Dunno what the actual breed of my so called OEM one was but its only lasted about 3 years. Still just holding the lid up but the slightest knock takes it down. Judging by the relative prices its gotta be genuine LR all the way.

Clive

Gilbertd

I figured another £1,000 (ish) to get one ready for UK roads and UK climate. Tyres, air springs, brake flexi hoses, other rubbery suspects and speedo. Radio not an issue for me as I'd do the tablet in the dash mod. Everything coming undone as it should being a major attraction when doing work.
This last episode of back trouble (still on stand up jobs and light duties after three weeks) has made me seriously think about how much under car and similar work I should do in future. Still having problems coming to terms with 63 not being the new 23.

I'm sure I can unload the Bristol project for rather more than enough to cover the expense so pretty cost neutral in the end.

Clive

Hard to tell as the lighting in the photos is all over the place. Probably smartphone not camera pictures. But some of the wood, especially on the centre console, does look more like cheap hydrodip rather than proper RR stuff.

I see that there are some repatriated Japanese cars on E-Bay at the moment. Generally £7,000 ± a bit. Often wondered if such are an acceptable way to get a low mileage, un-got at, car without UK climate damage issues. A bit expensive compared to getting a potentially good one nice again but if it gets you 50,000 + miles purely on a normal service schedule a £1,000 premium may be worth it.

My only knowledge of Japanese imports is on the motorcycle side back in the day when it was a fashionable way to get some of the harder to find and unique models. Folks usually found it turned in to a nightmare once the new to me bling had worn off. Nothing that I ever wanted to touch with a barge, let alone the pole!

Clive

P38 Range
Nice to know that I'm not going to have any pressure problems when I'm finally fit enough to the job. Looking like next year as I did my back good and proper this time. Spasmed and tore things inside the muscles. Just thankful that it didn't do a disk in.

Gilbertd
That BRC LPG set up the guy at Horsham had was a neatly done installation and he was selling everything manifold, wiring et al all hooked up. About 8 years old tho' so of no interest to me. He said he'd had same on a P38 before and it all went well. Not that worried about selling it due to considering going back to a P38 from an L322 TD6 should the right deals come up.

Clive

Need to play around with windows, and sunroof, opening to kill the low pressure area inside car that sucks the exhaust in and establish airflow through the vehicle and out the back. Was told that back windows down an inch or two increases airflow through car without making lots of noise. Maybe something similar will do the deed here. Windows wide open probably won't work as, despite the "mocked up with Lego bricks" appearance, the P38 does have some aerodynamic subtleties to ensure that opening a widow whilst driving isn't instant hurricane inside so airflow is limited.

Clive

Gilbertd wrote:

Run, at £400 anyway, you could buy new for not much more (and something a little more user friendly than BRC). <

About what I thought. New tank and gas lines being pretty much given unless it were only a year or three old. But if all the rest was quality kit and properly installed it looked to be saving a fair bit of work with all the pesky details needed to get an install right. So much easier to modify out the "cable-tie" level stuff on an existing install than do a clean sheet of paper one myself. But if its just another so-so set-up the effort isn't worth it.

Clive

Bought the Laser Tools bush removal and replacement kit as I didn't want to mess around making the bits.

Guess what.

No tapered installation compressor and no mention of one being needed. Just squeeze it straight in according to the Ikea style picture instructions. Great! So I'm still in for making one once I find out what the proper taper sizes are. Be surprised if you can get much more than 6 ton force out of the dinky threaded rod through the middle. Says threaded rod and nuts are a consumable part. Yeah about one per bush I reckon.

Not that any car stuff is going to get done this month as I put my back out (again) last Wednesday making up the guest bed. Standing around at a machine sort of OK from Monday, sitting up still not good but off to Horsham tomorrow to pick up my air tank and see if the man still has a badge for Mark and will part with it sans tailgate. Says he has a BRC gas set-up from a P38 for under £400. Grab, look over careful like or run?

Clive

Got your PM Mark. I've messaged the guy at Horsham about picking up that suspension air tank, we will see if he replies.

Clive

Is this the guy at Horsham breaking one with LPG? Not silly far away from me so was contemplating ambling over to see if that suspension air tank is still for sale and, maybe, take a look at the LPG system. If so I'm sure I have kit here to get the badge off without killing the tailgate. Wrong colour for me too, not that I need a tailgate.

Clive

The big red beast, a model year 2000 4.0 HSE, has gotten especially "lumpy" in roll over the past year or so. Particularly noticeable over nearside humps and hollows. Initial suspension movement seems a little too free then the dampers seem to catch up with a soft but sharp bump settling into a smooth but over damped feel. Currently just over 88,000 miles on the clock so I guess its suspension parts getting old. But which ones?

First noticed a couple of years back primarily appearing to be back end sway related. New OEM Panhard rod bushes in the Land Rover pack toned it down for a bit but obviously not a full cure. OEM Boge shockers went on this year as Mr MoT man was getting antsy. Seemed to do the trick and toned things down considerably but a couple of thousand miles down the line problem is back to seriously annoying again. Plan A for next step is to blitz all the other suspension bushes in one or two goes. Does this sound reasonable? Are there any unexpected issues with getting things out and undone. My usual practice is to replace all the bolts when doing this sort of job so if the quick, easy and effective way is "just destroy the nuts and hit it" thats fine by me. Recommendations for OEM quality bushes? I usually mail order from BritCar. No particular reason, just habit from when they were the only folk who had it all in stock for a job some time back.

