Overland Journal Classic Build: 1995 Range Rover

[1leglance]

Graham huge kudos to you for admitting that the silver is purely something that nags you and yet finding a budget way to get what you want.
Someone else might have tried for some kind of justification but I love that it is your rig and you simply like it a certain way.

I went back to this thread a few times to read over your injection pump comments as I just had the injection pump & nozzles rebuilt on the Troopie...funny thing was when it came time to put it back together I just lined up the marks and tightened everything down. I completely forgot about what you had said.
Lucky for me Toyota's 1HZ is about as forgiving as it gets as any bush mechanic seems to find so it fired right up and is purring like brand new.
This weekend I hope to get out on the trail and sometime soon it would be great to get to Colorado and explore with your Rover.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Graham....PM sent re the door handles...


KAA

 

[Oilburner]

Guys, I don't believe you can accurately set pump timing on a VE with the pins. The only really accurate way is using a dial indicator for measuring plunger lift. The method is detailed online on many VW sites and it's pretty simple, and the tools are available on Ebay for short money. The timing pin setup allows way too much variance and can acumulate up to a few degrees of variance. I know on a VW and on a Cummins 6BT using a VE pump, a few degrees of timing is the difference between a Greyhound and a Bassett Hound. Then again, I usually time the Cummins by ear, very accurate if you know what to listen for, and the engine is heavy duty enough to tolerate mucho advance.

 

[gjackson]

This weekend I hope to get out on the trail and sometime soon it would be great to get to Colorado and explore with your Rover.

Let us know when you come this way. Lance or I'll let you know when we head your way. Would be great to spend some time on the trail again.

cheers

 

[gjackson]

Guys, I don't believe you can accurately set pump timing on a VE with the pins. The only really accurate way is using a dial indicator for measuring plunger lift. The method is detailed online on many VW sites and it's pretty simple, and the tools are available on Ebay for short money. The timing pin setup allows way too much variance and can acumulate up to a few degrees of variance. I know on a VW and on a Cummins 6BT using a VE pump, a few degrees of timing is the difference between a Greyhound and a Bassett Hound. Then again, I usually time the Cummins by ear, very accurate if you know what to listen for, and the engine is heavy duty enough to tolerate mucho advance.

Hey, I bet I'm not the first to try to optimize a bad system. I'll check into using a dial gauge on the plunger lift; I have one after all. Thanks for the tip.

cheers

 

[gjackson]

Stage two is now done and I spent the day finishing up the article for Overland Journal. Very happy with the way things are going. A little more to do and then I'll have the perfect daily driver. :ylsmoke:

Actually got the final mod done today as well which speaks a little to my habit of running close to the wire.

Connie and I just got back from taking the truck on a three week trip through Utah, Nevada and California. I'll post a collection of pics from that up soon, but here's a quick one from Nevada:



cheers

 

[BKCowGod]

That picture exemplifies everything about why I own a Rover. Love it!

 

[RngRvrClsc]

I was so excited to find this thread, I registered for the forum.

This spring, I bought a 1995, epsom green, Range Rover SWB. It is entirely stock except for Mud Terrains, roof rack, Optima Red Top, and 6 Hellas [Edit: and an Overland Journal decal]. The air suspension was replaced in 2003, and because the man I bought it from once worked for Land Rover, he included a very extensive supply of LR Genuine parts, including a complete air suspension. I am leaning towards installing an OME suspension and saving the air suspension kit for the fully stock, mint condition '95 RRC that I plan on having in my collection one day.

Like this project, installing a 300 TDi is a top priority, although I would like to keep it an automatic. Underbody protection and bumpers and, eventually, overland equipment including a RTT, dual batteries, fridge, and storage will be added.

I ordered the 2011 Gear Issue (my subscription began with the fall issue) and will be closely watching for the rest of this build. Goodluck!

 

[DividingCreek]

Guys, I don't believe you can accurately set pump timing on a VE with the pins. The only really accurate way is using a dial indicator for measuring plunger lift. The method is detailed online on many VW sites and it's pretty simple, and the tools are available on Ebay for short money. The timing pin setup allows way too much variance and can acumulate up to a few degrees of variance. I know on a VW and on a Cummins 6BT using a VE pump, a few degrees of timing is the difference between a Greyhound and a Bassett Hound. Then again, I usually time the Cummins by ear, very accurate if you know what to listen for, and the engine is heavy duty enough to tolerate mucho advance.

JL
Next time you come down from the great white North you will have to give my 130 the greyhound treatment !

 

[Snagger]

Setting up the injection pump and the turbo's waste gate actuator rod precisely is the cause of the difference between so many engines' performance. Just a little drop in boost, or a reduction in the injection pump's response to that boost are the main issues, but you also need to look at the induction tract and exhaust for any kind of flow restrictions, like particle filters, bad air filters, oil in the intercooler and failing turbo hoses. Leaky intercoolers (stone damage) will also cause problems.

I agree with you about the silver door handles, Graham. They look like what they are with the silver - Maestro and Montego hand-me-downs. The all black handles on the Discovery I look better, and I have considered the same swap in the past, but I want my 95 Classic to be as original as possible, so I'll leave them as is. At least it has black bumpers and no pin stripe.

 

[gjackson]

I ordered the 2011 Gear Issue (my subscription began with the fall issue) and will be closely watching for the rest of this build. Goodluck!

Awesome! Welcome to the forum. If you have any questions on what I've done and why, don't hesitate to ask. That's a beautiful example that you have as a starting point.

cheers

 

[gjackson]

As I said in an earlier post, Connie and I just took the Classic on a three week test run from Denver to LA. Looking through the pictures I found an amusing (to me) theme in many of them, so I decided to share it here.

View attachment 99686

We left the highway in Green River Utah and made our way down to Canyonlands.



It is always a stunning drive into the Mazes district and this trip was no exception.



The ranger told us it had been a long while since anyone camped at Ekker Butte, and we saw no one on the entire drive out there. The only camp that was booked was Maze Overlook, and we met the tour coming out of there the next morning.



Canyonlands had seen a lot of rain earlier that week, but the road out to Ekker was mostly dry.



I'm sure you've all caught on to the theme by now.



The Dirty Devil river proved to be a little high and fast to cross for a single vehicle alone, so we turned south and took the long route from Mazes down to Lake Powel. From there we took the tarmac north and west avoiding I70.

More to come . . .

cheers

 

[rover4x4]

Has that been reprayed in Arran Beige

 

[James86004]

Graham, I was on the phone with my Dad last night, and he mentioned he has been following your Range Rover articles in Overland Journal. I didn't even know he subscribed, but apparently he was impressed by the stack of issues on the coffee table when he was out here a year ago. He is now inspired to get his 1993 back on the road and maybe starting using it for something other than a snow day runabout. So, thank you for accomplishing what I have been trying to do for years.

James

 

[Scott Brady]

Given that Graham is just back from a 5-week trek in the jungles of Central America, I bet he is glad to see his RRC too.