restoration The 110.

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[h=2]It's expensive sitting around...[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 04, 2016 09:16:29

The problem with sitting around relaxing and trying to heal is that you get to thinking about stuff. Nothing that important but when your 110 project is literally looking at you through the front window you get to imagining what it will finally be like to have it all done and finished, what it will be like when you are driving around the fantastic countryside our little island has to offer looking at hills and dales lakes and riversides.

 

You may have gathered that the route to take will be the "Overlander" style with this project and with that in mind I decided that the TDI conversion may as well be done while the rebuild is underway but the 300tdi route was gong to involve moving engine mounts around etc so would it not be better to just drop in a 200tdi and be done with it.

A quick look around and I discovered the money that the 200's were commanding was ludicrous so I begrudgingly put the idea onto the back boiler. Well until an advert popped up from a friend who was selling one complete so a call was made, a deal was done and I will became the proud owner of a replacement engine!

 

The 110 will be 200tdi powered as he tours the countryside when I finally get him put back together with shiny new parts. On that note I have also been buying up all sorts of brake bits ready for the overhaul until I looked up the price of back plates for a rear Salisbury axle...£100 each!!!!!! Well bugger that! I will look to see if I can repair them and if not I will have to pop a Discovery axle on instead and convert it over to discs at the same time because that is just a ludicrous amount of cash for brake plates!

 

I have caved in on my mistake of buying the wrong door latches as well. I stood looking at them yesterday morning and thought "It just won't look right" so I checked to see if I had any savings left at all then wiped myself out by buying the correct anti burst locks and strikers. It will be worth it in the end when it all comes back together and I know I will be happier after I have fitted the doors.

 

Wifey though has been brilliant along my road to recovery caring for me by constantly checking like a mother hen even down to a little cheer me up present yesterday after, I might add, sending me photos of her and our daughters having a rather nice lunch out.

 

I mean who would not want a Star Wars Toothbrush???

 

Superb though and it still makes me smile when I look at it because lets face it all men are just big kids at heart and all women know this.

 

One other thing I have managed to do whilst being off is convert my neighbour, who has been around doing all sorts of DIY that I was supposed to do this week, to buying a Land Rover.

He wanted a second car to use for fishing trips at the weekends and in bad weather. He asked if I was up to going and having a look at one he found online just to check it over and see if it as worth the money that it was being sold for.

I of course agreed to do this in a limpy hobbling fashion and off we drove to inspect this "N" reg Disco. I was prepared to find a rot box but instead we found a Land Rover nut who owned 4 other Landy's from an original Series 1 to a new Freelander!

 

The Discovery had been very very well maintained over the last seven years, had low mileage service history in fact all it really needed was a nicer set of tyres which my friend was going to put on anyway due to the different off road areas that he goes fishing! It was one of those rare finds that should prove to be a great car for a few years to come as all rust has been dealt with as it came up.

I was quite envious!

And then I informed him quietly that if he didn't buy it I would!

"Should I put an offer in?" my friend asked.

"Leave it to me" I replied and put in a cheeky offer a couple of hundred under the advertised price to which the seller agreed after some thinking on his part.

 

SO my friend has come under the Land Rover obsession spell and has already been buying extra lights to aid him when packing all of his gear away on the riverside. To say he is happy is an understatement the man has not stopped smiling since he bought it!

 

 

A nice new set of All Terrain tyres will be fitted over the weekend and I swear he would sleep in it if his Wife would let him at the moment!

So don't get knocked off of your motorbike because for a start it hurts like hell and as you get older it takes longer to heal and secondly don't rest up looking at your Land Rover project because you do not have to move at all to spend all of your savings on it!

I hope Wifey doesn't read this post or I will be in trouble for spending up!

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[h=2]Ooh Shiny![/h]MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 04, 2016 22:06:32

Tomorrow is the Autokana day at Wollaton hall and is a fantastic day out looking at all sorts of old motors in a very green as well as relaxing country manor house setting.

Nottingham Land Rover Club are lucky enough to be a part of this displaying all manner of different types of Landy's including my old wreck of a Discovery for some reason that escapes me now. If you are going to be there feel free to pop by and say hello.

 

Seeing as I will be sat on my backside for most of the day with a bit of a relaxing meander around I am quite looking forward to it but this morning when I looked outside the bedroom window I realised what a poor state the poor old motor was in dirt wise.

So the first job of the day was to dig out the power wash so I could give it an easy on me clean from top to bottom.

 

 

Then my friend sent me some photos of his Series Land Rover full of slabs that are destined to be put into the old Discovery on it's rather Swiss cheese boot floor!

Now this had me feeling rather worried because it really is an old wreck and I am only just getting my nerves back together driving but not to be defeated I stood on my driveway deciding on how to make the whole job a little easier. I don't need to unload the slabs any time soon so they can sit in the motor until I am ready but the weight of it all in one place was still concerning until that was I saw my little trailer sat in the corner of the driveway behind the 110.

 

A quick wheel change on that along with a number plate fixed on saw it ready to go and carry me a few slabs spreading the weight out from the Discovery boot saving some more holes either appearing or growing larger as I drive home!

 

 

I have to say though that the old motor doesn't look too bad when it has had a good clean up and left to sit in the sunshine...

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[h=2]Pain & Progress...[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Tue, June 07, 2016 21:31:55

I don't know where to start really as it's been a strange few days to say the least. I have been pottering on doing the odd bit on the doors here and there when I have been up to the task but it all came together today rather quicker than I was expecting as these thing seem to have a tendency to do.

 

First up off of the bat was a trip to see among other things the Physio therapist for my first round of torture from my neck all down the right side to my ankle.

I have no idea how such a petite young girl could inflict soo much pain in such a short amount of time but she managed it! I know it hurts more before it gets better but my word do I hurt this evening! Still nothing broken and I am lucky to have the option of such things and only seven more sessions to go! I'm off to weep quietly in a corner somewhere now...

I did end up thinking "Suck it up Smith" to myself a couple of times although I may well have been close to tears at those points and suck it up I did.

