Unsworth

Hi all.. I am wanting to remove the top dash panel on my 1988 90 as mine is cracked and split and I have a replacement without any splits or cracks. Is it simple as removing some screws and pulling it out?.. All tips and advice welcome.. Many thanks.. Matt

I recently got my own trade card and find it a useful tool to own!.. And every single one of my mates wo like to tinker with cars are begging for me to go to halfords with them I have only bought one thing on the trade card as I have only had it one week, And it was a socket organiser set which was supposed to be £12.99 but with the trade card it dropped too £10.29 which is a decent saving. To get my card it couldnt have been any easier than walking into the store.. Theres a few ways around the system .. I was also told by the lad there that I should ring up halfords, tell them I am a trade customer before hand and tell them what I want and they will give me a trade quote.. As said it just goes to show how much of a rip off halfords can be if they can sell things with up to 80% off! I have also noticed that the 150 piece socket set is infact £70 more than the 120 piece!.. Also the newer style of 150 piece socket set has fewer items but they make the number up with screw driver bits!

Hi all, I would like to fit alloys to my 1988 90 aswell and wherever I asked if It could be done, No one could give me a clear enough answer. So that guide Western has posted has cleared a lot of things up! I have seen a few 90's with 300TDI freestyle alloys fitted, Yet I have never seen any TD5 Defender "Boost" alloys fitted?. Can these be made to fit using the method in Westerns post above?. Many thanks..

Hi all, Thanks for the replies.. Also apologies for the late reply, I love those Rover leather seats but I cannot see them being very easy to obtain! Are they the kind from the little sporty and usually pearlecent blue/purple "Tomcat" 1.8 turbo rovers? But I do like the look of those white/grey ones and the Ripspeed ones above, Respecting that they are cheep seats and wont be as comfortable as Cobra bucket seats (Which are usually four times the price!) I am not really bothered about comfort, afterall I have to drive with the window down everywhere and my heater doesnt work yet its my daily drive and has been for nearly a year now I think for now I will try to fit a decent set of Vinyl Defender seats (Replacing my filthy County cloth items which will go in my 2a) As at the moment I am using the Defender as my daily drive for college where I am a trainee mechanic so I am always filthy on the drive home! So I need something which wipes down easily and it would be a shame to ruin a nice set of seats. Then when I finally buy a ratty defender for daily use I will purchase some nice seats for my current 90 (This way they wont get spoilt) Many thanks.. Matt

Thats another option.. But its finding cars with seats which are not as "deep" as it makes getting in harder.. And generally the donar car is a write off with low milage it will be a tired old car with high milage and an interior to suit. The advantage with Buckets over seats is that instead of a sub frame on the buckets.. I can simply bolt a sheet of 5mm chequer plate to the base which can then be bolted to the seat box (Looses an extra inch or two by loosing the seat rails) I am in no rush to fit any at the moment so will have a look around however them rover seats in yours look fantastic! are they leather?.. Also which rover did they come from?

Thanks.. Yeah I agree with you there, But im hoping soon to have another 90 (Bog standard) for work, college and as a daily drive (Due to not wanting my pride and joy 90 to get stolen when parked up when im at work or college) If I get the pennies for another 90 it will mean my current 90 will not be used as much as it is now (Possibly a few times a week and mainly in the summer holidays when I am not at college) But I would like to get the cheeper option for now then if they start to wear out I can always buy some better seats but use my old and worn out ones in a future offroader? Other problem with buckets is that I wouldnt be able to get to my battery!.. So would need to design a method of taking the seat out easily yet it still be safe! or might even locate the batteries in the load bed as I plan to fit an extra battery or two with a split charge system.

Hi all.. For some time now I have wanted to fit some semi Bucket seats in my Defender/90.. I would like to fit this style ..they seem easier to live with day to day than the proper racing bucket seats plus I am of a bigger stature side ways than that of the average male .. I will be going for the cheepest bucket seats that the likes of Makro used to sell for £70-80 a pair My worry with fitting these is that I might loose the ability of keeping my paddocks land rover cubby box? Legroom from the seat to the bottom of the steering wheel doesnt matter as I have a 13inch mountney steering wheel. Has anyone got bucket seats in their Defenders or photos of bucket seats in Defenders?.. And more importantly does anyone know whether I can buy this style of bucket seat and still keep my cubby box?

As above really.. When fitting a 200tdi into my 1988 90 I had to chop the side mounting lugs off, Then I had to drop the front x-member locating brackets 28mm. Also to add I retained the original top radiator brackets from the 2.5td rad buy chopping the old top locating studs off, then marking where the new ones wanted to be, Removing the top radiator plate and drilled these holes out then put a nut and bolt through the freshly drilled hole leaving the rest of the bolts thread sticking out, My old brackets then located onto these, I then used some nyloc nuts and washers on top of the thread sticking through the brackets.. Looks a neat and tidy job (Hard to explain though)

I have wanted a proper impact wrench for quite some time now. I have a compressor but its not really that capable of powering my air impact wrench. I would love a decent Battery operated impact wrench but these are expensive for a decent one!.. I was browsing through a Machine Mart catulogue and found this 1000w 230-40v corded impact wrench.. http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-cew1000-electric-impact-wrench This would be perfect for me as I only want it to swap wheels primarily and possibly stripping down older land rovers. Its got another plus side, Which is with it being 230v, I dont need to keep charging a battery up and most of my work is done inside my garage anyway. And for under £60 its a bargain as the cheepest battery operated ones start from £80-100 which I have seen. Any views on this tool though as people say that Clarke Powertools are not exactly up to the best standards. But at £60 It would soon pay its self off and im sure you get a 12 month warrenty on goods these days?

