Patience i have but

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well i am back at it again in the bitter wind and rain or at least between showers anyway but the relay for the horn is put to one side while i unbind the loom to find this broken wire which includes the soldered connectors where the indicator stalk meets the main loom.

Although it would be easy to just replace the wire by clipping one to the side of the loom i have to go about the slow way and find that broken wire which to be honest is a tad frustrating on my behalf because on any loom i bind i always put a couple of spare wires in for the reason of the above happening .

I guess the reason for not doing that was because i got the feeling the old gal had been off the road long enough and i needed my independence back and miss my trundling about the country side so i could be at ease with nature that until lately i didn't realize how much i missed it.

Anyway i have stopped beating myself up and have had a couple of days with working at being a joiner so wood screws and glue seem to have done the trick along with making something for nothing out of what people have thrown away or have just not got any use for what ever it is i have acquired or rescued from a skip .

Anyway tomorrow is another day so i hope it is fine and i can crack on searching for this elusive broken wire that's having a game of hide and seek the little tinker .

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well i am all wired up apart from the earth to a switch but as usual it is not a standard switch but a brake light switch off one of my old motor bikes but i will get my lass to put up a picture when finished then you will understand as i did this mod on my other 109 that had one of those big chrome horns off a boat but that is another story.

Having chased the original earth wire to find the problem it turns out being 40 odd years old it had seen better days and the Disco horns that are fitted to HEC seem to have caused the demise of the earth wire so a new one is in the process of being fitted a stage at a time as neat as i can so it can't be seen.

My neighbor who has been watching my slow progress asked why i go to all the trouble doing things my way when it is such a simple job just fitting a horn he just couldn't understand until i reminded him that in 1989 i was seriously ill yes i remember sorry were his words but i don't mind it's nice to be thought of as normal .

Anyway enough of that he now realizes what ever i do is an achievement and i do things the hard way to me anyway and people making comments makes me more adamant that i will succeed which is good for me but a tad tiring at times but then Rome was not built in a day .

My dash is out again ready for me tomorrow to sit with a brew and plan the next stage . Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

Well chaps, the morning got off to a good start for me anyway with a slight wind but on the warm side i thought i would finish of the wrapping of the loom with the extra wires but this also meant separating the multi plug that landrover had supplied for the series three bulkhead i used.

Anyway as usual i carefully pulled on the rubber part of the connector block so i could wrap and lay the loom ready for binding before connecting and fastening in place but for some reason a final check of that section for continuity and my trusted avo decided to act up as i thought so a check was made but no problem found so it was back to the connector block with wires between finger and thumb and the same with the left hand on holding the rubber connector block the horn wire pulled away from the sealed block but was held just by one strand.

Oh! Bother or words that mean the same being careful when handling wiring it seems does not always pay off and although i had continuity it was only through one strand which of course was not enough to earth the horns and to be honest i am suprised it din't melt the single strand .

A bit of a downer but i have a good earth in the loom now and does not go through that block connector and to be honest i should have done away with it completely and relied on my soldering and bullets along with the female fittings but i guess one lives and learns well should do anyway.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

Evening all and yes it's me again with good news now the engine compartment is sorted in my eye's anyway nice and neat with all wiring in conduit that came from mostly old Disco looms that i had taken apart yes i am very pleased to say the least.

I have a control panel in the cab made from a speaker off an old stereo that houses switches and relays for the work lights flashing beacon reverse lights and the like but i will get the horn pull rigged up and with a bit of luck a traveling i will gomaybe not far by other peoples standards but then i get lost so one never knows .

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, having taken the dash out sort of so i can see to get a couple of wires that are bound together through the grommet the speedo cable runs through having changed the grommet for one with a slightly bigger hole so the extra cables are not crushed.

I decided to solder a nipple on the earth wire then used a double female rubber connector incase i ever changed my mind and put the button for the horn back in use remembering it is a series three bulkhead with that useless set up of indicators and horn come flasher rig up mind you with everything going through relays that set up would probably never give and trouble with the points on the switch/connections but then i like tinkering.

I have speaker wires and the like running up each side of the windscreen wrapped and in conduit much the same as the engine bay held in place using P clips that are held in place by the screws that hold the glass windscreen in place, i did however find the conduit i used a good few years ago had gone brittle so that was a good excuse to change it for something slightly bigger.

I had to take down the safari trimmings along the front of the windscreen so my cables in conduit laid across the top of the windscreen for protection if nothing else because my safari trimmings are held in place with self tapping screws right or wrong i don't know but as from tomorrow i will be fitting riv-nuts instead of self tapping screws which i think will look nice with a nice washer fitted to each bolt but this is not just my hobby but therapy in more ways than one.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

Well it's been a good few days since i last posted but to be honest organizing the departure of one of my trucks in my own mind was not an easy thing for the old brain box to get accustomed to due to me rarely selling anything swop maybe or exchange is the way forward for me along with the weather workshop tinkering was on the cards.

