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Been a while since I made any updates. I started working on a Jeep Wrangler for my daughter so that has taken most of my time. Thankfully the Disco has been running great. 10K on the rebuilt engine and only a few minor issues to deal with. Changed the oil recently and sent a sample to Blackstone Oil Labs so hopefully I will get another good report. I decided to take a pause on the Jeep to address a few nagging issues on the Rover and begin preparations for an out west trip in the spring. Here's what I have on my list
Steering box leaking and steering is very loose - Complete
Dash is curling - Complete
Headlights are dim - Complete
Tires rubbing on tight turns - Complete
Winch for self recovery - Complete
Gearing is too high for the tire size I have - Researching GBR
Broken rear shock - On order
The steering box was the big item on this list. I didn't want to by a remanufactured or new so I bought a salvage steering box that wasn't leaking and crossed my fingers. Removing the steering box and intermediate steering shaft was pretty easy as was installing the replacement box. Reinstalling the shaft on the splines was a big PIA. I spent hours trying to get this thing back on until I tried some tri-flow and amazingly it slid right on! Got everything torqued down today and tested it out. No leaks and the steering is much tighter. Replacement box Cleaning it up Ready to prep for paint
It was a beast but I got it out.
Cleaned, primed and painted with brake caliper paint. I know it will rust again but I can’t stand putting crappy looking parts back into the disco.
Getting the beast in position it was easier than I thought to get it in mounted It was almost impossible for me to get the intermediate shaft on these splines This is the most amazing lubricant ever! Never would have gotten the intermediate shaft on the splines if not for this stuff!
Also got a few more things knocked off the list. Dashboard repair kit, Smittybilt winch, new lights, 100W Hella headlight bulbs and new Terrafirma spacers all installed. I hate this repair but I couldn't get my glue fix to stay. Spacer installed with blue loctite and torqued to 150lbs.
Front view of wheel with spacer Back view of wheel with spacer New 100W Hellas Probably more noticeable at night but the low beams are definitely whiter than the highs IMO. Winch went in a whole lot easier than I expected.
Steering wheel had been cockeyed ever since I reinstalled the replacement steering box. Additionally, the steering wheel felt like it was slipping when turning. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone by loosening the universal joint & coupling set the steering wheel and re-torque in the bolt. When I went to re-torque the bolt I found that the bolt threads were stripped which probably explains the slippage. Another class 10 8x1.25 bolts with some blue Loctite and I was back in business. I love the easy wins!
Pulling the trigger on remanufactured front and rear diffs with 4.11 gear and a Detroit Truetrac from Great Basin Rover. I talked to Bill and he said the way he sets them up is that they can be installed in about 6 hours by someone with moderate mechanical skills and no specialized tools. Going to put this claim to the test for sure!
Once I get them, I will post on the installation. Stay tuned!
Still waiting on the new diffs. Hopefully get them this coming week. In the mean time I decided to replace the rear shocks as one of them was leaking oil. I was going to install some 1 inch spacers when I realized the abs and brake lines were too tight. Also have 2 pairs of front spacers rather than a pair for the back $&#%%+$&!
Wrong spacers and cables too tight! Out with the old - in with the new. Simple install
02-06-2021, 03:56 PM
2/6 2021 Update
