Project Kermit 29: A Series Land Rover Full Restoration

In this epic instalment I fit the turbo and alternator in the engine bay, have a go at the handbrake and steering box then it's outside for some work on the rear tub.
Chapters:
0:00 Turbo
14:51 Welding up the floor supports
20:39 Alternator fitting
34:02 Handbrake fitting
37:53 Steering box
45:41 Rear tub
Project Kermit is a 1978 Land Rover Series 3 109 (long wheel base) which is being stripped right down and rebuilt with a 200tdi engine and a few other improvements. The other videos in the series can be found in this playlist: • Project Kermit: A Seri...
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[@rustandoil]

A refreshing change from most Land Rover refurbishment videos..... Repair rather than replace, this is the true spirt of Land Rover

[@martinberry4315]

I remember cleaning Hammerite off the barrel of a Matchless 350 in the late '80s with a shot blaster. Very therapeutic. My friend who it belongs to still hasn't got the fecking thing back on the road though. Words will be had. 😀

[@MrMannakin]

Always amazes me how you turn parts that look like they are only fit for scrap back into good working parts!

[@flatmoon6359]

That's nothing, I can do the opposite in half the time.

[@jankedmediagroup6784]

It's because most things folk chuck out is still usable, always remember the 3 Rs, reuse, repurpose and repair

[@danbrazil2405]

Nice to hear the birds outside, spring has arrived finally!!

[@davros517]

Your fabrication skills............Fitzie would be proud !

[@nickboylen6873]

Good progress there. When it comes to aligning the alternator pulley, be careful using a double pulley or pulley spacer on the alternator spindle - the extra length between bearings position and pulley groove increases the leverage of the belt on the spindle and bearings, so will wear the alternator faster. It’s best if you can keep the pulley as close to the alternator as possible and move the whole thing forward. Solid spacer blocks are available, as you said, for a price. I initially used tubing much like you, but found the tube walls peened over a little at their ends with engine vibration, and once they shrink a little, then you get movement that rapidly wears the tubes and causes bolt shearing. I later went with stacks of washers which gives a large surface area, which stops the wear. The block would be neater, but the washers have been faultless over 15 years and offer a simple and cheap solution that is adjustable should a new alternator have subtly different dimensions (unlikely, but worth mitigating against). The steering box is a sod to assemble, but simple in principle. Replacing the bush for the output shaft isn’t much fun, though. If it does leak through the output seal (o-ring, if I remember correctly) and a replacement doesn’t work, then using 1-shot grease for coiler axle swivels works really well.

[@edgeeffect]

You wicked, wicked man! That thumbnail has given me the most ferocious earworm of all time.

[@TheNapalmFTW]

ME TOO lol

[@SteveeCee]

Hey Max, can't believe I fell asleep watching this, but it was after muchos vino collapso and a spag bol. So I've 'rewatched' it tonight - basically watched for 1st time whilst conscious 😂 Nice job on all fronts, such a pleasure to view (sober) thanks mate!!

[@johnsavage248]

33:16 "yes, that'll work" < I belive you 100%. Brilliant!!

[@PhilEvansOnline]

This is a true labour of love and beautiful to watch. Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@MarktheOddJob]

Wow, that hour flew by. Thanks for sharing Max.

[@maxwiz71]

You're heaping love in to this rebuild. It's very enjoyable to watch. Great balance between reusing/refurbing/repurposing and a few new parts. You're going to end up with a unique and beautiful Landy!

[@BrizzleRocker]

Having been driving along a Welsh country lane in my Series 1 when the hi/lo selector popped into "neutral" I can safely say you definitely DON'T want any play in that one! Proper brown-trouser moment!

[@normanrussell5526]

I have to say I watch all your doings, but this one has been fascinating. You to me are working in a little bit of paradise, your music is all the song birds entertaining you as you progress along. Your workmanship is really good. The land rover will be one of the best I am thinking.

[@Chr.U.Cas2216]

Dear Norman Russell 👍👌👏 Very well said, Sir, very well indeed. I wanted to comment similar but fortunately you already did all the writing work. 😁 ;-) Best regards, luck and health in particular.

[@michaelrck]

Iron thumper, Alloy thumper, and Ecky thumper. You got it all goin on Man! 😄

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Going to be better than new! You'll be taking it to shows I hope!

[@samrodian919]

Max a little bit of advice when punching gaskets or leather or even just card. Don't punch onto a particle board or any other type of board for that matter, even with crappy punches ( and you do have a lathe to improve them lol ) use only end grain of a bit of timber, preferably a hard wood and when you have buggered up the surface just use a chop saw to restore a pristine surface again. It makes all the difference mate.

