Beauty is More than Skin Deep

Bruiser 2 is back on his/her (l can never make up my mind) wheels. Now the fun 'moddy' stuff begins:

IMG_8430.jpg

IMG_8431.jpg

Load Leveller rear shocks fitted. You can just see the O/S one here:

IMG_8439.jpg IMG_8442.jpg
 
The Load Leveller's:

20220212_124720_1.jpg
20220212_124646.jpg

PAS box (bought NOS from Steve Walker) fitted with the heavy duty idler mount in place too along with Quattro's wiper motor bracket sitting in its new home awaiting a tidy-up.
Thanks to Mark for turning up the special nut for the box (on his lathe) & supplying the idler mount:

20220212_124523_1.jpg

The engine with internal gunk scraped out from between the cylinders. It'll be getting a new rear oil seal & a couple of coats of Land Rover Duck Egg Blue. The water pump will be removed for a check over & ease of painting. There's a new one in reserve in case needed:

20220212_130748_1.jpg
20220212_130733_1.jpg

Despite all my hard work the heater (also from Mark) will be getting its standard motor returned to it :rolleyes:
It was an entertaining experiment anyway:

20220210_162556_1.jpg
 
Last edited:
Looking good, glad the bracket was ok

I do like those rear shocks, and have always used them since I discovered them back in the 80's. I managed to get a NOS pair for Sparky as I do feel they help with handling.

Shocking.jpg
 
Yes, l sold my 2200TC with a pair on but had picked up another pair on the bay before l did. They can be quite expensive now if you can find them.
Yes the bracket is fine, thanks. Just got to order new rubber mounts.
 
Last edited:
The scratch-built exhaust manifold has been media-blasted in an attempt to extend the life of the high temperature paint that's being applied:

received_1423537228069439.jpeg

It seems to be the most fundamental piece of advice in this aim, remove all rust & wire brushing/wheeling is not sufficient.

The replacement Hif6's have been rebuilt as they were pretty gummed up & a NOS glass-domed fuel pump has been added to the mix.

Thoughts are turning to putting the drivetrain in the car.
 
Last edited:
Phew, now that was a dirty screen. An hour & a half with a brass brush, a craft blade, paint thinner, Mr Muscle glass cleaner & various rags & tissue. Got to get it over to Bruiser 2 for Sundym-ing now:

20220616_200110.jpg

I'll be doing the side windows myself when the car is home to reduce costs (which was why l prepared the front screen before delivery too). To retain the original front quarterlights & fixed rears, l'll be using the original frames & getting the old lights vinyl tinted as close to Sundym as l can.
 
Last edited:
…in an attempt to extend the life of the high temperature paint

Before my return to return to Blighty the other year I had at my exhaust system from manifolds to tailpipe with wire brush attachments in a power tool. There wasn't a speck of corrosion visible when I had finished. I then spent a fair sum of money on silver "special ultra high temperature exhaust paint" and even applied two coats. From underneath, my whip looked resplendent. For about a year, tops. The next time I had my jalopy up on a lift, if I sneezed near the exhaust it all came off in flakes, like a snowstorm paperweight. Just saying'. Good luck TRM!
PS Good looking' manifold, that! Nice work.
PPS Resist the temptation/well intentioned advice to wrap it in asbestos heat wrap. It retains condensation and then the four into one collector may very well develop cracks. I had "block hugger" mild steel manifolds on my V8 once upon a time, and that was the result.
 
Yes, it may be hope over adversity but here's hoping. As l said, concensus on various sites seems to be that blasting is the only way to keep the paint on for any reasonable amount of time & no amount of wire brushing will cut the mustard.

I had nothing to do with the construction of the manifold, l bought it from Rich who originally had it made for Bruiser's engine when he had it built. He kept it when l bought the engine from him then later on sold it to me.

I know all about Heat Wrap. & it's effects.

Shame because it's good stuff.
 
Not too much progress of late but the engine is ready to go in & the LT77 has almost been prepared. We're just waiting for a spigot bush to be fabricated by Park Engineering up in Malton who made the bespoke one for my Oxford.
Cleaned & painted with the duck egg blue engine paint:

Screenshot_20221005-002042_Messenger.jpgScreenshot_20221005-002221_Gmail.jpg

The modified Bell housing, remote & new poly mounts fitted. The rather crude hole in the bottom of the bell housing is due to be TIG-welded up:

Screenshot_20221005-002307_Gmail.jpg
Screenshot_20221005-002047_Messenger.jpg
Screenshot_20221005-002136_Messenger.jpg

The release bearing which will continue to be lubricated with grease rather than its own oil supply:

Screenshot_20221005-002302_Gmail.jpg

This is how it was in the 2000 it originally came from, it ran for 9000 miles & there was still plenty of grease in it & no wear on the bearing & seeing as it only spins when the clutch is engaged it should be a safe enough bet that at least another multiple thousand mile stint should be possible before any problems that might arise do arise & if they do we'll revisit the box when it happens.

After the discovery that the recommendation of a 1.6 Sierra plate didn't work out, we now have a clutch plate that fits, from the Sd1 2000 which is what l was looking for in the first place & confirmed by Demetris. I bought two NOS plates from Gordon at Roverpart of London:

s-l400 (8).jpgs-l400 (9).jpg

The current rear mount is a bit corroded & flimsy so a stronger one will be made & fitted:

Screenshot_20221004-190337_Gallery.jpg
 
Last edited:
The hole in the bellhousing TIG welded up, a nice neat job:

Screenshot_20221014-165321_Messenger.jpg

The spigot bush is being made now. The engineering shop didn't have a suitable piece of bronze to make a complete bush so are pressing/bonding a bronze inner into a separate outer sleeve. Ordering a piece of bronze in was going to prove prohibitively expensive & the one they're actually fabricating is costing £90 which is enough. I'm sticking with them though as they're a proper old school firm who know their onions & highly recommended by Steve Turner who recommissioned my Oxford.
 
The Rovering Member said:
The spigot bush is being made now. The engineering shop didn't have a suitable piece of bronze to make a complete bush so are pressing/bonding a bronze inner into a separate outer sleeve. Ordering a piece of bronze in was going to prove prohibitively expensive & the one they're actually fabricating is costing £90.....

......+VAT & carriage = £120. Phew, hope it fits. :LOL:
 
Back
Top