Nice indeed ... rare find! For those who want one!

Talking about strange stuff, I've seen one door cards with the mid-speaker (the cloth grill one) surround in chrome (plastic). Unfortunately was not a complete set. Anyone has seen that at all?

Other weird things are the window blinds for rear doors and tailgate. I've seen couple cars for sale with the rear door ones, never the tailgate. We are talking obviously about impossible to find items.

Same as the load retention hooks in the luggage area. From the accessories' catalogue, they look suspiciously similar to the Free1 models ... luckily under the carpet the boot floor has threaded holes you can attach any form of bolt/shackle/hook arrangement.

More about mysterious stuff? :-)

Mentioned somewhere my mistrust and disaffection for OE instruments, geared to provide minimal relief to unwary drivers, and in the case of the P38's ECT, downright scary - having the Nano reach 117 and the needle isn't moving because it moves after 120 is worthy of distateful words for whoever designed it that way.
I always thought of getting some extra info, I reutilized my old Scangauge and fitted it where the front ashtray is, and use it to monitor IAT and ECT more precisely (at least I know better when I am going to blow!), along with fuel calculations for trip computer, VLT, etc. But this is not enough.

I have a battery of old school VDO gauges I was going to fit to my HZJ laying around inutilized, but they barely match the clean shapes of the P38 cockpit, so I decided to settle for a more sober look and just put something small where the rubber mat sits in the dashboard, and just fit up to three gauges. Now is where the fun starts.

1) has anyone ever installed or seen anything installed there? Having the dashboard out (all peeled off, I had a lot of fun with the glue!), I would like to drill and run all cables while everything is accessible. I've noticed the dash center indentation where the mat goes fits fairly well a mini MudPod, which does fit three gauges and has a similar "grain" finish to the top of the dash, ok, but the underside is taken by the ducts of the HeVAC, there is not much room to manouver. Any opinion before I drill carelessly? :-)

2) to minimize the mess but maximize the info I found that the Madman EMS is a nice pretty package, recommend you look at it. Price is hefty, but has a lot of inputs. Unfortunately, the EMS2 is out of production, its black/green dial was perfect to match the rest of the dashboard. The new EMS3 is full color like those Japanese aftermarket radios, but that is what it is. Inputs are VLT, EGT (I guess don't need this on the V8 at the time, unless I go S/C), CLD (Coolant level), ECT (Coolant temp), Oil pressure (or Boost), Oil temp, and up to 2 outputs where via relay you can activate something else, for example the condenser fans.

3) Now, I got all the wiring for the MadMan and I am wondering where to attach myself to. I will run all wires to the engine bay, but leave the EGT disconnected at the time. My plan was to wire:
a) Oil pressure - what to use? there is like no place to fit one around the filter, maybe one of these "sandwitch flanges" that fit in between filter and block?
b) Oil temp - not sure yet usually the suggestion is a plug in the sump, either drilling, or replace the sump plug with one with the sensor. I do not like any of these ideas, so I thought the following: the gearbox cooler has a temp sensor on the side (more on this later), what if I fit one to the engine oil cooler and monitor from there? I am planning to take the gearbox cooler sensor out of my donor Rangie and run it with a tester to see what response it provides ....
c) Coolant temp is fairly easy, I will select the hottest point - I think is the top hose - to have a separate reading from the sensor that feeds the Motronic (and the Nano or the Scangauge in my case). 2 readings is better than one!
d) Coolant level is also easy, I had a mate in Italy done in his D2, using BMW expansion tank with provision for a sensor and a sensor itself, wired accordingly
e) back in the day where every hot day was a dat of terror, I've spliced into the switch for the condenser fans to have the possibility to activate them manually. I will now wire this switch to the MadMan relayed output, to have the gauge directly activate the fans once a worrisome temp is detected.

Since I am not a master in electrics, anyone that wants to throw a suggestion on this ... be welcome - even a "why are you bothering?" but I have already passed that stage :-)))

Will write later about the other auxiliary gauges I am planning ...

