Rebuilding Duffy

[ANDYD]

Ha, you did a nice job on the article. Anyone who has done LR U-joints will know exactly what you went through!
I've done a lot of U-joints over the years and can normally change mine out fairly quickly with a big vice and a big hammer, but its never any fun.

Keep up the good work
-Andy

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I rounded over two impact sockets trying to shift the cups out using a 3lb hammer. 😔

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Some more work completed! I talk about paint, a subject I'm still learning about. The little, invisible painting / coating jobs never get any press. No one seems to write about them! Maybe it's because they're not really seen on a completed project?

By the way, I am concerned that people without Google accounts can't see my site hosted there -- if you click the link and don't get taken straight to the posting, then let me know?

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And another post! This may be my last revisit of the rear diff. Maybe.

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I have an update. It's been a while! Got covid (did poorly), built a shed (built poorly) and bought a land rover frame which arrived just this morning. Now I feel poorly.

I thought I would write about the process for those considering ordering a frame on their own from the UK.

Yes, I detailed my costs in the post. The end result might be a bit eye-popping.

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Oh, I have one more update. I had to pay a further $18 to the Surrey Waste Transfer station to dispose of the pallet wood. Guys, don't just dump your garbage in the forest, somewhere...

Actually, eagle-eyed viewers might not a problem with the chassis I received. I ordered a LHD chassis with the P38 power steering mount option and Richards welded it to the wrong side. :( Discouraging.

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Quick update. I have managed to get the frame into the garage and promptly buried it under a mountain of stuff that's waiting for a more permanent home. :/

I reached out to Richards about the brackets being on the wrong side of the frame. To their credit, they have offered me a partial refund and they're sending over the parts to attach to the correct side. As with the ordering process, their customer service has been good. Truthfully there's not a lot anyone can do; it's not as if they can send me a replacement.

I'm not actually sure what I'll end up doing in the end. I wanted to have the option of adding power steering; figured if I was going to be ordering a new chassis, I may as well get the bracket added for what was (comparatively) little cost. Now I'm not so sure. I'm very reluctant to pay someone to grind off the galv and weld a bracket on to bare metal. The whole point was to have a rock-solid base from which to build upon...

:?

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[bsa_m21]

Sorry to hear of these issues.

I wouldn’t worry too much re longevity after welding on the pwr steering bracket to the LH side. 40 to 50 years from now, when the rust starts to get serious, you likely will be too old (if you are even still around - I won’t be) to get it repaired. 🤫😂😳

FYI - Industrial galvanizing paint these days is almost, but not quite, as good as the dipping process. I was told that you can heat the area to paint with a torch before painting then paint while still hot. This will flash bond the zinc paint to the metal. I’m going to try it one of these days to see if it really does make a difference.

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There is no chance I will be around in 40 years, Martin! 😂

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Two new posts!

One on unpacking the chassis; and

Another on more axle bull-crap!

[bsa_m21]

Two new posts!

One on unpacking the chassis; and

Another on more axle bull-crap!

Sweet! Glad to see you are making progress. :blob7:

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I have started to paint things!

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Okay okay okay, I need to make a decision on what I should do with the chassis before I start bolting stuff to it.

Should I:

i. Topcoat with POR15 DTM chassis black after scotchbriting + degreasing; or
ii. Just leave it bare galv?

The loose plan is to keep the original yellow colour...

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Man, is this job ever a pain.

[John]

Much harder to do on the vehicle when you have the hub to deal with.

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This is... frustrating. There is 6-8" at least between the shock and the mount with the weight of the chassis (and me) on the springs.

[mepham55]

I would wait on the shocks until you’ve got the truck on its wheels and the rear body on. I’d guess you will need at least 300-400lbs on there to make new paras settle down enough to fit the shocks.

Matt

[bsa_m21]

I would wait on the shocks until you’ve got the truck on its wheels and the rear body on. I’d guess you will need at least 300-400lbs on there to make new paras settle down enough to fit the shocks.

Matt

And don’t forget the check straps, else you may break one of those pretty shocks on full articulation. :bounce:

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Thanks, gents. I do have the rebound straps but they won't go 'round the axle as it is. I'm going to have to fix the brake pipe shields as those are actually supposed to be inboard.

I did get up to some stuff over the summer, though!

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New post on starting the front axle, with a diff from Ashcrofts!

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I also tried a test fit of the defender 200tdi on the chassis. The most immediate problem seemed to be the power steering pump, which interfered with the bump stop mounts.

I think the right side motor mount can be fabricated fairly easily. I've heard that the high pressure fuel pump gets in the way but... maybe not?

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Work continues on gearbox stuff. It's pretty dirty.

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And two new blog posts are up from back in November:

Some work I did to reuse some old parts

and

Stripping down the front propshaft

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Getting caught up with posts. On to the gearbox:

Starting to take a look at the gearbox with an overview of what we have and removing some small parts as per the Haynes manual and green bible.

Then on to some basic cleaning, where I tried using oven cleaner. TL:DR; it works!

[StuartC]

We can commiserate together......
:s3green:
I will have to endure the same process that you are now doing.