[@tehklevster]

That was excellent. I love the magic bush of things you manage to pull stuff out of. It's like reaching into another dimension full of bits.

[@gbentley8176]

Excellent work as always, thanks. Glad to see Rye Oil product; always been first class from them.

[@jrevillug]

I get knocked down But I get up again You ain't never gonna keep me down

[@mceajc]

Surprised to discover that even the engine bay of a Land Rover with the fenders removed still manages to be "fiddly in the extreme"! Great work smartening up all these bits and pieces. Amazing how long things can last.

[@maximusironthumper]

Probs just me making a meal of it!

[@brendanrobertson551]

@@maximusironthumper That most certainly is not the case, your dedication, natural skill and personality to do things right is an inspiration and lesson to us all. Thank you for all your incredible video content. Seeing your new content appear is always a true joy.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@maximusironthumper I'd say re-designing the whole thing to accept parts from multiple different engines is bound to create some unique challenges.

[@marcduthie4327]

Getting there. Looking great.

[@stephenswirles8555]

[@apollorobb]

Only issue i can see is with that stud on the alternator Adjustment bracket it sticking out that far will allow it to flex and stress crack the stud. Ive seen it before .I would make a tube spacer to put between the bracket and block and get rid of the double nut setup .Great progress Max

[@simonbartlett5]

🎼 I get knocked down but, I get up again, y never gonna keep me down🎼 ……….repeat etc……..

[@terryphelan]

Love your channel. It’s the opposite of the vacuous shite that seems to permeate these days. Keep it up. Thank you.

[@Lutonbodyhome]

That's a lot of work in one episode!

[@celynjones4958]

AKA Maximus Alu-Thumper. She's coming along nicely.

[@timlarcombe9096]

Really enjoyed this one, thanks for sharing.

[@highdownmartin]

Probably too late, just started watching. I clocked my turbo about twenty degrees, all I could do without messing with the waste gate actuator. And chopped the leading bit off that chassis bulkhead bracket: leaving the steering box hole and reinforcing the metal left behind it. No problems in five years Edit. Used a blue silicone bend( free with other leftovers from a mate) trimmed back as much as possible engine side and it clears the support. Piece of rag folded to prevent chafing just in case.

[@maximusironthumper]

Good to know, cheers.

[@richardmaxfield8339]

Brilliant video many thanks..... stay safe.

[@pauljenkins2501]

Thank you, Max, for another wonderful video. You probably don't have a lot of time to watch other people's KZbin, but if you do, there is a U.S. channel "Farm Craft 101" where the guy restores and repairs a lot of older tractors, diggers and machines to use on his farm. Currently a cherry picker boom lift with an 80 foot reach, which he has taken to bits and is about to start rebuilding. Like with your videos, he explains things well, services a lot of parts himself, and sometimes manufactures jigs or tools to help with projects. It's well worth a watch.....

[@maximusironthumper]

That's a new one on me, I'll check it out. Thanks!

[@Rugbyman269]

Fill the steering box up with grease instead of oil as I believe the army did , it won't leak.

[@paulriggers1558]

good job we are not in america, all utubers disconnecting EGR etc are getting $100k fines when you are tapping out a circlip, tap the ends inwards, [the opposite way to you] this helps the circlip reduce in diameter, helping it to come out maufacturer's use an electromagnet to hold the balls in place, high strength magnets may help you. excellent video, lots of good progress, well done young man !

[@highdownmartin]

Egr not legally required on an old Landy. Same here tho, can’t bypass a cat or an egr on a new car

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

Excellent work. I liked the part where you pour milkshake onto the steering box.

[@gillie-monger3394]

As for progress - "The devil is in the detail" Max. Another great video. I really enjoy the longer length vids. All to often these rebuild videos are basically a 'before and after' snapshot, giving little or no insight into the work required to achieve the results. With your videos we get to actually see and appreciate the effort you go to to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. Well, I've run out of metaphors so thanks for sharing and can't wait for the next one!

[@caahacky]

Impressive. Thanks.

[@leenewton8090]

The funny thing is sometimes when I see this channel name it makes me think of Chumbawamba i.e. "Maxiumus Tubthumper" 😂

[@vlota]

Ha. Ha! Me too. In our gaff we nickname Max "Tubby" as in short for "Tubthumper". It works better than "Irony"

[@Chr.U.Cas2216]

Dear Maximus I. 👍👌👏 Extremely well done, Sir, very well indeed! I absolutely love that you repair, modify and reuse old parts. And that you mix and modify parts from different series until they fit and work. I'm nevertheless astounded, how much time consuming work all this necessary fiddling around needs. But it's always the same if restoring and improving something. It usually takes more effort and time than thought in the beginning. But it all will work out in the end because you will proudly own a great, sturdy, reliable daily driver and workhorse. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards, luck and especially health to all of you. Post Scriptum: The quality of those special pliers is a bad joke. I bet that they are coming from China or something similar.

