300 tdi auto scratch build

[Gren_T]

HI all I thought it was about time I posted some pics of my build seeing as it is now into its 2nd year.!

It started out as a straight forward 4.2ltr auto nas copy, but after a trip to west africa via the sahara in a £90 mitsubishi shogun fitted with a 2.8 ltr diesel that averaged 30MPG, a major decision was taken to swap the engine to a diesel in the name of fuel economy as petrol is £1.22ltr in the uk at the moment.

At a stroke I had to remake the engine mounts and buy a 300tdi and autobox from a discovery it was the search for the engine and box that took almost a year.

I have had a lot of idea's (plagerism is a word for it) from the other guys on the site ..many thanks



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[Cirbo]

A freshly galvanized chassis always gives me the warm fuzzies.........

Nice work!

[mikeslandrover]

What paint did you use on the chassis?
Did it stick and stay stuck to the zinc?
Coming along nicely... 2 years quite quick then. See
http://www.d-90.com/forum/showthread.php?p=125902#post125902

[Gren_T]

Hi Mike I used "T wash" on the fresh galved parts and then a coat of chassis black as supplied by "the paint man" who is at sodbury sortout every year.

I have been climbing over the chassis for 2 yrs and it does not flake off and is difficult to chip, I was told to leave the galved parts outside to weather before painting or use "T wash", as leaving the bits on my drive is not an option as i am already as popular as the clap in a nunnery with my neighbours.

yes 2yrs has flown, along with my spare cash but hopefully will be done before winter, I reserve the right to say which year though.


Gren

[Stmpede]

I am already as popular as the clap in a nunnery with my neighbours.
GrenLOL, I haven't heard that one before, but I think I'll have to add it to my arsenal! :grin

[mikeslandrover]

Hi Gren,
Where did you get your T wash?
The galvanised parts that I painted didn't keep the paint on too well :(

[Muscat]

Just finished painting my galvanised chassis today... The chassis had weathered for nigh on a year, so according to 'the web', it only needed a hot water power wash and a coat of wash primer. I finished off with a top coat of one-part gloss black enamel. I can't remember which site I got the info from, but a search for 'painting galvanised surfaces' returned a ton of good info.

I'll give it another day to dry (44 Centigrade today!) and then see how easily it chips when I start bolting bits back on. Has anyone else gone this route? Did the paint stay on?

Mark

[JimC]

Nope.

[mikeslandrover]

Nope.
Tell it straight :)
I'd be better off leaving it unpainted then :confused

[Gren_T]

mine has been fine with me clambering over it and working on it, I once made a pair of rock sliders that i had galved and then painted, the first wash and the paint fell off.!
I have washed the chassis and its is fine though i have not pressure washed it.

suck it and see.. the T wash cost me £6 for 2ltrs from a car paint factor.
try it on a sample, 2 ltrs was plenty to do the chassis and all the brackets and xmember etc.

I intend to spray the chassis with waxoil anyway so washing it will not be such an issue


Gren

[JimC]

The paint stayed on fine while I was working on the chassis, but has gradually come off over the last 2-3 years. I prepped the chassis pretty carefully with etching solution and it wasnt super-fresh galv either.

[Retrofit]

I have worked intensively with galvanized items when I was working as a mechanic on the snow plows and salting trucks and the only things I have learned for a fact is that not many thing adheres to galvanization for a very long time and unless you waxoil (any other product of that nature) the thing it is still going to rust in time if subjected to abrasion ie: road salt, sand, gravel ...

The bare galvanized coating would last 3 years max on the plows but well over 6 when protected. Note that these trucks are on the worst roads over 6 months of the year.

My 02cents.

Pat

[130Tdi]

Pat don't you owe us pictures ?

[mikeslandrover]

Gren How's the build going? :)

[Gren_T]

Hi Mike in a few words.... slow expensive frustrating & FUN.!!
A pic update for you.

all the brackets and cappings are now ready to be galved and will be done end of the month
the ready for spraying, also have to sort the shifter mount but i'll finalise that when i have the shifter console
from ashcrofts..yet another ouch.!

regards

Gren

[mikeslandrover]

Do I spy an X-eng radiator cap? :clap X-eng hand brake too?? :clap
It's looking good :)

[Gren_T]

Hi Mike yep x-eng very good most pleased.!
how did the trip to morroco go? i spent march touring around morrocco with the wife in a £400 disco
fab time 38mpg ave except 18mpg in the dunes near algeria now prob at all with the car and did some wild stuff. only problems were with spanish drivers treating the entire country as a race track. i know brits off road slow but they were nuts.!
regards
Gren

[mikeslandrover]

