White Elephant Series III project.

[Matt H]

Starting on the bodywork/front wings I have discovered a staggering amount of needless bondo. It would seem that a previous owner not only covered small dents (and large dents without even trying to hammer and dolly it back) but also attempted to align panel gaps with the stuff. I swear it's 1/2" thick in some areas.

Bondo should be a controlled product, Like dynamite or nuclear waste, to prevent it falling into the wrong hands!

[Red90]

Bondo on a Land Rover.  How silly. Owners should be proud of their dents.  ;D

[binch]

that was what I was trying to tell chris when he was building mine.  "I don't care what the body looks like....Make it mechanically sound!"    I ended up with the prettiest truck in the club.....    Now that I've replaced all the axle shafts, gearbox, t-case and engine...to name a few.   It's ready to go ;-)

[Matt H]

Well lots has happened with the ol' S3 of late. Some good, some not so good.

Let's start with the good. It's running, driving, stopping, registered and out looking for trouble on and off the roads in the Medicine Hat area! It participated in the Spectrum Festival and even acted as a rescue unit for a fallen LR comrade.

All the fluids were changed and has been running well.

The not so good is the body is still on the tatty end of 'patina', it's hard to start hot and the gas tank re-seal was an utter failure.

Body and starting issues are in the works so I will detail my fuel tank re-seal efforts for now.

[Matt H]

I decided to use a re-seal product as replacement tanks are expensive to ship due to their size. I used KBS "gold standard" as I had read positive reviews. It come as a three part system to clean, etch and seal small holes in the tank. It cost around $80 and takes 4 days to cure.

[Matt H]

After inspecting the tank and deciding the holes were small enough to seal I first cleaned the inside with the supplied cleaner.

[Matt H]

Then after throughly rinsing with water and drying I prepared the surface for the sealer.

[Matt H]

After further rinsing and drying I used the sealer. It comes in the form of a thick paint that is poured into the tank. The tank is then rolled end over end to ensure full coverage. Excess paint is drained out and the tank is then left to cure for four days.

[Matt H]

After the paint had cured I took a lesson from the last time I fitted a suspect tank and filled it partially before I installed it into the vehicle. It leaked just as bad as before I used the sealer. Not impressed at all.

In the product literature and from reviews I had read I was lead to believe that minor holes upto and including the size of a pin head could be successfully sealed with this system. I had no such luck and although the holes in my tank were small it may have just been too bad to seal up properly. I would suggest to anyone thinking of using this or a similar product to only try it if the tank is weeping or displays a wet/damp area. If it physically leaks fuel your likely to be disappointed.

So off to the Spectrum festival it went with an ancient jerry rigged boat outboard motor fuel tank strapped to the passenger footwell and a blanket to cover it from notice.

Last Saturday I fitted a brand new fuel tank (thanks to Dad who at the last moment included it in his luggage on a visit from the UK) and tested it.  It works and I'm happy. I have always favoured replacement in the past and I should gone the new tank route from the get go this time too instead of being so cheap.

Land Rover Lesson #10,437 learned.

[binch]

 ;D

good write up Matt!    It's those short cuts that always catch us in the ends eh........