Builds My LC 80 thread. (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Dave 2000
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Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #402
I thought you would like the joke about getting lost.
I prefer a 'proper' keyboard, but just looking for something to throw in the glove box when the trail is finished, cheap enough to just forget it is there until the next week/month when it can be put to use agin.
FWIW I have been trying a couple of different pieces of software. Unfortunately I paid for a map advertised on Memory Map, it was topo for Spain, turns out it is no longer available, pulled them up about false advertising, gave me some BS about money was sent to the MM site in the states, and the US branch would be refunding me, not heard from them yet, another scamming company it seems?
I am presently giving 'Viewranger' a trial and purchased the Spanish topo maps from their site, thus far the results are excellent, customer service is on the ball as well....fingers crossed, just need to find a cheap android tablet than I will not miss if it gets pinched or broken.
regards
Dave
I prefer a 'proper' keyboard, but just looking for something to throw in the glove box when the trail is finished, cheap enough to just forget it is there until the next week/month when it can be put to use agin.
FWIW I have been trying a couple of different pieces of software. Unfortunately I paid for a map advertised on Memory Map, it was topo for Spain, turns out it is no longer available, pulled them up about false advertising, gave me some BS about money was sent to the MM site in the states, and the US branch would be refunding me, not heard from them yet, another scamming company it seems?
I am presently giving 'Viewranger' a trial and purchased the Spanish topo maps from their site, thus far the results are excellent, customer service is on the ball as well....fingers crossed, just need to find a cheap android tablet than I will not miss if it gets pinched or broken.
regards
Dave
wahey.. approximately 2 years after the eBay purchase in the US, my trans cooler is finally fitted, plumbed and working
and it is working, I just did the same little path round the hill as last week, letting it run down steep hills in L1 using engine braking etc, not only did the AT Temp light not come on this time, I took it back up, and down again, and the cooler wasn't even particularly hot to touch. there must be a vast improvement in ability to remove heat from a hard working tranny, over whatever is in that rad.
Im sure my box will thank me greatly for an easier life from now on
no pics as phone is dead again. tut.
and it is working, I just did the same little path round the hill as last week, letting it run down steep hills in L1 using engine braking etc, not only did the AT Temp light not come on this time, I took it back up, and down again, and the cooler wasn't even particularly hot to touch. there must be a vast improvement in ability to remove heat from a hard working tranny, over whatever is in that rad.
Im sure my box will thank me greatly for an easier life from now on
no pics as phone is dead again. tut.Cool rig! Mind sharing any pix of the flexitank and how you installed it/what it looks like? Thanks!
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #406
Hi, this is the flexitank.
It has a marked capacity of 25 litres, but IIRC it is nearer 27....ish? Fitment pictures in a 'safe' place, if I find them I will post them up.
The tank goes in the right hand rear quarter, if you remove the plastic panel complete with the little box the bag goes right in, the rear box part of the compartment is removed from the trim. I lined the cavity with a foam insulation material. The bag is suspended from the three nuts you can see, for whatever reason one of the three holes did not line up on the 80, I am unsure if this was an issue with my particular car or the bag manufacture, but easy to rectify. After making holes for the fill and supply pipe, the plastic trim clips back in place. The lid of the little storage box goes back and if removed it just shows the side of the bag, so in effect a dummy.
Now that was the first attempt, after a couple of months the second was more successful. I will explain.
The main problem is the weight of the water, it causes the bag to bellow out at the side, this pushes on the plastic trim and causes it to bulge outwards. This also makes the fill pipe pull down on the trim putting a crease near the filler neck, this causes it to make filling a slow process. Another issue is my passengers kept mentioning they could hear water sloshing around, I could not hear it at the front unless all windows were up and it was quiet in the car, I had never noticed it prior to someone mentioning hearing water.
So the bag was removed while a batten was measured to fit across the opening, my carpenter friend (Pete) used doweling as being round it will not dig into the bag material, which incidentally is very strong anyway, but just being careful, I also had some similar cuts of doweling and had then fitted around the curve at the wheel arch.
Next a piece of IIRC 8mm ply was cut and shaped to cover the straight area of the plastic panel, this was then screwed temporarily in place. The plastic trim then curves out towards the front and rear of the body, easy for the plastic but not the wood. So I cut the curved pieces off the plastic trim and fixed them to the wood panel, a sheet of material glued over the top covered it all nice and neat. The wood along with the material covering has made the movement of water pretty much inaudible to passengers, I have not noticed it either but, having said that I never noticed it before.
The pipe at the bottom of the bag gravity feeds into a 12v water pump with a pressure drop switch, this can be connected to a pipe for use, this is mainly dog water and hand washing at stops on the trail, there is a connector so it can be quickly connected to a shower head, the water is quite warm at the end of the day so nice to get rid of the daily dust. The heat is radiated from the sun on the dark coloured paint through to the bag and some (guessing here) rising up from the exhaust?
This was finished around September last year, no signs of bulging at all and has seen plenty of use. Use common sense with water cleanliness.
regards
Dave
Wow, Dave, thanks for sharing all of this detail! Have you considered or evaluated using it for drinking water? I have Jerry cans attached to my rear bumper setup and I'm contemplating how I can do a built in option. I'm seeing some stainless options where you can mount in the spare spot under the rig too.
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #408
I try to be as careful with anything that can make me sick, 25 years with diabetes takes it's toll on your immune system, which ironically caused the diabetes in the first place!! I have never drunk the water from the flexitank although I have tasted it, and using the method below did not even taste any of the chlorine, I doubt it would be a problem from a health point of view. In case I find myself with no option to drink from it I follow the following regime very strictly. When not using the vehicle in isolated places the tank is filled to the brim with a bleach solution, I use the guidance on the individual bleach bottles for sterilising water to rinse fresh vegetables in (not drinking water), the concentration of chlorine seems to vary with different brands but is slightly higher for washing veg than it is for drinking.
