Paul90

Were they ok about the mods engine, axles, lift, etc ? I need to find a company that doesn't just put a zero on the end of the premium when you mention engine or chassis mods. Paul

I seem to remember they are 7/16 UNF. The same size as most seat belt mounting bolts if you have any of those kicking about. Loads on eBay if you need to buy some. It's a very common size. Paul

It's all about compromise. How high do want the vehicle to ride ? How much weight do you want to carry ? How much does a bit of body roll bother you on the road ? Etc, etc, etc. My 90 on the original springs was painfully hard at the back off road. And the front couldn't really cope with the weight of the winch and bumper and used to bottom out far too often. I don't think you can ever get it to "float" quite like a range rover, partly because the wheelbase is too short and 90's tend to "pitch" a bit and partly because the sprung to un-sprung ratios are different between a 90 and a RR. There's loads of information on here if you use the search. This site and Google provided all the info I needed. With all I found about different standard springs, free lengths, spring rates, etc I was able to work out the best set of compromises for me. Mine now rides about 1.5" higher than standard (with the rubberised spring seats that I used). The back is a little higher than the front. The ride on and off road (for me) is a lot, lot better. But you do need to invest some time. Work out the weight on each of the wheels. The ride height you want. The spring rates you want (harder or softer than stock and or similar vehicles you've tried). You'll almost certainly be able to find some standard springs to do the job and you can adjust the odd half inch with a small spacer. Make sure whatever shocks that you use compress to be smaller than the minimum gap when the axle is sitting on the bump stop. My son just bought a kit when he did his. Simple but not very good My springs are much, much longer than his but softer and off road it rides just how I wanted it to. Much better result but took a lot of thinking about and a bit of trial and error to fine tune the ride height. Good luck. Paul

I've just taken out cover with AutoAid. £38 for the year covers both me and the wife in any car, any age. Green Flag and many others don't like cars over 10 or 15 years old. AutoAid is different in that you have to pay for recovery and then claim it back. But do some searches on the internet and the reviews are good and they pay out quickly. You have the choice to call the emergency number and they will call out someone local. Or you can choose who to call out and claim it back. I've got a lot of cars and bikes and it covers them all for one payment. I travel all over the uk and one recovery home could come to more than some of my vehicles are worth. There's always the chance you could pay out and then have hassle claiming it back but as I said the reviews so far seem good. You need to be clear what you want though. Some people want "breakdown cover" to cover the cost of parts and labour - more like a warrantee. I don't want that, I'll fix it myself but might need someone to recover the vehicle several hundred miles to get it home to my workshop. Paul

I've had a few batteries fail over the years where they look healthy enough voltage wise with no load on them but the voltage collapses as soon as a load is applied. With 2 batteries connected in parallel if the first one fails in this way, then when trying to start the engine the second will try to supply all the current via whatever wire is connecting it. If it were me then I'd forget the current for the accessories, the worst case load is the starter motor on a cold morning. If you design it for that then nothing else will matter much. Paul

+1 on the Screwfix Nitrile gloves. Cheap enough to replace often and they work. Paul

Good point. I've replaced the bleed nipples with stainless ones (with a little copperslip too) on all my Landrovers. I also got a whole load of stainless brake nuts (male and female) off eBay. Never seen them again since. Makes changing hoses / removing calipers, etc a lot easier. I've also made some blanks (male and female) to "seal off" the braking system while working on it. Limits the fluid loss, mess and need to bleed the whole system afterwards. Paul

It's a simple job. Do you really want to risk it year after year ? If those rusty pipes do give out it will be when they are under pressure and the chances are you need the brakes to work at that moment.

+1 I wouldn't pay someone to fix my LR's though. I've owned the 90 that this ball joint is from for 20 years and nobody works on it but me Second time I've done it on this vehicle. The branded pattern part I've just taken out lasted longer than the original one fitted by the factory. Paul

I'd just like to say that I hate them That is all.

I've got one of those as well as the IR 2135 Has some grunt but is blooming heavy and big too. Paul

+1 for Ingersoll Rand Mine is a 2135TiMAX. Awesome piece of kit. I've also got a Sealey and a Clarke gun, they don't come anywhere close. Cheap yes. Good no. They just gather dust now, you can have the Clarke one for beer money if you are local ;-) The IR uses less air (don't know how?) is smaller, lighter and is far more powerful. RRP is stupid but I paid £130 brand new off eBay. Paul

Bump. So has nobody ever waggled the input shaft on an R380 box ? What are they normally like ?