el_freddo

I was meant to reply a while ago about that reverse gearset. The selector tabs look well chewed out, this along with the slop from the selector forks explains why it wouldn’t hold the gear. It’s hard to tell if the tabs were chewed out from rough use or from slipping out of gear as a result of the slop. Either way, neither of those would be helping! I hope you get that wiring sorted. Wiring gremlins are not fun. Odd about that spark timing at low revs. That rough running issue is interesting. Thought about doing a compression check to ensure all is well internally then go from there? Cheers Bennie

Man you guys got all the cool stuff over there! That instrument cluster was not an option in our Brumby’s over here - we got the little cluster with speedo, fuel, temp, indicator lights on the diagram of the vehicle and an analogue clock that usually doesn’t work these days. I had to swap that style of instrument cluster and matching dash board into my brumby once I sourced one from a coupe, GL sedan or an early touring wagon before they went digital (I think from memory). I also like your oil gauge in psi. My one is in kg/cm^3 - a unit of measurement while metric, is little used for applications such as this. I still use psi for tyre pressures and grew up looking at oil gauges in psi too. Also, I don’t have 4wd or Lo4wd indicator lights on my instrument cluster since mine came from a 2wd. Where did you source those Calmasters from? They’re an interesting looking rim! We don’t have anything like that here. Cheers Bennie

@Rafavidmessno need to be ashamed for not logging in for so long, life gets in the way at times… What model L series did you gearbox come out of? They’re either 3.7 or 3.9 What you can do is put it in 4wd when stationary and gently ease out the clutch in 1st gear. You will know pretty quickly if the diff ratios are mismatched. We have an L series that was converted from 3.9 auto to 3.7 manual without changing the rear diff as we just needed the car going asap. If in 4wd we can move it less than 10 metres before it feels like someone engaged the handbrake. This is the 4wd system binding up due to the two different diff ratios. Go really gentle - first gear idle and you’ll soon know if you’re good to go in 4wd or if you need a 3.9 rear diff ratio to swap in. It’s good to see you drop in and give an update again! Cheers Bennie

Fair enough. Surely their prices should be coming down after the post pandemic price hike.

No idea on price over there or what’s considered terminal or bad rust in your neck of the woods. What I do know is the rims are from the L series models, possibly the RX turbo but not 100% sure on that. Tyre size looks to be correct by eye. Couldn’t tell you the actual size though. Has AC but no AC pump. Just having the rest of the gear is a good thing as it gives you options depending on what you’re wanting to do. All the best with the purchase decision! Cheers Bennie

Apparently there are some 80’s Nissan units that are basically the same but have a handbrake integrated into them. There could be some Honda units that are about the same too. Cheers Bennie

Good time to paint your rims if getting new tyres - do it with the old tyres fitted so you don’t need to stress about overspray on the tyre itself. You should know glamour shots are ALWAYS welcome/appreciated! Cheers Bennie

I assume you remove the dip stick, wipe it then replace and remove to get the most accurate reading? If you’re not wiping before a dip to read the oil level, you’re not getting an accurate reading. If it’s still super high, are you sure you drained the engine sump and not the gearbox oil? An old mate of mine did this back I our uni days. Cost him a new gearbox plus fitment. There’s a dipstick on the RHS of the gearbox for the gearbox oil level, it’s worth checking it out assuming you have a manual. The auto has a front diff oil dipstick, I can’t remember what side of the auto it’s on though. And I’m digging the 14 year thread dig! Cheers Bennie

Google is your friend in this instance. I’m 99% sure a mate of mine originally made this image I think when it refers to 4wd wiring it means the low range as the 4wd light switch is on the back of the 4wd lever. Cheers Bennie

I know which one is pick out of that bunch! And your worst nightmare - filling that thing up with fuel must cost an absolute packet! Plus it’s not where near as cool as the BRAT! Cheers Bennie

If only we carried knives like that… once upon a time in remote areas maybe, hence why he took his stateside (doubt he’d actually get it in the country these days if ever), but creative licence with movies! And that’s a classic movie - I haven’t seen it in ages but I still love it! Cheers Bennie

And you’re about right with the cow catcher. I’m sure the five poster came from mustering cattle in old jeeps and land cruisers way back in the day - then they made their way to the front of road going vehicles. You can buy them for newer model vehicles too. I’d love a set of scrub bars for mine that then drop down below the door sill. And it looks heavy, but it’s not. I’d say several kg heavier than an alloy bullbar that’s commonly seen on Brumby’s over here. Cheers Bennie

