Adam001

Bear in mind 255/85 R16s only come in mud terrain format which may be unnessecary. normally i wouldnt consider 285/75 R16, but if practicality is less of a concern then you could get all terrains which could potentially end up quieter and better on fuel. I never umderstood the phrasing of its a defender its loud, yeah, but if it doesnt have to be loud...

Best practice is to leave the alternator charge line to just do its purpose. I would use the oil pressure switch as bowie has said. On mine I have a 'engine run' circuit that provides a 12V supply only when the engine is running, i do that using 2 relays, one in NO and one in NC, to handle the oil pressure switch being NC. that circuit then serves everything where i need to know the engine state. also look at using a Nagares TLT/5-12 10min timer relay, for the window, they are pretty cheap and handy.

Just a comment on the DIY approach. I did it and so glad i did, my harness is completely custom, the standard defender one has so many flaws and in many instances is woefully protected from a fuse standpoint, e.g. from memory on mine there was no fuse protection to the ignition barrel and the load the barrel took on crappy spade terminals was way over what it should be. Now my ignition barrel only takes around 5amps of current with a fuse. I've then had freedom to do the rest of the system as i've seen fit. Been there for 8 years now and not a single electrical issue. If you go that route you can do what you want and you just have to work out the small defender bits such as the steering column stalk switches, hazards etc but they are straightforward once you get there. So if you are willing to tackle it, have the skills and take the time over design and build, go for it

I have a build thread on here also for my M57 install

Duralac i am told is very good stuff too. Personally I have galv'd basically everything, have stainless almost everywhere (ooooo shiny) and have either EDPM or PVC gaskets or shims between all areas.

For reference, the earlier BTR5779 belts clip into the puma seats no problem.

Figured I would update this for others. Rebuilt this carrier now and more than happy with it (for now). Cleaned the shaft up, bearing did not need to be pressed on but is not visibly loose so went for loctite 660 small bead around the shaft just behind the threads, then pushed and spun the bearing around to make sure it had a even coverage New nut etc and torqued up correctly In future I don't think I would hesitate to do this again, these loctite products get great reviews Adam

I'm guessing you are using the bolt on gearbox brackets onto the chassis? If so it won't match up anyway with the gear lever hole. Are your sills and seatbox bolted in the correct places?

Got the bits from Ashcroft, forgot to order diff thrust washers so once I've got those ill rebuild this bit and pop some photos up should others get the same issue!

I figure the failure mode would be pretty slow to represent, probably start with slightly higher oil temperature from the friction then as it wears more cause a misalignment in the gear mesh and wear the bearing out. Failure of the bearing/shaft could happy at some point but guessing it would take quite some time!! Considering the one on my 300k mile box had spun i'm doubtful anything would really go bang! I'm not that worried, just don't like doing things badly and knowing it's like it means sods law is not far behind! Ignorance is bliss!

So I think my summary on this is it's a poor design! Mine is not too bad, more of a clearance fit with a worn bearing (I'll put up photos later). I'm going to use it, it's likely a new bearing will remove some clearance and then I plan to use a bearing retainer, just need to decide between loctite 620 or 660 for the application. 660 makes sense but 620 i think is stronger.

I'll ping you a message

Yeah I'm hanging in that conflict now, between rebuilding my not too bad, but worn, shaft (58mm), buying a new replacement for around £400 or just going for the ATB (Which to be honest I don't need). I'm surprised it's not a topic discussed more often as it seems really common! Curious! Is it the earlier 53mm selector spline or later 58mm spline?

Scrap that, found the later differential, LR055682, even more expensive!! I really doubt reconditioners replace them at that massive price and make a profit

Yeah I've done exactly that. Bought a disco II box with no diff lock hoping for a unabused box. Lovely clean oil but still the problem with the bearing. Seems a complete gamble! There's another thread on here from back in 2010 which also didn't get a conclusion on this bearing issue. So thinking ill probably need to get a new diff centre I've hit another problem...they don't seem to exist. There are 2 types, one with the small splines, FRC7926 which seems to be superceded to FTC5207 but the larger spline one I can't find anywhere! Unless all the sites have it wrong and FTC5207 is not a supercession but rather the newer version with the larger spline. May end up having to salvage it anyway!