 

Back to the doors though and I sat looking at them last week and caved in buying the proper anti burst locks along with striker plates then as it was a job that could be done sitting down set to removing the wrong brand new locks that were fitted popping the right ones in as I went along.

The next day saw me fitting the new runners to the drivers side door top but one pane does seem to like to fall out with ease so I need to make a few modifications there before I take it on the road. New mirrors ad door hinges were soon fitted as well and the doors do look well now though even if I do say so myself!

 

So that was all done a bit of a time over a few days saving me on pain from pushing myself too hard that in itself was quite a feat.

 

I was awake at the crack of dawn again this morning so had a couple of hours to kill before I set off for my barrage of appointments and the first thing that caught my eye was of course the 110. "Sod it" I thought to myself "I could get one of those doors fitted in a couple of hours" and even if I had not managed it the sun was out so no worry of rain.

I soon had the old Defender door off and the new one lined up to pop into place.

 

Withe the striker soon fitted into place I managed to get three out of the four hinge bolts lined up before I limped off aching from the exertion of it all to was up for my fun day out.

 

The replacement door looks really well and to say I am pleased is an understatement!

 

When I got home a friend soon showed up to deliver yet another new part for the 110's upgrades...the 200TDI engine! It was like Christmas morning I tell you and he brought along his engine crane to get it out of his Discovery and put into place at the back of my garage until I am ready to fit it! He also had an intercooler frame and old radiator for it all so happy days! The rad will want replacing just to be on the safe side but hey everything is a bonus. Thank you for all of your help today chap you know who you are

 

 

As the evening cooled off I decided to tackle the passenger door on the 110 as well because I cannot just sit around feeling sorry for myself when I am hurting and again it all went rather well!

I didn't push too hard so the final adjustments still need to be made to get as good a fit

as the drivers side but no rush.

 

 

So not a bad few days pottering on the 110 with bits all lining up nicely to be sorted on it. I am not going to worry too much about getting all painted etc before the MOT as that can be done as I go along. The focus will be on the actual mechanical components to get sorted properly so the old boy is once again back on the road...

 

nickysmith.me

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[h=2]Romcom's & Floors[/h]MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 11, 2016 22:28:58

My youngest daughter reached the grand old age of 16 years old a couple of weeks ago and her birthday treat was to go to the pictures (that's the cinema for you young ones reading this) but due to commitments of one sort or another (all hers not ours) we didn't end up going until this morning.

Thankfully she wanted to go to the early showing of a film at 11am after having a nice relaxing brunch of course. The brunch place was called Chiquitos which indeed served rather a nice brunch but of course the embarrassing Dad part of me found a rather large sombrero to wear, which is no mean fit in a very quiet restaurant, turning on my best Mexican accent for a few minutes.

 

Then I got everyone else to wear it that was sat around the table...

 

Well it amused me for a bit anyway before we filled our bellies and headed over to the rather comfy cinema to watch my daughters choice of film...

 

That film was of course a romantic comedy which appeals to every woman in my household and was called...hang on I need to ask one on them...Me before you or "The saddest film on the world" I have just been informed.

Look I will be nice here from a girly point of view I am sure it was very very good but from an old dinosaur hairy arsed Dad blokes point of view it was like every other romcom I have ever seen but it was not my birthday so not my choice. The girls were happy, or sad, or happy they were sad who the hell knows but they said they enjoyed themselves up until the early afternoon when we got home.

Before we left I had to pop into the toilet and as is usual there was lots of farting sounds as all of the men present relieved themselves of what they had been holding in during whatever film torture they had been watching.

This got me to wondering whether women do this in their toilet as well? Or do they still hold it all in trying not to explode because others are present? I don't know why but I just picture women having disgusted looks on their faces if they hear any bottom burps anywhere well apart from the ones in my household that is.

 

Now then today I have been feeling a bit better physically so I thought I may as well pull the old Discovery down under the car port so I could strip all of the carpets etc out of it's boot so I could see the extent of the rust on the floor back there.

Turns out it was not as bad as I expected.

Deciding that it may as well be sorted now I had a good go around with the hammer then cut out the worst of the edges.

 

A quick dig around in the welding box I hastily threw any of the welding bits in I came across before the move a couple of months ago, out came enough metal along with a pair of cutters to shape it to size so the patch up could begin.

 

You see I may well need this to last another winter because I am going to go all soft and not ride at all if the weather is bad. Secondly I have every intention of having the 110 on the road before winter arrives but you know what happens with the best of intentions from time to time.

A couple of tea breaks later I realised I had been plodding along doing a bit at a time and all of the welding had been sorted.

 

All this work was happily completed whilst the rain was pouring down underneath my car port I do bloody love having a car port!! Anyway I had a quick stretch testing how much I hurt as well as checking the time then threw caution to the wind getting out what little of the underseal I had left and luckily found in a box a few days ago whilst pottering. Having been exposed to the odd paint brush or two of late I soon had it thrown on both the new metal and old making the whole boot area look a damn site better!

 

Just the front inner wings to weld up now but I will be doing that over the next couple of weeks as well as fitting a new set of front discs and pads that after finally sorting the wheel bearings out presented themselves as warped...sounds about right eh!

 

nickysmith.me

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[h=2]Spray Paint & Suckered![/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Mon, June 13, 2016 18:19:37

Did you all enjoy the summer?

Yes I know it is only June but that week that we have just had was probably about it for your sunshine fix this year so dig out those jumpers and mittens because the rain has fallen for a few days now with no letting up!

It turns out the rumours were true about the weather up here in sunny Selston, when it rains it does like to rain and I can see why we have a couple of steps up into our home!

Still can't complain it has to rain sometime eh!

 

It was the Nottingham Land Rover Club's Committee meeting last week and I cannot for the life of recall if I mentioned that I joined up onto the committee a fair few months back. Due to work I did bugger all for the first few months but was ready to get back into the game giving a bit back to the club and it's members. With teh move etc we have not had a chance to go off roading at all or even to a meet so I really needed to get my head back into the game with it all.

So I set to getting to the meeting on time and the conversation was flowing throughout the meeting until it got to the subject of the old nottslrc website and the fact it was badly out of date.

