1969 2a 109 NADA SW

[RamblerRob]

Well progress has been slow! I'm in the process of getting an estate settled so things should start moving along more rapidly by the summer.
I've finally got all the bits i need to mate the transmission to the engine but it seems like I need to shim between the crank and flywheel to put everything in proper position. I need to move my ring gear away from the starter by about 5 mm but If I do it all at the crank it will leave my flywheel alignment spigot with only 5 mm left in the crank. I think I will try to shim it a few mm and use some shims in my starter to move the pinion engine-wards by a couple of mm as well. Then I still may need to do some spacing at the flexplate as well, my measurements make me think that it will have too much of a gap between the flexplate and the fully seated torque converter. Ashcroft recommended 1 to 3 mm. Unfortunately that means now waiting again for summit to get something in stock.. last time i was waiting fully 6 months!! hopefully this is better!

[RamblerRob]

"Rapidly" turned out to be overly optimistic :( The estate I'm waiting on is still not quite settled and I'm still finalizing the details regarding my chassis from Designa who I have finally heard back from.
I managed to get some free time in the garage to tinker for the first time in a while. Nothing earth shattering but I was able to mock up the engine and transmission to take some measurements for the Chassis.

Rover engine.JPG

(167.48 KiB) Downloaded 7846 times

Rover engine1.JPG

(246.37 KiB) Downloaded 7846 times

Rover engine2.JPG

(213.7 KiB) Downloaded 7843 times

Unfortunately I'm not able to take the enough bodywork off to mock up the engine in the frame right now (nowhere left to put disassembled rover parts) but the front-most engine pulley sits a couple of inches behind the front cross member and there is a bit of room to spare ahead of the middle crossmember (for visual the T post line sup with the front of the middle cross member). The front of the seat box should sit just between the 2 sets of 2 bolts on the housing that just rear of the transfer case shift lever. I'm not sure that there is a ton of room to play but I'm optimistic things can be made to fit.

I still need to pull it all apart and get some machining done on my starter mounting block as well as get the flywheel balance matched to the old flexplate that came with the engine.

[RamblerRob]

Well a bit of a change of direction on this one. After much grief trying to get a chassis ordered I ended up making a deal to buy a 1969 109 SW on a Rnage Rover LWB chassis. Its a way better starting point to my project and looks to save me thousands of dollars and about 2 years worth of work. It comes to me without engine, transmission or transfer case but otherwise in very good shape. I will most likely need to reposition the transfer case mounts to create a little more room at the front but not by much.

I'll be posting a for sale thread for the '67 NADA shortly. And will post picture of the new Rig when I pick it up at the end of October.

[RamblerRob]

Just realized I never got around to Posting Pics.

Rover 1.JPG

(62.74 KiB) Downloaded 7751 times

Rover 2.JPG

(200.95 KiB) Downloaded 7750 times

Rover 3.JPG

(214.22 KiB) Downloaded 7755 times

and more in a following post as this board seems to want posting pics to be the most excruciating online experience ever

[RamblerRob]

Rover 4.JPG

(217.09 KiB) Downloaded 7755 times

Rover 5.JPG

(61.18 KiB) Downloaded 7749 times

Rover 6.JPG

(55.8 KiB) Downloaded 7752 times

[RamblerRob]

Rover 7.JPG

(54.31 KiB) Downloaded 7949 times

Rover 8.JPG

(52.71 KiB) Downloaded 7945 times

Rover 9.JPG

(71.83 KiB) Downloaded 7951 times

[RamblerRob]

Rover 10.JPG

(178.96 KiB) Downloaded 7946 times

And one more because I think this one captures exactly the way I feel about it as well :)

[RamblerRob]

Swapped out the defender manual steering box today in favor of a rebuilt power steering box that I've been sitting on. Also have some HD steering components but the stuff on the truck is an upgrade from standard as well(compared to whats on my disco) so I'll have to try to figure out whats the better gear.

Nothing wrong with the manual box if anyone is interested, includes 'straight' style drop arm.

Got my modifications done on the starter mounting block finally so ready to bolt that in and torque it up.

