109 seats

Ok this was the next thing to have to be redone. The fitting on the fuel tank sat too high to let the seatbase lid sit properly. I had to lower the fuel tank....both ends.... In a way it made things easier for the next time. I had 5/16" stainless steel bolts holding the tank in place. All I did was take the Nyloc nuts off and put new hex nuts, also stainless, on. Complete with washers this spaced it out enough. The benefit is that now the bolts are solid and only the nuts have to be removed to drop the tank.I never have to (I hope) get into that crazy little space to hold the rear bolt heads!

Now the lid will clear!

The bottom pics show the spacers added to the underside of the fuel tank. I found some Defender seats on Craigslist in nearby Carmel. Thanks, Mack! So after the seatbase was in I put in the passenger seat (RH).

Once mounted I got in to try it out. As I closed the door I found that it was too close to the door so it would have to be moved over. I ran it forward and back on the slide to see that that bit worked. When the seat was removed I noticed a scratch on the seat base. I thought I had done it when setting the seat in place. I moved the seat over and bolted it back in and again climbed aboard to check the fit. It was now far enough from the door and moved fore and aft easily. I then checked how the seat bottom came out and pulled it up. There I discovered another scratch in the seatbase paint. I knew I didn't do this one putting the seat in, so I started looking for the cause. It was the back edge of the bar used to unlock the slide. There wasn't enough clearance to let it slide...It is always something ain't it! So again I went to Fastenal and bought some thick 1/4"id stainless washers. They are 1/8" thick, so by stacking 2 in the front and 1 in the rear I was able to raise the seat enough to clear the base with the slide mechanism.

Next up I put on the radiator and filled it up with a 50-50 premixed brew. And guess what???? NO LEAKS!!!!

Then we had a slight rain and I found out my roof leaks. @#$%^&*(!!!! I couldn't tell that day where it was comming from but today it is raining once again and I know where now and have to wait for it to dry out before I can attempt to seal it.

109 tub back on, rear step, indicator rebuild

Before I get to the tub story I want to tell you about; the 1960 Series 2 model came with a dash mounted switch for the turn signal indicators. The one I had was broken. The threaded part which attached it to the dash had broken and someone glued it back on and if fell apart. My friend, Linus, had one that wouldn't turn so I decied to take the 2 of them apart and make 1 that worked. The pics show some of the insides all corroded up and the finished switch which I hope will work.

Two weeks ago Linus came up and with the help of a neighbor(Joe) we took the roof and tub off. Then I set about to rectify the issue with the frame fit. Taking measurements from the frame and comparing them to the book showed some discrepancies. What I think may have happened was the PO had backed into a log at some point. this had crumpled the right rear corner, body and crossmember. When I made the jig to reset the new crossmember for welding, I just used the old crossmember as the template. It must have been bent. I just figured it was OK and didn't measure anything back then. Plus the fact that when I got the frame back from the galvanizers I had to straighten up the rear and front body mounting tabs as they were askew. I was also concerned that the bending of the bulkhead might be an issue. Anyhow it's my best guess as to why it didn't fit. So I spent a day cutting and grinding the old welds off, gratefull that I had just sleeved the frame rail instead of splicing onto it. Then after copious measuring and clamping I felt the rear crossmember was in the right place.

The nearest measurement would have been the 18 1/8in from the centerline of the rear spring hanger bolt to the back edge of the crossmember. I found it too difficult to find the cl and my 109 had different measurements than Linus's 109. Then I decided to use the overall length measuremant 166 63/64in. While going with a tape measure under the bulkhead I could get a straight shot on the LH side, but the fuel tank was in the way on the RH side..... Looking at the book I could use the measurement from the front of the outrigger, which has the body tabs, to the rear of the rear crossmember 81 1/2in. This also had the correct distance for the tabs to fit under the body. The next day I welded the frame back together. I took no pics.... I did spray with cold galvy and cover with spray-on bedliner to help seal and protect. Waiting a week, Linus came back and with the help of another neighbor(Bob) we put the tub and roof back on one Tuesday evening.

As you can see from the photos I worked into the night to bolt on the tub and roof. Since rain was coming the next day I went ahead and put on the doors. The doors were hung loosely without the seals in place. Even this way the light rain was kept out of the body. It wasn't until after the rains ended that I was able to install the seals. With the seal inplace the doors would once again not close,...AARRGGHHH!!!! So I took some measurements for the door openings. Sure enough it was 1/4in too narrow at the top of the bulkhead. At this point I removed both the steering support brackets. On these I wallowed out the holes so that I could tilt the bulkhead forward. Taking a piece of 1/2in square tubing I made a piece 1/8in longer than the (stock)opening and wedged it in between the bulkhead and the tub right at the top of the bend in the body by the top hinge. This pivioted the bulkhead on the frame mounting bolts. Next I installed the steering support bracket on the side I had braced and tightened the fittings up, then moved over to the opposite side and repeated the process. After doing both sides I reinstalled the door seals and Lo and Behold the doors shut!!!! Next day I bolted down the front body tabs, hooked up the rear wiring and installed my new rear step. A couple of weeks ago I was at a stop light and next to a fire truck when I looked over at it and saw what appeared to be a folding step. At my next opportunity I went to the local Fire Dept to see if I could find a brand name or part number and see how it was mounted. They had them on but no name or number to be found. So since Google is a close friend of mine I asked it to search for a fire truck folding step. It came up with a couple of options. I bought this one; http://www.worktruck-outfitters.com/folding-foot-steps-trucks-galvanized-p-3722.html Mainly because it is galvanized and "fits" with the overall look of my rig. The local Ace hardware store supplied the grade 5 4x5/16 bolts. I marked and drilled thru the crossmember and thru bolted for strength and security. In one of the photos you can see my size 8.5EEE's for a size comparison. The step mounts up above the bottom of the rear crossmember and will be less prone to damage or dragging. It has a stainless steel spring system which holds it in place either up or down.

So since the doors close I put in the seat base. Here I ran out of stainless washers so the floor and seat covers are just laid in place for now.

I was able to find a purchase some Defender front seat on Craigslist and those are waiting(in my living room) to be installed. Meantime I am working on the steering column modifications.