I'm a new forum member and want to document the progress of my recently purchased project LR3. My hope is that it will add to the overall knowledge-base of owning, maintaining, and operating these vehicles. I also selfishly plan to use it as a place to solicit advice from those more knowledgable than myself.

Me

I'm new to Land Rover ownership, but not to project vehicles. I love to learn, and have used my other project vehicle (BMW 335i) as a de-facto classroom to learn automotive maintenance and repair. I am willing to make mistakes and fail in order to learn how to do just about anything, and that includes dropping a transmission to change a clutch while the vehicle is on jack stands, swapping suspension components, getting into the top end of engines, etc. I find it cathartic to maintain my own vehicles, and the enjoyment I derive from driving them increases commensurate with my level of intimacy with the vehicle.

Why I Chose an LR3

I enjoy vehicles that you don't see every day. I also love vehicles that are very capable for their intended utility. I am also a skinflint as a rule, and brands with a reputation for reliability issues and high ownership cost are very economical to own if you are willing to turn your own wrenches and have a place to do so. I have a garage and assortment of tools that allow me to take advantage of the bargains 10+ year old European vehicles present. I also have need of a new vehicle to drive while I park my 335i during the harsh winters we have here in Southeast Idaho. That duty has been handled for the last four years by my 1995 Ford F-150, but it is on its last legs. It would be nice if my new winter beater was also better equipped for outdoor adventures with my family of five (spouse and three children). The LR3 checks all the boxes.

What I Bought

I paid a negotiated $1100 for a 2006 LR3 SE with 150,000ish miles back in January. It has a transmission fault and will only go into gear using the rocker switch under the center console, and it's a crapshoot whether it engages. I researched possible causes of this prior to purchase and felt comfortable enough with the probability that it is a rusted, worn shifter linkage or a brake light switch or brake bulb issue that I bought the vehicle. I drove it the 230 miles home in a near whiteout snow storm with a friend in pickup truck following me in case the LR3 broke down and we had to leave it on the side of the road. It was in limp mode the whole way and I didn't feel comfortable cruising over 50 mph, so the snowstorm was actually a godsend. Here are some pictures of my new Rover:











Here's a dumb video I made doing a walkaround post-purchase. I'm not trying to be a youtube personality, but I wanted to document my experience with the project on the different platforms on which I conduct my own vehicle research.


The Plan

The first stage of my project will be to get the LR3 mechanically sound and reliable. From there I will aim to add better family use capacity with roof rack and hitch accessories. From there I will look to add better-than-stock offroad capability to allow my family access to more remote outdoor locations. I was hoping to be past the first stage by now, but life happens and the vehicle sat in my driveway unused from February until last weekend (August 1st), when I finally wheeled it into my garage, put it on jack stands, and started digging into it to determine which parts I needed to order in addition to the already alarmingly large pile of components Amazon et al. has delivered to my door. Here is my list so far:

• GAP IID Tool
• Brake Light Switch
• Brake Light Bulbs
• Shifter Linkage
• OEM 18" Wheels from the classifieds
• Transmission Pan Upgrade Kit
• Mechatronic Sleeve
• Transmission, Transfer Case, and Diff Fluid
• Brake Rotors, Pads, and Speed Sensors
• OE Style Lug Nuts
• Falken Wildpeak AT3W Tires (265/65R18)
• Stabilizer Links
• Front and Rear Sway Bushings
• Front Lower Control Arms
• New Battery (old one is gonzo...)

I am keeping track of my project here: Google Sheet

Next Steps

I have found more rust than I initially anticipated now that I have the LR3 on jack stands and have removed those awful aftermarket wheels. Here are some pictures, not including the front diff housing, which is the most rusted part of the entire vehicle.






This coming weekend I intend to do the following:

1. Check the condition of the ball joints and tie rods.
2. Remove the brake rotors, calipers, lower control arms, and possibly wheel hubs.
3. Disconnect CV axles, front driveshaft, and drop the front diff.
4. Figure out how I want to correct the rust issue.