This is left in the tank 24/7 unless going on a trail, this concentration is a little strong for consumption but will keep the inside of the tank clean and sanitised as the water moves about with the motion of the vehicle, remember the strength of chlorine weakens over time so I guess it would be pretty weak after a couple of months, as I try to get out once or twice a month it not an issue in my case. If I am out and about and say hole a rad or have a pipe burst, I have 25 plus litres of water to use to get me out of trouble, the engine will not mind a drop of bleach.
Before going on a trip away from the black top, I drain out the solution and purchase bottled water from the supermarket, at 0.70 cents for 8 litres it is a no brainer. I fill the tank to the brim and take a separate supply for me to drink and use for cooking and washing.
So the 'trip' water in the tank is not treated bar any residue chlorine on the tank inner walls, this would be minimal and not cause any harm if it was drunk. Using the tank water to shower, rinse dishes, drink for the dog and of course for a damaged cooling system it is fine. I have never been more than perhaps four to five hours away from a supermarket if I wanted to fill up the tank. You can also use the water supplied at petrol garages but you must confirm it is drinkable, if not there is normally a sign but best to ask, I prefer the bottled option to be safe.
At the end of the trip the car is returned to it's normal routine, the remaining water is pumped out and the tank refilled with the measured solution, this will stay in there until the next trip.
I cannot remember when I fitted the tank at a guess two years? The original fitment date is in this thread somewhere, but I have been using it regularly and apart from the early fitment being altered it has been fine. The single biggest advantage is the space saving, get a 25 litre drum and see how much room it takes up in the boot.
regards
Dave
This is left in the tank 24/7 unless going on a trail, this concentration is a little strong for consumption but will keep the inside of the tank clean and sanitised as the water moves about with the motion of the vehicle, remember the strength of chlorine weakens over time so I guess it would be pretty weak after a couple of months, as I try to get out once or twice a month it not an issue in my case. If I am out and about and say hole a rad or have a pipe burst, I have 25 plus litres of water to use to get me out of trouble, the engine will not mind a drop of bleach.
Before going on a trip away from the black top, I drain out the solution and purchase bottled water from the supermarket, at 0.70 cents for 8 litres it is a no brainer. I fill the tank to the brim and take a separate supply for me to drink and use for cooking and washing.
So the 'trip' water in the tank is not treated bar any residue chlorine on the tank inner walls, this would be minimal and not cause any harm if it was drunk. Using the tank water to shower, rinse dishes, drink for the dog and of course for a damaged cooling system it is fine. I have never been more than perhaps four to five hours away from a supermarket if I wanted to fill up the tank. You can also use the water supplied at petrol garages but you must confirm it is drinkable, if not there is normally a sign but best to ask, I prefer the bottled option to be safe.
At the end of the trip the car is returned to it's normal routine, the remaining water is pumped out and the tank refilled with the measured solution, this will stay in there until the next trip.
I cannot remember when I fitted the tank at a guess two years? The original fitment date is in this thread somewhere, but I have been using it regularly and apart from the early fitment being altered it has been fine. The single biggest advantage is the space saving, get a 25 litre drum and see how much room it takes up in the boot.
regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #409
Update, the 'ol girl' continues to give reliable service, she may sit there for a week or two, and when I see a gap for some R & R I jump in and hit a trail. Picked up a Samsung tablet and loaded it up with some different mapping software, I tried different versions and after some juggling have decided to go with the 'Viewranger' option, I am a mapping software newbie but working on it. I also purchased a car battery charger, no big deal I hear you say, but this one is a completely sealed unit. I purchased an identical one earlier last year and had been testing it on as many batteries I could find lying around the workshop. Some were deemed to be toast and some simply tired, to my surprise there was quite a good success rate on recovery of the various 'guinea pigs'....and then they went to the scrap man. Once a battery on a customers vehicle shows ay sign of packing up it gets replaced, the heat here kills them off very quickly. The charger is nothing special, a 1 amp trickle charge for motorbike batteries and two 4 amp settings for car batteries (standard and severe cold recharge), it does go into 'float' charge as well so, happy it was a tough little unit I purchased a second which is now going to be added to the 80.
I never normally use camp sites, but on one of my trips last year it meant staying 'on site' for a few days, and with my new roof rack not having enough space to carry my solar panel, I used a trickle battery charger clipped to one of the batteries, and plugged into the site power, it worked fine keeping the batteries fully charged.
As there may be more instances of staying on site (mainly weather stopping play), I have decided to fit the new charger in the 80 permanently, a small dilemma I have is what battery to hardwire the charger to. I would like to fit a camp site type plug to the mains cable and then hardwire the output direct to the starter battery, the VSR will connect the starter battery to auxiliary battery when the voltage is high enough so both batteries will be given a supply. I would also like to plug into my power distribution panel that is fitted in the right rear, and all power (camp lighting/fridge/and so forth) is drawn from that side, the solar panel will eventually get back into use also plugs in there as well. My concern was if the electric charger has a 'hissy fit' and decided to overcharge then everything connected to that side will be exposed to high voltage, this would be disastrous for the vehicle electrics.
If I go with my first option i.e. direct to the starter battery the VSR will isolate if voltage gets too high protecting the vehicle electrics, but it means running even more wires so not sure of my direction here? I will need to think about that. The occasional 'bleep' I have from the National Luna battery monitor is from the relays that control the electric cooling fan, this still needs to be sorted. This came about after tidying the wiring and fitting all new relays, and perhaps moving the relay power supply from the battery to a bus bar further along the wing. I am guessing the new relays may not have the suppression diode they should have and a spike is being developed as the fan is switched off, I just need the time to look into that but all is working fine.
Tidying in the garage this week saw two of the four virtually new Yokohama tyres that were upgraded to the latest version, have now been fitted to rims. This gives me two good spares on rims and two tyres which will be sold if possible, if not they can sit on the back wall, I have at least made some space.
As the car sits a lot, and squeezing it in and out of a small garage is a PITA, I am investigating trickle charge solar panels to keep the batteries topped up, this is in it's infancy but just need to cover the usual parasitic draw of clock, alarm etc.
