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RMS Regular
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- Thread Starter
- #51
Yep the M46 is a good strong box, but mating it up to a 4x4 transfer box is a bit of a pain.
Anyway, since then I've had another change of plan.
I found some rot in the chassis, so I've given it to a welder fabricator nearby to sort that, he already made a new rear crossmember for it, and is going to replace a section of chassis rail in a few weeks. I've also found a set of ex military Land Rover Series 3 LWB axles which I'm going to get him to weld spring pads on to suit my leaf springs. The gearing is better for what I want, I can actually get spares for them if/when I break them, and I have a huge choice of wheels too.
Nice new crossmember:
The front right end of the chassis is the worst bit by far, presumably because of how it was parked for 25 years. This started out as a pinhole, some poking with a screwdriver later:
I could see a worrying amount of rusty crud inside the box, so got the slitting discs out:
The metal that is there is way too thin for me to be happy with it, so that whole section, 3 or 4 foot long, is going to be made new. Before I build the chassis up I'm going to draw one up with all the necessary brackets etc. so in time I can make a stronger one and get it galvanised - maybe 10 years or so!
The engine choice has also changed. I did want the 2.5tdi VW 5 pot as used in 90s Volvos, but one aim is to have the engine mechanically controlled, I want to be able to wade through deep water in this without worrying about getting a crank sensor wet. Building a manual pump for a 5 cylinder sounds expensive as there aren't many off the shelf parts. The 5 speed box I was hoping to fit to make the most of the extra power and torque is also a lot weaker than the 4 speed, so the extra machining work to make it all fit, not to mention the extra length and weight of adding a cylinder and a gear, for it to be a compromise, seems not worth it. I'm collecting a 2003 Skoda Octavia next week, one that's never been a taxi! It's the ASV engine, 110bhp with the VE pump, so should hopefully be a good candidate for a manual pump conversion. I've got an adapter plate and flywheel from Sweden to fit it to my original gearbox which should make it a neat swap. Just need to strip that car whilst the chassis is away for welding, having to juggle for space at the moment.
The cab is coming on slowly but surely, it had loads of old underseal all over it, that's all gone, most of the rust is chopped out and I've made a start welding in new metal bracing up the front panel, and in the wheelarches/footwells. Floor pans are next, then door shuts and front panel. Then I need to pretty much fabricate new doors, and pick up a cab rear panel I've been offered (It's near Amsterdam though!) and the cab will be about done.
The front panel was rotten so I chopped that out, and the channel which makes up the structure at the front was rotten too, so that came out and was the first bit to be replaced.
New channel in:
Turned it on its roof to get at the underseal and clean it up to see what rust is there:
Not too bad around the back - should be expected as that was all inside in the original body. The front edge of the wheelarches where they meet the floor though, that areas all rotten.
A quick bit of Cardboard Aided Design had these:
Which turned into these:
And now you're pretty much up to date! The next update should be a big one, with chassis welding, donor car stripping, axles to collect and cracking on with the work on the cab, I'm hoping to be at a point soon where I'm starting to actually bolt stuff together...
