Chicken Drumstick

That would make the gearing very tall in a P5. Unless it is rocking 250-300bhp+ I'd have thought with such gearing it would be a slug and lethargic to say the least. Probably best to see what ratios where offered with the automatic Rover cars, they are likely to be tallest factory options. I know on my TR7 (different axle) there was a 2.84:1 for those that like acceleration recorded on a calendar. 😂

Recalls don't go out of date, get it checked at your local dealer. Although expect them to drag their heels and not be all that interested.

I think it really doesn't matter does it? That said, plenty of cars have been registered much later than their build dates, so not really all that unusual or uncommon.

I'll be honest I'm not 100% sure on what you are meaning exactly. I've read it 3 times and still a little lost.... This is the guidance from the .gov site: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/radically-altered-vehicles https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/rebuilt-vehicles Note there are two sets of regs and nothing to say which applies. The entire process is a self declaration one. In the case of a ladder chassis vehicle like the Ninety. Things such as bodywork, doors, dash, bulkhead, handbrake are not deemed part of the vehicle and you can remove/exchange these at will. You can't build two cars out of one, but only in terms of the chassis. Bodywork from one can go on another. Blatantly rebadging/number one vehicle as another would not be in the spirit of the regulations. i.e. you'd end up with two vehicles wearing the same VIN and registration.

With the value of Defenders I don't think I'd be in the mind to scrap anything tbh... 😲

This is one that will split opinion. Personally I find Land Rovers and most 4x4's very enjoyable to drive. But not everyone will. However, you do need to enjoy them for different reasons. I'd paraphrase it a bit like a pint of beer and a pint of chocolate milkshake. I really enjoy both because they appeal in different ways.

ALRC clubs run lots of RTV and Tyro trials. Most clubs have some sort of social scene too, but it does depend a bit. Green laning is another option. There are a host of shows through out the year and summer that you can attend (although some are a rather dominated by the One Live Live It owners, which might not be the scene you are after). That said, the Land Rover maybe isn't the best on road and meet up type of car if you don't plan to off road. I personally like driving them on road. But they are neither sporty nor fast. So driving out to a pub meet is less likely than with other marques.

Wonder what an L320 would look like on the white steelies?

I think people just like to see photos tbh. If you did 2500 miles across Europe I’m sure you must have some good shots. Glad you are enjoying your new vehicle.

Thanks, so since fitting this alternator the alternator dash light comes on and stays on with the engine running. Change in revs is making no difference. Assume the consensus is a new alternator required?

What sort of voltage should I see on the different terminals on the alternator? 200Tdi. There are 3 terminals. Big brown wire (B+) I'm seeing battery voltage, circa 12.5v either with the engine running or without. The white wire is I think the W terminal for rev counter, I don't have a rev counter, but it is wired into the loom. I'm seeing no voltage here running or not. Small brown and yellow wire. Is this the exciter wire? Again seeing no voltage here engine running or not. Engine starts and runs, but I'm not seeing any charge voltage at the battery. I'm guessing it is a fault with the alternator, but wanted to check as the original alternator seems to have failed and caused a short so that with the engine running I was reading 7-8 volts at the battery, but normal voltage when not running. Have swapped on this spare alternator that came of a running vehicle. Not seeing the weird low voltage now, but also still no charging and trying to narrow down on if I should buy a new alternator or mess with the wiring further. Thanks.

For what its worth. I'd want to keep the 4 speed gearbox. The shift action is arguably much nicer and more enjoyable than the 5 speed boxes and there is just something about a 4 speeder that fits with a Series.

So it has disappeared then. You can't buy one or a model from the market space that model used to occupy. Selling another product using the same bits is not really the same thing. A Disco1 was mostly Range Rover...

It is more upmarket. The Freelander was an entry point into the brand and attainable for lots of people. Not sure on pricing but they must have been about the cheapest way into the brand bar maybe a base model pickup. The DS might still be the entry point but it is probably double the price of a new Vitara or other small crossover/suv. The Freelander was introduced to combat the affordable Japanese AWD’s such as these: https://cars.suzuki.co.uk/new-cars/vitara/?CampaignCode=&source=ppc&gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyq_u8Ii1gAMVjsPtCh2aRA0FEAAYASABEgIZB_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Maybe I’m just out of touch with prices. But £45,000-50,000 for an entry level DS does seem somewhat pricey. Certainly beyond the means for many. So I’d say yes. The Freelander line currently does not exist. Not in practice or in name.

Not sure what sort of money the Freelander was at lunch, but I'd presume it was pitched at a lower market than the current DS. Just having a quick look at the LR website, they used to show price from next to each model in the main vehicles menu on the top left. Now no prices are shown. Going to Build you Own it shows the cheapest Discovery Sport as £51,600..... ouch!

