Got My Lightweight!! Stay Tuned for Project Updates and Plenty of Questions!

[brucejohn]

Take care and rest up so you can enjoy her.

[jac04]

Well, I should be resting, but I decided to install the military front shackles (an easy job). Wow, what a difference. The vehicle sits a lot more level now.
However, I'll definitely need to install pinion shims as the front driveshaft isn't too happy. 4 degrees should do it from my measurements. I'll end up losing about 3/16" to 1/4" of my 'lift', but that's life I guess. Hopefully the rear will settle a little more than the front due to the lower spring rate.

[xsbowes]

NICE!!! Make's me want to do the same thing but I'll be moving next June. Finally calling the Navy quits after 23 years.

Keep up the inspiring work. Have you thought about your next project.

[jac04]

Keep up the inspiring work. Have you thought about your next project.

Thanks, I'll try!
Actually, this project is only a fill-in project while my 68 Camaro convertible is at the body shop. My father special-ordered the Camaro new in 68. L30 327cid/275 HP, M20 4-speed, F-41 suspension, special performance gauges, deluxe interior, 'wood' steering wheel.... it's the real deal and all numbers matching.

[jac04]

Feeling much better, so the interior has been pretty much completed. New lightweight-specific seat backs and seat belts came from PA Blanchard. Enjoy....

[jac04]

All the tools are now in place:


Door latches with new lock cylinders are installed & adjusted:

[JayGoss]

Looks great! Question- I noticed the tunnel cover is painted white. Was wondering if that was a personal preference thing- or if that was done because it's the correct color for lightweights? Keep those pics coming!!!

[NickDawson]

admiring the inertia belt install - cant wait to copy that!

[jac04]

Question- I noticed the tunnel cover is painted white. Was wondering if that was a personal preference thing- or if that was done because it's the correct color for lightweights?

Excellent question. I don't know the real answer, but here is a plausable explanation:
The tunnel cover is a new old stock Genuine Land Rover part. Is was factory painted white. The tunnel cover is lightweight-specific. That means it would only be fit to a military vehicle. The MOD normally used white as a color to indicate a service point (like the lug nuts being painted white on MOD vehicles). So, it makes sense that the cover is white because that is the service point for filling/checking the gearbox oil.

[JayGoss]

Well then..I should paint my whole car white- this thing needs a lot of service!!!

[jac04]

Well, after a LOT of fitting & 'tweaking' work, the NRP exhaust is finally installed. I had to custom-make an intermediate hanger because the hanger on the pipe was about 3" off - maybe this is a Lightweight specific problem, I don't know. Also, the tail pipe was originally about 1/2" from the rear tire. Not good, but NRP came through with a custom-bent tail pipe for me.

[Tim Smith]

Who did you contact about that NRP fitting issues? I've had similar fitting issues with mine and I wonder if it's lightweight specific.

[JayGoss]

Who did you contact about that NRP fitting issues? I've had similar fitting issues with mine and I wonder if it's lightweight specific.

I've had friends who have had fitment issues with D90 exhaust systems as well. One guy had them send a replacement system which didn't fit either. He had to force it into place- there was so much stress on it that it's bound to develop stress cracks with heat cycling or worse, crack the manifold. Not sure it they're outsourcing their manufacturing nowadays...but fitment issues do not seem to be uncommon. Another thing that has occurred with the customers I'm referring to is suppliers are asking customers to deal directly with NRP; they aren't covering warranty issues themselves. The fortunate thing is, so far, no one that I know of has gotten any push back from NRP for defective product.

[jac04]

I started by contacting RN, who put the guys at Techtonics Tuning (the people who make the NRP exhaust) in touch with me. I was surprised to hear that the design of the NRP exhaust is based on a beat-up IIA with completely shot engine & trans mounts. I was told that some of my clearance issues with the x-member may simply be due to the fact that I have new engine mounts .

Anyhow, there was a lot of twisting, sliding, and repositioning involved with getting mine to fit. In the end, the system ended up in place without any pre-load or stress on it. However, to fit the NRP exhaust on the Lightweight, I needed to:
1) Install spherical washers at the exhaust studs to allow for proper adjustment of the pipe (McMaster Carr p/n 91944A029, three required). This was CRITICAL. I found that the front pipe needed to come off the manifold at a slight angle. No big deal because of the 'ball and socket' type connection between the manifols and the pipe, right? Wrong. The flange on the NRP exhaust doesn't 'float' like the original exhaust. This means that the flange doesn't end up perpendicular to the 3 exhaust studs. If you try to tighten the nuts on the studs, it tries to bend the studs. I have a feeling that this would only result in manifold cracks around the studs. The spherical washer sets allow for the flange misalignment.
2) Custom fab an intermediate hanger.
3) Rotate the rear hanger so it was lower.
4) Install stainless shaft collars to the rear hanger to keep the rubber mount in place. Collars are McMaster Carr p/n 6462K15, 2 required.

All this required a considerable investment in time and about $30 in additional parts. Not too bad for a $500++ exhaust system, huh?

I have detailed pictures of the installation if you are interested. Let me know.

[jac04]

Oh, and I also had to trim the seat box bracket to allow for pipe clearance.....