View Full Version : 110 Electrical Work
The story so far:
I got hold of a 1985 110 hardtop in 2003. When I got it, it was a pretty sad sight, but the engine was great and the chassis was also in good nick (except for the rear crossmember). I set about fitting new shocks and springs, a new power steering box, rear crossmember, bulbar, some spots on the front, a spotlight on the back, an air horn, a CD player and a CB and drove the vehicle for over a year without any problems. During this time the 750-16’s were upgraded to 235/85-16’s, two boxes were built into the wheel arches to hold batteries or other electrics and I had an engineer build me a toolbox / boot box to fit in the back. I also fitted a second battery and a Hellroaring Technologies spilt charge system. Frankly I think this was a waste of just on US$200. A six quid relay from the local motor factors could have done the same job. The truck’s also got a 120 alternator off a Range Rover.
The plan with this vehicle has always been to use it as a comms vehicle for an expedition.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that the rocker cover gasket had started leaking. I pulled the truck into the workshop and got a mate to help me replace the gasket. Unfortunately his thoughts weren’t on the work in question and he dropped one of the studs. To cut a long story short, it’s never been seen again. I ended up having to go down to the local Land Rover dealers to buy a new one, was told it would take three days to arrive and decided to use the time to recondition the doors.
One thing led to another. The three doors are still waiting to be reconditioned, BUT I have removed the roof and sides, replaced all the rubbers and seals and fitted a new smooth roof.
As I said earlier, my plan is to use the vehicle as a comms centre. Past experience has led me to believe that one cannot over emphasise the importance of good communications links, so this truck is getting:
1 x Thrane and Thrane satellite phone,
1 x Nokia 6090 car phone,
1 x Nokia CARK-91 car kit,
1 x Nokia Bluetooth kit.
I also want to relocate the relays that I’ve got scattered around the vehicle to a central location, add some high level brake lights and indicators, fit a TV, a reversing camera, a good sound system, possibly a DVD player and finally hide all the wiring behind two side panels and under a new roof lining.
On a different note, I’ll also be fitting a snorkel, underbody protection, waxoyling the chassis before it starts to rust, waterproofing the interior of the vehicle and adding hot and cold running water.
I had the local sign writers make up and fit a chevron. The truck has dual power outlets. I also found two bumperettes on ebay, sandblasted them, sprayed them, fitted them and then stuck red reflective strips on them. These strips are a requirement in certain countries. The locking water taps are hidden inside the bumperettes.
The front bumper has been removed, widened, reinforced and had two holes cut for fog lights. The paint is drying as I write this.
The mounts for the twig guards are located on the front wings.
As much as I'd love to respray the exterior, I've decided against doing this as "shiney" trucks are broken into more often than ones that look like pieces of sh...
I've fitted convoluted piping behind the driver and passenger seats to carry wires going to the rear of the vehicle.
The original roof had reinforcing on the outside. It's difficult adding aerials onto one of these roofs, so I hunted for many months until I found a smooth roof just down the road. Little did I realise that all the reinforcing had simply been moved to the inside :eek:
Before I could fit the roof I had to make a groundplane. I did this by cutting two sheets of steel and fitting them into the two spaces to each side of the centre reinforcing. I then calculated the locations of the various aerials, drilled pilot holes, turned the roof around, cut the reinforcing and ran strips of steel over the pilot holes to link the two large pieces of steel. The six pieces of steel were then welded together and riveted to the roof and voila I now have a decent ground plane for my aerials.
The aerials are are follows:
Maxview TV aerial
Genuine Nokia dual band aerial for the CARK-91
Spare dual band cellular aerial
900Mhz cellular aerial for the Nokia 6090 car phone. It's a high gain aerial.
Fitting the aerials was fun - to put it mildly.
The TV aerial went in without any problems.
The genuine Nokia aerial is the worst aerial I've ever had the misfortune of having to work with. The thread between the base and the cover is plastic. I'm really not sure how long it will last. The plastic thread is also very short and I ended up having to grind about 1mm off the base to get it to start threading.
The spare aerial has brass threads and didn't give me any problems.
The big aerial has metal threads and is the best of the lot. I only hope that the top portion stays put and doesn't fall off.
The roof is ex a 110 station wagon and wasn't a perfect fit to the hardtop. I ended up having to do quite a bit of drilling and swearing to get it to fit.
While I had the roof off I washed the galvanised bits (that were starting to rust in some places) with Morden's T Wash and then sprayed them with Tetrosyl 2K acid etch primer.
The high level brake, running and indicator lights are in place, as are the back spotlight and reversing camera.
The lights should all be wired up in the next day or so.
The top spots have been mounted onto a lightbar and bolted onto the roof. Lots of gutter sealant to stop water getting through.
Not electrical I know, but my side tables are now also fitted. Still need to work out how to keep them against the vehicle though.
Since adding the Bearmach rock sliders, I seem to have lost a bit of body rigidity, so I'm going to have to make a bracket going from the chassis to the back of each of the tables.
Wooden top - food prep
Chequer plate top - non food.
Steve/Exeter
6th Nov 2004, 18:24
You got more electric gizmo,s than the starship enterprise
Newsreader
6th Nov 2004, 19:17
Blimey, good work Eben, puts me to shame! And a good read, thanks :)
What engine has it got in it?
What engine has it got in it?
2.5D Normally Aspirated.
Not as fast as my TDi, but less things to break in the middle of nowhere...
Newsreader
6th Nov 2004, 19:52
2.5D Normally Aspirated.
Not as fast as my TDi, but less things to break in the middle of nowhere...
Too true :)
whistler110
6th Nov 2004, 22:30
Impressive read, good luck. Have you done any work with the original truck wiring? I ask because that's what I'm in the process of doing and wondered if you had run into anything unusual.
Eben,
Most impressed with your work and thanks for sharing it with us.
What expedition are you taking part in? Worth starting a new thread on that?
AJ
Impressive read, good luck. Have you done any work with the original truck wiring?
The wiring loom is in good nick. Somebody was behind the instrument panel before me and there was a bit of backyard electricals that needed sorting.
I have upgraded the battery / starter and alternator wiring as the alternator is now much larger than the factory standard.
What expedition are you taking part in? Worth starting a new thread on that?AJ
I'm going to be driving from the UK to Siberia and back with a mate. Once this truck's done, we'll start on his.
The bumper's on but the fog lights are a tight fit. This plan actually worked much better on my Series 3 than on this 110.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19198&highlight=bumper
I can remove the covers and get into the back to adjust the lights on the Series. On the 110, there's about 10mm between the covers and the wing, so adjusting the lights will mean removing the bull bar and bumper to get to the cover. Not sure why this hasn't quite gone to plan, but suspect it's got something to do with the way the bumper fits to the chassis.
Certain countries insist on white reflective tape on the front of the vehicle.
The bumper's been lined with 6mm steel plate so it can now be used for towing etc - if needed.
This is the ground plane that I fitted to the roof.
My toolbox / storage box, second battery box and spare box.
I'm starting to think about adding the hot water boiler and would like some advice please.
There's a pic of the boiler below. I bought it on ebay and was told that it's an eberspacher boiler. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. It plumbs into the radiator system so will give hot water when the truck's running. The top and bottom brass connectors are the inlet and outlet that connect to the radiator. The two plastic connectors are cold water in and hot water out.
Does anybody know whether it's possible to mount these items horizontally? I've only ever seem them mounted vertically, but the space that it's going to be slotted into is quite tight, so I'd like to have it on it's side - if that's at all possible.
My air horns. Another tight fit.
These two little sirens may look like toys but they make the most awful noise when switched on.
For those of you who've never seen any rocking horse sh.. here's a pic.
Yes, it's possible to search for several months and finally track down a new lock for your bonnet.
Be warned: the old lock's collar was made from a very hard alloy and took a long time to remove with a large angle grinder. I see the new collar is made of the same material. But hey, good luck to the guy planning on standing in front of the truck with a file and cutting through the bonnet lock in ten minutes. He's in for a big surprise when those sirens go off in his ears :eek:
Newsreader
7th Nov 2004, 12:23
:eek: Air horns ... I'd love to see a toerag trying it... :p
What's a ground plane? :rolleyes:
What's a ground plane?
A system of conductors placed underneath an elevated antenna to act as an earth.
Newsreader
7th Nov 2004, 14:38
A system of conductors placed underneath an elevated antenna to act as an earth.
