Bush Mechanics

Hi Truckster- Mine are the usual, hose clamps and fencing wire and bits of wood jobs. Recently fixed the oil cooler line on my Defender with a piece of garden hose to get home ( what a f***ing mess). Came down the GRR with a truck towing a trailer with only 3 wheels and a chain holding up the axle - I have however have seen or heard of some real beauties.- A fellow with a water leak in his cooling system had a 44 gal drum on the roof . No bonnet or windscreen. A hose along the windscreen pillar into rad where the cap would go, and a tap he could reach when driving. When it got a bit hot he could turn the tap on and fill her up. - There is a legendary case up at Drysdale station where some guys chained a log in where the rear diff used to be and came in with no back wheels. The log was worn flat on one side is now a seat outside the fuel shed. - I also heard the guys who took tractors down the CSR bent a front axle. Combined their barby plates to make a fire place, used someting like a heater fan out of a car to blow up the heat and straightened the front axle. - I've also heard early Landrover doors could be lifted of their hinges to put under the wheels if you got bogged. My old Landy is not the staightest but I've still never been that desperate.- -Anybody got any more??-Cheers

Battery shook loose on the Tanimi track. The metal bracket arced starting a fire. By the time I had the bonnet open and could see the battery in fire, my wife had the fire extinquisher out and was struggling with the plastic safety pin. Meanwhile daughter was running down the track in the direction of Yuendemu [100k] screaming and my son was taking photos! By this time I realized that wife was not going to succeed with freeing the pin so I filled my mouth with spit, pursed my lips and sprayed the fire. This worked. We set up a shelter in the hot sun. Had a cuppa and after contemplating the situation, I stuck a rubber glove over the hole using silacone. The hole was big enough to stick my hand through. [not that you would]. That battery worked for a couple more years! Keep it going! Cheer Royce

Somewhere I saw a photo of a Discovery that had shagged a rear diff or something in the back of beyond. The driver unloaded his trailer, removed the rear wheels and tailshaft of the car and sat the back of the Disco in it, tied it in and drove to civilisation on the front wheels. Can't vouch for the autenticity of the story but the photo looked good. And here's a tip you may not know that really works. If you hole a fuel tank, mix some dirt with soap shavings and knead them into a dough and force it into and over the hole. It even works for large holes. Also, if you ever have the misfortune to use a radiator sealer, make sure you flush the whole cooling system out once the leak is properly repaired. This stuff is designed to seal holes -all holes, even internal ones that are meant to be there.

There's a family story about a Great Uncle who did the diff in his old truck, affectionately called the "Yellow Peril" (which apparently was actually 3 or 4 pieces from different makes). Anyway, he grabbed his axe, selected a nice straight sapling and made himself an axle which he then fitted the wheels to, fitted it to the truck using original brackets, fencing wire etc and drove around his farm like that for donkeys years.

:-) Melissa

Hi guys.
I had a boat some years ago and was given a tip by a fellow boatie. He put me onto a 2 pack with the generic name of 'plumber joining compound", the brand name was Char-Mac, which I have been told is now no longer available but there are some substitutee on the market and can be purcahsed from plumbing suppliers.

The one that I have now is called "Jenco" joining putty.... This is really good stuff I give you the tip. It sets under water, cleans up with water, can be moulded with a wet hand. Sets rock hard, can be drilled and tapped, sticks to, well, I still haven't found anything that it does not stick to.

This boatie used it to patch up a large (knife vandelised) hole in his plastic water tank. (his tranks were those 20 litre detergent drums, whatever they are made of)

I have used this to patch water leaks in my stainless steal under belly water tank, to repair the cracked plastic, repair leaking hose fittings, (even under pressure) lid on my pattery box in the caravan. I would say that the applications are only limited by ones imagination.....I only hope this bit of info is of use to someone.
Regards

one reason behind this Thread is to get people talkin, but also to give ideas to people who may someday have a situation, and think...

Gee. I remember someone having that problem, and give them an idea to get out of hell!

Im still at a loss on the soap to fix a hole in a tank, it was explained at Driver training at both clubs im in, but cant see how soap would stop fuel.. I thought that it would disolve or eat the soap....

Shows ya what I know >:-p~

This is the best thread I have read in ages. The thermostat housing above reminds of one I read somewhere. They suggested using vegemite or jam to as a sealer if your thermostat gasket gives way. Take the housing off, leave the old gasket on, but smear some vegemite/jam on to the surfaces. Reassemble it, let it harden a bit and way you go. Never tried it...but like Truckster said, the discussion reminded me of it.

Hmmm just remembered when I had the head-on collision with the other landcruiser on our road. It's a dirt track one car wide with trees up close. He peeled the whole RHS of the old HJ47 troopie open and SMASHED THE BACK AXLE OFF ITS HANGERS leaving the drive shaft hanging on the road. I pulled the drive shaft off and drove the few k's home in 4WD using the front wheels. Similar. The new troopie sheared off the stud pins coming out of Wonnangatta on the LHS. We couldn't fix it but I had just fitted Lockrite diff locks. She still drove home because the drive was transfered to the good wheel. More......