They are the same as fitted to trucks but cut to shape. It's these https://www.truckware.co.uk/acatalog/Anti-Spray_Mudflaps_-_Manufactured_by_Clearpass.html

Now you broke the magic lol! I was expecting some fancy unique LRSV item, not a banal truck accessory! Just joking! I will check them out, I already have heavy rubber mudflaps which need to be 'cut to size' but I've not fitted them yet. For a later stage ... thanks!

400k! Wow! Compliments ... then they say P38s are born to due early lol ....

So these mudflaps are the "Spray Stoppers" ... been looking for ages for those to see how they really look like. They seem to be larger and more flexible than the original plastic ones, would be perfect for towing in dirty weather. Wonder if any breaker has a set of those .... :-)

Not quite luck for me ... I've bought stuff from Dave but I am not sure he would pack and ship something as large, flimsy and awkward as the sunroof cassette (that is the right word I was missing). There are a few breakers here with P38s, but might as well wear a mask not to protect from the coronavirus but to perform their usual act of robbery ... buying almost nothing locally.
Guess will have to go with the LR kit (urgh) if I do not find a good aftermarket replacement.

P38 smells like a 90s car, must be something specific in the products and plastics used in the era. I do work with a lot of what you would call "youngtimer classics", and, notwithstanding the various degrees of "dirtness" they come with, they all have a similar aroma. Even more peculiar and distinctive are 80s cars - get into one and sniff to feel nostalgic!
I must say after cleaning the carpets - carpet soap + powerwashing - it has lost that mushy smell, all should do that sooner or later.

Just to refresh this up, how did it go?

I had a similar case with my CD-changer (Alpine), I found one ruined suspension buffer (irreplaceable, pity), then would still not work even with the "CD lens cleaner" (found it! had not seen it in years lol!) ... I took it to a specialized shop and they told me the optics should be replaced, but there is no way they can guarantee the current products (guess where they come from) are as good as the original Alpine components, nor they can guarantee it will work.
Took it out and will sell it for parts somehow, as the mechanical parts are OK.

A note about "new" blend motors - which I am sure most of you know already.
The original Valeo (French ones) have the brand like "etched" in the plastic (wrong word, don't know the right one), whereas the new "original" Valeo ones are Chinese and the brand is just a label glued on top.
The quality differs, and they are not as durable as the others were ... oh well, that's normal for most parts nowadays.
Also, open them up anyway even if new to check them out, I have a couple of cases where the gears were not aligned ...

Cool! Will face that issue when I put the dash back in, hopefully in the next few weeks ...

Today I have written to you guys in this nice place :-)
I have also made the list of my wiring woes and wonders so I will bother with this soon.

Mine is with a fully stripped interior, dash seats plastics and the like, just recently put back the carpets.
As long as the BeCM is plugged in it starts and moves, I've done it a few times around the yard, mainly towing or moving stuff around - who would say, it is a workhorse even with an empty cabin!
I was not aware if would throw an ODO error, I know the instruments sync with the BeCM but I would imagine that happens automatically. Not that I've done much road with all disconnected ...

I have in my stable both auto and manual vehicles ... to each its own. In the sense that some cars are just 'right' with a manual, some with an auto.
For a large 4WD like the P38 I would stick to an automatic, it like it was born to have it ....

Hi, no, you should not be able to move it ... I think it does not reach the end-stop that locks it up in position.
Another option is that the end-stop in the rail is worn to the point that it stays 'up', but not strongly. It should stay up anyway as the motor and the cables are pulled into that position.
Does it rattle when you go around in the 'up' position?

Don't want to hijack the thread .... I know I am giving away a lot of surprises about my beloved a piece at the time (wanted to do it in one go but there is too much to tell, and you guys are opening up too many interesting topics! lool), but I did have a non-functioning sunroof when I bought it .... and I did buy some ebay repair kit which took me 3 days to fit (a lot of peeling and filing and grinding to fix that sh*t) and while it works, I do operate it with great care and dread it will fail again. Plus the frame is missing the end-stops which are not available separately elsewhere (probably disintegrated when the roof failed).
Now my donor rangie has also a non-functioning roof - obviously - and I hope it has a complete frame, want to pull it apart and fix it with ease and then swap them around. Short of getting the +300gbp kit OE from LR, is anyone aware of something of a better quality than the ebay stuff?

