Went to look at a Stage 1 yesterday, advice please?

[choc-ice]

A few grotty bits but the bulkhead was good, footwells too and the chassis I could see was solid. I've got a few questions about actually living with it that I hope you experienced owners can help me with!

Brakes. This was a 1982 109 Safari so should it have servo brakes? Even from 20mph they're just awful. I've had lots of old cars so I'm familiar with non servo drums but these are the worst I've ever pressed on. Is there some way of reducing the pedal effort? The travel was ok so they can't be that far out of adjustment, although I don't know if there's any contamination on the shoes inside.

Steering. It's a man's life winding the lock on, should it self centre? This one didn't.

Fuel economy. I'm guessing 17mpg which isn't that different from an 2.25 litre 109? Has anyone done an LPG coversion and how much do they cost? The engine seems in mostly good health, no smoke at all, no nasty noises but the ignition coil was the dirtiest thing in the engine bay so perhaps not at peak performance

Overdrive. A gentle whining noise when it's engaged, I guess they go on for years like this?

Heater. Are they generally ok? Enough to demist the windows? With my old VW the trick was to get some throughflow of air so would opening the safari roof vents help? Is there a heated rear window available?

Thanks all !

[djam1]

Choc-ice presuming that you are use to normal cars

Brakes yes they the weak point on a Stage 1 can you imagine pulling that up at 80Mph with 1 Tonne in the back many sphincter tightening moments trust me.

Steering yep traditional Armstrong Power steering not under real load until your feet are up against the dash board.
Oh and yes this is normal and there is probably nothing wrong with it.

Overdrive I have never used the Fairey designed for the LT95 but they don’t have good reputation you may be better to pull it out and put in .996 gearing in the transfer.

Heater never gets below 25 degrees C here so I have never had to use it.

As a question if you need to ask these questions could you live with it??

[choc-ice]

Cheers for the advice!

As a question if you need to ask these questions could you live with it??

I think that when I drove it I fell in love with it

Just wondering if there's anything expensive that's wrong with it before I buy, and if Mrs choc-ice could drive it without sweating and swearing

[disco2hse]

The brakes on George are actually very good. They have to be to get a warrant of fitness every 6 months. If yours are as bad as you say there is problem with them. Did you check the fluid levels? Did they improve after pumping? And yes, they would stop a 3.5 tonne load, provided it has at least one braked axle.

The amount of peddle travel is not a measure of adjustment on the Stage 1 since the brakes are powered.

The steering should always self centre. It not then there is a problem. There is no power steering as standard, but there are kits and people add various types. It is a good chance for exercise but it should not be too hard. For example, if it is really hard to turn the wheel at stop your tyres may be too flat.

Fuel economy is typically poor and the range is from 17-20mpg. That can be improved.

I have seen some people who have made the LPG conversion but remember the engine is 25-odd years old now and the cost of putting in LPG may outweigh the value if the engine itself. You could be better off putting in something else, say a newer Disco V8 and stick LPG on that.

Dirt on a coil has no effect on its performance. If it is missing though, there is the chance that the leads may need replacing. But your comment suggests there may not be an issue there. I would get professionally tuned on a dyno to see if there are underlying issues.

Don't know anything about the overdrive. Sorry. A gentle whining noise is probably correct.

My heater produces mildly warm air. It is better since I flushed the engine cooling system. It is enough to demist the windscreen, sometimes with a little help from a squeegee. So far as rear window heaters are concerned, not that I have ever heard. Guess you can get one from another small vehicle and stick it on to the glass.

[Larry]

The heater on mine was always good, you just had to wait a while for the engine to warm up before it had any effect, and with petrol prices so high, it could cost you a tenner before you even set off! In the winter I'd set off wearing a big coat and still be cold, 20 mins later I'd be sweating and having to stop to take the coat off.

There is a heated rear window available for these. I bought a complete new door with rear demist fitted from Paddocks.

The rear screen from a 90 or 110 should fit exactly the same and they generally are heated, you just need to sort out some wiring, fuse, switch (ideally not energised when the ignition is off) etc. A simple adjustable timer and relay could be set up to ensure you dont leave it on. Maplin Electronics do a little 12v self assembly timer that can control a relay and is started by a non-latching push to make button/switch.

Maplin timer module link and Paddocks heated safari door

[choc-ice]

The brakes on George are actually very good. They have to be to get a warrant of fitness every 6 months. If yours are as bad as you say there is problem with them. Did you check the fluid levels? Did they improve after pumping? And yes, they would stop a 3.5 tonne load, provided it has at least one braked axle.

Fluid level was ok, I didn't check if pumping helped. As long as they should be ok that's the main thing. Is the brake overhaul kit the same as the 6 cylinder Series 3s?

The steering should always self centre. It not then there is a problem. There is no power steering as standard, but there are kits and people add various types. It is a good chance for exercise but it should not be too hard. For example, if it is really hard to turn the wheel at stop your tyres may be too flat.

As it doesn't self centre then there's probably too much friction in there somewhere which explains the extra weight on the wheel too, thanks! I'm not feeble but I reckon a 5 point turn would have me stopping halfway to be sick

Fuel economy is typically poor and the range is from 17-20mpg. That can be improved.

