Craig's 1989 RRC

[craig]

The last few weeks have been filled with minor repairs and the beginning of a complete interior redo. Other than the fridge mount, no accessories have been installed. Unfortunately, most of the work I'm doing doesn't warrant a photo so this is a pretty dry post. Getting an older truck is like this though. They require a certain amount of TLC before you can really enjoy them again. No reason to skip over that part here. Anyone interested in this thread might as well see what the process is really like.

Overall, I've been very fortunate with this truck. It has very little rust, other than oil leaks, it runs pretty well, and didn't need a lot of immediate mechanical attention. Most of the items are cosmetic or the creature comforts. If I'm going to drive a Range Rover, I want everything working and to be reasonably comfortable so this is the beginning of the process to get it to that point. Thanks to a bunch of my friends for donating/trading with me for the parts I need it is coming along. Here's what's been happening:

Installed 2 new O2 sensors to fix the EFI. Columbia Rovers gave me a great deal on the sensors. I tried several times to get them out on my own. Seeking advice from David Jenden at RoverTech in Kirkland, WA he couldn't understand what the problem was and suggested I bring it by. It turns out that the aftermarket NRP exhaust made them almost impossible to get to. David wound up breaking them off so we could get a socket onto them from the top. We carefully installed the new ones. The good news is that the EFI light is off!

Traded 2 pair of Rud 4x4 chains from my old truck for a set of manual cloth seats out of a 91 Hunter Edition RRC and installed them.

Columbia Rovers donated a set of tan interior panels that match the 91 hunter seats perfectly and installed them. I still need a few more tan interior panels to complete the conversion to a tan interior.

Replaced several door lock actuators. Still need to replace two of them as the used replacements were also malfunctioning.

Fixed / replaced several of the power window switches

Figured out why the stereo wasn't receiving power and fixed it.

Picked up a set of coax speakers and replaced the 6.5” door speakers. This freed up the tweeter location to install HAM radio speakers behind the factory speaker covers.

Spent a bunch of time finding and purchasing the proper screws to fix all the loose dash and center console panels. It's starting to look better, but I still need many other tan interior parts, carpet, and ultimately a new center console.

Had a muffler shop bend the NRP exhaust that was rattling against the frame. It's so nice to have a quiet running truck.

Removed the the window tint gunk from the rear window using Simply Green (great product!). I'd removed a sheet of purple tint before, but some of the adhesive wouldn't come off even with Goo Gone. The Simply Green worked fantastic.

Installed large Rivnuts and mounted the fridge slide I saved from my DII in the cargo area. I still need to figure out how I'm going to run power to it, but honestly this is a diversion; there are many much more important projects than the fridge at this point.

Replaced the ignition switch with a used one from Will Tillery. The original ignition switch had the key stuck in it, it didn't spring back when starting, and the wires were loose causing it to occasionally not start. I had my local locksmith re-key the ignition switch to match the rest of the truck.

I removed the trailer wiring harness since I have nothing to tow. The previous owner did an excellent job of installing it, but this truck is going to have enough wires as it is, so I'm removing what I'm not going to use.

Installed a NW Overland Society badge on the rear bumper


Individually these all seem like small changes, but collectively it's made a huge difference. I'm really liking this truck. I plan to just keep plugging away, trying to get the base truck where I want it. I'm hoping to have all of this stuff done by the end of January so I can start setting it up for spring/summer fun. Unfortunately there is still a lot on that base list…

LT230 goes in on Thursday

 

[jrose609]

Nice! I think it will last that long. I'll be in touch.

Cool Did you end up getting a 1.4? Guess you aren't going to need mine then.

 

[craig]

I decided that I'd prefer a 1.2 and to re-gear the diffs. This way I get a lower final ratio in low range as well as high range.

I was able to find a local shop to trade my recently rebuilt Borg Warner and a set of used LR HD coil springs for a low mileage LT230, Defender linkage, etc. Nothing out of pocket.

My apologies if you were hanging on to yours for me. I thought we emailed about this a couple of weeks ago.

Craig

 

[jrose609]

I decided that I'd prefer a 1.2 and to re-gear the diffs. This way I get a lower final ratio in low range as well as high range.

I was able to find a local shop to trade my recently rebuilt Borg Warner and a set of used LR HD coil springs for a low mileage LT230, Defender linkage, etc. Nothing out of pocket.

My apologies if you were hanging on to yours for me. I thought we emailed about this a couple of weeks ago.