Right ... sorry for being thick, but ... is the whole of that metal plate the ground plane? Has it replaced the roof? or is it just the bits in the middle there sticking out? :buck:
Right ... sorry for being thick, but ... is the whole of that metal plate the ground plane? Has it replaced the roof? or is it just the bits in the middle there sticking out? :buck:
Aluminium isn't a great conductor of electricity hence the need for something better. The whole metal plate, i.e. the two big pieces and the four cross straps are the ground plane. They are under the roof i.e. riveted to the roof.
This plan (or something similar) is also what you should do if you want to put a CB aerial in the middle of the roof.
Today's been a lazy day. I painted the rock sliders.
Monday was as usual a totally hectic day and I didn't get nearly enough time to work on this little guy as nasty work things like admin, collections and meetings got in the way.
The two covers to hide all the electrics were delivered at 7:00pm so that's one less thing to worry about. I'll try them for size on Tuesday.
I did manage to tidy up the battery box. The first pic shows the tidy battery box with the Hellroaring Technologies box of tricks in the one corner.
The second pic shows the front of the seat box with the power switch for the inverter as well as the remote control for the Hellroaring box. I forgot to mention earlier that not only is the Hellroaring box a waste of money, but the RC costs extra. If you don't buy it, you have to fiddle with the wires on the unit each time you want the spare battery to charge the primary one.
The third pic shows the nearside panel. There are two fuse boxes and a strip connector. The eight way fuse box is connected to the battery via 2 x 4mm wires, The six way fuse box is connected to the ignition and NOT the other fuse box (as it appears in the pic). The strip connector is a common earth. The first circuit on the 8way feeds the two exterior lights above the tables and the loom for the sun visors. For what it's worth, Vauxhall Vectra fancy light up sun visors fit perfectly into Land Rover Defenders. The ten way relay holder is to hold the relays for lights, heated windows etc. The switch is for the nearside exterior light.
Today's fourth pic shows the offside panel. Nothing much going on there yet except for a strip connector with some earth points, a cellphone antenna cable, the TV antenna cable and the switch for the offside exterior light.
The last pic shows the nearside panel with the light on. All the machine screws have been bored out to stop people from undoing them.
challisc
8th Nov 2004, 20:34
whats the long term plan for the lwb? overland?? i know a nice little place in africa.... ;)
whats the long term plan for the lwb? overland?? i know a nice little place in africa.... ;)
Chris,
Initially it'll be used for a trip from the UK to Siberia and back. Once that's done who knows where it'll end up ;)
Marc Lurie
9th Nov 2004, 09:25
Aluminium isn't a great conductor of electricity hence the need for something better. The whole metal plate, i.e. the two big pieces and the four cross straps are the ground plane. They are under the roof i.e. riveted to the roof.
This plan (or something similar) is also what you should do if you want to put a CB aerial in the middle of the roof.
Hi Eben,
There is a common miconception that aluminium makes a lousy groundplane. I think the reason for this belief is that it is difficult to make attachments to aluminium (you can't solder it with standard solders), and poor physical connections tend to corrode quickly (even in hours) due to cathodic/anodic interaction. It's also not as physically rigid as steel sheet of the same thickness.
As an electrical conductor, aluminium has a resistivity (compared to annealed copper) of 1.6 as opposed to steel that has a resistivity of 7.6 to 12.7 compared to copper. IOW, steel conducts about one fifth to one eighth as well as aluminium.
Silver would make your best groundplane :eek: at 0.94 relative to copper, however you could build the groundplane from copper sheeting. It takes solder very well and is easy to work with.
Regards,
Marc
Hi Eben,
There is a common miconception that aluminium makes a lousy groundplane. I think the reason for this belief is that it is difficult to make attachments to aluminium (you can't solder it with standard solders), and poor physical connections tend to corrode quickly (even in hours) due to cathodic/anodic interaction. It's also not as physically rigid as steel sheet of the same thickness.
As an electrical conductor, aluminium has a resistivity (compared to annealed copper) of 1.6 as opposed to steel that has a resistivity of 7.6 to 12.7 compared to copper. IOW, steel conducts about one fifth to one eighth as well as aluminium.
Silver would make your best groundplane :eek: at 0.94 relative to copper, however you could build the groundplane from copper sheeting. It takes solder very well and is easy to work with.
Regards,
Marc
You just beat me too it.
Aluminium makes a good ground plane so I was just about to ask why fit a lump of steel against the aluminium roof where it will cause electrolytic corrosion that is a problem on almost every other panel.
Ask anybody who's tried to mount an aerial on the roof of his or her Land Rover in the UK and they will tell you that it simply doesn't work properly. That is why I have fitted a sheet of metal.
Yesterday's work came to a grinding halt when I somehow managed to snap an FME connector off the one antenna cable. I'm still trying to get my head around how I did this as these things are made of what looks like stainless steel.
Anyway I'm off to town to go and see if I can buy another one and if I can borrow an RG58 crimping tool from somebody.
Sum total of today's work was to get hold of one Mini VHF connector and then borrow and RG-58 crimping tool to replace the connector I broke yesterday. The antenna is finally connected to the Nokia 6090 car phone.
There isn't much to tell at the moment :(
I'm running miles and miles of electrical wire and have had to run some more convoluted tubing at the back of the vehicle for the wires leading up to the light level running, brake and indicator lights.
The 8 way fuse box is rapidly filling up and it looks as though I'm going to have to add another 6 way. The four x 23mm tubes behind the seats are also rapidly filling up and it's starting to get difficult to feed a fish tape through them,
Progess is slow at this point. It takes time to properly tin each connection, run cables and do things right.
The "brain" of the Nokia 6090 car phone has been fitted.
This morning I decided to mount the light under the bonnet, with a pressure switch so that the light goes on when the bonnet is open and switches off when the bonnet is closed. Easy stuff this, shouldn't take more than two hours to do.
I started at about ten. First of all I had no end of hassle finding the right size carriage bolts to mount the light to the bonnet. Once I had them, I had to make the washers oval as round washers overlap the edges and then the lid won't fit on the lamp. I did this and bolted it on to test. All OK.
Then I worked out how to run the wires in the bonnet reinforcing, cut the wires and went off to solder them onto the back of the lamp. No problems here.
I then tried to fit the lamp to the bonnet and discovered that when the lamp is mounted tight, the switch doesn't move. I only realised this after I'd disintegrated the switch, but hey no worries as I wasn't planning on using the switch in any case. So I took the lamp off, back to the bench and removed all the switch circuitry and resoldered the wires.
By the time I'd refitted the lamp and sealed the bolts up, it was 1:00pm.
After lunch I started running the wires for the feed and the switch. To cut a long story short, the fiasco continued through the afternoon and right now I'm at home with a second degree burn the size of a two pound coin on my left wrist that I got from the tip of the heat gun.
Frday wasn't the best day I've ever had.
I forgot to buy a power cable for my Garmin GPS V I bought one on Ebay this morning, now we'll see how long it takes the guy to send it out. Hopefully the whole project won't grind to a halt because of this.
The fog lights are wired up and working.
The high level back lights are finally wired up and working. It seems that I need another flasher relay though. Each time I switch the indicators on, the trailer light flashes. I've been to the Vehicle Wiring Products website to see if I could find something, but no luck. I need a relay that has 3 x 21W+5W as standard, 6 x 21W+5W for hazards and 4-6x21W+5W for towing. Any ideas where I can find something like that?
Byron came over today and helped sort the two panels that will cover the wiring. These panels now have holes for interior lights, ciggie lighters and DIN sockets, seat belts, 16cm speakers and switches for the two lights above the tables. The offside panel also has holes for the speakers for the three phones and a mount for the TV aerial amplifier.
O2 disconnected the line for the Nokia 6090 as I hadn't used it for three months. Isn't it nice that they can still take your money each month, but disconnect the line because it isn't being used :lightning
I only discovered this when I tried to fire the Nokia 6090 up late this morning. At first I thought there was something wrong with my wiring, so I checked, rechecked and double checked. Only then did I check the sim card. I fitted a Vodaphone card and the phone works well. When I went into town to find out what the problem was, the poor guy in the O2 shop said that there was nothing he could do as the department I need to talk to don't work on Sundays, so come Monday I'll be calling O2 and asking them to please enable my phone - this after they've been taking my money each month. In theory I should have hundreds of unused minutes. I see a big fight brewing...
Heads up! If you are an O2 contract client and go abroad for a couple of months and don't use your phone, your phone will be dead when you get back :roro:
The Bluetooth car kit now also works.
The TV aerial amp has been wired in. The TV is pending.
Pics to follow.
Slow progress is still being made.