Expecting the wheels back from powder coating this week and tires should arrive the following week. Once I get them mounted I'll be ready to move the truck to where I will be getting the engine/transmission mounting work done.

Compared to the last truck this is moving along at a break neck pace!

[RamblerRob]

Swapped in the HD steering rods and OME steering damper today. In honesty the stuff on the truck was probably fine for my use, but it never hurts to be even more robust. The more I play with it the more tempted I am to forget about bodywork and paint and just use the old girl the way she was intended.

Rover 11.JPG

(239.43 KiB) Downloaded 7881 times

[RamblerRob]

New set of boots for the old girl!

8.25r16 xzls on wolfs, I thought they were meant to be equivalent to 33s but seem a little bigger than I expected. Now considering +2" springs, but will see how everything sits once the engine is in.

Rover 12.JPG

(50.37 KiB) Downloaded 7873 times

Rover 13.JPG

(51.79 KiB) Downloaded 7871 times

Rover 14.JPG

(27.16 KiB) Downloaded 7873 times

[RamblerRob]

Rover 16.JPG

(56.57 KiB) Downloaded 7786 times

After much mucking about and the occasional expletive I got the transmission & transfer case in place. I've got 24" of clearance in front of the transmission which be a real squeaker to fit the engine in so I may need to do up custom brackets to move everything rearward by a few inches. The way it sits I have some likely clearance issues with the steering box and may need to get a different bracket for the PS pump to make it all work. I do have a few inches of clearance on the transfer case shifter in front of the seat box so I may get through this allright!

[RamblerRob]

Been A while since I updated anything. Progress has been slow due to the rest of life getting in the way.
On the up side The easter bunny brough me some treats from the UK.

Ashcroft2.JPG

(55.31 KiB) Downloaded 7651 times

[RamblerRob]

And a couple of weeks later I finally found time to fit the engine and transmission in together for the first time to test my location. Its very close to being OK by the looks of it. Feels like decent room at the front with some minor concerns for clearance at the back. Not sure how much space I need to leave between the exhaust manifolds and the Bulkhead but pretty sure as is is going to be too tight

Engine test fit1.JPG

(69.78 KiB) Downloaded 7649 times

Engine test fit2.JPG

(89.8 KiB) Downloaded 7652 times

Engine test fit3.JPG

(56.66 KiB) Downloaded 7650 times

[ANDYD]

Looking Good, nice progress being made...

I was just thinking, haven't seen this truck in action since 2013, hopefully it will make it out again this summer!
Here is some inspiration for you ...
Cheers,
Andy

[RamblerRob]

That's awesome!
I'm just waiting on an extra set of hands and eyes to get the engine mounts lined square and with the right drive line angles and then I'll be into the meat and potatoes of getting it back on the road

[RamblerRob]

I'm having some troubles getting the position of the engine in the chassis sorted out with regards to the height of the engine mounts and driveline angles and such.
I'm striving to get an equal angle on the engine/trans with the angle of the rear pinion flange. My problem is that the pinion flange angle changes when I let the weight of the engine sit on the chassis. I wasn't sure if this would be the case but I did test it and found it to be so. Unfortunately i'm not able to keep the weight of the engine on the chassis while keeping it in correct position to mark the location of the mounts. Another complication is that I'm not sure how much more weight will be added to the front end in addition to the engine. I haven't decided on bumper/winch yet and may or may not keep the spare tire on the hood (looks cool but seems like a pain in the ass).

Can anybody chime in on how much fudge factor there is room for in setting this up?
Or a good way to simulate the extra weight? (I thought about using ratchet straps on the front axle to frame to compress the springs a bit but I'm not sure if that's wise or necessary)

My other consideration will be clearance of the hood. It may be that I just place the engine as high as I can whilst still being able to close the hood and get DC driveshafts if it comes to it. (need to get my driveshafts shortened in the rear and lengthened in the front anyway). Not really much room to adjust the height of the transfer case to change the angle that way, at least not easily.

