Real close to starting Range Rover Restoration Part Duex (Post #186) 7/9/2010

I’m getting real close to (or as we Okies say, I’m fixin’ to) moving the Range Rover into the garage for her latest restoration project. The infamous Range Rover Restoration, Part Duex: RovErica’s Revenge. I say I’m “fixin’ to” start the project because I am determined not to use my wife’s side of the garage to store the crap valuable items on my side of the garage. Currently I have a full size box spring for a bed, a giant rocking chair, a box or two of miscellaneous glassware, a book shelf, all my reenacting gear (in stackable tubs), and several other loose items on my side of the garage. There is no room for a restoration project.

Should I have a garage sale? Probably. Do I hate to have garage sales? Definitely. I am waiting for the garage sale because I know when we start working on my mom’s house there will be tons of stuff to sell at a garage sale. Why have a little garage sale when a bigger one will be better?

So I will get the kids to help move the reenacting stuff up to the attic where it was before I used it back in April. I will reorganize the other items and reduce their floor space foot print. Once that is done, I can move the Range Rover in and get started.

That's a true fact dad.

Get started? What are you going to do OkieRover? That is a great question oh gracious and loyal reader. Let us begin by describing first why anything has to be done at all. Maintenance, that’s why. When you allow a sixteen year old to drive a 15 year old vehicle of British manufacture, things magically stop working. I know that is hard to believe with kids as great as mine but it is “a true fact” as Diet Mountain Drew would say.

When you can’t get to the vehicle because:

  • it is busy being a taxi for a dozen children who’s parents were smarter than to give their kids cars,
  • it is sitting in front of some kids house while your daughter is putting around in that kid’s car because, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, the air condition isn’t cold any more.”,
  • it arrives home each day on average about 25 minutes after you have gone to bed,
  • and lastly, because you are only allowed two sentences each time you see your daughter exit the house on her way to work or somewhere else she is late to, and you are sure as hell not going to let her forget to clean her room and do that random chore you asked her to do yesterday before the door shuts and she is gone again. You don’t waste those precious moments on, “how’s your car running?” Which almost always elicits a response like, “Good! That weird noise it was making for the last 3 weeks finally stopped yesterday.”

See, kids don’t equate noises with problems like mechanics do. Just listen to one hour of Car Talk on your local public radion station Saturday. I dare you. Hell, I double dog dare you. I swear I hear the brothers ask the caller, “How long has it been making that noise?” at least 10 times per show. And almost every caller responds with the same answer, “oh, I’d say aboot six munts or so.” [end New Englander accent]

These clueless callers think their mechanic or in my kid’s case, daddy, can sense any automotive problem with his amazing super powers 30 miles away, at work, talking to callers who’ve locked out their accounts on the system for the fourth time that day or can’t remember the password you gave them ten minutes ago, while listening to The Beat Farmers Radio station on Pandora or my Those Darlins CD, while thinking about the roast beef and provolone sandwich he is going to enjoy at VZDs when lunch time rolls around. All the while dreaming up things to blog to you about. (I know what you’re thinking, yeah, I’m a busy guy.)

So after a couple of years of this behavior things get beyond fixing pretty fast. Let’s us now compile a list of just the things I can remember right off the top of my head. In no particular order:

Viscous Coupling
Sun Roof
Brake Discs
Brake Reservoir
Air Conditioning System
Bushings
Sound System
Cosmetic items inside, outside, and under the hood
Cruise Control
Door Locks
Head Liner
Complete Fluid Service
Drive Shaft Seals
Power Steering Hoses
Possible CV Joints
Possible Failed Transmission

That’s about it. If I were to take this bad boy down to a mechanic I’m pretty sure the labor alone for all this could buy a pretty nice used late model LR3 or Range Rover. That leads us to the obvious question, why fix it? Well, you didn’t read this far down this blog post to ask that question, you know why. Because I, like you, love your Range Rover and can’t imagine not having it sitting in the driveway waiting for me to jump in and tear off down the road.

I hope to have all this fixed in time for the inevitable Snowpocalypses of 2010 and 2011. And with my new utility trailer I hope to make a few camping trips with my wife next year.

The good news for my readers is the fourteen new entries to the Tech Tips Section of www.OkieRover.com these projects will create.

RovErica aka RovErica

All this and I’ve been thinking about reviving the local Land Rover Owners club for the OKC metro area. So look for more info on that in the coming months. I have a photographer and former Land Rover driver (RovErica), anyone know a good web programmer that works cheap?

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

4 Replies to “Real close to starting Range Rover Restoration Part Duex (Post #186) 7/9/2010”

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    Thanks for stopping by.

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