[@peterford436]

Great stuff...

[@johnshaw4140]

Fantastic work as always , fascinating

[@Jack-tx2ve]

I have been drinking far to much rum to comment. But I will anyway, well done mukka. It looks good.

[@davidbrodie5044]

I reckon that steering box will last for a fair while probably. Good ones are hard to find now for sure.

[@maximusironthumper]

I will drag out my other one and check that too.

[@MrDanTrials]

I like the way you say "this is going to be fascinating, isn't it" but actually it is! Always learn something from your videos.

[@lrdisco2005]

I love the smell of WD40 in the morning, it smells of victory.

[@twentysevenlitres]

I always wondered how recirculating ball steering worked!

[@donbrads4523]

Awesome yet again!

[@dragontattooee]

When you eyed down the piece it reminded me of my dad and after decades as a carpenter he had the talent of being able to tell how straight something was just by eye . Fantastic video once again

[@ShedTV]

There's a great video on the sixtyfiveford channel where Moe slips a bit of thin copper pipe into a casting with a snapped off bolt in to protect the thread while he fills it up with weld to be able to turn it out.

[@keiths-teeth]

Must be a good thing to know Kermit top to bottom. Exciting to finally get to drive it fully painted and renovated

[@lyntonprescott3412]

Such tenacity! I am in awe of your efforts. I have in the past welded floors into cars (oxy acetylene), rebuilt engines, and turned vans into campers, plus several motorbikes along the way. In addition to all the other things for normal home life. Cannot wait for the completion of such a splendid project. Best wishes. Lynton

[@richardhasler6718]

Nice work Mr Ironthumper, as ever! I'm sure Steam wally would be pleased with your steering box overhaul too.

[@georgeclements2742]

I think that you made rather more progress than you appreciate. Excellent. Thank you.

[@shanemccauley8354]

Another awesome video

[@mobiousenigma]

you get knocked down and you get up again..lol good title sir thanks for the video ...turbo is an exhaust gas driven intake air compressor a tad more accurate than a pair of impellers lol

[@discovolante2585]

Cheers from Finland! I am an owner of a couple of classics, two 80's/90's Maseratis and a Jaguar x308 and I've always fancied a Range Rover classic or a series Land Rover as a daily driver. The Finnish winter is very long, cold and snowy, and this has, year after year, made me re-think but someday I will make this happen. The roads here are in terrible condition so what could be a better alround vehicle than a classic Rangie or a suitably modified Series with massive amounts of ground clearance, easy maintenance for a DIY-person and above all, style! Enjoying great deal of this restoration and have been a subscriber for a good while now. Keep the videos coming!!

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

Full Restoration over 30 year period 😂Great vid glad yeah back on Kermit

[@MartsGarage]

Excellent methodical progress, Mr Thumper. Great quick cut editing. Thanks for putting this all together, the truck and the video. Mart in Solihull.

[@oikkuoek]

If you can't find a good shaft gear, you can always weld more material on the pitted one and grind/polish it smooth.

[@drsocrates3]

Great to see the half hundred weight make an appearance! Keep up the great work, you will be a very happy man when the day comes to drive out of the shed

[@selfsufficientsandy977]

The welding glove in the vice is such a great hack, cheers!

[@chrissmith7655]

Hi , well done Max that was a hell of a lot of work, very impressed,. Many thanks from Nr Chester.

[@mommymilestones]

We always get a kick out of Ironthumper complaining about the quality of the cheapest tools he could buy online. Words to live by................ Nobody ever went broke by spending to little.

[@mikeb5556]

If you ask Mr Hedge very nicely, he might get you the other steering box, eh?

[@jamonit7169]

I've got the identical Pyrex jug, I use it for making scrambled eggs though.....

[@jonathanrobson3549]

Normally on a turbo they spin the impella up and grind a small bit of the fin to balance it like a wheel. You just beat it up and we all know it's going to be fine . Love it

[@spoplehughes]

It may be psychosomatic but every time you drive kermit you will feel that roughness in the box and it will drive you mad lol

[@andydawkins9640]

Brilliant as always max , always look forward to your vids . Can't wait for next instalment 🇬🇧👍🇬🇧👍

[@chrissmith7655]

Yes me to, can't wait.

