Art with shocking things is to get something really solid underneath so nothing bounces and plenty of hand speed on a heavy hammer for a really sharp rap. Thump away all day with big swings with too light a hitter and get nowhere. Although theoretically the energy is the same half of it seems to bounce back.

Those C shape extractors look the part but are very weak. That spindly screw tend to run ways from under the load. Once you have a bend on it its doing 3/8 of nothing at all. Hope you've left it under tension as overnight temperature changes might just let it pop out.

If I have to do mine a copy of the hydraulic Sykes Picavant tool : https://www.chrometrader.co.uk/sykes-pickavant-18771100-swivel-ball-joint-tool-d2-p38-c-w-press-frame-ram.html will get made tout de suite. Almost £600 drinking vouchers is a joke in bad taste. Especially as I already have a ram, well two actually. Probably nearly as effective to substitute a fat bolt for the ram and put an impact drive on it. I guess the thread will be something like 1 1/2" x 18 so that aint gonna bend!

Clive

Sooo glad I haven't got a sunroof aperture to worry about.

Are braces optional or a vital evidence that the gremlin toll has been paid so the evil critters don't interfere.

Clive

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I shall be getting the lightest grey that Martrim do.

Then I need some sensible weather to actually do the job. Assistance lined up too. Just hafta remember to charge up the digital-cam for factory fold over the edge pictures. Picture guide in the files on t'other place looks helpful too. Thought I'd seen a YouTube but darned if I can find it. Done motorcycle seats before, both factory and reshaped, the headliner material looks much more forgiving to handle although the glue clearly takes no prisoners. Guess the important "easy to forget" detail is arranging suitable support for the material so it lies flat whilst being carefully fed onto the backing board and stuck down. Plan A is to use my motorcycle lift as a walk round bench with the material draped round a suitably supported "broomstick". Bike lift is one of the fancy Souriou air - hydraulic ram ones as per Honda race teams et al and makes for a sweet adjustable bench.

Clive

Interesting. Mine is a model year 2000 HSE with black (Ash Grey) interior, no sunroof if that makes any difference. Far as I know all standard. Says Paint code 696, Trim U on the info panel.
Guess I'd better haunt the local car parks until I see another one to verify colours. Or get Martrim to send me one of their colour card packs.

Clive

Thanks for the information. hafta say that Oatmeal looks way too dark on my computer screen. But comparing colours via computer is less than reliable at the best of times.
Actual colour on mine is about as light a grey as you can get whilst still being grey.

Clive

Just rang Martrim to order a headliner kit and the guy I spoke to wasn't sure as what colour and type of headliner was needed as a direct replacement for standard.

If anyone can remember what you bought for Summer Camp I'd be grateful for details. Otherwise I'll have to send a sample.

Whist I'm getting stuff in are there any "known to break" trim fixings et al that should be bought. Or is it more sensible just to get a complete set?

Thanks

Clive

Mine lasted bit over about 2 years on fill before last. Turned out to be a small leak in the condenser.

Halfrauds did first fill immediately after I got the car, which only lasted a year. Lady from local National Aircon franchise has done the test'n fill thing for me since. Mobile service, comes round in van with all the bits and equipment. Pure serendipity, she was doing one for guy across the road as I came home from the shop so I asked if she could do mine whilst she was in the area. Cheaper than Halfrauds and obviously knew what she was doing. She reckons that Halfrauds underfill big systems. Could be right as the Halfrauds fill only lasted a year but her first try went a little over two. All good since changing the condenser.

Condenser change is pretty easy except for getting those aluminium connections undone. Bitch job from hell that is because the nuts deform when you heave on them and there is bugger all room for a spanner on the right. I needed 3 to get the angles of dangles. Refit was breeze tho' as only final tweak needed a spanner. Couldn't believe how easy it is to get the bumper off. Why aren't all cars done that way? Paid extra for a Hella condenser as it was supposed to be OEM and I didn't want to arse around with things that didn't line up or slot straight in. Some hope. Poxy thing didn't go in right and fixings didn't line up either. Cue nearly an hour pouncing around getting it just so.

