1991 Range Rover Classic or My Foray Into Madness
- Thread starter en480c4
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en480c4
Well-known member
Shortly after buying my ?rust free? RRC, I did find a bad spot in the DS foot well. They used a foam sound-deadening material and it?s like a sponge and holds onto water. Combine that with a leaking sunroof and door seals and it had rusted through from the inside.
Once I found it back in Sept I ordered a repair panel from a place in the UK. Finally had a chance to tear into it today. Tough to get the right angles to get it cut out cleanly. But I was able to trim the repair panel to fit and got welded in. I did a butt-weld on the leading edge and lapped the other joints. Not my best work, but it?s tight and seam sealer will cover a multitude of sins.
Once I found it back in Sept I ordered a repair panel from a place in the UK. Finally had a chance to tear into it today. Tough to get the right angles to get it cut out cleanly. But I was able to trim the repair panel to fit and got welded in. I did a butt-weld on the leading edge and lapped the other joints. Not my best work, but it?s tight and seam sealer will cover a multitude of sins.
Buddy_Holly
Well-known member
I?ve always disliked rovers but the bolt on body panels are really awesome! This thread is changing my view of land rovers
en480c4
Well-known member
So, with the interior switched over from the parts RRC, I was left with two pretty much worthless front seats and a really clean rear seat that, while clean, has a pretty limited market for resale.
We also needed a new bench for the ?62 Willys pickup. A few measurements to check height and width, and it was worth bringing the split rear seat over to my folks? place to see how they?d look.
It?ll take some work to build brackets and nail down the height. But it looks like he got free seats! We?ll build some storage boxes in the spaces for the RRC rear wheel wells. And I think we?ll try to salvage some of the leather from the front seats for door panels.
We also needed a new bench for the ?62 Willys pickup. A few measurements to check height and width, and it was worth bringing the split rear seat over to my folks? place to see how they?d look.
It?ll take some work to build brackets and nail down the height. But it looks like he got free seats! We?ll build some storage boxes in the spaces for the RRC rear wheel wells. And I think we?ll try to salvage some of the leather from the front seats for door panels.
en480c4
Well-known member
Rover fun the past few weeks.
Last week, coming to a stop sign, and I hit a bump and the RRC went dead. Completely dead... I couldn't even put on my hazards. Threw it in neutral, pushed it around the corner and off the side of the road. Clearly an electrical issue, and turns out it was simple. The negative battery cable jumped off the terminal. I replaced it and tightened it up. Low and behold, the entire vehicle was much happier with a good negative connection to the battery! Interior and exterior lights are brighter, and seems to be running better.
I'll preface this morning by stating clearly that I didn't do a good job baselining this thing when I got it. Changed some fluids, ordered some wear parts, but installed very few. Well, as temps have gotten colder, I've been getting the shrieking alternator belt. Ordered a new belt kit, but just kept adjusting the tension on the belt when it would get loud. Today the belt let go on my way to work. The belt got louder last night on my drive home, and I knew things were bad when it suddenly went silent! Confirmed 2 seconds later when the light came on. I was able to drive it home, and luckily enough, the RRC doesn't have a serpentine belt and the alternator belt was easy enough to get to on the outside. So 20 or so minutes later I was up and running again. Once temps are better I'll swap out all four belts so I don't get stranded.
Last week, coming to a stop sign, and I hit a bump and the RRC went dead. Completely dead... I couldn't even put on my hazards. Threw it in neutral, pushed it around the corner and off the side of the road. Clearly an electrical issue, and turns out it was simple. The negative battery cable jumped off the terminal. I replaced it and tightened it up. Low and behold, the entire vehicle was much happier with a good negative connection to the battery! Interior and exterior lights are brighter, and seems to be running better.
I'll preface this morning by stating clearly that I didn't do a good job baselining this thing when I got it. Changed some fluids, ordered some wear parts, but installed very few. Well, as temps have gotten colder, I've been getting the shrieking alternator belt. Ordered a new belt kit, but just kept adjusting the tension on the belt when it would get loud. Today the belt let go on my way to work. The belt got louder last night on my drive home, and I knew things were bad when it suddenly went silent! Confirmed 2 seconds later when the light came on. I was able to drive it home, and luckily enough, the RRC doesn't have a serpentine belt and the alternator belt was easy enough to get to on the outside. So 20 or so minutes later I was up and running again. Once temps are better I'll swap out all four belts so I don't get stranded.
en480c4
Well-known member
So, we had a number of storms from Thursday night through yesterday. After working from home on Friday, not venturing out Saturday, taking the VW skiing on Sunday, I didn't start the RRC for a few days. Went out to clear it off and warm it up on Monday morning an no start. Turned over fine, but it wouldn't fire. I checked the fault code and got 19, which was TPS signal high or MAF signal low.
