Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 9

Another day restoring TTK: the new timing chain, cogs and bits were fitted as the previous one was worn and had broken parts (the damper had worked itself loose and caused damage and wear). This was most likely the root of the problem of this breakdown. Though it is not sorted yet, the discovery of this was a bit of a breakthrough moment...
As the timing chain cover had to come off anyway, I also painted this and refitted the oil seal cover plate with newly tapped screws. I now need to refit the radiator and make sure it all works again...

Coaley Peak, Gloucestershire

Another great few hours hiking around the Gloucestershire countryside. Below is the view from Coaley Peak, one of my favourite spots which also happens to be along the Cotswold Way. To the South are Tyndale Monument and South Gloucestershire and beyond lies Bristol, two places we lived in for many years. The Malvern Hills are visible to the North, which is where I had my bike crash in 2009! And to the West are the River Severn, the Forest of Dean, May Hill, the Sugar Loaf and Black Mountains and beyond that in the far distance the beautiful Brecon Beacons in South Wales. All places we've visited on many occasions with lots of great experiences! 

Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 8

After battling on, restoring my Land Rover, I decided to accept the offer from Simon to temporarily re-home TTK at his workshop and yard. This would enable me to work under cover and have access to Simon's tools and get help when needed... 

Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 7

Now that the cylinder head and engine block are clean, I'm ready for painting: 'Duck Egg Blue' - 1970s engine paint... Very pleased with the results!

Land Rover SIII 'TTK', 6

After the carburettor service didn't resolve the engine failure problem, the next thing was to check the head gasket. This involved removing the cylinder head, replacing the various gaskets and giving it all a good clean. It is during the removal of all the grime and dirt, that I discovered the original engine paint colour. Discovering this, and seeing my friend Simon's SIII engine in the same colour, spurred me on to repaint the engine as best as I could (given the plan was not to remove the engine block!). When the cylinder head was off, I de-coked the head and learned how to 'lap the valves' (grinding them in again). Huge learning (with lots of input from Simon), but great fun! I also cleaned up the inlet- and exhaust manifolds as well as the rocker cover.