Builds My LC 80 thread.

[Cutrex]

Hi, just a few things to catch up on.

(...) 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. (...)

If you live near a Leroy Merlin store, you may consider their 'pintura para suelo Trafico Intenso', in grey, by the house brand Luxens. It is an acrilic paint with semi-satin finish and anti-skid. It is originally intended for garage soils, but adheres very well to plywood previously coated with sealant paint (e.g. 'Bruguer Preparacion Universal', also in that store). I painted my plywood storage modules using this system (2+2 coats), and so far has resisted perfectly one Mauritania and two Morocco journeys with no problem. The grey color matches well the 80 panels.

I personally dislike carpet-ish covers because they attract dust and dirt like mad.

Good luck,

Cutrex

 

[Dave 2000]

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!

Just block them off at the bulkhead with whatever you can lay your hands on.

No problem mate.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

If you live near a Leroy Merlin store, you may consider their 'pintura para suelo Trafico Intenso', in grey, by the house brand Luxens. It is an acrilic paint with semi-satin finish and anti-skid. It is originally intended for garage soils, but adheres very well to plywood previously coated with sealant paint (e.g. 'Bruguer Preparacion Universal', also in that store). I painted my plywood storage modules using this system (2+2 coats), and so far has resisted perfectly one Mauritania and two Morocco journeys with no problem. The grey color matches well the 80 panels.

I personally dislike carpet-ish covers because they attract dust and dirt like mad.

Good luck,

Cutrex

Sounds just like what I have been looking for! Leroy Merlin in Murcia city about an hour or so away from me, so not too bad, I'll check it out.

Many thanks,

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

As work has been busy (so much for being semi retired!), I have been working on the 80 when I get ten minutes here and there, the 30+ C heat which is still here does not help. The moly I had been waiting for turned up, and as I was pumping some into the knuckles I notice I have a broken right front spring! When the old girl was on the ramp a week or so ago when changing all the trans and axle oils I did have a look around, so must have happened during last week's trip after the flood water had receded? I had been concentrating on checking out lower knuckles and looking for cracks around the steering box and panhard mounts, all good there so may have simply missed the spring?

As I was due to fit new shocks/springs/bushes next year and typically I have no time for that now, I have just ordered two new stock front springs to get me out of trouble. On a brighter note, a second attempt to trial the 'water box' earlier last week did at least return some success, re-mounting it at an angle has allowed the front passenger seat to recline to a more comfortable angle. The over centre latches have been adjusted to lock in a tighter position, so no rattles. I did not get to the store to get the paint mentioned above by @Cutrex but did get a universal primer. I gave all the 'naked' woodwork a coat but cannot get around how neat and professional the material covering gives the unit I have already covered, jury still out on this ATM whether I resume the search for the correct material or paint.

I did get the heat gun out and removed the OE 'TURBO' stickers that adorned the rear quarters, ok in their day but not nowadays........well not for me. Keeping with my desire to be able to use the 80 as a 'normal' car until the weekend comes around, I did not want to remove the side steps, and if I did, then it would be the mud flaps and then arch extensions, on with the armour and before you know it a Mad Max 80! No I cannot afford two 80's but, having said that I just bought a little Opel Corsa runaround.....hmmmm.

The steps on the 80 have taken a knock or two, I bash them straight.........ish every now and again so they can stay FTM, I did concede to trimming the mud flaps all round having noticed other 80's losing them off road even when lifted and using a larger wheel/tyre combo, a little under three inches at the rear and a couple of inches up front. The heat gun was also played on the upper part of one flap allowed me to push the dent out I made awhile back.

The new cover being made for my RTT has not showed itself yet, although the guy did point out he had the material! He was surprised I was annoyed as I had only been waiting SEVEN weeks , note to self, never order anything in Spain during August holidays......or the four weeks before..........and the four weeks after! Just praying it will be ready for the 28th as I am out for a few days with a couple friends!

Other than that, the 80 continues to give good reliable service.