The 80 will not go out this weekend and why, because I have a friends Land Rover TD5 that has to have the wiring and ECU stripped out, dismantled and cleaned, this is to remove the oil contamination that has worked it's way down the loom internals into the ECU, and is now causing a bad misfire I mean, when was the last time you drained oil out of an ECU...............yeh seriously!
regards
Dave
I never normally use camp sites, but on one of my trips last year it meant staying 'on site' for a few days, and with my new roof rack not having enough space to carry my solar panel, I used a trickle battery charger clipped to one of the batteries, and plugged into the site power, it worked fine keeping the batteries fully charged.
As there may be more instances of staying on site (mainly weather stopping play), I have decided to fit the new charger in the 80 permanently, a small dilemma I have is what battery to hardwire the charger to. I would like to fit a camp site type plug to the mains cable and then hardwire the output direct to the starter battery, the VSR will connect the starter battery to auxiliary battery when the voltage is high enough so both batteries will be given a supply. I would also like to plug into my power distribution panel that is fitted in the right rear, and all power (camp lighting/fridge/and so forth) is drawn from that side, the solar panel will eventually get back into use also plugs in there as well. My concern was if the electric charger has a 'hissy fit' and decided to overcharge then everything connected to that side will be exposed to high voltage, this would be disastrous for the vehicle electrics.
If I go with my first option i.e. direct to the starter battery the VSR will isolate if voltage gets too high protecting the vehicle electrics, but it means running even more wires so not sure of my direction here? I will need to think about that. The occasional 'bleep' I have from the National Luna battery monitor is from the relays that control the electric cooling fan, this still needs to be sorted. This came about after tidying the wiring and fitting all new relays, and perhaps moving the relay power supply from the battery to a bus bar further along the wing. I am guessing the new relays may not have the suppression diode they should have and a spike is being developed as the fan is switched off, I just need the time to look into that but all is working fine.
Tidying in the garage this week saw two of the four virtually new Yokohama tyres that were upgraded to the latest version, have now been fitted to rims. This gives me two good spares on rims and two tyres which will be sold if possible, if not they can sit on the back wall, I have at least made some space.
As the car sits a lot, and squeezing it in and out of a small garage is a PITA, I am investigating trickle charge solar panels to keep the batteries topped up, this is in it's infancy but just need to cover the usual parasitic draw of clock, alarm etc.
The 80 will not go out this weekend and why, because I have a friends Land Rover TD5 that has to have the wiring and ECU stripped out, dismantled and cleaned, this is to remove the oil contamination that has worked it's way down the loom internals into the ECU, and is now causing a bad misfire I mean, when was the last time you drained oil out of an ECU...............yeh seriously!
regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #411
interesting. pls keep us informed about the solar trickle charging, Im on the verge of getting involved myself.
and, today I am also working on a friend's TD5, its broken an exhaust stud, so getting heli-coiled. wish us luck
Will do Kev. Ah the TD5 exhaust stud, the one tight against the turbo? PITA to say the least. I did finally get the ECU drained and cleaned, new wiring loom under the rocker cover, and cleaned the rest of the connectors, running like a Swiss clock now............well as best as a TD 5 will ever run.
Good luck duly sent Kev.
regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #412
Forgot to note the fuel filter was replaced about mid April and also forgot the mileage it was done, I will edit when I get an estimate next week when I see the car again. As is the norm when modifying your car and it's kit, it is only when being used very regularly you alter your setup to suit your individual needs. To this end I have been tidying up the camping set up with my attention being focused on the roof rack and contents. I found when folding the RTT it was awkward to get the material on one side neatly folded, the sand ladders and Hi lift jack very close to the tent side. To get some space I have moved the RTT towards the rear by a couple of inches, I have also deepened the cut out in the alluminium wind deflector, this allows the second spare wheel to move forward a liitle more, all in all I gained about three inches. Next I turned my attention to the two sand ladders, they are five foot long and overhang the rack sides a little. I am not cutting yhem down as IME that length is fine, to keep them from falling off I normally pass a chain through them and around the rack, the chain is held closed by small 'U' shackles, quick and easy to remove, the shackles can be replaced with padlocks if added security is needed, I never leave the padlocks on there when on the trail, the fine sand really screws them up. To stop the inevitable rattle of chains clanking about when making your way over rough ground I have now drilled and fitted four upright lengths of 10mm metal studding, two go through the front edge of the sand ladders, at the rear edge are the other two but these are longer, this allows the studs to pass through the ladders and through the five foot Hi lift, the four foot version just taken for day trips when the rack is not fitted. The jack and ladders now have four wing nuts and all is solid with no rattles or clanks but quick and easy to get at them if needed when stuck. For extra safety when on public roads I throw a short chain around the jack and ladders and lock them to the rack.
And talking off ladders, the RTT has one that is fitted to the tent floor, I also carry a two piece short ladder to climb up on the rack if need be, so carrying two ladders, so I decided to get rid of one. The obvious one to keep is the original that came with the tent, it is a very light and yet strong design in two pieces that slide together, so no need to re-invent the wheel here. I unbolted the ladder from the tent floor, I then made up some clevis pins by drilling 'U' shackle closing bolts and fitting them with 'R' clips, now the ladder can be fitted and removed from the tent in seconds, it is then stored on top of the drawer set in the back. There is another bonus to be had here, when the tent is folded and packed with the ladder in it's original position, it creates a bulge and when the weather cover is on and pulled tight, the edges of the ladder have been wearing holes in the material, with the ladder removed I can now have a new cover made with a flat profile. Next the two 20 litre Jerry cans, whilst they ftted ok on the rack they were only just making the span between the rack cross bars, the span has now been bridged with some 3mm plate, the metal painted and riveted into place, a layer of rubber matting will stop the rivets rubbing on the cans, I also wrapped the cans with rubber matting and despite using a decent contact adhesive the rubber has unfurled, need to look at that again next week.
