Retroanaconda

1/4” UNF perhaps?

Looks more to me like it’s a cut down Range Rover body shell than a photoshop. The second car in the set of pics (longer wheelbase one) seems to have air springs.

Might look rough, but it was made out of what I had laying about. And it worked

The Defender switch does exactly what you are describing, including the horn. Not sure how possible it would be to make it fit though.

I wouldn’t mind spending £200 on a genuine one if it was going to last 20 years, however it seems that there is less likelihood of that these days.

Interesting reading here. It’s something that concerns me because the pump on my 200Tdi has done at least the 172,000 miles in my ownership (quite likely much more) and it seems that the replacements available simply aren’t up to the job. Has anyone tried a Land Rover one? I like the idea of a simple solid-state electric pump.

Might be there. Remove the corner light wiring cover and have a look.

Good stuff. I did similar the other week for a tool to hold the engine while I did up the crankshaft bolt:

Indeed, the place I got them from tells me they mainly sell them to farmers who are boarding out the inside of steel-framed sheds with Stokbord or the like. Being countersunk these give a flush finish for this purpose (and mine) whereas the typical roofing variant has a flanged head, often with a rubber seal too. Damn useful things, saves a lot of faffing about with drilling holes etc. - I found the best method was to use the high speed setting on my battery drill (18v Makita jobby) for the first part and then when it broke through use the slower speed for better control/torque when cutting the thread and pulling it tight. Only extra thing I had to do was cut the excess off a couple of them where they were sticking out right over the tyres, otherwise a big bump could have caused a problem!

Looks good! You’re speedo is ever so slightly off level though

Is the engine oil okay?

I used this sort of thing, self drills it’s way through and then taps itself into the chassis frame:

Finished the lights this morning and put the new sheets on this afternoon. Handily the floor crossmembers are spaced such that the joins between the sheets are exactly over them, meaning no unsupported edges at all. The roofing sealant stuff seemed to go on quite well and covered nicely. Time will tell how it does as a sealant. I was able to fill most of the edges and the two sheet joins too so there shouldn’t be too much sealant required to make it as watertight as possible. Poor picture due to losing the light, but you get the idea! Just need a new set of wheels/tyres and then it’s sorted 👍

I’d like a set of ramps for mine, but with it being a LM125 it’s only 5’ 5” wide so pretty tight for Land Rovers. I sometimes wish I’d got a 6’ wide one, but then when I have to reverse it into the back garden/yard I’m thankful for its narrowness! I think mine is a 2006 model and was previously used by a landscaping company who I presume loaded loose soil etc. in on a regular basis hence the galvanising on the sides has been compromised. Was in Ayrshire so could have been by the sea! It’s only surface rust though so other than looking a bit tatty it has no effect on its use. If I ever get bothered enough by it I could get them re-dipped, or just replace the skins with new galv sheet. The chassis, floor crossmembers and drawbar are all 100% rust free pleasingly so no need for re-dipping. Axles are a bit rusty as they’re not galvanised however they’ll go for some time yet.

That would probably work, I guess anything that will stick to the timber and is waterproof would work. I was thinking something like this: https://www.screwfix.com/p/thompsons-thompson-s-emergency-roof-seal-black-1ltr/87810

I’ll certainly seal them, it’s just what to do it with that is the question. I think the liquid rubber roofing sealant type stuff could be a good bet, however it generally only comes in larger quantities than I would need. Ripped the old floor up this afternoon, just pulled it off in pieces by hand it was that rotten. Now left with a rather skeletal trailer. Got to sort the lighting while the floor is off and access to the cables and junction boxes etc. is nice and easy. Picked up some new lights already, just need to sort cable etc.

Finally got around to doing something on this. Went and picked up some 18mm wire mesh resin coated plywood sheets this morning. These were £38 a sheet so enough to do the trailer for less than £120. The higher quality Buffalo board stuff is around £75 a sheet, and the Ifor Williams one-piece sheet over £300 with a 6-week lead time. I’d have liked to have gone for the middle option but the ability to go and pick these ones up rather than have to arrange delivery etc. made the first option the best at the moment. Any thoughts on products to seal the cut edges? I see references to acrylic paints but can’t find anything online that looks suitable.

Those numbers are hub seals, you’re asking about the stub axle internal seal though? Think you want FTC5268, item 3 below.

Did mine today. I don’t have a big enough torque wrench either so I use a scaffold tune over a breaker bar. The tube is five feet long and I use a spring balance to put 50lbs of pull on it. If my maths is correct that makes 250ft-lbs of torque. Good tip about replacing the bolt, didn’t realise that could be an issue. Too late this time but I will change it next time I’m in there. Probably due as it’s the fourth time I’ve changed the belt, and it should have been done at least twice before me.

You say at least 7.5 metres wide, that’s about 24 feet. A Land Rover is only 7’ wide, say 10’ including the ramp uprights - so plenty of space around it surely? Unless you have a constraint with regard to positioning of door(s) etc. perhaps? With that amount of width, I’d have thought a good setup would be two vehicle ‘bays’. One with the 4-post ramp and one just bare flat floor. With enough length to play with you might get away with one central 10’ wide roller shutter door, or similar.

A couple of things spring to mind regarding your slab: If the shed does not reach the edges of the slab you will need to think about sealing the bottom so water doesn’t come in under the walls. Custom-building to suit the slab solves this, but doesn’t help with your desire to move it. Assuming there is no DPM under the slab as you say, is it sitting proud of the ground? If it is and you can clear the soil back from it slightly at the edges to stop groundwater sitting against it then you will have a much lower level of moisture coming up through it. If the slab is sitting down into the ground, or at a low point, it will be much more of a struggle. Regarding insulation, I would think Kingspan or polystyrene type sheets are going to be your best bet. You need to stop the internal air from reaching the metal skin around the entirety of the walls and ceiling. You’ll also need an air gap between that skin and the sheets, although being metal you’ll not need the amount of airflow that one would in order to prevent rot in a wooden structure. The slab would be my first concern, even with good insulation if you’ve got large amounts of moisture coming up through it all winter you'll struggle big time. My workshop is built on a kennel slab also, and it doesn’t have a DPM. I have suffered with a small amount of damp coming through the floor however since I dug a drain round the slab things have been largely fine. Guttering is essential. I was informed when I built mine that kennel slabs soak up dog urine over the years which can give you your funky smell as well as rotting metal things due to the urea content. Happily mine never had any smells and has been fine, so I can only assume they were well trained dogs or the kennels had good flooring. When I started to build mine I also had grand intentions of making it portable, in reality though this just isn’t practical and I will have to leave it when I move. Mine is built out of wood though.

I had to drill and split the stake nuts on the axle I stripped as no matter what I did I couldn't get them undone with the axle unrestrained on the floor. Job for a windy gun for sure, or big breaker bar if the axle is on the vehicle. I'd bet that like most things of this nature the bearings are made to a high enough tolerance that, so long as you replace like-for-like, the required spacer would not change as it's allowing for differences in the machining of the hub. However the earlier two-nut system is certainly more 'home mechanic' friendly and has no significant disadvantages so is the preferred route for many.

Tears for gears?

Looks good. But won’t you still have to have them balanced by a tyre place? Then again I had a new set of BFG tyres fitted to mine last month by a garage in Oban and only after they’d done so did they reveal that they had no means to balance wheels of that size. I prepared for a wobbly drive home to get to a proper garage but to my surprise they are perfect as they are, right up to 70mph at least!