Month: July 2021

I not sure that they really needed to be replaced, but they needed to come out…….

This was because there was some surface rust on the bulkhead where they are fitted and a leak into the drivers footwell, the source of which was hidden by the said fittings – well that was the theory.

These are relatively inexpensive parts, so may as well replace them as they have been removed.

Oh! and the brake pipes, these were steel and looking sad, the fittings were also showing signs of corrosion; so these needed to be replaced. The problem here is that they are not all standard UK Land Rover parts, so I had no choice as to buy the correct tools and make my own; another learning curve.

Dodgy brake fitting

The first thing to do was to take everything apart to see what we were dealing with, this went smoothly.

Some surface rust, caught in time, was dealt with, together with a few holes in the bulkhead where screws had once been. Also, some restoration on the pedal towers, these were replaced with new seals to the bulkhead.

I replaced the pipe from the Clutch Master to the join with the Flexi hose from the slave, which had already been replaced.. Luckily this was a standard Land Rover part and ran up along the top of the bulkhead behind the air filter.

The other brake pipes were more bespoke, so it was out with the brake flaring tool. Now, this one one time when it is best to ignore what you see on the internet and ask someone who actually knows. There is various advice online about the flares needed and most of it is wrong. My Land Rover guru friend Darren confirmed that both inner and outer flares were required.

Making the pipes was not difficult once you had the right gear, the flexi hoses were standard, but I got the ones for a vehicle with 2 inch lift, because of the suspension and wheel changes; stainless steel so they will not corrode!

The pipe runs were a different matter as they must have be fitted originally before the engine and steering box went in. Anyway, patience prevails and these were made up and fitted.

The one which was impossible was the pipe that ran from the master down under the steering box, along the front chassis member and around to the nearside front wheel. This was mostly because I could not remove the old one, let alone wiggle a new one into place. So I decided to follow the path of the clutch pipe along the top of the bulkhead and take a different path down to the nearside wheel.

So that is where we are with the brakes.

I have new discs, pads and wheel bearings for the front, as well as the rear disc brake conversion kit for the rear, So I will wait for this work to be done before bleeding the system through and testing.

I will leave the clutch slave for now as I might change the transmission later in the year, but more of that later as well.

Well, there is no room in a Land Rover for a shower, (or a Loo for that matter) so what is the solution?

An Alu-Cab Shower Cube………………of course!

You may recall that I fitted an All-Cab 270 degree awning last year, which is a brilliant piece of kit. I have used it all Winter, keeping me dry when working in the car in all weathers.

Well, the Shower Cube works on a similar principle. It is mounted to the base of the Alu-Cab roof, two aluminium arms fold out and the fabric drops down to form the cube – all in less than 2 minutes.

As I have said before this type of working is all about thinking three steps ahead (at least). I wanted to fit steel a cabinet just inside the rear door of the truck, so the shower cube had to go on now, else I would loose access to fit it.

Bearing in mind that this was during lock down, a search on the internet found and total of “none” for sale. I purchased the main awning from Tuff-Trek and they were showing no stock.

I rang Dara at Tuff Trek to see when stock from South Africa would be available; after a pause I was informed that they one remaining in the warehouse – SOLD.

They also had the Storm Gutter for the 270 Degree Awning in stock. This fits between the rear door and the edge of the Awning and prevents water from falling between the two and running down your neck!

The Cube arrived very quickly and after the debacle of fitting the 270 Awning, I sat down with the instructions – same process so easy? – Well it would have been if they had sent the correct brackets.

Another call to Tuff Trek was disappointing as they had no stock, but would try to source some. I had little hope as I knew that Alu-Cab in South Africa had been shut during the Pandemic. For once good news, Dara called back to say that they had found a set in South Africa and they were on their way. They were with me within 10 days and Tuff Trek arranged to pick up the incorrect brackets – Great Service!

And yes. fitting was easy. With the help of my dad we marked the position of the brackets, avoiding the supporting struts inside the Alu-Cab roof and bolted then into place.

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That done it was a simple matter to attach the Cube to the brackets.

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Then open up the Cube………………….

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The only drawback I guess is that it does not have a roof, not great for using the Loo in the rain, but an Umbrella will serve the purpose.

Note the extra piece of cargo rail slightly lower down for the loo roll and shower gel……what did I say about forward thinking!