Clive

Glad the non return valve worked OK. Don't feel quite so bada bout having 9 more in stock in a Britpart bag.

Clive

I lucked into a set of Land Rover original disks at £10 each a couple of years back. Wallet came out smoking and they went into store. Fitted last year with Mintex pads and the just work. Effective stopping, no noise, no squeals. Do a great job of convincing that the car is over braked as standard (unless you have that 3 ton trailer on the back I guess.)

When it comes to brakes I like the nice warm fuzzy feeling that the folk who make stuff know what they are doing you get when things just work. Which you don't get with EBC and all the other wunderkids on the block. Endless reports of squeals, noise, smell et al on simple "to the book" road car fitments says, to me, that they haven't a clue. Maybe race developed and good on track, but I still wonder.

Surprising how metallurgically sophisticated cast iron brake disks are too. For example http://foundrygate.com/upload/artigos/Cast%20iron%20brake%20discs%20-%20a%20brief%20history%20of%20their%20development%20and%20metallurgy.pdf , crappy print but readable.

Clive

Maximum in cylinder pressure is probably north of 170 psi with new seal and cylinder. Cut-out range is 138 - 152 psi.

Not gonna hold that back with your pinky!

If you've re-built the compressor so piston ring and cylinder are good check that the inlet valve is correctly installed and working properly. Its been known for folk to put the backing reed in wrong way round on this style of valve so pretty much no air gets in. Ooops! Not me but I know a mad who knew lots better and still did. Some good info here :- https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/checking-eas-compressor-and-diaphragm-valve.172555/ . Particularly the bit about valve O ring cross-section. Something you'd not normally think to check.

Clive

Electric impact driver isn't really suitable as general purpose electric screwdriver. Tends to snap the heads off unless you are very careful with the trigger! Combi drills with a torque setting ring are much safer

For vehicle use with sockets I'm impressed by the cheap mains electric ones. Got mine from Lidl for £50 (ish). Bulky but does the deed. First job was the "invisible" rear damper top bolts which came out without a burp. Thought something had sheared. Breaker bar didn't really want to know.

When I had some serious house improvements to do some years back I got Makita 18 Volt and 14 volt Combi drills at very attractive prices. Big boy for drilling, smaller one for screw driving. Much faster thanks swopping drill for driver bit and back again. The big 18 V ones tend to be heavy in the hand when screw driving. NiCAD so battery life issues but they have done me over a decade so can't grumble. In retrospect a 10 volt one for screw driving duties would have been just as good and much lighter. The impact driver companion to the 18 V drill fell into my hands at the right price, "free if you fix it". Pretty impressive in impact mode but you do need to let it rattle for a bit on tight bolts. Shifts wheel nuts in about 5 seconds. In contrast the Lidl electric one only needs about 2 or 3 rattles. Which I think is better.

Were I buying now the Screwfix offer of the latest Makita 18 V Combi Drill / Impact driver pair for £250 seems good value for trade rated brand name tool. Impact driver goes to 140 Nm, 100 ft lb so will handle most things with the hex to square drive adapter. Lotta folks reckon the Erbauer ones are decent at under half the price. Know of one builder guy who just buys a new set every year as being good enough and keeps the old ones as spare. Name brands tend to get nicked! Says they aren't as reliable as the name brands but Screwfix are good at exchanging broken ones in the 2 year warranty period.

Clive

PS My local Lidl have a cordless screwdriver for £20.00 listed next Thursday offers. Looks the bees thingies for putting kitchen cabinets together. Only 5 Nm max output so not really up to major work.

Little better from LRDirect. £76 (ish) each for BritPart. VAT included. Worrying to note that some suppliers charge more for BritPart than others do for OEM.

