Author Topic: Alfred the 109  (Read 1274 times)

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Offline a twig

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #15 on: April 10, 2017, 01:20:25 pm »
Great effort! I'm impressed you managed to get flashed by a camera, that's something I never managed in my years of LR ownership!

Hope you get the niggles sorted and he gives you many years of enjoyment.

Let me know shipping details and I'll get those door seals sent up.

All the best

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #16 on: April 10, 2017, 01:45:33 pm »
Well done, Dave. Loosebearings17 was sorry to have missed you.

Thanks Matt, was sad that my trip didn't tie in with hers but she'll no doubt see Alfred around up here!
Dave Neil
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@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #17 on: April 10, 2017, 02:01:51 pm »
Great effort! I'm impressed you managed to get flashed by a camera, that's something I never managed in my years of LR ownership!

Hope you get the niggles sorted and he gives you many years of enjoyment.

Let me know shipping details and I'll get those door seals sent up.

All the best

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Thanks, hoping I don't get a ticket in the post but have warned the wife and she laughed!

Niggles will be fine and were expected, especially given the length and timescale of the drive.  Overall it was a good drive up and Alfred proved to be reliable.

I'll send you a message tonight with postage details for the seals.

Cheers,

Dave
Dave Neil
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@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline Gossamer

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #18 on: April 10, 2017, 02:25:47 pm »
Loosebearings17 was flashed by a Camra member, does that count?
« Last Edit: April 10, 2017, 03:19:29 pm by Gossamer »
All the right bits, but not necessarily in the right order.
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Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #19 on: April 10, 2017, 03:00:04 pm »
Haha, I'm not sure it does!!
Dave Neil
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@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #20 on: July 26, 2017, 03:42:42 pm »
**Warning - Picture Heavy**

I thought an update on Alfred was long overdue (especially for those not on Instagram)!

Since collecting Alfred way back in April I have mostly just been using him as my daily driver and for weekend drives etc.  I have carried out a few small upgrades/modifications but not changed a lot really.

After tightening up the fuse holders the next job was to fit 3 point seat belts to the front.  Whilst I loved the free feeling of lap belts I thought best to go down this route with Alfred being my daily driver and with the potential of trips south.  Seatbelts and bar (to allow soft top to be kept) ordered from Exmoor and arrived several bolts short  ???




I also bought some 2 man benches for the back so that I can take the kids (well technically one is an adult!) a run too...

I have since changed the configuration of the benches to face each other and give more cargo space at the rear

I decided a rug would be a great addition to the back


and then took the oppurtunity of a dry day to take the roof off (I've done this a few times now!!)



I then thought the rear crossmember could do with a tidy up



and with new rear step fitted


and a trip to the beach!


At some point whilst taking a detour to work to look at a nicely worn series 1 I managed to loose the wiper seal from my door window and then run it over!!  Time to strip down the door top and fit new seals...


I've also fitted a radio to the back of the cubby box (with speaker pods riveted to the bulkhead behind the seats).  Not much use over 30mph though!!!


My son has a ex MOD 110 and had pestered me for ages for the spare wheel well in Alfred as I was never going to use it apparently!  I said if he got me a sheet of aluminium to cover the wheel box he could have it.  This would also allow me to relocate the bench seat further forward and cover up all the old holes in the wheel box





and with seat back in


and then off for a day trip to Shetland for work


View from the bridge


Had to launch a friends boat last week so thought I'd fit this


which made life so much easier for this




And that's summer over...


Next to do is:
1. replace fuel tank with one that doesn't resemble a seive (might be a slight over exaggeration as I'm still getting over 30mpg!)!
2. replace the hood with one with side windows and buckles so that I can roll up the sides (anyone interested in a well aged FFR tilt?)
3. wire in the reverse light (supplied by a twig, fitted by me but not wired in yet)
4. overhaul the steering.  I'm used to it now but it's far heavier and has far more play than it should!
5. look to add more sound deadening, may not be possible
6. paint job.  Still deciding on colours but will most likely be green of some sort.  Really like Keswick green but not sure if it will look out of place.  Also considering Eastnor green.
7. full service

No doubt there will be more to add to the list but that will be as time and money and ambition allow!

Will try and keep the updates a bit more frequent than before!
Dave Neil
___________________________
@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline Horace109

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #21 on: July 26, 2017, 06:34:24 pm »
Photo with the hamper is absolutely spot-on!
 lkebtn

Offline Gossamer

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #22 on: July 26, 2017, 06:43:31 pm »
 lkebtn
All the right bits, but not necessarily in the right order.