Thanks for taking the time out to read my posts.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Hi Dave,
I'm following your pioneering path towards electric cooling and would really appreciate a bit of help.
I have imported a Lincoln Mk8 two speed fan from America and an scratching my head a bit pondering the best way to fit it. The height of the cowl is about 2 or 3 centimetres greater than the height of the radiator core so either the top or the bottom will have to be cut to shape to fit as the core is not so thick as the plastic top and bottom. I have an aftermarket (Chinese from Rough Trax) radiator. In any event the new cowl will need a bit of adjustment to reduce its thickness as, unthinned, the fan motor will be very (too) close to the water pump spindle. If I trim the bottom of the cowl to fit the fan lower down it will need trimming to fit round the bottom water outlet pipe; similarly if I trim the top I need to accommodate the inlet hose. Did you have these these problems on your install? Some pictures of your solution, if you did, would be really helpful!

I think, though I can't find it now, that you said there was a thread identifying that all the 80s were fitted with a trinary switch and that there is a pigtail available to replace the two wire plug used on models without a pusher fan on the condenser. Do you have a part number for the pigtail please or is the trinary switch a universal type with commonly available pigtails?
Cheers,
John

 

[Dave 2000]

Hiya mate, your correct that you need to trim the electric fan shroud. You will see the shroud 'cone' narrows as you trim. It fits perfectly against the radiator tanks leaving a small air gap all round, and yes trim around the water pipes. You will need to orientate the assembly to get clearance from the water pump pulley. The fan needs to be around 1/2" from the core face, I used edging rubber to make sure none of the plastic touches the rad tubes but does close off the air gap. Before you do anything with the wiring though, check you have a two speed fan, yes sounds obvious but there are a lot of MK VIII fans that are single speed, they are controlled by variable speed controller, so only spin on demand at various speeds. Also ensure you can disable the fan in deep water, or the blades may be pulled into rad, can happen with OE fans as well if not tied to prevent spinning.

Next, if you stand in front of your car with the fan blades nearest to you, the connector plug should be around 8 or 9 on a clock face and shroud towards the left side. This will give room to clear the viscous clutch mounting studs, I left the studs in place so I can throw an OE VC fan on in about two minutes in the event of an electric fan problem. The original lugs on the radiator are used with metal strips bolted to the shroud.

I have some pictures about but unsure where, I will dig them out. I am looking for a new fan, I fitted a second hand fan to make sure if all worked, you know the answer to that, now want to ensure reliability.

Regards

Dave

 

[JOHN OF LONDON]

Thanks Dave,
The fan I've bought has got three nice thick wires to and from its plug so I'm hoping it's the official two speed one. It was advertised as such. I'm planning to wire the control wiring from the battery to a SPDT dash switch which will turn off the power to the relays and simultaneously turn on a buzzer and bright flashing led (which are also going to be a low OP warning wired through a 20psi 2 wire OP switch, which took a bit of finding!) Fan control will be by a BMW dual temperature switch in the top house and the trinary switch when I can get the right tails.
I've spent several hours today measuring and imagining a more radical trimming of the new Lincoln fan shroud so it can be fitted into/joined up with the OEM Toyota shroud giving 100% radiator coverage and enabling the OEM fixings to be used. Still not sure if it'll work!
I've got a couple of 70/60 amp changeover relays to power the fans and, so far as I can see the wiring should be simple. My plan is to run the power from the battery (50 amp fuse) to the high speed relay and take the power to the low speed relay from the Normally On terminal so the low speed power is disconnected from its relay (which can stay open) when the high speed fan is on. I'm assuming in this that the trinary high pressure switch is a two wire switch which will operate in parallel to the temperature switch for the high fan speed. If it's just an earth switch I'll probably need another little control relay.
Any thoughts or advice on all this.
Cheers
John

 

[Dave 2000]

The amount of wires will not guarantee it is a two speed, it does sound as though you have the right one though. Of the three wires two are thick, these are a single earth and the high speed connection, connect the two cables across a battery, reverse if fan not sucking through rad. The thinner wire is the low speed, obviously used in conjunction with your now identified earth.

The low and high should not be applied at the same time, this will apparently shorten life expectancy of the fan motor. Listen for bearing rumble as you remove the power and the fan spools down.

Be aware of the spike produced from relay coils when power is removed, if you cannot get spike suppressed relays, then fit a diode across the coil terminals, you will need three relays in total.

The trinary switch connection can be set to trigger a positive or negative whatever you want, two wires, one to your relays and the other to whatever you want to switch a pos or neg. You might want to think carefully about your wiring, The engine might be cold when you have your head under the bonnet, but the AC may be on so the fan may operate without warning, you can use the compressor positive to switch relays but is not as efficient as the trinary switch method.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

A thread running ATM reminded me to post up this update.

