1959 Land-Rover Series 2. Seating, and distractions…

Missed this one until today.

Great work and a great read. I do love an old Land Rover and you're doing this one proud.

Ran a 2A 88" petrol which was also my business, transporting horses in a huge double trailer. It really wasn't a safe combination for motorways, so A and B roads at 30-40 mph all the way. What it was built for really!

Did thousands of miles in that thing and it only ever let me down once. That was adjusting arm for the dynamo snapping. Fortunately, I was just up the road from a blacksmiths, so fifteen minutes later I was on my way again.

Even when I got a "proper" job on the railways in 1991, I continued to daily it on the commute from Macclesfield to Manchester for another couple of years.

Loved every minute of ownership of that thing, but definitely cannot recommend changing a clutch, on your own, on a limestone chipping car park, from underneath!

Latterly in the UK I ran an early, slightly ratty, but ever-so reliable 90 (2.5 petrol) alongside my 4.0L P38, and had a weekly commute from Cheshire to Swindon. Often, in summer, I'd take that over the Range Rover and again, avoid all motorways and just trundle down on a Monday and back on the Friday. Lovely runs!

It’s at times like these I begin to recognise my eccentricities. It’s been astonishingly satisfying to revisit some of the jobs that I did many years ago in more constrained circumstances. Being able to put a bit more time and thought into the job, as well as having better access, practical experience of how things have behaved in service, and more resources than in the past is really rewarding. When this tranche of work is done, and it’s up and driving again, I’m going to rework the auxiliary instrument panels, column switches and radio setup. I may even do some cosmetic tittivating.

One thing that I have to make a decision about shortly is the exhaust. The current system is an off-the-shelf conversion from a Land-Rover specialist. It’s designed for the combination of engine and chassis that I have, and consists of a bespoke front and intermediate pipe, coupled to a standard V8 Land-Rover rear box. It’s worked well, the front sections have lasted nearly 13 years and the (very inexpensive) rear boxes about five years each. At about £300 it’s been good value. However, the intermediate section is now goosed, and a like-for-like replacement, whilst still available, is a chunk of cash I don’t really want to spend just at this minute. Particularly because there are elements of compromise in the design that I’m not massively happy about. The hangers, in particular, are awkward and clumsy, and their clamps have directly contributed/caused the failure of the intermediate pipe. It’s routing follows the stock system too, which is really tight - needlessly so - and it’s really difficult to keep it from rattling against various bits of chassis.

So I have three options:

1) Buy a new system the same from the specialist. They’re on the shelf and available, and I could fit it whilst the motor is in bits and access is good.

2) Throw the existing one back on, holes and all, and drive it somewhere to have a bespoke system made in stainless.

3) Patch and refit the existing one, and kick the can down the road for another year or so, until it falls off, then worry about it then.

I’m leaning towards option three at the moment...

Hi Glen, nice steady work, may I ask what you did for your throttle pedal ? We need to swap to a cable operated one and current thought is to simply get one off the 90 td in the local scrapyard that just donated its oil filter housing.
Thanks
James
Photo's below for interest - can add more if you want.

I used a combination of standard Series 3 diesel cable and home made parts to connect the Series 2 linkage to the Tdi injection pump. I did it that way to keep the interior visually unchanged, to enable retention of the hand throttle, and because I’d got a bundle of the cables in stock. Using the 90/110 part is a good solution if you don’t mind the look and the cutting of the footwell (and loss of hand throttle if you have one).

Here are some pictures of when I did the original conversion:

First off, I drilled through a big bolt, then sliced down the middle of it:



Which fits on the cable thus:



I made this bit:



Which goes on here:



And extended a spare lever:



And the whole setup looks like this:



It's worked faultlessly and I've been pleased with it.

What’s that you have going in? A 2.5?

Hi Glen,
Many thanks for the comprehensive reply, its a 2.3 out of an early 110 so with the twin choke webber so one of the better carbs out there.
No hand throttle and as a Series 3 less issue about the 'look' of the pedal. Will dwell, we would have to go from the drivers side with a cable so a pedal swap would keep it all of a piece and easy to replace in the future.
Local scrapyard is open (!?) and has quoted 15 + Vat so thinking the quick and dirty wins !

On your exhaust, sounds like option of patch and save for bespoke stainless might be best but how does this compare on cost for the std conversion set up ?
James

Thoroughly recommend Optimas, they are the bomb.  Although retardedly expensive.

I've got twin Yellow Top D31 in Little UMM with a zero voltage drop Sterling Power Alternator splitter (so it split charges intelligently and won't melt the split charge when winching).  

Thanks John, that's very nice of you to say.

Vehicle electrics are one of my "things". If there's anything you think I can help with, just ask. If I do any more major wiring stuff I'll post up some proper pictures. Most of what I'm doing at the moment is just untangling, shortening and tidying up what's already there, which isn't conducive to wielding an expensive phone about in all the muck of an umpteen thousand mile diesel engine bay. 

Yes, the engine has heater plugs. They're not fitted yet, which is why you can't see them. I've left them out so that, once the fuel system is connected and bled and I've filled up the oil, I can spin the engine over on the starter easily and make sure I've got oil pressure and the injectors bled up before I try and start it.

I had an early finish today, but had to do the family shop, so I didn't get much done this afternoon. I've reconnected a few more services, fitted a new throttle cable, injector spill pipe and the fuel supply and return lines. I've got to get some more fuel hose in the morning to make up the feed lines from the lift pump to the filter, and back to the injector pump. With those done that's the fuel system finished.

More tomorrow. 

Very substantial progress made there!
Can I ask do you use a straightening tool on the longer runs of brake pipe?

Sounds happy ! Nice job. I managed to sneak to the scrappy and scored the throttle pedal and air filter needed as well as a high amp fuse box ready for later additions. Finding it difficult as mine (ours) is a shared project with a friend who is the careful patient one and when messing with modifying things two heads are better than one. 12 yr old boy has a good eye though.
Thanks for sharing.
James