I still need to install two solar panel systems but that can wait for the moment, I may have found an answer to keeping the batteries charged when the 80 is not in use, just waiting on e-mail replies. The carpenter has a large tray to build for me, this will sit on top of the drawer/fridge system and hold lightweight items like clothing and sleeping bags, protruding from the front of the tray will be a another two studs, these will hold the ladder in place again using a couple of wing nuts. For the rare occasions I camp on site, I will probably fit the 12v 4 amp charger to the fridge box, it makes sense if parked for long periods of time in poor weather, this will keep the batteries up to snuff.
Last weekend I was out with a couple of Land Cruiser club members and I was suffering really bad hay fever, to help with that and the very hot weather I left the engine running for hours at a time, even when checking out routes on foot, temps stay nice and low and AC stone cold, the single electric cooling fan now in it's 3rd year of operation and continues to work flawlessly in Spanish temperatures. Other than straightening the exhaust tail pipe after getting hung up on a deep drop off, the 80 continues to deliver the legendary combination of ability and reliability it is renowned for.
Thanks for taking the time to read, more later.
EDIT : Best guessimate for the fuel filter replacement mileage is around 250, 000 miles so around 7,000 miles back?
Regards
Dave
And talking off ladders, the RTT has one that is fitted to the tent floor, I also carry a two piece short ladder to climb up on the rack if need be, so carrying two ladders, so I decided to get rid of one. The obvious one to keep is the original that came with the tent, it is a very light and yet strong design in two pieces that slide together, so no need to re-invent the wheel here. I unbolted the ladder from the tent floor, I then made up some clevis pins by drilling 'U' shackle closing bolts and fitting them with 'R' clips, now the ladder can be fitted and removed from the tent in seconds, it is then stored on top of the drawer set in the back. There is another bonus to be had here, when the tent is folded and packed with the ladder in it's original position, it creates a bulge and when the weather cover is on and pulled tight, the edges of the ladder have been wearing holes in the material, with the ladder removed I can now have a new cover made with a flat profile. Next the two 20 litre Jerry cans, whilst they ftted ok on the rack they were only just making the span between the rack cross bars, the span has now been bridged with some 3mm plate, the metal painted and riveted into place, a layer of rubber matting will stop the rivets rubbing on the cans, I also wrapped the cans with rubber matting and despite using a decent contact adhesive the rubber has unfurled, need to look at that again next week.
I still need to install two solar panel systems but that can wait for the moment, I may have found an answer to keeping the batteries charged when the 80 is not in use, just waiting on e-mail replies. The carpenter has a large tray to build for me, this will sit on top of the drawer/fridge system and hold lightweight items like clothing and sleeping bags, protruding from the front of the tray will be a another two studs, these will hold the ladder in place again using a couple of wing nuts. For the rare occasions I camp on site, I will probably fit the 12v 4 amp charger to the fridge box, it makes sense if parked for long periods of time in poor weather, this will keep the batteries up to snuff.
Last weekend I was out with a couple of Land Cruiser club members and I was suffering really bad hay fever, to help with that and the very hot weather I left the engine running for hours at a time, even when checking out routes on foot, temps stay nice and low and AC stone cold, the single electric cooling fan now in it's 3rd year of operation and continues to work flawlessly in Spanish temperatures. Other than straightening the exhaust tail pipe after getting hung up on a deep drop off, the 80 continues to deliver the legendary combination of ability and reliability it is renowned for.
Thanks for taking the time to read, more later.
EDIT : Best guessimate for the fuel filter replacement mileage is around 250, 000 miles so around 7,000 miles back?
Regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #413
A quick follow-up of my last post, and the pictures that have been requested.
The top box has now been constructed, it looks as if it simply sits on top of the drawer and fridge box but in fact has four steel legs. They are inch box section welded to four inch quarter plate, then inverted and screwed down from inside the box, the protruding legs locate in corresponding holes in the drawer and fridge casings, once the strap is released the box lifts off, quick and simple. The observant will note the sloping lid, this because there is limited space above the box, the lower front does reduce capacity but makes it easier to load. This will have sleeping bag, pillows, spare clothes, and of course Cookie's travel bag with her bed and dog brush, doggy shampoo, and towels. The slope also discourages putting items on it and blocking the exhaust hole (see next pic), for the fridge.
A strong ratchet strap runs up from the third row seat mount, then through slots in the top box and once hooked to the opposite seat mount the ratchet is pulled tight, nothing is going to move. The small blocks in front of the box are spacers for the ladder.
The lid of the top box has now gained a hole, a tube runs from the box base to the lid, this is for the fridge exhaust , the air inlet is on the right hand side. The ladder is located by the small blocks, the quick release strap making removal and install easy.
This completes the rearmost sections, having a box around the fridge is great, I can put stuff on top off the box without affecting fridge access. As can be seen I started to cover everything with a dark Gray material but run out, I may end up purchasing a different colour as I am having trouble matching it up.
All the 'modules' can be used independently or with each other depending on my trip plans, I continue to alter and adjust according to my needs. I am not happy with the fridge to slider strap, the pressure on the handle quite high to prevent or at least reduce side to side movement. Next is the fridge wiring, at the moment the wires exit via the ftidge air intake, so that needs to be sorted. I would like to 'T' into the water feed to the pump and run a transparent pipe vertical to the water bladder in the right rear wing, this would make checking the water easier than guessing. Apart from getting a new supply of material I am ready to get Peter to start on the boxes that will go in place of the middle row seats. IIRC when visiting certain areas in Africa (bucket list) you have supply a seat for an armed guard, so one seat will need to remain, but this will be a rare occurance.....I hope!
Off out again this coming Tuesday for two or three days, 40 + degrees expected, this is a reccie trip for a future event, but again allows equipment installs to be tested under real trail conditions.
Thanks for the interest.
Regards
Dave
The top box has now been constructed, it looks as if it simply sits on top of the drawer and fridge box but in fact has four steel legs. They are inch box section welded to four inch quarter plate, then inverted and screwed down from inside the box, the protruding legs locate in corresponding holes in the drawer and fridge casings, once the strap is released the box lifts off, quick and simple. The observant will note the sloping lid, this because there is limited space above the box, the lower front does reduce capacity but makes it easier to load. This will have sleeping bag, pillows, spare clothes, and of course Cookie's travel bag with her bed and dog brush, doggy shampoo, and towels. The slope also discourages putting items on it and blocking the exhaust hole (see next pic), for the fridge.
