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Litch

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Everything posted by Litch

  1. Bought three BP rear silencers for my 300TDi and each one lasted 5-years, the first one was stamped BOSAL (a well know manufacturer) but the next two just had a BP sticker but lasted the same length of time. When I fitted my galv chassis I treated myself to a Demand Engineering SS Sport system, top quality and although it was much more expensive I feel it was completely worth it. If ordering mild steel just remember there are two different part numbers but the only difference (I am aware of) is the hanger nearest the tail. ESR2382 & ESR3463 although I see that some manufacturers are getting around this by fitting two hangers (RH & LH) so you can just use the one for your model.
  2. Well you've got me there, I could have sworn my SuperPro ones were 2-piece! That said, I did fit them a few years ago (2017) so maybe my memory is playing tricks on me? šŸ„“ I have a photo of the finished job but not of the actual fitting. All I know is that all my bushes have been fitted using my (huge) vice and after the nightmare of fitting some 1-piece Bearmach bushes some 20-years ago, the SuperPro ones were a breeze.
  3. I found with the 1-piece bushes they need to be well lubricated and pressed into place dead straight otherwise they can deform and pop out, also I used a large flat washer on the open end as it covered the entire surface of the bush. That said, they were awkward and it is for that reason I later went for SuperPro which are 2-piece and are a breeze to fit (perhaps not what you wanted to hear).
  4. Sounds very much like you have a Disco transfer-box fitted and from personal experience, that is too high for an auto Def. Is it a 300TDi and was it a lift & shift from a Disco? 20-Years ago (2003) I bought a brand-new LRGP 300TDi/R380 re-power kit for my 90 and from day-one it was fitted with the Disco transfer-box. It was a perfect combination, pulling strongly and allowed relaxed cruising on the motorway (70mph with ease) while on A & B roads it was never necessary to get out of 4th. Always been fitted with the (then) standard 265/75x16's. Move on a few years (2016) and I fitted an Ashcroft auto conversion but while I wasn't certain if it was going to work, I decided to keep the Disco transfer-box (initially at least). In short, it didn't work. On A & B roads where 50mph was the norm it wouldn't lock-up and on the motorway it was running out of puff at 75mph and slowing down on inclines. I lived with it for 12-months and then swopped for a Def transfer-box (also from Ashcroft) and it transformed the driving experience. It now lock-up at 50mph making it much nicer on A & B roads while on the motorway it pulls much stronger (will hold 70mph all day) and doesn't struggle with hills any more. You say you think the box is Ashcroft, what makes you think that, do you have any documentation? If an Ashcroft kit it will (usually) be well finished whereas a lift & shift usually means the shifter being dropped in a fabricated console of some kind.
  5. As above, I fitted a Richards chassis back in 2020 and there were no brake-pipe holes (or for the fuel-lines as I recall). Easy enough to sort. Just drill the holes where you want them to be (which may not be where they were on the original chassis), clean & paint then rust-proof.
  6. Automec do a full kit if you can't be bothered with making your own. Used one a couple of years ago when I did my chassis replacement, first rate.
  7. When I did the Defender factory tour I only witnessed them stamping the chassis at one point (the OSF chassis leg) as it had always been done, it was a fantastic machine but quite noisy and took longer than you might expect. As far as I could see there was no way it was going to fit anywhere else on the chassis and I didn't see them do it elsewhere, just move onto the next vehicle. There are serial numbers on the axles etc but I think they are entirely separate to the chassis number.
  8. Iā€™m getting new chassis from Richard chassis soon 3 to 6 month wait do me nicely as winter should be over win win šŸ˜Š That's what I did. Ordered from Richard's in September and got a delivery date of my choice which was mid March ready for an April 1st SORN and project start. Having the chassis for a couple of weeks beforehand meant I could prep, paint & Waxoyl it ready. Really mild Spring that year (2020) so I made good progress early on.
  9. I can fully understand the desire to paint the bulkhead, if for no other reason it keeps the vehicle looking completely standard. That said, I left mine bare and there isn't a huge amount showing. Of course it doesn't look anything like standard but it was a deliberate decision on my part.
  10. I have had my 90 on an agreed value policy for 20-years or so. I oversubmit on the details and include more photos than requested plus my (extensive) list of work, copies of receipts etc. I don't notice it being any more expensive than a "normal" policy, this year it was Ā£195 +Ā£15 for the AV certification with 5K miles PA. AV is Ā£20K.
  11. I had this on my 300TDi about 4-years ago and it was down to doggy fuel. Had filled up at a Tesco filling station in Stoke On Trent and on the way home to Bedfordshire the engine cut out stone dead on several occasions (no spluttering, it was like I had flicked a switch) however each time it re-started after I had pulled over or even before I had coasted to a halt. This un-nerved me and next day I set about checking all connections but found nothing. I filled up a few days later and over the course of the next week it did it again but only a couple of times. Before heading up the motorway again I refilled (second fill-up since SOT Tesco) and it only did it once on that journey but after another fill up it never did it again. All I know is that I never used that Tesco filling station again (it was a pain to get in & out of anyway).
