What did you do to your Rover today?

[lighiche]

I have a replacement seat recovering kit in EH on order at this very moment from Exmoor, via RN. I hope to have it soon, and I'll let you know how the restoration of the seat goes. Follow my build thread on defendersource here

Eager to hear how things go.

I'm in the process of placing an order from our hosts for the Extreme Hi-Back front seats in Exmoor EH. Heated no less.

Having the mid-bench cushion re-done would be excellent. Have you found the new Exmoor EH closer in appearance to the original?

[tmckeon88]

I've been chasing down a heater core problem for a couple of weeks. My old core was some non-standard item that no one seems to recognize (not Rover or Smiths, not Kodiak) and it sat in a homemade-by-PO distribution box inside the passenger footwell. After wasting a bunch of time and money trying to make a new Smiths heater core fit, I bought a $30 core from Advance Auto and inserted that, plumbed it, and it all seems to be holding water so far (touch wood). I looked longingly at the Mt. Mansfield heater unit from RN but that will have to wait.

The more I work on the truck (1969 IIA 88") the more it seems to cry out for a major restoration. Just oil leaks and spliced wires everywhere you look.I rebuilt it onto a galvanized frame in 1999 but it has done over 100,000 miles since then. Still my daily driver though and I still get comments and inquiries everywhere I go.

Tom

[cedryck]

If you are concerned about wiring, the rewire on a truck like this is really idiot proof. Make friends with the wiring diagram, label everything as you dis-assemble, and order a new harness. Solves alot of the stupid problems old rovers have with old wire. Cheers.

[lighiche]

The build continues....

[lighiche]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9495[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9496[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9497[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9498[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9499[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9500[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9501[/ATTACH]
The build continues....

And continues....

[Revtor]

Steve, did you use a Poppy Red color code, or just tell 'em "bright red" ? Limestone for the sunsheet or white?
Looks great

well faded, patchy, lumpy, poppy red here
~Steve

[lighiche]

Steve, did you use a Poppy Red color code, or just tell 'em "bright red" ? Limestone for the sunsheet or white?
Looks great

well faded, patchy, lumpy, poppy red here
~Steve

Poppy Red color code. I repainted it because the paint on the doors and roof was peeling off in sheets. My primary concern was preservation of a remarkably solid 109. Had it retained a nice, relatively uniform patina I'd have likely kept it as was. I didn't paint the interior of the tub partially because of extra cost and partially because this is going to be a user so it'll get scraped up and mainly because I like the patina. I've buffed it up a bit and it looks fine, used but fine.

Thanks

[lighiche]

Steve, did you use a Poppy Red color code, or just tell 'em "bright red" ? Limestone for the sunsheet or white?
Looks great

well faded, patchy, lumpy, poppy red here
~Steve

Oh, and limestone for the sheet and wheels.

[Manny]

Fitted new seats in my 88.

[80sailor]

Manny, those look sharp!

[Jester065]

Looks great! I sent you a message.

[Manny]

Jester065 I replied to your message

[kenscs]

Replaced Right Rear Brake Pads. Previous ones were soaked with oil after hub seals leaked for many moons in previous owners barn. I had originally tried full can of brake cleaner to degrease, but after driving on them a bit, I checked them out and they looked like they were "bleeding" oil. Of course, I at first I mixed up the leading and trailing brake shoe position...

I saw some posts on an Aussie LR Forum that said to soak the pads in gasoline and "burn out" the oil since the pads are asbestos and will just burn off the oil. I figure for the price of a new set of pads from our hosts, I would save the burned eyebrows and just order new. I did see some references out there to the drums potentially being saturated and should be replaced, but I will try as is. The drums seem fine.

[tmckeon88]

If you are concerned about wiring, the rewire on a truck like this is really idiot proof. Make friends with the wiring diagram, label everything as you dis-assemble, and order a new harness. Solves alot of the stupid problems old rovers have with old wire. Cheers.

I may be too big an idiot for that even. I have a new wiring harness sitting in my parts pile. Haven't summoned the nerve to tear out the old one. Maybe someday.

[tmckeon88]

I tackled the rear end this week - mechanics have been telling me for years that my rear diff sounded bad, and the way it chewed up U-joints in the prop shaft seemed to suggest too much slop. The rear axle casing was also disintegrating from rust and oozing oil from various pinholes. I sourced a good used casing from Pangolin and a good used diff from our hosts (an excellent one, in fact- the gear cluster looked virtually unused, although the outside had old paint and rust on it). I started tearing out the old stuff last Monday.

Always a mess getting old parts out. I also got new u-bolts for the spring since I suspected my old ones would get damaged during removal. I have parabolics and it turns out the standard u-bolts are too long, since they are designed for that massive 11-leaf Rover spring pack. I ended up just going to a local machine shop and having them make me new bolts in about 10 minutes.

I POR-15'd the axle casing and surface of the new diff. It all went together more easily than it came apart but I was sore from turning wrenches on stuck nuts and so forth. Buttoned it all up yesterday and took it for a tentative test drive and thank goodness it all seems to work. That shiny black axle and diff look great under there. It was a job to hoist the new diff in place- that lump must weigh 50 pounds- but with my floor creeper and some wood blocks I managed to get it lined up and on by myself. The entire repair only cost maybe $700.

By the way, I now have my old diff, which doesn't look terrible and someone might be able to rebuild/use. PM me if interested.


Cheers,
Tom