You see it transpired that they needed someone to have a go at improving it dragging kicking and screaming into the modern day world and this is when the group got decidedly quiet. I have to admit I was writing something down at the time (doodling) so my face was planted firmly in the downward position when I realised all conversation had stopped.

 

You know that feeling from your nightmares when you know everyone is looking directly at you? Yep I had that. I slowly raised my face upwards and sure enough there were a group of folk looking directly at me expectantly.

 

"Why do I feel like this decision has already been made?" I asked.

 

"Well we knew you would have a stab at it seeing as you like to write all of that drivel online" Said a now ex friend with a smirk on his face.

"In fact we decided you could volunteer a while ago but you kept going to work instead of coming to the meetings" said the same friend.

 

"OK then it seems I don't have a great deal of choice here!" I replied laughing wondering how the hell I was going to make a half decent job of it but in all fairness I demanded "Full rein and control of it" which meant "If I bugger it up I can always say I have used some artistic licence on it" to which it was happily agreed.

I think they would of agreed to anything as long as I took the job on!

 

So I have had a stab at it and it's only in it's first draft so pop along and have a look then let me know what you think http://www.nottslrc.co.uk

 

What can you do to the 110 in the rain then? Well I need to get the old seat bases out as they are in the way of the new seats going in and someone wants to buy them off of me which puts a few coffers back into the rebuild pot.

 

I was about halfway there when the heavens opened and as seeing as the Discovery is under the car port awaiting more welding I decided playing in the rain on the driveway wasn't much fun and headed quickly for cover.

 

What to do then? Well the 110's wheels were all over the place in the garage and there was no way I wanted to try and hump those around yet (still hurting and not going to push too hard) but I could get the silver spray out that my daughter picked up for them and have a quick blow over I thought.

It didn't take too long if I am honest and they do look well for it!

 

That done though my body told me enough was enough so I called it a day. I am looking forward to getting a bit more welding sorted on the Disco later in the week though then tackling replacing the front disc s and pads, that I did not know were warped when changing the damned wheel bearings or it all could have been done at the same time!

Hey ho them's the breaks!

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[h=2]Disasters & Discs[/h]MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Sat, June 18, 2016 21:34:51

I have not written a great deal this week at all as I have been taking advantage of the lighter nights to get stuck into getting the Discovery sorted before the dreaded MOT in August.

Yo do have to love the summer heading in though, after a few hours of pottering around trying to get bits sorted a mate will pop around to say hello and you sit back relaxing chatting whilst forcing yourselves to drink a beer or two in the late evening light.

 

That has been my week if I am honest and I love it. There has been cutting of metal then the smell of weld in the air as I managed to get the boot floor and rear wheel arches back into a solid metal state all under the protection of my little car port that has kept the rain storms that have been rolling through at bay...God I really love living in this house!

 

I had literally just finished welding up the rear at lunchtime when Wifey came out to inform me that our eldest daughter had had an off on her little moped on the way to work. Of course the first thing I asked was "Is she alright" to which I was informed that yes no problems there but the bike was a bit worse for wear.

"Here we go again" I thought to myself before the next line came out of

"Will you pick it up and have a look at it"

"Nope I told her to get breakdown cover...oh who am I kidding here yes where is it?"

 

So I grabbed a mate and we hooked up my little 5f oot by 3 foot trailer along with lots of rope and headed off to collect it. After suitably ramming it into the little trailer and applying copious amounts of rope (I am so glad I had to rope and sheet loads on trucks when I first started driving them as there it literally nothing now that fazes me when I need to secure it) we headed back home with it to check out the damage.

 

Turns out that it was not too bad in the end and an hours pottering about with it fabricating the odd bit for the throttle linkage saw it right and roadworthy once more.

Kids...gotta love eh. They scare you to death then you fix their cock ups...I am a Dad though and this is my job.

 

With that sorted and one happy daughter on her way over to collect it (no I was not going to deliver the bugger back there again as well although her Mum did pick her up to come over which gave us a chance for a good catch up) I turned my sights towards the Disco once more as I had visited Paddocks this morning and collected new discs and pads for the old thing.

To say I am a practised hand at stripping down wheel hubs now would be an understatement so I had the whole lot stripped off on one side and rebuilt in short order. There is indeed something extremely satisfying about fitting shiny new bits to my motors, it makes me feel all sort of nice inside. I suppose women feel that way about new clothes but bugger that leave me covered in oil and grease with shiny new parts fitted any day

 

By the time that one side was fitted the achy side of my body decided enough was enough so I called it a day.

One to note for the books though was that I took my daughters little 125cc out for a reasonable run to make sure all was well with it. Getting back onto a bike even a little one was becoming more than rather a large issue in my head so I did my usual stubborn approach to it of getting kitted up and doing what exactly what I most fear. Things should be just fine...yes it was only a 125 but within a matter of feet I was smiling like an idiot, taking my time don't get me wrong, but enjoying the ride no end.

I don't think riding my bike when I get it back will be that much of a problem after all...

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[h=2]Plates, Welding, Plates, Welding.[/h]MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Wed, June 22, 2016 21:30:40

I make up a plate weld it into place, find another hole then start the process all over again. Seriously I have no idea how on Gods green earth this old Discovery of mine has managed to stay in one piece for the time I have owned it!

I remember checking it out when I bought it noting that it was a bit crusty in the usual areas and that there was some seriously bad welding on the chassis but it definitely was not as bad as is it now. Do you recall the picture of the nice inner wing panel I had fabricated on the last post? Well I put it up into place and was using my body hammer to shape it for a tight fit when the hammer slipped a bit to the left and promptly went through the rest of the inner wing...time for another panel to be made up then.

 

Honestly yesterday when I got home from work I took one look at it sitting lopsided on an axle stand under the car port and thought "Bugger that I am having an evening off of it". And what a relaxing Land Rover free evening I did have! I kicked back pottering with several other of the chores off of my ever increasing list and it made for a really pleasant change. But the rusty nail needs to be sorted out as I will not have the hire car for ever so this evening when I got home to find no one in soon recalling that Wifey had told me they would be back a little later tonight I decided to suck it up and have a stab at finishing up the off side front inner wheel arch.

