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Or Iron Goat http://www.croytec.co.uk/products/IronGoat.htm Well pleased with mine. Malcolm

I was very hesitant when I started doing mine (300Tdi) but get the connectors and pins from Paul Mc, the wiring diagrams form the wibbly thread and then sit down and read the dash conversion paperwork. Trace your wires either by just seeing what colour is connected to what or use a meter, then it really is just a case of wiring the plugs and putting it together. It's very straightforward and extremely satisfying when you've finished. I think any problem you are likely to hit has already been found by someone else and a solution for it will be here as well. Go for it and ask away if you are unsure. Malcolm

Doesn't look like the metal dash cover has been cut, it looks like it's just the plastic finisher. Piece of plastic, either black or sprayed and then bent to the correct angle. You could fix it by drilling it and using the plastic rivets that just push through. I think they've been replaced by screws in your photo. Otherwise small black self tappers and you have a neat, easy access panel for when you need to get to the wiring (you wil!) Malcolm

You're welcome. I became familiar with the heater when I tried swapping mine for a Td5 one. Would have worked except for the fact that some of the lever arms had broken clips - you can't buy them. Welded them on then found the housing that holds the gasket to the bulkhead is different. You can take the whole box apart by drilling out the rivets and pop rivet it back together. Anyway ended up swapping the matrixes over hence found how it all goes together. Malcolm

Have you taken the bottom plates off? From your pictures it looks like you're trying to put the matrix in with the them still screwed to the case. The matrix slots in and and goes slightly through the case, the bottom plates then slot round the bit that comes through and clamp it to the base of the case. Malcolm

Imagine the embarrassment when you're cross axled on a speed hump in Tesco's car park! Malcolm

Thanks Western , that would be handy I'll PM you my address. Malcolm

Got mine running on the bench (my monitor has the lines) so ready to install but one question. What sort of bracket do you use to mount the camera to the body? It obviously needs to stand off the body so the camera can see past the spare wheel and need to fine tune the angle it points down. Cheers Malcolm

Same here on my 300Tdi 90, only the one from the battery - chassis - gearbox. Nothing at all in the engine compartment (apart from a 300Tdi engine of course!) No strap on engine mounts or starter. Malcolm

Did you ever get anywhere with this? I'm fed up with getting bashed when the door swings shut in a gust of wind. Malcolm

Well it works! I got a 1/4" ball from my local bike repair place (it's the biggest they had) rebuilt the jack and bingo. The seal under the ram that sits in the base of the jack has to be thin. I originally put a normal size o-ring there and whilst it seals nicely you have a problem fitting the cover. Because the cover seals on an o-ring at the top of the first stage ram any extra height at the base means the cover won't sit in the groove of the gasket in the base. Apart from that very straightforward. My original problem was I lost the ball bearing in the relief valve (but didn't know it), however I now know how a Land Rover bottle jack works. Malcolm

The bore that the ball bearing sits in is horizontal. Anything significantly smaller than that will surely just sit at the bottom and not seat into the recess, which is central at the end of the bore. I'm still hoping a kind person with one of these jacks will measure the one that's in theirs so I know what size I'm looking for. Malcolm

Tried Halfrauds but the only one's they have are for push bikes but come caged and look far too small. Still hoping someone will be able to tell me what size I actually need. Malcolm

Yep, oil been binned, garage swept at least twice since I changed the oil (kitchen fitter cleaned up after he'd made a mess!) I've been looking at sites that sell ball bearings and strangely some come "not attracted to magnets" You learn something every day. Malcolm

Eureka moment! Yesterday I couldn't work out why the pressure relief screw had a flat end when it had to seal the hole in the bottom of the well The end of the screw looks like this and then the penny dropped (sorry if you are post decimalisation) I think there should be a ball bearing in there! The indent on the screw looks like it, the seat in the well looks like it would seat nicely and it would mean that the screw sat a little further out in the housing - I wondered why I couldn't get the operating arm onto the tags properly. I took the screw out to empty the oil and reckon that's when the ball went awol, especially as I pressed the ram arm up an down, getting covered in oil at the same time. This also explains why it won't raise properly as some oil is escaping back to the reservoir, coupled with the manky seal at the bottom of the ram. Only thing is I could do with some help now. There's NO chance of me finding the ball so could some kind soul a) confirm there is a ball under the screw (you just have to completely unscrew the pin, carefully as you'll get wet and lose it) b) what size it is so I can get a replacement. Thanks Malcolm

