More jobs done:
Some small jobs I bought the bits for as I knew our little helper would enjoy doing them: dipstick o-ring, oil cap seal, washer botttle cap. The new oil cap seal was smaller in diameter and plumper, the o-ring for the dipstick sealed as opposed to sat, the washer bottle cap has its little plastic tail once more (we used pliers for shoving). We also removed the 'strainer' for the washer bottle as it was filling slowly. No wonder, it was impregnated with black muck. A good blast and clean in the sink and it now gobbles screen wash as fast as you can add it.
Later on, I looked at the droplinks; an MOT advisory. They were clearly squashed but weren't jaw-droppingly buggered up...or were they?
Removal was easy, 17mm on the lower bush and a 15mm holding the rubber donuts. I usd an impact driver as it fit on the 15mm for the rubber donuts, I used a ratchet spanner on the lower one as the steering arm gets in the way of anything more serious. None of them were ogre-tight anyway.
Comparing old with new:The new rubber donuts were significantly plumper, the metal was a bit thicker (17mmm nut on top not 15mm) and crucially, neither of them were bent... The bent one also corresponds to a cracked undertray and smashed AC pipes. Perhaps an animal met its demise? (Bonus LS400 in background)
Reattaching was a bit more of a pig as the ARB 'relaxes' out of the way. It is no hassle really, you just line things up and hold it while you tighten.
One realy elegant solution for the 'torque setting' on the rubbery donuts is that you just welly them up until the outer bits of the washers are 42mm apart.
I also tackled the rear lights. This was just fiddly but rewarding. I haven't got hand-model hands, they'd be more at home on display with the butcher. This meant that disengaging the bayonets, getting to the piddly little bolts and then doing the reverse was a slow and hand-cutting process. The outgoing units were totally shot, the sort of thing you throw in the bin, so that's what I did. They were crazed, one contained quite a bit of blinker fluid and the new ones are better if fiddly. I put everything out in order so that I didn't waste time playing guess the bayonet.
I both love and hate the 'all in one place with specific bayonets for each bulb' setup. It makes perfect sense until you have to do them all at once and then it is fiddly and tiresome. With help, we checked the lights all worked and also replaced the indcator lenses on the front. Much easier. 4 mins all in.
A perverted part of me likes the juxtaposition of new lights next to the somewhat beaten up paint...
In other thoughts, the enormity of transplanting a 1UZ V8 into it is a bit intimmidating. That said, no time like the present to be thinking and getting stuff in place.
I also have a roof rack and a full set of leathers (dark grey) to collect after isolation is done. The seats in there are ok but the foam is collapsing, I'd prefer some newer one and leather is definitely what I'd like. Apparently you can take a power supply for them from the heated seat line?
Hope everyone is happy and well... I am.
F