After a visit yesterday afternoon to the sadistic short physio I am more than a little tender today all down my right hand side (who ever said that physio is a good thing i do not know because I hurt far more afterwards than before it) so getting comfy whilst working along with not overdoing it was on the cards.

 

Some serious grinding off of old underseal took place then out came the welder to get the job done which promptly ran out of wire. That changed over I started welding away to then have a bit drop back down onto my inner wrist making me jump cracking my knuckles off of the wheel arch. A few deep breathes later after the red mist had subsided from my eyes I carried on welding the inner arch up struggling initially to get a decent weld to the most unrusty bits that were left but after a little perseverance I got there.

 

After remembering I needed to weld up the battery tray the underseal came out for a liberal dosing so to hopefully hold off any more rot at least for a little while. The end result was pretty good though and now folks there is only one corner left to do and the old Disco should be good to party on for another winter...

 

nickysmith.me

[covjohn]

I enjoy reading these posts.

keep up the good work.

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Thank you Another post coming up and then back onto The 110 rebuild with gusto!

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[h=2]Dancing, Disco's and Dog Collars.[/h]MusingsPosted by Nicky Smith Sun, June 26, 2016 21:35:01

What a weekend! Talk about busy!!

Where to start then...Saturday was our first real proper day off with nothing to do that could not wait so Wifey and I decided that enough was enough and we were going to head up into Derbyshire to have a gentle walk breaking me back into the exercise front slowly.

 

You know what I am exhausted so if you are reading this I will finish off the write up tomorrow evening as I can barely keep my eyes open! Enough is enough and I am off for a shower then bed...night all

 

Right I am back nicely rested before I hit the wonders of work of course but that for us all is a necessary evil. So where were we? Oh yes heading up into Derbyshire for a gentle walk along the Monsal Trail. We drove up to Millers something parked the car and started the gentle walk along the pretty flat pathway. I do love walking through the old train tunnels and apart from a 10 minute shower the weather was superb.

Now the old body has taken a hit but I took it steady and it didn't seem too sore so happy days (I was quite wrong because when I woke up on Sunday I knew I had been out walking in a big way). At the end of the trail we headed down to the riverside to admire the view and what a view it was!

 

As we were enjoying the view so much I dug out the map to find there was a pathway that ran all the way back along the riverside more or less to where the car was parked so we thought hey we will head back that way. What a walk it was! The path was well travelled enough to see where you were going but not travelled enough to meet too many other folks on a Saturday morning.

The valley was just astoundingly beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off of the slow moving water that cascaded over the occasional stone drop to keep the water gently flowing away through the valley. I don't recall the last time I had had a walk in such beautiful unspoilt surroundings.

 

We meandered along the riverside in no rush with time passing both too quickly and slowly at the same time. Soon enough though we were back at the car heading back into Bakewell to catch a cheeky lunch only to find there was some sort of dance fete type festival going on with all sorts of styles merrily prancing away in whatever direction you took!

 

It was rather good though watching those folks whacking sodding great sticks at each other always missing the other persons fingers even though the crowd were secretly hoping they would misjudge it at one point sending the receiver of the blunt end onto their knees in agony...maybe that was just me...well maybe I am the only one that is going to admit it.

 

We somehow managed to kill a few more hours without realising and decided that seeing as I was yawning like mad it was best to head back homeward.

 

Once we got back and after a refreshing cup of tea I got stuck into the front passenger side wheel arch on the Disco. I had stripped it all out the evening before so it was a case of grind cut weld for a couple of hours that saw that wheel arch completed. Now that sounds easy but it was not as it seemed every time I set to with the welder the old metal was so thin it just kept blowing hole after hole in what I was supposed to be fixing. I have to admit I will be happy to see the other side of the MOT on this one!

Enough was enough for one day though and I packed the tools away as we had yet another busy day in the morning coming up.

 

Sunday arrived to the sound of heavy rain pounding off of the rooftop which saddened me a touch because today was the day that one of my little brothers was to become a fully blown Deacon with the service being held over at Peterborough Cathedral. This is something he has been working extremely hard towards for a number of years so I am happier than words can say that he achieved what his heart so much desired.

 

So we set off in heavy rain towards Peterborough and thankfully the further away from home we went the better the weather got and by the time we arrived there the sun was beating down in a bright blue cloudless sky. After managing to back a cheeky parking space literally outside the front of the Cathedral we headed in to watch both the culmination and the beginning of my brothers hard work.

 

In short time he was ordained in front of his friends and family, his smile just said it all.

 

I did have to ask him what his dress size was though I mean he is my brother, who will soon become a Vicar, that wears a dress a great deal...who hasn't wanted to ask?

Seriously though Danny if you are reading this I could be no prouder if I tried, your hard work, dedication to your beliefs and general all round niceness are an example to all.

Still not sure about wearing a dress in public though.

 

The whole family headed off to the Cathedral gardens for a large summer picnic along with those others that had been ordained and their families. I can think of no better way to pass an afternoon than in the company of those you love sat outside enjoying the warmth of an early summers sun. It was a very good day all round.

 

All good things though must come to pass and we were heading back home once more, the Disco sat there taunting me upon arrival though so I decided to give it a couple more hours to finish up what I could.

Much to my surprise I finished the lot off! With one final hiss of the jack lowering the the old motor back down onto it's wheels the job was done, there were no more holes to weld up at least for now.

 

What a feeling of relief washed over me as I stood there looking at the old boy with all of his rubber touching the ground once again knowing that I could put the welder away for at least a week until something else fell off!

I did get around to fitting a light bar I had bought for it this evening though and after wiring it up then wondering why they did not work my daughter pointed to two wires coming directly out of the bar itself, you know the ones that actually make them work, and said "Are they supposed to be connected to something?"

Felling somewhat foolish (I blame the fact I am rather sore and tired, yes yes I am getting far too much mileage out of that excuse) I connected them up and then there was light abound!!!!! Far more than I will ever need no doubt but it looks good.

