You've done well with the seatbelt caps! I cracked two of mine, and when I mentioned this on here Leolito said they almost always go.

I'll be looking forward to pics! I did this with a Defender headlining about a year ago. On the plus side, that's in 3 parts, on the downside it has a more awkward curve to the sides, and round the roof windows. The P38 is just 'big' - but seems to me to have fewer awkward shapes.

I sympathise with your 'willing assistant' comments! :-) My wife and son helped with the Defender roof, now he's away and it would be just the two of us. She decided that 'we' wouldn't be doing the P38 lining for the time being...!

So - be sure and post your successful pictures here!

^^ I've been told - though I've never seen them, or looked into it, so this could be a pile of pants - that there is a difference between a thread tap, and a thread 'cleaner' or chaser.....? As I understand it, a tap is sized to cut, and the chaser simply to clean.

I know I have often taken the 'old' stud, or bolt or whatever; stuck it into the vice; and cut a couple of angled slots into the thread with a hacksaw. I'll then run that up/down a male thread, or in/out a female one to clean it up.

Don't know if that would work here?

Thanks guys. Like I said, no ARP stock of this kit in the UK. The guys I spoke to reckon they would be supplied by surface mail and take 5/6 weeks. However, the summit racing site linked by JLImmelman suggests they can get them to the UK for £190 (cost) + £50 shipping.. I'll ping them an email and see what shipping method and timescale that equates to - and I totally agree - I only want to do this once.

So I'll obviously do an oil and belts/plugs service while I'm doing this. Is there anything else that makes sense? I've seen some mention of doing the coils, but also a comment that the Bosch originals may be better than any modern replacements. Will I need to prepare for coolant hoses? Anything else?

(Bear in mind that my most recent experience - for the last 20 years - has been with a diesel 300Tdi)

Ta

FWIW when I did my Defender roof, the fabric supplier were keen on a particular brand which I couldn't get. I went to a local industrial supplier and found something suitable there. I think, as long as it's a High Temperature spray adhesive it will be fine. I think mine was by Everbuild, or something like that.

If it helps I can take some pics and post them later. I have similar shipping issues to deal with being based in the 'Highlands' - which according to any first year Geography student is on the UK mainland; but which according to any basic courier company is 'offshore' somewhere, across a mythical and distant sea. A right PITA.

Another place to add to the ever-expanding list, thanks.

Pierre3 wrote:

Hi, I was thinking about taking down the roof panel today, to retrim the headlining.

I know that people have said to remove the A-pillar trim and the D-pillar trim [which I assume is the pillar beside the back doors, but do I need to remove the rear trim panels beside the upper rear glass door ?

If this is the case does that mean stripping out the boot panels that run under the rear side windows, behind the rear seats ? I have had these trim panel out before, when looking to sort out the usual rear door water leak into the spare wheel well.

It does look like there is quite a bit more disassembling than I expected.

If I am correct, having had a good look in the car I need to do the following:
[1] remove all the grab handles and surrounds [already done];
[2] remove all the reading lights [already done];
[3] remove the front courtesy light fitting [already done];
[4] remove the sunvisors [already done];
[5] remove the alarm sensor; Yes - needs done
[6] remove the A-pillar trims; Yes - needs done
[7] remove the D-pillar trims; Yes - needs done ( I think the two fir-trees you're mentioning below are there)
[8] remove the rear glass door side trims; not sure what you're describing here, but probably a 'yes'
[9] drop down the front door seals; Yes - needs done
[10 drop down the rear door seals; yes - needs done
[11] drop down the rear glass dor seal - yes, needs done

There's an extra one in here - remove the 'finishing strip' from the roof panel around the sunroof. If you leave this and the two fir trees until last, it should stay up there until the last moment when you're ready for it. Edited to say that you need to take the trim off the B and C pillars too.

[12] take out the roof panel.