Did your ex-Police had some sort of larger mudflaps, possibly rubber, I have seen in some P38s in photos?

Wow now I see in what you were busy! Compliments, it is a fascinating albeit tiring life!!

In my university years (in Italy) by chance made a friend who, being an avid free-climber, had a spot as a rigger in a company supplying local crews for music and entertainment events. Once they were in short supply for a large event (that was Metallica on their 'Load' tour, they had 4 18-wheelers with their own stage - the 'guitar' shaped one) and he called me up in a hurry to ask if I was available ... I was peeling rubber even before he finished the sentence :-)
Long story short, combination of music love and interest and knowledge of stuff (I knew what most of the bands I've worked for would use in terms of stage arrangement, I was very young and dedicated back then), plus my more than average grasp of English - for an Italian lol - and willingness to go to and fro at odd hours gave me almost three amazing years of great enjoyment. I came to really know and appreciate the effort a road crew endures to make a show a great experience for artists and public alike! Plus you get to see the shows for free and sometimes get your local crew t-shirt!
Hope someday will have chance to swap funny stories!
Then I was ... compelled (parents did not appreciate this extravagant lifestyle) to get a "normal" job ... but the joy remains!

If you are forced to stay "home" off the tour I'd be glad to bother you to go through my list of ...issues :-)

:-) did not say it was!
But between that and its TU44 sibling with the dreadful VANOS and the advanced trickery of the ME7.2, I'd stick to the older version of it. In any case, I am not contemplating fitting any of these powerplants ... had a thought, quickly dismissed. Too much hassle (and expense) for too little gain.
We'll open another topic on options to "stimulate" the venerable Rover and give it a little more ooomph

Uh ... how does it miss 4th in the upshift when you have only 4th gears? :-) lol
From what I remember also mine will stick to 4th to very low speeds, try downshifting manually to '3' when dropping the speed and see how it reacts. Actually, try also all the manual selections and sport mode to see if the behavior changes, at least to gather more info.

That is an amazing work ... wow!

I have been following this thread with interest, as seeing the REAL possibility of being able to make an engine swap worthwhile without ... going crazy. Although I do like the old lump, as is a real workhorse, and I hate complex modern engines (I am doing for the third time a crap Audi V6 30V which has driven me nuts over the last 20K km and plan to be rid of it once I am done), for me to fix the 4.6 and give it a little bit more of ooomph would be very expensive, while I could sort out a M62 for much less, or even better an Audi 4.2 which I am fairly familiar with, but I think it don't fit.
But only if the electronics can be sorted out ... so we wait to see :-)
Most likely I guess will stick to the proven old horse ....

As for the suggestion to swap a M62TU out of a L322, I would not really consider it an easy task, not least because uses a Motronic 7.2 vs. the 5.2.1 of the P38. The M62 (non-VANOS) uses a 5.2. That would be my pick, especially considering VANOS' reputation, which equals that of the P38 lol.
Would be a revvier engine, though.... maybe I will stick to S/C one some day :-)

Marty thanks for your reply! I've read about your life (will post there separately!) and no, do not worry you never answered but you don't need to ... now that we are sharing this wonderful grazing ground you can read here my woes, and I'd rather contact you again for specifics and ...goodies :-)

To all: I promise after explaining how I got here, soon to narrate how and why a P38, mine specifically, and my eventful life with my queen so far :-)

lol!
mate you cannot imagine what has been happening in the terrafirma in the past weeks. end of the world nightmare.
two days ago I had a guy in front of me going out with 12 bottles of 1.5lt each of cooking oil. Just how many kilos of french fries you want to make? And 20 packets of 1kg flour? Bread for 10 years?

In any case, what's with all this toilet paper thing? I mean I usually buy bulk (30/40 rolls package) because is cheaper and it has been like 6/7 years I stick to this method, but ... what is going on with that? you expect to live in the toilet lol?