Offline tobyd

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #23 on: July 26, 2017, 10:11:22 pm »
Great thread and pics. Love the rug in the back.

Offline 94mharris

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #24 on: July 27, 2017, 08:23:34 pm »
Great pics, good to see another Series in daily use :D Loving the rug in the back :D
Katie: 1980 Series 3 SWB Station Wagon

Bertha: 1994 Range Rover Vogue 3.9 V8 EFI

Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #25 on: August 02, 2017, 01:11:18 pm »
Went out to see the new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth this morning...











She was in to mark the 100th anniversary of the first landing of an aircraft on a moving deck by Cdr Dunning.
Dave Neil
___________________________
@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline Land Raver

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #26 on: August 02, 2017, 10:28:09 pm »
Looking goooood!

My Exmoor seatbelt bar was also short of a few bolts - the ones that you fasten the bar to the cappings with. Mine also had a slight twist in it but it pulled straight when fitted.

 wdesmle

Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #27 on: August 23, 2017, 12:20:12 pm »
Time for another update (trying to keep these reasonably regular!)...

The weekend before last I took Alfred to the local vintage Rally.  Most of the vehicles there normally live in sheds and are only used occasionally, however I think Alfred looked good even as a daily driver.





Once the sun came out...


Not sure this one was on display!


And a few other exhibits...








Then round to a job I have been meaning to do for a while - fit a reversing camera!  The camera came with my sat nav (which I really just use as a speedo  ;D) but with the poor visability out the back with the top rolled down I thought I might as well fit the camera.  Fairly easy installation as the transmitter is wireless so just need to take power from the reverse light.  Only problem is that whilst I have a reverse light fitted, I'm still to get round to running power to it (an fitting a gearbox switch).  Hopefully get round to that next weekend!





I've got a new fuel tank home to fit next to stop some of the leaks and am about to order a new tilt.  I've pretty much made my mind up on sand for the colour but not 100% sure on side windows yet.  Could do with ones behind the doors to help with visibility at junctions but not sure I want ones further back.  Any ideas greatly appreciated!  Will have to make my mind up and get an order off. 

Also trying to decide on body colour as Alfred's paintwork is looking a bit crap now.  Thinking to stick with green (Alfred was originally marine blue) but not sure on the shade.  I love Keswick green but feel this might be a bit "modern" and like pictures I've seen of Eastnor green but not seen this in the flesh.  Probably be a while before I get round to paint anyway!!


Dave Neil
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@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline orkneydave

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #28 on: March 09, 2018, 04:46:06 pm »
Death wobble was down to a loose track rod  :shock: Two minute fix and all okay!  Now swivels, track rod, drag link etc have been replaced I need to concentrate my efforts further up to get the steering how I want (still too much play for my liking!

Anyway, time for a long overdue update on what I've done so far:

Wire up reverse light

Following on from fitting the reversing camera previously, I still had to wire up the reverse light and gearbox switch!  This was surprisingly easier to do than I expected.

Floor up

Hole in selector re-tapped and switch fitted


and wires connected


Fitted interior light

This was a £3.99 find at a filling station whilst on my travels south.  I plan on wiring in a more permanent solution at some point but this works well for now!  I covered it in black insulating tape to help it blend in a bit!




New hood

When bought, Alfred came with a rather old but reasonably watertight FFR tilt.  Whilst it kept me mostly dry, I wanted to improve how Alfred looked, have the ability to roll up the sides and have side windows.  After a bit of research I opted for a new hood from Undercover Covers (despite the rubbish website!).  After a wait of around 6 weeks, the new hood arrived and was fitted.




Christmas tree duties  :D



Rescued my son when he got stuck in his Defender   :D





Fitted new tailgate hinges

Having seen these elsewhere on the tinternet I decided to get a set of two-way tailgate hinges from Purely Metal.  I had to wait a bit as he had no galvanised ones in stock but it was worth the wait.
The kit:

It was fairly simple to fit and has made the back of Alfred so much easier to use and get in and out of.  Would highly recommend this!



Fitted new door handles

I got a bit fed up of my passenger door flying open randomly and didn't think usung dog leads to secure it was going to be a long term solution

I also found cracks in the driver's side mechanism


So I ordered some anti-burst door locks from SP4X4.  I got the kit that included all the bits required including a step drill bit (I already have a set but have found the one supplied useful for drilling out rounded off screws etc!)