Sort of thing that makes me contemplate learning metal spinning to make the basic shape out of light alloy sheet. Pressing the raised bit in the middle after making the basic horse-shoe cut out should be easy enough with improvised tooling. Or just use a separate part held by glue and self piercing rivets. That said if you have access to commercial press facilities a light alloy functional substitute should be easy enough to do. Tooling needs aren't very sophisticated. Not going to polish after all so who ares about a few stretch marks.

Clive

If all 3 pumps are the same then why the different part numbers? I've had vehicles through my hands which certainly did have heftier pumps for the rear screen. Which seems logical.

Got a packet of 10 non return valves with proper Range Rover part numbers, but in a blue BritPart bag. Certainly heftier in the valve section than the motor factor generics we get here. Drop me your address and I'll pop one in the post.
Came from LR Direct as they were the only folk showing stock at the time. Only in 10's tho'. So they got the order for everything I wanted that time and I got a stash of non return valves.

Clive

PS Idiot spell check changed Range Rover to range number!

Could also be the one way valve. If that has gone pump may not run long enough to fill the pipe and get water up onto the rear screen.

I'm told that the rear screen pump has more Oomph than a standard screen wash pump. Presumably because of the long pipe and greater lift.

Clive

Got a new rear screen one (DMC10023) in a BritPart box so can't guarantee its accurate to original drawings. But its all plastic and the rubber squishes so should be near enough.

According to my Mitutoyo 200 mm Dial Caliper, which should be accurate enough.

Plastic spigot diameter 17 mm nominal outside diameter, two ridges to locate in the rubber seal 17.9 mm Ø nominal at 6 mm spacing.

Measuring the rubber bush in situ on the pump spigot outside is 21 mm Ø nominal, two location ridges 21.7 mm Ø nominal. Bush has 26 mm nominal by 4 mm deep ring on the end to stop it getting pushed into the tank.

Clive

How old are your plug leads?

Had similar idle shudder issue that took a few thousand miles to finally get bad enough to identify as a failing plug lead when it began to routinely run on 7 1/2 cylinders for the first 100 yards or so on start up. Fine when warm, except for the occasional idle shudder which was edging up towards regular but sometimes from occasional if you see what I mean.

Clive

Hot Damn! They still make 'em. Thought everything had to have a touch screen and computer chip to go on-line these days.

Says handmade on the website so gotta be ££££. Cant say that I care much for the crowded modern dial. Scale rolling through a window like mine is so much more elegant.

See some E-Bay optimist wants £30 for a genuinely battered wooden box. Now if the hefty mounting plate and wing nut adjustable carrier were still inside maybe ...

Clive

Guess brake testing decelerometer tester calibration depends on the breed.

Have a Ferodo badged, but made by Tapley, brake testing meter kicking about the place which reads braking performance as a percentage of G. Scale calibrated LEVEL to 100 in unit increments numbered every 5. Level of course being zero which needs to be set before use.

Darned if I can remember how I ended up with it. One day I might make a mount and give it a try out for interest sake.

Clive

Bitch to find. Look under expansion tank and hoses section F02020 in LRCAT.

No 8 on the picture.

PCH115700 - HOSE ASSEMBLY-EXPANSION TANK COOLANT EXPANSION TANK TO THROTTLE BODY [ (V)XA410482 - ] I think.

Did mine last year and probably spent longer tracking down that damn number than I did doing the job! Obvious when you know where to look.

Clive

If its an "economically made" 3D printed part it won't be up to the job.

Looked into this 3D Printing lark for replication of broken plastic parts last year for other purposes and concluded that the commonly available materials aren't yet strong enough for direct replacement of significantly load bearing moulded parts. Some of the more exotic stuff might do it but, realistically, you'd be looking at re-design to suit the material as well.

Seem to be a few firms springing up offering 3D printing services to Joe & Joanna Public quoting affordable to expensive basic prices but going by the websites they seem to use higher end hobby machines rather than proper pro gear.

Another incentive to get to grips with Fusion 360 and start using the baby CNC.

Clive