Fixing the Seat Switch on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #703) 5/6/2025

In this post I show how to disassemble and refurbish a seat switch. The seat switches you find on a Range Rover Classic were also used on Discovery 1’s from 1994-1999 and BONUS tip Mercedes in the 1980s. My switch was made in WEST GERMANY. If you don’t know what WEST GERMANY is you are probably less than 40 years old. Check it out at this post [Britannica] from the old days of the Cold War.

You’ll need a few tools for this project.

  • #2 Phillips screwdriver
  • Needle nose pliers or a hemostat
  • Old t-shirt
  • razor blade or sharp pen knife
  • Q-tips
  • Toothpick
  • Dielectric grease (optional but highly recommended)
  • Steady hands
  • Patience
  • Faith

The t-shirt is so when you drop a spring or ball bearing it doesn’t go anywhere. These are small and if it travels more than 2 feet from the switch casing it will fall into a worm hole and disappear from your current plane and travel to another you are unable to reach in your corporal form. So take heed and work on this on a t-shirt or a dish towel you will certainly get yelled at by your significant other for using to work on “that damn dirty Rover”. You’re welcome.

If you have big gorilla fingers, like I do, that are riddled with hard use and arthritis, I recommend you get a hemostat or some needle nose pliers to fetch the contact rockers and springs and ball bearings. They are difficult to grab and even more difficult to drop in the precise location you want.

My final PRO TIP is to use some grease. The last time I did this job I used just ordinary bearing grease. It seemed like a good idea at the time mostly because I didn’t know about dielectric grease, or didn’t have any on hand. A little grease goes a long way to keeping the precariously balanced ball bearings atop the springs on the rocker toggles and in the toggle.

I said you might need a toothpick. I used the toothpick to remove the old nasty grease that had deteriorated into basically an earwax substance. It was still sticky and all that, but was not in its best condition, so I removed the chunks with a toothpick.

You’ll need a razor blade if you have never opened your switches. There is a substantial security tape there and it will need to be cut.

If you are a rookie, I suggest taking a picture as soon as you have the top off. And if you remove a rocker toggle, orient it on the t-shirt just like it came out of the switch.

There may be carbon build up on the contacts. You will need to get that off. I used Q-tips and the hemostat to scratch it off. I also rubbed the rockers on the t-shirt. Don’t go crazy on this cleaning. Just get the big chunks off.

Shout out to This Old Tony and his video style. https://www.youtube.com/@ThisOldTony

That’s about all the tips I can muster.

Good luck.

Thanks for readying an Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/qjS73xq4YQM

Installing the Upper Dash on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #702) 5/5/2025

Things are starting to come together.

In this video I am finally starting to get the trim back into the Range Rover Classic. I had to do some touch up to some of the pieces. I got that all done.

I also forgot the steering column cowling. So I got that off and gave it a coat of paint and at least three coats of matte clear. This is in the sun most of the time and frankly I’m surprised it isn’t in worse condition.

The rear wiper switch on in the cowl didn’t want to come out. The tabs were badly bent. I don’t remember ever touching that so I can’t say it was me that damaged it. In any event, I had to take it apart to get it out of the cowling piece. And as you can probably follow, I had to refurbish it a bit to get it reinstalled.

I also popped one of the bullet connector ends of the wiring off and had to repair that. That too a little quick thinking as they are very small and the crip was really going to be a bitch to solder. So I used a small jewelers screwdriver end and tapped it through the connector to open up the prongs. This worked better than I thought it would. So bully for me!

I had to make a run to the hardware store for “hardware” to replace the bolts on the passenger side. I found four nuts in my stash for the instrument panel. Where I put all the hardware to take this dash apart is still a mystery. I’ve dug through all the project cups and pie plates and have not found one that had the correct parts.

So I guess I’ll just keep replacing the “hardware” with new. And then one day, I’ll find all the original hardware and think to myself, “why did you put it in that spot?”

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/qFQNVr_0WD8

Getting the Interior Trim Ready for Install on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #701) 5/4/2025

The tick invasion is on us. After the creek flooded last weekend all the ticks in this end of the county have moved to higher ground.

