Retroanaconda

The Td5 90 setup is designed to be dropped in from the top and indeed the rear tub actually holds the tank in place. This is in contrast to the 110 setup which goes in nice and easily from underneath. I’ve seen people modify the 90 setup so that the carrier bolts to the underside of the cradle rather than sits on top, this allows the tank to be slotted in easily from below.

Is it going spare Ed? The reason I’ve got a spare 200Tdi one is that since changing the chassis/engine/gearbox etc. I now need a 300/Td5/V8 one

V8 prop is different to 200Tdi. 200Tdi is the same length as earlier 4-cylinder models (2.5NA/TD). V8 is same as 300Tdi and early Td5 (up to end of Salisbury rear axle). Later Td5 and Tdci with Rover rear axle uses yet another size - I believe the latter may also be phased differently due to the drivetrain being an an angle but I’m not 100% sure as I’ve never needed to look it up. I have a 200Tdi 110 rear prop going spare in the shed - if it’s any use to you Ian?

There’s usually sufficient fuel in the injection pump to start the engine and tick it over while the lift pump refills the rest of the system. Might cough and splutter a bit while doing so.

I seem to recall some kind of sealant being required. They are a press fit however that won’t be 100% oil-tight so something else will be needed.

Trailer tell tale flashing once is normal. Smoke doesn’t sound excessive, don’t worry about that for now. Steering sounds like the biggest issue. It will never handle like a sports car but that is excessive play and vagueness. Check all the joints in the steering arms as suggested and also axle bushes. If you pop up your rough location you may find someone with some more experience is willing to come have a look for you.

Thanks to Ross of this parish I now have some nice stainless studs that are almost an exact match dimensionally for the longer originals. Got some standard studs for the short ones already, plus some longer ones to cut down if the stainless ones didn’t work out. I also have some standard brass nuts and some self-locking copper-flashed nuts. So plenty of choice!

It is a standard factory tyre size so the answer to your question is yes. You'll need to adjust the steering stops to prevent the tyres rubbing on the radius arms though.

I bought a Defender one from them, nicely made and all proper metal. Chucks out loads of heat. Only very minor issue was that the pipes were parallel rather than slightly splayed as per original which made getting the hoses on a bit of a faff. But otherwise no problems with it.

I have a vague memory that the bolts holding the transfer box onto the back of the gearbox are inside the casing and require removal of the transfer gears to access. Could be wrong though! The workshop manual will detail the dismantling procedure so you should be able to asses what’s required from that.

Ah, just realised you are talking about the backs falling backwards. I think there are rubber buffers at the bottom that they sit against, at the rear of the seat base cushion.

Does it not sit against the tabs on the centre seat?

About £30-40 each I think. I got them from Britcar.

Last set of genuine hinges I bought (few months ago) were not hard to get - any dealer or parts supplier should be able to get them for you. My experience of cheaper aftermarket hinges is that they are not worth the bother. Not had any of the posh ones.

The friction plate being stuck to the flywheel may well have caused enough drag to prevent you being able to put it into gear. The spigot bearing in the back of the crankshaft needs changing too, sometimes they can fail and there is enough friction to keep the input shaft turning sufficiently to prevent clean gear engagement. Broken springs in the friction plate can also cause this. For standard R380 (300Tdi/Td5/V8) and LT77 (2.5NA/TD/200Tdi/V8) applications it's all the same FTC5200 bearing. The stubby R380 onto 200Tdi uses a special UTJ100210 release bearing, and a different push rod too.