufacturer's specs, they added a leaf for extra load for a cave diving Nullabor trip many years back and the S2A was perfect with load balance and no issues with front wheel alignment and tracking.  On both on road and off road resetting the springs worked beautifully.  Cheers mate  - have a good one!    Frank