Member Since: 05 Jun 2021
Location: Luton
Posts: 44
Ah, small world.
I used to be in the group with you, jai, carpy etc.
16th Jul 2021 9:50 am
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Hi Dave, it is indeed a small world! Even more so on planet Land Rover.
I have to say I look back with great happiness and satisfaction at what the old team did. A bunch of people with a passion for green lanes and Land Rovers with a very wide envelope of knowledge, skill and experience and often delivered with keen humour. Some are sadly no longer with us but the history is there on Landyzone for all to read but the Hertfordshire Lanes thread is probably a bit more than a casual read but it offers so much and serves to remind me of great times with good people who I will always consider my friends.
If you see any of the guys knocking around please say "Hi" for me.
16th Jul 2021 11:48 am
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Now I've finished reminiscing I remember what I wanted to post.
I have replaced the rear upper arms and now the front track rods so I needed to have an alignment check carried out. I spoke to my local garage who said they can arrange alignment with a local specialist they use. So away the car went.
Picked it up yesterday and it feels completely different. The steering is more sensitive and has much better feel. Unfortunately I didn't receive a printout of the "before 'n' after" but was told the back wasn't too bad although the camber on the rear near side was out. The front, well, I knew the tracking was miles away from the position of the steering wheel after doing the track rods but now all is well and all for the princely sum of £55.00 + VAT. Can't argue with that, I'm a happy bunny!
My next task is putting on the new Goodyear Wrangler Adventure tyres, so watch this space.
Enjoy the sunshine and have a great weekend
16th Jul 2021 12:49 pm
DaveCav
Member Since: 05 Jun 2021
Location: Luton
Posts: 44
Great work !
I am still good friends with Jai so I will say hi to him.
the front and rear arms are on my list,. the previous owner has supplied quality bushes but I am thinking it will be just as hard to drop the arms and replace the complete units rather than wrestle with bushes etc?
16th Jul 2021 1:00 pm
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Hey Dave. The rear arms could be a nightmare. If the bolts are rusted in to the bushes (top arms rear bolt) you will have to cut the bolts, the problem is access. In the long run, probably best to throw a pair of arms on it. Watch out for the condition of the brake pipes! Hopefully you've read this thread and seen what I did as have many others before me!
Front arms I haven't had to touch and looking at them I think the front end is probably a lot easier than the rear. I don't know how easy it is to press the old bushes out and new ones in. On the old beam axle Land Rovers swapping bushes was easy, these modern motors it is not exactly straight forward and then of course you will need wheel alignment after doing it.
If there is anything I can help with feel free to get in touch.
16th Jul 2021 1:09 pm
CongoBoy
Member Since: 05 Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 525
I have just done exactly what you have done.
Mine was an MOT failure.
I did the front track rod ends myself but used a mechanic mate for the rear upper arms because as we all know they are a proper PITA to change!! Got my parts also from AF.2008 D3 HSE Stornoway Grey (UK)
2008 D3 HSE Izmir Blue- South African Spec. (Zimbabwe)
2005 FFRR SC V8- Java Black
1995 D1 300 Tdi Blue - (Sourced from the UK, shipped to Namibia, driven by me to RD Congo, then Zambia, now retired in Zimbabwe)
16th Jul 2021 2:07 pm
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
With the wheel alignment taken care of I couldn't help myself, I just had to fit the new tyres.
These are 255/70/18, so a little taller than the stock 255/60, well, actually there are noticeably taller and I had a bit of a worry on....... are they too tall?
Well, there's only one way to find out so I set to it. The old tyres were really easy to remove, certainly a lot easier than the run flats I did on the Benz but they were a 35 profile. And on with the new, no dramas mounting the tyres and all of them seated first time with a satisfying "pop", balancing was not too terrible either. Interestingly though, two tyres needed very little weight but the other two needed much more but anyway, they all balanced up 0-0.
So how do they look?
They certainly fill the arches! They don't rub but I have to say it is a bit tight up front. I suspect this is the tallest tyre you can fit under a standard D3. I grabbed the IID tool and edited the CCF increasing the tyre radius. I used 385mm but think I might be slightly out, so I will have a remeasure and adjust as necessary. Went out for a little jaunt and can report all is good. No noticeable road noise, no vibration, steering and braking all good. Tyres don't catch or rub even at access height. I will be interested to see how these tyres perform when winter arrives. If we see snow it is challenging just getting up the driveway let alone up and down the rather steep lane.
When I ordered the track rod parts I also bought a new headlamp washer pump, FBH exhaust and air filter so maybe if I have time this weekend I'll do those little jobs as well.
17th Jul 2021 8:22 am
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Headlamp washer pump, FBH air filter and exhaust all done!