Today I hunted down and then moved the relay for the spot lights located between the headlights. I then moved the relay for the air horn, ran the plumbing for the back window washer, fitted my UN style base for the CB aerial and spent most of the rest of the day tidying up the wiring in the engine compartment and spraying the two side panels that will cover all the wiring in the passenger compartment.
The two new air intake covers that I'd bought on ebay arrived. They are made of good solid steel, but were painted in this rather weird blue / purple colour. I gave them a quick sand down and splashed some 2K on them while I did the side panels.
I bought these grilles on Ebay from a guy based in Ely. Their original colour was a strange bluepurple, but they don't look at all bad now that they've been though my spray booth.
Recommended product.
The old screws will get taken off and sprayed with Hammerite Black Hammered in the next few days to make them took nice.
I also bought this air scoop on Ebay from a bunch called Lambourne Valley Land Rovers.
Judge for yourselves.
Bonnet light switch, earth point, over ride switch and connectors.
Offside panel:
Before
From left to right (sort of)
Nokia Bluetooth car kit
TV Antenna in and out leads
TV AV2 hidden behind seat belt bracket
TV AV1 rolled up and taped to aerial lead
Bullet connectors provide power for TV aerial signal amp
Black and white cable - extension speaker for Nokia 6090 car phone
Red and two black cables - interior light
Black cable with RCA female - extension speaker for Nokia CARK91
Purple cable - stereo speaker cable
After
Top row
TV Amp
Outside light switch
Interior Light
Pioneer 16cm speaker
Bottom Row
Nokia Bluetooth kit speaker
Nokia 6090 speaker
Nokia CARK-91 speaker
DIN plug
Cigaretter lighter plug (both on the edge)
I need to make some brackets to secure the side to the truck body.
Nearside panel nearing completion.
Still need to get the back worklight, interior light delay and the heated rear window, heated mirrors and heated windscreen to work.
Relays are as follows (Left to Right)
Back worklight - wired direct to the battey
Front foglights - wired to low beam
Air horn - wired direct to the battey
LH side worklight - wired direct to the battey
RH side worklight - wired direct to the battey
Interior light delay - wired direct to the battey
Spare
Top inner spots - wired to high beam
Top outer spots - wired to high beam
Front spots - wired to high beam
The truck gives a very impressive "brights flash" ;)
Three extra sockets will now be added for:
Timer for heated windows / relay to heat the back window. The output from this will be split between the back window and an input for the next two relays.
Relay to heat the mirrors
Relay to heat the windscreen
I'm going to wire these circuits directly to the battery. That way the ingition doesn't have to be on for the vehicle to demist.
This is my groundplane for my CB aerial.
The base of the pipe is (obviously) connected to the chassis.
I've wound a coil with about 75m of 1.5mm copper wire. This coil sits inside the pipe and is connected to the negative terminal on the primary battery. The other end of the coil is connected to the earth plate at the base of the antenna.
When I was testing it this afternoon, I spoke to some dudes in Skegness, so the range seems to be very good - especially considering I was indoors and only using a 90cm "springer" antenna.
kev hughes
17th Nov 2004, 20:04
Job looks like it's going well, do yourself one big favour tho? Ditch those ceramic fuse box's they are nothing but trouble in the long run, with fuses working loose causing intermittent conections etc and use some blade fuse box's. They are much more reliable and will not cause the grief and heartache that the ceramics will.
All the best
Kev
Ditch those ceramic fuse box's they are nothing but trouble in the long run
Kev,
Those ceramic fuse boxes are extremely "fiddly" and I'd love to change them for something more reliable.
I think I may have found the anwer at www.vehiclewiringproducts.co.uk, and will probably chuck the old boxes.
Eben
kev hughes
17th Nov 2004, 23:08
Yup thats where I get all my stock from, good service and fair prices.
Kev
AT LAST!!!!!
The wiring on the nearside panel is done. Pics to follow.
The back door light switch and all wires leading to the back door are also in.
I've managed to get past the indicator problem by adding two more relays. The wires that I was running directly into the bulbs are now being run into relays. The result is that the trailer light no longer flashes when I switch the indicators on.
Total cable used in the project is between 275 and 300 metres.
The truck has 14 additional relays and 20 additional fuses.
Today and tomorrow I'll be working on the front doors, the dashboard and the Lasalle rooflining.
Yup thats where I get all my stock from, good service and fair prices.
I only use VWP as a last resort.
Our local Prolek shop recently gave me a copy of the Durite catalogue and their prices are much, much better than VWP. Basically, the VWP site is an electronic combination of the Durite and Ring catalogues, but with a lot of the good stuff left out.
This afternoon I was cutting the support brackets to hold the back of the panels in place when a couple of slithers of aluminium got inside my face mask and into my left eye. I tried to irrigate it, got some out, but not all of it so went to our local mini A & E, but was told there were no nurses about to help. I then drove into town, got to the hospital and got sorted very quickly. I walked through the door around 1:45 and walked out with an eye patch around 2:30
The doc removed a couple of slithers that were stuck under my eyelid and one slither that had lodged itself on my cornea and then irrigated the eye with a big syringe full or saline solution.
I've just taken the dressing off, put some antibiotic ointment into the eye and put a fresh dressing on.
**** happens.
Tinker
20th Nov 2004, 16:16
Hi Eben banging job your doing there amigo. Can you tell me where you got your high level indi.\brake light pods they look great and i must have some.
Cheers
Tinker
banging job your doing there amigo. Can you tell me where you got your high level indi.\brake light pods they look great and i must have some.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Tinker! After yesterday's fiascos with the slither in my eye and the arrival of the pikies, I've been quite blue :(
The lights are "Ring Towing" lights bought for something like £3.50 (including the bulbs) at my local motor factors. You can also find them at:
http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.co.uk/VWPweb2000/lights-2/lights-2.html
There's a "chinese trick" to getting the indicators to work properly though. You need to run a wire from the existing indicator to a new relay for each indicator and then wire the relays as follows:
30 - Battery
87 - To the new indicator
85 - Ground
86 - From the existing indicator (Trigger)
The correct term for the relay is a "normally open SPST 30 amp automotive relay".
When the flasher relay detects that there are 3 x 21W bulbs flashing, the trailer light will light up on your dashboard.
Adding the extra relays will mean that the flasher relay thinks that there are only two indicators on each circuit, although you have three indicators on each circuit.
Today I tidied some wiring up, added the reinforcing that I started working on yesterday, pulled the door light wires, heated mirror wires and central locking wires in for the nearside door and then mounted and tested the central locking unit.
I found some of these lights on ebay a while ago and plan on building them into the doors. The wiring is already in place and it looks really good when the light goes on each time the door is opened.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=21654&item=4504735605&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
Tinker
21st Nov 2004, 16:19
Cheers for that amigo I shall be getting some o them beauties.
I`ve just had a proper read of what your up to with your motor and I`m gobsmacked. Seriously, respect man, I enjoy doing up Landy`s myself but your doing a proper job. It`s a damn good read to and very informative, nice one.
I`ve got no dip beam at the moment and its been like that for 4 months not because I`m an idle sweg but because I just can`t seem to find the problem and its driving me crazy. I find each little electrical job your doing in `a few hours` proper nightmare tackle.
Don`t get me wrong I`ve spent 2.5 grand on my 110 in the last 3 months (new exhaust, gearbox recon., timing belt, fuel tank, rear quarter chassis, wheels and tyres) but it all seems a bit twatty when you`ve got no headlights.
Anyway, thanks again.
Tinker
Tinker
Your rear crossmember and tank look really good.
What year is your 110 and what type of fuses does it have?
Tinker
22nd Nov 2004, 19:37
Alright mate, hows the peeper, not so sore today I hope?
My day started with my windscreen wiper motor burning out completely. A few days ago fast wipe went to hardly any wipe at all but normal wipe was ok but now the whole things gone. More electrical crap.
I love my new rear x member and I spent yesterday stripping the rest of the chassis (to the gearbox x member) and painting it Hammerite Blue.
My motor is a G reg. 2.5TD. The fuses are just the normal flat fuses.
I`ve just picked up a new light stem for the steering column as that seems to be a popular remedy for lighting problems ( I`ve already fitted aftermarket halogens) and I shall be fitting that tomorrow after I`ve got another wiper motor.
You know I`m seriously beginning to think about asking for quotes for a loom replacement. Similar to yourself a previous owner, obviously a proper fu**wit, has just cut out all sorts of wires behind the dash and I`m having one mare after another with my electrics. Its a pain in the **** when mechanically the vehicle is in top form.