I had a Series 2 A Landie wagon for some years. It was an ex police unit. But the rust had got stuck into things a bit. Actually a big bit: when the rear chassis mounted spring hanger gave way in the sand hills at Robe, I just got D shackles & chain and fixed it as tight as I could. But it was still sloppy. So I twitched it - a Cobb & Co for those who understand these things - with 10 guage wire. Drove steady to a local who refabricated things ...all ok the next day, only cost $ 120 & a slab.

Another time, on the last big sandhill heading north in the Little Dip Park (Robe, S.A.) just before the rubbish dump entry/exit, I snapped a rear axle. Not an uncommon thing to do in a Landie. So I just whipped the offending unit out, let the front tyres down as much as I dared, and charged up...and after about two attempts, made it. Back at the beach house, I disconnected the prop, pumped the front tyres up a bit & drove home to Murray Bridge in front wheel drive. Towed the boat home as well, a matter of fact. Easy.

Good thread, Truckster.

Rick.

Truckster, Got 2 yarns here, one about my Grandfather is not really relevant these days, he was travelling between Sydney and Newwcastle at night and the acetylene lamps on his vehicle ran out of water. We're talking about 1920's here, or even earlier. There was no water about, so they piddled in the lamps, and got going again. "Best bloody lights we'd ever had," he reckoned.
Back in '74 we were fighting some fires up on Barkly Tableland, and I was grading a firebreak along the boundary about 10pm. The lights got a bit dull, they were only 6 volts then, so checked the battery. All the cells were well down, and I didn't have any water, (must be a family trait), so piddled in a tin and topped up the cells that way. Don't know what it did to the battery, but at least the lights kept working. Have to think of a serious hint or two now...

Broke both arms on front engine mounts of a tojo FJ45, we'd been fencing and had 2 crowbars in the back. Shoved one in from each side, from the front and wired them into place, under the sump. Kept the fan off the shroud, until we got back to the station. Course you need 2 'bars at the time. catch you all later...

Yes really good stuff.

I really suggest you all read "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenence" by John R Pursig.

Long book but 2 important points he makes.
1/ Always take the back roads if you want to get a feel for the land and its people. (duh)
2/ If anything goes wrong with your vehicle you have to change your mindset and believe that "This was the best thing that could have happened today" because basically with this approach you will relax (not panic and make things worse) and you WILL think of a very creative solution to your problem (you will be proud of yourself for years).

I had a thermostat housing spring a leak at 5.00am 4 hours from the nearest help, noticed the temp guage move ever so slightly stopped and found a tiny fountain of coolant originating from the housing. (I was in a huge hurry as I was the co-ordinator of a major event due to start at midday.I didnt have any spare time for this.)
I immediatly thought - "This is the best thing that could have happened today" and relaxed.
Within 2 minutes I knew what I had to do. To my wifes horror I took the housing off and made the hole bigger. I then ratted around behind the seats where 3 days ago (before we went camping) my wife spilt my tin of loose nuts and bolts (and didnt clean them up) I found a short 5/16 nut and bolt grabbed some thick plastic that a new item of camping gear came in, wiped a smear of grease off a grease nipple under the vehicle, made a gasket, smeared on the grease both sides of the hole, applied the plastic gasket, punched the bolt through it all and tightened up the nut, made another plastic and grease gasket for the housing put it all together peed in the radiator (till we found more water), and the bush repair didnt leak once. Until we hurriedly replaced the housing and gasket in the next town but the new gasket leaked all the way home. Made it to my function with 5 minutes to spare.

Moral of the story is - stop and relax there is always a solution.

Ive got a dozen more like that one,

Just quickly - came across a family had bent a steering arm or something and he was banging away with a hammer and he chipped some metal off hammer or part of his vehicle into his eye - was in a terrible way they couldnt move it. Again thinking "this is really good" I eventually pulled one of their speakers out of the door and used the magnet on the back to pull out a 1/16" sliver of metal out of his eye. I now keep a magnet in my tool kit.

keep the creative juices flowing

Kezza

holes in fuel tanks .4 petrol small leaks use soap larger holes drive a pointed dry stickinto it and wait for wood to swell or tears burn a heap of spinefax and use the pitch to mend the hole last two options for diesel.

fuel pump dies on carby vehicles jerry can on roof

flat tyres no compressor or patches remove valve and fill with sand

just a couple for you cya johnsy

Here I go one more time.

This only applies to Supa Trupas. Sorry Nissan guys.

I was visiting a mechanic mate a short time ago and he related this account to me.

At the time he was working on a Troopie and was in the process of trying to get out the remains of 6 broken studs from the right rear hub.

I say six studs, I think, hell I have a troopie and can't remember <:(

The owner told him that he was driving along on a bush track wherever, when he looked in the rear vision mirror only to see that his right rear axle was sticking out about 18 inches.

I was informed that this can only happen if the nuts holding the axle in are loose, the axle starts to move around on the loose studs until they shear.

The owner over came the problem by removing both the rear axles and the prop shaft. He then jambed rag into the axle diff housing to stop dirty getting in and drove home in high 4WD on the front axles.

Moral of the story. Check that you nuts are tight, (on you rear axle that is).

I am told that Nissan's do not have a floating axle setup so if they break the axle or whatever, it's all over red rover.

Regards