Too Hot to Land Rover (Post #542) 8/12/2015

Blasphemy! you might say. So I’ll qualify that to it’s too hot to wrench. It is the height of summer here in Oklahoma. Temperatures while they haven’t been anywhere near the lovely year of 100’s, they have been close. Our exiting of the drought in such a dramatic way this year (2015) has the humidity up to the levels I remember it from before the drought.

So your greasy fingered blogger has not put much effort into much of anything Land Rover. That is not to say I don’t have a handful of project to do, I do.

HID Project "shovel ready"
HID Project “shovel ready”

HID Headlight Project – I have all the parts in hand. They have sat in the garage awaiting the availability of the Evil German Dude and his electrical expertise. I did look at the kit and put a few hours into thinking how I would install it. Discretion is the better part of valor.

Windscreen Wiper Arms – The shafts that drive the windscreen wipers pass through what I believe to be a “metal” sleeve as they exit from underneath the cowling. This seems to be a huge job. The bonnet has to come off. There are several body bolts and bits that are mostly recessed and will be challenging to remove.

cargo d rings
So many to choose from.

Cargo Hold “D” Rings – I had a dream about overlanding this weekend that had me not quite in control of the Big White Bus. The gear I had stowed in the rear of the vehicle began to spill throughout the cabin WHILE I WAS TRYING TO NOT CRASH. I awoke in a cold sweat and am going to rectify the issue BEFORE it actually happens. The good news here is there are only 200 different kinds to choose from. I guess it doesn’t really matter in the end, the holes I drill in the sheet metal will probably rust out within a few years.

Air Conditioning – I still do not have functioning air conditioning. I am saving my money for this repair. I’m going to have the Classic air conditioning repaired by a reputable shop. This way we can get the entire system swapped out and hopefully have cold air in time for next year’s tornado season.

Power Steering Fluid Leak – I believe this is a bad seal. There is a remote chance it is a hose. I am not able to locate where the fluid is coming from. This is not terrible as it sounds. The fluid that leaks out keeps most of the rust from forming on the driver’ side of the frame.

These are just the big projects. I’m sure if I started looking I could find half a dozen more jobs that need my attention.

I am looking for a Fall trip to go on. There is one at the end of this month being wrangled by the Chicago Land Rover’s Club. They are traveling to Colorado for some overlanding. I don’t believe my budget will support a trip this month as I have already taken Mrs. Okierover on a short but expensive vacation. I’m hoping for something closer and in October. I may contact the Arkansas club and see if I can get in one of their runs. More on that as I find more out.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the post drought, and Happy Rovering.