Chicken Drumstick

Jeremy this is all fine and good. Although I’m not completely convinced an insurance company can legally back track as you say. But where are you getting “vehicle” 2007 from? Do you have any other links. As the one above doesn’t not say vehicle year. Thanks 🙂

Lol not sure if you missed it. I’ve already quoted that content above, it is the very content I’m questioning….. It clearly says nothing about vehicle year of manufacture and only mentions the selling of bull bars from 2007. Not the fitting, buying or use of. 🙂

I get that. But as said, that doesn’t say anything about vehicles or fitting from 2007. All it says is bull bars being sold from 2007…. So I’m genuinely curious. Is there other info specifically stating vehicles manufactured/sold post 2007 can’t have them fitted. Or is it a case of people slightly misreading the above? If the former, then I’d love a reference letter link to bookmark. 🙂

How/where are you are getting the pre 2007 thing? Not disputing, but as I posted above. The .gov link doesn't say anything about year of the vehicle. Thanks.

I don't know the specific regulations or law. The link on the .gov site, is like so many things .gov very very vague. Reading it literally it clearly says "It is not illegal for vehicles to be fitted with bull bars" with no mention of restrictions, only a preference that they'd rather you didn't. The next paragraph would also seem clear stating "There are no plans for legislation to require bull bars that are already fitted to be removed", no dates are referenced here. The next sentence does say this "However, since 25 May 2007, it has been an offence for bull bars that have not been approved as compliant with those safety standards to be sold. " but it is clearly not mentioning anything to do with year of manufacture, just a 'year' this somehow became an offence. It doesn't even state 2007 has any relevance to a vehicle, but implies it is more to the bar or just a period in time. It also doesn't qualify what 'sold' means in this context. Is it sold aftermarket or only as a car manufacture official accessory (i.e. dealer fit)? I say this, as clearly bull bars are not licensed items like a firearm. You should be able to buy them for off road only vehicles without the need for them to meet certain standards or be e-marked, such as for a quad/UTV or other non road use vehicle. Therefore I suspect there is far more behind the simple statement. To further this, if it as simple as they are illegal to sell unless e-marked, then how come there are so many companies in the UK either importing or manufacturing bullbars for vehicles in the UK, including vehicles that were built and sold after 2007. If the statement of they are illegal to sell is true, you'd think it would be a simple open and closed case, shutting down imports and sale of such items. You'd also suspect if true, then insurance companies would be unwilling to list them as items and print documentation to show they took a fee to say you are insured with said item. Having said all the above, what it does clearly say is, the offence is in the 'selling', not the buying, fitting or use of. Although clearly this would also seem to suggest selling of 2nd hand bullbars since 2007 has also been an offence. So again, as per my comment above. I suspect there is more going on here. And you'd either need case law as a precedent, or a more fully detailed reference to the specific regulation(s) in question. I will also freely admit, I have no idea on what the legal definition is of a 'bull bar' and how it would differ from a winch bumper or heavy duty bumper.

If you notified the insurer, then I can’t see how they’d be able to deem you uninsured if they agreed to it?

Don’t know if they do anything in your size. But I have got on well with Maxxis tyres in the past. I know you said you don’t like remoulds. But have also run many with no issue. I think Fedima might do a BFG AT style in a size that would suit.

I think these suit nice tidy shiny Defender's, usually later model ones with metallic paint. They look somewhat out of place on older models with solid paint and steel wheels. But agree, as it is visual. It is all down to personal preference My only reservation would be if you green lane or off road. I suspect it would be very easy to crack or chip these panels doing these activities if you caught a tree/branch/rock etc. Certainly have seen scuffed and dented upper panels on vehicles before.

If you wanted to add an extra spring, it is easy. There should be some threaded holes infront of the injector pump on the timing case. Drill a small hole in a flat washer and bolt it on, drill a small hole in the lever on the pump and add a spring.

Quick look through and I can only find this that would seem to apply, which I believe a standard Tdi injector pump throttle close spring would be sufficient for.

Thanks. I'll have to have a closer look, but if it is in section R that looks to be Rallying, so wouldn't probably apply for off road. It would need to be in section P for Cross Country.

Do you have a link to the specific MSUK reg?

What rules are you running too? In most cases a standard tdi should be fine. The rule was introduced for rod operated throttles on carbs. Where the linage could fail leaving the throttle open. This isn’t the case with a tdi. As it has a big spring on the injector pump.

