kiwicrab
New Member
Wipers over runing
Posts: 4
|
Post by kiwicrab on Jan 28, 2023 6:27:11 GMT
Anyone found that the fuse box on their landcrab has either cracked or broken?
We own several 18/85's and on one of them it had completely disintegrated into several pieces, some bits are missing altogether. On the rest of our vehicles, they are either showing cracks or pieces missing.
It only was bought to my attention when the park lights stopped working.
Upon inspection, the terminal block was just loose and sitting there with part of it split in half.
I think the heat from the engine might be playing a role in this as they appear warped.
I dont know what type of plastic they are made from but they are not holding up well to age.
If anyone has to work on theirs i suggest work with caution and dont tighten the screws too tight.
Even better is to add epoxy on the rear of the faceplate, particuarly around the screw holes to provide reinforcement.
My one was almost beyond repair, but I was able to epoxy the whole thing together in stages and then build up the missing parts with epoxy. I will need to flick it over with some black paint to touch up the repaired area.
If anyone wants to see the repairs, I can provide a photo here.
Anyway, I can see this being a foreseeable issue in the future for all landcrab owners.
Preventative maintenance with epoxy is probably the best option, but Im interested to know if there are replacements floating around?
NOS examples I expect are rare to find, but im assuming other vehicles may have used these potentially?
They appear to be made by AMP which is a manufacturer of all sorts of connectors and plugs, etc.
I doubt it was just produced for the 1800 looking at this, not sure if there is any part number.
|
|
|
|
Post by Penguin45 on Jan 28, 2023 10:43:30 GMT
Yes, they are a bit of a known hazard. I have two 'Crabs and both have damaged fuse boxes which have been cobbled back together over the years. They were used solely across the ADO17 range in the UK and, apparently, an unidentified kit car. I don't know if it was carried over into the Tasmins and Kimberleys. The part number is 5L 412 "Panel connector". The lid is 4L 427. I make them if you ever need one. Sadly my attempts at moulding the fuse box itself have come to nought. I believe Nick (1800heap) has been looking at 3D printing, but I'm not aware of progress. All part numbers can be found in DOCUMENTS, where there is a link to the full set of micro-fiche. Fiche2 M08 onwards will show you all the electrical gubbins. You must be logged in to get access. It's a shame really, as at the time it was quite innovative as an early attempt at modular wiring. Common as muck on modern cars, but the idea had to start somewhere. Chris. |
|
kiwicrab
New Member
Wipers over runing
Posts: 4
|
Post by kiwicrab on Jan 29, 2023 4:14:04 GMT
Yes, they are a bit of a known hazard. I have two 'Crabs and both have damaged fuse boxes which have been cobbled back together over the years. They were used solely across the ADO17 range in the UK and, apparently, an unidentified kit car. I don't know if it was carried over into the Tasmins and Kimberleys. The part number is 5L 412 "Panel connector". The lid is 4L 427. I make them if you ever need one. Sadly my attempts at moulding the fuse box itself have come to nought. I believe Nick (1800heap) has been looking at 3D printing, but I'm not aware of progress. All part numbers can be found in DOCUMENTS, where there is a link to the full set of micro-fiche. Fiche2 M08 onwards will show you all the electrical gubbins. You must be logged in to get access. It's a shame really, as at the time it was quite innovative as an early attempt at modular wiring. Common as muck on modern cars, but the idea had to start somewhere. Chris. Hi Chris, Yes i think this is something any new landcrab owner should check, this is a potential fire hazard if the terminals break and short out. Ive looked at photos of a tasman and kimberly engine bay and they have the same unit. 3D printing something like this would be difficult, but not impossible. My skills in solidworks are not the greatest but I can draw more simple parts. Are you the person selling these examples of the fuse box covers on ebay? Ive seen some of those listed there, someone has cast a mould of one and listing reproductions on there. If you are careful and have a good example, its a simple task to make a silicone mould of the cover, ive never tried, but the key is to get rid of the bubbles in the silicone before pouring it, typically the liquid silicone is placed in a vaccum chamber to remove the air and make it bubble free. You then pour plasti-cast resin of the choice of colour to get the right result. Trying to do this with the panel would be extremely difficult because you need two halves of the mould to perfectly line up, along with its complex shape. 3D printing has a bit of a way to go, but the best technology would be with a resin printer which has less ridges than with filament and has a smoother finish, still requires painting. With the way things can be produced in china these days, getting cad files made and an injection mould CNC machined is alot cheaper, but we would need enough people interested in funding it to share the costs to make it feasible. Perhaps the original blueprints exist out there somewhere? Who knows, would need the whole thing drawn up from scratch. |