Time and workload made changing the two front springs a job done over two days. One of the cone nuts was rusted and the stud broke, when I get five minutes I will pull it out and weld a stud in there, but it is good for the moment.

I had measured clearances before and after and gained around 3/4 in height, so some sagging after many years of use. The additional weight I carry is starting to tell on the overall height, so need some new springs all round, probably next year?

Got four days out on trail, no the RTT cover was not ready , so just used a green ground sheet to protect it and this did the job for now. A great trip out but as always time flies when your having fun, out again for a longer trip in a couple of weeks.

Still amazes me when you see how capable and tough a stock 80 is.

Regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

A thread running ATM reminded me to post up this update.

Time and workload made changing the two front springs a job done over two days. One of the cone nuts was rusted and the styd broke, when I get five minutes I will pull it out and weld a stud in there, but it is good for the moment.

I had measured clearances before and after and gained around 3/4 in height, so some sagging after many years of use. The additional weight I carry is starting to tell on the overall height, so need some new springs all round, probably next year?

Got four days out on trail, no the RTT cover was not ready , so just used a green ground sheet to protect it and this did the job for now. A great trip out but as always time flies when your having fun, out again for a longer trip in a couple of weeks.

Still amazes me when you see how capable and tough a stock 80 is.

Regards

Dave

.

Hi Dave. what springs did you go for? and what's a cone-nut?

 

[Dave 2000]

Hi Kev how you doing mate?

I just went with a stock pair for the moment, I had a four day trail to do fully loaded and only had two days before I was due to leave, I did not want to take a chance. I am out again in a few days, so the ol girl is getting a hammering ATM!

My plan is to get an all out weight figure when loaded to the hilt, then get four new springs and shocks to match, cannot do this until the final parts 'module' has been made and with other stuff going on I doubt it will be before Christmas.

Re the 'cone nut',

If you look inside the front springs there is rubber bump stop, this is bolted to what can be described as an upside down traffic cone. This cone widens at the top and becomes the spring seat, unsure if the cone design was to prevent broken springs moving towards the tyre, if not it certainly did in my case. I fitted similar devices on my competition Land Rover, they work as dislocation cones in that example, this allows the spring to leave the body at maximum articulation, worked a treat.

Given the free length of the OE springs I do not think there is enough movement in the stock setup to make use of this feature, just a strong way to mount the stop and provide a seat as well.

The 'cone' is held in place by two 13mm nuts, one was rusted and given my lack of time I just used the one and let the springs free length hold it in place. At one point in the four day trip last week, I did actually get the front airborne, no problems.

How you doing with your 80, progress?

Regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

Hi Dave.

ah ok, gotchya. I didnt take those cones out, just wire brushed treated and sprayed them while springs were out.

yea all good here amigo, plodding on with it all.. no real progress on Cruiser since the OMEs went on last Nov, apart from I did do the timing belt with the waterpump in the summer after it started dripping, and finally switched her over to the proper red coolant.

ITV booked for 11 Nov, so will have to do the stripdown - rack & lights, drawers etc in a couple of weeks, and probably take the front spring spacers out this time too, as the coils are dual rate and clearly non-OEM anyway and I dont want to attract too much attention to that if possible. especially as it's potentially the last test she has to get through as "unmodified" (lol) as next year the old lady is 25, and Im thinking I should get her switched across to Historico registration, along with the proper homologation related work, at the same time.

3 yearly tests will be a lot easier to live with, and Im told the regulations make it easier to modify Historico cars too, so win/win

 

[Dave 2000]

Hmmm, knew about historical vehicle change can be good for mods, but did not know about 3 year inspections, nice one! No road tax either on 25 YO AFAIK?

Good luck with the ITV, I took my work van for the 6 monthly inspection today, and got a warning about engine condition. Old oil leak had dried up and campo dust had clung to it, made engine dirty, good job they know me up there, could have been a fail!

Take it easy mate,

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

@BayouFJ80 asked about CB in ashtray, could not find them on my thread, could have sworn they were posted? So popped out and grabbed this.

Regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

Hmmm, knew about historical vehicle change can be good for mods, but did not know about 3 year inspections, nice one! No road tax either on 25 YO AFAIK?

Good luck with the ITV, I took my work van for the 6 monthly inspection today, and got a warning about engine condition. Old oil leak had dried up and campo dust had clung to it, made engine dirty, good job they know me up there, could have been a fail!

