30 January 2010

30th January - Throttle pedal/turbo pipework

THROTTLE
Pedal now in and using Stu 'Twizzles's' old Disco throttle cable with a slightly modded defender pedal. Cable had to be spaced off the bulkhead with nylon spacers and required a clamping bracket to keep the whole lot secure as per Terri Anne Wakeman's mod at Exhibition LR.



TURBO PIPEWORK
The final section of silicone tube arrived so this, along with a section of 1mm thick wall stainless tube, went on to finish that side of things.

Drained around 1 litre of overfilled engine oil out then I fired it up again. Not that loud with no silencing.....until you hit the throttle ;)




BRAKES
Had a bit of an epiphany yesterday and found that if I route the braided front pipe in the alternative position on the chassis bracket it will reach the piston with some spare. Ideally I wanted to use the brackets that were kindly donated to the cause but this works.

Shuttle valve also bolted down to the offside chassis leg under the bulkhead so all that is left now is pipework and bleeding!

You can just about see them in the vid.

25 January 2010

25th January - Fuel lines tidied/oil cooler secured/temp exhaust on

FUEL SYSTEM
So we have now tidied up the fuel system pipework we mucked about with last week while searching for the source of the air in the system. Selected the aux tank after filling it with 20l of dieso, and once the engine was running it purged immediately. Superb!

Another option turned up for the fuel system return 'problem'. Rob 'Minivin' has suggested a system that he has proven before. Here the IP return is split to both tanks and then enters each tank through a std Series fuel pickup pipe which has been shortened to 1-2". As shown below.


The fuel will look for the path of least resistance so if the returns are kept the same length, then the fuel will  go to the tank with the least fuel. The upside is at least this method reduces both the tank connections required and is easier rig. But, the downside is cross contamination from each type of fuel will then occur?!

So it's better than option 2 but not as effective as the swirl pot or alternatively another military tank selector valve. The latter would be better but I am still undecided.


EXHAUST SYSTEM
Firing the system up last weekend proved how loud the unfettered 200tdi can be. So I decided to do reduce the noise for now, and until I make a firm decision on the what will be finally fitted, I made a temporary exhaust.

The front section was made from the Series petrol downpipe welded to the 300tdi type turbo 3-hole mounting ring (minor mods to clear the LH engine mount). I then cut out the kink at the end then used another modified piece of the exhaust to give an exit just in front of the rear passenger wheel. No silencer either! But marginally quieter than before.

Note we have 1/4" clearance from the front spring shackle and 1/2" under the gbx x-member. Though it might look otherwise from the pics.

It may be planned as a temporary option, but it is tidy? ;)
(Note this section of pipework is only 1/4" smaller than the Disco tube!)



Also noted that when the engine is revved I am getting a lot of grey/unburnt fuel smoke. So maybe someone has tweaked the IP in the past - very possibly?


TURBO/HOSING
So no intercooler (for now) but I needed to sort out the inlet pipework and turbo outlet. Using some 50mm OD bends and a short straight section and a bit of jury rigging (blew off on the first blip of boost) it was good to go. I also used a bit of the old Disco flexible I/C pipework which was well past it's best so another length was ordered and will be here in a few days. I may replace with a complete welded section which would offer a better cooling surface area in lieu of a formal I/C?

The grubby bit of Disco steel pipework is going in the recycling and I have a nice bit of stainless to fit in it's place ;)



If anyone is after good quality turbo hose sections check these guys out. Cheapest I could find and very good quality. Venair-Performance-Silicone-Hoses








19 January 2010

19th Jan - Fuel system?

Following on from the weekend and the IP return air problems a few ideas have come up.

  • A) From 'SimonR' on LR4x4 was the idea of fitting a 'swirl pot'. This would receive both the return fluid and the supply fluid from the tank via a LP pump. The schematic idea below ,while not exactly the same, gives a good idea how such a system would work. Cost here is the pot plus an LP pump - so say around £100?




  • B) Modify the military manual changeover/tank selector valve to dual gang. i.e. fit another 3 port valve behind it to direct the return back to the correct tank (my preferred option if doable).


  • C) A set-up as in the schematic below. No parts cost but the balance/overflow would have to be big enough to cope with the possible situation if the main tank became full (such as during extended idle). the only parts needs are the return pipework to the main tank and the balance/vent pipe between the two.

17 January 2010

17 Jan 2010 - It's a runner!

Saturday was spent fitting the front rad panel in; installing the Smiths heater; sorting the rad connections; priming the cooling system (fixing leaks); and connecting the oil cooler up. All that would leave was the fuel system to be completed and then jury rig the ignition electrics and we would be ready to go?

The lower rad connection was always meant to be the problem when connecting a Series rad to a Disco 200tdi. But using a couple of new hose sections and a right angled stainless section it all went together quite easily.



Next hurdle was the fuel filter location and means of mounting it. Some weeks ago I knocked up a simple plate to allow the fuel filter to be mounted on the blind box section part of the bulkhead. So all that was required was for sheet nuts/clinch nuts to be fitted and it would be good to fit? Well that didn't go to plan and the four mounting points are now limited to two as the nuts were screwed by the knackered tool (stripped threads) that I was lent. Not happy but the mounting is at least secure.

By the end of play Saturday it looked like this.



Well Stu 'Twizzle' dropped over Sunday and we had a game plan. Get the 109 started!

Stu tackled the fuel line routing from each tank while I connected the power and earthing then finished the injection pump pipework ....and in a bit of a rush before we lost the light we managed it. See link below. (Note no turbo pipework/or exhaust and a lot of loose stuff rattling).



