UdderlyOffroad

Fiesta Indicated speed != reality...probably closer to 68mph officer...

Funny, I had an old Defender Radio cassette in my Fiesta when I was a student, best stereo I've ever had! Sound came out of both speakers, could find and hold a radio station...I've actually kept it to put into my 110 when it's back on the road, for that -ahem- period look Since you ask, the fiesta's cambelt let go at 85mph in the outside lane of the M4, so it was one of those rare things, a fiesta that wasn't killed by rust!!

Aye, thought so, still looks like a step up in terms of usefulness from the £50 eblag jobbies. Yet another job to do on my resto! Speaking of which, the truck went for £5.5k in the end, which is still muchos £££, even if it is the 'desirable' spec 127. I wonder if I'll get an email saying it's been re-listed...

Not what you asked for but bear with me; I have successfully used www.anyvan.co.uk www.shiply.com www.uship.com To get quotes and have things shipped, what used to be called 'part loads' - i.e. transport firms going there or therabouts anyway. You describe your item, they then submit quotes and you select the one you think is best. There's an ebay stylee-feedback system. E.g. I got a Sankey delivered from Withams 'oop North to Bristol for less than the cost of the Diesel I would've used to get there and back. Will dig out the name of the guy I used when I get home. Avoid a company trading as 'nene Valley' or a derivative of the above, as they are take-the-deposit-and-run merchants. I've had a couple of thing shipped this way and found it a darn site easier than pallet-firms, who tend to throw hissy fits when the load deviates from a euro-pallet! HTH Matt

(Grabs a his dog-eared copy of "Eats Shoots and Leaves", lights blue touch paper and retreats to a safe distance) Always quite fancied 130 doublecab...must be even more of a barge than a 110 though, especially with that plough, er towbar on the back. On a serious note, anybody know who makes the cubby box? Could be a home-brew, but looks like it might have room to plonk a CB inside. And with the size of that cushion, at least 1 of 2 elbows would be comfortable when driving it!

110 CSW rolling shell (No ID, engine, doors etc) for £300. Not a bargain in itself but it came with so many odds and sods I should make it back when I finish my truck (having kept the best bits for meself...) On a non-Landie related note: Pair of new brand-name boots for the missus, same as the ones she's been eying in the shop - but for £30 as opposed £200! That got me a few brownie points.

FWIW, I’ve had similar experiences with the RAC, I.e. they will insist on setting a patrol first, even when it’s clear that it’s a not a road-side-repair (in my case for a prematurely snapped cam-belt on a previous Euro-box) which adds (say) an unnecessary hour and a half or so to a the recovery home process. I should add I've yet to break down in the 110! Will definitely look at Britannia come renewal time though. I know it’s irrational, but I haven’t gone with the AA for a while because of their ‘fourth emergency service’ advertising tagline they had a couple of years ago. Clearly advertising execs have never heard of the Coastguard, Mountain Rescue teams, Royal Navy and RAF search and rescue, Army/Navy/RAF bomb disposal teams…etc etc. (rant) Incidentally, has anyone ever broken down and been recovered whilst towing their Sankey? How did you get it home? During my (admittedly) brief career building recovery vehicles for a coachbuilder I can’t ever recalling fitting anything other than a ball hitch to anything but the largest trucks. And you would need a large flatbed to fit a 110 and Sankey combo onto the back!

I had this too, and although it seemed daunting at first, by the time I'd removed the appallingly fitted stereo wiring, as well as the bodge-job alarm, worklight that would make its own mind up about whether it should be on or not, etc, I was left with a much simpler loom. Take heart, study the various diagrams, remove the bodge-job wiring, repair where necessary using the correct size and colour of cable. That or get over to Autosparks and stump up for a replacement loom... Extra toys (worklights, spots, etc) can most easily be added by using a separate fusebox in the battery compartment.

D'oh! You're quite correct Ralph - apologies, serves me right for trying to reply quickly before I left the office. Both the gauges in my links are of the direct connect variety, but of course for an alternator driven vehicle you want a gauge with an external shunt, or one with an inductive pickup coil, such as p/n 0-525-01 in the Durite catalogue. As I stated, probably overkill if you’re anything other than an overlander who wants to keep an eye on their current draw when in the middle of the bush.

Durite (PDF catalogue) sell some good value gauges that don't look too out of place in a Landie, or VDO make some nice ones... Beware of Ebay-bought cheap gauges that look 'bling' and are designed for boy-racers for installation into their Saxos/Novas/etc...

