Mossberg

Sorry for hijacking the thread here, but would this exhaust be suitable to fit a 1993 90 with a 300tdi fitted? I can see my exhaust is getting tired in places and as mine is a "bitsa" I can't use the reg/vin to get an exhaust! Many thanks if you can help. Mick

It ain't called electrickery for nothin!

Thanks ped, I agree blasting is the best preparation and it would be nice to have that option. Apparently the surface it leaves is ideal for paint adhesion. When I clean after electrolysis I wire brush then rough it with a course paper, but I don't believe this is as good as blasting.

Thanks for the reply. I find cleaning rust from parts to be generally tedious, especially when it's part of a chassis. Having the best coating to prevent rust returning is a bonus. I have been using red oxide- do you feel this paint is better.

That Zinga paint sounds interesting. We used to use a galvanising paint at work, usually over where galvanised sheet had been painted. That was a spray can but to be honest I was very disappointed with the results - but that was a spray and usually just sprayed over ground smooth welds, so not cleaned in any way. Do you apply the zinga by brush? Also do you need the associated solvent if you are not thinning it down as that looks quite expensive.

Surprisingly the main chassis rails seem to be OK in the main. I have replaced the bulkhead outriggers - and these had already been replaced before, the rear outriggers as I wanted to fit rocksliders and the tube was too crusty, and the rear crossmember - which had also been changed before - I have now fitted a second hand galvanised one. I must admit I was surprised by the state of the dumbirons. I was dreading how far back the rot was going to go back but it didn't seem to go further than the front crossmember. Thankfully the top of the chassis rail seemed OK and I managed a repair from what I had in the garage (I do have quite a lot of box section in there!).

Wow, I bet you are pleased with that. Have a look into phosphoric acid solution to kill the rust. It won't protect the steel but hopefully neutralise the rust if you are thinking of using an internal tank paint. If you look for "PH Down" on ebay as I think that is 80% phosphoric acid. However, when you mix acid with water, it's extremely important to add the acid to the water rather than the other way around. This is because acid and water react in a vigorous exothermic reaction, releasing heat, sometimes boiling the liquid. if you do use a phosphoric acid solution I think it is recommended to have between a 20 and 40% mix of acid. Also remember that it is acid so use relevant protective equipment!

One thing I will add here is my dislike of some of the rust converters. I used a product called aquarust and I have been very disappointed. This is meant to be a paint on, let it do its wizardry, then paint over. Apparently you need rust for it to work - but not too much, so you have to remove a lot so there is just a light amount - but how do you know you have enough but not too much! Also you are not supposed to put it on bare steel, so what happens if you over clean an area where you have shiny steel showing? I think the main thing is to remove or kill the rust as much as possible. My go to on this is electrolysis where anything will go into the tank. I then also use a phosphoric acid solution to kill any deep pitted rust. Where I have to do chassis work I try to mechanically remove as much rust as possible, then use the phosphoric solution again. I can't yet comment on the longevity of my painting. I have used Bonda Rust Primer - basically a red oxide Primer- then a top coat. I will have to wait a couple of years before I comment if it works. One thing I would say is I believe a really important part of any coatings is the preparation of the part to be painted. I believe the surface must be rust free, dirt and oil free, and abraided to help any coating grip what you are painting onto.

I was amazed when mine was still there, especially on this dumbiron!

Go carefully when removing the rust to find the vin. It really is only lightly stamped so you don't want to damage or remove it. Take photos of the various stages of rust removal to use as evidence if required - you certainly don't want to be accused of removing the vin number yourself!!

How did you buy it without the V5? Have you removed all the paint from the dumb iron? My vin number is very feint to where you have to be looking at it from the right direction to see it. After I had taken photos of it I painted over it to protect it and now you can't see it.

This is my drive flange and bolts. They are not flanged and have a spring washer fitted.

Worth a search of Britannica Restorations youtube as I think he did a video about it.

They are the standard hex head bolts. I am quite sure they are sitting flat on the face but I will look on the back face for witnesses marks. I certainly feel happy they are sitting flat as I wouldn't be happy if I thought they were being held off, even slightly. I have a set of wheel spacers that I have not fitted yet- they won't sit flush without filing a tiny amount off (and I mean a tiny amount as wouldn't entertain taking any real meat off them) and that isn't like that on my boosts.