The cover is held on by the collar in picture 4. It screws onto the top of the bottom ram. Sounds like you have a problem with the ball bearing valves, maybe the big one isn't seating - hark at me , I sound like an expert now and all I've done is take it apart! Malcolm

Ok here we go. This is the jack we're talking about. I started by taking the operating arm off. It's held on by an e clip and has a spring washer inside. You can then pull the piston out. Next I took the cylinder the piston runs in off. It was tight but a 22m socket on my windy gun soon sorted that. Next was the collar on the top, ideally I wanted to take the saddle off the ram but i don't have a round allen key!!! When you pull up the 2 rams this allows the cover, which to my surprise is plastic, to lift out of the seal at the bottom. I then unscrewed the ram from the base by putting it in a soft jawed vice and turning the base. This revealed what was left of an o ring that seals it. This leaves the base which has some drillings plus the valve block on the side. The valve block seems to work by 2 captive ball bearings, the larger one lets oil under pressure from the piston through a drilling into the base of the 2 rams. It seals off when the pressure on the ram side is more than the piston side. The smaller one lets oil in from the reservoir (the base plus cover) via the hole at 3 0-clock but shuts off when pressure applied by the piston. The relief valve that you use to let the jack down seals a hole under the base of the ram and when released lets oil back via the drilling at 6 0-clock into the reservoir. You can see the 2 holes in the bottom of the ram seat for in/out here I expected the relief pin to be tapered but it 's flat on the end. I have a new o ring for the base of the ram and having blown through all the drillings will fit it, fill it and see what happens. At least I can see that it isn't complicated just a question of pushing fluid in and out and sealing pathways off as appropriate. Malcolm

Funny you should say that - mine's now in pieces. As usual a couple of stubborn bits but down to it's main constituents. Wanna see some pictures and how I think it works? Malcolm

On the point of giving up Tried unscrewing the fitting on the right but that won't undo, took the piston thing out and you can see there's non return balls at the bottom. Tried working the ram in and out still nothing when I pump it. As the level bung is so tight, I presume it holds pressure somehow -well there's pressure there if i put my finger over it when I work the ram. How can something so straightforward be so bl**dy difficult to get working. Covered in jack oil, totally frustrated when all I did was change the oil. Malcolm Beginning to think a seal has gone as I can pull and push the ram whether the bleed screw is open or shut. Anyone taken one apart?

That's the next (messy) step. It's a standard 2 ton Land Rover Bottle jack made by Coram in Italy. Like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170945545847?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 Malcolm

Can't get it up at all at the moment! Pumping the handle has no resistance and absolutely no effect on the central bit. As it worked before I changed the oil I'm confident that the mechanism is fine. I'm beginning to think there's air in the actuating mechanism and I need to get that out. There's a large hexagon on the piston(?)housing that's calling me to turn to see if it will release air. Once it moves I'll do as Tanuki suggests to get it back to normal. Malcolm

I recently bought a bottle jack for my Defender and when it arrived it worked fine but was a bit scabby so I cleaned it up and changed the oil. Now it won't pump up! The mechanism works fine so I'm guessing it's air in it but how do you bleed it? Malcolm

Love the fact that it's so small and would not be instantly noticeable. Now all I need is a screen to match it to. Can you get them separately? Malcolm

I though mine would be fine after only a couple of years. Drained it out by taking bottom hose off and it all seemed fairly clean. Then I thought "what the heck" and stuffed a hose pipe in - well what came out was a surprise and it took a good 10 mins to get all the crud out. Where did it come from? New rad and water pump 2 years ago with new antifreeze but still there's muck in there. Take the bottom hose off, have a stream of antifreeze up your sleeve, and then flush it - you'll only worry otherwise. See, you already are by asking here. Malcolm

I've just bought a second hand rear safari door to replace my pretty grotty one. The skin is good and the basic frame inside is a million percent better than my present one which gives a shower of rust every time it's opened. The only really bad bit is the housing for the door handle (plus the inevitable crack where the wiper motor shaft goes through). This seems to be a pressing that's rivetted on from the outside and tack welded on the inside. I can't find any mention of it on microcat and YRM don't list it. Does anyone know where I can get one? Ta muchly Malcolm