UdderlyOffroad

Looks like a great project HoSS. Some interesting suggestions for coach building options there. Are you actually doing the build in Switzerland or Brizzle? There are a few coach building outfits over there, Vogt springs immediately to mind - they do fire trucks and the like (they did some interesting G-Wagon builds IIRC). I would’ve suggested going to an agricultural-type show such BEA in Berne and talking to some of the coachbuilding/horsebox vendors there and seeing if you could do a deal. Unfortunately it appears that particular show was 2 weeks ago! Not sure if there’s a similar type of show at the Geneva exhibition centre. Matt

Get a girlfriend! Clothes not making the cut soon head your way...And yes use get some lint-free cloth for use on sensitive things like hydraulics.

Which website are you using to confirm this? All the DVLA vehicle enquiry tells me is: Whereas askmid.com tells me

Some excellent responses there, thanks all. Sound advice, but tragically given my tight-fisted tendencies not likely to be advice I’m going to listen to, at least in the first instance! I’ll get a cheapo one first, if its quality is too poor, relegate it to the back yard or inside the garage. As for the distance thing, I’m fortunate that the layout of my yard is such that it ‘funnels’ people down a certain path, so I should be able to get a good mugshot of ne’r-do-wells from not very far away. I had no idea ‘NVR’s like that existed! Looks like the perfect solution, as I don’t want to leave a PC running all day, burning power. Saves tying up the router’s painfully slow USB connection (that can remain free for backup/archive use) In this application at least, I can easily run power to the camera. Also, I intend to use PowerLine Ethernet adapators which I don’t think are POE compatible! As for NUCs – again probably overkill in this application. A £45 NVR coupled to a £45 USB hard drive should do, and should be far easier on the electricity bill. In the past I’ve tried to avoid running a ‘home server’ as I don’t think I need something on all the time just sitting there. Definitely take the point about buying a camera that is (or claims to be) standards compliant though. Incidentally, over on ‘Fender2, someone has bought a "genuine" Foscam and had good results with it. I'll have a look around again during lunch today and get a camera on order, along with an NVR and 1 Tb HD. Will do the install and report back. Matt

Cheeky, I'm nowhere near as old as you Anyway, have a look at this listing on Ebay, which is 12-core. Automarine (one of the big wholesale suppliers that supply both my local Auto Electrical trade counters) sell 12-core, whereas Durite do 13 core. Whatever takes your fancy. I'm sure if the OP was to use it to replace his chassis loom an extra core wouldn't hurt. The words 'concours' and 'Land Rover' shouldn't be in the same sentence ihmo, but that might just be me! Matt

Minor point of order here, any auto electrician worth his salt will recognise 7 core trailer cable for what it is, and know the colours off the top of his head. I used to wire up breakdown trucks for a living, and it would've been impossible to match the wiring colours from all the different truck manufacturers (if they even used colours - Some, such as MAN just numbered the cables!), so trailer cable was the norm. Just make sure it's not the cheap stuff, i.e 7 x 0.75mm2 ! As Landowner pointed out, it's actually not 13 core normally, as one of the pins is unused. Matt

Please tell me he's 'in character' in this?! ;-)

All, Somewhat Landy-related, as it has to do with deterring* the theft of your Land Rover and other equipment. Mods please delete if too wildly O/T. After the theft of an admittedly minor item from my yard, I’ve decided that in addition to physical security measures a recording of anyone who enters and exits would be in order too. I’ve seen the Chinese Ebay specials… for about £30 for a wired IP camera, and £40 for wireless. Has anybody used them? Any positive experiences to report? What I’d like to be able to do for it to be able to record onto my NAS. But looking at the listings, I’m not sure they can do this without a PC permanently on running additional software. Of course this would be a perfect Raspberry Pi project, but time constraints mean I’d rather be spannering on my Landies than tinkering with Linux command lines… Any feedback appreciated. Matt *yes, I know the deterrent effect is arguable, but please let’s keep this thread technical rather than debate the merits or otherwise of CCTV versus 12-gauges versus big dogs.

D'oh! Just bought one of these, as a replacement for the damaged wired controller on my 2nd-hand winch. Ahh well, will run a switch in the cab and only use this one in emergencies.

This! Where's the like/favourite/me too button? Matt

Just remember that like an MOT, these are purely visual inspections. In other words, you should be able to spot any defects yourself. Obviously, there's no substitute for experience, but when it comes to lifting gear, if it doesn't look right, it usually isn't...

All Have tried a Google site-search but couldn’t find anything relevant/recent. Anybody know of any seat covers for a Disco 2 that will allow the rear seats to maintain the 60/40 split? Got some covers from ‘Turtle Covers’ but they will be going back. For a start, the rear covers are a one-piece affair. The one good thing is that there’s a ‘letterbox’ hole in the rear armrest that allows the cup holder to be used. But, bafflingly, the centre-rear headrest cover prevents the headrest from being adjusted correctly. Matt

“Side light” would be a rubbish name for a band…. But more seriously, check your up-to-date copy of the Highway Code….sidelights are only for use in lit areas, below 30 mph, or when stationary. Don’t forget, it’s because people are apparently incapable of using their headlights+sidelights properly that the EU legislated to introduce daytime running lights (DRLs) for all new vehicle type approvals. Initially I was against it, but the more I see them the more I think it’s a good idea. Matt

James, Looks like an AMP/Tyco 'Mate-n-lock' as per Paul MC's link. Can't seem to find an 8-way though. My link is from an Ebay seller who I've had bits from before and is pretty quick. Matt