 

 

With the Disco finally driven out from under the car port I can get the 110 in and start to make some serious headway upon it. Within the next month my shift pattern is changing to 4 on 4 off so more time to tinker there no doubt. I will start with the simple things though like tidying up my garage (looks like a bomb has hit it) and put the engine crane together in anticipation of the upcoming heart transplant.

 

Looks like I am going to be busy...

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[h=2]Back on Track.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Fri, July 01, 2016 21:54:56

Well the Discovery is hopefully MOT ready and finished for now thankfully so this evening my attention turned once more to the 110.

I may have been neglecting the poor bugger over the last couple of months with other things getting in the way such as bike accidents and lots and lots of welding but I have been picking up the odd part for it as we have been trundling along.

 

The main bit was of course the 200tdi engine that had come out of a Discovery so I had to then start hunting around for the correct exhaust adaptor to make it fit into the 110. These it seems are more than a little pricey for a half decent make so I grabbed a bargain hardly used second hand one for the princely sum of £55 delivered so that's a nice big tick off of the wanted list...

 

I fired up the old boy which he did without complaint after weeks of standing making me wonder once again if changing this indestructible lump is a good idea but I will be keeping it anyway so if the 200tdi is a bit of a lemon there's a back up waiting in the wings. My car port once again, much to the Wifes delight, is now under the car port awaiting some tlc on the front brakes tomorrow along with identifying what else is going to be needing doing.

 

Looks good under there but the motorbike is making threats of coming home next week so best keep the 110 mobile for now so I can get the bike in and out of the garage...if I can actually get over my sudden fear of riding it of course.

 

After a quick poke around under the 110 whilst changing the rear wheel I noticed there is some rot on the tub where one of the out riggers attaches to it and I wondered if any of you good folks know whether or not me just popping a patch in there without welding the ally up is ok or not? If not I am going to have an issue seeing as I cannot weld ally...

 

 

Still no point in worrying, if I need to change the rear tub so be it because this 110 of mine is going to be the mutts when it is finished...

 

nickysmith.me

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[h=2]Sunshine & Shying Off.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Sun, July 03, 2016 20:44:40

There should of been lots of work done to the 110 today but the sun was shining and our first course of action was to shoot off and buy lots of plants so that our back garden can look something like normal. As soon as that was done our good friends turned up so with good company came along good food as well as good conversation.

This then some how led to a couple of beers sat on a garden wall with our neighbours in the blazing sunshine...I love living around here!

 

With all of this shirking off it somehow came to my mind that I had not mentioned the fact that there was a shiny new engine crane sat in my garage waiting to be used to fit in the 200tdi on the 110. Yes it was an extravagance no it will not be used that often but yes yes it will last me a lifetime helping out with gearboxes as well as engines.

 

After a couple of summer afternoon hours sat around forcing a couple of cold ones down my neck in good company then yet another smashing meal of roast chicken cooked over eight hours in the crock pot, our friends bid us farewell and my attention turned to the front of the 110 and the wheel that I removed on Friday evening to then walk past for the last two days doing nothing with it.

 

Now having had a couple of beers along with a belly full of food I have to admit that I did not really feel like doing anything at all to the Land Rover but the sun was still high in the sky so I decided that at the very least I should strip down the whole brake assembly to the stub axle.

Now this should of been a quick job but of course everything was rusted solid so it took a little longer than expected but with a little gentle persuasion with a breaker bar and a lump hammer it was all soon in good order.

 

The grease poured out of the bearings in liquid form so I think it may have been some time since this was last done! I have soaked the bolts that hold the disc onto the hub so hopefully they will come off in short order when I get the chance one evening this week to carry on.

 

My intentions were to get the front brakes finished today but life is for living and the 110 has waited this long to get back onto the road so a few more hours will make no difference to it at all eh...

 

nickysmith.me

[minn200]

[h=2]Not Much Doing.[/h][h=2]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, July 09, 2016 08:59:09

Still not much doing this week I am afraid folks. After another torture session with the physio closely followed by another follow up session with the Docs the next morning I have been hurting a fair bit on the neck and back front so sulkily have not wanted to even move around a great deal. It still astounds me that I managed to hurt myself this much in the bike accident and the amount of time I am taking to heal is disconcerting to say the least because it may just turn out that I am mortal after all and not some sort of super hero!

 

Not to moan though I am still here kicking and each and every day is a bonus!

We are off as a family today to my Uncles "Kicking the Bucket" party yes you read that right his kicking the bucket party. He was diagnosed a few months ago with terminal cancer but his response to this was not to fall into a constant deep despair (I am sure he has his moments in private) but to embrace all that life has to offer while he still has the time and energy to do so.

I would like to say that he is a fighter but that would be the wrong description in his case, no he is better clarified as a "Liver". Not as in the type you eat but as in the realistic acceptance of the cards life has dealt you then weighing up the options you have left and seizing every moment filling them to the max with life love and experiences for himself and memories for those he leaves behind when his time comes to pass.

 

So one of his big wants before he leaves this mortal coil was to have kicking the bucket party. (And a Maserati...he bought himself a Maserati...as you do.) His reasoning for this was simple, everyone would get together at his funeral to have a few beers share in the laughter and memories and quite frankly he wanted to be a part of that so he told us all we should do it while he was still here so he could join in the celebration of life that comes with these things. Why not eh! I personally think this is a great idea if you know that your time is short you get to actually say goodbye to family and friends that you may not normally get the chance to see before the final curtains close.

Today is the day for that party and it will be good to see a few faces that not have been around for many years.

 

Even in darkness there can be light, within the worst of storms there is always some calm, even within great pain pleasure can be found.

 

Uncle Dale you sir are an inspiration to us all of bravery in the face of adversity.

But you still made my head wonky when you dropped me on it from a great height when I was a baby and the years upon years of ridicule from Dad over it really cannot be forgiven [/h]

[minn200]

[h=2]Fiscal Frustrations.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Wed, July 20, 2016 19:35:03

Well my healing process is coming along nicely now with more movement less pain and the freedom to look towards getting stuck into the 110 once again.