Surely part of the success of a new marque is going to be interest in the model and sales? I can’t see how them keeping quiet for 2-3 years then trying to launch a finalised product nobody has seen or heard of before, would yield any sales success at all. They’d likely sell practically none. At least this way they are engaging and drumming up interest, which will lead to deposits and eventually sales. Taking deposits is pretty sound, as it gives the organisation real figures to work with, based on interest in the model. It is also likely to be sound rational on a financial level to ensure backers and partners can see something is likely to come of the investments. This approach is also giving them feedback loops on what people are liking or not liking during the development phase. Persoanlly I think what they are doing is brilliant. And not so massively different to how Ford drummed up publicity over the past 12-18 months for the Bronco. I’d much rather them be actively engaged with the potential buying public and trying to offer what people want. The alternative of hiding away and keeping quiet for years with no publicity would just seem to be making things very difficult for yourself as a company.

Expensive things seem to sell in the UK. Jeep almost doubled the price of a Wrangler and they sell way more now than ever over here and in the EU. Ford also slapped a £10k markup on the Mustang (approx 33% price rise) and they are selling better than ever now. Did they (Ineos) ever proclaim they wanted an affordable (I assume you are meaning cheap) Defender replacement? Or just a replacement with similar ethos and ability? And I guess one could argue, if LR are selling lots of the new Defender. Then that price range must be "affordable" to the people wanting to buy. As for complicated, I don't see how the Ford is less complicated? I suspect it is more so. But at the end of the day, this is true for All production cars in the Western World. Even kit cars.... So I think Ineos seem to have been pretty faithful for most aspects of this. It is as simple as it can be for a new build that is intending to be in production longer than a year or two. They are also offering a petrol engine.

Have they really broken promises? Surely they are still a company looking at being in 'business', which also involves the need to be profitable. Prices might not be what we wanted, but as I've been saying all along, if you look at a well specced Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux you are not so far away money wise. And arguably the Ineos looks to be better performing and higher spec than these offerings.

Good to hear the positive feedback. And thanks for contacting David. I see he has emailed me back also.

Yes I too think this is a shame. At least for folk like me who like to look stuff up in advance.

Does anyone know if the front panhard rod on a D2 is the same as the ones used on a p38? Also I see D2 panhard rods listed for different chassis numbers. Did they change during production? Thanks.

Thanks for the replies. @miketomcat I'll have to shoot you a PM at some point. In terms of donar vehicles. We have an MoT failed Td5 Discovery 2 on the farm which I guess would offer some good bits. Although maybe not as keen on the rear suspension setup. I can't remember, but is the Disco 2 gearbox/ bell housing the same as a Defender? Not sure if it would cause any issues.

Looking for some info on Ibex's. I've read @miketomcat build thread. And it is most interesting, although leaves me with a few more Q's. miketomcat's build looked to involve a lot of bespoke fab work. Probably more than I'd want to take on. Are all Ibex builds like this? Or can you buy most of the bits you'd need and just bolt on as per a factory build one? Thinking interior trim and the like such as wipers and things. I also have other questions around gearbox/transmission and axel fitment. And how much fab work is required here. Bit of background.... I'm not a complete novice. My brother & I have just fully rebuilt his 90 with a new chassis and replacement engine. I've also built an 88 coiler, rebuilt a Series III and done quite a few engine swaps in my time. Including Tdi conversions and putting a V8 in a TR7. But I'm much more of an assembly kind of mechanic rather than a fabricator. The Ibex website sadly seems to have very few pics and not much info. It all seems generic that pretty much anything is possible. I have contacted them and have the price list. But I'm finding it doesn't tell me a huge amount, mostly around the stuff I'd still need to source and if they can supply any of it or not. I have sent some q's back to them, but no response as of yet. Currently thinking I'd like the F8 240 Open Top, although they have said they have never built one of these and don't have any photos. I did forget to ask if they offer any kind of soft top/canvas for open top vehicles.

couple of locks that seem to have good reputations https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164488838235 https://www.lockshopdirect.co.uk/products/walsall-locks-w2000-5-lever-high-security-padlock-kd-boxed-54112/?StockCode=L12129&gclid=CjwKCAjwj8eJBhA5EiwAg3z0m9_7DYcDGBi-OlrVX760oEUgV-EObwvl425wWcb4lFFXyC_ahP6-4hoCwaIQAvD_BwE Not the most pick resistant, but the Abus disc padlocks also work quite well too.

What sort of cost per padlock do you want to spend? And what risks are your priority to protect against? eg some offer good protection from being cut into. But might be opened easily another way. Some are also laughably easy to pick open or bypass the locking mechanism. But as there are few lock pickers about. This might not worry you much. I can certainly recommend a few different ones though.