I have boost alloys on my 10 spline axle. Whilst they fit, the centre cap doesn't.

I presume you fitted threadlock when you refitted the spacer so would you mind telling me which type (strength)? Also are you sure your spacers are 20mm as I thought they needed to be 30mm to get suitable nuts to fit them. It's lucky you found it when you did as loosing a wheel doesn't bear thinking about!

I did this as I had a the pully that came off and one I had ordered which was the old style with a spotwelded flange which I didn't fit as it was recommended to fit the one with the machined flange!

Don't forget wheel balancing. You may have lost a weight or a wheel has become defective. Try swapping front wheels for back and take for a drive. Costs nowt but time in changing wheels.

On a more budget side of the scale, I have a parkside rechargeable one. It has a magnetic base with flexible ball joint and the long led is also hinged so you can target the light. It was invaluable when I was fitting my rear crossmember. I can't say how it will compare with the more expensive brands but not quite the same if you loose or drive over the thing! It's also dimmable. Mine is diy use so does not have to be suitable for use everyday, but I think it wad about £8 last year. Unfortunately only available when on their special buys so its get one when in stock.

I finally took my Defender for a decent run. A 440 mile round trip to South Wales and in the main it seemed to perform OK. I worked out the mpg for the trip down, which was about 29mpg so quite happy with that, though speeds around 55 as mainly on A roads. However one aspect that would make for a more pleasant experience would be tighter steering. I will try to do an assessment as to parts that may be worn, but I was looking at some posts which recommend looking at the UJs on the column but am very cautious about Britpart! I have seen Britpart, All makes, Bearmach, OEM and genuine. The first three are between £10-15, OEM about £58 and genuine around £90+. As the vehicle is only limited use I will be reluctant to go high end unless the other ones are of poor quality. So with that in mind, which of those three is the better option or are they around the sane quality?

Folks thanks very much for the replies. Your discussion about breaking the layer over soft ground is very enlightening about how little off-road experience I have. I will get stuck into my Tom Sheppard "Off-roader driving" book to try and give myself a bit of education. I will have to see if I can get a bit of tuition off more experienced folk as theory and learning are great, but nothing beats hands on experience - but I have no desire to rip up the moor to learn, in fact quite the opposite. I picked up the waffle boards also last night but have not really had a chance to have a look at them. As the truck will be used more in a semi working role rather than general transport, I actually think the waffle boards at 1220mm long could make a suitable shelf for in the back. I will just have to make some spacers for the ends or they could potentially slide and one end fall between the wheel arches (if thats the right term in this case?). They will also just fit into the back lengthways in the 90. Thanks for your help and also highlighting the issues of driving on a delicate surface. Mick

Well I purchased the welding table and the seller kindly agreed to deliver it for me within the price, so saved all the messing about - and I am very happy with the table as its on four casters with two locking. Its not overly heavy build but will make life much easier as I tend to weld outside the garage and will probably alter it so I can easily fix the vice to it. 48 inch x 32 inch x 32 high. I think it has been designed to fit a Euro pallet on it, hence the tabs on the corners, but they will be coming off so its just a flat top. Only a 3mm top unfortunately but I have a 600x600x10mm plate I can lay on it when I need it heavier - at least the height will save me having to work on the ground. I will fit a board shelf under it too so I can keep some of the gear on there that would be strewn around the floor normally as that will make for a quick retreat into the garage when it starts raining!! Thanks for all your help folks, it really is appreciated.

Many thanks folks. I will take a hiviz to fit to any overhang. I never thought of a trailer board though I may struggle fitting one, but will stick one the back anyway.

Does anyone know the law about driving with the rear door open on a Defender? I am looking to pick a table up but fear it may not quite fit inside. I will take roof bars so that is an option but not sure how easy it is going to be to get it up there. The door at worst will be open to 90 degrees so ooverhanging the back by 900mm approx (table only sticking out by 100mm max). I would secure both load and door but don't want pulling by the police and given a fine/points. Journey will be about 7 miles/20 minutes on A or B roads

Thanks Nonimouse, that is one thing I intend to avoid. I have also been advised that lowering tyre pressures is a way to reduce the chance of getting stuck, but then I will have to inflate four tyres each time - if I feel I need to start doing that I will look into investing in a better compressor.