A Landy is reborn

[tractorman]

It's been a while and still little progress!

The seller was, as far as eBay is concerned, private. However, I am not too worried about chassis numbers or whatever and, as others have said, a bit of grinding or welding would sort any problems out, though I hope to find the right number (if any) if I have to clean the area off!

I changed the tractors' antifreeze a week or three ago and appear to have more than enough new stuff for the Landy! In a fit of daftness, I checked what was in the radiator and it is adequate for now - though not much more than 25%, where they recommend 50% for the Prima engines. I'll sort that when I get it in the garage - possibly this month!!

In that fit of madness, I started the engine. I suspect the new air filter has helped (and did some stuff I put in the fuel tank) as it started much more easily than it did when I got it. Perhaps that means it will actually accelerate when I take it on the road again! However, I thought the heaters would come on (it was a cold day); so, either the warning light isn't connected, or the heaters don't work: another thing to investigate later on!

The shed is progressing slowly, the delay is partly due to having had a multi-fuel stove fitted in the sitting room - and having to take most of the old fire out before the builder came (and tidy up after him!). I have managed to get the main framework finished (yesterday) and just need some bracing sorted before putting the roof, end and side on. I need a fence panel for the end and have more reed stuff for the side (and three tarpaulins for "doors"), so the only delay is timber - and I can only get a few 2.5m lengths in the Golf. I'll be pleased when the Landy is working - I can borrow my friend's trailer and get much more timber in that! There again, when I've built the shed, I'll hardly need any timber or other building materials. Come to think of it, I'll hardly need the Landy!!



I did make one mistake: I rotavated the "forecourt" in September, intending to level it and sow grass the next day. It poured down that night and has never been dry enough to do anything with it since then! I daren't move the big tractor now the digger is off - there's next to no tread on the back tyres and the loader makes it front-heavy!

[arceye]

Moving away a little from the Landy, which I think given their very nature you are right not to be too concerned about..

I LIKE the shed, very stylish

Is that a glass panelled door making the upright section from the roof at the first rise? If so then well recycled, a man after my own heart. I just rebuilt my front porch from scrap wood, and painted it with a tin of green gloss I bought years ago for £2.00, with mastic sealent it all came in at a grand total of £10.

[Grumpy Northener]

That looks quite smart but is a 'Shed of three Roofs' or a 'Three tier Shed' ?

[tractorman]

It's actually a shed of mistakes! I originally wanted a shed for the trailer and wanted to keep it as small and low as possible. However, I had originally measured up from a pergola that I removed later on! The shed was the lower roof "rectangle" parallel to the fence. However, I had problems getting the trailer out (it went in easily enough!!), so had a rethink. This was about the time I bought the Landy, so I decided that, as the little tractor would go under the back of the trailer shed (as far as the cab), I would extend the shed by six feet and put the trailer in from the side (so to speak). Then I realised that, if I made it a couple of feet longer/wider, I could fit the little tractor in without smashing the exhaust (which is about 18" in front of the cab! Having nearly finished the shed, I realised that I still hadn't made anything to cover the big tractor, which was the only thing that I can't store at my friends' farms!

My brother in law offered me the three glazed doors, saying they would fit instead of the ones in the house. He insisted they were thicker ones, but they are only 35mm, so no good for me: we have steel door frames that also act as lintels and I didn't fancy chopping those out and fitting new concrete lintels - or plastering afterwards. So the little tractor shed has two doors for a clerestory roof (it's that Corruflex stuff on the clerestory roof) and the big tractor shed has the third door and I hope to have enough offcuts of Corruflex (that I got cheap on eBay) to do the far side.

The hope is that, when I get too far gone to bother with tractors (and sell 'em to boost the pension - pay for oil and electricity), I can use the timber in the new stove and put grass where the hardcore is - at least it will stop that bit of lawn from flooding again!

I had hoped to get the "low" bit of the big tractor shed's roof done today, but the grass was almost dry enough to mow and I managed to get a month's worth of wet grass into the compost bin before I was too kna - er, tired to do anything else!

There is a shelf full of Landy parts ready to be fitted and an ashtray turned up yesterday (thanks Gaz) and a much better dashboard top today. With luck and a warm December, I may get something repaired/welded/fitted by the end of the year! that shock absorber being the first priority, though seat belts and a decent fuel tank will probably be done as part of the same "stripdown".

[TerryG]

You can say knackered.
Mistakes or not it's looking good Most of us would kill for dry inside space to work on their cars let alone one tractor sized!