17th Jul 2021 5:56 pm
DaveCav
Member Since: 05 Jun 2021
Location: Luton
Posts: 44
Great progress. Thanks for the info on the arms. It’s on the list
I am looking at the same size of tyre too. Glad to see they clear okay.
18th Jul 2021 11:40 am
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Hi Dave thanks for the support.
The tyres are good but I did find a small area of contact on the left hand front wheel arch liner. It is fine going forward but makes a bit of noise in reverse. I don't know if slight contact on a non-structural part would be grounds for an MOT failure; I suspect the answer would be YES. I cut away where I could see witness marks on the plastic and now no rubbing at all. Be aware it is tight so consider the total tyre height. The Goodyears have about 10mm of tread but some tyres may have more and although shown as a 255/70/18 a more aggressive tyre with more tread may well be taller and give rise to clearance issues. The Goodyears are about 800mm-820mm diameter overall with a rolling diameter of something in the order of 780mm - 790mm...ish but allowing for the bulge at the bottom, the rolling radius is roughly 380mm. I hope that helps.
You'll also need to adjust the CCF, instrument cluster, wheel radius. I have now set mine at 380mm as 385mm seemed to read slow against the sat nav. I just need to remember to wear the right glasses when measuring!
Good luck with it.
18th Jul 2021 12:48 pm
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Went to have the air con re-gassed. Hoped the condenser was alright and that everything would work.
Apparently all is well. No apparent leaks. About 100g of refrigerant was recovered and the required 550g put in and nice cold air now flows from the vents. Happy to have functional air con especially with the current hot weather, nothing wrong with opening the window or sun roof while driving but in town traffic it has to be air conditioning!
21st Jul 2021 11:14 am
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13595
Like the tyres and indeed fill the arches m funny enough I looked ages ago with regards to the max size, think it was 32
Great it worked out in not rubbing , Awesome work and great thread
Click image to enlarge
21st Jul 2021 2:28 pm
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Hi gstuart! Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate the feedback.
For sure tyre choice is tricky. The 255/70/18's are a tight fit but what the table doesn't show is the rolling radius, at the contact patch, the tyre is not 32" tall but certainly they are noticeably taller than the road biased 255/60's.
So far I have to say I am very pleased with the Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure tyres. They are not noticeably noisier than the previous tyres and the grip and feel is pretty good and the ride quality is good too, certainly a big improvement over the Insa Turbo Dakkars I had on the Range Rover.
Cheers for reading, I don't know what will be next, I do keep thinking "oil pump" but maybe not until end of August...ish, the weather is now too good to be under a motor!
21st Jul 2021 5:11 pm
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13595
Ur so welcome and a great thread s
Ref the rolling radius on the chart , is that where it says 100.7” or is that something else please
Want to get some tyres for mine at some stage 255/55/19 , wish to ensure there snowflaked marked and all terrain, current tyres are Cooper AT/3 but not the new ones
Plus wish to leave them on all year round, do very low milage, some tyres I’ve liked at are
Plus once I do fit the upgraded 19” rims wish to also do the V8 brake disc modification , just got to decide on tyres
Thks again for sharing this awesome thread
Ps, Pic of the rims I got from a forum member and over the moon with them , plus will be nice once I’ve got my front A bar, rock sliders , boot sliding fitted should look nice
23rd Jul 2021 1:01 pm
classic kev
Member Since: 12 Feb 2021
Location: Mold
Posts: 196
Hello again! It feels like ages since I last posted.
I've not had much to do recently but I did get around to painting the front grille; I'm not brilliant at painting - I just don't have the patience Anyway, considering it was all done with rattle cans I'm reasonably happy with it.
While I was in the mood for slinging paint I got around to having a go at a replacement scuttle panel. I'm sure you're all familiar with the faded and disintegrating plastic at the bottom of your windscreen.
Anyway, I acquired a reasonable used scuttle, but it needed tidying up so I decided to try painting it. There are various plastic paints available and I suppose it is a question of what you choose to do. Me, (being impatient) went for a paint that apparently didn't require a primer. The downside is the gloss finish. Mostly, it was pretty straightforward. I did find one area where the paint didn't want to stick despite preparing the area for paint. I ended up locally removing the paint and trying again. It came out OK, it is not perfect but overall I think it looks better than the original scuttle and it fits tighter to the screen.
So I suppose the burning question on your lips is "what paint did you use?"
Well.....
It was this stuff
I suspect that with a bit more care and patience it would be relatively easy to refurbish a scuttle for less than the cost of a new one and as long as the scuttle fits tight against the screen it is worthwhile but if the rubber is uneven and has lots of gaps you'll be better off replacing the scuttle. I hope that's useful, cheers!
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Anyway, considering it was all done with rattle cans I'm reasonably happy with it.