Thoughts will be appreciated

[RamblerRob]

My first little bit of fabrication.. If you call simply cutting and drilling a piece of steel fabrication..
I decided to use the Land Rover PS pump instead of the GM one. I know the GM unit is a better part, but it seems to want to sit right in the way of everything! I also wont have to mess with fittings to hook the Rover ZF pump up to the rover PS box. This will give me some much needed room low on the drivers side and might allow me to mount the engine forward just a touch which will give me some breathing room around the bulkhead.

PS Bracket.JPG

(37.44 KiB) Downloaded 7531 times

Two of the holes in the Rover PS pump bracket match up in size, thread and location exactly with the Holes in the GM block to mount the AC/PS mounting bracket.

PS Bracket 1.JPG

(48.2 KiB) Downloaded 7532 times

I will still need to have some aluminium milled off the back of the Rover Bracket to bring the pulley into line with the rest of the accessory pulleys

PS Bracket 2.JPG

(42.5 KiB) Downloaded 7528 times

The stud in the engine block is a little too long so it will have to be shortened or removed. I'll want to make sure it will all work before I proceed because is will be a bit of hassle to go back to the GM parts if I change my mind later on, though if you look at the third picture you can see another mounting bracket below where I have it set up, these two holes also match up to two of the holes on the Rover bracket so there are options.

If anyone has words of caution or advice on this feel free to speak up :)

[RamblerRob]

And the PS pump is sorted! (Thanks Ian!)

PS Pump.JPG

(119.31 KiB) Downloaded 7438 times

Next step will be to see about the exhaust. I should have enough clearance (barely) on the passenger side for the stock exhaust manifold and on the drivers side I will need to do something different with the throttle pedal as the linkage to the cable will foul on the exhaust manifold. I've still yet to see what the routing will look like from the manifolds. I dont think aftermarket headers will solve the fouling on the drivers side but if there is an issue with where the stock exhaust drops I may still need to go that route.

[RamblerRob]

Looks like the exhaust manifolds are sorted. I took Tony's advice (thanks Tony!) and picked up a pre-vortec drivers side manifold and it looks like it will work for both sides. I've got an annoying little rubber bracket that holds the brake line in place that is making things challenging on the passenger side but once I dig that out it looks like it will go! I'll just have to route the passenger side exhaust around the front of the engine and put together a custom y pipe to mate it up the the existing range rover exhaust.

Next up is fuel. It currently has the efi rover hanger assembly in place without a pump.
My options seem to be to get a compatible pump for my engine and build it into the existing hanger assembly/sender, get an external high pressure fuel pump or use some kind of Sump system with a low pressure pump feeding a Sump and high pressure from the Sump to the engine.
My preference is to have an in tank pump but that will mean replacing all the fuel lines, where the Sump could run off the existing lines to the Sump. Im not Really sure on how much hassle and expense is involved in replacing all the lines with high pressure but I'm leaning in the direction of building a new compatible pump into my hanger assembly

[tony]

Hi Rob, make sure you run the exhaust far enough forward that if you have a front crank seal leak it doesn't leak on to the exhaust and catch fire :)

[RamblerRob]

Manifold.JPG

(140.22 KiB) Downloaded 7374 times

so with no small amount of frustration and cursing I was able to wrestle the drivers side exhaust manifold into place on each side of the engine so I think i can call that sorted. Pardon the facebook text on the picture, screen grabs are the easiest way to get a picture size that the forum will accept. Will need to bend the dipstick tube into a more reasonable position but over all I think I can call the exhaust manifold situation sorted.

[RamblerRob]

After much cursing and far more trouble than it had any right to be, I managed to get the air intake sorted out... it just did NOT want to fit! I ended up removing the little clamp that holds the resonator onto the throttle body to get the wiggle room required so i will need to sort a different method of holding it on securely

Intake.JPG

(245.97 KiB) Downloaded 7277 times

[RamblerRob]

Taking a break from the engine compartment to fit second row seats. Mine didn't come with any but I have the set from my Disco1 parts truck. Fit looks to be pretty good. I don't have the mounting hardware from the stock seats so I cant say whether it could have been modded to fit. Being that my truck is not sitting on a stock chassis (I'm using a modified RRC LWB chassis) I also may not have the structural support underneath the body work for the stock mounts. I can identify a couple of points where the Tub section meets the second row floor where I have something substantial to bolt to they are just a bit wider apart than I'd like the mounting legs to be.