I saw that it was mentioned at one point to remove 2x fir tree fasteners at the back of the roof panel but I don't have any fastenings in my headlining, unless they are under the headlining material. In which case, I don't see how I could possible put the back after the panel has been re-upholstered as any holes would be covered over. (( The panel itself will have a hole in it - just put a new hole through the new lining ))

Maybe someone could perhaps just tick off the items above to ensure that I have everything listed before I start, and before I find that there is something odd that I have missed, and will prevent me from removing the panel.

Pierre3.

THis is what you want to be left with... the roof lining is down in this pic, but still in the car.

Thanks very much - that's a fabulous set of photos. You can be sure I'll have a good look through them. (Edited to say I have had a good look through them, and will likely do so again as I make my way through the job - appreciate that share.)

Turners are supplying a set of Elring gaskets, and they also highlighted that the kit didn't contain ERR6621, so I had a chance to add that to the order. They rebuilt my 300Tdi engine, so I have good experiences there.

ARP studs - hmm. OK. I'll maybe need to rethink that one. In that "time vs cost vs peace of mind vs having to take it apart again" equation, the price difference isn't too bad.

Thanks Gd,
I've got the valley gasket 'kit' on the way from Turner engineering, along with their head bolts. I had a look at the ARP ones, and called them, but no UK stock currently so they'd need to come from the States. £227 before we'd started considering any add-ons. Hopefully Turners will be OK with the ones they supply.

Back onto the topic of my EAS - I've been searching without success for another post of yours where (I think) you recommended a specific manufacturer/supplier of 6mm push-fit air fittings. I'm going to try a new collet and O rings for the leaky reservoir pipe on the valve block, and maybe a new length of pipe. There's lots readily available but I seem to remember there was a question of quality and reliability? (Edited to say that I found the post I was looking for - RS Components - had to dig back to 2019!)

Hear hear! Very glad I found my way here, and for the welcome I got when I arrived.

JLImmelman wrote:

We took Rachel for a nice Sunday afternoon drive over a local gravel pass. Total distance covered was around 250km with around 50km being gravel road.
Fun outing!

Hi JL - I'm only slightly jealous - that looks fabulous. What part of the world are you in?

Martyuk wrote:

donmacn wrote:

Dropped another 4.5L of ATF out of my gearbox after letting it sit for another week... think that's about 9L that's come out now. I think I'll need to go any buy another 5L of ATF before I fill it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in another part of the car.... I think I saw a post recently about the availability of Marty/Sloth's RF key fob filters, but they're showing as 'out of stock' on the website. Can anyone remember that post, or know what the latest is? I have the trim panel off, so I thought I might as well 'future proof' the car and fit one.

We are currently out of stock on them. I am out of the country still with work, and I think Nick is hoping to try and get some filters made in the near future, but we have been waiting on boards and components and he also works full-time, so it's a bit of a juggling act.

We will definitely make more of them, but can't commit to a timeframe at the moment, sorry!

Hi Marty - thanks for picking up on that. No worries - the rest of life is more important! I'll put it back the way it is and wait for them to become available. It's not hard to get to anyway.

Thanks very much for the replies guys - consensus emerging here?

Mine is a Thor engine - not many pics of that really as it has only done 78125mls, and I've been focussing more on transmission, suspension, and keeping the water out! (when it's on the road) it wobbles like a jelly at the back. Shockers probably doing nothing, and the driver's rear airspring is leaking so those are the parts coming in the mail this week. Discovering a coolant leak, and realising I should consider the head gaskets is a real bonus...!?

I had thought I would get the transmission/suspension stuff sorted, then take lots of pics of the engine and see what folk thought I should tackle next but that plan seems to have been radically transformed!

I now remember that I have done a cylinder head before - with a mate's help, putting a 'stage 3 racing head' and 'fast road' camshaft onto an A series mini engine - but that was waaaay back in 1991 and these days I can barely remember what I did last week! Still, I now have a better garage; more experience; better tools; a workshop manual ... and the internet. What could possibly go wrong!