Oddly, one of the strikers seemed to have been previously opened and had mis-matched screws holding the rubber block  :?

Anyway, old handles off

and new ones fitted


Much better now but still require a bit of fettling.  The driver's door works fine although the handle is a little stiff, however the passenger door first proved almost impossible to open.  I have adjusted it a fair bit but now the door doesn't close as tight as I would like.  I think the doors themselves may need adjusting at the hinges so plan to tackle this on a sunny weekend sometime.

Swapped cord on tailgate flap for bungee

I'd been meaning to do this since fitting the new hood at the end of September but wanted to wait until the hood had been through a few wet/dry/hot/cold cycles so as to reduce the chances of shrinkage.  Anyway, this was a fairly easy job.  I ordered a 2m length of bungee from Amazon and found an online chandlrey that could supply crimps to allow me to create eyelets at either end.  I put the first eyelet in before threading the bungee though the flap and fitting the eyelet on the other end.  I used heat shrink to seal over the crimps and hopefully protect a bit from the salty air here.  Along with the new tail gate hinges, this has made a massive difference to getting acces into the back of Alfred.



Moved my son's kayak



Drove through the Highlands in the snow



Fitted excellent lower dash vents

Not much to say about these other than that I am really pleased with them (there's lots more here http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic59006.html)




Soundproof the rear

As Alfred is my daily driver and I spend at least an hour a day at the helm I was a little concerned about the effect on my hearing.  I ordered 2 boxes of 3mm Silent Coat from deadening.co.uk and a 2m roll of 6mm ribbed rubber mat from Amazon (actually from a seller in Bristol and significanlty cheaper than any Land Rover parts supplier).  Obviously I picked the coldest day of the year to fit so it was out with the heat gun.  Took less time to fit than I expected and was pretty easy to do.  The hardest part was removing the seats.



I have left the upright surfaces for now as I want to retain a little originality and patina in the back.  I have lined the inside of the tool box and need to re-fit the catch pin.
Rubber matting was cut to fit and laid before re-fitting the seats

and most importantly rug back down

I still have 1 box and 1 whole sheet of Silent Coat left over but I plan to apply this to the cab area shortly.  I already have a Wright Off-Road cab mat fitted but hope that the Silent Coat will improve things further.  With this fitted in the back I think i have lost about 6db when driving at 55mph (according to my phone anyway) but can have the radio turned down a bit low and can hear it all the time now.  I still need to fit a rear seal and retaining strip on the floor at the back (the old one crumbled away a while ago).

Roll up the sides
Having had the new hood for 6 months I finally managed to get the sides rolled up yesterday before heading home from work!  :D




Sides rolled up again today but no pictures yet!

Still to do:

-Continue to improve the steering
-Fit soundproofing in the cab area
-Fit MPH speedo, spare instrument dial (still to be refurbished) and new instrument panel
-Source and fit new lower dash (found mine is rather tender when fitting the vents)
-Adjust the doors (or even replace them).  I also plan to make door cards.
-Wire up a front pair of speakers so that I can use my bluetooth hands free (aparrently doesnt work through the rear speakers but there has been little point with no soundproofing)

Apologies for the long post.  Hopefully I won't leave it so long before updating again!
« Last Edit: March 09, 2018, 04:55:41 pm by orkneydave »
Dave Neil
___________________________
@alfredthe109 on Instagram
@orkneydave on Instagram

1972 Land Rover Series 3 109 "Alfred"
2018 Mitsubishi Outlanded PHEV
1972 MGB GT (mostly in bits!)

Offline a twig

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Re: Alfred the 109
« Reply #29 on: March 11, 2018, 07:35:10 pm »
Looking good! Will be impressed if you finally fix the wobbly steering - as it baffled me for years! The steering relay was replaced the year before I bought it but I think it was a Britpart one that went in, so worth checking that as it has been in a few years now.

Might be worth rummaging through the bits you collected from me as I'm pretty sure there was a spare speedo in there? Or was that the one you were referring to fitting?  rbchn

If I remember correctly the drivers door was a "pattern part" so might fit a bit funkily but the passenger was original so should be fine with a bit of adjustment at the hinges! :)

One more thought, if you still have the thick rubber matting that was in it when you collected it - putting that on top of your new shiny soundproofing might help, as it should minimise the "drumming" coming through. Might be worth putting your left over sound proofing onto the the B bulkhead as I remember that used to vibrate like a mad thing - the WOR kit is pretty heavy duty.

Most importantly, where are those shiny black and silver number plates you were talking about on insta! :D