miketomcat

My biggest concern with rebuilding any of them is cost. I really can't afford for it to cost much more than £300-400 less if possible. @rusty_wingnut fittting a 300 is not going to happen. Firstly I'd need to buy one and a gearbox then I'd need new engine mounts, radiator and exhaust. Second a 300 is no better than a 200, no better on fuel and no more powerful. Yes there's more of them but they still have a set of standard problems just different ones to the 200. Mike

I have a bit of a conundrum. The ibex has a discovery 200tdi in it, the original engine went well with not issues till I started getting low oil pressure. I suspect the cam bearings have moved but haven't checked. So I removed that engine, threw together a bitsa and fitted it. Said engine blew a head gasket on holiday, which I changed and drove home. Since then I've done some towing and I've just come back from Silverstone on both occasions it ran warmer than I'm comfortable with and it's smoking more than my mot man maybe happy with. I suspect it has a broken ring but not sure that explains the elevated temperature. I'm tight on budget and time so a full rebuild looks to be un-likely. Do I, A, replace the cam bearings without line boring so I don't have to fully strip it. Whilst there check as much as possible and re-fit. B, replace the rings on this engine Insitu and hope for the best. C, find another 200 TDI fit that or find a disco and grab the gearbox as well given mines tired. I know which is quickest but it's potentially an unknown engine, doing cam bearings would mean I could nurse the current engine for now or do rings but it means the truck off the road for a bit. Mike

I might be wrong but I thought at some point land rover made calipers the same across the range but that may of been just defender. It would of been around 300tdi td5. From memory the bolt pattern is the same but off set isn't, I have two 110 rear calipers with different offsets but I don't know what year the newer one is. But as Mossberg says why upgrade? Unless you have massive non standard front brakes upgrading the rear may result in locking the rear often. The brakes on all land rovers are good assuming they work correctly. I normally find I loose traction (mud tyres) long before I get brake fade. Mike

Not that I can afford it, have space for it or have other projects in line. The wife would kill me and bury the bits in the woods........ So when do we go. Seriously though it has lots of potential but needs to be stripped and start again. It also looks like it needs IVA. Mike

I've never hit the PTO drop box even though it hangs below the chassis. Whilst Sid will undoubtedly be used harder than mine or Ed's neither of us are known for holding back. 45 on the other hand was used to the point of serious damage at Ladoga. However all of the damage was to the chassis and cross members, I never wished I'd fitted a belly pan. Mike

What he said ^^^^ The only guard I have on the ibex is a tank guard and that's because it doubles as a removable tow bar arrangement, the tank it's self is 3mm stainless so it doesn't need it. Mike

We need pictures or it didn't happen. Mike

I've also had the other end punch through to. Mike

All I'll say is read this. a perfect example of why you have a standard truck or standard parts on it for overlanding. Currently my ibex has just water in it and a temporary bolt in the inlet manifold......nuff said. Mike

I've had it twice I've also had the pin shear off to. Mike

This can happen to. Mike

I did notice straight away and was going to comment....until I realised I'm very late to the party. Mike

I would be very careful removing the bulkhead from a body already off a chassis as it will have very little structural integrity. Mike

It is for sale in the us Just to give this some perspective $475k doesn't buy you much more than a 60 foot yacht second hand and that will cost you another $20k in mooring fees and essential maintenance each year. Before you go anywhere and put fuel in it. Suddenly it doesn't look so bad . However it does still look like a grey fire engine . Mike

I was only making the point that you've already allowed for with your lowered bump stops.

No but they could split and move aside......just saying. Mike

Like anderzander says clear boundary's mine was change the chassis, C pillars and front section of the rear floor. In the quickest time possible I had all the parts ready to go and ignored anything that wasn't safety critical or I'd be stupid not to. As for bushes if you have a press go gen if not polybush or superpro don't buy cheap bushes! Mike

As retro quite rightly points out taking it apart will allow you to do it properly and fix any little niggles. I had two weeks to do ours as it's my wife's daily. The evenings of the first week I let everything go. Fridge came to help me with the lift and swap over a bank holiday weekend. By Sunday night the engine, axles were swapped and bolted down and the body was back on. The evenings of the second week I lined the body up and shimmed were required. Sorted wiring etc and got it running. Once it was all sat correctly I removed the rear second row floor replaced the C pillars and part of the sill. Then fitted a replacement under seat panel. I had limited time and a very limited budget, the bulkhead could do with replacing or quite a lot of welding now but left that at the time. I did mine in spring 2020 outside between full lock downs so there wasn't a lot else to do at the time. Mike

Yes I did lift the body off in one on my front garden. I did a chassis swap with the help of fridgefreezer over a long weekend then spent the following week welding up sills and C posts, plus all the bolts not done when we dumped the body back on the new chassis. I lifted it using and engine crane through the back door picking up on the rear seat belt mounts and two hi lifts either side of the bulkhead. Mike

On that occasion yes I was, I had plenty where I wasn't so lucky however I had bungs in the floor pan to assist drainage. Interestingly on several occasions I had water over the bonnet but due to the trough behind the bow wave I didn't get wet. The freestyle on the other hand got very wet and cold regularly, but I used to drive it wearing a one piece waterproof insulated bike suit and crash helmet. But it was lovely in this weather. Mike

Are you referring to this one: Or This one. Both were daily drivers (with a girlfriend living 30+ miles away) for several years and they were both my only car at the time. Mike

And valves. It doesn't need much water to hydraulic so there shouldn't be much in there. If you also turn it back the wrong way the valve is open befor tdc. A combination of all three cleared enough to get it to start which was all I needed. The push rods were fine. Mike

The wife is better at taking pictures than me. Mike

I quite like that, be interested to see one finished. Mike

I would dearly love to meet and spend some time with a fair few on here but unfortunately life always seems to get in the way. Mike