pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475 
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Success, with caveats.... Glow plug circuit wired in and working, not yet tested the 'afterglow' system during warmup, but it should be ok. There were only a couple of other things to wire into the engine, fuel cut solenoid which is just to the ignition and a water temp sensor for the glow circuit. Stuck some diesel in and it hasn't leaked out so far. The manual diesel priming pump doesn't work, so I used my vacuum brake bleeder to pull fuel up to the pump. I think the manual pumps are a generic £25 part, so i'll sort another one of them. With about 10 secs cranking to get the fuel through it fired into life and settled nicely. Quickly tested the battery and it's not charging, so I turned it off as it didn't have any coolant in at this point. With my fingers crossed I started filling the much modified coolant system, got about 5 litres in and of course it started leaking. Looks like the second hand rad is damaged. I was pretty careful with it and had cardboard over the core until final assembly, but it looks like recent damage. The holes in the fins are from where the fan was cable tied on in it's previous life.  Not to worry, a replacement will swap right in. As for the battery charging issue, I can't find anything obvious, still to test the alternator, but it has a separate regulator box which I did swap out. It was charging poorly in the fourtrak (required revs) the original Taft alternator charged the battery well, but the dash battery light stayed on and it will foul the turbo so not a simple swap. Plenty have used Vauxhall / Isuzu alternators as the have a vacuum pump and an inbuilt regulator, so that's an option. Fourtrak ones are silly money. Headlights work, rear lights do not although I did notice that an earth wire disappeared into the loom at the back and did not reappear at the connector block by the dash, so I rigged up an extra earth wire direct to the battery which got the lights working. Most of the dash seems to work, wipers not wired in as this seems to be where most of the bodgery had occured in the past, so that's something to work out. Also the brakes seem to have gone spongey, doesn't feel like it's pumping up air and there isn't any obvious leaks, possibly too much travel on the rear cylinders? All in all, I'm fairly happy, I like fixing things, so a nice list of snags will keep my busy ticking over for a while. |
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Mar 10, 2023 16:24:59 GMT
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It's been a week of bits and bobs, but going in the right direction. Dropped the rad off on Monday for repair to the very nice chap at Northampton Radiators, 2 days later it was done, repaired with some sort of 2 pack glue. As this was a cheap aftermarket rad it was way too thin to weld. Only £25 and pressure tested, so happy with that. Wiring has been interesting. I added the rear loom earth's and an additional chassis earth which got the light working but sent the glow plugs on a wobbly? Spent hours trying to sort this, one issue was my fault, a missing earth somehow, before I earthed the rear lights it was ok, the current must have been finding its own route. The next bit was a right headscratcher, the plugs were coming on for about 1 second, then pulsing on / off. I was almost at the point of junking the timer system and going back to the original Taft wiring or putting in a manual switch until more googling led me to check all of the glow plugs. One of them (new) was dead, replaced it and we were back to proper operation. Even though they are on a bus bar and a pretty old fashioned system, so I would expect very simple, it seems like they acted like old fashioned Christmas tree lights, when one dies, the tree stays dark. Just tidied up the engine bay  And the footwell a little bit  The fourtrak fuse ox isn't easily compatible, so I've got 2 of these to fit tomorrow. One for the always live circuit and one for the key switched circuit which mirrors the original, converts it to blade fuses instead of glass and gives me a couple of extra outputs  Brakes now sorted. Again, possibly a few issues. There was a brake compensator on the rear circuit with its own bleed nipples, couldn't get anything from them. This doesn't exist on any parts lists, so I've removed it and will monitor. The rebuilt rear drums are 'self adjusting' but apparently that only works when you are reversing, so I've manually adjusted them so the shoes are nearer the discs. They were too far away before and the excessive pedal travel was in taking up all of the slack in the slave cylinders. I also bled the system again. It's had about a pint of fluid through now, possibly got a bit more air out? Anyway, the pedal is now solid. With the new rad plumbed in I had the engine running for about 25 mins yesterday, no leaks, heater is toasty, all is good. |
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Last Edit: Mar 10, 2023 16:26:11 GMT by pptom
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,353
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Daihatsu Taft F50 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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Mar 10, 2023 19:44:05 GMT