In Hi res, but a 120MB file so a bit slower to download---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukBEbDrphBA

Well as can be seen in the video there was a lot of air in the pipework and after an hour or two of fiddling we located the source. Originally the intention was to feed the return supply from the injection pump back into the fuel filter. This had a two fold benefit. First we wouldn't need to feed back to the selected fuel tank (there are two so the manual fuel tank selector only has to deal with the supply) and secondly if the fuel is heated, either by an FPHE or from the body of the IP, this would assist the temp (and therefore the viscosity) of the fuel as I plan to use veg oil in some concentration, which is the main reason for retaining a two tank system.

But, the source of the air was found to be the IP return. So what to do? Either find a way to use the IP return supply without air being included or we/I have to feed the return back to the tank - but then there is the problem with having dual tanks and only a three port fuel selector? Worse case scenario is the passenger tank will be a spare which can be pumped to fill the main tank via an electric pump, but then veg oil concentration would then never be able to go past, say, 50-60% as there would be no 'pure' dino to start from. Basically it would then be a 'single tank' system.

Also, before we packed up for the night we ran the gearbox through. Props are currently off anyway and everything seemed to be running as it should :)

THROTTLE
Stu had located his 'spare' Disco throttle cable so when I get a moment that will fit straight on with only minor tweaks here and there (drill the bulkhead to suit).

12 January 2010

Brake bits, throttle, heated windows and rad assembly

With a break in the ice and snow we can move on a little?!

THROTTLE
Pedal now modified so it will allow sufficient stroke to open the injection pump fully. Now waiting for either a Disco throttle cable, or complete the one I already have half done.

RAD PANEL
Now fully painted headlight bowls and rad fitted. So the galv finish was etched/etch primed/light coat of Containergard/2xprimer filler/final 2 coats of Containergard (sanded between each coat). Hopefully nothing will get through all that?

I had a problem with the rubber seals that go between the military lamp bowls and the front of the rad panel. Old ones were, of course, knackered. The originals are no longer available (NLA) so alternatives had to be found. Initially Land Rover part No. STC3022 looked suitable but was also hard to source so in the end I bought a pair of new Wipac 7" plastic headlight bowls with seals from Paddocks (No. LGTS5400/DA3010). £6.50 per unit and even the correct Defender seals are around £13 each from LR dealers - and I can pass the plastic bowls on to someone who needs them for the £6!

Pic shows orginal seal on right and replacement fitted on left. Only mods required were to punch an additional hole for the 3rd adjuster.



Panel now assembled and resting in the lounge. Note that the colou always changes under flash conditions and in daylight BS381:224 is far darker ;)



Now I also made a decison re. the intercooler. For now it is not going to have one!

The reason being that the Disco 200tdi I/C assy will not fit comfortably in the available space in the rad panel, plus I need to move this project on and I can always come back to this later and retro fit? Options being an alternative unit from something else or build a basic custom unit from parts lying about?

FUEL SYSTEM
Both tanks bolted in and fuel lines started. Each tank will have a local disposable biodiesel grade coarse filter then through the tank selector and onto the original Disco fuel filter.

Fuel lines are made from a combination of 3/16" bio grade reinforced rubber fuel hose and clear pneumatic hose (Festo). Before I used this I placed a sample in 50:50 diesel:WVO for 3 months. No problems it seems, so I will go with this unless - something does go wrong?

I'll pick up 20 litres of diesel this week, fill one tank and prime the system up!

REVERSE GEAR SWITCH
Jeez. This switch has been sitting in my garage for a year (actually +3 years but the first one went AWOL) and a break in the hale allowed me to mod the gear selector and make up a basic plate to activate the switch.




Now to find a 'suitable' light to use as a reverse lamp?

BRAKING SYSTEM....AGAIN!
Well 'we' are nearly there.

Placed an order with Automec and another (what I thought would be the last) bunch of fittings arrived. Both the master cylinder and shuttle valve now have a full compilment of CORRECT fittings for the 3/16" brake pipe. For info in the end the M/C used 10x1mm and 12x1mm. The shuttle safety valve is 3/8" and 7/16".

The brake hose brackets to fasten either front hub arrived courtesy of 'Smokey IIA' on the Series 2 forum - now dry after 3 coats of smoothrite. But the connection from the Goodrich flexible and the hard pipe at the hub is now the final problem that needs resolving.



Full details at the link below but in summary the hose end is 3/8" male and 'meant' to fit to the hub piston? So somehow this needs the fit to the hub pipework..and be secure on the bracket?
Thread link--> http://www.series2club.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=31958.0





HEATED WINDSCREEN!
Now I had seen a few comments on various fora(?) regarding the possible availiabilty of a heated windscreen glass to fit in the existing Series windscreen frame. But they seemed expensive and hard to obtain. Then a thread popped up on the Series 2 forum suggestion a 'group buy'!

So....thinking 'why buy both sections of heated glass when the drivers is the only one that needs vision' I have ordered a pair to be split with Twizzle. £55 per section. A bargain. Now to wait 8-10 weeks for delivery and then I need to get up to Aylesbury to collect.

Now to look into heated wing mirrors not that I am wandering off the parts of the project I should be concentrating on? ;)


Now hopefully (I am not putting a wager on it) the rad panel will be in/cooling system filled/oil cooler filled/fuel system ready to run...this weekend. So it will take very little to run the engine up in the chassis.....so ;)

Watch this space, but don't hold your breath!