|
|
|
Post by Penguin45 on Jan 29, 2023 10:18:34 GMT
Yes, I make the covers and other useful rubbery 'Crab bits. I have, hidden away, one brand new fuse box and one brand new cover ready for the day that scanning and printing has moved on to a stage where high quality results are possible. Longer term, a rethink of the design will be necessary, as the fuse holder/connectors are also made of unobtanium, so revising the actual fuses to a more modern standard would be an idea worth pursuing. The major problem is that the world-wide pool of cars is perhaps 500, so the economies of scale achievable for, say, Minis and MGBs are simply not there to be taken advantage of. It does come down to small scale manufacturers (bloke in shed) to fill the void, which I can do up to a point. I do work for the Jowett, Marina, Morris Register Clubs and others, who all need short run stuff. BTW, contact Tony Wood at LOCI or PM me if you do want any bits - you'll find that prices are a bit lower as I don't have to give eBay 15%.  Chris. |
|
|
|
Post by jeff on Apr 26, 2023 15:48:04 GMT
Just read this article and was fascinated by the innovative thinking and ideas for remanufacture.
You can bet your bottom dollar that a few exist around the world from when BL closed its main dealers and warehouses,
Just lying on a dusty shelf somewhere. But where, and would the owners even know what they were?
I have a life-long pal who started life as a toolmaker in the plastics industry. He went on to form his own injection moulding company in Birmingham and made all sorts of stuff including a replica hand grenade for sports drinks, and even made the grilles for the Leyland Daf sherpa van!
Although now retired, his family still operate the business. I'm sure if a drawing was available he'd help in some way but I dare say the cost of tooling would outweigh the demand.
Jeff
|
|
|
|
Post by Penguin45 on Apr 26, 2023 18:52:59 GMT
I've always been a practically minded bloke. The making started with the tie-bar bushes, which have been obsolete for many, many years. My car was getting through a set of 40 year old rubber ones every year, so I thought that there must be a better way. Somewhere in the Red Dog thread there are some posts about the early attempts by adapting existing bushes, before polyurethane bushes and silicone moulds were discovered. I made myself a set, fitted them and have never touched them since! All the rest developed from there as knowledge and skill developed. It's at a stage now that Tony Wood will contact me and say "How about some of these?". There are other things in the pipeline, notably the fuse box. It seems that the major issue is that the skirt disintegrates. The actual fusey/wirey bit stays reasonably intact, so why not re-make the skirt? The remains could be trimmed to size leaving a small flange and glued into a replacement skirt making an almost invisible repair. Then there is the Metalastic bush bearing for the rear arms. I've almost worked that one out as a fit and forget job, rather than the current solution which involves paying for machining work on the arms. Ultimately we want displacers, but that is way beyond my skill set and really would require a sizable investment in both time and money. Who's going to pay? It's all possible with a bit of determination, rather than sitting about going "Poor Me". Rant over.  Chris. |
|
|
|
Post by jeff on Apr 26, 2023 19:47:11 GMT
Rant understood and I quite agree. Where there's a will there's a way (or a relative).😁.
I too have made or adapted or found alternatives to overcome problems of a hydraulic or electromechanical nature. It's in the blood.
There sometimes comes a problem which does require deep thinking and sometimes submission that the article just cannot be remade. Such as displacers. My cousin, who worked for Dunlop, in Birmingham, where displacers were made told me of the constant pressure they were under to reduce costs of manufacture. Apparently the early 1100 displacers were much tougher and durable than the later ones. He is very surprised that they have lasted this long.
In the end, I dare say that we will have to resort to a spring and damper arrangement and accept that economical repair or remanufacture of displacers isn't a viable option in low volume, simply because of how they are constructed.