Whilst we are on the subject.. Can you drive with the rear prop removed safely?.. I guess it will probably have some horrible side effects handling wise?..

Hi all.. Not been on here a while as I have been busy enjoying my Defender now its painted up and running.. But now I have a problem with it, Which might be a slight problem but its making me worry!.. Over the last few days when doing 30mph you can feel the whole truck shake about (Like having a nackered UJ on a prop) and the more you accelerate the harsher the vibrations gets. I have checked all the UJ's and greased any nipples I found. Also checked all the prop bolts were tight! And yet it still carries on. The specifications of the truck are : 265-65-16 Bronco Dirt Devil tyres (But these are fine and it has run fine with them fitted for a month). HD Lift kit (Again had this for a year with no issues). Has anyone got any ideas as to what it might be?.. As long as the gearbox or front axel is fine im happy.. As the rear axle is coming off to be replaced with a disco item soon. I have also been told it may be the gearbox mounting rubbers?. Many thanks.. Matt

AGREED!.. I ran on some 7.50 SAG's for a week (My Avon rangemasters were punctured).. And after coming off a huge roundabout at 25mph (Same as I did everyday on Avon rangemaster 7.50s and Pirelli Scorpion MT's).. They rolled so bad that I ended up coming off my exit on the oposite side of the road and couldnt control it!.. And it was in the dry and they were the correct pressures! They are trueley awful tyres on the road.. Albeit I was driving a 90 with them fitted and the 7.50 Avons which I compared them too are radials. If its on a weekend/Show motor which you dont plan to drive around daily then they will be fine.. But if they are for the road and you plan to do some serious miles.. Dont bother!.. I reccomend AVON Rangemasters.. Brilliant all round tyres! Plus AVON's are Radials so give better road handling.

I doubt it will be different.. The lad selling it promises it will fit straight on or I can have my money back.. He bought it to go on his mates but his mates lost interest in land rovers. But I prefer to get some second opinions. Can you describe what you mean by Diff flange?. Im guessing you mean the part which the prop shaft is bolted to using 4 x 9/16th bolts?. Thanks..

Some mixxed views then?. I reckon my Disc's could do with replacing.. (Im not one who likes to wait for something to fail) plus I got an Advisorary on my Discs being pitted. I assume the tester ment on the rim where the pads dont touch?. But for the extra £10 per pair it seems worth it.. Even if its just to brag about having Vented, Slotted and Drilled Discs? Letalone having that possible extra stopping power if you need it!. Plus I am trying to squeeze even more power from my engine over time (200TDI) So I guess It would be wise to have the brakes to suit?.

Hi all.. I have my name on a Discovery rear axle (Wish to replace with mine as I want discs all round) It comes with new pads and is even painted ready to fit with all the lines for £50 (BARGAIN).. How easily is it to replace the axle with the one on my 90?.. I have had the rear springs and shocks off and one of the trailing arms so I know everything should un-bolt easily!.. My main concern are the brakes? (Apparently it is a case of turning the "T-piece" around on the disco axle to mate up with the existing pipe work?).. Also my other worry is the A-frame joint? I have use of axle stands, Trolley jacks, Hi-lift etc. Also is there anything I should do before I fit the axle?. Such as replacing seals or perhaps brake lines?.. I am going to fit a brand new A-frame joint whilst I am at it. Any advice appreciated!. Many thanks.. Matt

Hi all.. I am planning on fitting a Disco back axle to my 90 (I want to replace the drums with discs).. I was also looking at Discs and was shocked at how cheep they are on Paddocks spares.. I have always used paddocks gear and am happy with their stuff. A set of "Standard like for like" Discs retail at about £30 inc pads. Whereas the "Performance" slotted and drilled ones retail at about £40 excluding pads.. My front Discs could do with changing in the next few years but I thought I might aswell do them whilst I can. Would I benefit from fitting Slotted/Drilled discs and some decent quality pads? Or are they just a big con?.. These are the item in question. http://www.paddockspares.com/pp/DEFENDER/Brakes/Paddock%5FPerformance%5FRear%5Fbrake%5Fdiscs%5F%28pair%29%5F%2D%5F90%5F%2D%5Fslotted%5Fand%5Fdrilled.html My Defender is primarily a road motor (With the odd mild offroad use). Thanks.. Matt

Hi there.. Theres one major issue you have to bear in mind.. Red is one of the most "Fading" colours out of the lot.. I learned this with my 2a.. I re-sprayed my 2a about 19 months ago.. And I had to re-paint a wing panel after accident damage so used the same can of paint which I used on the bodywork.. And when painted on it looks like a different colour all together!. You might be better off giving it a full re-spray to avoid patches of different shades of red!