Morocco - Brilliant, hot, drove too fast but not Spanish/French off-road raid speed. Front suspension bushes came apart, as did pattern shock turrets, the front shocks failed by the time I'd got home and the transfer box let go - teeth in the oil when I drained it :eek: :eek: All in a day's work. Little challenges to be overcome. Changed the box out in Malagar on the way home and the shocks & turrets were sorted at home.
Averaged 31 mpg overall and about 5300 miles around trip 770 ltrs of fuel, not that I was counting or anything... or even slightly worried over the fuel cost....
Glad you're pleased with the X-Eng stuff :grin
Pic 1 hot and dusty place
pic 2 - Alli's garage Zagora, all the Landrovers spent two days there getting repaired and the staff worked through the night to get the repairs done. That wouldn't happen in GB :cool:

[TDI Guy]

Glen, what year bonnet is that with the stripe down the center?

[Gren_T]

Hi Randy, i dont know my mate had one on his racer for years and its very light, I needed a bonnet & saw the same type of bonnet on Ebay and bought it last week for £75, it still has a handwritten landrover factory parts label on it.
I think it is a 90/110(1982-1990)bonnet rather than a defender(1990 >)as the support frame is attached to the skin with solid rivets as oposed to blind/pop rivets used on the defenders

should stand out like balls on a bulldog @ landrover shows..if i ever finish it.!!

Regards

Gren

Follow-up Post:

HI Mike I know the garage glad you got your motor home.. lol want to buy a £500(only a slight profit) disco for your next trip, there were 2 Gwagons there when i passed one had rolled badly.

I drove the long pieste from merzugar to zagora, 100KM in i was passed by a guy on a peddle scooter
while i was having lunch, he disapeared into the heat shimmer a very surreal experience.

We off to egypt next june in a TLC though sadly the same area where 11 were snatched recently, still i know they will give the wife back after an hour of her asking to stop to look at shoes. lol!

Regards

Gren

[130Tdi]

Thats not a standard 82 up bonnet. Looks like a very cool, rare part. Congrats on your find.

Is the framework underneath steel or aluminum ?

[Gren_T]

Hi Doug, the framework is steel and has some light surface rust it has a top rail and bottom rail with 2 support rails, i intend to remove the frame and have them passivated, but i want to refit it using solid rivets to retain the originallity.

It is very cool and i'm chuffed, i believe it is a very early bonnet, but who knows for sure.!

regards

[TDI Guy]

I want one of those.. Nice. I have seen pix of a bonnet with a scoop on it as well somewhere.

[Gren_T]

Hi Chaps a few further pics taken yesterday, I am waiting for the TD5 speedo to turn up & match the td5 dash it was a bit of a fiddle to get the instument warning lights matched up to the 300 TDI wiring loom but it looks and works great, also love the IG dash it's a quality product far better than some of the others i looked at.

The rear tub has been sprayed with Line-X and it gives it a clean look and blends in the glavanised tiedowns in the seat boxes.

I have also fitted the bonnet with gas struts, as the bonnet is so light i could have used smaller units but it works great and no stay in the way when working on the motor.

I am also modifiying the wheel carrier to take my high lift and fitting a high level brake light to it, i have also had to modify the door attachment as it sits higher on the euro door than the NAS door I got..my luck.!

[Gren_T]

Well the truck is all but finished, i am waiting for a slot in the paint booth in june and then its all done... almost.!
However the boredom demon paid me a visit last weekend... :-(

I have been noticing a little blue smoke when it was runnning, however i have not been able to run it for more than a few mins at a time due to my neighbours.

I had done a top end rebuild when I got the engine about 2 yrs ago after being assured it had been professionaly rebuilt less than 2000 miles prior to me buying it.
this was bourn out by a 2005 date stamp on the cylinder head, but it has got a little smokier so being bored one day i decided to pull the turbo off and check it, i found the turbo was passing lots of oil & the vanes were badly pitted with plenty of latteral movement on the impeller shaft new turbo required, Arse.!!!

as i was there i decided to pull the head & noticed that cyl 1,2,3 had been burning oil.
In for a penny.. I pulled the pistons to do a quick hone & replace the rings.
I then found the conrod for #3 was on the wrong way.!
Hmm.. new rings and bearings later engine is being finished with the exception of the turbo tonite.

so much for a professional rebuild.!

[Gren_T]

some pics of the interior

[Gren_T]

some pics of the interior showing the Wright mat and the console before and after i had modified and sprayed it.
I have also fitted and Iron goat dash to hold my touchscreen for the carpc.
the seat is an exmoor trim XS retrim kit

[Gren_T]

Exterior photos of a trial build to enable me to fit the tenax fastners for the Exmoor trim mohair top.

