The Gubblemobile- Series III from hell.

[revor]

I know this sounds silly but have you actually fitted these to say the upper shock mount and measured the distance from the non mounted eye to the lower shock mounting point and compared that to where the bumpstop will stop the axles upward movement?

 

[TeriAnn]

I know this sounds silly but have you actually fitted these to say the upper shock mount and measured the distance from the non mounted eye to the lower shock mounting point and compared that to where the bumpstop will stop the axles upward movement?

And don't forget the rubber bump stop compresses. I doesn't hurt to take a measurement AND subtract another inch or two to get the minimum shock length needed.

PERSONALLY, I suggest just punting and install new shock mounts farther apart. It is already pretty much a given that Series shocks are both too short and too long if you have either Parabolic or new semi elliptic springs that have the correct rate for the weight of your Series rig. If you have old semi elliptic springs with the leaves mostly rusted together you have plenty of movement in the shocks. Same as if you fit one ton springs on a topless 88.

 

[ntsqd]

And don't forget the rubber bump stop compresses. I doesn't hurt to take a measurement AND subtract another inch or two to get the minimum shock length needed.

This is why I recommended setting the length without the bump stops in place. Generally the worst case will compress the stop 1/2 of it's at-rest height. However, if you rely in the stop being there to not damage the shock, then when it isn't there you're in trouble. Judgment call on whether your use is likely to blow the stop(s) off or not. In my use it is a very likely event so I choose to set things sans the stops. Engineers call that "Conservative Design."

 

[Alaska Mike]

I considered moving the shock mounts to a different location, but for now I think I'll leave them where they are. I have my Jeep for the hardcore stuff, so maximum articulation isn't required.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Well, I just got back from a trip to Seattle and decided to do a little work on the front springs and axle housing. I painted the housing and while it was drying I started on the springs. I hadn't noticed before, but the front spring clamps were held on with rivets instead of flat head bolts like the rears. They were also a lot less durable, and broke as I tried to pry them apart.

Well, that's enough work for one day.

Now I need to decide whether I want to replace the front springs altogether or have a local spring shop fab me some new clamps. I need to do some pricing, but new stock springs are looking pretty good right now. Any suggestions? Parabolics are pretty much out of the question, but I think I can squeak by with some new fronts. British Pacific sells handed sets, which I want to avoid.

 

[TeriAnn]

British Pacific sells handed sets, which I want to avoid.

That's an argument I have been loosing with them for decades. See if you can order either 2 right hand sides or to left hand sides.

UK spec for 88s & 109 regulars have a higher rate spring on the right side because the battery, fuel tank and driver all all on that side. The extra spring is supposed to allow the vehicle to sit level when the driver is aboard and not list to the right.

LHD 88's & 109 regulars have the driver on opposite side as the fuel tank & battery so the load is more balanced side to side. I've never made that argument stick with them. Please don't quote me on that as they already know where I stand on hander springs. Quoting me wouldn't help.

Of if you want to play some games, try putting 88 rear springs on the front . It would mean new spring mounts but the longer springs increase front articulation

 

[Alaska Mike]

I wondered about that, since a lot of their customers have NAS LHD models. Oh well, I guess I'll look around for another vendor. The Wise Owl guys don't sell stock springs anymore, which leaves me with east coast Land Rover parts houses and larger shipping costs. I considered getting another set of used springs, but they aren't that expensive and my time is at a premium right now. I think I had 8 or more hours invested in the rear springs by the time they got all cleaned up. Those bushings were a pain.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Well, I finally cleared some room in the garage to do a little work on the Rover. The kids bikes and other stuff was starting to pile up, and my time has been really short lately.

Anyway, I finally dug down to the chassis and started putting the rear axle together. I had to search through umpteen billion boxes for the parts, but I managed to clean and paint the old stuff and bolt on the new. I was making good progress until I noticed my 24 spline Disco I 3rd member didn't have a fill plug like my Series 10 spline 3rd member, and there wasn't one on the housing either. I came up with a solution that isn't completely ideal, but seems to work. I removed one of the studs (at roughly the same level as the original fill plug) and welded on a nut on the inside of the housing, using a standard 3/8" bolt as a fill plug. I might have to revisit it if filling becomes a chore, but I think it might work.