A strong ratchet strap runs up from the third row seat mount, then through slots in the top box and once hooked to the opposite seat mount the ratchet is pulled tight, nothing is going to move. The small blocks in front of the box are spacers for the ladder.
The lid of the top box has now gained a hole, a tube runs from the box base to the lid, this is for the fridge exhaust , the air inlet is on the right hand side. The ladder is located by the small blocks, the quick release strap making removal and install easy.
This completes the rearmost sections, having a box around the fridge is great, I can put stuff on top off the box without affecting fridge access. As can be seen I started to cover everything with a dark Gray material but run out, I may end up purchasing a different colour as I am having trouble matching it up.
All the 'modules' can be used independently or with each other depending on my trip plans, I continue to alter and adjust according to my needs. I am not happy with the fridge to slider strap, the pressure on the handle quite high to prevent or at least reduce side to side movement. Next is the fridge wiring, at the moment the wires exit via the ftidge air intake, so that needs to be sorted. I would like to 'T' into the water feed to the pump and run a transparent pipe vertical to the water bladder in the right rear wing, this would make checking the water easier than guessing. Apart from getting a new supply of material I am ready to get Peter to start on the boxes that will go in place of the middle row seats. IIRC when visiting certain areas in Africa (bucket list) you have supply a seat for an armed guard, so one seat will need to remain, but this will be a rare occurance.....I hope!
Off out again this coming Tuesday for two or three days, 40 + degrees expected, this is a reccie trip for a future event, but again allows equipment installs to be tested under real trail conditions.
Thanks for the interest.
Regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #414
Update.
Three days out and all was good, the expected temperatures did not let us down hovering between 45 and 48 degrees C! I would go as far as saying it was nothing less than cruel for my friends in their non AC 40.
My 80 performed faultlessly despite being loaded as near to capacity it has ever been including the full length rack and RTT, 130 litres of diesel, around 50 litres of water, fridge and so forth, at one point we climbed over 2000 metres but it was slow, mostly Low 1st gear stuff and crazy climbing angles.
After unloading everything today I gave the 80 a well deserved oil and filter change @ 257,648 miles, I also changed the air filter, I will give the spare it's last wash and use before purchasing a new one. Whilst under there I gave the propshafts a good greasing as well, a quick check showed the rearmost exhaust silencer took a bit of a beating but still sound, the flex at the front though is past its best IMO.
The additional storage box worked fine and held the two lower boxes together. One thing that I did notice is the complete module assembly appeared to have moved rearward by about an inch, I may not have pushed them far enough back but will double check at the next trip. The RTT tent weather cover had finally refused to accept tank tape as a repair, I have requested the local Tapoceria to make one for me, should be ready to be picked up next week sometime.
Other than that all is good, the single ladder mod works perfect, and no doubt as the new camping setup evolves it can only ge better.
EDIT : Meant to add, I greased the tie bar and track rod knuckles, both replaced with 34mm aftermarket Moly tube.
Thanks for reading,
Regards
Dave
Three days out and all was good, the expected temperatures did not let us down hovering between 45 and 48 degrees C! I would go as far as saying it was nothing less than cruel for my friends in their non AC 40.
My 80 performed faultlessly despite being loaded as near to capacity it has ever been including the full length rack and RTT, 130 litres of diesel, around 50 litres of water, fridge and so forth, at one point we climbed over 2000 metres but it was slow, mostly Low 1st gear stuff and crazy climbing angles.
After unloading everything today I gave the 80 a well deserved oil and filter change @ 257,648 miles, I also changed the air filter, I will give the spare it's last wash and use before purchasing a new one. Whilst under there I gave the propshafts a good greasing as well, a quick check showed the rearmost exhaust silencer took a bit of a beating but still sound, the flex at the front though is past its best IMO.
The additional storage box worked fine and held the two lower boxes together. One thing that I did notice is the complete module assembly appeared to have moved rearward by about an inch, I may not have pushed them far enough back but will double check at the next trip. The RTT tent weather cover had finally refused to accept tank tape as a repair, I have requested the local Tapoceria to make one for me, should be ready to be picked up next week sometime.
Other than that all is good, the single ladder mod works perfect, and no doubt as the new camping setup evolves it can only ge better.
EDIT : Meant to add, I greased the tie bar and track rod knuckles, both replaced with 34mm aftermarket Moly tube.
Thanks for reading,
Regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #415
Today the front bumper goes back on. A couple of weeks back I used it to push some heavy rocks that had fallen and blocking a rarely used trail, perhaps because rock falls here are so prevalent?
I used a heavy club hammer on either side of the steel and gave it a good beating, came out pretty good. I also was sent over from the UK a replacement corner piece, and repaired the other side. I used HD rivets to put it all back together, gave it three coats of paint with antirust paint......including the plastic bits
My cars original colour being Metallic green meant it came with brown bumpers, chased up the correct colour and TBH it might have been ok in the 90's but I am not overly keen, the old paint had gone almost black. For now it will have to do, I have other things to do.
I have also (untested as yet), hopefully made inroads into directing more air through the AC condenser and engine radiator. Those that follow this thread will know I only use an electric engine cooling fan, they would also know I have dashboard indicators that advise when the fan is running.
Tests show that at constant speeds around 75 - 80..ish MPH there is NOT sufficient air flowing through the radiator to keep engine temperatures down. The electric fan would come on at its lowest speed for perhaps a minute or so and then go off, this would be repeated around every few minutes if the speed was maintained. So it must be assumed the original VC driven fan would also engage, perhaps lowering the air pressure behind the radiator allowing more cooling air through. This does not happen during the cooler months of the year but does during late June thru to early September when ambients are circa 35 - 45C+.