Which leads me on to ask: I can buy a decent gasket set - Turner Engineering, Island4x4, LR direct - whoever seems to have the best balance of quality and price at the time. But - if you guys were doing this again, with your experiences, what other stuff might you do as you go along, or which parts would you organise in advance, knowing that they were either likely to be needed, or sensible to do at that time?

Genuinely appreciate the help. It adds so much depth and support to what's written in the pages of the WSM.

Thanks very much Brian - a detailed pic, highlighted like that is really useful. Makes a lot more sense now - I had been wondering about the exact nature of the coolant channels through the heads and manifold, and now I know!

I've been reading and googling and there's a "worm hole" opening up here..... I've seen a comment about 'doing the cylinder head gaskets while you're that far into it'. Especially as I'd certainly plan to do the rocker cover gaskets. I'll take some more pics myself, but in looking at the car this morning there were a couple of bits where I did begin to wonder if the LH/NS head gasket was suspect.

I've never taken a cylinder head off, but there's a first time for everything. I'll take and post some more pics for advice though before commiting to something like that.

Another mile on my pilgrimage to the font of P38 knowledge...!

My offering today is that I managed to replace the transfer box oil all by myself! 2.2L out - looking pretty black I may say; 2.3 odd L in. No great drama there - except that it initially drained faster than I expected, and missed the collecting bowl..! More floor cleaning.

Then to examine the coolant leak. Pulled the inspection plate off - a little 'grimy' but as it's possibly been there for 20 years, I wouldn't say it was excessive.

Certainly no sign of water or corrosion in there.

The core plugs on the OS of the block look pretty good too.

This is the worst one - on the NS - most exposed to road spray, but you can see the one next to it, which is more sheltered, is pretty good.

So I'm assuming the ones inside the bellhousing are going to be OK, and the leak isn't coming from there (yay!).

I cleaned the area up and because I'd had the engine running a little to power up the EAS compressor, I could then see a little pink leak trace down the outside of the bellhousing.

Very hard to get a look in behind the top of the engine - all this really tells me is that this rocker gasket is leaking...

Maybe more signs of dried up, pink coolant here. The green line is my best guesstimate for the path of the leak - which I hope points to the valley gasket...?

Off to delve into the WSM with a stiff drink.

oh... and my EAS collet/O ring re-seating didn't work....

Thanks very much Gd,
I did in fact use an approved crochet hook! I also trimmed a smidge off the pipe, smoothed the end and stuck it back in - but I did just have to re-use the O rings. They were new in at Christmas anyway when I rebuilt the block with an X8R kit. I'll see how it goes tomorrow. The collet itslf is maybe past its best, but fingers crossed.

I tried to have a good look for the source or path of the coolant, but it's hard to get a clear view. Because the engine sits at an angle in the car, I thought a gasket for the water pump might have gone, and the leak was just running down to the lip of the engine sump, but I can't see any sign of that. I'll get back underneath tomorrow and have another good look, and remove that inspection plate and see what it's like in there.

Neither the valley gasket, or core plugs sound like things to fill me with joy, but a gasket sounds a lot better than dropping the gearbox out... I assume that would be needed to tackle the core plugs? It would be a shame if it was something like that, as the car has only done 78,000 miles.

Hey ho. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Ah well, definitely another uppy/downy day today.... and that was just the EAS!

On the up side, I got the gearbox refilled. I'd made a mistake somewhere here about how much AFT came out. I think I got about 5.9L out of it, and about 6.1L in - happy enough with that, though 'note to self', park car with exhausts to the door next time I do that.

In the 'new tradition' I also dismantled the old filter - nothing too scary in there. Some small gritty stuff, but no chunks. Once settled, the drained oil had the usual fine metallic paste in it, but I believe that's nothing much to worry about.

