Dec 19 2022

Wheels

I believe these wheels are original to the truck, having been installed on this factory registered truck for it's intended duty on the Dam project in Turkey.  These wheels, and the Capstan winch, and some other factory installed features seem to lend credence to that theory.

Ex-military split rim, which allows for ease of tyre changes, was used mainly by the military but was also available as an option for civvies. Part no. 217267.

The use inner tubes and 7.50x16 tires.  The tires will be replaced during the build but the wheels will be rehab'd and use as they are original, and in keeping with my current objective to stay true to the factory build.

 Dec 18 2022

Making work easier

This is off topic maybe, but some of you may relate.  At my age, and after 23 years of jumping out of aircraft and packing heavy ruck sacks in rough terrain, my knees are shot.  It is not fun getting up and down off the floor and under a vehicle, many time a day as invariably I’ve got the wrong wrench when I’m under the car.  Getting up is not as simple as standing up anymore, it involves rolling to kneeling and then a hand hold on something to get up. Bending over is also hard to do for long. A day of that will wear me out fast.

So on this build I’m bringing every job I can up to waist height.  I’ve built a couple of rolling tables, so instead of working on brakes and swivels while sitting on the floor or a stool I will remove the entire axle and spring assembly and put it on a table, where I will do all work required to those components before putting the assembly back under the truck to be bolted up to the frame. I’ll show a pic later with the axles up on the table.  I’ll use this to rebuild the spring packs, replace bushing, R&R the hubs, swivels and brakes.

 Dec 18 2022

Engine and transmission removal as a unit

When you’re this deep into it, it only makes send to go the extra step and remove the engine and transmission. Front drive shaft, (rear is already off), 2 fuel lines, one grounding strap, 2 transmission mount bolts, 2 motor mount bolts, transmission brake linkage, and thats it.  Mine also had the Capstan linkage mounted to the engine block that had to be removed but most won’t. With the lift chain on the motor lift points the motor and transmission lift out fairly level.

The only thing I think needs to be done to the engine is to replace all hoses and clean it up.  I’m glad I went the extra mile because even after an extensive pressure washing there was tons to do under the engine area, both cleaning and later rust prevention and painting.

 Dec 18 2022

At this point I have everything off the chassis except the drive train.

Hardware and Rubber

What I’ve found it that indeed nothing much has been touched on this truck since it was built.  The down side of that is that, even with copious amounts of PB Blaster, most of the nuts and bolts were rusted in place pretty bad.  I’d say 95% of them I would not use again even with clean-up.  5% had to be cut off.

Virtually all the rubber components (hoses, seals, rod end covers) have rotted away.  All hose clamps were frozen in place and had to be cut off.

So I’m planning to replace all nuts and bolts with new galvanized hardware and nylock nuts (using anti-seize). And all screws will be replaced, using Phillip head or other than straight-slot.  My go-to for these is Fastenal. I need to buy or make some nut-plates as at least one of them was destroyed in the take-off.

Taking off the Bulkhead

Unhooking all the parts to release the bulkhead was pretty straight forward (electrical wiring, heater hoses, speedo cable at the transmission side, brake and clutch lines). Removed the steering wheel, steering column brackets on the bulkhead and the pass-though plate with rubber gaskets.  The steering wheel was a bear to get off.  It is supposed to be a simple matter of taking off the large center nut (leave in a a couple of turn so you don't get the steering wheel in the face) and pulling hard.  But I could not do it, even using a hard hammer and a pneumatic hammer and lots of PB Blaster.  In the end I used a gear puller, not ideal because it is not shaped to fit the back of the wheel and left a couple of small blemish on the wheel but it got it off. One more thing: the threads on the column are very fine and easily damaged.  I damaged mine in the process and will have to get a appropriate die to chase those threads (hopefully it will work). NOTE: since I wrote this I’ve sought the advice of the Series LR (FB) community it it seems the best move it to use a thread chaser (file), starting with the good threads and moving towards the bad threads.  Another mention was to hack-saw cut a nut across the threads which will produce a thread clean-up.  Finally I can find am 11/16” x 28 pitch die or I can recut the threads with a 5/8” x 18 pitch.  I will update later.