Yeah I am not confident enough to go to court about it.. Plus £60 is only a day or twos work for me.. And going to court would only take more time up and if I lost it could be tripple figures.. Was thinking of just writing to the local cop shop but on second thoughts they didnt care about a car accident I was involved in where two cars which are highly damaged still on the road!.. Its just one lesson I will have to learn from.. But im wound up that it was only a £30 fine last week.. And now its £60!!.. Lets just hope its a case of what goes around comes around and hope one day it comes down to him!

Yep that was his point.. Which I admitted was my fault etc.. Basically brown nosed him hoping that would workd.. But with a car park full of mates taking the tiddle I told him I was driving home with the landrover as it was and getting my moneys worth as I wasnt wanting to look a T*** changing them infront of P*** taking mates!.. £60 is a bit steep but it was my fault, What wound me up was the fact as I got out the car and went to set off he was P****** about with my mates saying how his car was faster than theirs and he can legally jump lights and he was saying this to a bunch of lads with Highly modified 306's and Scoobies which had invalid insurance and they was section 59 worthy.. Seems this time it was a case of politeness gets you no where!. Im wound up as I have helped the police a LOT down my area tracking down thefts etc (Being a witness) and reporting crimes.. But nothing is ever done about it. Suppose theres on lesson involved and thanks to my attitude it got me out of 3 points aswell! I like how he mentioned how many defenders are getting stolen yet he didnt check a thing on mine till I suggested him to do so and I didnt get a producer to go to the police staion to proove that I have changed my plates!.. Seems they are only interested in money.. Started to really loose respect for some of them, However I was in the wrong but I thought a simple warning would have been adaquate

Hi all.. Not asking for sympathy here.. But last night I took ym freshly painted 90 up to the local retail park to see some mates.. After being there 5 minutes a Police car (Traffic cop in a BMW M5) Looked at my land rover and stopped immediatly and pulled up to my window and questioned my registration plate. Long story short I got a £60 fine!. I have a show plate displaying "UNSWORTH" which covers up the hole in my winch bumper (I have not fitted a winch yet). But I also left the real reg plate displayed in the windscreen (It was fitted to the grille but I resprayed the grille and simply forgot to put it back on, So was an act on my behalf).. I had a polite attitude with the traffic Officer in the hope he might give me a warning.. But it didnt work so I accepted he was right and avoided any arguments. He also took a photo of the front of my 90 He gave me a green slip of paper "Fixed Penalty notice (non endorsable offence)" WHich basically states all my details and states "registration plate not fixed in accordance with regulations".. This gives me the impression that the "UNSWORTH" plate on the bumper didnt matter, It was the Vehicles reg in the window. Im not arguing the fact I was in the wrong, But I have 28 days to pay the hefty £60 fine. I have never been in trouble with the law and as I have 28 days I thought its worth a shot to appeal to the local police (I probably wont win but its worth a shot).. So whats the regulations regarding number plates?. Im not trying to worm out of my responsibility as I could have fitted the reg plate in the right place.. But its worth a shot?. Many thanks.. Matt

How is it even possible to make a stick welder for £30.. Letalone sell them making a profit at £30!!!! Like said, It would pay it's self off in just one or two small jobs! I find it even more of a bargain with a 3yr warrenty!!!!!

I have been to every Peterborough LR show since 2004.. And to be honest it gets worse every year!.. Back when I started going they used the big area (Till 2 years ago) I mean whats with not using that huge arena!. I remember once that Mark Evans (Bloke from a 4x4 is born) was there and scorpion racing helped raise a good show! But that was in 2005.. They seemed to have gone down hill.. But I suppose once you have been to one show, you have been to them all!. It was a 170 mile round trip for me and my dad.. But in fairness I did get the winchbumper I have been dying for since Driffield LR show earlier this year and a much needed drivers door.. Did seem dead quiet though!. Not sure whether it was the fact that I went on the saturday?. But last year wasnt anything special either! Mind.. I only go for the spares now I have my own land rovers whereas I didnt a few years ago!. Hi-light of the show = Bloke trying to flog me a second hand TD5 rear door for £450 saying thats what its worth! . And getting the winch bumper from them JD lads!

Sureley that bar doesnt make that much of a difference?. I am tempted to do this modification myself but your buggered if you want to fit a truck cab in the future!.. Suppose if your fitting rock sliders anyway that will add to side impact protection?. Or could you easily make this removal bar?

Thanks... Will fit the whole axle then in that case!. Also how do I check that my shafts are Hardenned and not standard items?.. I want to double check. Im guessing they will be slightly blue?.. Also harder to dent with a centre punch?, But as I have never used a centre punch on a standard shaft I dont know how they compare?. Want to be double sure, Also how do you check the Diff is a 4 pin unit or not?

Hi all I wish to fit disk brakes to the back of my 90 (Its a 1988 90 with drums).. But I "Apparently" have HD Hardenned drive shafts and 4 pin diffs and feel it would be easier If I could simply change the stub axles alone?.. Would sooner just fit discovery stub axles as this saves time. Can it be done? Many thanks.. Matt