The result is the dogs are carrying them in and they are dropping on us from the trees. I had another tick on me during this video. I hate ticks.

My dad hated them too and once said to me, “I’d rather be bitten by a good clean snake than have a tick bite.” I agree dad. I’ve had two on me this year and I haven’t even been camping yet. One latched on and caused an infection. That resulted in me having a round of antibiotics. Damn I hate those things. As I type this I keep thinking I feel them on me. Hopefully a HOT shower will settle my nerves down.

In this video, I clean up my interior trim and put another coat of clear on them. They had gotten dusty since I painted them way back in 2022? WHAT-THE-HELL? Two and a half years ago?

I don’t know why my images are missing. I am not good at WordPress or apparently managing my website. I’ve got to take some time and sort that out.

So I applied another coat of clear for good measure. I’ve got a week off from work and I want to make some progress on the interior in that time. We all know the hot summer is coming and I want to get a bunch done before my shoppe tries to kill me with the oppressive heat we are famous for here in Oklahoma.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Rovering.

I Installed the Seats on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #700) 4/27/2025

POST SEVEN HUNDRED??????!!!!!!!!!

How is that possible? I’d like to thank you for reading. If I didn’t think this page helped anyone, I wouldn’t do it….for free….well it actually costs me to provide it. But its giving back, and if it helps you, it’s worth it.

Well the seats are back in! I don’t know how to describe how awesome it was sitting in the the Range Rover Classic, on my seats. In the video I say, these are the seats I was meant to sit in. I really mean that. I LOVE SITTING IN MY RANGE ROVER.

I also did some cleanup under the seats. There was a lot of…dirtiness? Not sure how to describe it. A lot of it was metal dust from grinding. Some of it was just years of french fries slipping between the seat and transmission tunnel. Just kidding there were no french fries under the seats (this time).

I got some Dawn dish soap, a little bleach, and hot water. It did a fair job getting the muck off. I feel better about it, so that’ll have to do.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Final Sealant and Paint for the bed on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #699) 4/15/2025

Here we are. I have completed the floor bed.

I purchased some spray tips that resemble the spray tube on a can of WD-40. The spray nozzles were necessary to get the paint in the space between the steel panels. They worked great. Better than great, beyond what I was hoping.

After the primer was everywhere I could possibly get it, it was time for the seam sealer. This was messy, real messy. The last tube I used dried to far into the tube and I couldn’t get the caulking gun to push it out. So I cut the tube in half and applied it by hand, kindergarten finger paint style.

I sealed the underneath too. I also found a paint I had welded in that I forgot to paint the back side of. SMH. I also found another seam on the driver’s side that was rusting. I cleaned as much rust off as I could but it was just in a bad place and was impossible to get the rust out. So I painted it with rust encapsulator. I’m hoping that stuff works as advertised. I need a few years out of this rig and I DON’T want to chase rust every year.

There are some other places underneath that will also need to get the same treatment, but those are for another day. Now we are on to planning the interior and getting some wiring run to accommodate our upgrades.

Like the content? Like each video subscribe on YouTube. Heck subscribe to this blog!

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/3qerMtCZWXs

Too Cold to Paint, Planning What’s Next on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #698) 4/7/2025

Third Winter hit this weekend.

It was too cold to paint. Temps in the forties in my shop. I didn’t feel like getting bundled up to lay on my back getting paint all over me.

Call me lazy, that’s fine, but not super fun for me. So I’m going to tackle the sealing of the seams with paint, seam sealer, and truck bed liner next weekend. I’ll get it as “protected” as I can.

In this video I also talk about what is coming next. Call it a little planning. I have a lot of wiring to run. Lights for the interior and exterior and wiring for a battery management system. I need to plan for a DC to DC converter and all the magic electronics that make everything work well together.

I also allude to some fun history in the story of Tuck’s Ferry across the Red River (RedRiverHistorian.com).

I also mention some of my current storage solution in the U.S. G.I. Aluminum Medical Transport Chests. If you’ve followed for any time, you’ve seen me talk about the.

This is going to be a lot of coin to drop. So getting the wires run will require some planning. I’m certain I’ll screw this up and have to re-run some of this. But that’s part of the fun, right?

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.