I look forward to associating with all of you. Cheers!

 

Might want to pick up sawzall blades for the lower control arm bolts. 24 tpi blades work very well. This is if the bolts are rusted to the bushing sleeve.

Good luck with the project and enjoy

 

Thanks! Got them out after much hammering, twisting, and prying. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get the front driver's side cv axle out. After reading online it seems I need to put tension on the big cup-like housing at the diff, then lever it out with hammer taps. I just got all clean, so I'll try it tonight or tomorrow.

Looking at the dates on my control arms, they are original to the vehicle. I might just change out the uppers too. I can see my expenses for this project mounting more quickly than I anticipated, but at least if I replace everything at once I'll only have to get it aligned once. I think I've paid to have alignments done on my 335i three times in three years as Ive slowly swapped out suspension components to save on splurging all at once. Should've just done that all at once too.

 

Nice truck, matches the WSM22" pretty well!

 

Nice project, congratulations.

 

Good eye! I just threw a brisket on the WSM in preparation for a long day of wrenching! Any of y'all in the neighborhood should stop by for some burnt ends tonight!



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Looks like there's a certain someone, already present, who would be more than willing...to help you devour that.

 

I was hoping to make more progress today than I did, but the lawn needed mowing and I wanted to spend some time with my kids. I got the control arms and axles out from both sides on the front, and made a huge mess doing it. I think the first corner (front driver's side) took the longest due to figuring out the best way to remove the ball joints and knuckle. I also made the mistake of removing the wheels prior to loosening the axle nuts. I had no idea those suckers were torqued so tight. I ended up putting the wheel back on so I could use a service ramp to chock it and stop the hub from spinning. Then I slipped a 36" cheater bar over my breaker bar to finally pop the nut off. It made a sound like a .22 rifle when it finally moved.

I wish I would have been able to drop the front diff today, but it's alright. I'll do it tomorrow. Here are some pics from today's work.


Just removing stuff for cleaning and in preparation for rust conversion and painting.

Pulled off everything but the tie rods.

The front diff is uniformly rusted, which is why I want to remove and resurface it.

These are the parts I'm cleaning up and keeping. The wheel hubs need cleaning, but the bearings are good, as are the CV axles. New upper and lower control arms, rotors, and pads incoming.

I should go out in the garage and drop the front diff now, but I got cleaned up for dinner and am going to watch a movie with my family instead. The brisket was solid and hit the spot.

 

I took Sunday off and dropped the front diff today after work. It took about two hours longer than it should have because I couldn't figure out how to get an 18mm wrench on the driver's side upper sway bushing nut and turn it. I didn't have a shorty socket in that size, so I wasted a ton of time fiddling with both the nut itself and trying to work around it to unbolt the front driveshaft.

The stupid pills I evidently took this morning finally wore off and I undid the three big bolts at the rear of the diff mount and jacked the diff up enough to create clearance and allow me to pull the mount away on the bushing the millimeter I needed to slip a socket over the nut and get it off. After that undoing the E10 driveshaft bolts was easy, as was dropping the diff. Here it is in all its rusty, crusty glory.



Next step is to clean up all bolts, nuts, and washers to see which to reuse and which to replace. I need to figure out the pitch on some of the bigger (M12+) ones so I can pick up a tap and die to fit them. My set only goes up to M10.

Then it's on to tape off stuff, wire brush, rust convert, paint, and Cosmoline spray the frame as best I can. I'm debating whether to drop the exhaust from the cats back for better coverage. But then I'd be tempted to take it to a muffler shop and cut off the big turtle shell resonator.

Has anybody noticed adverse effects from getting rid of the floppy resonant dampener ballast things behind the front bumper? The vehicle's heavy enough as it is, and I think I'm going to remove them.

 

You can paint brush on POR-15