Help with a Rover Snowball

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:28 am

I've done it agian, gone and got me another snowball

Its a 82 Range Rover 4 door, the intention is to slowly build it into a club wagon.
Any way heres the snowball part... I blew the rear diff, and had to run it for some distance home. When home I decided to take the axle off to clean out all the bits of spider gears, thats when I discovered.....
-The rear suspension upgrade is dodgy, steel blocks inserted under the bottom spring carryer (is this legal?)
-The upper shock mounts are off something else that has narrower chassis rails, its on way to bigger angle out and has flogged the rubber bushing
-The brake line to one side has been flattened
-The discs only have a 20mm braking surface (the rest has rusted away!), oh and they are so narrow that if the pads wear down the brake calliper pistons will come out beyound there seals!

Its this last one that worries me the most, that and all the bolts were rusted to the point where I had to gas axe some off & drill them out!
I think my good buy was a beach runner in a past life.......
I need to know if there are any areas that I've got to look out for rust, as it has a new'ish coat of underseal from the last owner

Oh and as soon as I get around to it I'll throw some Pics and stuff in the website and show what I'm up to

Cheers Reece

Post by **mike** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 12:19 pm

Doesnt sound to bad :wink:

Few new bolts, discs and rubber bushes and she'll be as good as new.

Least the rangie don't have carrots for driveshafts! :evil:

Took off from the lights yesterday with the boat in tow and bang went the longer half shaft!!!!!! :evil:

Thats my third one in this vehicle. Might be time to upgrade to something that can tow, climb hills with out blowing halfshafts every 2 seconds.

Mike

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 1:43 pm

Let me guess when it went there was a whole line of traffic behind u as well....

The axles are next on the list.... as soon as I can find some more money!
I noticed the Project Re-A-Range (NZ4WD Mag) has got new axles from a kiwi outfit.... you want to hit them up for a group discount :wink:

As for my snowball what concern's me is if the disc's and bolts have rusted this badly, whats hidding under the underseal.......

I think 4 sanity's sake I think I might just get under there with a screwdriver and start digging

Cheers Reece

Rangerat · Post by **Rangerat** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 2:35 pm

Oh oh
Once you start digging I think you will need up with a lot of holes and not much rangie.
Where do they rust? A= anywhere there is steel. sills, front door supports, in your case rear door supports, inner steel frame, chassi, shall I keep going?
Good luck

Rat

lilpigzuk · Post by **lilpigzuk** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 4:02 pm

Rear body mounts seems to be a common one. My 2 donor Rangies have gone in this place, also the front of the doors near the hinges, left front footwell and....................

cheers
Rex

Athalus78 · Post by **Athalus78** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:01 pm

I can't get over how many of you guys blow parts of the driveline on your rangies 8O . Even with the 5ltr I can boot it of the lights with a loaed trailer or plant the loud pedal when off road and nothing happens. I will admit to spending about $1500 on bearings and axel seals and then some more on new disc breaks and pads but other than that it's all good. How often do you get under your rig and grease the uni-joints and check your diff oil and seals and brakes and suspiension mounts and body mounts and everyother nut and bolt. :?:

Bodge · Post by **Bodge** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 12:41 pm

Athalus78 wrote:I can't get over how many of you guys blow parts of the driveline on your rangies 8O . Even with the 5ltr I can boot it of the lights with a loaed trailer or plant the loud pedal when off road and nothing happens.

Probably because there is no tarseal and lights off-road.. :roll:

Never broken driveline stuff on the road - although I am sure its possible.

DJ · Post by DJ » Tue Apr 13, 2004 6:37 pm

5ltr I can boot it of the lights with a loaed trailer or plant the loud pedal when off road and nothing happens.

this is the reason I sold, or nearly gave away my Range Rover booted it and nothing happened. yes it had a 5 litre v8 (bored buick p76 heads)and rust and electrical problems and drive shaft hick ups and etc etc etc

this should start debate :twisted:

Post by **mike** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 8:17 pm

I just hate the fact that I drop the clutch and bang goes the half shaft. Think maybe my old donkey diesel has abit to much torque for them. By the time the slop in the drive train has taken up the clutch is fully engaged and not going to give and the tyres aint going to give and the xtra revs need to go somewhere 8O

Think I'm gonna save for the maxdrive difflock with 50% increased strength in the axils. Should make my old landy quite capable. I would upgrade to a nicer/newer 4wd but I enjoy scaring people around town and plus the adrenaline rush is more so when everything shakes and the noise is enough to rattle the dead!

Athalus78 · Post by **Athalus78** » Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:55 pm

I really reckomend the maxi drive... Did I mention I have one in the rear diff so that might be helping.

Rangerat · Post by **Rangerat** » Fri Apr 16, 2004 10:00 am

Never broke any driveline components (plently of other stuff) and I tend to drive it hard.
I do have an auto though and it takes some of the shock loads out of the drive line.
Will see what happens when the new engine gets fitted (more power!!!!!)

Rat

Athalus78 · Post by **Athalus78** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 3:48 am

when all else fails ............ blame the mechanic.
When the 5ltr opens the vacum secondairies not much can match the noise and even with the simex nothing breaks. :lol:

I must be charmed :wink:

Bodge · Post by **Bodge** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 3:45 pm

Alright gis a go then.....

Rangerat · Post by **Rangerat** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 11:08 pm

oh no don't let Bodge near it! lol. (let me at it instead, I'll just cut it in half)
Question.
Does the P76 use the same engine mounts as the 3.5? I have a couple of different storys.

Rat

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 11:55 pm

I had a suposadly knowledgable stock car driver tell me the other day that the block is the same

hmmmm....

If it is then I guess they would be the same....

Interesting how a thread can grow... from my rust problems to test driving each others wagons

Oh if anyone needs one I will be ditching the 3.5 rover from mine, its worn out but it dose have an LPG kit

Cheers Reece

Rangerat · Post by **Rangerat** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 8:22 am

As far as I can work out the only differance is the deck height (around 18mm higher)
How is the rust war going?

Rat

De-Ranged · Post by **De-Ranged** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 11:07 am

Found more than a few patches... including one on the chassi rail 8O with no certification for it! I think thats why the underseal was put on, but on the good side no rust... well apart from the bits on the bottom of the doors, drivers qaurter window, bonnet, rear tail door, rear bumper... Pretty much mint condition :lol:

Not a bad base for a project, Hmmmm New motor, some suspension reworking and modification, shorten the back end, cut the roof off, throw a roll cage in, some diff lockers, a bit of reinforcement Hmmm.... I think that'll do for starters, now for the finish date... Hmmmm :lol:

you never know maybee some time this decade.

Cheers Reece

PS Hat's off to suprasurf 2 weeks to do all that, that was impressive!!

Athalus78 · Post by **Athalus78** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 3:34 pm

the p76 bolts straight up and the blocks are virtually identical as they are all based on buick 215 engines :lol:

Which meabs a buick 300 crankshaft fits as well as the heads. Your right about the thread growing :roll:

forget_it · Post by **forget_it** » Fri May 14, 2004 9:38 pm

Rangerat wrote:Does the P76 use the same engine mounts as the 3.5? I have a couple of different storys.

Rat

Looking at Andy Cockroft's site (http://andic.co.nz/id22.htm), it appears the mounts do need to be modified.
This page details fitting a P76 into Rangie. It pretty much step by step showing the mods required along the way.

Forget_it
(Because Im always forgetting
my passwords, but I can
remember this one)