Saturday, 1 September 2018

Front axle progress

Sorry for the gap between posts, I have been overseas so nothing much happened for a couple of weeks.

I have finished all the wire brushing and painting so the axle is ready for reassembly. I am waiting on my new swivel balls and other parts to arrive so I can begin the swivel assembly and finish up the axle.

In the meantime I have taken apart the "new" series 3 gearbox for inspection and clean up. Some very questionable oil came out of the main box, very milky and chunky. However, once I took off the top cover and took out the selector shafts I found the 'box to be in good condition, with no missing teeth and no corrosion. The transfer case oil was nice and golden.

I am planning on swapping the bell housing from my old IIa gearbox onto my new series 3 box so I can retain the current clutch set up. I believe it is a case of swapping the bell housings along with the input shafts.

I've also installed some original style seats to help making getting it back on the road easier. Next up after the front axle is the rear axle which should be a much less involved job. Then the engine will be coming out for a service (seals, gaskets, paint etc) and so I can give the engine bay a spring clean. I think I will get a new wiring harness as the one I have at the moment has been badly chopped up in the past which is causing some problems with intermittent breakages.

I'll have a post up soon with the conclusion to the front axle and maybe a section on the gearbox.