I finally got around to finishing changing the discs along with the pads on the nearside of the 110, turned it around so I could begin on the nearside only to find that the bolts that hold the brake caliper in place had literally rusted themselves round giving me no purchase to get any sort of socket onto it while still fitted to the hub.

 

This was more than a touch frustrating as I soon realised that I do not have a brake hose clam in my array of ever growing tools nor did I have anything that I could fashion to do the job. With a bit of sadness in my heart I put the front wheel back on then shortly after heading to the internet to buy one.

The 110 is now parked up once again on the driveway looking all forlorn and lonely desperate for me to spend some time and money on it. Sounds a bit like the Wife as well that...

 

One of the pleasures of buying a new house is that you get to spend most of your money on it instead of your toys and it has indeed been a tough month. The odd extra bill here and there has seen the coffers a bit low so even though the list of parts for the 110 seems to grow I don't seem to be buying much of anything off of it. Not to worry all good things come to those that wait but I am looking forward to finally having this old motor back on the road once again.

[minn200]

[h=2]Stubborn Seats[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Thu, July 21, 2016 21:49:03

My fiscal flurry of activity on the 110 continued this evening when I found myself at a bit of a loose end around 7pm. It was too late to get stuck into anything big and the smaller jobs seem a little thin on the ground, so armed with the usual cup of builders strength tea I walked to the 110's current resting spot on the driveway.

 

You see there was one job I have kept meaning to do but not getting around to for one reason or another and that is removing the four rear two seater bench seats that have sat in the land rover probably since it left the factory. I did start with the traditional method of a socket and screwdriver but it soon became apparent that this was not going to be anywhere near good enough to remove the decades old fixings.

I am way past fighting these issues now a days I just went and dug out the grinder making very short work of the nuts and bolts.

Within minutes the seats were free from their restraints and donkeys years of dust dog hair and grime were brought back out into the light of day.

 

I know exactly what I will be doing tomorrow and that is sweeping out then cleaning up the rear end of my old motor leaving me a blank canvas to finally get stuck into making it just mine.

Oh and if anyone would like a black rear two seater bench or four just drop me a line, I have a few spare ones kicking around in the way...

 

[minn200]

[h=2]A Long List[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Tue, July 26, 2016 20:13:44

There is always a parts list with a Land Rover but this seems to be never ending when you are in the midst of a rebuild. I normally try to keep the long list of I want bits in my head but with throwing in the 200tdi transplant into the mix I decided to have a bit of a walk around today to put down the basics of what I need to buy to get the old boy onto the road once again.

As you all know funds are tight so I am looking at what can be accomplished on the second hand market as well as the bits you always want to buy new.

Now I am sure I have missed a few things here and there so feel free to pipe up if you notice a glaringly obvious short coming on my part.

 

The list sits as follows:-

 

Trailing arm bushes x2

Fuel pipe.

Jubilee clips

Wing to bulkhead clips & Screws

Floor Clips and screws

Primer (not desperate but some bits could do with a coat)

Steering column components

Power Steering Box

Rear Brake rebuild kit (Salisbury axle)

The following are all 200 tdi...

Full exhaust

Power steering pump

Water Pump

Extended hoses

Full Clutch Kit

Radiator

All Belts

Cambelt Kit

Service kit

 

Now that's as much as I can think of at the moment. There may be a brake pipe or two but I have that kicking around already waiting for me to learn to flare the ends correctly!

 

It is all indeed a pretty pennies worth so if anyone has any of the above for sale please let me know and we shall see if a deal can be struck

Alternatively if any parts companies are kicking around wanting to be part of the continued development of the 110 in a sponsorship capacity I am only too happy to listen to your offers....no takers?? Worth a try I suppose...

[minn200]

[h=2]A Few Steps Forward...[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Tue, August 02, 2016 20:29:26

Right then for some reason I am having some picture issues on my laptop, in fact I seem to be having all sorts of issues with my laptop hence the silence from me this past week or so.

Just because I have been "off the grid" it doesn't mean I have been just sitting around doing nothing, oh no in fact I have been rather busy to say the least!

You may recall my last post had a rather long list on it, this was not a begging list but a "parts to get it road legal" one so I had a starting point to move onwards with.

 

If you watch the news it is full of sadness and misery from around the globe, I often get saddened by the hatred segregation and racism that I see in this country but what breaks my heart the most is seeing just plain meanness on most days. I try to make at least one person smile each day generally succeeding in my efforts with complete strangers and I believe that a little kindness can go a long way.

It would appear that I am not the only person who works along this line of life as I got a call from a friend telling me they had a fair few of the parts from my list so did I want to pop over for a brew and have a look?

 

A day along with time was sorted and soon enough we were having a chat over a brew about what was needed. Soon there was a pile of bits that seemed to keep growing so I had to pipe up that we really needed to talk about prices because my budget is running more than a little tight at the moment. This was soon replied with

"I don't want anything"

"What? I have to give you something there's loads of bits here"

"No you don't they are just lying around here so if you can make use of them I'm happy with that"

"I HAVE to give you something!"

"Sod off Nick you are having them"

 

Now this is a level of generosity I have not come across before and it has left me dumbfounded! Now I wont embarrass my friend by naming them but you know who you are and I thank you once again for your generosity, there is a thank you in the pipeline in fact I will probably see you over the weekend

 

So the 110 has more parts now than it did before so progress will once again be made very shortly. The only reason that nothing has been done is due to the fact that the Discovery needed yet more attention from me.

The wheel wobble is awful under breaking even though it has now had new discs and pads on the front along with new polybushes fitted to the pan hard rod. The old bushes were very helpfully pushed out at another friends house who has a hydraulic press. These presses are superb and I will be investing in one very shortly to aid with what seems to be the constant need for bush replacement on the Land Rovers!

 

I am happy to say that after some messing around getting it all back into place along with checking over all of the ball joints, new brake parts I can report that it has made absolutely bugger all difference.

Quite frankly I am sick of playing with this Disco now and once my motorbike has sold I will be buying a little run around to get to work and back in leaving me to then focus all of my attention on the 110! I would rather be spending on that than trying to keep this Disco on the road which is a shame as the engine runs spot on. Don't get me wrong I will still drive it and even try to MOT it but I will not be spending hours on it trying to make a silk purse out of a pigs ear until something a little more reliable comes along. Then I will off road the hell out of it!