While digging away in one of my little sheds among what i call treasures but others call junk i came across two safari parts that go across the top of the windscreen with the sun visors on bodged but all there and in one piece not two like HEC has at the moment so this is what will be used on the 88 and my horn pull.

Time as usual ran out after ages looking for the switch that will be used along with the fabric that i used to do the safari roof on the roof of the cab if it comes to light that is other than that seat covering but it will be primed undercoated and a top coat with the view if the fabric turns up it will be done if not well i will cross that bridge when i come to it .

Having to nip to asda on my noddy car kind of put the mockers on work till after tea due to Christmas i guess people as usual have gone nuts but no matter what i don't drink my brews without sugar neither do others that drop in so it was a case of waiting in line all for a bag of sugar but never mind it was worth it for a nice strong brew while debating what to do next .

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

Well it's that boring old chap that has a habit of tinkering and finding little goodies like series two choke switches not one but two of them so rather than an old Lucas motor cycle brake light switch i will be using the landrover one that in my eye's looks the part so it's a case of clean down and apply some anti rust paint.

On my 88 the front section of the safari trim is in two parts but i think i will be using the one off a 109 which to my limited knowledge will be the same length so why the difference i don't know but it will look neater in my eyes anyway so that's the way i will be going.

With the fine rain coming down all day i had found all that is needed to complete the job so it was a case of just setting to and trying to peel off the old interior covering which i thought would have been an easy job but no such luck and what ever glue was used took me from late afternoon till tonight to get off then a bit of a clean up of the burrs from self tapping screws from what ever was fitted which would have been some after market sun visors that have gone in the bin.

If i could have held the sanding wheel it would have took only a few hours at the most but as usual i have to do things the hard slow way but then that's part of tinkering i guess along with the fact if i could put pictures of what i am doing up it might be easier to understand so sorry for that.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, i must try and understand how to put up pictures but like everything i have a bash at it takes a while to sink in but today i have made the plate that will hold the hand pull of the horn switch that i have managed to mount on the center mirror bracket of the windscreen.

I will get my lass to put up a picture of what i have been doing for weeks but the series two choke switch is now in place primed undercoated and a couple of top coats bolted together and is just waiting for the connection of wires and a chain pull like the American trucks.

I can visualize people asking why i go to all this bother the story is my 109 with a Dormobile roof and rear awning went on loan to George and Pat from the States to tour this country before visiting Billing when it was at it's best but as a giggle i had fitted one of those chrome horns off a boat on the roof in the same way as i have fitted one to HEC my 88 worked by pulling a chain which will become apparent when i can get my lass to put up some pictures.

I know this may not interest some but i love to tinker and series three horn switches are not good at the best of times and when operating two Disco horns the contacts didn't last long so i have done what you have read through by using a relay just to be different and remembering the look on Georges face when we met at Billing after he had toured this country when coming towards us pulling the chain that blasted the Large Chrome horn that he thought was great and i guess reminded him of home in the States.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

G'day chaps, well after yesterday and the fitting of my rear canopy it was a case of the small jobs from now on like fitting shrink sleeving to the end of the conduit that tidies everything up and in my mind looks a lot better with it sort of being on view but i would have done it anyway.

With Simon having helped or should i say done the tubes for the canopy to slide in going into the roof space of the cab it means the valence above the safari windscreen will need to be cut around the tubes so rather than fit the one piece valance i will be using the two piece that will make the job a tad easier for the old brain box to cope with i hope mine you i almost forgot i have to alter the roof interior brackets of the safari lining so it's a good job for me i am putting what i need to do down in words which as strange as it seems is a massive help to me.

I have yet to fit the pull chain for the horn but i am leaving that till the front valance above the windscreen is cut to shape self tapping holes enlarged so i can fit my riv-nuts before the fitting of the valance if only temporary can be done.

Catch you later. R-Rose

[romanyrose]

Gday chaps, after a long timeof waffking on about my wires and the fitting of relays i finally got my pull switch wired up using a series two choke switch as the picture at last shows

Maybe not to everyones taste but as you know tinkering i reckon should be my middle name but at last i am satified with my wiring that as most owners know get bodged beyound believe and when adding extra's it's not long before the old wires and switches either burn out or just stop working .

I am not on my good old computer typing this but on a modern thing i can hardly see the key board or what i am doing but i will be back at my dest a tad later tonight.
I willl get my lass to take another photo but for now ive got her posting this for you
Catch you later
R Rose