It still puts a smile on my face jumping in it every day though. :)
Cheers amigo
Tinker
ps. could you possibly put up a pic or two of you wheel arch storage compartments. Fine idea that and as I am soon to be cutting the holes for some rear sliding windows I could probably cut a few more holes to. Only if its no bother though, I realise that your busy. T.t.f.n.
Tinker,
The eye is getting better and there was progress today.
I'll take some pics of the boxes on Tuesday.
I trust that the fuses are all fine and that the fuse terminals are all nice and tight.
Your truck should have relays for the headlights behind the fuse box. I'd suggest swopping the two relays around. If your high beams aren't working after the swop, you'll know that it's the relay. There could be a damaged wire between the switch and the relays, or between the relays and the lights. There could also be a problem with the earth or the battery connections on the relay. Check for dry joints (i.e. solder that's worn loose) on the fuse box terminals.
If all else fails, you may well want to look into getting a new loom professionally fitted, but if we you were to do that, you may well have to cancel any ski breaks you were thinking of :( as your wallet will be much lighter :eek:
I'll be under my truck once the electrics are done, cleaning up the chassis and outriggers. My plan is to jack it up, give it a very thorough spray with the Karcher, then attack it with a wire brush on an angle grinder and to then paint it with Ferrozinc - which is a paint that does magic with rust. I'm also going to inject Waxoyl into the chassis, the bulkhead and the light bar.
The relay / fuse panel is complete for now.
Pic 2 shows the additional reinforcing that makes the side panel much more stable and stops drumming when I switch the stereo on.
The top piece of L shaped aluminium is the one that almost cost me my eye...
The new water bottle is in and feeds both front and back washers. It is wrong for this vehicle type and is a very tight fit. I chose it because it holds a lot of water, so won't have to be filled up as often as the standard water tanks.
Nokia 6090 car phone and Nokia CARK-91 fitted and working.
I'll add a pic of the CARK-91 with a 6310i once the work is done.
Back 1/3 of the LaSalle roof lining. The speakers have been reinforced with two sheets of aluminium, so hopefully they won't fall out or damage the roof lining.
Fitting these things by yourself is HARD WORK.
Did I mention that they aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for.
I bought a Garmin GPS V power and data cable from a dude called vaerlosen on Ebay. The guy came through and the cable arrived today. I cut the cigarette lighter plug open, got the pc board out and added some additional power cables. The unit is going to live behind the speedo and will be controlled through a small switch next to the cigarette lighter.
I cut a small slit in the back of the dash to allow the power to feed through. The RS232 cable and connector are going to live behind the speedo for the time being as I don't know where I want to put them yet.
I plan on making a laptop console and fitting it somewhere in the vehicle. This console with have a power point for the laptop, as well as RS232 plugs connected to the modem in the Nokia 6090 and the Thrane and Thrane satphone and will now also have a plug that is somehow connected to the GPS plug behind the speedo. This is very much a "pending" project for a later date.
The 4" LCD screen for the reverse camera. No prizes for guessing who went for a hair cut, massage and a manicure today ;)
I opened the screen up and hardwired the power switch to "on". The camera and the screen are powered from the reverse switch, so when the truck goes into reverse, the screen automatically switches on.
The screen will get a good clean with good old Tesco window cleaner to get rid of the finger prints and small scratches.
How to blow £290 in eight easy steps.
Ask a mate over to help you mount the roof lining as it's not easy for one person to do this by themselves.
While mate is cutting holes in the roof lining, pop to the shops to pick up some bits and bobs and some lunch.
While you are out, the mate will make hay while sun is shining, roll a joint and get himself stoned.
The mate will then use an angle grinder to cut a hole in the roof lining and then put the said grinder down on the centre section of your roof lining while the blade is still rotating.
The angle grinder blade will then rip a great big hole in the new roof roof lining that had previously been butchered with the aforementioned angle grinder.
The mate will then try to hide the hole and make as if nothing has happened.
When confronted about the hole, the mate will just say, "oh yes, I did that" and not apologise or offer any form of financial recompense for his actions.
The mate then won't understand why he's been sent to Coventry.
So where to from here?
I'll try to get a replacement centre section for the roof lining from LaSalle, but even if they were able to supply just the bit that I need, it'll probably take two weeks to get here as their stuff is made to order. In the meantime, I'm going to have to carry on assembling using the damaged roof lining.
While my roof lining was being raped, I wired the back speakers up. I also ran coax for a DVD player and an amp from the dashboard to the driver's seatbox. I cut the wire leading to the cigarette lighter on my front wing a couple of days ago and forgot to connect it up, so this was also done today.
No real progress today. :(
challisc
23rd Nov 2004, 19:04
with friends like these.........
hope he is paying for it!
Tinker
24th Nov 2004, 20:36
Hi Eben, I don`t know what to say amigo. It must have been some kick ass weed your mate was tokin`. I`ve done some mad **** when I`ve had a smoke myself but I`ve also been smacked in the mouth and told to **** off.
Thanks for the info. about the fuses. Gives me something else to go at. I think my 110 is in meltdown mode at the moment as now the heater is making some impending doom noises.
Hey ho :) on the up note It`s a good excuse to replace it with an aftermarket device. I`m going to have a look at the weekend.
Hope things pick up for you but watch yourself mate, they say it comes in threes.
Cheers
Tinker
ps. could you possibly put up a pic or two of you wheel arch storage compartments. Fine idea that and as I am soon to be cutting the holes for some rear sliding windows I could probably cut a few more holes to. Only if its no bother though, I realise that your busy. T.t.f.n.
Here's a pic of the box mate. Any other info you need, just ask.
These little fish hooks should do some grevious harm to the next person who tries to steal my sound system.
I have a Garmin GPS V Delux that's given me no end of pleasure.
As we all know, I wired in a power supply for the unit earlier in the week. The heater elements in the windscreen wreak havoc with the unit's in built antenna, so it was time to get an external antenna. Genuine Garmin antennas cost almost half the price of the GPS, so I went back to the guy I got my power pack from.
His name is Colin Eldridge and apart from the ebay shop, he also co owns www.gpsbitz.co.uk £16 later for an antenna and it was here the next day. I scratched around the bottom of the unit, found some 3mm tapped holes and bolted it to the offside air vent.
I'm very happy with the fitting, the kit and the speed with which it was delivered and can recomment this company to anybody wanting stuff for their GPS.
I think my 110 is in meltdown mode at the moment as now the heater is making some impending doom noises.
Hey ho :) on the up note It`s a good excuse to replace it with an aftermarket device.
Tinker
Tinker,
Get yourself a Webasto or an Eberspacher. Expect to fork over about 300 notes for one that's in good nick on ebay.
I've still got to do this for the blue truck...
Eben
with friends like these.........
hope he is paying for it!
hmmmf!!!
Think I just saw a pig fly past...
Tinker
26th Nov 2004, 12:13
Hi Eben I hope alls well. Thanks for the box pics, very interesting. Yes i`m definitely looking into an uprated heater, as you are yourself, just as soon as I have reliable headlights etc.
I want to make sure that the back of the 110 gets at least some warmth as this is where my dogs travel.
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person who looks after his dogs but I need to take some new pics of my boy.
What about the option of getting one of these water preheaters. Webasto and Eberspacher make them. The theory is that they warm the water, which then warms the engine. Aparantly some of them have fancy control units that can be set to fire up at certain times and that can interface with the fan, meaning a warm interior and block when you get to the car.
All in all I'm a bit confused about the whole third party heater thing and would appreciate input from anybody who knows about it.
Thanks.
essexlandy
26th Nov 2004, 16:44
Been following this thread really good.
I'm after an eberspacher or webasto as well, I have read that webastos are fitted to Rover 75, Merc A,C and E class and BMW 5 series diesels so I'm gonna have a look down the scrapy, you can from what I have read than get the gubbins as extras to allow you to put it on a timer, switch it on remotly or even use your phone, this link may help as it shows a really neat installation
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18067&highlight=eberspacher
I have read that webastos are fitted to Rover 75, Merc A,C and E class and BMW 5 series diesels
Is this the water heater or the hot air blower?
Thanks
There is progress on the electrics.
Yesterday was day off as I had to go for minor surgery and they gave me a tranquiliser under my tongue that basically left me out of it for the rest of the day.
Today I disassembled the dash and yanked on some wires as there were a couple that were a cm or two too short. I then ran a wire from the running lights to the dash and then split it five ways: One went to the clock, another to the Nokia 6090, a third to the cigarette lighter and two went to holes that I drilled in the rock sliders for yellow running lights - which are now compulsory in certain countries on all vehicles over 2 tonnes.