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I’ve used those fuse boxes on my Land-Rover. They seem like a good compromise between cost and quality. I particularly liked the fact that they act as a junction box too, with one high current incomer and multiple outlets, unlike most of the alternatives that need an individual feed for each outlet. The LED indicator for fuse failure is a nice touch too.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Mar 10, 2023 20:06:31 GMT
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I’ve used those fuse boxes on my Land-Rover. They seem like a good compromise between cost and quality. I particularly liked the fact that they act as a junction box too, with one high current incomer and multiple outlets, unlike most of the alternatives that need an individual feed for each outlet. The LED indicator for fuse failure is a nice touch too. They seem decent quality, especially for about £7 each. Mirrors the Taft fusebox which was 1 feed in split between 4 outlets, whereas the fourtrak is one feed in, one feed out. I've used similar on the midget and Lotus and they are a great addition for old type car wiring without being complicated. Both those cars only had 2 glass fuses as standard. Another interesting thing I forgot to mention on the Taft is that it always had the battery light on despite the alternator charging. The fourtrak alternator is goosed, possibly also the external regulator. A popular mod is for a vauxhall / Isuzu 1.7d alternator, which also has a vacuum pump and a built in regulator and delivers more current. I've just got a new one and fitted it, needed a few mods, but it charges perfectly and has future proofed the charging system hopefully, also £100 cheaper than a fourtrak one. The battery light still stays on though. A bit of research shows that they originally had some sort of battery electrolyte sensor and this is what the light is for, not charging at all. I've found an errant wire the right sort of area which, when connected to a positive source turns the light out. It's a new one on me. |
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Rich
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,336
Club RR Member Number: 160
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Daihatsu Taft F50 Rich
@foxmcintyre
Club Retro Rides Member 160
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Mar 10, 2023 23:05:40 GMT
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The battery light still stays on though. A bit of research shows that they originally had some sort of battery electrolyte sensor and this is what the light is for, not charging at all. I've found an errant wire the right sort of area which, when connected to a positive source turns the light out. It's a new one on me. I seem to recall my friends F50 having some strange arrangement for the battery lamp. Easy enough to 'convert' to a regular charge warning lamp though seeing as the wire you've found seems to function in the same manner as a traditional battery charge warning circuit? |
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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I'm rubbish at updating this thread, sorry. Been slowly chipping away, i could probably have driven it a few weeks ago, but there's no rush. It went MOT and tax exempt yesterday, so just got to get the paperwork sorted. Still got to sort out the wiring between the daihatsu switch and the Lucas wiper. New battery fitted as the last one would only hold charge for 2 days. Seats finally fixed in today, so that's quite a milestone, have some pictures:      |
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Tax and not exempt last weekend + coincidentally it's at a point where it's driveable. Shakedown time!    Drive 1 was about 500m, I went back home as it felt very wrong, kind of how I image piloting a hovercraft would be. It felt as if the front wheels were loose. Checked everything out and dropped the tyre pressures from 35psi which the tyre shop inflated them to down to 25. Quite a bit better on drive 2, although still sketchy, anything over 45 is a bit terrifying, doesn't feel like there is a connection between the steering wheel and the road. Still got to do the tracking and, as it's got a land rover steering box I think I can play with this. Balloon tyres probably don't help much. Engine is awesome, feels like it would pull the titanic up a hill. Glow plug circuit is being a touch troublesome, initial glow is good, afterglow pulses every few seconds as it should, however this doesn't stop when the engine gets warm as it should. Thought I'd sorted it before by cleaning the 30 year old grease out of the glow plug timer contacts, but no, temp switch seems to work, so a little bit more digging needed. |
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It looks terrific and here's to many more miles - can't help on the sketchy front but can commend your dedication and err bravery 😎
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You have done so well building this thing mate.
Absolutely beautiful.
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Found this on Google hopefully help
Adjusting the toe angle to the maximum or minimum side of the specification can often reduce tire wear. In doing that, remember that too much negative toe angle will aggravate steering wander and that too much positive toe will reduce steering response.
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Just had a little check, steering response is pretty instant from the steering wheel to the wheels, so I don't think box adjustment is an issue. Definitely checking tracking tomorrow morning.