Nice job Neil! Well, he’s installed a voltmeter, which usually is installed to indicate the system voltage – if it’s 14.4v with the engine running you can be reasonably confident the alternator is charging, if it’s 12.5v with the ignition on you can be reasonably confident the battery is holding charge. That isn’t always the case but it gives a simple check. It’s also possible to install an ammeter which will show the current flow and direction i.e. to or from the battery and how much. This gives useful indication of what the alternator is outputting and what your loads are drawing, and whether the battery will be seeing a net gain or a net drain. You can of course install both but assuming your battery, starting and charging system and its wiring is healthy (and really the system is quite simple on an ’85 Landie). I would have thought both gauges are overkill for regular* users…Saying that you do have a lovely mud dash to fill with Switchgear and gauges… :-D *As opposed to, say, overlanders who need to keep any eye on their batteries

I'd go for at least 35mm^2 cable - not sure halfrauds straps will list a current rating or area but that's my not-so-humble. Matt

I think you might have missed a few things there Twig... To measure the current throughput - you'll either need an old-school AVO meter with a needle or a fancy digital meter with peak-hold function to determine the max current draw when the unit flashes. A £4.99 digi-meter will just flash up random numbers as it tries to keep up with the flasher relay turning on and off. Also, what a about the power rating of the resistor? It'll be more than a 0.25W standard RS-jobbie. It's worth mentioning that for this solution to work the resistors should be mounted on the trailer, not the tow vehicle itself - otherwise you might find yourself blowing fuses if you tow another trailer. When I get my truck up together I'm going to implement a smart-load device based solution to allow me to have any combination of LED lights (should I win the lottery), LED trailer lights (should I win the...etc), filament bulbs, filament trailer etc. I was going to use one of these to replace the LR flasher relay, and a smart load device such as this one (PDF, page 21) from Ryder Towing. This will give me output for the in-dash tell-tale but it doesn't have a buzzer (which drives me spare in my Eurobox). Again I can't find a supplier for this online but I'm going to try my local towbar fitting emporium. The maypole one should be available from the likes of Motaman... HTH... Matt

Has anyone managed to track down a slightly more robust aftermarket jobbie that still has lighting in it, so you can see where to plug stuff in at night? Preferably with LED lighting so you don't break the holder trying to change the bulb?

Bet the Handbrake lever was still mounted in a flippin' awkward position though? And the poverty-spec driver's seats? Or are you telling me that Land Rover are finally producing comfort levels in step with the rest of the 'utility vehicle' market?

Another vote for PCL - I bought air tools from several sources and all seemed to have a different stylee of 'euro connector' - in then end I just found the cheapest supplier for what appeared to be genuine PCL on Eblag and standardised the fleet. End of connection frustrations. Try to get some anerobic thread sealer like Loctite 577 as opposed to PTFE tape too, far better IMHO.

Bishbosh, this isn't about the rights or wrongs of speed cameras, it's about the data TomTom users have supplied being used for purposes other than was advertised; a data protection issue in other words. To be fair, this thread's title is a little alarmist, but then the upshot of that is that it made me to read it+research it myself.

To be clear, it was anonymised data, not individual drivers' name, rank & serial number. How long before UK "safety camera partnerships" start breaking out their chequebooks? Looks like I'll be carefully checking precisely what options I have ticked on my Tomtom's PC-based update program!

I have to agree re the Autobox - a mate in the past has lent me his 50th anniversary 90 - and its just a little, well, dull, not being a able to stir the porridge. The v8 sounds great, but for an everyday truck I'd prefer a torquey diesel. I may be in a minority here though :-) Also, on a 'run' up the motorway, even with LPG the rate which it drinks go-juice is astonishing!

Waiter, a serving of humble pie please! ;-)

Thing is, it's not performing a 'basic' hydraulic function. The circuit itself may be simple to understand but it's a high performance setup and will cause ordinary fluids to 'boil'. If manufacturers could use something cheaper they would. Added to this as others have stated conventional fluid may eat the seals. It's designed as a system, and chopping/changing fluids & seals will cause no end of grief. (Albeit a system spec'd by accountants and assembled by brummies! :-) )

“I have found that you always have to be pulling or braking the caravan. You cannot "roll" round a corner without drive or down hill. So you may have to slow down more for a corner than you want so you can pull the caravan through it. Coasting downhill has a good chance of the caravan wagging the car." Are you serious?? Never coast, especially not when towing! Time for someone to re-acquaint themselves with the highway code methinks.

You might find 110s are better value at that budget - I did!(Lights blue touch paper, retreats to a safe distance :-) )

Or, luker bros specialise in moving stuff to Switzerland, they might be able to help; http://www.lukerbros.co.uk/ Or try getting quotes from Shiply.com, uship.com, anyvan.co.uk for part-loads. I would still advise fixing over there tho!

This lot are coming up as an Independent landie specialist in Zurich on Google http://www.uetli-garage.ch/?page=38 Labour rates in Switzerland are mayfair rates but with the minimum qualification for a mechanic being a 4 year apprenticeship you'll find the level of professionalism to be high. Tell them you only want it Fahrbahr zurueck nach England, nicht MFK-bereit (drivable to Uk not Swiss-MOT standard) Viel glueck!