Land Rover Series III Reborn

Lindsay Porter is sometimes referred to as the UK’s top-selling motoring author, and he has been writing motoring books since Veloce Publishing’s director Rod Grainger first commissioned him in 1981. Lindsay was among the first to develop the photo-intensive style for which his how-to publications are known. This has made him a firm favourite with the owners of Land Rovers, those most DIY-friendly of all classic motor vehicles. Lindsay is a self-confessed Land Rover nut, and this book is the story of his quest – a perfectionist’s quest - to built the perfect Land Rover Series 3.

Introduction & acknowledgements 4 Safety first! 5 Part I Important points 5 Vehicle off ground 5 Using trolley jack and axle stands 6 Working on the vehicle 6 Personal safety 6 Part II Hazards 7 Fire! 7 Pressure 7 Fumes 7 Mains electricity 8 The ignition system 8 The battery 8 Brakes and asbestos 8 Brake fluid 8 Engine oils 8 Plastic materials 9 Most important! Please read this section! Fluoroelastomers 9 Part III General workshop safety 9 Part IV Environment first 9 Part 1 Getting started 10 Choosing the right vehicle 10 What to buy; what to avoid 10 Restoring a Land Rover chassis 11 Restoring the bodywork 12 Engine & running gear 12 Interior & electrics 13 Getting started 14 First things first 14 Safety 14 Success! 15 Part 2 Body & chassis 16 Body removal 19 Hardtop removal 24 Bulkhead removal 26 Brand new bulkhead build 31 Why are these the first? 31 Improvements 34 Stripping the chassis 36 Grit blasting the chassis 39 Porter's patent procedure for removing old underseal 40 Safety first! 40 Galvanizing the chassis 42 Galvanizing information 44 What it is 44 Protection 45 Galvanized coatings protect steel in three ways 45 Long life 45 Toughness 45 Complete coverage 45 Introducing 'OLO' the Station Wagon 46 Station wagon body removal 49 Station wagon chassis conversion 52 Bulkhead stripdown 56 Bulkhead repair & conversion 64 Fitting the bulkhead 68 Front end build up 72 Rear body tub replacement 73 Scrapheap challenge - in reverse! 73 Brit-parts availablity 73 View from above 73 Rust removal & protection 87 Body painting 88 Fitting a fuel tank 96 Final body assembly 98 Subtlety is sometimes not enough 106 Rear door 117 Part 3 Steering, suspension & brakes 123 Axle painting 123 Transmission brake shoes 124 Differential pinion oil seal replacement 125 Steering relay - remove, refit & lube 128 Removing the relay 128 Steering relay rebuild 130 Fact file: rusty relays 131 Rebuilding swivel hubs 134 Hub removal 134 Front hub stub axle 136 Swivel pin housing assembly 137 Brake pipe replacement 150 Part 4 The engine 153 Cylinder head removal 153 Cylinder head 157 Some 'Series' tuning 157 Is it worth rebuilding? 157 Fact file: compression ratio 157 Pressure testing the casting 158 Cracking advice 158 Wearing ways 160 'Unleading' a cylinder head 161 Thread checks 161 Head work 161 Go with the flow ... 162 Performance note 163 Cylinder head rebuild 164 Cylinder head refitting 166 Error alert! 167 Completing the cylinder head 170 Fitting a replacement carburettor 173 Clutch replacement 175 Refitting engine & gearbox 177 Exhaust replacement 180 Santana check straps 181 Engine front oil seal replacement 182 Engine rear oil seal replacement 184 Part 5 The interior 187 Front seat re-covering 187 Early-type seatbacks 187 Later-type seatbacks 189 Second-row seat rebuild 196 Acoustic floor mats 200 About acoustic mat 200 Bulkhead mat 200 Footwell side-panel mat 201 Seatbox mat 201 Floor mat 202 Part 6 Upgrades 205 Fitting Defender doors 205 Fitting Defender doors 210 Fitting power steering 218 Bolt-on accessories 226 Fitting parabolic springs 228 Fact file: Britpart's Santana springs 231 Shock absorbers & polyurethane bushes 233 Orange polybushes 234 Spin-off oil filter 236 Freewheeling hubs 237 Electronic ignition 240 How it works 240 Specifications & precautions: 240 Fitting procedure 241 Power module 242 Fitting Defender door mirrors 244 Fitting a Fairey overdrive 245 Specialists & suppliers 251 Index 255