Well, I have a parts RRC, so I grabbed the TPS from it and plugged it in. Still nothing. So frustrated, I cleaned up and took the VW to work. Did a bunch of research. The two possible scenarios were either frustration (wiring issue somewhere, which would be fun to find) or big-time dollars (TPS is no longer made, kit that converts a readily available alterative is $350, MAF sensor is $250). Ugh.
Yesterday my wife was sick, so I stayed home to get some work in and hang out with the kids on their third-straight snow-day. When they went out to play in the snow, I started troubleshooting. Checked the original TPS with a multi-meter and resistance seemed to be fine. Found some cracked/broken wire insulation and a lot of oil/dirt. So I degreased it and patched up the insulation as best I could. I also went out and tried troubleshooting per the shop manual. I started getting fault 17 (TPS) instead of 19 with the swapped unit.
Long-story short, I'm not sure what I did, but I eventually got it running. It was stuck in limp mode, essentially rev-limited at 1500 RPM, which I've read can happen with a bad TPS. So I swapped the original one back in post-repairs and it started right up, wasn't in limp mode, and appears to be running much better. So I'm guessing that TPS has some lingering issues throughout its range, but by addressing the exposed wire, I was able to get rid of a short or it grounding out and it's running now. So, I'm going to go back and try to clean and test the TPS from the parts rig and see if it's OK, and decide where to go from there.
It's also developed a bit of a rattle in one of the cats, so I have that to look forward to.
That said, the dumb thing still puts a smile on my face every time I look at it. I'm looking forward to getting color on it next spring. I've settled on Eastnor Green as opposed the Ardenness Green on it now. It's a similar color, but non-metallic which gives me a fighting chance of getting a decent 10' paint job on it, especially if I decide to paint it piece-meal as I pull panels of the parts RRC.
Here's a shot of a 2-door in Eastnor Green... My current inspiration shot.
Well, I have a parts RRC, so I grabbed the TPS from it and plugged it in. Still nothing. So frustrated, I cleaned up and took the VW to work. Did a bunch of research. The two possible scenarios were either frustration (wiring issue somewhere, which would be fun to find) or big-time dollars (TPS is no longer made, kit that converts a readily available alterative is $350, MAF sensor is $250). Ugh.
Yesterday my wife was sick, so I stayed home to get some work in and hang out with the kids on their third-straight snow-day. When they went out to play in the snow, I started troubleshooting. Checked the original TPS with a multi-meter and resistance seemed to be fine. Found some cracked/broken wire insulation and a lot of oil/dirt. So I degreased it and patched up the insulation as best I could. I also went out and tried troubleshooting per the shop manual. I started getting fault 17 (TPS) instead of 19 with the swapped unit.
Long-story short, I'm not sure what I did, but I eventually got it running. It was stuck in limp mode, essentially rev-limited at 1500 RPM, which I've read can happen with a bad TPS. So I swapped the original one back in post-repairs and it started right up, wasn't in limp mode, and appears to be running much better. So I'm guessing that TPS has some lingering issues throughout its range, but by addressing the exposed wire, I was able to get rid of a short or it grounding out and it's running now. So, I'm going to go back and try to clean and test the TPS from the parts rig and see if it's OK, and decide where to go from there.
It's also developed a bit of a rattle in one of the cats, so I have that to look forward to.
That said, the dumb thing still puts a smile on my face every time I look at it. I'm looking forward to getting color on it next spring. I've settled on Eastnor Green as opposed the Ardenness Green on it now. It's a similar color, but non-metallic which gives me a fighting chance of getting a decent 10' paint job on it, especially if I decide to paint it piece-meal as I pull panels of the parts RRC.
