Chassis Swap - Pics02

Paul sent a second batch of pics through today.  He has made loads of progress.

New Automec brake pipes.

New genuine rear springs and Terrafirma big bore shocks.

The Terrafirma tubular shock turrets are looking good.

As does the shiny black rear crossmember.

Is that a new crank seal I see before me?

Chassis Swap - Pics01

Paul Marsden (Richards Chassis recommended installer) sent me his first batch of pics tonight.  Everything is going well so far.

Chassis Swap - Starts Today

Took the Landy up to Paul Marsden's Unit today, it is next door to Richards Chassis so that solves the problem of delivery charges.  Paul has promised me some photos, so I will up load them when they arrive.
Just have to cope without my car for a couple of weeks :(

Chassis Swap - Painting the Suspension Parts

So it is Sunday, and I'm giving the new galvanised suspension bits a final coat of smooth Hammerite.

I used Hammerite Special Metals Primer first (so hopefully the paint will stick) and then gave the parts about three thin brushed on coats of black.  The smooth paint does not cover very well but it seems pretty tough when you get it in place.

Chassis Swap - ROW Exhaust - Part3

Finally fitted the exhaust.  The parts I ended up needing were:

1 - ESR4526
2 - ESR4527
3 - ESR2087
5 - ESR3294
6 - ESR3172


The exhaust hangers 3 and 5 were already on the chassis and part
4 - ESR2131 turned out to be completely wrong - dont know how LR have managed it but that bracket is about six inches too small to be of any use.


Instead I used the bracket bought from YRM metal solutions.  Unfortunately, I still don't know the LR part number.


This centre exhaust bracket is fitted to the chassis crossmember using two M8 Rivnuts fastened into the two drain holes highlighted below.

Or at least that is how the bracket is supposed to be fitted.  I don't have a Rivnut tool so I drilled an extra hole in the crossmember and put in a plate with two captive nuts.  I am not sure if I like the thought of blocking the drain holes even in a galvanised chassis so I will ask Paul Marsden what he thinks when Sally goes into his garage next week.

It might be my imagination but I think the new exhaust is fractionally quieter than the last one.    

My only concern is that it seems quite close to the A Frame.

When I see Paul next week I will ask about this as well.

News - DC100 Concept Soft-top Revealed at Frankfurt

In a surprise move JLR released a preview of the soft-top version of the DC100 concept.

First reactions.....I think is a good looking and desirable vehicle...Is it a Defender....No!

And, of course more views of the hardtop were revealed...

At the presentation, a somewhat defensive, Gerry McGovern said, "We have no desire to imitate our past, we will design a Defender that is relevant to the 21st century...a vehicle that is firmly looking forward..."

Sorry Gerry, but that little speech you gave sounded like a direct dig at the sort of customer that have kept Land Rover going for decades.

Now where did I put that Jeep brochure...

Chassis Swap - ROW Exhaust - Part2

What a day.  After sourcing and buying, what according to Microcat are, the right parts, I discovered that the centre exhaust bracket doesn't fit...Not even nearly...

Thanks go to Jad on LR4x4.com who pointed me in the right direction.

He posted a pic of the correct bracket

And a link (http://www.yrm-metal-solutions.co.uk/016b-defender-tdi-300-centre-exhaust-bracket-233-p.asp) to company that produces a galvanised replica of the part.

So now just got to get one ordered and find the length of bolts I need. Would also like to find the LR part number - will ask YRM if they know it.

Chassis Swap - Shock Absorbers

I got another delivery this afternoon.  I spent a lot of time considering which dampers to go for.  Had I an unlimited budget I probably would have bought Old Man Emu but these are very pricey so I went for Terrafirma instead.  These get consistently good write ups and at about 45 quid each they are not silly money.

In Terrafirma's own words, "fitting the Big Bore expedition shocks to a light or un-laden Land Rover gives a firm, sporty handling characteristic often sought after by the more performance orientated driver" so that's the type I went for.  The blurb on the box describes them as massive, and lets be honest - it's not wrong.

I also bought a steering damper and shock turrets from the same makers.
My only really budget parts are the Britpart bump stops.  My Landy almost never goes off tarmac so these really should never see action.  And I can always replace them with a set of nice polyurethane ones at a later date.

Chassis Swap - A Frame Ball Joint

Replacing the A frame ball joint is a notoriously awkward job - especially without the use of a big press so I cheated and got hold a new one already in its housing.  The Gwyn Lewis product has the added advantage of being adjustable and greasable so although they are quite costly it should be much quicker to fit.

It arrived today (which was very efficient of Gwyn, as I think I only ordered it yesterday) with a few other bits from his product catalogue. These included a set of galvanised spring seats, galvanised spring retainers for front and back, and a pair of heavy duty turret rings.  The HD turret rings have longer captive bolts, which are necessary due to the thickness of the HD turrets I have bought.

Chassis Swap - Order Frenzy

My Landy is going in for its chassis swap in a couple weeks, which means I only have a few days left to order the remaining parts.  So, today, I have been on a mission to get as many of the remaining bits as possible. Money is low, so spending it is not as much fun as it could be, and ensuring all the necessary parts are ready and waiting is more than a little stressful.  That said, it is also a little like Christmas so I shan't complain!

After speaking to Gwyn Lewis (who was a very helpful and pleasant chap) I ordered one of his greasable A frame ball joints along with some galvanised spring seats and retainers.

From Brookwells, I ordered some Terrafirma tubular shock mounts, four Terrafirma Big Bore Expedition Dampers, and a steering damper.

From Brit-Car, I ordered the exhaust hangers/brackets.

And from LR Direct, I ordered a crank seal.

Chassis Swap - Clutch - Arrived Today

I ordered a clutch kit, a HD clutch fork and a set of Terrafirma SS brake hoses from Brookwells the other day.  Anyway they were promptly dispatched and arrived today - all well packaged  with a complementary baseball cap (which was nice).

I don't normally buy from Britpart but they seem to be the only supplier of HD clutch forks, so I  asked about on the forums and no one had anything bad to say about them so...