[@bittertruth6575]

Max I bet you could easily forge yourself some new surclip pliers. They'd be a 100 x better than anything you could buy and they'd last longer and I think they'd be a doddle for you to make as well.

[@alangarratt7421]

Another hour of great content. Please keep it coming.

[@oomwat6101]

Personally, I really rate left hand drill bits for getting bolts out ... if they don't pull it out themselves, you can mash a torx or hex bit into the hole and often wind them out using that ;)

[@daveb7999]

Great restoration work on the tub! Excellent video as well, Thank You for that. Hope you get the steering box sorted.

[@kevinsimpson7114]

Amazing job Max. It’s all about the preparation to get the job right, so you are making a lot of progress!👍🏻👌🏻Looking forward to the next instalment. Thank you for sharing the journey.🙂

[@USAAFLANGFORDLODGEHC]

Cheers Max, really enjoyed this, a way I was told of seeing how many shims are required for the bearing preload, is to tighten everything up and measure the gap you have, without shims in place, then you can check what combination of shims are required for correct preload. This process worked well in a number of places on my wwii jeep, also on the axle kingpins bearing preload.

[@johncochrane2707]

Fantastic progress Max really enjoyed the video.

[@MrNineCherries]

Fantastic. It's amazing watching you save so many bits and not just buy new. Love it. I'm looking forward to the next installment 👍🏻

[@highdownmartin]

Lot of times a repair on a fifty year old component is better than a new pattern part. Better steel.

[@peterjohncooper]

It's always uplifting watching the project come together. Thank you.

[@Burnsie8282]

Another great video Max! I found the tub repair especially satisfying, I love what you achieved with the panel beating and reinforcement, Kermit is really coming along and will truly be something to be proud of! I hope you, and everything else is doing alright, keep up the fantastic work. I really enjoy all of your content! Thank you

[@Garrett053]

Awesome project for my morning coffee. I am restoring a volvo amazon and this is very inspiring to me. Thank you, man!

[@splendiferouse0]

Bitumen is good stuff

[@stu2290]

Another cracking video Max !! That aluminium played nicely didn't it :)

[@shellez101]

What no chickens? Still a great video brother 🤟

[@paulwalker427]

fantastic work

[@dairyfarmerdan]

Coming along an absolute treat

[@dustymiller7758]

Great entertainment Max and fantastic progress. Proper renovation and longevity built in.

[@anuverun6762]

Excellent bumper episode, thanks.

[@stephenswirles8555]

i envy you fella, wish i had the room, i wud be doing a simalar thing, ar well.

[@rogerphillips450]

Looking good, well worth watching.

[@flatmoon6359]

Old way of removing a broken bolt.Get another bolt of same thread and if you have a lathe drill a hole for center drill,and another bolt drilled for size of thread extractor. You have a hole in centre. Bit much for one bolt, but good for many.

[@philhermetic]

Super work Max, steering. Boxes are a bit of s fiddly nightmare, just rebuilt my fordson major box, identical internals, much improved by the repair kit! Keep on truckin! Phil

[@stephenswirles8555]

yer your skills are level with nasa.

[@Aidan.17]

I have horrible tools as well yet I have mates with literally thousands of dollars of brand new and expensive unused tools who literally do nothing with them and everything they need doing is done by tradies. I think if i walk in your shed and see poor quality well used tools its the mark of a very resourceful human.

[@robertgoddard565]

Loving this series of videos I’ve watched them all from the start. I love the camel trophy colour. What an Incredible life style you lead.

[@richardford4570]

Your making great progress and I really enjoyed this longer video, cheers mate and keep safe and well from Rick in Sydney Australia 🇦🇺 👍 😀

[@blacksquirrel4008]

I think twisting the steering box by hand is a lot different than having the leverage of the wheel and the friction of all the steering bits when it is in place.

[@maximusironthumper]

True! I'll see what the other box is like though and pick the best one.

[@bobbrayshaw1179]

Brilliant as always. You have a really nice manner and rhythm in your work. Currently doing a full restore inc a new chassis on one of my sons 90.

[@katmandu8208]

👍🏼🍻

[@christaylor4145]

Really enjoying your restoration videos, it is marvellous how you take all these old parts and make them look smart and usable again, I can’t wait for the next one, great work, take care and all the best to you.

[@FOOKYOUTUBENUMBERS]

You'll have a long wait😂

[@simonmercer9530]

Great video once again. Brilliant progress

[@_n_l_]

Great work once again!