 

Do you recall me fitting the new doors to the 110? Well the new hinges I fitted got all rusty very quickly which was my fault for not priming them all up properly before fitting so I had to get in a quick coat of Hammerite in case they rusted away before the 110 is finished!

The results were quite nice though and now my work pattern is changing I will get really stuck in to getting the 110 road legal...

 

 

 

nickysmith.me

[Grasshopper]

I had (dangerous) wheel wobble on my DIsco, and after failing to overcome the issue put it in to a reputable local LR specialist who diagnosed it as insufficient pre-load on the swivel bearings. My wheel wobble got bad (rather quickly), and on one occasion it made itself known and almost threw us off the road.

[minn200]

Thanks for that Grasshopper I will look into it

[sirhc]

Had wheel wobble from hell on my 110 Wolf too. That was the swivel bearings in the end.

 

Have a read here: http://www.landroverclub.net/Club/HTML/Wheel_wobble_cure.htm

 

Chris

[minn200]

Cheers Chris, I have taken out a few of the shims on each side and it seems to have calmed the issue slightly for now...

[minn200]

Canvas Sheets & Seats.

 

The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, August 06, 2016 22:08:26

I am not one for watching much television as there is not usually much of anything worth watching but I have to admit here that I have do have a guilty pleasure and it is bad. The acting is awful full of American bravado for the master and chief, as if that was not bad enough this program is now into it's third series and I just cannot break the addiction.

It's called "The Last Ship" and it's just so bad that I love it.

Show after show I merrily kill forty odd minutes of total dead head watching while the rest of the world slowly slips away into the background taking all of it's cares with it leaving me at peace and enthralled in a programme that I know the ending of within minutes of it starting.

The reason I bring it up? Nothing major really just wanted to share the fact that a bit of down time doing what pleases you, whatever that may be, is always pretty good for the soul.

 

The rear seats of the 110 went off on their merry way early this morning so after the usual running of chores that had to wait for the weekend I decided that I had nothing more pressing to do than clean out the back of the 110 and offer up the front seats into place.

The rear bed wasn't too bad if I am honest but there were lots of dog hairs mixed with dust that would be better off in the dustbin.

 

Then out came one of the front seats I have had stored in the back for quite some time now so I could make up a template and drill some holes for the seat rails to drop into.

This didn't take long and I was soon offering the template up and drilling the four holes necessary then the seat was popped finally into it's new resting place...or so I thought.

 

It didn't take much getting into place but one thing soon became very obvious about my new driving position...I would not be able to get into it or steer.

There was a meer five millimetres between the seat base and the steering wheel. Driving with these mat prove a bit more of a challenge than I wanted so with resignation in my shoulder slump along with a slight shake of my head from side to side I set to taking it back out again.

These seats travelled up from Northamptonshire to sit in my 110 for many many moons, got moved from one house to another to end up going to the dump anyway unless someone pipes up that they want them for free.

Hey ho there's plenty more to do anyway so I will keep an eye our for another pair of something that can go in their place.

 

With that waste of a drill bit (yep I snapped one drilling the holes) finished cleaning the back became my priority and it is a nice feeling knowing that most of the crud has been removed giving you a nicer workplace to potter in.

 

With that done along with a greenhouse put up, only one pane of glass broken in the move! I thought there would have been more being the clumsy ape that I am, Wifey returned home declaring that we should put up the tent that we bought a few weeks back so "we" would know how to do it quicker/properly when we use it in a couple of weeks.

 

Now I do not mind camping at all. There is something about sleeping under canvas that is really relaxing being closer to nature and all of that, what I do not like is putting a large tent up and taking it down again, the bit in between staring at the scenery or the stars is just fine.

I did hear what my friend who sold it me said when I bought it "It's pretty big mate" but I had not realised that I had bought what amounts to a portable garage!

Seriously this thing is huge! After putting it up, using the odd stern word or two, then standing back to see the enormity of it I went back to check the actual dimensions on the bag it came in.

 

Five meters long by three point six meters wide...it is huge! And to think Wifey was worried about where to put a porta loo in it saving a night time trudge across a campsite waking yourself up to use the loo.

Seriously I could park a Land Rover in it if the weather was bad...I wonder if I could get away with that?

 

[minn200]

[h=2]Back to the Brakes.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Tue, August 16, 2016 13:35:44

That damned Discovery has been taking up my time and cash once again getting it prepped for it's MOT that should never have been seeing as I bought it as a rot box last year to see me through one winter then strip it for parts. So after extensive welding across the board and new brakes it now has twelve months on it giving me a little breathing room while I sell the bike.

Once a new little commuter car rolls in, after the bike sale, the Disco will become nothing but an off road toy that I need not worry about breaking and boy oh boy am I going to have some fun with it then!

 

Today the sun was shining high in the sky so I sorted out the wood work that needed painting in the kitchen then my attention turned to the 110 front brake caliper bolt that was rounded off. Now being a smarty alec I had bought myself some of these special "get a rounded bolt out easily" sockets to make the job easy and with a great deal of confidence I set to removing that rusty nut.

After some initial buggering about trying to get the special socket into place finding there was next to no room to put the extension bar on, I realised that I had not turned the wheel onto full lock hence restricting my work space.

After calling myself a few choice names including dumbass I popped my super socket on expecting fantastic things.

I was mistaken.

All it did was chew up the rusty nut some more but not to be defeated on this I kissed the twenty odd quid I had spent on these self proclaimed excellent tools goodbye then went back to my disposable socket drawer to grab a much smaller one than the bolt along with my rather large hammer.

 

Several rather satisfying whacks later the normal smaller sized socket was fitted snugly into place over the bolt with a couple of extension bars put on for good measure.

 

I figured I was going to get only one shot on this rusty lump so I wanted as much leverage as I could muster. I applied some right arm strength soon hearing a welcome crack and the nut started to turn.

