Retroanaconda

A smaller number of projects/toys that get used is better than a larger number that sit and rot away.

I suspect Mo is talking about the gearbox mounts, which bolt to the chassis on 200Tdi and earlier vehicles. They are part of the crossmember on 300Tdi and are welded to the chassis on Td5 & later. The engine mounts are welded to the chassis on all models as far as I’m aware.

https://www.uk-timber.co.uk/featheredge-fencing-supplies/162617-british-larchdouglas-fir-yorkshire-boarding.html#/gravel_board_size-3600_x_150_x_22 My trailer is 12’ x 5.5’ so I reckon a dozen of the 3600x150x22 boards above would get me a durable deck for less than £100. It would however be more slippery when wet, and not being a single sheet will in theory not be as strong for point loading of things like cars.

I refloored my Ifor a number of years back with phenolic ply and it was around £40 a sheet - I see it’s now three times that so would agree that is not a good option. I wonder if you could get some rough sawn 3/4” boards in larch or douglas fir locally and lay them longitudinally as a deck? With a machined joint if desired. Or Stokbord? Sit down when you look up the price but it will last forever.

Assuming the Mazda SL35Ti is one that has been put together for fitting in Land Rovers then the bolt pattern will match any V8 pattern gearbox (LT85, LT95, LT77 or R380). Regardless of gearbox type the bellhousing will still need a modification to go around the starter motor.

The inner sleeve of the bush needs to be firmly held still between the mounts, there should be no movement at all relative to the mount and bolt, with all the movement taken up in the rubber itself. If there is any movement then it rapidly wears the mount. That’s exactly what has happened I would say. Once the bracket is worn then you will always have problems achieving the necessary clamping force. I had this on mine years ago, swapping to another chassis mount solved it. I got one of eBay relatively cheaply.

Same, they’re excellent.

Retirement? I’m looking forward to it, only 30 years to go

Is it @Adam001 that has done one of these?

The a-frame bolts on older vehicles (the UNF ones used up until the early 2000’s sort of time) take a large spanner as you can’t get a socket on. This is why I have a 28mm spanner in the toolkit. The viscous fan is something like 28/32 but a proper viscous fan spanner is better for that.

I always fit the seal as designed. Properly greased wheel bearings will last hundreds of thousands of miles so long as you don’t get contaminants in there.

I’m told that those with deposits already in are being asked for another £2k or so to secure their order, and that the configurator on the website will open in April to allow them to do so. At this point we’ll hopefully see confirmed pricing too.

I paid £0.34/litre when I filled the tank last May, it will need filing again in the next few months but there’s no way I will be paying that much for it. Not sure what my options are honestly other than just going without until the summer when hopefully it will come down a bit. Lots of noise and complaints about electricity/gas prices but those are at least regulated and capped - no such protections for those of us reliant on oil for heating. Hence the profiteering seen above.

Get the genuine clips and sockets too, the aftermarket ones are rubbish and don’t grip very well.

No you don’t, that is the standard factory fit wattage. They would benefit from a relay loom to take the current off the headlight switch though.

I’ve heard adding a handful of pea shingle and giving it a good shake can help as well 👍

I used a Bearmach one when I first changed a screen but that was 10 or so years ago. It was fine, went in no bother and never leaked. I have another spare new Bearmach one here and it too seems okay. When I had the screen done last summer (post my own failure) the company supplied the seal with the screen. I thought this was easier as it’s their problem if it breaks or doesn’t fit!

Yes - stronger CVs but weaker shafts. The later axles had stronger (24-spline) shafts but weaker CVs.

The top swivel bolts on my spare axle in the garage are stamped ATLAS 10.9

Yes different propshafts, floor plates, seat box and transmission tunnel. There is about a 2” difference in fore/aft position for the transfer box. The rear of a V8 is completely different to a Tdi

The transfer box is in the same place on then V8, 300Tdi and Td5. It is further backwards on the 200Tdi, 2.4TD and 2.5NA. The R380 was made in V8 fitments, though I’m not sure if it ever came from the factory in a Defender.

If you do use it regularly on unsealed surfaces I would fit the rear guards at least. I used to use mine on unmetalled forest roads a lot and fitted a set after going through brake pads in 1,500 miles. Makes no difference to the fronts as it’s the grit/dirt kicked up underneath that causes the issue and that doesn’t reach the front brakes much. What the fronts do prevent is that first ineffective brake pedal application after driving at speed on a wet motorway for a while - can be a little exciting if you’ve not left enough time For what it’s worth I have (or will have when I get around to it) rear ones fitted but don’t bother with the fronts, this suits my usage.

What do you use your vehicle for? If it is lots of heavy off road work in very muddy conditions, then they can trap mud/grit in the brakes and cause a faff cleaning it all. For normal use, including other types of off road work, they do help reduce premature brake pad wear. This is especially noticeable on the rear where pads can wear out in a few thousand miles without them fitted.

I’m sure I read somewhere of somebody rebuilding one of these and using better quality bearings but it turned out to be noisy still. They then sourced bearings from Global Roamer, which were the cheaper type, and these worked perfectly? In any case it will be good to see how you get on and I hope it works. They are an excellent unit.

Yeah. I suppose in traffic it might help where the rear lights are obscured by other vehicles, but in normal conditions the two normal lights should do the job well enough I reckon.