[tractorman]

I think this is the right place:

I have my friend's whacker in the shed, in front of the little tractor so that no toe rag can get it out. However, after not collecting it last year, said friend thought he would need it last week. So I got the battery charger out to charge the tractor battery. Then charged the big tractor battery. Both tractors' batteries were disconnected, but the little tractor's battery was due a charge before I moved it in January and the big one hasn't turned over since November!

Having charged the tractors' batteries, I thought it might be wise to check the Landy - I hadn't even disconnected the battery (in September - or November when I started it to warm it up). I did a daft thing: tried to start it. Actually, that's not true: I started it! No charging needed, it fired up without too much churning and settled down to a nice tickover.

Well, you have to try it don't you? Yep, pressed the clutch, found reverse - or found a heck of a lot of grating noises. So I stopped the engine, put it in reverse and cranked again. It shot off backwards - with my foot on the clutch pedal! No luck with freeing it off, but I didn't have a lot of time to spare, so I managed to get it back to it's dry spot, disconnected the battery and put the charger on. An hour later and the battery was fully charged (and the battery is now disconnected).

I had thought of putting it in the garage and welding the shock absorber bracket when the Golf was getting the engine sorted. I came back from walking the dog the next day and saw that something has smashed the driver's side windscreen - so I wouldn't have been able to use it if I had done the welding!

A relief coalman came a few days ago, saw the new bonnet I had in the garage and got excited. He had a good look over the Landy and came to the conclusion that it is ex-forces - he says the bulkhead is forces version (as well as the chassis - which I knew about).

I am progressing with my £1000 kitchen - just some cupboard doors and drawer fronts to make and some floors and shelves to put in the cupboards (and some painting to do) and I will leave it for this "winter". Then I can clear a space in the garage and get on with the Landy at last!

[tractorman]

One thing you should never do - start work on a Bank Holiday!



I taped over the windscreen on Friday, ready to change it on Saturday and, on Saturday morning, brought the windscreen down from its safe storage (on a workbench in my upstairs "workshop") and, when I turned it over in its wrapping, it sagged! I hadn't taken much of the wrapping off when it arrived as it was supposed to be a toughened glass screen and obviously wasn't shattered. I bought it in January, so I fear I won't be able to claim. I won't say who the firm is, but they supply British parts!



When I had a closer look, there is a strip of clear tape right across the crack!!!



So, someone must have broken it before it was sent - but who and where is probably impossible to prove (although I don't have any 2" clear tape!).

As I need to be able to see before I can go for a drive to free the clutch and I need to free the clutch before I even think of trying to get it in the nicely cleared space in the garage, all plans were scuppered for the weekend. I have an MOT (and brake fluid change) bill to pay tomorrow, so will ask Alec if he knows it there's a screen nearby (he has a nice early S2a and is a bit of an enthusiast). Failing that, I will go and see a glass supplier as I have to go and buy some provisions too!

Oh yes, the shed is fully occupied now and the Landy was used to roll the bit in front of the tractors in the hope the clutch would free off. I used the little tractor to do the bit where the Landy had been parked and sowed my seed a fortnight ago (!). Typically, no signs of grass yet - though my veg seeds are staring to poke through.



The dog won't be too pleased with this picture: it shows her back legs, which are riddled with arthritis, and her tummy, which is one massive fatty lump (to use the medical term). I fear she won't last much longer.

[JPB]

I'MM obviously not sure who would have supplied the glass but if it was them, they're usually pretty good at taking back damaged stuff and you do have the photographic evidence so in your position, I'd ask them to help.

[Luxobarge]

I .... sowed my seed a fortnight ago (!).

Too much information mate.....


Seriously, I'm with John on this, at least try going back to the supplier, you've nothing to lose and might be pleasantly surprised.

[tractorman]

It's actually the second screen the firm has sent - the couriers lost the first! I have to admit that they were very good about it - the replacement came very quickly. However, it was three months or so ago and there's no proof I haven't broken it. I'll send them a message though and see what transpires.

As it happens, I was chatting to a neighbour who has a Starion (and a lot of parts for Starions!) and works for a local window firm (they do a lot of other stuff too!). He said he'd take the cracked screen to a friend and get a new one priced up - with the option of toughened or laminated glass - at cost price! To be honest, I think I'd prefer toughened glass, though he says laminated will be a lot cheaper!

I had to move the beast this afternoon as I needed to mow the lawn and it has been parked up for a fortnight and has left brown marks where the wheels were. And no, the clutch hasn't freed itself!