We were fortunate enough to come across a brand new transfer case still in its crate from the factory that had been imported for a project that never eventuated. This new LT230 transfer case was a later model one from a Series II Discovery and had the revised cut gears to reduce gear noise and provide quieter running. While it was essentially the same as early models there were a number of differences and changes were needed before fitting. The later transfer case did not have a speedo drive gear inside as the speedo was electronic on the Discovery. To correct this the rear output housing was removed and the rear shaft removed from both the old and new cases. The speedo gear from the old case was pressed off the shaft and then onto the new shaft using a large hydraulic press. The transfer case itself also had to have a couple of bolt holes drilled and taped into the casing to take the early type handbrake set up. Once done it was a simple matter of re-assembling with all the new parts but utilising the older housing to fit the speedo gear drive. The other difference when fitting a later transfer case is that the automatic gearbox output shaft has a different coupling shaft with longer splines to fit into the transfer case input gear. We had to buy a new coupling shaft and were able to get it quickly from Forward Specs Land Rover Parts in Avondale. With the body lift on the vehicle the transfer lever was always difficult to use because it was now too short. Neville Taylor machined up a 5 cm lever extension on the lathe that was simply screwed onto the lever and then had the gear knob screwed on top. This was given a coat of black paint prior to fitting. As with all projects there is always something to do. The front driveshaft had been replaced a while back when a universal collapsed. While doing the transfer case we had noticed that the front driveshaft had been rubbing on the centre gearbox cross member at full articulation. To give the drive shaft clearance we pulled the cross member off and cut out a section and welded it back up. On our first road test with the new transfer case it was considerably quieter inside the vehicle. Previously there was a lot of gear and drive train noise but now the only noise was the singing from Simex tyres as we headed down the motorway. Just goes to show how noisy the bearings etc were in the old transfer case. While we had Project Re-A Range in at Heritage Mechanical Services Terry also wired in an inertia switch from a Discovery to shut off the fuel supply should the vehicle ever roll over. It was a simple fit and at the same time Terry re-routed the live feed for the fuel pump. As the chassis was originally for a carburettor engine, when the injected V8 was fitted a temporary wire was run from the in-tank fuel pump to the main loom up front. This wire followed the chassis and was vulnerable off-road so it is now inside the vehicle and safely tucked away from potential problems. The centre console was a bit battered and we had been looking around for a replacement for some time. A brand new one was more than we paid for the vehicle originally and good second-hand ones are hard to find due to most suffering the same problem as Re-A-Range over the years. We had been lucky and eventually found a good one on Trade Me and fitted this along with another auto selector slide from the Ashley used parts bin. The difference was immediate for all to see. The stereo head unit now stayed in place and there were no gaping holes around the gear lever and slide. One of the continuing little problems we were having was the front drive cap bolts coming loose and oil being thrown out over the front wheel. We used to periodically check and tighten these as part of routine maintenance but after snapping a couple of the bolts it was time to investigate further. The front diff air locker was leaking air and blowing oil up our extended breather pipes so the diff head was removed and taken into the local ARB agents, Auckland 4x4 in Papakura. The diff was stripped down and given a full service and seals replaced. The hubs, swivels and stub axles were the original early model Range Rover ones fitted with Land Rover Stage One V8 CVs strengthened by Howat Engineering in Wellington, and early model Land Rover 110 drive flanges. However the drive flanges were a different diameter to the Range Rover hubs and unbeknown to us were supposed to be fitted with a special adapter ring which was missing. The larger CVs were also bashing up the bronze bush on the inside of the Range Rover stub axle so we opted to replace the hubs and stub axles with 110 items which had a revised bush arrangement. The drive flanges would then need the adapter rings to fit properly. The front hubs were re-assembled with new bearings and seals throughout with particular attention paid to getting the hub preload correctly set up. Once done the hubs were filled with the special “one shot” hub liquid grease from Land Rover Spares in Penrose. One of the items we have always wanted to fit to the vehicle was steel side bars to protect the sills and sides of the vehicle while off-road. We had intended to get some made but in the end opted for a pair of Rock and Tree Sliders from Mainlandrover, the NZ agents for the Scorpion Racing accessories from the UK. These R&T Sliders bolt through the box sectioned sills of the vehicle after removal of the original plastic sills. Each side is held on with eight M8 x 90 mm bolts and tubes through the box section of the body sill and provide enough strength to allow the vehicle to slide along the side without damage. Because of the cut wheel arches and flares we had to order them to a special length but the wait was worth it. They are very smart looking and provide a side step of sorts as well as keeping the body away from obstacles. With a project like Re-A-Range there is always something to do. Despite having extended braided stainless steel brake lines we managed to pull one of the front lines when we managed to belly the vehicle with the front wheels hanging. There was a strain placed on one hose, probably because of a previously damaged thread, and we lost the brakes while off-road. Luckily the Range Rover has twin lines to the front callipers so we were able to close off the damaged line with a pair of vice grips and get back home. While we had to repair the front brake line we took the opportunity to get the brake master cylinder overhauled as we had noticed a slight leak. The master cylinder was removed and taken into Just Brakes in Penrose to be overhauled. When we went to refit the master cylinder one of the front callipers decided to leak brake fluid everywhere so it was removed to be overhauled. It seemed pointless just doing one side, so the other side was also sent to Just Brakes for them to work their magic. This proved worthwhile as several of the calliper pistons had to be replaced in both of them. While refitting we also replaced the fixed steel brake lines between the callipers and the flexible lines. New front pads were fitted and this time we are trying out the EBC Greenstuff 4WD pads which we obtained through Auckland 4x4 and so far they seem to be doing the job well. There are still some minor jobs on the “To Do” list when time permits. They include extending the rear bumper around the sides and trimming the rear guards, replace the damaged snorkel with our latest Trade Me purchase and to fit a HEI distributor to hopefully improve the waterproofing of the ignition systems when wading and splashing through water. Despite fitting some vents to the side of the bonnet to help get the hot air out from under the bonnet the engine still tends to increase the temperature when on long slow climbs. We therefore have further work to do with the cooling system at alleviate this. Meantime we are enjoying driving it off-road at every opportunity.