 I had hoped to lift the bulkhead up over the steering column but that angle wasn’t going to work. So I removed the steering column to chassis bracket. That requires a Pittman puller.

I have an electric hoist that I used to lift it off.  On a separate note: I recently purchased a 1 ton Harbor Freight gantry.  It’s heavy duty, extend to 12’ high (not normally needed), and rolls around the shop easily. I purchased 2x 1 ton trollies and a 1300lb electric hoist (so from HF).  The HF hist is not designed to roll along the gantry beam so we modified it with a couple of pieces of angle iron and to get it to hang straight off the beam we added a second trolly (2x 1 ton).  Total cost was about $1000.  So I can lift anything I can imagine lifting with it.  It has already paid for itself, lifting the top, tub and bulkhead in the past couple of days.

 Dec 18 2022. I’ve learned that whenever buying a Series you CANNOT rely on photos.  In this case I think I did well, but in general when buying a Series you have to inspect it in person.

What I see is mostly surface rust with light pitting in some areas but not much (on the chassis), Only two spots of “rot”, one on the left A-pillar and a spot on the battery tray, and the lower edge of the “breakfast” (not shown) has a little more than surface rust but on rotted.  Also not shown yet (a later post) are the window rails which I’ll need to be replaced.

Also the spring packs will need to be taken apart, wire brushed, rust converter, repaint, re-lube and put back together.  That process will also require all new U-bolts and bushings.

Question for you: how do you maintain a surface rust “patina” look whilst still stopping any advancement of the rust, or it it even possible? The only place this is a factor are the visible metal parts, breakfast and bulkhead. Not a issue with the bright work.

NOTE: I do have a close-up video of the whole chassis if you’re interested Messsage me but it too long to publish here.

 Dec 16 2022 

If you’ve ready my earlier posts, you will see that my opinion of what is needed changes as I learn more.  Unlike some politicians I don’t mind or apologize for changing my opinion as new facts come to life.

I started on the disassembly of the 1970 Series 2A 88 that I got not long ago.  The deeper I get into the disassembly the more extensive my project grows.  But the good news is that the chassis is real nice.  It hasn’t been touched in 50 years so all the hardware has never been off, and doesn’t want to come off! All the rubber parts, hoses etc seem to be just as old.  So I’m taking it down to the frame and will repair, replace, clean and paint from there up. A lot of PB Blaster being use (I put it on all hardware a couple days in advance and often.  When that hasn’t worked I use a cut-off wheel. Most of the cut-offs have been on the smallest hardware, straight slot head (hate those things!)

 About 2 months into ownership I began to have second thoughts about the effort and money this was going to take.  So I offered it up for sale.  During the process I was asked to provide many detailed answers about the truck that I could not answer without getting into it.  In the process I realized that I would not be able to find a better truck for the money I was asking for it.  I made the decision to pull it off the market.

When purchased I was told that the brake and clutch master cylinders, and brakes at each corner needed replace, and the clutch needed replacement (the drive shaft was out of the truck), and I would do the transmission brake while I was in there.  I made the judgement that all 4 corners would need new seals and bearings as well.  To do that I decided it would be much easier if I took the top and tub off.  I was told the engine and transmission were fine. 

Having lived half of it's life in (dry) Turkey the trucks was quite rust free on the underside and inside (chassis, footwells, tub etc), however any surface exposed to the rain (I assumed it spent many years outside once arriving in the US) were rusted badly (window channels/badly, door hinges/heavy surface rust, exterior of the bulkhead/rusted through in one place, bottom of the A-pillars/mostly surface rust).

When I bought the truck, the previous owner was very strong on the idea of preserving its heritage and doing just the minimum required to get it back on the road.  I was OK with that at the time.  Then my thought process evolved to, just get it driving and stopping, repair the worst of the rust, do some upholstery work to the seats.

The next evolution in thought came after looking at the springs and shocks, badly rusted and beginning to splay.  I decided to remove the spring packs, take them apart and refurbish them.  Of course that means new U-bolts, bushing, shocks, and new limiter straps.  For that I thought it might be easier to drop the axles and springs and get them up on a table that would make it easier to work.