I then fitted the four front speakers, reassembled the dashboard and started pumping expanding foam into the gap between the roof lining and the roof. This will give some extra stability for those big speakers and will help insulate against heat, cold and noise. One thing's for sure. The roof lining will only come out with the help of a hack saw.
I also had to go and see the fabricator to get the one side panel modified as there isn't enough space for the interior light and all the relays.
I then added a relay onto the central locking system. When the ignition is switched on, the doors automatically lock. When the ignition is switched off, the doors automatically unlock.
Wiring is as follows:
85 - Earth
30 - Fuel cut off switch on the diesel injection pump. This is a very good live as it is always on - even when the engine is being cranked.
86 & 87 go to the two wires dangling from the central locking unit.
As soon as there's power on 30, the electromagnet in the relay kicks in and bridges 86 & 87. So basically I'm using the relay as an electromagnetic switch.
I also discovered that it's not a good idea for the heated windows and mirrors to be wired direct to the battery and moved the main feed going into the first relay so that it is now supplied from the ignition. Now the windows and mirrors will only heat up if the ignition is on.
The plan for Saturday is to extend the CB speaker wires, do the wiring needed for the driver's door and then fit the two remaining roof lining panels.
Today's screw up was dropping one of those 115mm angle grinders with a brand new plasma cutting disk on the floor and watching the disc break in half. At least the disc bore the brunt of the fall and the grinder's ok.
I'm a firm believer in buying the most expnsive power tools you can afford. My workshop is full of Dewalt, Makita and Ryobi tools, but a couple of months ago I picked up three little Draper blue 115mm grinders from my local motor factors for £9.99 each. I set one up with a plasma cutting disc, one with a 60 grit sanding wheel from screwfix and one with a flat wire brush. These three little grinders work all day and have never given me any hassle. They won't last as long as my 115mm Makita or my second hand 125mm Makita, but for less than a tenner each, they are an absolute bargain. Recommended product :D
essexlandy
26th Nov 2004, 21:25
from what I read its athe water heater as modern disels don't pump out as much heat they have to have an additional heater. have a look on google
I've spoken to Lasalle Trim and am going to be repairing the damaged roof panel with P40 crushed fibre glass.
They were very helpful and gave me the details as to the paint types and ratios and I'll touch the roof up once the repair's complete.
The yellow side lights arrived yesterday. They're in the process of being fitted to the rock sliders. Not too happy with them. Suspect they won't last too long.
I've sealed the roof gutters and rivets holding the ground plane with rainkote and will apply the second coat today. That should stop any water seeping in.
Yesterday I discovered a rust worm seems to have escaped when I fumigated the bulkhead and had started settling down under the rubber strip on the lip between the bulkhead and the bonnet. It's dead now...
Pics to follow.
Roof lining fully fitted, but only partly fastened as the wires for the heated windscreen are tucked away up there waiting...
Does anybody have any idea where I can get a reasonably priced tinted heated front windscreen?
All the electrics to the driver's door in. Door light switches in, tested and working.
The side running lights are wired in. I don't like them much.
Central locking in and working. The systen locks the doors when the ignition is turned on.
I took the truck down to the engineer this afternoon and he TIG'd the cut in the left rear wheel arch.
The modified panel to cover the nearside relays and fuses was also ready so I collected it. What's left is for me to respray it.
The TV needs an additional bracket to secure it. The engineer made it and I etch primed it when I got back to the workshop.
The reverse camera has vertical lines running down the screen. Something's interfering. I'll get to that one at some point in the future.
The stereo sounds great.
Driving a Land Rover without windscreen, windows or doors on the winters afternoon is not recommended :icecube:
I found these clever little one way valves down at the local motor factor.
The water pipes leading to the front and back washers now stay full of water, meaning there's no longer a delay between pressing the button and water squirting onto the screen.
Amp to drive the two 120W 3 way speakers under the seat boxes.
The screws are long to enable me to bolt an aluminium shelf on and then stack the second amp to drive the two large speakers in the back.
The two 80W speakers in the front of the truck, and the two 80W speakers in the panels behind the seats are the only ones driven directly from the head unit.
The spacer is from Autoleads and is for Vauxhall cars. Cost a couple of quid down at hellfrauds.
The purple stuff on the bulkhead is "Rainkote". It's a waterproofing material that my company distributes. This was a third coat that I applied minutes before I took the picture. It's black once dry.
Yellow side running lights as required in some countries.
These things are junk. I don't think they'll last all the way through France. I need to do some serious thinking as to the way forward with them.
Dashboard from left to right
Nokia CARK-91 with 6310i,
Nokia 6090 car phone,
Back washer wiper switch,
Clock,
Power switch for GPS,
Ciggie lighter - lights up when the running lights are switched on,
Midland Alan 48Plus CB,
4" screen for reverse camera,
Switch for rear work light - wired to yellow light on instrument panel,
Central Locking "blip" on the keyring.
The GPS mount is to the right of the ashtray. The power and antenna leads are unfurtunately not visible.
I've added a relay to the central locking circuit. The doors now lock as soon as the ignition is turned on. The power feed comes from the diesel pump kill switch, so it's always live, even when the engine's turning over. This stops the problem of the doors unlocking when the engine's cranking.
The handbrake's also been wired up to the instrument panel with a pressure switch and a spring
Celing mounted 8" TV with built in speakers.
The four boards next to the toolbox in the background slip into the load area to convert it into a bed.
Apart from the RF antenna feed, the TV also has two AV inputs. AV1 runs through to the dashboard. I'll be able to just plug the RCA plug in when I upgrade the head unit to one that can play DVD's. AV2 runs down the the seat box under the driver's seat for a VCR.
CB extension speakers,
Flexible map reading lights,
Sun visors with working lights - ex Vauxhall Cavalier at my local scrap yard. They need a really good clean.
The front roof lining isn't fitting flush yet. I still need to get the windscreen in and the wires for the heater elements are tucked away above the roof lining.
The front interior light is also ex Vauxhall and slots under the centre console. It has a centre light and two individually switched map lights.
The microphone for the Nokia CK1-W bluetooth car kit is to the immediate left of the rear view mirror.
The microphone for the Nokia CARK-91 is to the immediate right of the rear view mirror.
The microphone for the Nokia 6090 is between the mirror and the sun visor.
The switch on the left is for the two spotlights mounted on the bull bar. The indicator light for these is the spare green light on the instrument panel.
The two way switch is for the top spot lights. On position "1" only the two outside lights fire up. All four lights fire up when the switch is moved over to position "2".
The two green indicator lights come on when the top lights are on.
The the indicator lights are wired through the relays, so if a relay stops working, the indicator light will also stop working.
The two amber switches are for the alley lights on the side of the vehicle.
All that remains of the electrical project is for me to sandblast the panel to cover the relays, etch prime and paint it and fit it.
This will happen when I spray the interior of the vehicle in the next few weeks.
The electrical side of things has now come to an end, but I'll continue to post as I complete the rest of the project which will include:
Rebuilding the seats,
Rebuilding the doors,
Spraying the interior,
Making a custom cover for the back door,
Fitting stowage nets,
Finding and getting fitted a tinted heated front screen
Fitting a military engine pre heater with interior radiators,
Fitting an in line diesel heater,
Fitting a K&N Air Filter,
Fitting a stainless steel exhaust,
Possibly getting a Vortex exhaust fitted,
Tinting the side and back widows and reinforcing the front windows,
Fitting the raised air intake,
Fitting a fuel tank guard,
Fitting the diff guards and steering guard,
Fitting a long range fuel tank,
Fitting an automatic fire extinguisher,
Fitting a compressor, tank and the rest of the bits and bobs needed to drive an impact wrench and pump tyres up,
Fitting Laptop table and the "little black box",
Having a rebuilt gearbox and Q Gears fitted to the transfer box.
Fitting the hot and cold water tanks.
I still have a long and expensive road ahead before this truck will be off on any expeditions.
Tinker
4th Dec 2004, 07:50
Hi Eben
Fantastic job amigo.
Those little valves are lovely.
Looking forward to following your proposed future projects and probably trying to copy a few of them.
Cheers
The brackets for the heated rear window after I'd sandblasted them with olivene and then after I'd primed them with 1K acid etch primer.
Seat frame after it had been gritblasted with copper slag and then after being primed with red oxide.
Seat base after being sprayed with Hammerite black smooth.
Those bubbles have something to do with the camera flash. The surface looks like a mirror.