You guys got all the cool colours over there! We got white, red, beige and a silver one that I believe was a limited run. Also interesting to see you have a bumper mounted side indicator rather than having it in the front guards/fenders. All of ours are in the guards. Very tidy looking unit! I love that desert fox decal down the side. Cheers Bennie

I forgot to add that the brake sponginess is most likely due to the rear brake shoes needing adjustment. They’re manually adjust via a small square headed boot on the diff side of the backing plate, under the bearing. If you’re really lucky you’ll have the factory rubber cover on them still. If not no stress. Spray them with some penetrative lube and let them sit, repeat several times of they’re stuck good. You can adjust the brakes with the wheels in the air, this will let you know if they’re too tight or not. The bolt will roll over with a lumpy feel to it. This ensures the bolt can’t back out and loosen off your brakes. That will make a huge difference to the feel of your brake pedal. It could be worth removing the drums to clean out the years of crap that will be in there. Also a good time to inspect for slave cylinder leaks and the general condition of the brake shoes. Cheers Bennie

What you need to look for is a flat mark on the lip of the cam wheel. Do not use the arrow on the arm of the cam wheel - this is used to indicate which cylinder is at TDC depending on where it’s pointing. You should be able to rotate the engine by hand easily enough. Make sure it’s not in gear - and if the cam wheels are in a free position, where they can be easily turned back and forth freely, this indicates that the valves are in the closed position and there’s no way you can hit pistons and valves when in this position. If you still can’t rotate the engine you might have bigger problems at play. Hopefully this isn’t the case! For the crank there is a mark on a tooth at the back of the crank timing gear. All the best with it. Cheers Bennie

Looks good l75eya! Bit of rust that us Aussies baulk at but seems to be no issue on your side of the world. I’ve not seen a rear bar like that before, looks tidy even without the bumperettes to finish off the sides. Good score on the targa top too - not really a targa as I found out last year but that’s what they’re know as over here. If you’ve still got the instruction sticker on the roof lining panel the roof glass is referred to as a “fun top”. And I have to say it - modifying a classic quote from a classic Aussie movie you guys would probably know… “That’s not a bullbar… …THAT’S a bullbar.” I’m sure if you can weld in new panels to fix that rust you could weld up one of these five posters while you’re at it I’m looking forward to seeing where you go with this one! Cheers Bennie

Awesome score on the brat! How long before the legacy drivetrain ends up in the brat?? Enjoy it, but don’t overload it or throw crap in the back if you want to keep it in good condition. You’ve got the fun top version too, the best! Cheers Bennie

Good detective work! How’d that sort of wiring damage come about? Hopefully you’ll get this thing tuned properly now and have some real fun with it! Cheers Bennie

I’m hoping there’s a reply answer! I’m enjoying some of the thread digging going on - it’s good to see ppl doing searches on the forum, via google or otherwise. Cheers Bennie

Well done! Glad it’s sorted and I hope it stays that way for a long time to come! Enjoy the snow. I’m trying to savour what’s left of the relatively wet and cool summer we had down here! Cheers Bennie

I hope it’s the fix! Looking forward to hearing how the new ignition switch goes. Cheers Bennie

Ignition switch should be held in by two Phillips head screw/bolts opposite to the side that the key goes into. You should only need to remove the steering column cowling and maybe drop the steering column off it’s mount bolts to get more access. You don’t have to pull the ignition barrel out to replace the ignition switch! That has the funny looking bolts without a head on them. They’re designed to snap off once torqued up so the ignition barrel can’t be easily removed by thieves. I’m not sure that the starter relay mod will dive this issue since you mentioned it cranks over fine and will run in the start position but die in the ON position. You’d only need a 30a horn relay - same as what you hook driving lights up with. Cheers Bennie

My first thought is what voltage are you getting at the ignition switch when in the “ON” position? By running the wire from the positive of the battery to the coil you’ve effectively bypassed the ON setting of the ignition switch. This to me suggests an issue with the ignition switch. It’s possibly over 40yo so it’s done well! You could do this test twice - once just using the factory wiring as is, if that shows a low voltage reading then hook up that positive wire between the battery and coil then see what the voltage is at the back of the ignition switch, I’d expect it to be back feeding 12v if you got a low reading the first time. Cheers Bennie

B - swap LSD centre into the diff housing with the desired diff ratio. Easiest option when changing diff ratios with the LSD that’s retained. Cheers Bennie

Subarino auto in Perth sells a complete 2 inch kit for the MY and L series. Shipping to you would be the costly bit, no harm in asking about the kit anyway. Cheers Bennie