  12. Might be worth giving Cannon Services a try (manufacturers of the Defender Peak - external sunvisor)? I have just moved back to Banbury after a break of 31yrs and I have to admit that I do 100% of servicing / repairs myself but if I needed anything doing in the future they are top of my list to try. If you were asking 35-years ago I would have recommended Dave Pickles (now of Paintman fame) as back then he was running a very useful workshop out of an old barn in Duns Tew, did a lot of work for me at the time. šŸ˜
  13. This is my easy / surefire way of removing old bushes, the below photo is of the A-Frame but the principle applies to them all. Cut through the rubber with a holesaw, cut the outer sleeve with a hacksaw and then knock the sleeve loose. Simple job that should only take 10-minutes.
  14. Yes, engine in. It was done in a day, just remove the old axle and roll the new one into place.
  15. These are some old photos of when I replaced my front axle for a nice new one (NOS crated). A pair of axle-stands supporting the chassis and it was fine.
  16. Don't have an installation guide as it had to be dealer fitted to maintain the manufacturers warranty but I still have all the paperwork & invoice. Date of completion was 1st Oct 2004 and the total cost was Ā£6,656.83 (a not insignificant sum even today but imagine it 18-years ago!). My local dealer was quoting a lot more so I travelled down to the tip of Cornwall and had it done by a dealer there (did the return journey twice in 3-days).
  17. I had a 300TDi re-power kit fitted into my 1986 90 back in 2004 and yes, the engine number begins S16L.......
  18. I converted my 300TDi 90 to auto a few years ago using an Ashcroft kit, am really pleased with the result and very pleased I did it. With the 300TDi mounted in the "correct" location and an existing R380 it is just a nut & bolt job, with a conversion such as yours I couldn't comment but nothing is insurmountable. Mine wasn't always a 300TDi, it started off as a 2.5NA D but back in 2004 I had a brand-new LRGP re-power kit fitted which means that to all intents and purposes it is as per factory spec. Indeed I fitted a new chassis 2-years ago and just ordered a 300TDi spec one and everything just lines straight up using factory parts. I would recommend trying to have a drive in an auto 90, they are not to everyones taste but I love it. šŸ˜ Some people say they don't pull the skin off a rice pud but if you are starting with a worn-out engine in the first place, carrying around half a workshop in the back and running oversized tyres then it is never going to be a ball of fire. Mine however is very brisk (yes, I do mean that) and after I had sorted the gearing out (change of transfer-box) it is perfectly suited to both urban work, back lane dashes and M-way cruising. Off-road it is great fun, just select, point and go! šŸ˜† It isn't just fitting the gearbox, there is also the oil-cooler to be considered (I used stock Disco pipes but adapted to connect into the cooler), oil filler tube (standard one does the trick with some gentle bending), shifter (I used the Ashcroft console) and then of course the wiring (inhibit switch to stop the engine starting unless it is in N) as well as a whole host of other niggling issues. Add to that the fact that the kit comes with no instructions whatsoever it was a real leaning curve! šŸ„“
  19. This is an old photo of my radio install using the standard LR part, bought from my local dealer for a very reasonable price (at the time). Since then it has been replace with a Raptor unit which is great if you don't mind the utilitarian / non-standard look.
  20. A 100A alternator is only any good if the cable from the alternator has been uprated accordingly otherwise if you try to draw the additional current (more than twice if yours was originally a 45A unit) the cable could ultimately overheat, if nothing else it will fail to deliver its potential output. I replaced the alternator on my 300TDi with a 100A unit years ago but along with the alternator swop I fitted a larger cable.
  21. At Ā£50-Ā£350 you are only looking at part of the available options and there are a lot of very poor / unsuitable ones at the bottom of the scale. I have had Nolden's fitted since 2013, expensive but ok. Truck-Lite have a solid reputation. The Britpart LED units are said to be excellent. A chap I know had a (brand-new, last off the line) Defender fitted with Nolden's and a runaround fitted with BP LED's, he said the BP units had a better spread of light and were his preferred choice for night-time driving.
  22. I am sure you are only referring to picking up the switch-wire and you have already found your Live supply and Earth point?
  23. Not into the wheelarch itself, the rear would be exposed to everything thrown up from the road and I doubt they would last very long without a malfunction of some kind, you could build a shield but it doubt it would be completely waterproof. Far simpler to mount them inside the vehicle, as already stated the rear light-panels are the obvious location.
  24. Can't see the difficulty, mine fitted into position easily......... šŸ˜†
  25. I had no idea how much I would need when I painted my new 90 chassis last year was so I bought 5L (it was cheap enough not to worry) and ended up using about 1.5L. Hung on to the rest for a while and then got rid as I couldn't see a time I would be using it again.
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