Sprayed on Hammerite doesn't seem to want to adhere to red oxide very well. I'll give it another coat on Monday to see what happens.
No idea why. Maybe somebody who knows more about paint than me can shed some light...
Seats have been re-upholsterd and re-assembled.
Found this roof rack on ebay.
Then chopped it down and got stuck in with a wire brush on an angle grinder.
Some primer and a couple of coats of hammerite black hammered later and it looks like this.
By the way, it's too long to fit into the limited space on my roof, so it's for sale if anybody is interested.
Chassis has been Waxoyl'd.
challisc
17th Dec 2004, 18:11
is there anything you havent done to the 110?? have you got any pics of the 110 from the out side? got a vague picture of it in my head. :rolleyes:
I'll take some pics of the outside once I'm done.
Once the Wayoyl's gone waxy again, I'll fit a new steering damper, one track rod end (I replaced two but forgot the truck has three) and fit the diff guards and steering guard.
I still need to do some welding and reinforcing on the doors, put them back and spray the interior before re-assembling.
I've ordered new door casings from Lasalle and they should be here after Christmas or early in January.
The radiator core has sprung a leak. Can't decide whether I should fit a new radiator or get it fixed. Since it's still the original unit and it's now going on for 20 years, maybe it's time for a new one.
By the way, the only way I could get the waxoyl out of my hair was gun wash thinners - but the good news is the burning stops after about an hour and the headaches stop after about three hours :eek:
Meanwhile there's a green series 3 waiting patiently...
I've fitted a 664 battery, and tidied the battery compartment up a bit.
I've now got 2 x 25mm wires running from each of the distribtion blocks to each pole on the battery (ie four wires in total) and then the starter, hellroaring system, jumper leads, fuse boxes etc run from the distribution blocks, so basically I've gone from this:
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11925
to this:
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=13848
A while ago Essexlandy started a thread on battery cable extenders.
http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21900
wuas680 then reminded us that the AA vans have points on them where jump leads can be plugged into.
This thread got me thinking. A couple of days later I found myself parked next to an AA van, so I went over and asked the guy to show me his jumper lead setup. I saw exactly how it worked, went onto the Vehicle Wiring Products website and got a BIG fright when I saw what it was going to cost me.
I then went down to my local Prolek who gave me a much better quote and who then ordered the stuff in for me.
I've now got a plug on my front bumper and a plug on my right rear wing that I can plug the jumper leads that I made into. I can either charge another vehicle's battery, or another vehicle can charge mine.
Each terminal was clamped using a crimping tool, then soldered / tinned and then covered with heat shrink sleeving to keep rubbish out. The voltage loss from the battery to the plugs is 0.01V and the voltage loss from the battery to the jump lead clamps is 0.05V. Working with that thick cable is hard work and not something that I'll tackle as "a little auto electrics excercise" any time in the future.
This part of the project has been really expensive. The wires, clamps, connectors, covers, convoluted tubing, P clips, heat shrink sleeving and terminals cost me £166 That's one hundred and sixty six notes at "trade" prices. That thick cable comes in at about twenty quid a roll. The connectors are about a tenner a pop, the protective tubing doesn't come cheap either, but the killer was the jumper lead clamps at something like fifty four notes for a set of four. Apart from the Eberspacher heater and Viair compressor that I'm fitting at the moment, this has been the single most expensive part of the project - even more so than the trick sound system.
The really bad news is that once you've got one of these, you quickly see the advantage of having it, you want it on every vehicle you own.
Eberspacher Heater
Picture 1: The heater in it's box in the wheel arch.
Picture 2: Fresh air intake between the handbrake and transmission tunnel
Picture 3: Hot air behind the cubby box
Picture 4: Elbow to ensure integrity of seal when the air ducts pass through the box that the heater's mounted in.
The truck's been in the workshop for just on three months and is very dirty.
Eberspacher Heater Part II
Picture 1: Exhaust pipe leading to rock slider
Picture 2: Exhaust
Viair Compressor
Not realyl much to show. There's a compressor under the left front wing, a 12.5l air tank in the nearside wheel arch and PCL connector at the back of the truck. The remote control unit has been fitted to the wiper motor cover.
The compressor is the model 400 and it's quite capable of blowing tyres up and driving an impact wrench to remove or tighten wheel nuts.
I plan on adding a second tank to the offside wheel arch to give me a total air capacity of 5 gallons / 25 litres.
Water Tank
The fabricator made me a 35l stainless water tank that fits under the back section of the nearside wheel arch.
The tap can be seen at: http://www.landrovernet.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=11833
challisc
24th Jan 2005, 16:36
Someone has been busy.
If you cant use the compressor to inflate tyres etc, what use is it?
essexlandy
24th Jan 2005, 16:40
Hi I fitted the Anderson plugs as you but what do you mean by jumper lead plugs? if you mean the jump leads I just bought a set for £15 chopped one end off and tinned and soldered the cables to the anderson socket job done
Someone has been busy.
If you cant use the compressor to inflate tyres etc, what use is it?
As I said:
The compressor is the model 400 and it's quite capable of blowing tyres up and driving an impact wrench to remove or tighten wheel nuts.
Hi I fitted the Anderson plugs as you but what do you mean by jumper lead plugs?
Do you mean jumper lead clamps?
I still feel sick when I think what I paid for the clamps. I looked at the option of buying a set of jumper leads and chopping one set of clamps off and soldering the anderson plugs on, but when I got a price for a set of jumper leads that had thick enough cable, it worked out cheaper to buy the clamps and the cable separately and make my own.
challisc
24th Jan 2005, 18:48
ahh miss read, i wondered why it didnt make sence.
Porny
24th Jan 2005, 20:04
I've now got a plug on my front bumper and a plug on my right rear wing that I can plug the jumper leads that I made into. I can either charge another vehicle's battery, or another vehicle can charge mine.
Each terminal was clamped using a crimping tool, then soldered / tinned and then covered with heat shrink sleeving to keep rubbish out. The voltage loss from the battery to the plugs is 0.01V and the voltage loss from the battery to the jump lead clamps is 0.05V. Working with that thick cable is hard work and not something that I'll tackle as "a little auto electrics excercise" any time in the future.
This part of the project has been really expensive. The wires, clamps, connectors, covers, convoluted tubing, P clips, heat shrink sleeving and terminals cost me £166 That's one hundred and sixty six notes at "trade" prices. That thick cable comes in at about twenty quid a roll. The connectors are about a tenner a pop, the protective tubing doesn't come cheap either, but the killer was the jumper lead clamps at something like fifty four notes for a set of four. Apart from the Eberspacher heater and Viair compressor that I'm fitting at the moment, this has been the single most expensive part of the project - even more so than the trick sound system.
The really bad news is that once you've got one of these, you quickly see the advantage of having it, you want it on every vehicle you own.
Blinkin 'eck..... how much!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
I can get good quality clamps (i.e. the large crocodile clips) for about £10... I'd want gold plated ones for that much!!!!
Actually I was thinking about making up a few set's of Plugs and leads and putting them on here and probably Ebay.
The one I had fitted to my 90" (soon to be fitted to my 110") consists of Anderson plug fitted to the front of the passenger seat box, allowing a short run of cable to the battery, and then another plug on the end of the 'jump leads'. I always found one plug to be sufficent. Plus all kept inside the vehicle.
Also Eben, hope you have wired the external plugs through a cut off switch (so you can leave it in the off position) the last thing you'd want is some 'kind hearted' person to short the two terminals of the plug !!!!! :eek:
P.s. where's the gromets for the wires to pass through on the rear mounted plug???? Sharp edge of metal and wire not a good mix!
Ian
Blinkin 'eck..... how much!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
Also Eben, hope you have wired the external plugs through a cut off switch (so you can leave it in the off position) the last thing you'd want is some 'kind hearted' person to short the two terminals of the plug !!!!! :eek:
Hi Ian
Let's not talk about what those clamps cost. In my defence, they were cheaper from my local Prolek than they would have been had I bought them from Vehicle Wiring Products :tearRolls
I have a cut off switch on the junper lead circuit just in case...
While we're on the subject of money, I've started pricing the bits I'd need for a tool box for this truck. Decent spanners aren't cheap. Case in point is a brand new impact wrench in ebay costs less than a 21 Teng or Halfrauds Pro flat/ring spanner. I think I'm going to take my chances with spanners and screwdrivers from Silverline and NuTool and just hope and pray that I don't snap any.