I have used heavy rubber matting to bridge the gaps between the bumper and frame below the condenser, also around headlights again across the gap to the radiator. I used pieces of polystyrene foam to do the same last year and the results were promising, I hope this matting is going to be a more elegant solution. I would have preferred something a little more substantial like aluminium sheeting riveted in place, the problem here is a decent whack on the bumper would see damage to the AC or engine radiator, witness the AC dryer damage experienced by many when the LH end of the bumper gets a knock, the rubber matting I have fitted would simply fold.
That's all for now, next update will be when I have had a chance to check the effectiveness of the redirected air for cooling mods, thanks for taking the time to read,
Regards
Dave
I used a heavy club hammer on either side of the steel and gave it a good beating, came out pretty good. I also was sent over from the UK a replacement corner piece, and repaired the other side. I used HD rivets to put it all back together, gave it three coats of paint with antirust paint......including the plastic bits
My cars original colour being Metallic green meant it came with brown bumpers, chased up the correct colour and TBH it might have been ok in the 90's but I am not overly keen, the old paint had gone almost black. For now it will have to do, I have other things to do.
I have also (untested as yet), hopefully made inroads into directing more air through the AC condenser and engine radiator. Those that follow this thread will know I only use an electric engine cooling fan, they would also know I have dashboard indicators that advise when the fan is running.
Tests show that at constant speeds around 75 - 80..ish MPH there is NOT sufficient air flowing through the radiator to keep engine temperatures down. The electric fan would come on at its lowest speed for perhaps a minute or so and then go off, this would be repeated around every few minutes if the speed was maintained. So it must be assumed the original VC driven fan would also engage, perhaps lowering the air pressure behind the radiator allowing more cooling air through. This does not happen during the cooler months of the year but does during late June thru to early September when ambients are circa 35 - 45C+.
I have used heavy rubber matting to bridge the gaps between the bumper and frame below the condenser, also around headlights again across the gap to the radiator. I used pieces of polystyrene foam to do the same last year and the results were promising, I hope this matting is going to be a more elegant solution. I would have preferred something a little more substantial like aluminium sheeting riveted in place, the problem here is a decent whack on the bumper would see damage to the AC or engine radiator, witness the AC dryer damage experienced by many when the LH end of the bumper gets a knock, the rubber matting I have fitted would simply fold.
That's all for now, next update will be when I have had a chance to check the effectiveness of the redirected air for cooling mods, thanks for taking the time to read,
Regards
Dave
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #416
Well bad luck comes in three's right?
The bumper colour I mentioned in my previous post looked seriously crappy once fitted and the car saw the daylight, that MUST be sorted!
Also I decided that as we are having 40C temps I would give the new baffles that direct air to the radiator a good test. I held the car on the motorway at 80 MPH for around 20 minutes and the temps stayed down AC on as well.....success........well for the moment.
I gave the 80 another hard push on the way home and in fact pushed a little harder, I had only been at 90 for a few minutes and the temp gauge started to climb and the slow speed fan came on, so I was pretty pissed off! The usual fan on/fan off scenario I have witnessed at continuous high speed in the past was back.
I return to the garage and there is a ringing sound coming from the motor, turns out the tensioner on the AC belt which had a whirr a few weeks back has decided it wants replacing right now, and I simply cannot suffer these temperatures, so a new one on order. So with no AC I parked the 80 and took the bumper off to sand it down for a different colour, and lo and behold the lower rubber matting baffles had split in the middle between the two vents in the bumper, the air was no longer being forced through the radiator!
The matting is secured between the frame and bumper with small nuts and bolts bridging the space and forcing air into the AC condenser and then of course into the radiator. The rip had started from one of the bolt holes, ok perhaps I had overtighened one of the bolts and this split or at least weakened the rubber, the matting is not particularly strong but, I am surmising the air pressure built between the condener/radiator assembly forcing the rubber matting to split and spill out the air?
At the moment this is purely speculation, the initial positive findings and subsequent poor performance could for example be brought about by wind direction, the change coming about when I returned up the motorway in the opposite direction?
So, the first coat of the new colour is on the bumper and drying, the AC tensioner is on order, and I am scratching my head looking for new and stronger bridging material to continue with my experiments.
Regards
Dave
The bumper colour I mentioned in my previous post looked seriously crappy once fitted and the car saw the daylight, that MUST be sorted!
Also I decided that as we are having 40C temps I would give the new baffles that direct air to the radiator a good test. I held the car on the motorway at 80 MPH for around 20 minutes and the temps stayed down AC on as well.....success........well for the moment.
I gave the 80 another hard push on the way home and in fact pushed a little harder, I had only been at 90 for a few minutes and the temp gauge started to climb and the slow speed fan came on, so I was pretty pissed off! The usual fan on/fan off scenario I have witnessed at continuous high speed in the past was back.
I return to the garage and there is a ringing sound coming from the motor, turns out the tensioner on the AC belt which had a whirr a few weeks back has decided it wants replacing right now, and I simply cannot suffer these temperatures, so a new one on order. So with no AC I parked the 80 and took the bumper off to sand it down for a different colour, and lo and behold the lower rubber matting baffles had split in the middle between the two vents in the bumper, the air was no longer being forced through the radiator!
The matting is secured between the frame and bumper with small nuts and bolts bridging the space and forcing air into the AC condenser and then of course into the radiator. The rip had started from one of the bolt holes, ok perhaps I had overtighened one of the bolts and this split or at least weakened the rubber, the matting is not particularly strong but, I am surmising the air pressure built between the condener/radiator assembly forcing the rubber matting to split and spill out the air?
At the moment this is purely speculation, the initial positive findings and subsequent poor performance could for example be brought about by wind direction, the change coming about when I returned up the motorway in the opposite direction?
So, the first coat of the new colour is on the bumper and drying, the AC tensioner is on order, and I am scratching my head looking for new and stronger bridging material to continue with my experiments.