I have seen some people who have made the LPG conversion but remember the engine is 25-odd years old now and the cost of putting in LPG may outweigh the value if the engine itself. You could be better off putting in something else, say a newer Disco V8 and stick LPG on that.

I wondered about a higher compression engine to make it more efficient but I'll keep my eyes open for an LPG kit. I don't really want to lose space in the rear with a tank so I think a small tank under each front seat would be best. But probably the most expensive

Dirt on a coil has no effect on its performance. If it is missing though, there is the chance that the leads may need replacing. But your comment suggests there may not be an issue there. I would get professionally tuned on a dyno to see if there are underlying issues.

I thought the ignition coil caked in mud was an indication of when it was last checked, nothing more really. With other cars I've had ignition systems that last forever with just a wipe down once a year, others seem to go through (cheap?) HT leads fairly quickly.

My heater produces mildly warm air. It is better since I flushed the engine cooling system. It is enough to demist the windscreen, sometimes with a little help from a squeegee.

First check is always to see if there's anything obvious missing so we'll see how it goes after that. A heater is just a small radiator and a fan so there's always the chance of swapping to a more powerful system somehow. Years ago I had an old Saab 95 (like the Ghostbusters ambulance but 3/5 scale!) and that had a real dragon's breath heater even from the tiny 1500 V4 motor.

Cheers for the answers, you've helped a lot!

[choc-ice]

The rear screen from a 90 or 110 should fit exactly the same and they generally are heated, you just need to sort out some wiring, fuse, switch (ideally not energised when the ignition is off) etc. A simple adjustable timer and relay could be set up to ensure you dont leave it on. Maplin Electronics do a little 12v self assembly timer that can control a relay and is started by a non-latching push to make button/switch.

Maplin timer module link and Paddocks heated safari door

That's great, thank you

[Bumpkin]

The overdrive on the 95 box are hardy old things as there is a constant oil supply. The one thing to be carefull about is not to use the OD in 1st & 2nd with a heavy load. To much torque for the caseing.The overdrive on my HiCap has done loads of miles with a gentle whine.Always been the same.
Terry

[disco2hse]

Is the brake overhaul kit the same as the 6 cylinder Series 3s?

Unless the Series iii in question has a servo and 3" drum brakes, probably not.

[choc-ice]

Is the brake overhaul kit the same as the 6 cylinder Series 3s?

Unless the Series iii in question has a servo and 3" drum brakes, probably not.

I thought that's what Stage 1s all had? Jeez, I'm such a newbie to this

[disco2hse]

Is the brake overhaul kit the same as the 6 cylinder Series 3s?

Unless the Series iii in question has a servo and 3" drum brakes, probably not.

I thought that's what Stage 1s all had? Jeez, I'm such a newbie to this

Yes, that is what stage 1's have, but not all series 3's are stage 1's and not all series 3's have the same braking systems.

[choc-ice]

Yes, that is what stage 1's have, but not all series 3's are stage 1's and not all series 3's have the same braking systems.

Where's the confused smilie?

It's definitely a Stage 1

[disco2hse]

Body-wise it looks very straight (compared with George anyway ).

The things you have mentioned just indicate a lack of regular maintenance on the mechanicals and should be easily fixable over a few weekends (if you do it yourself), or fairly inexpensive if you get a reputable mechanic to do the job.

I especially like the safari roof. Could be a real bonus on hot summer days (cooling) and on heavy rain days (quieter)

[Larosto]

Hello,
I am just installing an LPG-Conversion. I think I can test it in the near future.
I will tell you how it functions. I bought it in the Netherlands, a DIY-kit costs about 1300 Euro, complete with handbook for installation. Not cheap, but driving on petrol would be more expensive.
Fuelconsumption on petrol was about 16 ltrs/100 km; driving normaly, not as a rocket and not as a snale. Noises from the overdrive are normal. Steering is strong, breaks are OK if they are in good condition.
In spite of this,driving a Stage One is great.

Greetings Horst

[disco2hse]

Horst, how does your road licensing work in the Netherlands? While anyone in NZ can convert from any type of fuel to another you won't get the changes certified as road safe unless they pass a rigorous check. And it won't get a warrant of fitness unless it has been certified, so it'll be illegal on the road.

Mostly any conversions are conducted by trained personnel in companies that are registered. The equipment then must be checked every year and recertified every five years. The reason for all this i because LPG is explosive and there have been instances of LPG tanks exploding due to poorly fitted equipment and corroded lines/tanks. Mostly the tanks have exploded on gas station forecourts, when they are under extra pressure while filling.

That is my greatest concern when installing LPG, is where to put the tank in case it pops 8|

Having driven a number of vehicles with LPG over the years I like it a lot. It usually offers more power and better performance than petrol and at less cost. Range can be an issue and so I have tended to prefer to dual-fuel installations.

Contrary to what some people think, you don't have to start on petrol before running on LPG. In fact it is better if you don't. A properly tuned and serviced installation will be happy on LPG except that carbie seals and rubber joints can dry out, go brittle and collapse. In the last vehicle I had with LPG I would alternate between petrol and gas to alleviate this problem.