Spent a lot more time trying to get the hub assembly out to replace the bearings… but figure that at the point the bearing broke, it must have got pretty hot and welded itself to the shaft. So now a bit stuck – and need to get the really big bodger on it. That’s waiting for the next dry day!

So I called a local advisor who gave me some pointers. After jacking her up and fiddling, twisting, prodding and poking some bits, the issues can be narrowed down to either front brakes, the diff or, most likely, CV joints on the front axle. Replacing CV joints isn’t necessarily a bad job, it’s just time consuming, as you literally have to dismantle the front axle, to get at the half shafts to replace the CV joints. New CV joints are… £200. Each. (Pattern parts are a much more reasonable £35 ish).

So currently debating what to do. If it’s just the CV joints then the job isn’t too bad – my biggest fear is what happens if it turns out to be that… and a bunch of other issues?

In order to get at the whole of the front of her, I took off the bumper. In doing so, I discovered a whole load of old mud. Bearing in mind none of us have actually done any off-roading with Big Car, I can only imagine this sandy old mud is from her time as an actual military workhorse… is it Iraqi mud, I wonder?!

I’m in two minds – I think she looks quite badass without a front bumper, and if I got a lift kit and a flat bumper she could be really rude. BUT I’ve got that big ass bull bar to go on… so at this point, the bumper will be going back. With a new number plate, I might add.

Laters!

One of the big probems I’ve had, is that a lot of the stuff I want to buy for BC is big and heavy, and in turn, getting that stuff over here is expensive in courier bills. Well, via LandyZone, I got in touch with a friendly chap by the name of Pos who mentioned he happened to be visiting Guernsey, with his 90, and did I want anything brought over? He even put me in touch with a Land Rover garage near him – Jake Wright – if I could find anything from them, and they’d fit in the back of his 90 – he’d bring them over for me!

Brilliant. So I sent Jake Wright my shopping list, and after a bit of negotiation, managed to acquire some lovely new secondhand parts for BC – one lot to replace badly rusting doors – and one has a pure vanity thing – a huge bull bar!

The doors are off an old RAF Series 3 – so we’re talking slidy windows! Which is pretty good – as the windy ones are well known for letting in water. They’re also aluminium capped, which means they shouldn’t rust again. They’re obviously grey, but then again, BC is expecting a spray job at some point, so I don’t see it as a big issue. The bull bar – well, it just looks brutal, doesn’t it?

They’re on their way this weekend and might take some snaps when they turn up. No idea when I’ll get the time to fit them – there’s lot to do before she’s ready for that anyway – most pressing is the worry amount of rust on the tops of the bulkhead which needs grinding out. Have offered Pos BC’s Sankey style towhitch in exchange for his courier services – it’s no good to me but for a man like him, they’re pretty priceless.

Here’s the todo list, in approximately the order I’ll be looking at them:

1. Remove rust and Waxoyl chassis
2. Remove, repair and straighten wings, bonnet and front
3. Inspect bulkhead, repair rusty areas, remove old welds
4. Replace front door(s)
5. Check mysterious oil leak
6. Repaint whole exterior, affix chequer plates
7. Front offside wheel no oil or cap
8. Truck body rust areas
9. Cabin floorpans rusting
10. Rear window cracked
11. Line / plywood truck body inner
12. Fit speakers/wiring/head unit

There’re a few mods I’d like to make:

1. Rock sliders
2. Bull bars
3. Snorkel (maybe)
4. Exterior lights
5. Install windows

But they’re all subject to funds!

Should be some fun times over the coming months.

At the cab end, there was one simple task – rebuild the interior! Of the many questions I have, one, quite near the top of the list is: “Simon, why on earth was the first you did when you got Big Car, to remove everything from the cab?!” The entire dash, doorcards and pretty much anything plastic with a bolt in it got removed. 6 years later we’ve got a small selection of parts, an even smaller selection of nuts and bolts, and an even smaller clue how it all fits together, and after this amount of time, everything has warped, rotted, rusted or just plain fallen off. Sifting through the various boxes, I found as much as possible. The doorcards were there, as well as the handles and the little inserts for the door openers. The plastic lock things are missing (or too bloody fiddly to refit). The cards went in approximately the right positions, but given the missing bolts and holes, it was really a lottery of finding a bolt that would fit a hole. In fact, very few of the original holes were used – it was far easier to drill out new ones! Although Big Car did claim (another) drill bit in the process… not to mention quite a lot of skin.

Rebuilding the dashboard was a mission. First job – figure out what bits I had and where everything went. It’s made of about five pieces, and once worked out, it was fairly clear where it all went. But again, no suitable nuts, bolts or holes, not to mention it all being really heavy, so holding things in place whilst trying to screw, as it were, is easier said than done. I got a bit of assistance from Whiskey (cat) and Julia (gf) and after a lot of heaving, effing, blinding, and flat out destroying things in the way, it’s all, pretty much, back in. It certainly ain’t pretty, but it should at least be functional.

This will hopefully just be a temporary until I decide exactly what is going to happen with Big Car. The driver’s door is in pretty bad shape and either needs repairing… or, more likely, replacing. I can’t be certain how long the dash will hold out how it is – there are plenty of gaps and very strained fixings. The truck will either get ply-lined and left as/is, although I’m toying with idea of turning her into a full-time pickup!

Watch this space…

More photos on Flickr. Follow Big Car on Facebook and Twitter.

The downside of such inaction for so long of course is that she’s been sat for a *long* time. That didn’t stop her firing up – with a little persuasion, of course – but she is running nicely. Unfortunately there’s a list of things to be done, but hey, she’s an old Land Rover – and wants some TLC!

Anyway, I’m hoping to stay on top of this in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on the website!

Atb,

Matt