ejparrott

If you hadn't already come to an agreement, I'd have said upgrade to a Salisbury

I fitted LED lights on my 6x4 some time ago, seemed I was having to change bulbs or rewire it every time I (rarely) used it before...now it works every time. My SIII doesn't have a telltale light though, I fitted a warning beeper in the rear light cluster.....then wrapped it in a rag it was so loud! This never seemed to worry about the difference between the filament bulbs and the LED's. Been a long time now and I don't remember where stuff came from...the beeper was probably eBay, the light's most likely from Trailers and Towing, also eBay....use eBay a lot as I get cashback

I found it remarkably difficult to find pictures of Stage 1 V8 chassis on the internet, however a helpful chap on the Series farcebook group sent me this picture of his. You can see the 2 exhausts of the V8 running through. The outrigger sort of middle to top right of photo, that it the bulkhead outrigger, underneath it you can see the flywheel cross member which is bolted in. On the chassis rail at the left of the photo you can see 3 bolt heads, these are the gearbox mounts which are Defender/disco style and there is no cross member there. My 109 has 200TDi/LT77/LT230 and I didn't swap to the boingy gearbox mounts, I maintained the removable gearbox cross member of my military/1-ton chassis, and the Series 3 flywheel cross member. The Series 3 flywheel cross member causes problems with a TDi in the standard place as the wading plug and timing hole end up directly above the cross member. By having the V8 cross member instead, which I've ordered for the new chassis for my 88, this is further back and will keep clear of the hole. Furthermore if for some reason I ever decide to put a 2286 and original 4-speed transmission back in, the Stage 1 cross member will still not interfere with the original style engine or gearbox. Additionally being bolt in I can modify and build new as many times as I want without affecting the galv of the chassis! All that being said, I don't know what effect moving your engine forward 4" will have to the whole thing anyway. I've just been and measured mine which is LT77 not R380, but if that was moved forward 4" then the gearbox drain and filter would be right over the cross member, not a lot of use for doing oil changes. That alone convinces me moving the engine forward is more trouble than it's worth, for an LT77, I don't know where the drain is on an R380. Going out and measuring for you, I've just realised the Stage 1 cross member will give me a further benefit by being in just the right place to give me a mounting point for my LT230 conversion to use the red and yellow levers for HiLo and Difflock, definnitly a productive morning.

I don't think it's particularly good or bad either way. Personally I think it's just more difficult to achieve than a stage 1 type, what with all the effort of drilling the chassis in the right places an welding in crush tubes

Sounds like you're copying the boingy gearbox cross member. The Stage 1 V8 bolts in under the chassis exactly as the military gearbox cross member does. There's a picture here : http://www.defendersource.com/forum/f8/lhd-1982-109-3-5v8-low-mileage-34414.html of the stage 1 V8 cross member. It's mounted inline with the bulkhead outrigger using ears welded to them and under the chassis

I think there's some confusion. To the best of my knowledge the military only had the bolt in GEARBOX cross member, that's certainly what my mil/1-ton chassis has. The Stage 1 V8 had a bolt in FLYWHEEL cross member., but no GEARBOX cross member. The Stage 1 gearbox appears to be mounted the same as boingys.

If I were you, get a Stage 1 V8 cross member for under the flywheel. It's a touch further back - inline with the bulkhead outriggers - and is also bolt in. I've just ordered one for my 88" chassis

Get the 88 rebuilt on the new chassis I ordered last week Get the disco second row seats installed in The 109 and re visit the mounting of the front seats ...be surprised if either get done tbh!

I got fed up up with lift pumps only lasting about 14 months, so did away with altogether and fitted one of these in my 200TDi Series 3 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151686761797?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Stage 1 V8 also has a removable flywheel housing crossmember, so that could easily be replaced if damaged

If you are on Facebook you can look up the Buzzweld group and Craig Jones and all is there to see, there is also a website but I've not looked at it. Testing is as basic as it gets....a range of kwality coatings have been applied as directed by the manufacturers/old wives tales and left out to weather. Dates are noted, and signs of rust formation are noted alongside. Grease and oil failed within the first week, a bunch of other coatings failed to do what the manufacturers stated, but interestingly Screwfix own trade red oxide primer was one of the best performers.

Check out Buzzweld. He's been running samples of age old tricks for rust prevention. Grease lasted about 24 hours, oil failed within a week.

Headlights on a relay reduce the load through the switch, and reduce the volt drop through the longer loom

While you've got it all in bits, run a replacement wiring loom. They get old, and tired, and don't like to work. At 40 years old my 109 is giving me a lot of grief right now

As I said a long time ago, leave that to Lego, their legal bods will know how to deal with it.

I read through the latest LRM last night while my machine was running on a long slow job......well I say read....used it in the loosest of terms..... too full of ads, too full of same old overlanding trips I'm just not interested in. Really did think last night I'll not bother renewing the subscription. The technical section felt really small, and was of no interest to me

Get in! Fingers crossed it goes through!

I'll give you a nice simple easy one - buy a bloody spell checker and get a proof reader!!!!

When I got my 109 she was always going to be the 'family' car, having the extra seats, so we could semi-retire our 88, which we try to keep externally original and in good nick. My 109 was however going to be a very well sorted truck, engineered to do pretty much anything, rather than just buying a load of bling and throwing it on, capable of taking on pretty much anything I could throw at it, yet still a leafer - I won't have a coiler. Nowaday's though, she's more likely to be a road car again. I'll fit some HD cills, she'll probably still have a winch because I can use that for other stuff I do anyway, but I doub't I'll both with a cage now, or a rear winch, or most of the other things I was going to do.

Have to admit I've been turned off the scene for pretty much the same reasons. I stopped P&P a few years ago, mostly due to idiots with £300 wrecks that shoudn't have been out and about, and in some cases drinking and smoking. It was getting to the point where it was wrecks or riches, and it's made me wonder about my own project 109. I had intended for it to be a well catered for but not a money no object offroader. Now I'm less inclined to go offroading and more inclined to go laning, and I'll maybe just build it as a sorted road car now.

So close!! There has to be another thousand people out there...I want one!!!!!!!!!

Always worth asking, last got cost me about 50p each

Use Buzzweld CIO instead

I just go to local engine rebuilder and he supplies them from his huge stock of various sizes. You must have someone localish

I always use the original type to suit gearbox, so my 88 has a full Series 3 clutch, my 109 has a Defender clutch, did a friends S2 and used a full S2 clutch on that. Never have mixed and matched