Yeah that's where I'm at, makes me wonder about reconditioned transfer boxes to be honest (from less reputable people that is) so far on the 3 boxes I've stripped many components are out of "spec", such as yokes, and dog clutches, intermediate shafts etc. I struggle to think I've got 3 that are out of the ordinary. So how do they make money when they should be replacing so many components! Hmm Daves pretty good, sure he'll come back to me monday/Tuesday or something.

Hi, Questioning myself here. I bought a LT230 transfer box the other day to rebuild. When I got down to the differential shaft/housing it has 2 bearings, one on each end. The end that goes up against the diff (diff bolted end) was tight and came off with a puller. The other end which has the large 2 flats staked nut and has all the output gears etc just came off, no puller/press needed. I figured this meant the bearing had spun and the housing needed replacing, these are super expensive so decided to just get another box...was the same!! So I took apart the one on my truck, same again! I've emailed Dave Ashcroft for his view on this, but what have you guys come across when rebuilding these? Picture below of the end i'm talking about (this one was the worst)

Hi, I currently have a EA chassis ignition lock and a later model rear door with the FUB500060 mech. Trying to just have 1 key for the ignition barrel and the rear door but don't know which set I need. Anyone able to help? Happy to swap the full steering lock/switch if needed. Not worried about the doors, removing all the barrels and just using central locking. Cheers, Adam

Yeah that's what I was thinking but I imagine they must have changed the brackets for a reason, not cheap these belts so want to at least try and get the right ones. Can always return I guess. I will probably default that way if at a loss. Anyone else done it at all?

Hi all, I'm fitting puma seats to the 2nd row of my defender 110. I've sourced all the bits I need but I'm a little stuck on seatbelts as I don't have any. My defender is a 1988 and I have 300tdi interior trims which would suggest I need BTR5779 on both sides. Question is, will these connect with the receivers on the seats or do I need EVL000080PMA/EVL000090PMA from the td5 or later still the EVL501580PMA from the puma, but I'm not sure if these later ones will mount on the C post. Anyone done it and know for sure? Adam

Hi all, Got a lockdown task for those of you with nice 110s. I'm realigning my body and don't have ideal doors. Could some of you kind folks get some measurements for me. Something like what I've done below so I can compare?! I have the standard panel gapping docs but I find they don't cover everything like total opening sizes Thanks, Adam

Thanks retroanaconda! Do you have the full manual for that? I may look to swap all the bushes and take the opportunity to remove the axle and give it a proper look over!

Yeah I'm thinking that's the obvious next step although as I'm writing this I'm wondering if my bushes could have alot to do with it. Does anyone have a link to specifications for the axle in regards to backlash etc?

Measuring the backlash from the pinion I take it? Sounds good though, I know ours has been cared for as it's been with us since around 34000 miles. I've noticed in the last 2 years things such as speed bumps can caused kangarooing. Which leads me to the rear axle or transfer box as the other items I have worked on recently so know are unlikely culprits

Hi all, So while in isolation I'm pondering the never ending list of jobs for the defender. Next being the rear salisbury on my 110. It's got 297000 miles on it now. It's got a ton of slack in the diff (not the flanges, those are new) so I'm wondering whether rebuilding it is a feasible task and would remove the slack (I like to repair things and not scrap them!) Or if I'm being silly and should swap to a lower mileage unit or swap to the later rover style rear axle. What do you think? Anyone tackled a unit with this many miles on? Truck is not a heavy off roader, road use and greenlaning for me..I do have a 450ish Nm engine though Adam