Google is your friend. 30 mpg (~200 Tdi's batting average) is about 9.41 l/100 km. Just remember that US Gallons are smaller than UK (imperial) Gallons, so you can't compare US consumption figures without converting first. Schoolboy error that many, many motoring journalists make. As for fully indy suspension. If they pull it off on a utilitarian truck...sign me up, but if it was easy, someone would have done it by now. And yes, add me to the 'real life' prototype club, not Solidworks models

Why on a PM? It's been well covered - I suspect people just get confused because there are so many threads on here asking different variations of the same question. Bottom line: The only fool-proof way to do it: Get the LR Parts catalogue and open it on the page where it shows the Salisbury Disc-braked variant, and source all the parts listed. The hubs are the same as 300 Tdi Disco rears, which are quite easy to source. Just don't do what I did: paint/re-furb the wrong hubs and wonder why they don't fit! On the other hand...perhaps we're dragging Mike's build thread off-topic. I'll get back in my box... Cracking build Mike. Your dash-moulding looks better than LR's effort! If you needed to top your finances up, bet you could sell a few of those! Matt

I have yet to call on my ADAC membership but, yes, the UK (AA) element of the service is the only thing that worries me. Veering slightly off-topic, anyone else get the ADAC magazine delivered this week? "Die Krise als Chance" was the cover story....I've left that on my desk at work, dropping not very subtle hints to my project team ;-)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps 3 cheap 4.5" grinders about, with the roughest one being used for wire brushes! Seriously though, am tempted to buy a slightly higher quality one for use cutting...I note Screwfix are doing the base-model 'blue' Bosch for £35...

You have to be careful though, IMHO, 'Citizen Journalists' who've been given a freebie to review are even less likely to be objectively critical of a product than a Journo who knows which side their bread is buttered on. That is of course different from someone who has spent their own hard-earned on a product.

I wouldn’t have thought that’s a problem. With a free magazine funded by advertisers, no one in their right mind is going to expect complete editorial impartiality. I’ve noticed a lot of the workshop-type articles in the paid-for magazines are done in Britpart’s in-house workshop? Wonder if those will stop. Interesting development, using the ‘Metro’ free newspaper funding model. Have signed up for the pdf version

I too don’t read the mags anymore, frankly the quality of the journalism is through the floor (with some exceptions such as HonitonHobbit). Seen in one of the mags recently: ‘If you don’t have B+E entitlement on your licence, you can’t tow a trailer heavier than 750 kg’ Wrong! Also one of the columnists appeared to claim ‘he was welder not a fabricator’ and that he was fixing a jeep, though he wasn’t sure what type but it was, but it ‘looked like one out of M*A*S*H’. He got paid to write that! They appear to have hired a college student to do the layout/graphic design too. For instance, HonitonHobbit wrote a column about the rear storage arrangement in the back of his 110 – with by the sounds of it some interesting ideas. But do you think they could be bothered to illustrate it with even one photograph or graphic. Could they f**k! That said, some of the American mags are available on Google Play for £0.65 a month, if you are happy to read it on your Android device. Seems like a fair price.

Thanks for the responses all. To be honest I haven't actually picked up yet so was just doing some research after a lazy Sunday lunch...will report back. Gary, a google site search revealed this guide from Pete Attryde, thanks for the pointer. Sadly the pictures have gone into the Photobucket Hole of Doomtm Matt

Hello all, I've gone and done it again. Purchased a 300 Tdi EDC discovery. Only mildly rotten and still at the patchable stage. My excuse this time is that SWMBO needs a car due to imminent job-change (she'll use my daily Euro-box, before anyone thinks I want to be single! :-) ). Now, the thing seems a little down on power so will give it a good service, filters, check the hoses. The other issue is the remote/immobiliser fob has disintegrated, leaving you having to press the microswitch on the bare circuit board before you start it. I know you can buy the housings but have been thinking...short of swapping the pump out for a non-EDC version, how easy is it to remove the ECU/Immob from the equation altogether? It's a manual so no kick-down cable to worry about. There appears to be a bowden cable linking the loud pedal with the pump. So, if one was to remove the DDS bit on the pump and supply voltage to the stop solenoid as alluded to here, Supply 12V to the fuel cut off solenoid* and starter when required, surely the ECU is now totally out of the picture? Feel free to PM me any responses you think veer to much into 'giving pikeys a lesson in how thieve' but I think we all know that playing with a multimeter and wiring in bypasses isn't their style! Matt *I assume this is different from the stop solenoid on the pump?

Sorry Mike, only picture I've got. You'll have to click "save" the picture and use the old Ctrl+Mouse Scroll Wheel technique! Am up in Abergloom two days this week so you never know, I might get lucky... Matt

Not so much a tech tip, more "I didn't know they made this" Take one of those halogen floor 'site lights'. Bright, but f-bar-steward hot, bulb which breaks easily, and generally totally unsuitable for use as an inspection light when working on cars Get on Ebay and search for "118mm halogen led", will yield something that looks like this: Order for less than a fiver delivered, install into light and voilà, a decent, cool running floor standing inspection lamp that won't melt or self-destruct at the drop of a hat or spanner. I wouldn't recommend these to replace halogen bulbs in fixed security lights, at 9w they're not bright enough. But to illuminate the underneath of a Land Rover, or the inside of the under stairs cupboard, perfect! Apologies if this is common knowledge, but I thought it was worth sharing. Matt