Mini Projects - It's all in the detail

With the recent arrival of our first child, along with a very busy period at work, and the commencement of construction on our house extension, to say I have been time poor is an understatement.

Unable to commit to hours on end to tackle some of Leif's larger issues, I have turned my attention to working on small parts that I can do in drips and drabs; mini projects that will all come together to make the master project the best it can be.

In addition to this I have found myself trolling Ebay and Gumtree at an unhealthy bi-hourly rate seeing what parts are out there, thankfully most things seem to be readily available, so I haven't bought too much yet….YET, haha.

The first "mini-project" I have tackled is the rejuvenation of Leif's weather worn badges.

Badges as they were

The badges have been touched up before using a brush, but I wanted to approach the project differently using spray paint.

The rear badges had been moved to the back door as a water tap has been installed in their original location.  From the amount of dirt and dust behind them I guess they have been there for quite a while!

With all the badges removed, and a spare one bought to experiment with, I gave them a good wash followed by a good going over with some wire wool.

I am pretty sure that the badges are all pressed aluminium, so I hit them with three coats of etch primer.......

Then several coats of gloss black car paint.

Ooops!  I managed to get a run in the paint so I had to sand it off and try again.

With the paint left to dry, it was a few days before I returned to them.  I was pretty happy with the black coverage, but now the tricky bit started, removing the paint from the lettering.

I planned to use fine sand paper to remove the paint, so starting with P240 the paint came off easily, but care was needed to ensure the soft aluminium below didn't get too scratched.  I changed to P400 paper which didn't scratch the soft metal.

With the badges being so small, it was tricky to sand only the required areas without scratching the paint elsewhere.  After a few failed attempts and some repainting, I decided to cover the areas I wanted to protect with masking tape.

Outer edge sanding commences once masking tape is in place

Outer edge sanding complete

Moving onto the lettering, so the masking tape was removed and reapplied

Lettering complete and ready for the grand unveiling

Not bad even if I do say so myself. Now onto the rest of the badges

A work in progress.  Then onto the next one, who knows when that will be finished!

Until I get the badges finished I figured I may as well have a laugh in the meantime.

G-Wagon Prototype perhaps?

Ready for the weekend

Following last week's exciting parts find, I am returning to the same place tomorrow to dig a bit deeper and see what else I can find.

Before bringing more parts home, I thought it was best to reduce the mounting pile residing on my verandah, which several days ago copped the disapproving comment of ".... are you starting a salvage yard?" from my Father in Law.  Honestly, some people have no appreciation of historical artefacts, haha!

Last weekend's "Historical Artefacts" after a good wash and dead bug removal 

So, in keeping with the saying "a picture says a thousand words", here is a photo diary of Leif's replacement door install.  I will admit the colour match is off a bit, and the hinges still need aligning, but I will sort that out when the hinge repair kits I have ordered arrive from the UK.

"Beauty is only skin deep." This was certainly true for Leif's passenger door.  The external skin was relatively crease and blemish free, but the frame behind it was in a terrible state.

Yuk...

...YUK...

...YUKIER...

...YUKIST!!!

This is supposed to be the sliding window channel!

Off with her head! Well, door top to start with

Door bottom removed, and pre-owned door is ready to be installed

Pre-owned panels installed and working.  

Paint will come later, probably in line with the time I win Lotto, haha

This simple process has made me realise that I need to correct my terminology.  Previously I have referred to Leif as a "restoration" project, perhaps "renovation" may be more fitting as she will not be returned to her former glory, rather she will be given a new lease of life.  

Further to this, I have had several Tyrobenz followers ask why I refer to Leif as a "she" considering the masculinity of the vehicle and the origins of the name.  I had always thought all modes of transport were female as they are in the french language, but to keep the peace I have done some research and it's time for Leif to have a sex-change.  From here on she will be a he, and he will be a renovation project!

Click here to find out the origin of the name Leif

Have a great weekend everyone!

  

Perth's hidden Land Rover Heaven.

I am still so excited that I can hardly sit still to write this post.

Last weekend I followed up on an advertisement on Gumtree for a "General Garage Sale" which included Land Rover parts.  Having missed that sale, I got in contact with the seller, a lovely guy called Joe, to see if I could come another time. We agreed to meet at 9:30am the following Sunday.  That was today.

I pulled up outside the suburban house and saw a huge pile of wheels and tyres outside, but nothing prepared me for what I found inside the gates!

Joe told me that his dad was a bit of a hoarder and loved Land Rovers.  Having recently passed away, Joe and his brothers were now clearing out the house, so bare in mind the following photographs are after a serious culling had already happened. God knows how excited I would have been if I had had first dibs on the parts.

 Wing skins and storage box covers

 Bonnets, Series through to Defender

 Doors

 Axles, drive shafts and who knows what

 Series 2 Radiator Grille (Yep that is mine, on hold waiting collection)

 Panels and stuff

Transmission covers, sun visors and sills 

 D- Rings, one on top is going on Leif

 SWB side panels and tail gates, oh and a lawn mower, non Land Rover haha

 Windscreens

 Fuel tanks

 I don't know what all is here but some of it is new

 Assorted hoses, new but don't know how old

 Wings and truck cab panels

 Rear tailgate returning to nature sadly, these are hard to find normally

Winches!!

I spent several hours looking through the parts, which must have included at least 10 dismantled Landy's but also brand new, still in packaging bits.  It was amongst that I found my most pleasing purchase; a brand new rear view mirror, complete in it's unopened Rover box!

Brand New, un-opened and mine!!!

There was so much stuff I didn't get to look at half of it, and not knowing what Leif actually is going to need, I didn't snap up any of the axles, prop shafts, bearings, gauges and god knows what else was hidden there.  I have a feeling I will regret that!

So with wifey's Volvo filled to capacity I took home:

Series 2 radiator panel
Two wing skins
Original gear knob still with numbers visible
Transmission tunnel
Front apron
Series 2 side skirts
Dash board cluster surround
Wiper motor cover
Passenger door which is near perfect
Passenger front door top
Rear door handle
D Ring
Rear view mirror

Leif's new parts

Leif didn't actually need some of these parts, but as her paintwork is so rubbish I figured if I could get good panels with a better paint finish then it would be less prep work later.

Anyway, if you are a Series Land Rover owner in Perth and need parts, please get in contact and I will pass on Joe's details.

This is why being a car enthusiast is awesome!

For those out there who don't quite understand the enjoyment I get out of being involved in the world of car enthusiasts, here is a perfect example of why I love it.

A few weeks ago, a fellow member of the Mercedes-Benz W114 Facebook group W(A)114/115, who lives on the other side of the country from me, and who I have only spoken to via posts in the group, was on holiday south of Sydney last week.  Whilst on holiday he popped into a second hand book store and came across a complete set of original Land Rover Literature from 1970 and instantly thought of me!

Having paid the princely sum of $3 for them, they arrived in the post today and I am absolutely thrilled with them.

What I find incredible is the fact that they are the same age as Leif, and that they still have their original sleeve to keep the three books together!

I can't help but think of the work that went into the making of these manuals; the hand drawings that fill their pages are nothing short of beautiful, yet detailed pieces of artwork.

Thanks Murray, you are a champion!

Original manuals and sleeve from 1969!

A little piece of history - battered but beautiful

Forget Monet, this is my kind of artwork!  

Check out the level of detail and shading

Who better to explain the correct gearing positions than the manufacturer

So, I guess it's time to get to the second hand book stores; who knows what manuals can be found there!