I'll do a bit of googling into the steering box tonight fortunately, being a lr part, there should be quite a bit of info.
Also, a glow plug failed on its test drive which sends the system into a meltdown. I brought 2 new plugs the other month and they've both bitten the bullet with next to no running. Cheap rubbish. Just swapped if for one of the old f50 plugs.
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Last Edit: Apr 9, 2023 16:58:51 GMT by pptom
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Do the allignment. It will make big difference.
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Apr 10, 2023 10:04:13 GMT
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Morning update.
It was toed ever so slightly out, should be 3-5mm toe in, so I've set it to about 5mm.
Since it's raining well here I finally connected up the windscreen wipers and went for a spin.
Much better, still not as good as I'd like, steering still very light but as a bonus, no signs of water in the cabin despite some pretty deep puddles.
Spent last night Googling and learnt a bit about caster angles. My truck has extended front shackles which pivot the axle slightly, this makes the prop point upwards a bit. This also pivots the king pins thus reducing castor angle, I'll have a go at measuring mine in a bit. There are some wedge shims available for land rovers which sit between the leaf springs and axle, these compensate for the longer shackles and add castor. Just ordered a set for £15.
From the web:
How does it affect performance?
Caster angle settings affect the following:
Steering Effort - Increasing the amount of positive caster will make turning the wheel more difficult. However, for vehicles with power steering systems, this is not really an issue.
Stability - More positive caster stabilizes the wheel at speed. It helps keep the vehicle traveling in a straight line. It also helps return the tire to an upright position when coming out of a turn.
Cornering - Positive caster increases the tire lean during a turn. When the tire leans into a turn, the vehicle corners better
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Last Edit: Apr 10, 2023 10:04:45 GMT by pptom
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Apr 10, 2023 10:46:16 GMT
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I have just spent an age reading the whole thread. Epic work.
It's guys like you who provide the likes of me with inspiration to go and do some more in the garage.
Truly excellent.
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Apr 10, 2023 20:22:30 GMT
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On my lifted Patrol I added more caster than stock and it made it drive straight as an arrow. I think stock was 3° and I went with 6°.
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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Apr 10, 2023 20:57:24 GMT
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On my lifted Patrol I added more caster than stock and it made it drive straight as an arrow. I think stock was 3° and I went with 6°. Thanks, measured it with a digital gauge today, zero'd off the chassis, so punch of salt figure really, but I got 0.5° on both sides. The LR wedge shims are meant to give 3° more. I've got great hopes although did about 20 miles earlier on some proper roads rather than sketchy country lanes and it's more livable. But of a mistake removing the bias valve, although I don't think it was working properly. Heavy stops on the wet roads meant the rears were locking very easily. Got a new aftermarket one on order. |
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Last Edit: Apr 11, 2023 6:40:14 GMT by pptom
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,353
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Daihatsu Taft F50 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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Apr 10, 2023 22:01:54 GMT
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SWB Land-Rovers are prone to locking the rear wheels under heavy braking, more so if they’ve been “upgraded” with LWB parts. To be honest, even my LWB will lock the rears a bit too readily for my liking. Maybe I’ll investigate a load sensing valve of some kind.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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pptom
Part of things
Posts: 475
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SWB Land-Rovers are prone to locking the rear wheels under heavy braking, more so if they’ve been “upgraded” with LWB parts. To be honest, even my LWB will lock the rears a bit too readily for my liking. Maybe I’ll investigate a load sensing valve of some kind. The original one was a bit unusual (to me) glen. It wasn't load sensing, didn't have any additional control input + wasn't adjustable. I thought it might be some sort of pressure sustaining valve so the front brakes had to have a certain pressure in order to activate the rears? I've ordered a manually adjustable valve, so a bit of trial and error setting it up, but basic. |
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,353
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Daihatsu Taft F50 glenanderson
@glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member 64
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It will be interesting to see how it goes. 👍
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Apr 12, 2023 17:23:19 GMT
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Superb end result on this project, very impressed. One other thing on the steering: castor is important as you found, and also if you use a Landrover steering box, it really helps the handling if you fit a steering damper; the PAS versions of land rover always had one, and I found if you run it without, it is very light and has very little feel.
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