Regards
Dave
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #417
Two out of three sorted this week so a little happier. The front bumper was removed, sanded and painted a different colour, sanded again and another coat, much happier. The OE Brown had faded over the years and was more of a grey, I went with matching the front to the faded back bumper and it looks pretty good IMO, so that is sorted. I have looked everywhere for a strong but flexible material to reconstruct the radiator baffles but no luck....until yesterday. I was cleaning out the company van and lo and behold there is a rubber mat protecting the floor of the cargo area. Of course I knew it was there but had never really took much notice, sure enough it is not only rubber but a decent rubber, it will tear but only if you give it plenty of grief........perfect! So I cut a strip from it, and after removing my existing but torn pattern and copied it to the piece of van mat. Bolted it in place, folowed up with the newly painted bumper and called it done. I have yet to test but as always will post up the result.
The AC belt tensioner is on back order so put the old one back on for the moment too hot to drive without AC, so two out of three is not too shabby.
The business owner will be pretty pissed when he see's the strip missing from the rubber mat, no wait.................I am the business owner!
Regards
Dave
The AC belt tensioner is on back order so put the old one back on for the moment too hot to drive without AC, so two out of three is not too shabby.
The business owner will be pretty pissed when he see's the strip missing from the rubber mat, no wait.................I am the business owner!
Regards
Dave
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #418
Hi, just a few things to catch up on.
By directing the air straight to the radiator and preventing it spilling down between the chassis member and bumper DOES stop the temperatures rising at speeds in excess of around 65 - 70 MPH. Despite temperatures hitting 40+ C (104 + F) my electric engine cooling fan does not come on at motorway speeds even with the AC on!
Without the mods my fan came on after a short while if keeping pressure on the loud pedal. The electric fan would cycle on and off if the higher speeds were maintained. This means there is a fair chance that a viscous controlled fan (stock or otherwise), will also be engaging at higher speeds, given fuel consumption has been mentioned on MUD to increase substantially at the higher speeds perhaps this is a factor, of course along with the square of load?
And those paying attention will have noticed the AC was being used during the test, the tensioner pulley arriving from my supplier in France for a reasonable price has ticked that off the list, the new part stopping the racket going on under the bonnet.
Peter 'the chippie' has completed a further 'module' for off road use, this in it's simplest form is a long box with one part having a lid. It sits behind the front passenger seat (remember RHD vehicle), the lid held closed by two over centre latches opens to reveal water storage of 3 x 8 litre containers. I went with individual tanks to allow for leaks, a single 24 litre container springing a leak and emptying could be a serious issue when in places where trusted clean drinking water is scarce, so redundancy is the key here. The lid does not run the full length of the box, the end nearest the centre console is left open, this house's a further 2 x 1.5 litre bottles, not having to faff about with a lid when driving, I can just reach back and grab a bottle or flask then drop it back in. This also means I can store other gear on the lid, only needing to move it to top up bottles when stopped for the night, perhaps a soft bag or whatever? The extra weight being low is not an issue but a heavy box full of water flying around in an accident certainly would be! So with two steel triangular brackets that are clamped to the middle row seat mount bolts, that box is not going anywhere! When on the trail the fridge also has 2 or more 1.5 litres bottles, 30+ litres of water in bottles and a further 28......ish in the right rear quarter panel, so approaching 60 litres all in.
The left hand drawer set has had some minor modifications. Two or three dividers were fractionally tall and clipped the upper edge of the next drawer up when pulling the lower drawers open, no big deal but annoying all the same. I think this is down to the 3/8 ply swelling slightly, also the Colman petrol cooker has been moved into one of the drawers, I could not find a safe way to secure it out of the way, typically not one of the many dividers fitted close enough to stop the cooker sliding back and forth, so an extra slot was soon sorted with the router. The drawer also will be holding spare fuel in steel cans, so I wanted nothing banging around in there.
I initially started to cover the modules with speaker cabinet material, true it looks really professional but it did not take many knocks lifting the various modules in and out to see them looking a little tired. I have been looking at HD vinyl paint, brushes on and can apparently take the knocks, bloody expensive though, so keeping my options open ATM, if anyone can offer an idea I would appreciate it?
The RTT cover has yet to be finished, a local guy is making a new one, the shop has been closed for the holidays, I am out on some trails in September so hopefully it will be ready for collection within the next week or so........hopefully.
Other than that thanks for looking in.
Regards
Dave
By directing the air straight to the radiator and preventing it spilling down between the chassis member and bumper DOES stop the temperatures rising at speeds in excess of around 65 - 70 MPH. Despite temperatures hitting 40+ C (104 + F) my electric engine cooling fan does not come on at motorway speeds even with the AC on!
Without the mods my fan came on after a short while if keeping pressure on the loud pedal. The electric fan would cycle on and off if the higher speeds were maintained. This means there is a fair chance that a viscous controlled fan (stock or otherwise), will also be engaging at higher speeds, given fuel consumption has been mentioned on MUD to increase substantially at the higher speeds perhaps this is a factor, of course along with the square of load?
And those paying attention will have noticed the AC was being used during the test, the tensioner pulley arriving from my supplier in France for a reasonable price has ticked that off the list, the new part stopping the racket going on under the bonnet.
Peter 'the chippie' has completed a further 'module' for off road use, this in it's simplest form is a long box with one part having a lid. It sits behind the front passenger seat (remember RHD vehicle), the lid held closed by two over centre latches opens to reveal water storage of 3 x 8 litre containers. I went with individual tanks to allow for leaks, a single 24 litre container springing a leak and emptying could be a serious issue when in places where trusted clean drinking water is scarce, so redundancy is the key here. The lid does not run the full length of the box, the end nearest the centre console is left open, this house's a further 2 x 1.5 litre bottles, not having to faff about with a lid when driving, I can just reach back and grab a bottle or flask then drop it back in. This also means I can store other gear on the lid, only needing to move it to top up bottles when stopped for the night, perhaps a soft bag or whatever? The extra weight being low is not an issue but a heavy box full of water flying around in an accident certainly would be! So with two steel triangular brackets that are clamped to the middle row seat mount bolts, that box is not going anywhere! When on the trail the fridge also has 2 or more 1.5 litres bottles, 30+ litres of water in bottles and a further 28......ish in the right rear quarter panel, so approaching 60 litres all in.