 

I knew I would not have the time to change the disc and pads today but getting this nut out now leaves me with a job I can hop onto one morning this week. I did replace all of the caliper bolts on both sides while I was under there so I would not be faced with this problem once again when it comes around to new pads in the future.

 

Another small job knocked off of the list and I also managed to dispose of my ill fitting seats to a very grateful scrap man this morning who wants to fit them into his transit van to make it more comfy.

Each to their own eh...

 

nickysmith.me

[minn200]

[h=2]That Didn't Last Long.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Sat, August 20, 2016 14:17:27

Do you recall me saying that that was enough with the Discovery and I would not be spending anymore money on it? Well it proved me wrong in the space of sod all....I think it may well be female.

 

I got a wheel wobble again, quite badly. Upon further investigation with the help of a good friend we discovered that the hub on the passenger side was no longer round, it was more of an egg shape that allowed the bearing race to spin upon itself inside the hub quite merrily. A quick temporary fix later saw the wheel wobble free for about half a mile then it came back once again with a vengeance.

 

With a heavy heart along with a fast dwindling bank balance I set off to collect a nice shiny new hub and bearing set. When I got home my youngest daughter started off making the dinner (Spag Bol) whilst I set to changing the hub over underneath the car port so I could shout instructions on how to cook the food as this was her first time having a go at cooking it.

 

The old hub dropped out no problem at all which is not surprising considering how many times it has been on and off over the past few months buggering about with bearings etc and the new one was soon into place because I had already built it up before starting the strip down. Brake caliper was soon put back on along with the wheel, which saw me hopping into the drivers seat to take it for a quick spin hopefully having fixed all of its juddery braking issues in one foul swoop.

That hope died as soon as I got up to a decent speed and braked. The juddering was still there and quite frankly if I had had a gallon of petrol and a match at this point Blue the Disco would have been no more.

I dragged it home and had the wheel off again, I swear that I will be the first person ever to actually wear out a set of wheel nuts because they have been on and off more times than a whore's knickers, looking into the general hub area seeing what else I could have possibly missed. My youngest shouted dinner was ready and it was then when I was a little distracted I saw the black line between the inner brake pad and disc.

 

I reached forward and sure enough there was a good few millimetres space there, I grabbed a torch and looked done the back of the pad to see the caliper pistons sat right back in their housing not moving an inch regardless of what pressure was put upon them.

On a plus point the Spag Bol was superb so my daughter has made a rod for her own back here because I think it is now time she learnt to cook a few more meals as she is on her school holidays.

 

So another trip to Paddocks to get a new complete caliper unit because I was way way past messing around now and with that fitted this morning I got once again back into the drivers seat for a spin. With nothing left but a silent wish that finally I would be able to stop without fighting with my steering wheel to stay in a straight line I set off up the road into the national speed limit building up a good run to 60mph.

 

I nearly put myself through the windscreen if I am honest. I really didn't expect that it would have worked but it did and very well at that. There's a horrible brake squeal that's developed but I don't really care anymore, folks will just hear me coming. Their eardrums may well explode from the high pitched resonance but they will not miss me that's for sure.

 

The Disco is set for the winter now along with the quiet collection of parts that I am slowly building up to make it an good off roading toy.

 

But what has this got to do with the 110 I hear you thinking to yourselves, all he has done is talk about his Discovery.

Well the whole saga has taught me a lesson. I was going to clean up the calipers on the 110 saving myself a few pounds in the process then paint them. That is not going to happen now, nope, I will go and buy brand new calipers to go with the brand new discs and pads that are on it. I am not messing around with what ifs and maybes on the 110 oh no it will be a motor of mostly new parts where anything was needing repairing.

It will cost me a little more as I go along so this will add time to the rebuild but I do not want to be having to back track over work I have already done anytime soon once it is actually on the road.

[minn200]

[h=2]Front Brakes and Fiats.[/h]The 110Posted by Nicky Smith Wed, August 31, 2016 08:13:37

Yesterday was officially the 11th day of my 12 day holiday, it was also the first that I managed to get anywhere near the 110. What with climbing Snowdon, hiking in the Peak District, visiting family and generally being all round busy!

 

After I had replaced the bearings discs and pads on one side of the 110 a few weeks ago the calipers looked more than a little shabby so I nipped off to Paddocks to collect a new pair first thing in the morning. That done I decided to tackle the drivers side wheel first as I had not done anything to that. The sun was shining but I was still sat in the shade on the driveway keeping cool and when I whipped off the wheel the sight I was greeted with was a combination of rust, rust, and more rust!

 

I swear that this motor must have been dropped into salt water at some point in the past and left there for a few months.

I am now a well practised hand at stripping out hubs along with replacing wheel bearings so that job was done in next to no time at all.

The caliper was next so I put on my useless brake hose clamp that clamp nothing at all once I had removed the old caliper so that left me with a finger over the end of the pipe to stop the flow whilst stretching far far away in contortions that a yoga teacher would of been proud of trying to reach the new unit.

That was on soon enough though and the brake pipe itself was in good condition so no need to change that over yet.

 

 

I quick bit of copper grease to the back of the brake pads and the final finish looks very well too, all nice and shiny!

 

Drivers side done I headed around top the passenger side but this was nice and straight forward as all I had to do here was change the caliper over.

 

With the front brakes now bled through I have a reasonable chance of stopping when I shunt the 110 around the drive which is a bonus as I don't think Wifey would be too pleased with it ending up in the front room!

 

At this point my mobile rang and it was the dealership calling telling me that the little Fiat 500 that I had bought for Wifey, as I was stealing her Sandero to commute to work and back in now because I am walking away from riding motorbikes for a while, would be ready late that afternoon. Me being the soppy romantic sod I am from time to time then arranged to have it delivered to her at home as a surprise (got to get those brownie points in when you can folks). That done I realised that I would have to play some musical motors on the driveway, so the 110 is now sat in it's new spot under the car port where I can now potter on with it whatever the weather and when I actually get five minutes to myself!

 

The Fiat turned up, many brownie points to me, and we all have more than we could have ever wished for. Sometimes I step back and look at what the last six months has done to change my life then I realise how lucky I really am...

 

nickysmith.me