After getting the doors, floors, seat-box, top and tub off I was able to get a better look at the chassis.  I found it to be in exceptional condition.  But having got that far into the truck; now were talking all the bright work is off, axles and springs dropped and off, bulkhead needs work, the chassis and all components need cleaned, all the hardware was rusty and needed to be replaced; it only makes sense to me to pull the drive train and thoroughly clean, de-rust and paint the chassis.

So there I am, knee deep in a frame-off job.  My brother called it when I bought the truck; he knows that i cannot do a job without finishing up with a clean, repainted, no rust result.  I am now resolved to the task and the time it will take.  the only question left is how much money I am willing to spend to get some of the jobs done, or do it myself.  Jobs I would consider having someone else do are sandblasting and painting, only because I don't have the equipment to do a professional job myself.

The to-do list (RED: To-do as I progressed)

Take everything off the chassis

Clean, blast or wire brush, paint the chassis

Rust converter and probably paint on all steel components (Blasted, primer'd with Zinc based primer and top coated with Epoxy)

Repair the rust hole in the A-pillar, clean/convert other surface rust on the bulkhead

Refurbish or replace the springs and associated hardware, replace shocks, and limiter straps

(Req new chassis and spring bushings, U bolts and hard ware, spring bolts)

Springs wire brushed, Ospho, primer, top coated, put back together with copper grease between the leaves and new center bolts

Replace shocks

Rebuild the swivels and hubs

Replace the steering relay

Replace all rod ends

Check and swap differential front to rear

Replace all brake components including brake lines

Replace the clutch (will need a pressure plate and the flywheel resurfaced)

Refurbish the clutch withdrawal unit

Fix Hi-Lo shift lever with proper fixing

Fix Primary shift lever lower end bushing

Rebuild the transmission brake and replace output seal (all new components, brake shoes, adjuster, expander)

Clean the engine, transmission, differentials and axle housing.

Rebuild Capstan winch

Refurbish Hand brake linkage

Replace Transmission and engine mounts

Clean fuel tank (Totally refurbish the tank, weld pin holes, line the inside)

Engine and trans-work as necessary

Engine painted Rover green (Detroit Diesel Green)

Replace rear main seal

Reupholster the seats

Electrical wiring/maybe a new loom

Replace or repair A-pillar

 When I purchased this truck, this is the information that was provided to me.  I purchased the truck sight-unseen and stuck it in my shop for a couple of months without looking at it closely.  This is what I wrote about it at the time.

This one is a 1970 Series 2A with a very interesting history.

 

It’s a factory (England) registered truck, I have a Heritage certificate for it; it recognized by the Dunsfold trust, https://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/.../land-rover..., that was made and donated to the Ebasco Corporation and became the rolling office of Normal Tillford, who at the time was the head geologist on the construction of the Keban Dam in Turkey.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keban_Dam

 

The photos can be misleading.  First let me say that I only brought it home from PA and have not gotten into it, so what I am saying is what I learned from the PO Dave Depasque, and a limited visual that I have done.  A caveat regarding the rust issue:  the underside, chassie, interior floor boards are in terrific condition, however those exterior parts that we subject to the weather (I assume that prior to being in a garage for the last 15 years it was out in the weather) are rusted (door hinges, window rails, and most significantly and rust hole on the driver’s side bulkhead above the top hinge, see pic).

It is virtually untouched.  As far as I know only general maintenance has been done to it in all these years.  It sat in a garage for the last 15 years. My thought was to just do a mechanical refurbishment and leave the patina to preserve the history.  It is quite rust free (having lived half of it’s life in Turkey) but needs a repair on the bulkhead.  Mechanically it needs the brakes completely redone, and I would assume the swivels and hubs sealed.  The drive shaft is out of it; not sure what’s going on there, but I would put in a new clutch and see if the transmission brake needs any work.  I was told that the Diesel engine was in working condition.  I have (I think) all the parts that would be required to fix the brake system and lots of other parts.  I also have a spare engine, complete with everything hanging on it, and transmission.  I have a binder full of historical records for it as well as a Heritage Certificate. Beyond that I have not dug into it since I got it, and only have the word of the PO and the extensive work he did gathering files and records.