I decided to run a piece of 1.5" angle iron across the back of the rear floor/tub between the mounting points and secure or weld the bracket to that. I'm planning on constructing a mounting assembly of 1" square steel tube. I need the mounting points on the seats to meet the bracket at 5" forward and 7" up from the angle iron.
Once in place I'll have to add a support leg to the rear of each side of the 60/40 rear seats. I ground off the small rear foot from the outside each seat and they sit at a nice height/position on the stock seat support. I've pulled the catch that secures the seat backs in the disco and I should be able to mount that to the side structural components of the 109 tub.

If all goes well I should have decent rear seats that fold and tilt forward for extra storage as needed.

Seat Bracket.JPG

(29.14 KiB) Downloaded 7231 times

I'm still not sure what my plan is for front seats. I have defender front seats currently but I may look at swapping them out. I've never had a chance to ride in them so I cant say but I keep reading that they are lacking in comfort. I could try to fit the discovery front seats for a matching set, but I do have a friend who has helped me out a fair bit that may want them and I'm not sure I find them that comfy either. I'm not too concerned with matching the set as I plan to get knightsbridge overland seat covers for the rear (and front if I stick with rover seats). D2 seats look a fair bit more comfy than D1 and I understand that they aren't much different to fit. I've also read about smart car seats, rx8 seats or volvo/saab seats. With the defender front seats I find the steering wheel seems pretty tight so I'm reluctant to gain much height, though I would like to take the opportunity to shift the seat inward sightly If I do end up refitting seats, I definitely feel a little squished to the door when sitting in the defender seats so an extra inch or so there would not go amiss!

[RamblerRob]

More messing about with seats today. Looking at fitting my D1 front seats. It'll match the set with the rears and I'll at least know what seats it is that I have. I find the current seats reasonably comfortable but I cant figure out what they are exactly which poses a problem for getting the Knightsbridge overland seat covers I want. The guys at knightsbridge can definitely make covers for whatever seats but It would be a bunch of mucking about to get them done with non-standard seats. The series seat box is at a fair steeper angle rearward than the base that the d1 seat sits on and the seat is a little thicker at the front. I haven't decided which way to go on this exactly but I wanted to sort out how I would go about fitting the D1 seats so I knew my options.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to picture how I would adapt the D1 sliders to the series seat box and whether the seat would fit at the correct angle and height or not.
After mucking about for a while I was moving the extra series sliding seat bracket that I had out of the way and ended up putting it down on an over turned d1 seat. Turns out it was a pretty good fit! It also sits in such a way as to self correct the mismatch in angles between the d1 seat base and the series seat box. It does sit slightly higher and the series seat bracket doesn't slide as much as the D1 sliders allow but there really isn't a lot of room to slide anyway.

Seat 2.jpg

(105.16 KiB) Downloaded 7172 times

Seat 1.jpg

(179.54 KiB) Downloaded 7173 times

I really like the seating position as it sits though I may take out the bar that runs behind the seats if I go the d1 seat route as it will allow a bit more freedom of recline if I want.

In the final image you can see the underside of the seat. I'm going to add some support material that will be bolted to the D1 seat but not the series bracket. It would sit in place much the way a series seat base does however I will want to come up with some means of securing the seat that allows for quick & easy access to the under-seat compartments. The red lines to the rear represent some 1"square tubing while the ones to the front represent a metal plate of some sort.

Seat base.jpg

(191.71 KiB) Downloaded 7171 times

[RamblerRob]

Seats are in and feel great! Currently leaving the bar in behind the seats which will allow me the middle seat if I choose. Seating position feels good for me with the bar in, but there is basically no room for the sliders to slide. The whole seat tips up to the center to access the battery/tool compartment. If I pull the bar then I will have to fashion a quick release of some sort to secure the front of the seat.

Only thing I'm not thrilled about is how high up I have to lift my feet to operate the pedals so I may investigate a change there.