The hood supports will be plastic coated in black plastic along with my wheel carrier and winch bumper,
I have made hood support tubes in 45mm OD tube but have not had the time to finish the brackets
anyway i wanted to fit the hood with the hood sticks that will place the hood correctly.

I'm not totally happy with the hood as the tenax studs are not in the same place on the left and right
also the left side zip up section has the studs dipping slightly in the center, not much but i can see it and it will now bug me forever.!:angry

[Red90]

You "may" be jumping to conclusions... Oil on the compressor is normal as it comes from the PCV system. Carbon/oil in the head would be normal if you only idled it. It does not get hot enough to properly burn the fuel (which is oil). Never cold idle a diesel, because of that reason. Start it and drive. Allowing it to idle cold causes fuel to condense in the cylinder and fouling the rings.

[Gren_T]

Hi John I wish you were there to reason with my bordom demon..

regards

[130Tdi]

Neat build. Would love to hear your impressions of the Wright sound deadening mat system. Have wanted one for 4+ years now. Having recently "customised" my tunnel cover and seat box wrap due to a problem with flamage I'm even more interested now.

[cgalpin]

Looks awesome Gren.

[Gren_T]

Well its finally in colour & I crap myself everytime i put it back into the garage.

I'm waiting for the hood sticks to come back from the powder coaters where the sticks are being plastic coated gloss back to match the door tops and windsreen frame.

I had the door hinges zinc passivated before being sprayed, they were very poor quality parts and needed lots of work to get rid of casting marks and scabs, I would have fitted late type hinges but had already had door cappings galvanised so did not want to trim them.

The main fly in the ointment was the winch bumper, why are they all huge..!
I bought a Bearmach one for £50 then cut it up, I removed 3" from its depth tapered the ends, and removed the jacking tubes to take recovery swivels.
I'll post better pics of it when its back.

also have to make a tie bar for the batteries.

on the road early august.

[130Tdi]

Looks great. Love your color choice. Really admire that rare hood/bonnet.

[Gren_T]

Hi Doug thanks for that.. its rover gunmetal grey, you've mentioned the bonnet before.. I'll give you first lick if i decide to take it off and fit a standard one.

regards

Gren

[sonoronos]

Looks great! I especially like the color!

[don]

Love the color too. Yes, that is a huge bumper! Great job on the battery box. The whole build looks almost too good to drive :)

[mikeslandrover]

Brilliant, keep going:)

[Gren_T]

I'm on the home run & as I won't be hopping into the drivers seat in greasy clothes it was time to recover the drivers seat in Exmoor XS trim.
I had done the passenger side a while ago, and was not looking forward to clipping the seat backrest together as I now have softy computer geek fingers.

I used a wire wheel on the frame to remove the old foam prior to welding a sprung weld in the base & repainting the frame with satin black

After everything I have done to the truck it always felt like my old V8, however when I was putting it to bed it felt like a completely different truck weird..!

[Gren_T]

hi chaps after almost 3 years I've finally got the 90 on the road, the performance is picking up as it is driven I've now clocked up 200 miles and apart from a leaking rear diff seal its running very smooth.

[Chris Vitale]

Nice work Gren!
I am interested in door cards you installed...do you like them and where did you get them from?
Thanks.

[mikeslandrover]

Very tidy:thumbs:thumbs

[jaygoss]

Looks great! What kind of rear spare tire carrier is that? Haven't seen one of those before.

[SeattleRRC]

Did you spray the front cabin area with Line-X before you put down the Wright mat? Or is it bare metal under the mat?
Thx!



some pics of the interior showing the Wright mat and the console before and after i had modified and sprayed it.
I have also fitted and Iron goat dash to hold my touchscreen for the carpc.
the seat is an exmoor trim XS retrim kit

[mikeslandrover]

Looks great! What kind of rear spare tire carrier is that? Haven't seen one of those before.

WVA holdings spare wheel carrier I think, very strong. I've got one similar but not fitted at the moment.

http://www.safari-equip.co.uk/index.php?page=46

[Gren_T]

Hi Chaps apologies for the delay in replying as i been crisping my bits on holiday.

Chris the door cards are Iron Goat items i bought from croytec in the UK.

the bulkhead has been coated in grey polyurethane floor paint 1mm thick it kills rattles and seals seams in the foot wells if i did it again i would line-x the bulkhead back.
the floor plates are 3 mm alu painted body colour as is the the seat box.

As Mike rightly pointed out the carrier is a WVA item i had for years, its been lengthened to center the wheel & I added a high lift holder & added a 3rd brake light mimicking the NAS item
Its also been galvanised & plastic coated.

regards

Gren

[hillstrubl]

looks awesome
good job

[sonoronos]

Sorry I missed this...what a great build, Gren...it's a beauty!