What Freelander line? Sadly JLR seem to have abandoned that one. Which is odd, as you'd think they would want some presence in that segment. Clearly they only want richer folks as customers these days though.

Very good review. Lots of unbiased info and detail.

Feel free to Message me direct if you prefer. 👍

What did it fail on? Could be interested.

It goes very well overall. Running near stockish tyres, 255/70R16 if I recall correctly, although they are an MT. Engine runs great, it is a Thor engine. Had it on a dyno a couple of years back and it was making all of its factory rating. But like all 4 speed auto's it has quite tall gearing. I think 1st gear is nearly 50mph at the red line and over motorway speeds in 2nd. So there are times when it will end up fairly lowish in the revs, but too high to kick down. It is only a minor thing, but noticeable. Another 100hp would likely mask it mostly. But I suspect it is cheaper to look at the gearing. The V8 does its best work at higher rpm, I think it makes Peak power at the red line. Not saying it lacks low end grunt, but in order to use its full potential when you go to wide open throttle, using the right part of the rev range makes a big difference.

I like my 4.6 p38, but with the auto and stock gearing it feels a little stretched. The engine does its best work at 3500rpm onwards. Stock gearing gives you a bit of a ratio gap between some gears where you end up fairly low in the rev range, but it is going to quick to want to kick down. I feel some shorter gearing would massively 'wake it up'. Albeit at the sacrifice of cruising rpm. There doesn't seem to be any options I can find on the transfer box high ratio gearing. So I think the diffs are the only real practical option. Ashcroft Transmissions offers replacement diffs, but they work out about £1000 a diff with no extra's, just changing ratios. That is a little more spendy than I can really justify. So was wondering if there are other options? I see Ashcroft sell the crown wheel & pinion for £195 + VAT: https://ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk/product/4-10-r-p-for-the-p38-type-diff/ Still quite a chuck of money, but less than a 1/4 of the price of going for fully rebuilt diffs. Are these easy to swap in for a home mechanic with basic tools? Would I need to worry about setting backlash or anything or is it just a case of unbolt, swap in new bits and bolt back together?

Hi, needing a new starter motor for a 1989 Diesel Turbo. Anyone know if a 200Tdi starter will fit? Paddocks list a Tdi starter for £90. But for the TD they only have listed as a smaller unit for £180. Although this smaller one also claims to fit the 200Tdi. eBay doesn’t show up any more budget prices starters either for the 19J. Thanks.

If you have been running a 1.6:1 transfer box. Changing it will make it feel a lot less peppy. I suspect a 1.2 would make you think you have major engine issues. Honestly it is a tough one to call though. We have a factory V8 90 with the 1.192:1 transfer box and LT-85. It now has a 3.9 Efi. It goes well, but does feel over geared. Quite relaxing and pulls from nothing. But isn’t anywhere near the fun you’d think it should be. On the other end of the scale. I have a Triumph TR7 V8. I used to run the factory V8 axle of 3.08:1. It went well and I clocked it at 144mph. Which is plenty quick for a 1970’s sports car. I broke the axle though and swapped on a 3.90:1 axle. What a riot it resulted in. Felt like I’d gained 50-70hp. But totally useless for cruising. I think on this basis I’d be tempted to look at an over drive unit and retain the 1.6 transfer box. They are rather spendy sadly. But at least would give you better cruising ability while retaining the peppy performance. Ashcroft Transmissions should also be able to offer to a taller 5th gear too which might help even more. If you really want to go new transfer box. My vote would be 1.4 As for the ATB. Really depends what you plan to do. I suspect you can probably spin a wheel quite well with the V8 and short gearing. The ATB may help here. Although axle diff ATBs probably more so. You might also find off road you won’t need to lock the centre diff. The p38 or RRC used the Borg Warner transfer box with has a viscous LSD and doesn’t fully lock. I’d expect the ATB to work similar, but have not tried one. On sand and the like if you are going in dunes the ATB would again save you needing to lock the diff. But ultimately unless you have a specific use case I’d expect only limited benefits. You really need to be sliding the vehicle or wheel spin or on a loose slippery surface. Cars like the Celia GT-Four or Impreza Turbo benefit from a lsd centre diff. The Jaguar X-Type had one in early years, but they dropped it for an open diff later on. On road you’d not really know unless drifting or driving in snow. But of course in a Land Rover you can always lock the diff if it is slippery out.

Have seen 2 x Grenadiers in 2 days. Hadn't seen any before this on the road. A blue one on Friday on the A428 near Cambridge coming towards us and then one this morning on a local road in green, also coming towards me. From the fleeting glances of it I thought it looked great. Easily identifiable as not a Defender, but clearly a good road presence too.

I'd guess there could be several reasons. Drive by noise regs maybe being one of them. Plus to stop water/mud splashing out over the top of the wings as happens on a Defender off road sometimes.