Take it easy mate,

Regards

Dave

hi mate. not sure about road tax? that would make it win/win/win .. sounds too good to be true

and thats a new one on me, "dirty engine" not even from a current leak. I knew they can fail on (obviously still leaking) wet leaks but not for some years old dried up trail dust, that's a bit surreal. isn't that almost every engine ever ?

I think our (Catalan) based ITV centres possibly ignore some of their Spanish commands from Madrid

 

[Cutrex]

Hi, Spanish residents. The catch here is that road tax is collected by the town hall, not any central administration, and it is them who make the policy to this respect. As a result, many town halls do not acknowledge the category of classic cars for road tax purposes. If this is the case where you live, you will simply have an old car and pay road tax as any other, proportional to its cubic displacement (fairly heavy for an 80). This is my case in a small village of SE Andalucia.

Historic cars (a different class) have several difficulties not to be obviated: possible restrictions to circulate under adverse wheather, clauses on insurance policies, a long and expensive homologation process, and the theoretical possibility that the car is requested for events and exhibitions. The latter, on the basis of the new rights of the State on the vehicle resulting from its tax reduction. Not very likely for an 80, but possible after all.

Cheers,

Cutrex

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

Same color as my new one!!!

 

[Dave 2000]

Well the last trip of the year has been completed, five days off road from dust to heavy rain and back to dust again so changeable the spanish climate at this time of year.. Some steady easy trails with the odd moderate challenge, long hard climbs over 2000 metres with drops to match, and despite being relatively unmodified the 80 performed faultlessly, the replacement Yokohama GO 15 tyres thus far have performed well, no obvious damage despite some very gnarly surfaces......and lots of twigs!

So to future plans, the full length roof rack had been modified before I left for the trip, the mods necassary to mount the eaziawn purchased from a Land Cruiser club UK member (thanks Mark) one of the eight who I met up with for the trip, this was the same great bunch of guys and girls I met up with in October last year.

So the plans are:

Engine work will be minimal, tappets need doing, these are the shim adjustment type, a PITA TBH, but the will have to be done. I will change engine oil and filter, run for half an hour and repeat, a sacrificial change yes but, given the arduous conditions met over the last few trips I felt it necassary and like my engine oil to be clear. I am investigating a new electric engine cooling fan, finding a replacement new motor for the present install is proving difficult. True I can get a brand new motor tomorrow but it will be a cheap Mexican version and not an original Siemens unit, with the install working perfect for a number of years I did not want to introduce any reliability issues by using cheap replacement components. I may have to go to a more modern fan, the Mercedes have a nice unit, if I get time I will investigate this option further.

Overall the front axle is also on the cards, seven years since I last did it and she has been worked pretty hard over that period, new CV's going in, I 'might' pull the diff lock, it works fine but unsure if I will be opening a can of worms given the corrosion under there soooooo. Also adjust steering box as some play creeping in.

My newly painted bumper got trashed AGAIN! So work to be done there refitting the end cap, I run a chain from the centre metal area to a friend's bulldozer and pulled most of it out, I did not realise how much the steel had twisted until I had a good look, some new paint and all will be good there.

Cooling system will be flushed out including removing rad and back flushing whilst upside down, I don't expect a lot of crud, but it will done all the same, again the rad has been in there seven years, New OE thermostat can go in as well.

Roof and bonnet must be painted, looking quite rough now and getting on my nerves.

Some welding due under the rear sills and wheel arches, I will get that done but not urgent as of yet.

Roof rack will see more mods, the 10mm studding which holds the sand ladders and 5 foot Hi Lift will be replaced with 12mm, the rack rail where the studs pass through will also be reinforced, thinking about it, what size are the peg holes in the Hi Lift that the studs pass through? There has not been any problem with the present install apart from the safety chains I have on there, the rattling drives me nuts! With the heavier mounts, larger wing nuts and 'R' clips I shiuld be able to get rid of the chains. A new smaller solar panel will have rails made up for it, this slides out from under the front of the rack, so tempted to bolt my new Honda 5.5kw genny up there, perhaps a little overkill.