Craig

no problemo buddy. we did email a few weeks ago. Must have been a miscommunication. No problem at all though. I'm still waiting for my 1.4 ratio to come in from Doug anyway.

Your truck is looking great. My wife is absolutely loving her RRC. it's a LWB though, and is like riding in a limo.

 

[craig]

Thanks Jason.

Yeah, those LWBs are really comfortable. They'd make a really good family hauler.

Craig

 

[jrose609]

Thanks Jason.

Yeah, those LWBs are really comfortable. They'd make a really good family hauler.

Craig

Very good family hauler. We can fit 7 people in our's now with the addition of the third row.

 

[11b4v]

Great deal and Great Truck.

In regards to my wife;
I finally found one I like talking to and like looking at.

In regards to my wife and her thoughts on my DII;
"Im blocked in, so Im taking the Rover....."
"My truck is out of gas so Im taking the rover......."
"Im concerned about the effects of the BP Oil Spill on the Gulf Coast economy so Im taking the Rover......"

 

[craig]

Just found a solid roof (no sunroof or moonroof) and headliner. Needs a little bit of body work and to be painted, but that's the plan to fix the broken/leaking sunroof.

Craig

 

[JeffRRC]

Good job. I miss our's! Best looking SUV ever made.

 

[craig]

Staying true to the “budget build” theme I was able to trade a bunch of good but unused parts, and a little cash to get into a low mileage LT230. My friend Dan and I had planned to install it ourselves, but Gord'n at Lamorna Garage in Seattle made me a really good deal on the installation cost. Given his extensive experience and the fact that it's cold and rainy in my driveway it was a no-brainer to decide to have him do it. I'm really glad I did.

Gord'n did a fantastic job. Shifts/runs well, e-brake works great now, the transfer case shifter comes up in the exact same spot as the factory Hi/Low shifter, and he was able to wire the diff lock light into the standard dash cluster.

Now I just need to find a trail and test it.

Below: New shifter comes up in the factory location, has the correctly labeled knob, and shifts in Hi/Low 4Hi/4Lo. No console butchery required.

Below: The factory light cluster had one blank "unused" light. This is now my "diff lock" indicator. I still need to put a "Diff Lock" sticker on it.

Below: The LT230 is wired in to this light using the factory harness, which means the light runs through the bulb check unit. The light illuminates when the key is first turned so I can "check" that the bulb is still working.

 

[SeaRubi]

awesome - looking good, Craig. Gord'n is the man!!!

cheers
-ike

 

[rover4x4]

Can you lock the CDL? I had to cut out the DS coin tray to get mine to lock. IM digging the ARB bumpers kinda makes me miss mine.

Not to hi-jack but any comments on the 215/85's Ive heard they handle pretty bad on the highway

 

[craig]

Yep, it locks great. It's locked in high range in the photo.

You have to use the linkage from either a Defender or an old LT230 equipped RRC and know just where to put a couple of bends in it. Gord'n had done a bunch of them and knew exactly where to bend it. There are also two nuts on the TC that can be used to adjust the range of motion.

The 215/85/16s with AT tires handle extremely well on the highway even without swaybars. I have an OME Extra HD lift w/ very little in the truck right now though. We'll see how it does once I load it up.

Craig

 

[rover4x4]

Interesting, it has to be a lot of bending and adjust as every CDL ive fiddled with has a long throw. I adjusted as much as I could to accommodate the CDL in my classic, I know the older CDLed trucks did not have the DS "coin tray".

The 215's seem to be a pretty good fit for a Classic. The 235's arent bad but they rob so much power Im not ready to consider without driveline changes amd 245's are a little wide imo..

 

[craig]

After getting a flat with no spare, and with winter at our doorstep, my wife and I decided we needed to get 5 new tires we can trust on/off road. 5 new BFG MT T/A KM2s. I can't believe how quiet they ride compared to the MT KMs I had on my old Discovery 2.

Also spent a bit of time fixing small things:
- Washed the truck
- Adjusted the rear tailgate glass so it doesn't rattle or leak
- Adjusted the hood so it doesn't rattle on the freeway
- Fixed the wiring to the windshield squirter, and cleared 2 of the 4 jets (with only 2 it squirts the roof).

Then I realized it was a sunny day and that I still hadn't properly tested the LT230 or the new tires. I put the wrenches away, grabbed some recovery gear, my son, and headed to the ORV park 10 minutes from my house to give it a test.