Then on the down side, I heard a hissing from the EAS box area, sprayed on some soapy water and noticed that this pipe/collet was leaking :-( I pulled it out, reseated the O rings and tidied up the pipe end. Haven't tried it yet - that's a job for tomorrow.

And now the biggest downer - I posted a similar pic above - but I investigated these drops while I was under the car. This is very definitely coolant not ATF, and quite a quick leak too. If it's wiped away, the drops reappear pretty quickly.

It 'looks' like it's coming from the bellhousing. Is there anywhere in there for a coolant pipe or seal to leak? Or, it could be coming from elsewhere and just running down there. I put a little over a litre of coolant into the expansion tank to bring it up to level.

So, off to open a bottle of wine and study the workshop manual......

(Defender behaved itself today...!)

Dropped another 4.5L of ATF out of my gearbox after letting it sit for another week... think that's about 9L that's come out now. I think I'll need to go any buy another 5L of ATF before I fill it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in another part of the car.... I think I saw a post recently about the availability of Marty/Sloth's RF key fob filters, but they're showing as 'out of stock' on the website. Can anyone remember that post, or know what the latest is? I have the trim panel off, so I thought I might as well 'future proof' the car and fit one.

Thanks gents - I'll speak to the insurance company first and see what they say. It hadn't occurred to me that a 'manufacturing issue' like the bonding might be covered.

I took mine out a couple of months ago - still out!

As David says, the post trims and door rubbers are the thing. There's a good video somewhere that I watched first - on one of the other forums, but accessible to non-members. It might have been landyzone... which I joined once, but left quickly because of the high proportion of (apparently) 5 year old contributors!

Anyway, the video is pretty good, and highlights leaving the rear pillar trims and clips in until last, to give you room to work; and I think fully reclining the front seats to allow the lining to lie down on top of them.

Even when it's completely loose, it's still not the easiest thing to get out of the back of the car. You'll need a fair bit of space behind the vehicle to pull it out.

Hey guys,

I have some windscreen woes - which I'd put up earlier on the thread where I try and loosely document progress/issues: P38 ups and downs

But I now have more specific questions about windscreen removal/refit and I thought it would be better to put them here for others' future reference.

Basically, my original windscreen has unbonded itself down the passenger side and a little way along the top. I have removed all the trims and the windscreen itself is completely 'exposed'. However, no-one in my town wants to come and do a 'homer'. I spoke to a guy at one of the bigger chains today, and they get sacked if anyone finds out....

I'm also an idiot - I'm morally against the principle and waste of just putting a stone through it and calling my insurance company. Hell, part of the rationale of running a 20 y/o car is to keep as much of it as possible - even the windscreen. Even if I do all this, and then get a stone chip/crack next month, I'll girn, but my conscience would be clean.

The workshop manual has some detailed instructions on windscreen removal/replacement (how to prep the old sealant, bead widths and location etc etc) so I'm leaning towards doing this myself. I have a wire saw; I have two or three suction handles; the car is under cover in a garage so there's no weather stress, and so on. I have access to a more-or-less willing assistant.... Someone, somewhere linked to a neat looking 90' blade on a handle, with a pull chain, which looks like it would make a neater job than a wire saw, and I'd be tempted to get one of them to avoid the potential for murdering the trim along the inside bottom of the windscreen (unless this comes out?).

Which leads me to the questions - has anyone done this themselves and got any learning points they picked up?

Does that soft-looking interior trim (front of dash/bottom of windscreen) come out?

On replacement would you just rest the screen on the two tabs highlighted in the pic below, and just lay it down backwards into place?

How heavy is this thing?

Anything else I haven't thought of?

Finally - my instinct is to do this 'properly' i.e. to remove it, and replace, that way you know it's all good. However, it's clearly an awkward job and much of the original bonding - let's say 75% - seems OK. Obviously I've no way of knowing how long it will stay that way, but it could be a long time. Is there any mileage in just thoroughly cleaning up what's there, and running an additional bead of sealant alongside the lengths where the original has failed?

Many thanks!