The front air dam that sits at the front of the rack did not get fitted in time for this last trip, and the difference to fuel consumption was incredible, obviously not on the trails as speed is not an issue, but the motorway run to the venue reduced my typical 24 rack (versus 28 no rack) MPG down to about 18 - 20! The new air dam will be extended out on the left side to protect the awning from vegetation on the trails as we push through places people have not visited for decades......if ever, the dam will also have a reinforced area to take a bolt thru CB antenna.

Having used a substitute 'tie on' cover for the RTT as the new proper cover has taken FOUR months to make , I found it actually easier and quicker to setup and pack away the RTT. I am considering making the tie on cover permanent. If I did go this route I reckon a full length cover from one end of the rack to the other may be the way to go, 70/30 against this ATM but a thought all the same. Additional lifting fixings will be welded in place at the rack extremities, this will make it easier to winch the rack fully loaded off the 80 roof and up to the garage ceiling, keeping it out of the way, I am finding the small winch pulleys hard work these days, so may go electric?

The two storage boxes that fit behind the driver and front passenger seats that hold water and trail spares will be mounted a little differently, I was trying to keep a rear seat for Cookie my little dog to sit on, this was dictating the mounting position of the boxes so, Cookie will get a new (smaller) seat, the OE centre row completely removed for longer trips, I will be getting my carpenter friend to make the final storage module up after Xmas which 'nearly' completes the storage for trips.

I say nearly as I have purchased a sheet of chequered steel, this will be a one piece lid for the tailgate storage. A decent set of hinges and latches will be needed as I stand on my tailgate when setting up the RTT, true there are more elegant designs out there but, this is about getting the functionality without the cost. This area will have basic tools and if I can fit them, a tow strap and jump leads.

Typically the CB was not working on preparation day, I eventually found out the centre core of the cable that came with the antenna was solid core, moving the mount about had caused the core wire to snap, this gave a 'make and break' connection, who the **** thought of that great idea? Why fit a cable designed for a house? I jury rigged it during the trip by soldering in a piece of proper stranded coax, SWR was ok.......ish.

Next up is I need to find a small tidy USB charge port for the Samsung mapping tablet and new S8 mobile, wires all over the place gets on my nerves.

Other repairs that need doing include the drivers side rear window has stopped working, I can hear the motor but no movement, need to investigate. All windows are slow when in cold weather so the rubbers need to be replaced.

I may finally get my on board air installed before the next trip instead of carrying around a Mickey Mouse setup.

Thanks for taking the time to read, questions, thoughts and suggestions always welcome.

Regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

Hey Dave

just thought I'd update you happenings this end. ITV Hammer-Blow today, surprisingly not with any of my various mods I've been sliding past them for years, (most removed and car surreptitiously weighed down to disguise 1.25 inch lift etc) but bad enough..

Emissions, above 6, needs to be below 3, apparently, suddenly. (new machines!) as Im pretty confident the emissions are about where they were 8k miles ago when it last breezed it. But worse, wait for it.. 4 new tyres!! plenty of tread left on Daves BFGs 285s but no apparently they are "fatally" perished. nice huh.

any suggestions where to think about first on emissions? friend has been badgering me to re-turbo it soon anyway. do you think it might be turbo seals?

incidentally, they also highlighted the same (one) rear window still obscured with faded tint (Dave's work) and the tow bar electrics plug still on the rear bumper, where it has been, since it first arrived here in 2012. suddenly, now these are problems.

looks like my long run of easy times is over with these idiots

hope youre good amigo.

 

[Dave 2000]

Hi Kev, good to hear from you, I trust you are well. Yep the inspection stations are moving the goal posts almost weekly. Last week you could pass a test if the OBD light was on, as long as emissions were in limit, this week if the light is on, that is declared 'Graves' (Serious for non Spanish speakers), complete bollocks!

Get the emissions right and car tested before messing with the turbo, if it is visible smoke then yes you may have a problem. Also remember a bigger turbo with our diesels does not really help bottom end power, made worse by having an automatic transmission.

Check all vacuum/boost hoses and replace the fuel filter but fill it with injector cleaner before refitting. Check air cleaner as well, may just need rinsing out with cold water, drain overnight and refit, only works with OE filters though.

Mix injector cleaner in the diesel tank, give the engine a good run on the day before re-presenting the ol girl, that normally sorts the emissions.

Tyres are dated, and I was working on the car when they were fitted, must be 5+ years ago?

The government want all the older cars off the road, dig your heels in Kev!

FWIW mine goes in next month for inspection.

Regards

Dave