Here is the history:

Norman Ross Tilford, professor of geology at Texas A&M University and Executive Director of the Association of Engineering Geologists (AEG), died in an airplane accident on Nov. 13, 1997, while flying his Cessna 180 from College Station, Texas. Tilford, who was 62 years old, joined Texas A&M in 1985 with 30 years of international geology experience. Professor Tilford was en route Nov. 13 to Van Horn, Texas, where he was meeting his students for a field trip. They reported him missing on Nov. 14. Intense searching by the Civil Air Patrol proved unsuccessful, but two hunters found the plane's wreckage on Dec. 13 in a densely wooded area about nine miles west of Johnson City, Texas. Tilford apparently died on impact. "We have lost a good friend and colleague," says Christopher Mathewson, who is also a professor of geology at Texas A&M. "The engineering geology profession has lost a dedicated servant, Texas A&M University has lost a great teacher, and the Association of Engineering Geologists has lost an outstanding leader." Tilford was born in Moscow, Kan., On Dec. 14, 1934. He started his engineering geology career working on foundation geology with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles. Subsequently, he worked in West Pakistan for the Harza Engineering Company. After he earned his master's degree in geology from Arizona State University in 1966, he worked for the Philadelphia Port Corp. and then joined Ebasco Services Inc. in 1969. Tilford was the company's head geologist when it constructed the Keban Dam in Turkey, one of the largest dams in the world at that time. Beginning in 1975, he served as Ebasco's chief geologist and traveled throughout the United States and the world as a consulting geologist. As a Texas A&M professor, Tilford was known for his incorporation of real life situations into his classroom teaching and on field trips, Mathewson says. Tilford focused on active tectonics, water resources development, evaluation of geological hazards, and site selection studies. He was a member of several associations and was particularly active in the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the U.S. Committee on Large Dams, and AEG. He was a past President of AEG (1986), editor of the Bulletin and Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (1987-97), and was AEG's Executive Director since June 1997. AEG awarded him the Floyd T. Johnston Service Award in 1992.

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/.../1998-AEG-Honorary...

You can see why Tillford was the quintessential Series owner.

A factory vehicle means it was never registered to a dealer, company or individual, it was made in England and shipped to Turkey for the Ebasco Corporation. When Norm Tillford returned to the US (North Carolina) he purchased the vehicle from the company, imported/registered in North Carolina (where it was actually registered as a Jeep). He was, among many other things a private pilot. He used to fly his family back and forth to AZ and NM and one time flying back he went down in the Texas hill country. They searched for a month and couldn’t find the wreckage. A month later a hunter found the wreck. Hi wife later wrote this tribute: https://www.geologistwriter.com/ven.../flying-into-the-ring/

This truck came from the factory with some features that are unique to the year (probably because it is a real late 2A): syncro gear box, alternator, main shift lever style (I was told it was only used for a short period of time); it also has a factory Capstan, roof rack, and military style wheels. 

As I mentioned the truck has a Heritage Certificate and is recognized by the Dunsfold Trust (VIN 274043G). It is a completely original LHD 2.25 diesel truck, right down to the last nut and bolt. No restoration has ever been done, just a few mechanical repairs (such as a replace alternator), Yes, it came with an alternator and not a generator. It’s low mileage (50K). It came from the factory as a utility, hardtop version, no headliner, no door panels, or dash pad, vinyl seat, jump seats, factory Capstan winch and roof rack, and it was set up for Turkey with LHD and European headlights. Among other unique features it has a shifter that was only used for ½ year prior to the S3. It’s been sitting inside a garage for years. It passed through several owners getting to me, but oddly none of them did anything except necessary mechanical repairs. It comes to me with a vast amount of files, literature, receipts and documented history thanks to Dave Depasque, whom I purchased it from, and who has done all the leg work to document this amazing survivor. After Tillford, it was owned by 2-3 and then purchased by Dave Depasque who put it in a garage for 15 years.