That will be a sad day indeed but, we never know, someone might come up with a bright idea. I once thought about cutting the ends off old gas cylinders and making a rubber innards and welding a cap on end with a pipe fitting on the other. Bonkers??? Maybe, maybe not.
|
|
|
|
Post by steve4487 on Apr 26, 2023 19:55:20 GMT
I may be talking a load of rubbish but would it be possible to adapt Hydrogas units to fit, as far as I can see they were made to tighter tolerances than Hydrolastic units, wasn't the original Maxi Hydrolastic and then fitted with Hydrogas. Are there more Hydrogas units in circulation than Hydrolastic.
Steve
|
|
|
|
Post by dave1800 on Apr 27, 2023 4:04:54 GMT
Hi Steve You are not talking rubbish! The hydragas units used on the Princess range that succeeded the Landcrab were tested on one or more Wolseley six vehicles. The only problem is that I understand the hydragas units are extremely rare, much more so than the hydrolastic displacers. You may recall that pre-Covid we were following up the possibility of the re-manufacture of hydrolastic units with the organisation that holds the original Dunlop and Moulton technical information and machinery. The 1100 club were in the lead, the displacers fitted to their cars are the same as those used on the Landcrab rear. I have today emailed to find out is there is any hope on the horizon but I'm not holding my breath given the state of the economy. I will report back. David I may be talking a load of rubbish but would it be possible to adapt Hydrogas units to fit, as far as I can see they were made to tighter tolerances than Hydrolastic units, wasn't the original Maxi Hydrolastic and then fitted with Hydrogas. Are there more Hydrogas units in circulation than Hydrolastic. Steve |
|
|
|
Post by dave1800 on Apr 27, 2023 4:20:41 GMT
Hi Jeff Please see my reply to Steve about displacers in this thread. In the event that we run out of displacers before all petrol driven vehicles are banned from the road, I had wondered whether air suspension units may be a viable option. There are numerous kits on the market, maybe some have suitable dimensions to replace a displacer? Unfortunately none of the possible suspension options, as far as I can tell, offer the unique characteristics that, for me, make the Landcrab what it is. I appreciate others have a less rigid and more pragmatic view. David Rant understood and I quite agree. Where there's a will there's a way (or a relative).😁. I too have made or adapted or found alternatives to overcome problems of a hydraulic or electromechanical nature. It's in the blood. There sometimes comes a problem which does require deep thinking and sometimes submission that the article just cannot be remade. Such as displacers. My cousin, who worked for Dunlop, in Birmingham, where displacers were made told me of the constant pressure they were under to reduce costs of manufacture. Apparently the early 1100 displacers were much tougher and durable than the later ones. He is very surprised that they have lasted this long. In the end, I dare say that we will have to resort to a spring and damper arrangement and accept that economical repair or remanufacture of displacers isn't a viable option in low volume, simply because of how they are constructed. That will be a sad day indeed but, we never know, someone might come up with a bright idea. I once thought about cutting the ends off old gas cylinders and making a rubber innards and welding a cap on end with a pipe fitting on the other. Bonkers??? Maybe, maybe not. |
|
|
|
Post by jeff on Apr 27, 2023 9:13:26 GMT
Hi David
I know this is the wrong thread, but in response to your post, air suspension could be a way forward.
Air, as we know is highly compressible, unlike hydrolastic fluid, which acts against rubber springs.
Modern air suspension systems are quite sophisticated and some are adjustable such as on coaches and buses. Some high end Land-rovers and such like also use air or Nitrogen.
My landcrab has had replacement displacers fitted in the 1990's but even they are showing signs of internal wear or stiffening of the internal valves. The car can be a bit wallowy at speed over undulating roads.
Let's just hope that one day...............
|
|
|
|
Post by Penguin45 on Apr 27, 2023 17:18:35 GMT
Huge rubber polyurethane cones is the obvious answer!  Just so long as it doesn't work out like a Mini. Rattle the fillings out of your teeth. However, possibly a simply engineered solution which could be made to fit into the existing tube and carriers. *Runs for cover*C. |
|
|
|
Post by 1800heap on Apr 27, 2023 20:03:46 GMT
Yuk! Nick Huge rubber polyurethane cones is the obvious answer! Just so long as it doesn't work out like a Mini. Rattle the fillings out of your teeth. However, possibly a simply engineered solution which could be made to fit into the existing tube and carriers. *Runs for cover*C. |
|