Here's a shot of a 2-door in Eastnor Green... My current inspiration shot.
en480c4
Well-known member
In preparation for the roof swap this weekend, I pulled the (drooping) headliner out yesterday.
I also picked up some sound-deadening material and rollers to apply it. My plan is to get the new roof prepped and ready after work today, and tomorrow I'll start tackling the 40+ screws to get the old roof off.
Still trying to figure out what I'll use for a sealant between the roof and the structure. They come with some foam tape from the factory, and I don't think I want to go that route. I'm leaning towards putting down a bead of black silicone before setting the roof in place.
The buyer for my current roof should be able to pick that up in the next few weeks. He's about an hour away and picked up a RRC with hail damage from TX. So while my roof isn't perfect, he can swap his sunroof in and clean up the minor damage and be in much better shape.
Then it'll be a matter of trying to gain some head height by modifying the headliner. Since the front is lower to accommodate the sunroof, I'm hoping to combine the headliner with another one I have to eliminate the now dead space. It's a weird almost fiberglass material, so once I remove the fabric and foam and figure out how to cut and blend the different pieces, I'm going to try to use some fiberglass mat and epoxy to join the pieces back together.
I also picked up some sound-deadening material and rollers to apply it. My plan is to get the new roof prepped and ready after work today, and tomorrow I'll start tackling the 40+ screws to get the old roof off.
Still trying to figure out what I'll use for a sealant between the roof and the structure. They come with some foam tape from the factory, and I don't think I want to go that route. I'm leaning towards putting down a bead of black silicone before setting the roof in place.
The buyer for my current roof should be able to pick that up in the next few weeks. He's about an hour away and picked up a RRC with hail damage from TX. So while my roof isn't perfect, he can swap his sunroof in and clean up the minor damage and be in much better shape.
Then it'll be a matter of trying to gain some head height by modifying the headliner. Since the front is lower to accommodate the sunroof, I'm hoping to combine the headliner with another one I have to eliminate the now dead space. It's a weird almost fiberglass material, so once I remove the fabric and foam and figure out how to cut and blend the different pieces, I'm going to try to use some fiberglass mat and epoxy to join the pieces back together.
en480c4
Well-known member
Phase 1 is complete! I got the new roof prepped. I did a time lapse, removing the old mass-loaded sheets and adding the sound deadening material.
https://youtu.be/-trecqFcmlQ
Unfortunately the phone died so I couldn?t do the same for the removal. But it?s off. Taking a break and helping the wife with her new studio, but l?ll be putting it back together later this afternoon.
https://youtu.be/-trecqFcmlQ
Unfortunately the phone died so I couldn?t do the same for the removal. But it?s off. Taking a break and helping the wife with her new studio, but l?ll be putting it back together later this afternoon.
en480c4
Well-known member
Spent a few hours after work stripping down the front clip on the parts RRC. Things should clean up well for paint.
https://youtu.be/O9eOBQFNdBM
And the buyer for my roof wanted to buy the decker panel, which goes between the hood and windshield. So I swapped the black one for the short term until it gets repainted.
https://youtu.be/O9eOBQFNdBM
And the buyer for my roof wanted to buy the decker panel, which goes between the hood and windshield. So I swapped the black one for the short term until it gets repainted.
Srfnfly227
Well-known member
Looking good. I really like the white top.
en480c4
Well-known member
One of the issues that always comes up with these are the drooping headliners. The adhesive and foam fail and the fabric hangs down. The other headliner-related issue is that they have almost comically bad headroom. I'm 6' tall and my head just barely missed, and if I wore a hat, it would rub. Well, with the sunroof removed, the front section of the headliner had a big hole in it I no longer needed. What's more, I also didn't need the front to be so low, since all of the sunroof parts were gone Knowing I was swapping roofs, the seller of my '93 parts RRC threw in an extra headliner for me to patch the sunroof hole. But instead, I decided to cut out the perimeter of the lower portion of my headliner and rotate it 180 degrees and scribe the piece onto the rear of the spare. Then I started working on epoxying the pieces together. I'm not done yet, but the gains are significant and it appears it will be well worth the effort.
Once this crappy weather breaks, I'll wrap up the seams, try to smooth the transitions and then get some new headliner fabric.
Once this crappy weather breaks, I'll wrap up the seams, try to smooth the transitions and then get some new headliner fabric.