The left hand drawer set has had some minor modifications. Two or three dividers were fractionally tall and clipped the upper edge of the next drawer up when pulling the lower drawers open, no big deal but annoying all the same. I think this is down to the 3/8 ply swelling slightly, also the Colman petrol cooker has been moved into one of the drawers, I could not find a safe way to secure it out of the way, typically not one of the many dividers fitted close enough to stop the cooker sliding back and forth, so an extra slot was soon sorted with the router. The drawer also will be holding spare fuel in steel cans, so I wanted nothing banging around in there.
I initially started to cover the modules with speaker cabinet material, true it looks really professional but it did not take many knocks lifting the various modules in and out to see them looking a little tired. I have been looking at HD vinyl paint, brushes on and can apparently take the knocks, bloody expensive though, so keeping my options open ATM, if anyone can offer an idea I would appreciate it?
The RTT cover has yet to be finished, a local guy is making a new one, the shop has been closed for the holidays, I am out on some trails in September so hopefully it will be ready for collection within the next week or so........hopefully.
Other than that thanks for looking in.
Regards
Dave
Last edited:
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
- Thread starter
- #419
Earlier this week I loaded up with a days supply of food and water including the new water storage module. I took a friend up the the dams in Lorca Murcia, normally a well driven 'normal' car can get through so easy stuff for the 80 however, after the recent heavy rains most of the smaller tracks were a mess, there were areas which were still quite deep but I know the area well and we picked our way through. Way back in this thread was a decision not to have a switch fitted to the engine cooling fan, it's installation was designed as per a typical vehicle i.e. fit and forget. After the 'rescue' mission a few weeks back to get people to a dog sanctuary cut off by a flooded rambla the decision to wire the fan disable switch was made, good use of it was made this week! With the fan disabled it cannot come on and start dragging water instead of air as there is the possibility of bending the fan blades into the radiator causing damage, also blades being broken on engine driven fans is not uncommon when wading.
A couple of minor niggles with the water storage module, the box is perfect in dimensions holding the various wster containers safely in place but, my passenger found the passenger seat position too upright, and legroom a little compromised. The box cannot be any lower in height or the 8 litre bottles will not fit. It sits flat on the floor and held in place by seat mounts at the front of the middle row seats, the floor shape does not allow the box to move any further rearwards so I am not sure of what I am going to do. I don't often carry passengers when on a trail, but given my friends recent interest need to cover that possibility, one thing that is feasible is to tip the top of the box toward's the rear seats, pretty much mimicking the slope of the front seat when slightly reclined, there will be space to allow the seat to travel back a little further as well, thus addressing legroom concerns. So I plan to fit a 'foot' on the front of the box, having the box tilted back does not fit in with my OCD 'it should be straight' thinking but I will have to get over it. There is the annoying sloshing of water from bottles having some contents used, this I can deal with, perhaps by using a couple of stainless flasks, or throw a tea towel over them, either way no big deal. The annoyance is the two over centre catches, they rattle and drive me bonkers! I appreciate 20 odd year old vehicles rattle and creak when off roading but if it can be avoided I would be happier if the box did not add to them. I am thinking about lining the top edge of the box with material, this will cause some resistance to the latches closing and hopefully stop the rattle. With temperatures still way up in the 30's it is still too hot to work on the 80 in the pm, I start my normal work at 09.00 and am all in by 13.00, so non major jobs like the water box can wait.
Saturday will see both axles, transfer, and gearbox oils changed @ 260,000 miles, the slight blow in the flexi joint on the ftont exhaust pipe has not got any worse but needs to be changed, I will wait for the moment as a few trips coming up, you just know bolts will break off and a strip down of the manifold will start, best left for the minute.
Other than that 'she' continues to give faultless service, and is the first car I have kept for more than 6 years, no plans to get rid of this great vehicle.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Regards
Dave.
A couple of minor niggles with the water storage module, the box is perfect in dimensions holding the various wster containers safely in place but, my passenger found the passenger seat position too upright, and legroom a little compromised. The box cannot be any lower in height or the 8 litre bottles will not fit. It sits flat on the floor and held in place by seat mounts at the front of the middle row seats, the floor shape does not allow the box to move any further rearwards so I am not sure of what I am going to do. I don't often carry passengers when on a trail, but given my friends recent interest need to cover that possibility, one thing that is feasible is to tip the top of the box toward's the rear seats, pretty much mimicking the slope of the front seat when slightly reclined, there will be space to allow the seat to travel back a little further as well, thus addressing legroom concerns. So I plan to fit a 'foot' on the front of the box, having the box tilted back does not fit in with my OCD 'it should be straight' thinking but I will have to get over it. There is the annoying sloshing of water from bottles having some contents used, this I can deal with, perhaps by using a couple of stainless flasks, or throw a tea towel over them, either way no big deal. The annoyance is the two over centre catches, they rattle and drive me bonkers! I appreciate 20 odd year old vehicles rattle and creak when off roading but if it can be avoided I would be happier if the box did not add to them. I am thinking about lining the top edge of the box with material, this will cause some resistance to the latches closing and hopefully stop the rattle. With temperatures still way up in the 30's it is still too hot to work on the 80 in the pm, I start my normal work at 09.00 and am all in by 13.00, so non major jobs like the water box can wait.
Saturday will see both axles, transfer, and gearbox oils changed @ 260,000 miles, the slight blow in the flexi joint on the ftont exhaust pipe has not got any worse but needs to be changed, I will wait for the moment as a few trips coming up, you just know bolts will break off and a strip down of the manifold will start, best left for the minute.
Other than that 'she' continues to give faultless service, and is the first car I have kept for more than 6 years, no plans to get rid of this great vehicle.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
Regards
Dave.
1HD-T noob here but, looking at the silicone hose link, I didn't see anything that mentioned bypassing rear seat heat. Do you think that some of those hoses might replace hard lines under the vehicle?
EDIT: Oops. I didn't realize I wasn't looking at the current page. Carry on and pretend I was never here!
EDIT: Oops. I didn't realize I wasn't looking at the current page. Carry on and pretend I was never here!