Eben
ps Sold the door casings on ebay and they went a long way to paying for the doors :D
Porny
24th Jan 2005, 20:34
I bought a tool kit Halfords the other day, the big professional kit... for the money the stuffs rather good, and has a lifetime guarantee!!!
Actually, quite a few people at work have got this kit, and not had any problems.... paid £99 for mine (in sale) usually £149.
Comes with metric and imperial sockets (range of 1/4", 1/2" and 3/8")... 8mm to 19mm spanners, some ratchet spanners etc etc. Not bad at all.
Also bought a Sealy top box, which come with numerous tools, including spanners, socket set, pliers etc etc.
Best price I found was Difflock.com (did buy four of them though!!!)...
Peter (and his wife) from Difflock was incredibly helpful... and I would fully recommend them!!!!! (they are a Sealy Dealer hence why I bought the boxes off them)
Also bought a diesel timing kit of them, which is a top quality bit of kit.
Eben, I know you get stuff trade, but Draper tools are too bad (especially the Professional Range)… in fact the tools look identical to Halfords ones?!?!?
I can get Draper stuff trade, and various other makes, if your struggling.
IMHO…. Don’t scrimp on spanners…. Buy some decent ones!!!!
Eben, I know you get stuff trade, but Draper tools are too bad (especially the Professional Range)… in fact the tools look identical to Halfords ones?!?!?
I can get Draper stuff trade, and various other makes, if your struggling.
IMHO…. Don’t scrimp on spanners…. Buy some decent ones!!!!
You are wise beyond your years Grashopper ;)
Most of the stuff in my workshop is Teng. Most of the tools come in nice little trays called TC trays that fit perfectly into the top box and the middle box, while the bottom box has hammers and other bits and bobs in it.
I've got some Draper Expert impact wrenches and they are really good.
There's a Draper Pro socket set that lives in the back of one of the Escort vans that came from www.justoffbase-tools.co.uk It's been used on site for the past 18 months without any problems. I haven't used it myself so I can't comment on whether it's good or bad, but the guys haven't broken anything - which says a lot.
I'll pop into Halfords tomorrow to have a look for the set that you bought. If it's still 50% off - I'll get it. Something similar from Teng would cost way over £300 My dog bought me a set of Teng ratchet spanners for my birthday last week and that cost £108 for 8 through 19 :eek: He's promised me the imperial set for father's day ;)
Ian
That 150 piece Halfords Pro tool kit is very nice. Thanks for the lead.
Eben
Porny
25th Jan 2005, 20:20
Not a problem :p
Quick question... what size wire did you use when you wired the anderson plugs up and made the jump leads??
Ian
Quick question... what size wire did you use when you wired the anderson plugs up and made the jump leads??
Ian,
I used 25mm2 cable.
Eben
Autoglass came and fitted the new windscreen today. I then wired it up and it works a treat.
The screen washer pipes seem to have a blockage somewhere. Press the button and the motor runs. The tank is full, but there's nothing coming out the nozzles.
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
P00DLE
26th Jan 2005, 19:50
eben did you look on ebay for teng tools i bought a mechanics starter box on there.
1/4 3/8 1/2 sockets, spanners the whole hit retails at about £550 plus vat cost me £240 and the only problem was there was 1 19mm socket missing from it.
Thanks Chris,
I'll keep my eyes open on ebay for some tools to put in the back of the truck.
Eben
I've started re-assembling the truck.
The Mantec spare wheel carrier was today's highlight. This is a serious bit of kit that unfortunately comes with a serious price tag.
I'd bought a Bearmach spare wheel carrier, but it's base clashed with my bumperettes, so I had to look for one that had different mountings.
The Mantec is the dogs b :censored::censored::censored: ocks of spare wheel carriers. It even has a piston / damper setup that gets bolted onto the back door to ensure easy opening. The unit comes with everything you could possibly need. In my case, the unit's been fitted and tested and I've got several bits left over that I didn't use and that I won't be using.
It's much better than the Bearmach and way ahead of the Pivloc or any other spare wheel carriers on the market at the moment.
I've always shied away from Mantec because their stuff is so expensive, but looking at the quality of this thing, it would seem to be a case of "you get what you pay for".
Recommended product.
:Mexicanwa
challisc
28th Jan 2005, 22:30
But how big is the price tag?
But how big is the price tag?
Trade price was around £206 delivered.
Tommo
29th Jan 2005, 09:52
Autoglass came and fitted the new windscreen today. I then wired it up and it works a treat.
The screen washer pipes seem to have a blockage somewhere. Press the button and the motor runs. The tank is full, but there's nothing coming out the nozzles.
:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:
try sticking a pin in the nozzle, and give it a bit of a wiggle ,that usually works for mine.
challisc
29th Jan 2005, 20:53
Trade price was around £206 delivered. :Yikes1:
try sticking a pin in the nozzle, and give it a bit of a wiggle ,that usually works for mine.
Thanks Tommo,
Will do.
Eben
Nobody told me that putting a Land Rover back together properly was so time consuming...
Should be finished by Sunday.
No end of hassle woth the doors.
It seems 20 year old locks don't like brand new door seals. After much struggling I drove her out of the workshop at 23:50 Sunday.
There's still quite a bit of work that needs doing in the next day or two:
She needs an MOT
The eberspacher needs to be plumbed into the diesel supply.
The sedimentor needs fitting.
The Standandyne diesel pre heater needs to be plumbed in.
The back door and drivers doors need to lock.
The central locking needs to work all the time.
The heater matrix needs to come out (and I then need to fit it again) so that I can run the snorkel pipe to the air filter.
The Lasale door trims need to be fitted
The reverse camera and screen need attention. I suspect the screen may be duff.
I need to add a timer onto the Standandyne to keep heat going for a couple of minutes after the power has been cut. I've wired it up to work on the glow plug circuit.
This one doesn't have 90/130 bulbs. I got them on one of my other trucks and really like them, so I've got to run thicker wires to the headlamps, then fit 90/130 bulbs.
The drivers door light switch doesn't work properly and probably just needs adjusting.
jasper110
1st Feb 2005, 14:51
love to see some pictures!
quick question, do you have lift up handles(1985) if so how did you do your central locking and, who supplied the kit?
She passed the MOT today.
There's a problem on the alternator. It whines when I switch the lights on.
love to see some pictures!
quick question, do you have lift up handles(1985) if so how did you do your central locking and, who supplied the kit?
Pics will follow soon.
I have lift up handles and will take photos of the central locking setup once I've got it to work perfectly.
I bought my kit on Ebay from user ali110uk. The electrical side of the installation was dead easy. The mechanical side of things is a lot more complicated. I think I've got the passenger door sorted, but the drivers door won't play ball. I've got a mate who used to own a car alarm fitment centre coming over to help me with them this weekend.
She passed the MOT today.
well done!
challisc
2nd Feb 2005, 17:13
well done, did she pass first time?
well done, did she pass first time?
Yes!
Emission reading was 0.8
Is that good or bad? What is the max it can be?
Eben bows his head in shame as it's confession time.
When I opened the bonnet this afternoon to try and find out why the alternator was whining, I saw the engine compartment was covered in oil. Obviously the oil got onto the fan belt and was causing it to slip when the alternator was put under load.
After some investigation it turns out that the o ring on the oil cap is worn and I forgot to replace it. I managed to get a replacement O ring from Land Rover and then sprayed the engine with a litre of Gunk. I'll take it for a test drive on Thursday to confirm that the problem's been sorted.
challisc
2nd Feb 2005, 21:22
.8 thats really good!
So, I couldn't wait and took it for a 40 mile spin this evening to check on the oil leak and the whine and to adjust the lights.
The lights are very fantastic.
The oil leak is history, but
The whine's still there. The fanbelt is dry and tight.
Me thinks the time has come to pay the auto electricians a visit to get their opinion.
The whine is driving me potty.
These past ten days have been spent "fine tuning" the truck and I'm not quite there yet.
My 1.2KVA inverter arrived this morning, so now all teething problems have been moved to the back burner while I try to work out where and now to mount it.
It's 33cm wide, 42cm high, 15cm deep and weighs something like 15Kg.
Mikey 110
10th Feb 2005, 13:19
Heh Eben,
did you ever sell that roofrack ?
Truck's looking good as well mate.
Heh Eben,
did you ever sell that roofrack ?
Truck's looking good as well mate.
Hi Mikey,
It's lived down in Devon since before Christmas. I put it on eBay and a lady grabbed it using "buy it now" for her hubby's Christmas present a couple of minutes into the listing.
Eben
Mikey 110
10th Feb 2005, 16:06
Doh ! Not to worry mate, I'll go back to Ebay myself then :)
challisc
13th Feb 2005, 15:38
Any pics of the finsihed Landy?
