Late 1970's Santana Series 3. Are these below parts the same as Solihul trucks or are they Santana-specific? Pics/part numbers/sources would be appreciated.

Part 1.

Bottom side of steering column, is there supposed to be a cover over fuse box? I keep gashing my knee open getting in the truck.




Part 2.

Rear swing door check strap is missing. What pieces do I need? Is there a rod of some sort that goes into the cylinder on the floor? Is there then a bracket that should be on the door?

 

seems to be Santana specific. Looks like you’re missing the strap and bracket that mounts to the door. There should be a rubber bumper for the strap in that housing on the floor. I know Santana parts are hard to come by so might need to look at a series or defender option if your door can accommodate them.

 

Thanks for the response and the pic. I stopped by Pangolin a couple of days ago but hadn't gotten back to update this post yet. Ike at Pangolin told me that the door check mechanism was "for a Series 1 front door" and showed me a couple of examples in his vast collection of LRs. That barrel part is indeed the same as what was used in Series 1 front doors as a check, but the front rod (missing from mine) in the front doors has an arc in it that barely fits in the barrel, but allows the door to swing correctly. He did not believe that part would have been used on the rear door at Santana... but your posted pic and at least a dozen other examples I have seen all contradict this... it seems this was indeed a stock setup on Santana rear doors for quite a number of years. Having said that, and agreeing that finding parts (like the rod and door bracket I am missing) is a pretty tall order, I'm going to use this door check kit from Kentrol that they sell for Jeeps. For the full loop side, I can hit the side of the wheel arch and back it up with a couple of fender washers to give it some strength. And on the door side, there is room in the door frame (near where the original Santana bracket appears to have gone) to use a couple of PEM nuts to bolt up the piece that looks like a gate latch... facing up. That will give me a good check system and the 'gate latch' end allows me to slide the nylon loop completely off if I want to remove the door or open it further. The nylon straps themselves have multiple loops so you can define the opening distance. Just waiting on parts... we'll see how it works.




As for the fuse panel, Ike also indicated this was not a Solihul thing, but he didn't have a Series 3 nearby to show me. He indicated that the plastic cover itself appeared to be the same... just without the hole for the fuses. I asked him where the fuse panel would be on a Solihul model, but he got distracted, so... no answer for me there.

Anyway, thanks again for the reply and the pic. Next time I'm on that side of town, I'll swing by Pangolin and show him the pic you provided.

 

Parts to make my rear door check came today. It took about 20 minutes to install.

First, drill holes in door frame and add PEM nuts.



Next, install the 'slip' bracket.



Then, locate other end, drill and install PEM nuts for the fixed piece.



Slip check strap over fixed end, put a couple of drops of blue Loctite on the screws and tighten it down. Then slip the other end of the check strap over the other end. Here it is in the wide open position (but doesn’t swing so far as to whack the taillights).



And here it is adjusted in one step so the door opens to a 90.




This kit was for Jeep front doors, so came with parts to do 2 doors. I have one set left if anyone is interested in doing this on your LR. Please PM if interested.