I have the Laser Tools P38 specific bush fitting kit, a 12 ton press in the workshop and one of those Chinee universal bush removal kits so should be no tooling issues. Bought the Chinee kit primarily for the sleeves. Saves the mucking around looking for big sockets or making something up. Two decent lathes in the shop so making is no great problem but finding the material can be. Classic 10 minute job that takes an hour too.

I've contemplated getting a second set of suspension parts to re-bush and, where appropriate, re-paint at my leisure. Worth it or not? My MoT man is pretty good and only 50 yards round the corner so I can drop it off and walk home but has a thing about advisories. Especially paint and surface rust underneath so the occasional bit of re-decoration keeps him happy.

Anything else to be done whilst its all hanging loose. Recent airbags so no issues there. Maybe fit re-con prop shafts or at least change the UJ's given the miles. I figure that by 100,000 miles we will be in the zone where replacement should be expected so its not overly early.

Clive

Oh lor. Does this mean I have to get braces before I can do mine.

Braces really don't go with the proper Rohan Bags experience y'know.

Clive

Did mine with everything in situ. And bonnet at normal opening height 'cos nobody had told me that a P38 opens extra wide just like a Full Fatty does.

Having size 6 hands helps.

Jury out on the verbal encouragement. But it made ME feel better!

Clive

Sounds like temperature sensor issue to me. When a P38 decides to properly overheat they boil up in short order.

If its full of water, got proper circulation and has the fans running full time it ought to be pretty much physically impossible to overheat. Maybe point a IR temperature sensor gun at the top water outlet.

Frankly on a car of that age I'd change the sensors as a matter of course when doing such extensive work. If you are still on the original ones they are 20 years old which isn't a bad innings.

Clive

P38 plus LPG means a double helping of bollox from folk who don't know what they are talking about.
Still mumbling about conversion for mine, or, more likely getting on with Plan A (next year) which is proper "car to keep" rebuild on higher spec than my HSE including all new LPG. Unfortunately closest LPG to me is 15 miles or so away and retired guy doesn't get out much.

Clive

Callrova is my kind of guy. Does a proper job and willing to go the extra mile to verify that everything is working properly rather than just fixing the "simple" fault. I was very pleased with the service and results when I went to see him. Superficially simple issue flagging up ageing components in the BECM. Given the age of everything on our cars a proper health check is probably good idea.

Unpretentious cafe down the road was pretty decent and not expensive when I went.

Only 25 miles to Brighton for me so hardly an expensive trip in my case.

Seeing the SAAB 9-5s on dazer2000's car list reminds me there is a set of suspension poly bushes for a 9-5 and maybe a few other odd bits hanging round the workshop. Free to a good home.

Clive

Thanks for the information. Another one for the winter projects list.

Clive

Glad its all working well for you. Which one did you buy? Contemplating fitting one to my HSE (no DSP to worry about!) but retired defeated from the sheer apparent choice out there.

Clive

I use red rubber grease. Mainly 'cos I bought a tin of Castrol about 40 years ago and it seem a shame not to use it up!

Silicone oils are good but possibly a bit too slippery in some places. Had some bad experiences with (other folks!) inappropriate use. Its the very devil to get rid of it completely when its got in the wrong places.

Clive

Another cat hater here.

Went for a Lynx because it could also be unlocked for an early L322 should her ladyship get real problems with hers. The "made by Omitec who did test book" billing seemed re-assuring despite the Britpart label and implied that promises of function upgrades down the line would be met. Both brain cells resting hard at purchase time. Had I thought I'd have realised that no way would Omitec be allowed to use Land Rover Testbook code or data so underneath its just another reverse engineered hack. Turns out that Omitec now isn't, in real terms, owt to do with Omitec then.

As Marty says interface is crap. It does do what it says it does but ofttimes thats rather less than you expected. One or two gotchas that can really have you thinking before you figure the way out. One crash landing too. Using the transport height setting to help deflate the EAS is not safe as it can lock the car into transport setting so it won't come back up. Found out that the hard way and had to make up a lead for the free EASUnlock to get it unlocked.

No technical help available. Britpart won't answer, Marty must have upset them, and Omintec can't be got hold of. One trivial upgrade and now its abandonware. The bluetooth enabled module for tablet use is the new great thing.

I've seen the light and bought a Nanocom. Lynx will probably go for landfill eventually.

Clive

If you have mains electricity where you are working might well be worth investing in one of the inexpensive electric impact wrenches. Mine was around £50 from Lidl. Magic. Bought it to do the rear dampers on mine after an investigation last year with a 2 ft breaker bar showed that the top bolts were going to be stubborn. Put the impact wrench on the left hand side, pulled the trigger and the bolt shifted so easily I thought the socket had jumped off. Just as easy t'other side. Only downside is that its a bit bulky so might not be able to get onto everything underneath.

Darn sight better than the windy one I have in the workshop.

Beat the hell out of arranging supports for the long extensions so I could go postal with my super breaker bar. Short 3/4 extension welded to a 5 ft scaffold pole, with a joiner piece for another 5 ft of pole when things get serious.

Clive