This would be going a lot faster if I didn't have to clean and paint every part I remove. I thought the oil and grease residue was supposed to keep rust off, but there's a good layer of corrosion beneath the goop.

I'll probably tackle the front axle within the next week or so, then move onto the bulkhead... eventually.

 

[ntsqd]

I'm afraid that a 5/16" ID hole (3/8" NC tap drill size) is going to be too small given the viscosity of gear lube. I'm not seeing a clean solution. The best that I can offer is if already assembled that you pressurize the assembly with air while drilling & tapping at least a 1/2" NPT hole (45/64" tap drill). Coat the tap with white grease too.

 

[Alaska Mike]

I was planning on cutting a short piece of brake line (as large a diameter as I can fit) and using that to feed gear lube through the hole with my pump. That would only be slightly less than the current ID of my pump's hose, and larger than the outlet of the pump.

We'll see...

 

[Oilburner]

You can get a weld-on bung at hydraulic supply houses that has NPT thread. Drill a hole in the axle case, weld on the bung, and put a pipe plug in. Tada, nice big filler that you can geet some gear oil through.

I have used a 3/8 bolt as a fill plug on one of the axles I built and it wasn't that bad with syn oil. Just remove another one to allow the air to escape quickly.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Progressing with all of the speed of a Series Rover...

I finally got around to ordering some front springs so I can do the front axle. I also ordered some shocks for it, opting for now for the stock-type shock since I don't have performance springs. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to do some horse-trading for the 10 spline/3.54 front diff, and start cleaning some old parts to see what I can save.

I called the guy who has my engine, and I'm going to look at it on Sunday. A complete, running, sub 100K '92 MPFI 2.5L Jeep YJ engine with a complete wiring harness for $200. Even if I have to rebuild it, it's still a steal. He'll even deliver it. I'll probably mock it up to the transmission and transfercase to I can figure out the motor mounts and other fabrication work. It will be nice to have it on-hand.

 

[Scott Brady]

Cool!

Thanks for the updates Mike

 

[Alaska Mike]

Yeah, I got so caught up in the biking thing that I didn't have any time or money for the Rover, so there it sat for most of the summer. Now that the shoulder season is almost here (too cold to bike, too warm to ski), hopefully I can pull off some project time to get something done. I don't expect to have the same results in the same time as MercedesRover, but hopefully I'll get a reliable truck that will last for years. No hurry on my part.

 

[Alaska Mike]

Shipping hurts.

Ouch. The shipping on my two front springs was more than the cost of the springs themselves. Oh well, I need them, so a few projects will get delayed a bit. I just want a rolling chassis so I can work on it a little easier.

In other news, I brought home the Jeep 2.5L engine the other day. Still debating on rebuilding it, as I want the vehicle to provide the most reliable platform it can. In for a penny, in for a gazillion dollars. The wiring harness is pretty complete, from headlights to tailights, so I'll be slowly pruning unnecessary wires from it and grafting on others as I see fit. It's an OBDI engine, which means fewer sensors and less wiring (also less diagnostic capability), but I think it will be a fairly straightforward swap. That is, for a MPFI engine.

I also have been looking at Jeep CJ 15 gallon fuel tanks to add to my capacity and simplify my fuel system. I will likely remove the stock tank and use the existing gas filler port for electrical or water connections- maybe an onboard shower or some other ExPo fluff. The stock tank is in OK shape, but it's on the small side and I can use the space for other stuff. In an 88, every inch counts. Thanks to TeriAnn's site for the Jeep tank idea, which will make installing the engine that much easier.

So, with the rebuild possibly pending and a lot of wrenching to be done, my progress may be even more sporatic as funds and time permit. If it were just bolting on new or clean parts that would be one thing, but the scraping, grinding, stripping, cleaning, and painting are eating up all of my work days. Not a lot to show for a lot of time invested. Still, I take pride in every little step of the way. Buidling a vehicle bolt by bolt is an interesting experience.