Any pics of the finsihed Landy?
I took her swimming yesterday, but we only stayed in the shallow end :D
More pics will follow once I've sorted ALL the teething problems out.
wuas680
14th Feb 2005, 15:42
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I was mentioned in this thread so it seemed it was the place to ask this question. As anyone who has looked into it realises the price of AA style jumper leads connections direct to the battery is very expensive.
Does anyone have any alternatives. I was given a full set of the AA length leads and bought some welding clamps to make up the end that should have the connector. Sadly without a heavy duty crimper I am getting tired of using a hammer or vice to recripm the leads.
I have found them indespensable and not just for use with the Land Rover therefore I'd like a way of connecting the fly leads to a set of clamps to allow them to be used away from the Land Rover.
Nice work on the 110 - we seem to have similar ideas just you have more money and time.
Graham,
Those crimping tools are REALLY EXPENSIVE. The first time round I borrowed one, but the second time round I put the connector into the vise, heated it up with a blow torch and tinned the connector and the wire up. To ensure that the wire couldn't pull out, I then gave the connector a couple of good whacks with a punch. IMHO this is going to give me as good a quality connection as tinning and crimping and means I don't have to borrow or buy a crimping tool.
We have an African expression "'n Boer maak 'n plan" - which translates to "a farmer will make a plan" :D
challisc
14th Feb 2005, 17:41
[QUOTE=Eben]I took her swimming yesterday, but we only stayed in the shallow end :D [QUOTE]
Dont wont to get all those nice shiny electrics wet, the restult could be shocking :Yikes1:
Dont wont to get all those nice shiny electrics wet, the restult could be shocking
That's why everything is mounted high up. :D
It's really cold here at the moment and the Eberspacher had it's first proper run today.
I terminated the combustion air intake in the snorkel and I suspect that may have been a mistake as the unit performance decreases as the truck speed increases.
Apart from what's probably my stupidity, I'm very impressed with the heater. It's a recommended product and should come factory fitted. If Merc can do that, why can't Land Rover?
I've also replaced the bolts holding the body onto the rear crossmember. The mechanic that I paid money to fit a new rear crossmember about a year ago used rubbish bolts and one sheered off over the weekend. I've now fitted stainless bolts. The mechanic also removed the cage nuts that were riveted to the bodywork and replaced them with normal nuts. He must have had a fun time getting them in there. I know I did. What should have been a ten minute job turned into a two hour mission.
While I'm on the subject of mechanics. I took the truck to the same man in September last year for him to clean the diesel tank. Ever since then I've noticed the alternator light staying on when I start the truck and not going off until I give the engine a slight rev. I finally got fed up with this and took the truck down to Prolek/Cragmay - who fitted my 90A alternator shortly after I got the truck in 2003. The auto electrician pulled the bonnet, got his ultraviolet light out and showed me that there was no job number on the alternator. He then had a look at the plate on the alternator and it seems that my 90A Lucas has mysteriously transformed to a 55A Magnetti Mirelli. :eek:
The alternator pulley is smaller than it should be - hence the delay in the alternator doing it's thing.
Although I can't prove it, I know that the guy who works for the mechanic who cleaned my tank nicked my alternator and that it's now fitted to a green Disco driving around King's Lynn. Furtunately I had a spare 90A that we fitted with the correct size pulley. Problem solved. I can finaly use all the lights and the stereo without the battery going flat.
The thief's day of reckoning will come...
I always buy my alternators on eBay from a guy called naesltd. His prices are great and his products are very good.
challisc
17th Feb 2005, 22:14
Mark all your parts with your initals (and take a photo) , go in for a service, see what is missing, ring the local bobby. done!
That isnt on.
at least try to find and use anouther garage.
at least try to find and use anouther garage.
Chris,
I've decided to go back to the way we used to do it in Africa, which was: If we can't repair it ourselves in our workshop it doesn't happen. Tomorrow the Haynes manual and I will be doing the front brakes and the handbrake.
As far as mechanics in King's Lynn and surrounds go, there are three private guys who work on Land Rovers. One guy looks dodgy. We now know one guy is dodgy and the third one is excellent, but takes two weeks to change a timing belt. The dealers don't want to work on vehicles that are more than three or four years old and that leaves JSF - who I know nothing about, but I'm tempted to put them to the test by asking them to fit my sedimentor.
At the end of the day, sending a truck for repairs isn't going to help me when I have a breakdown in the middle of the desert or the middle of Siberia. I also think it's better to master repair techniques in the relative comfort of a workshop than to end up under a truck in the middle of nowhere while somebody reads the manual to you.
I've taken a serious liking to the Cragmay ultraviolet pen / light setup and am considering getting myself one once I've worked out where to get them. It was so easy this afternoon. He opened the bonnet, ran his light over the alternator and told me there was no job number on it. Looking at the alternator I could see it wasn't mine as it was much smaller than the big Lucas. The problem is I don't go around looking at things like starters, alternators or even rocker covers on a regular basis as I'm trusting, don't have the time to do regular checks of things like this and try to see the good in people. I spent the first 35 years of my life in Africa wondering what had just been stolen from me and I thought I'd left all that behind when I moved to the UK. Seems I was wrong.
The guy from Cragmay / Prolek opened two bonnets of other vehicles that were waiting to be collected and showed me the job numbers on the parts they had fitted. They've also got a big sign in their workshop that clearly states that all their stuff is marked. I trust the auto electrician and know that he did fit the alternator as everything worked fine until the diesel tank was cleaned out.
The auto electricians that I used to use in Zimbabwe would hammer the job card numbers onto alternators and starters that were taken in for repairs using number punches. I remember more than once going there with a starter or an alternator that needed repairing and having to wait while Mr Man punched the thing. They wouldn't let the clients leave until the numbers had been punched on.
Eben
ps. Sedimentor: I've got a 35l water tank mounted more or less exactly where Land Rover suggest the sedimentor be mounted. The threads on the sedimentor are strange and need Land Rover specific connectors. These connectors are pre sweated onto the pipes. So after buying the relatively cheap sedimentor, I'm going to have to fork over something like £80 to get a new pipe from the tank to the sedimentor and a second pipe from the sedimentor to the fuel lift pump. None of this really matters as I can't mount the sedimentor where it's supposed to go and the pipes are designed for it to go in one place and one place only. Problem...
jjsaul
18th Feb 2005, 04:24
sounds like theres still plenty to do eben but it's looking good....
hope you sort out the problems with the local garages....
Mikey 110
18th Feb 2005, 09:44
Eben, that's a rally bad story about the alternator, and makes me really mad!!
I'm a bit of an eye for an eye man, so...
If the Cragmay/Prolec guys put a job number on your 90A alternator, and you have a suspicion that it's on another truck, why not go to the Police and tell them the story. After all, they promote the ultra violet/postcode scheme to protect stuff from theft, so nthey should be able to sort it out pretty quick. The guy with the Disco will just give up the mechanic, and hopefully he'll get his just deserts :D
billh
18th Feb 2005, 12:06
That is a lot of good work you've done, I hope I can muster up even a little bit of the attention to detail you've managed:cheers:
It's a total **** re your alternator though. Shooting's too good for them
SiWhite
21st Feb 2005, 10:21
Too bluudy right about getting the Police involved. If you approach them with an allegation and a pretty sound method of getting evidence of the offence, they WILL take notice.
Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 gives a Police Officer a power to stop and search any person or vehicle, or anything in or on the vehicle, for any stolen or prohibited articles if suitable grounds and justification for the stop search exist.
Report the offence, then make sure you stress there is a very credible continuity trail between your vehicle (ie a statement from you) to the fitting of the alternator (ie a statement from the bloke who fitted it, including details og the UV markings, and the fact that he has never fitted a UV marker alternator to said discovery). Then all he has to do is pop the bonnet of the Disco, check with the UV kit and bingo! One Arrest!
How do I know all this? I work with PACE 1984 most days :D
Mikey 110
10th Mar 2005, 16:00
So, Eben, did you go to the Police about your alternator ?
I managed to get a full length roof rack like yours in reasonable nick, so have started to strip it to clean/re-paint. Screws are a bit of a b*st*rd to get undone though !
justMike
27th May 2007, 02:31
hellova thread and an awesome project Eben... as a wireman to trade it's refreshing to see someone taking good electrics seriously...
nice job...
Millsy
6th Jun 2007, 19:33
Did he ever come back?
challisc
7th Jun 2007, 10:16
did he go?
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